Summer of Science: Melting Rocks

Last Tuesday we discussed the wobbling of our planet thanks to the liquid inside it.  But if our Earth is made of rocks and metals how can they be liquid?

It all has to do with melting points and this time we’re using chocolate to learn our lesson. 

Supplies

• Cup of hot water
• spoon
• chocolate pieces (we used milk chocolate baking chips)
• toothpick

Directions

Put the spoon into the cup of water for at least a minute.

Remove the spoon shaking off as much water as you can, before placing a chip in it.

Use the toothpick to move the chocolate around observing how it melts easily when the spoon is still hot but starts to solidify as the spoon cools.

Lesson

  Just like chocolate, rocks and metals are solids and all solids have a melting point.  While chocolate melts quickly (this was when Vin chimed in, “ I know it melts in my mouth!”) rocks take longer to get hot enough to melt and when they do they become magma ( my son doesn’t know how NOT to interrupt, “That’s what comes up from volcanoes!”). 

As the chocolate cooled it become solid again.  Rocks do the same thing and when they cool they become igneous rocks.  ( “Now can we eat the chocolate?”)

I would encourage you to talk about other solids and their melting points…if you have older children you can always make glass from sugar! 

Next week we’re going to discuss the rotation and revolution of our Earth and how it creates day/night and the seasons.  To see what else we have on the calendar please visit out Summer of Science homepage. 

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