States of Matter – Changing States of Matter Packet (50+pages)
Our 50+ page packet on the three states of matter – solids, liquids, gases and changing states of matter includes worksheets, matching activities, vocabulary building pages and interactive notebook pages as well as hands-on activity ideas.
We began the unit by talking about the characteristics of solids, liquids and gases. We also went into a lot of detail on the changing states of matter covering those six changes (melting, freezing, evaporation, condensation, sublimation, deposition).
In this packet there are various notebook pages, worksheets, lapbook (interactive notebook) pieces, sorting cards, cut-and-paste activities and more! I included the hands-on activities that helped this unit come alive!
We covered the three states of matter years ago, but I realized ED was so little she might not remember doing this topic. Sure enough, when I asked her this summer she was vague and said she needed some review. Since many of my readers have a wide age-range of kids this packet has material that can be adjusted for use with multiple ages. (ED is now 8, Grade 3.)
By the way, someone pointed out that plasma is also a state of matter. That’s true and I talked about that briefly with my kids…. Plasma is a state of matter that is similar to gas, but plasmas are made up of atoms in which some or all of the electrons have been stripped away and positively charged nuclei, called ions, roam freely. A gas becomes a plasma when it is heated until the atoms lose all their electrons, leaving a highly electrified collection of nuclei and free electrons. [My son (in middle school) was particular intrigued by plasma, but it went over my youngest daughter’s head.] This packet does not touch on plasma at all, but if you have older kids and want to cover ions & isotopes, be sure to check out this Ions and Isotopes Chemistry Unit (Click here to see the full post!). Just wanted to make sure that is clear. 🙂
Scroll down to find out more about the packet and our activities!
The cost of the Three States of Matter Packet is $5.99. This unit is a PDF download. This packet is also included in the Chemistry BUNDLE (see the Chemistry Page or scroll down for more details).
Feel free to email me if you have any questions or problems! ~Liesl
Three States of Matter – Changing States of Matter Packet
$5.99
Note Chemistry BUNDLE OPTIONS here or below: If you want to purchase a bundle with the Properties of Matter Packet, Electricity & Circuits Unit & Chemistry Packet.
See the Chemistry BUNDLE option here: 
Molecules behave differently depending on what state they are in. The molecules in a solid are packed more tightly, while liquid molecules can slide and move past one another. In gases the atoms and molecules are able to move freely about. We did an activity with pony beads (several years ago we did it with marbles), to demonstrate molecule movement.
We talked about the various characteristics and properties of solids, liquids and gases. There are a couple of notebook pages and a foldable that ED added to her science notebook. The photo below was one the kids did a number of years ago, but there are also printable templates in the packet.
This time we did ours as a notebook page for their science notebook. The packet has the option of printing out the molecules, but I had my kids draw them on the page:
In this unit, we spent quite a bit of time talking about the fact that solids, liquids and gases have definite characteristics.
The same day we talked about several of the characteristics of solids:
- They resist being pulled apart.
- Elasticity: the solid can be bent or twisted a certain amount and it will return to its former shape
- Malleable – the solid can be formed into a new shape.
We read p. 38 of a Chemistry book called Chemistry: Physical and Chemical Changes in Matter (affiliate link) which we have used for this unit and for the next one (we did on matter: elements, compounds, mixtures, physical and chemical properties.)
I brought out rubber bands to emphasize the concept elasticity. To help explain how something is malleable, I gave them each a sheet of aluminum foil to create their own little critter:
In previous posts I shared some of the activities we did as we talked about the characteristics of liquids and gases.
The kids were pretty comfortable identifying which state of matter basic materials fall into, but I know many of you have younger kids so I included some Montessori-style sorting cards and several different states of matter worksheets:
ED and DD both spent some time sorting the characteristics & properties of matter onto the sorting mat:
We also spent time talking about the changing states of matter. When different substances are heated or cooled they can change properties. For instance, when warm air is cooled it can form condensation. Or, when liquids heat up they can evaporate. There are a number of different worksheets and notebook pages about the changing states of matter:
Changes in States of Matter: We had to spend quite a bit of time on sublimation and deposition. Yesterday I shared some of our hands-on activities for studying the change from a solid to a gas and from a gas to a solid.
And, as always we had a lot of fun with some hands-on activities. I shared those in the packet as well, but ED really enjoyed playing with cornstarch and water (and debating whether it is a solid or a liquid…)
Cornstarch: Is it a solid or a liquid?!!
and doing an activity with shaving cream and a penny:
Is shaving cream a solid or a liquid?
Click here to save this for later on Pinterest:
After finishing this unit, we went straight on to our next unit, the Physical and Chemical Properties of Matter.
