Center Focus

Ice Insulation

  1. You will need the following materials:
    • ice cubes
    • paper towels
    • wax paper
    • plastic wrap
    • metric balance
    • newspapers
    • aluminum foil
  2. The objective of this center is for students to find the best way to insulate an ice cube to prevent it from melting.
  3. Students can work in a center group, wrapping ice cubes in the various materials.
  4. Students will first need to weigh the ice cube before they wrap it. They will also need to make a chart where they can compare the different methods and record the weight after a specified amount of time.
  5. They should also leave one ice cube uninsulated (as a control) to compare results at the end of the experiments.
  6. After one hour (or less depending on the temperature of your classroom), have students unwrap the ice cubes, weigh them, record the data, and come to a conclusion as to which method was best.