Teacher Directed Centre:
Ice Cream in a Bag
• Students will make
ice cream in a
plastic bag and
freeze it using ice
and salt
• Combine milk,
sugar, vanilla extract and sugar in a plastic bag –
have children add in an ingredient each
• Fill large plastic bag with ice and salt and put the
ice cream mix in this bag, making sure both bags
are properly sealed
• Ice cream needs to be shaken for 5 minutes –
ensure each child has a turn at shaking the bag
• While making the ice cream ask students:
o Once I add the sugar into the milk can
we take it back out? Why?
o What do you think is going to happen
when we put the ice cream mix in the
ice?
o Why do we use ice and not water to
freeze the ice cream?
o Check inside the bag and ask if the
students can see any changes happening
to the mix and why they think those
changes are occurring
o Once the ice cream is frozen what would
happen if we didn’t eat it for a while?
Explicit / Intentional Teaching:
Mat session:
• Present students with three gloves, one blown up,
one filled with water and one frozen
• Once students have finished playing/exploring
the gloves discuss with students:
o What do you think each of the gloves
are filled with?
o What would happen if we put a hole in
the one filled with air?
o What would happen if we left the frozen
glove out?
o What can we freeze/how do we freeze
things?
o If I freeze something can I unfreeze it,
what is that called?
Introduction:
• Explain to students that we are going to be
looking at changes, some things we do we can
change back such as freezing water and then
letting it melt and turn back into ice
• Other things we can’t change back such as if we
are making playdough, we can’t take the flour
out
• When you are playing at our different centres
today have a think about when you do
something if you could take it back out
• I’m going to leave the gloves on the table here
and after we have finished exploring our different
centres we will see if anything has changed
Centre:
Potion Making
• Students explore different natural and man-made
materials to make potions
• Students mix together with a focus on developing
an understanding that once you mix something
in you can’t take it out
• While students are making their potions, you can
discuss:
o What can you smell/touch/taste?
o Once you add something in can you
take it back out again?
o Can you see all the ingredients you
mixed together?
o What happens if you mixed X with Y?
o What does your potion do/include?
• Provide students with a range of fine motor
sophistication to cater for different abilities such
as big spoons, little sticks, etc
• This week just want students to explore a variety
of different materials including natural and man-
made
1

Centre:
Penguin Rescue
• Students must rescue the penguins that have
gotten stuck in the ice cubs
• Using a pipette student suck up coloured warm
water and squirt it over the ice cub
• As students are rescuing their penguins you can
ask them:
o How are you saving your penguin?
o What is making the ice melt?
o What would happen if we put the
penguin back in the freezer?
o Once you have melted the ice, if we
wanted to freeze the penguins, again
could we?
• Does anyone have any predictions or ideas about
what they think might happen to the gloves? à
Write down children’s predictions
Conclusion:
Centre:
• Bring children back together as a group
• Ask if any Children have any discoveries they Making Bubbles
want to share • Children, with the help
o Extend children learning by questioning of another educator,
what they say and bringing in points will mix together water,
from other children dishwashing soap and
• Refer back to children’s predictions about the sugar to make bubbles
gloves and ask if children have anything else they • Children will make
want to add before looking at the gloves their own bubble
• Pass around the gloves and discuss with children blowers and blow
what has changed, why these changes occurred, bubbles using the mix they made
and could we do anything to change them back • While children are making the bubbles can
discuss:
o What is happening to the sugar as we mix
it into the water? Where does it go?
o Can we take the soap and sugar out of the
water?
o What happens when we blow the bubbles?
o Once we blow the bubble can we turn it
back into the liquid?
o How do we blow the bubbles?
2
Centre: Objective/s: Centre:
Farm Animal Oobleck 1. Verbally identify and explain the reversible
• This is a small world activity where in a tray is the change of ice cream freezing and melting
Oobleck as a base with farm animals, rocks, and 2. Verbally identify and explain the irreversible
other natural materials dotted throughout change of mixing the ice cream ingredients
• Children explore the process of reversible change together
in state (solid – liquid)
• Ask children explore the
Oobleck ask students:
o What happens
when you
squeeze it?
o Does it change
at all when it’s
in your hands
o Is it sticky or not sticky?
o Can you make it into a ball or sausage
like the playdough?
o Does it stick to the animals?
• Some children might not feel comfortable with
this kind of sensory stimulation. Providing gloves
may encourage the child to engage in the activity
• To extend children’s learning they can assist the
educator in the making process

3
 Assessment & Recording: (What are we assessing? How are we assessing? How are we recording?)
1. Verbally identify and explain the reversible change of ice cream freezing and melting
2. Verbally identify and explain the irreversible change of mixing the ice cream ingredients together
Both of the above objectives will be assessed through anecdotal records as well as a checklist:
• Anecdotal records will be used to record children’s observations and quotes during the activity. These can be used to inform the checklist and when
documenting learning. Anecdotal records will be supported with photos.
• Checklist will outline if students could identify what the reversible and irreversible changes were and their justification behind why it is a reversible or
irreversible change

Highlight one or two outcomes specifically connected to your objective/s.

