Chemical Sciences
Christmas SciTech
Students grow a crystal Christmas tree, mould a bouncy snowball, unmask mystery liquids with a colour-change indicator, make instant snow, launch Santa's sleigh and build a snowball catapult to take home.
Limited time: last 3 weeks of Term 4 only
Sessions from 30 November to 18 December
Foundation–6
90 min
up to 30 students
$490 + GST$390 + GSTSave $100
What students will do
Students begin by setting up their own crystal Christmas tree, standing a small tree in green solution that grows crystals as the liquid evaporates over the next day. They pack coloured powder into a mould and soak it in water to make a bouncy ball, or a colourful snowball, to take home. In a mystery pH test, students use their sense of smell to match three clear liquids, then add red cabbage water to reveal which is an acid, a base or neutral. Working together, they add water a little at a time to a spoonful of super-absorbent powder and watch it swell into a tub of instant snow. Students then launch Santa's sleigh on a pump rocket, testing how force and angle change how high and far it flies. The session closes with every student building a spoon catapult and launching paper snowballs, then taking it home.
Learning outcomes
- Grow a crystal Christmas tree and describe how crystals form as a solution evaporates
- Combine a powder with water in a mould to make a solid bouncy ball, and describe how its properties changed
- Use a natural colour-change indicator to classify mystery liquids as acids, bases or neutral
- Observe how a super-absorbent powder soaks up water and swells into instant snow
- Launch a pump rocket and investigate how force and angle change its height and distance
- Build a spoon catapult and test how to launch a paper snowball as far and accurately as possible
Curriculum links
- VC2S2U04Core
Objects are made of materials that have observable properties able to be described using the senses. View on VCAA ↗
- VC2S2U05Core
Materials can be combined, and mixtures can have properties that are different from their original materials. View on VCAA ↗
- VC2S2U11Related
Pushes and pulls can change the speed, direction or shape of an object, and vary in strength and direction. View on VCAA ↗
- VC2S4U04Related
Solids, liquids and gases have different observable properties, and adding or removing heat can cause a substance to change state. View on VCAA ↗
- VC2S4U10Related
Contact forces and non-contact forces, including friction, gravity, magnetism and static electricity, can be exerted between objects and affect their motion. View on VCAA ↗
- VC2S6U04Related
Changes to materials can be reversible, such as melting or freezing, or irreversible, such as burning, and new substances can be formed in a chemical change. View on VCAA ↗
Often booked alongside
Physical Sciences
Electricity
Students build working circuits, classify conductors and insulators, compare series and parallel configurations, and investigate how different energy sources, including hand-powered generators, produce electricity.
Physical Sciences
Force & Motion
Students measure forces with a spring balance, test friction across surfaces, feel inertia first-hand, launch reaction rockets, and explore magnetism and static electricity.
Physical Sciences
Heat & Energy
Students investigate how heat moves by observing particle movement, comparing conduction through plastic and metal using an infrared thermometer, and testing how insulators slow heat transfer.
Bring Christmas SciTech to your school
Tell us your year levels and preferred dates. We'll confirm availability and bring everything with us.
Limited dates each term — one facilitator, one school per day.