Flubber Flow

Lunar and Planetary Institute

Flubber Flow is a 30-minute activity in which teams of four to five children experiment with Flubber and investigate how a solid can flow! They predict and model the properties of glaciers, view images of advancing glaciers, and create their own Flubber flow.

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Notes from our reviewers

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The topic is rigorously covered if couched in the "All About Ice" curriculum for younger audiences, with multiple pages of a journal that the students fill out. This experiment would work well after all of the other activities. The Investigation Journal can be used to review or front load information of gasses, solids, and liquids. The journal will need to be modified for young learners who can not write yet. Younger students will have a very hard time not touching their Flubber as it deforms throughout the lesson. After they have played with the Flubber, have them place it in a spot that is temporarily out of reach. Glacier photos are a bit outdated. Teachers may want to identify newer photos of glaciers to share with the students.
This activity does an excellent job of guiding students through the scientific process to learn about how ice flows over time and the basics of how glaciers move. Students make Flubber and observe it as it flows down a decline. Then they learn how the Flubber represents the movement of a glacier. Digitally available data and background material on the state of earth's water comes from the Lunar and Planetary Institute. Passed initial science review - expert science review pending.
Students engage in a hands-on activity to learn about glacier flow. The learning outcome is focused on students understanding the states of matter of water, and that ice can flow over time even though it is a solid. The pictures and discussion of actual glaciers in Antarctica is helpful to give a greater understanding of ice flow. The lesson and journal are logically organized.