Ask Ollie
Ice Cube Melting Race
Here's one to try together!
Four ice cubes, three mystery toppings, one big question: which one melts first? Ollie bets you can't guess!
Reviewed by our team.
Safety first
- young children may taste the salt, sugar, or flour
- flour allergy or gluten sensitivity
- wet plate and melted water may make surfaces slippery
- ice cubes can be a choking hazard for very young children
- Raw flour is not for eating.
What you need
- Ice cubes, 4 cubes
- Plate or tray, 1
- Salt, 1 teaspoon
- Flour, 1 teaspoon
- Sugar, 1 teaspoon
- Towel, 1
- Phone, 1 timer
How to do it
Grown-up prep: Set out a plate with four ice cubes, small piles of salt, sugar and flour, and a towel nearby. Remind kids that the toppings are for the experiment only, not for tasting.
- Put the four ice cubes on the plate in a row.
- Sprinkle a pinch of salt on the first cube. Ask: What do you think the salt will do?
- Sprinkle a pinch of sugar on the second cube.
- Sprinkle flour on the third cube and leave the fourth plain.
- Make your prediction! Which cube will melt first, and which last? Ask: Which one is your top pick, and why?
- Wait five minutes, then check the cubes.
- Check every five minutes until one cube is mostly melted.
- Line up the cubes from most melted to least melted. Ask: Which cube is first, and which is last? Were you surprised?
- Talk about it: why do people sprinkle salt on icy sidewalks?
- Now race more cubes, or show a friend! What will you test next? Ask: Which new topping would you bet on to win?
Play it again
- Salt showdown: race a pinch of salt against a big spoonful and see which cube melts faster.
- Team bets: everyone guesses the winner before the race, and the best guesser picks the next test.
- Stopwatch race: time how long each cube takes to melt and compare the numbers.
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