Let’s Watch: Popsicle Science

It's very hot outside. Niki wants something cold and sweet to eat, but she doesn't have anything like that at home. She remembers a video about making your own strawberry popsicle! Yummy! Maybe her mom will help her make some. Let's go and see!

Niki's mom is in the kitchen. Niki thinks this is the perfect time to ask her to make strawberry popsicles. Mom thinks it's a great idea! The popsicles don't require many ingredients and are healthy. Mom loves this kind of recipe!

Mom and Niki get to work.

Mom has all the ingredients and other items they need. She asks Niki to get a notepad to write down all the ingredients and materials needed for the recipe, so she has it for next time. To make the popsicles, they need washed strawberries, a pot with water to boil the fruit, a blender, sugar, lemon juice, and popsicle molds.

Let's list the ingredients and materials as solids and liquids. As Niki's mom says the ingredients, Niki writes them on her list as solids or liquids:

strawberries: solid

pot: solid

water: liquid

blender: solid

sugar: solid

lemon juice: liquid

popsicle mold: solid

The first step is to boil the strawberries to soften and cook them. Niki notices something coming from the pot. It looks like clouds!

Mom tells Niki not to get too close to the pot of hot fruit and explains what Niki is looking at. Those aren't clouds coming from the pot. It's water vapor! When the water becomes hot enough, it boils. The water vapor is a gas and is invisible. Gases are often invisible so we can't see them.

After the strawberries are finished cooking, Mom puts them in the blender. Wow, the blender is loud!

Niki is getting impatient! She really wants a popsicle! Mom tells her the recipe isn't quite done. Next, they need to add sugar and a little lemon juice. Finally, it's time to pour the popsicle mixture into the molds.

Niki is so excited about her popsicles! She starts to take one from the molds. But they aren't popsicles! They're still a warm, gooey mixture. Niki is confused. Mom tells Niki that there's one more step that needs to be done.

When they're frozen, popsicles are a solid. The mixture in the molds will become solid after it's been in the freezer for a few hours. The freezing temperature will cause the liquid mixture to change into a solid, frozen popsicle.

A few hours have passed, and Mom calls Niki to the kitchen.

Niki is so excited! When she walks into the kitchen, she sees Mom holding a perfect, red, frozen strawberry popsicle!

It's the best popsicle Niki has ever tasted! Niki had no idea that popsicles and science go together. Mom tells her that cooking and baking are both science!