Our predictions were:
1. The balloon will pop.
2. The balloon will float away.
3. The air will go out of the balloon.
4. The balloon will freeze.
5. Ice will form around the balloon.
6. The balloon will shrink.
Then we took them outside and tied them to the fence.
While we were waiting for our balloon experiment to sit outside for a while we went to look at our ice village. It was mostly gone!! Only a few structures were still there. We think this happened because it has been so nice out that the ice melted. In some spots we could see that the snow was coloured but in other spots even the snow was gone and all we could see was grass and dirt. With some of the structures that were still there the colour had started to disappear and the sculptures were white instead of clear ice. We each did another diagram of the ice village and wrote down our observations in our Ice Village books. This was our last observation so next week we will be trying to finish our writing and complete our books.
During our snack break Ms. Boyer went back outside to spy on our balloons. When she came back in we met at the carpet because Ms. Boyer had some surprising news. She told us that she had done some research about this experiment to see what other scientists had found out and to learn the scientific reason for their findings. This is what she found out:
1. When other scientists did this experiment the balloon got smaller when it was outside and then got bigger when it was brought back inside.
2. This is because when the air inside the balloon gets cold the molecules slow down and take up less space. When the air inside the balloon heats up the molecules move more quickly and take up more space.
Then we went outside to get our balloons to see if we got the same results as those other scientists.
Here are our observations:
1. Our balloons did NOT get smaller.
2. They looked almost exactly the same.
So, we had to think like scientists and figure out WHY we got this unexpected result.
Here are our theories:
1. Our balloons were sitting in the sun. Even though the air was colder than the air inside the school the sun might have been keeping the air inside the balloons warm.
2. It just wasn't cold enough outside today for the difference in the size the balloons and the volume of the air to be that noticeable.
Next steps:
1. We are going to try this experiment again on a very cold day and see if we get a different result.
2. Some of us have volunteered to try this experiment again at home but with the balloon in the shade.
3. Some of us have also volunteered to try this experiment again at home over night when the temperature should fall and be colder than it was today.
Please remember that we are going to Telus Spark on Monday. We will leave the school at 9:00 am and returning at approximately 2:30 pm. Please ensure that your child arrives at school on time so that our bus can leave promptly. As this is a full-day trip students must remember to bring their lunch with them. Please ensure that your child’s lunch is nut-free, litter-free, and does not require heating etc. Backpacks are not encouraged so we would ask that students bring their lunch in a small labelled lunch bag. We will be leaving our backpacks at school.