4.2 Children develop a range of skills and processes such as problem solving, inquiry, experimentation, hypothesising, researching and investigating

5.1 Children interact verbally and non-verbally with others for a range of purposes

4
Teacher Directed Centre:
Marshmallow Roasting
• Call children over to discuss some safety before
going over to the ‘fire’
• Ask children what they think they should do
around the fire:
o Has anyone ever seen fire before?
o Do we touch the fire?
o How close should we stand to the fire?
o Do we run near the fire?
o While we are waiting for our turn what
should we be doing?
• Take children up to the fire and call one child up
at a time to put their marshmallow on a stick,
cook it, put it on a plate and then eat it once it’s
cool
• Each child should get two turns
• After roasting their marshmallow, fellow
educator videos child eating their marshmallow
and asks them what made their marshmallow
change from how it was before and if they think
it could be changed back
• Other discussion questions include
o Why are/aren’t you turning your
marshmallow?
o What is happening to your
marshmallow?
o Is your marshmallow the same as before?
o Why is your marshmallow changing
colour?
Explicit / Intentional Teaching: Centre:
Mat session: Wombat Stew
• Read ‘Wombat Stew’ by Marcia Vaughan • Provide children with all of the ingredients need
• Ask students if you could take out any of the to make wombat stew and a big pot resting over
ingredients added to the stew a pretend fire
• Ask students because you couldn’t take the • Children can explore and pretend to make
ingredients out is it a change that we can make, wombat stew or anther potion
and it goes back to how it was before or is • Want students to understand once they add their
something new created? ingredients in, they can’t take them out
Introduction: • Can children still see some of the ingredients
• We are going to continue to look at changes once they are mixed in? Why can they only see
• Can anyone think of a change that can go back some and not others
to how it originally was?
• Can anyone think of a change that can’t?
• One of the ways we can change something and
not be able to change it back is burning/cooking
something
• Pass around a piece of toast and a piece of bread
o Once we put bread in the toaster can we
change it back to bread or does it remain
the same?
5
 o What would happen if we left your
marshmallow over the fire for too long?
Important things to remember for this activity:
• Roast marshmallows on embers not a big fire
• Use marshmallow roasting sticks that are
extendable, so children do not have to stand
close to the fire
• Do one child at a time
• Should be at least 2 educators
Centre:
Australian Small World Oobleck
• Children help educator to create Oobleck for the
Australian Small World
• While creating the Oobleck ask children:
o What is going to happen when we mix
our ingredients together?
o Why do you think it changes from being
hard to runny?
o What would happen if we didn’t mix our
ingredients together?
• Provide children with different Australian
materials to create their own Australian small
world
• Ask children what happens when they try to put
objects into the Oobleck, why is that the case?
Conclusion:
• Once children are back together on the mat ask
children to draw a picture of their roasted
marshmallow
• Get children to have a think about whether or
not they could change their marshmallow back
to how it was after roasting it on the fire
• Once they have had a chance to think about it,
children come up and stick their picture on either
the yes or no side of a piece of paper depending
on what they think
• Discuss with children what they learnt today:
o What is a way we can change something
and not change it back? Fire, heat, etc
o How did the Wombat Stew go?
o When we mix things together what
happens?
Centre:
Making Australian Animals
• Provide children with a ball of playdough each
and allow them to play and explore, practice
making shapes
• Educator rolls playdough into a ball and pushes
down the front to make a snout
• Looking at their creation educator says that she
thinks she has made an echidna like the one from
wombat stew, but it needs some spikes
• Use some sticks for the spikes
• Ask kids if they can make an Australian animal
from the book or a different Australian animal,
they know
6
 • Sing the wombat stew song with children • Once they have
finished making their
animal or if they make
a mistake can they
change their shape
back to how it was and
start again?
• Why is playdough so
easy to change?