In the Properties of Matter Unit we are studied:
- Matter: Elements, Compounds, Mixtures
- Organization of the Periodic Table
- Molecular vs. Structural Formulas
- Describing Matter: Physical and Chemical Properties
- Density Activities – Mass÷Volume
- Mixtures: Solutions, Colloids and Suspensions
Chemistry BUNDLE purchase these 6 units together
- Introduction to Chemistry – Size of Atoms Mini-Unit
- States of Matter Packet
- Properties of Matter Packet
- Electricity & Circuits Packet
- Chemistry Packet
- pH Scale – Acids and Bases Worksheet Packet
Chemistry BUNDLE of 6
$27.99
See the Chemistry Page for more details and lot more pictures of each packet.
You can also purchase these packets separately. See the Chemistry Page for more details.
$2.99 Introduction to Chemistry – Size of Atoms Mini-Unit
$5.99 States of Matter Packet (50+pages)
$7.99 Properties of Matter Packet (now close to 100 pages)
$6.99 Electricity & Circuits Packet (30+pages)
$8.99 Chemistry Packet – An introduction to the Periodic Table (150 pages) – Learn how the periodic table is organized and find out more about the different groups of the periodic table (Alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, halogens). Learn what valence electrons are and do some fun activities to create Lewis structures. Learn about the first twenty elements as well as elements with unusual names. Plus, learn about electron configuration and more! (We did this primarily in middle school, but did electron configuration in high school again.)
$2.99 pH Scale – Acids and Bases Worksheet Packet (25 pages) – Includes material for younger students (elementary/middle school) and older (high school) students.
$7.99 Ions and Isotopes Chemistry Unit (125 pages) This unit is an introduction to ions (which have fewer or more electrons) and isotopes (which have fewer or more isotopes). This unit should be done after students have completed the Chemistry Unit. (middle school/high school)
$9.99 Organic Chemistry Unit (100+ pages) Organic chemistry is the chemistry of carbon-containing molecules. In this unit, we study many of the organic compounds that include carbon and hydrogen (hydrocarbons), carbon-carbon molecules and more! This unit covers hydrocarbons, functional side groups and the four classes of macromolecules: carbohydrates, proteins, fats and nucleic acids. *high school level unit
Click on the link to see more details about each of these units:
Introduction to Chemistry – Size of Atoms Mini-Unit
Chemistry Packet: The Periodic Table
pH Scale – Acids and Bases Worksheet Packet
Chemistry Packet: Introduction to the Periodic Table
I am excited to share our new chemistry unit with you! As you know, we love hands-on activities and I want to show you some of the fun ways we explored the periodic table and touched on topics like valence electrons, Bohr Diagrams, Lewis Diagrams (electron dot diagrams), ions, isotopes, and more!
Some of the topics we explored included:
- Building the Periodic Table
- Bohr Diagrams & Understanding Valence Electrons
- Periods, Groups & Families
- hydrogen & the alkali metals, alkaline Earth metals, halogens, noble gases
- Atomic Number, Atomic Mass & Chemical Symbols
- Lewis Diagrams
- Metals, Metalloids and Nonmetals
- Unusual Element Symbols
- Trends of the Periodic Table
- Electron Configuration
We did this unit together when the kids were 10, 12 and 14. I think this unit is best for middle school and up (perhaps as a supplement to for high schoolers being introduced to chemistry for the first time).
Click here to see more details about our Chemistry Packet:
You might also be interested in some of our other science packets
- Earth Science Packet: Plate Movement, Earthquakes Volcanoes and more!
The Big Animal BUNDLE includes 8 packets. 1) Animal Unit, 2) World Animals Packet, 3) Rainforest Packet, 4) Life Cycles Packet, 5) Winter Packet 6) Cicadas Mini-Unit 7) Chameleons Mini-Unit 8) Wolves Packet
These Animal Units can each be purchased individually as well.
You can scroll down below to see more pictures or click on the “Quick Preview” links below.
Quick Previews
- Animal Packet Quick Preview
- World Animal Packet Quick Preview
- Rainforest Packet Quick Preview
- Life Cycle Packet Quick Preview
- Winter Packet and Hibernation Unit Quick Preview
The Animal Unit is 100+ pages. It covers basic animal classification, animal characteristics, body coverings: feathers, fur, scales or skin, vertebrate groups, invertebrate groups, domesticated vs. wild animals, animals and their tracks, nocturnal vs diurnal animals, animal homes and shelters and more!
The World Animal Packet is 75+ pages. It covers animals of the 7 continents. There is a new section all about African animals of the savanna.
The Rainforest Packet is 50+ pages.
- Ocean Unit: Last year we did a huge unit on the ocean (right after our biology unit) and did lots of hands-on activities about early navigation, ocean depths, ocean features, tides, salinity and more! We learned about marine habitats, tides & currents, ocean life, bioluminescence and other topics.
See the Human Body Bundle here:
See you again soon here or over at our Homeschool Den Facebook Page! Don’t forget to Subscribe to our Homeschool Den Newsletter. ~Liesl
Disclosure: Please note that some of the links above are affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you decide to make a purchase.
Love it
Thanks Misty! We had a great time with this unit! ~Liesl