Using simple materials students investigates and map outdoor and indoor air currents. They study the various patterns created when food coloring is moved in a tray of water. Concepts basic to fluid dynamics include laminar and turbulent flow, vortex formations, convection, and Reynold's number. Following these tests and experiments, students investigate permanent ink pens. The curriculum introduces concepts related to the basic physical properties of matter such as solubility, physical and chemical change, and reversible and irreversible chemical change.
Students use the technique of chromatography in several activities.
The investigation's overall problem requires finding the best container and procedure for making ice cream using household materials such as tin cans, buckets, ice, salt, and milk. They start off investigating how small ice cubes melt in different containers to determine which container may be the best for making ice cream. Choosing one of these containers, they determine the best way to cool the cream. They do this by observing the cooling rate of hot water in the container surrounded by different kinds of coolant solutions. All of these experiments contribute to making ice cream at the end.