Centre: Objective/s: Centre:

Crayon Melting 1. Children visually represent on a graph that once
• Using old crayons with the wrapper removed, we roast a marshmallow, we cannot change it
children choose crayons they want to use to back to its original form
make a new crayon 2. Children verbally identify that fire or heat causes
• As children are choosing their colours ask them: their marshmallow to change from its original
o Why are they choosing those particular form
colours?
o What do you think will happen to the
colours when they melt?
o Once the crayons are melted together
will we be able to take them apart?
o How could we melt our crayons
together?
• Using a hair dryer, children melt the crayons to
create new ones

7
 • Once set children can use their new crayons

Assessment & Recording: (What are we assessing? How are we assessing? How are we recording?)
1. Children visually represent on a graph that once we roast a marshmallow, we cannot change it back to its original form
• Photo taken of final graph with all students answers
• Video recording from campfire discussion to support students answers
2. Children verbally identify that fire or heat causes their marshmallow to change from its original form
• Video of child eating their marshmallow and explaining that fire or heat causes the marshmallow to change
Highlight one or two outcomes specifically connected to your objective/s.
3.2 Children take increasing responsibility for their own health and physical wellbeing

4.2 Children develop a range of skills and processes such as problem solving, inquiry, experimentation, hypothesising, researching and investigating

5.3 Children express ideas and make meaning using a range of media

8
Teacher Directed Centre:
Baking Soda and Vinegar
• Before students arrive fill 5 test tubes with bicarb
soda. In four of the tubes place a couple of drops
of food colouring on top of the bicarb and then
cover the colour with more bicarb.
• Fill a beaker with vinegar and have enough pipits
for children to use
• Bring children over and have the test tube with
no colouring in front of you
• Explain to children that in the test tube you have
bicarb soda, and, in the beaker, there is vinegar
• Ask the children what they think will happen
when I add the vinegar to the bicarb?
• Once each child has given you their predictions
add the vinegar in and watch the reaction
• Ask children what actually happened when the
vinegar was added? Was their prediction correct
• When the vinegar mixes with the bicarb, it creates
a gas which we can’t see
• Give each child their own test tube but explain
that inside their bicarb is a colour and before they
add their vinegar, I want them to guess what
colour is in their tube
• After their prediction, children can add in the
vinegar and see what colour they have
Explicit / Intentional Teaching:
Mat session:
• Give each child a balloon to explore and play with
• Allow children time to play with the balloons
Introduction:
• Once children have finished playing with the
balloons bring children back together
• Ask children why balloons stay in the air for
longer periods of time, what are they filled with,
can you see or feel air, do we have air in us, what
is air?
• After this pass around a block inside a container
and a container filled with coloured water
• Ask children:
o What is different about these two
containers?
o Does the block fill up the whole
container, how about the water?
o Could I put a hole in the block with my
finger, how about the water?
• Place the container with the block, water and the
balloon next to each other so all the children can
see
• Explain that the block is called a solid, water is
called a liquid and air inside the balloon is a gas
Centre:
Lava Lamps
• Place all the ingredients on the table for the kids
to see
• Ask children are we working with solids, liquids
or gases?
• Ask children if they think oil will mix with water?
• Explain to children that they are going to be
making their own lava lamps and show children
some photos of what lava lamps look like
• Children pour 1 part of water and 2 parts oil into
a container and look to see if the oil mixes with
the water
• Add in the food colouring and see what happen
• Add half an Alka-Seltzer tablet and watch as the
bubbles pop up into the oil
• Ask children:
o What they think is happening?
o Why do the two liquids not mix
together?
9
• Ask children what is created when we mix our
two things together?

Conclusion:
Centre: Centre:
• Bring children back to the mat and have a
Bubble Art discussion as a group about what students found Potion Making
• Put some dish washing liquid and water in a pub out at each of the centres, the kinds of materials • Provide students with ingredients and materials
with some food colouring they used, things they enjoyed doing, things they to continue their potion making exploration
• Give students straws and get them to blow to didn’t enjoy doing, etc. o Shaving cream
create bubbles on top of the water • Ask students if they can think of any materials o Bicarb soda
• Ask students: that we used today that is a solid…that is a o Vinegar
o Is air a solid, liquid or gas? liquid…and that is a gas o Dish soap
o How does air make bubbles? o Food colouring
• Get a piece of paper and place it over the top of o Some natural martials such as nuts, sticks
the bubbles but not in the water and leaves
o What do you think will happen when we o Plastic bowls
place the paper on top of the bubbles? o Muffin tins
o Ice cube trays
o Squeeze bottles
• Students can continue to explore concept of
solids, liquids and gases

