While investigating solids and liquids we did an experiment to determine if toothpaste was a solid or a liquid.
They made a prediction. Then we squeezed toothpaste into a jar of water.
The toothpaste appeared to dissolve in the water then the next day we could see the toothpaste had settled at the bottom.
Some of the children said it was a solid while some said it was a liquid. After some investigating the students agreed to disagree.
Toothpaste acts like a solid and a
liquid. It has characteristics of both because if you leave the tube cap off,
the toothpaste does not flow out like liquid, it retains its shape and acts like
a solid. When you squeeze the toothpaste tube, toothpaste flows out like a
liquid.
We recorded our findings in our science journals.