🧪 The Melting Ice Race

primary-4 · Ages 7–10 · 🏠 Safe at home

Objective: Find out what makes ice melt fastest.

🔒 Safety Notice: Ask an adult to supervise. Do not taste any experiment materials. Do not use dangerous chemicals. Follow the instructions carefully and wash your hands afterwards.

🔮 Step 1 — Predict first!

Your prediction

Predict which ice cube will melt first, second and last.

Write your best guess (scientists call it a hypothesis):

🧰 Materials

3 ice cubes, a plate, 2 cups of water (cold and warm), a little salt, a timer

📋 Instructions

1. Put one ice cube on a plate, one in cold water and one in warm water.
2. Start the timer and check every two minutes.
3. Bonus: sprinkle a little salt on a fourth ice cube.

⚙️ The variables

🔧 What we change

Surroundings of each ice cube

📏 What we measure

Time taken to melt

⚖️ What stays the same

Size of the ice cubes

📊 Step 2 — Collect your data

Enter your own measurements below — the chart draws itself as you type. If your experiment does not have measurements, record what you saw in the notes box.

Day / Try	Measurement A	Measurement B	Notes
1
2
3
4
5
6

📈 Your bar chart will appear here.

🔍 Step 3 — Prediction vs observation

What actually happened? Compare it with your prediction:

💡 The science behind it

Ice melts when it gains heat. Warm water passes heat into the ice fastest, so that cube melts first. Salt lowers the temperature at which water freezes, so salted ice melts faster too.

🏁 Conclusion

Compare your prediction with what actually happened. A wrong prediction is useful — it tells us something new!

🚀 Extension challenge

Why do you think some countries sprinkle salt on icy roads in winter?

🧑‍🏫 Teacher notes

Use a timer the children can read; salt is food-safe but must not be eaten in bulk.