10
Centre: Objective/s: Centre:
Block Corner 1. Children verbally predict what will happen when
• Provide students with blocks of different shapes the bicarb soda mixes with the vinegar
and sizes for construction play 2. Children verbally identify if their prediction was
• Consolidating the idea that blocks are solids like correct
the one we looked at for the start of the lesson

11
 Assessment & Recording: (What are we assessing? How are we assessing? How are we recording?)
1. Children verbally predict what will happen when the bicarb soda mixes with the vinegar
2. Children verbally identify if their prediction was correct
Both of these objectives will be assessed through anecdotal notes:
• Record each child’s prediction word for word on the template provided
• Record if child was able to acknowledge if their prediction was right or wrong and anything else they say about it

Highlight one or two outcomes specifically connected to your objective/s.

4.2 Children develop a range of skills and processes such as problem solving, inquiry, experimentation, hypothesising, researching and investigating

12
Teacher Directed Centre: Explicit / Intentional Teaching: Centre:
What Melts in the Sun? Mat session: Ice Colour Mixing
• Taking the list complied in the introduction to the • Read “The Snowy Day” By Ezra Keats • Create ice blocks that are the primary colours: red,
lesson, get students to choose one thing from the list • Ask children: blue and yellow
and collect it o Does it snow in Australia? • Ask children what these three colours are called
• Examples of objects to collect is: o Has anyone ever seen snow? and what happens when we mix them together
o Lego o What is another name for snow? • How would we mix ice blocks together?
blocks o What happens if we leave snow or • Provide children with different sized glasses and
o Chocolate ice out in the sun? containers to conduct their experiments and
o Cheese Introduction: explorations, record down any of their findings
o Ice • When ice or snow is left out in the sun it
o Crayon starts to melt and turn back into water
o Rock • I wonder, can anyone think of anything else
• Place each object that might melt in the sun?
in its own part of the muffin tray • Let’s get a list together and we can conduct
• We are going to set a timer for 10 minutes and then an experiment to find out what does and
come back and see what has and hasn’t melted what doesn’t melt
• Looking at the different things we have collected, I • What is the opposite to melting?
want you to draw a picture of which object you think • All of our activities today you are either
will melt the best and tell me why freezing things or melting things
• Once 10 minutes has passed, come back and ask
students:
o Which has melted the most, how do you
know?
o Which has melted the least?
o Has any other objected changed?

13
 Conclusion:
Centre: Centre:
• Bring children in as a group and ask them to
Frozen Hands share with a partner what they learnt about Fizzy Ice
• Provide children with a glove, melting today • Fill a big tray with shaved ice and allow children to
water and lots of different • When we did our melting experiment: have an explore and play with the ice
materials to put inside such as: o Who guessed which object would • Provide them with:
o Glitter melt the quickest? o Vinegar that is coloured with food
o Beads o Who was surprised about what colouring
o Leaves melted? o Baking soda
o Nuts o Did we see any other changes? o Pipits
o Food colouring o Do you think each group would • Children can explore:
• Children fill the glove with have had the same results, why/why o Colouring the ice
whatever materials they want, not? o Putting bicarb on the ice
fill the glove with water and with help from an o What happens to the ice when the bicarb
educator seal the glove and vinegar mix together?
• Children then put it in the freezer, how long do you o Does it make the ice melt quicker or
think they will take to freeze? slower?
• Once they are frozen children can play with them,
watch them melt, refreeze them, etc.

Centre: Objective/s: Centre:

Frozen Water Beads
• The day before, make a packet of water beads and
then freeze them once they get to a desired size
• Fill a big tray with the water beads and provide
different materials for children to scoop and fill and
explore the beads
• Ask children what happens to the beads the more
you play with them?
1. Children draw a picture of their prediction for
which object they think will melt the
quickest
2. Children verbally justify their prediction,
explaining why they think the object they
have chosen will melt the quickest

14
 o Could you put them back in the freezer?
o Why do you think we can freeze them?

Assessment & Recording: (What are we assessing? How are we assessing? How are we recording?)
1. Children draw a picture of their prediction for which object they think will melt the quickest
• Collect up children’s pictures and write out their prediction, display next to findings
2. Children verbally justify their prediction, explaining why they think the object they have chosen will melt the quickest
• Record children’s prediction and explanation on anecdotal note sheet

Highlight one or two outcomes specifically connected to your objective/s.

4.2 Children develop a range of skills and processes such as problem solving, inquiry, experimentation, hypothesising, researching and investigating

5.3 Children express ideas and make meaning using a range of medias

15