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Science Launch G5 / Week 01 / Launch Lab
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Week 01 · Too Small to See

Launch Lab

Launch Lab: The particle dance
// Matter is made of tiny particles
⏱ about 15 min

Launch Lab: The particle dance

On Saturday morning, Rocket clears the living room floor. "Today we become particles!" he announces.

Raven laughs and writes three words on cards: solid, liquid, gas.

"When I hold up a card, everyone moves like those particles," she says. "Then we talk about what we noticed."

Nova dims the room lights and turns on a soft blue glow. "I will keep track of the evidence," she says.

Rocket wiggles his arms. "Let's see what happens," he says.

  1. Matter is anything that takes up space and has weight.
  2. All matter is made of particles far too small to see.
  3. In solids, particles vibrate in place. In liquids, they slide. In gases, they spread far apart.
  4. Dissolved salt or sugar is still there as tiny particles.
◇ THE PARTICLE DANCE
Each family member is one particle.
Solid: stand shoulder to shoulder and wiggle in place.
Liquid: stay close but slowly slide around each other.
Gas: spread out and walk around the room, gently bouncing off walls, not people.
Switch cards a few times. Move carefully and keep the space clear.
For a grown-up
Ask: what did you notice? What would you change?
Ask which state was easiest to squeeze into a corner of the room, and why.
WEEK CHECK
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
In which state do particles slide past each other but stay close?
What did the squeeze test show about air?
The smallest building block of matter is an ____.
In a ____, particles spread far apart.
When salt dissolves, is it destroyed? Type yes or no.
WHY THIS EXERCISEDissolved salt is still there as tiny particles.

You finished week one. Next week we will find out whether matter can ever just disappear.

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