Changing States of Matter Salt and Ice Science Experiment

Changing States of Matter Science Experiment

With this Christmas-themed science experiment, students will learn about how salt affects the freezing/melting point of water.

First, read a short description of how Santa’s sleigh is trapped in ice. The elves arrive with several substances that might help: flour, sugar, and salt. Students write a hypothesis and conduct an experiment to test which substance actually causes the ice to melt the fastest.

Includes:

teacher instructions
student instructions
lab sheet
data sheet

There are 2 versions of the lab sheet. One has students identify the dependent and independent variables. The other does not. This allows you to differentiate and/or use this activity with different grade levels.

After conducting the experiment, students record and share their data and apply what they learned by answering a real-world question involving salt and ice.

This resource also includes a Christmas states of matter word scramble. Students read each clue and unscramble the letters to name the solid, liquid, or gas being described.