Summer SAVY, Session 1 Day 4, Intro to Chemical Engineering: Engineering With Play Dough (1st-2nd)
It was a messy and terrific Thursday in Play-Doh Engineering!
This morning, we examined the properties of high-quality and low-quality play-dough. Through several tests, we determined that high-quality play-dough is smooth, flexible, and soft. We also determined that high-quality play-dough should be able to take and maintain the shape of spaghetti and meatballs, as play-dough is solid. We developed two evaluation tools from these tests: the Texture Scale and the Usage Scale, also known as the Spaghetti and Meatball Test.
In the afternoon, we shifted to experimenting with different ingredient combinations so our young chemical engineers could start developing their own play-dough recipes. Using our newly created scales, we carefully assessed which combinations of materials – flour, water, and salt – had the most desirable properties for effective, high-quality play dough. Students enjoyed experimenting with different ratios and describing the changes they observed, all while practicing key scientific skills like accurate measurement and controlling variables.
Through these experiments, students discovered that increasing the amount of flour made the dough drier, more salt made the dough grainier, and adding more water made it stickier. These discoveries will guide our creation of the ideal play-dough recipe in tomorrow’s lessons.
Questions for this evening’s dinner table conversations could be:
- How do the properties of high- and low-quality play-dough differ?
- Does altering the steps of a process change the outcome?
- What conclusions did you come to based on the tests you performed?
Thanks for another great day with your wonderful learners!
-Ms. Callis and Ms. Delaney