Colorful Ice Cubes

Overview:

In this experiment, students will make different colored ice cubes to explore liquids, solids and mixing colors.

Time: 

3-4 hrs

Lesson Materials:

*You can use the document in the link below to either: tailor the experiment to your needs or to have a printable version of this lesson plan*

Colorful Ice Cubes Lesson Plan

The plan is editable and printable. Copy the Google Doc in your own drive and make edits or you can just print.

Colorful Ice Cubes Lesson Video:

Learning Objectives:

  1. Create colored ice cubes.
  2. Experiment mixing different colors.
  3. Understand how temperature is related to phase change (solid to a liquid).

Materials Needed:

  • Ice cube tray
  • Divider tray
  • A glass or a measuring cup
  • Food coloring
  • Water

Experimental Methods:

  1. Pour water into the ice cube tray and drop a different color into each space.
  2. Mix a few colors and analyze how the color changes.
  3. Carefully carry the ice cube tray into the freezer and wait about 90 minutes.
  4. Take out the ice cubes from the tray and place one or two into a cup of water.

Variations: Make gak (cornstarch and water) cubes.

Questions to Think About:

  1. Is there any way to make water freeze more quickly?
  2. How many different colors can you make using the primary colors?
  3. Why did the water freeze?
  4. What would happen if we use more/less color?
  5. What does ice do?
  6. Why did the water’s appearance change?
  7. Why does the ice cube melt?

Chemistry:

How does water turn into ice? As the water molecules get colder, they begin to move slower. Once the temperature of the water reaches 0°C, the molecules stick together to become a solid, which is ice. And as the temperature rises up, the ice will begin the melt.

Society:

On a hot day, what’s one way to cool yourself down? By having an iced drink! Putting ice cubes in your drink is one way for the drink to become colder. After completing this experiment, you’ll already know how to make colored ice cubes!

Logistics:

STEAM Subjects: 

Science (Chemistry)

Science Vocabulary: 

Observe, temperature, color, mixture

References:

Mcdaniel, Rhett. “Bloom’s Taxonomy.” Vanderbilt University