In this exploratory lesson the students will be mixing sugar and colored water. The students will learn about the change that occurs as a liquid and a solid are added together. This experiment will be leading to an experiment on evaporation. They should focus on what they did to mix the ingredients and what they noticed happening. Do not tell them the name of the ingredients till they have finished.
I chose to begin with sugar and water because this is a great way to introduce the concepts of freezing, melting and evaporation. In this one experiment, the students will observe as a liquid changes into a solid, and how that solid changes back into a liquid, and how that liquid then changes into a gas. Then the students will monitor the changes that occur over several days. They will notice how the mixture changes over time and how the water will evaporate and describe the changes to the sugar. This experiment is also a great way to explain parts of the water cycle to students. Explaining how our weather is dependent on the temperature outside, providing the students with another example to aid their understanding of what is happening.