Tasty Tuesday -- Boiling Water

It seems like a pretty basic idea to start off our "water" theme, doesn't it?  I asked my girls what it meant to boil something, and their answer was "when steam comes out of the pan."  That's when I realized they had never seen water boil!  From their vantage point, all they see when I boil something is steam coming from the top of the pan!!

You need:
Pot with water
Stove
Noodles
Colander

1.  Begin by talking about stove safety.  (I am fortunate to have a cooktop lock, but it is still a good idea.  I didn't want them to think they could cook something on their own!)  Put the pan on the stove and turn up the heat.

2.  Have your child observe the water before it is heated.  Make predictions about what will happen.

3.  A watched pot never boils!  Let the little ones play until the water boils, and then have them watch what is happening.  Pour in the noodles to cook.  Keep out a handful of dry noodles to compare with the cooked noodles.

 

4.  After the desired cook time, strain the water from the noodles.  Keep a few of the cooked noodles out and mix the rest with whatever sauce you like to use!  Make an easy "T" chart to compare what happened to the noodles boiled in water and those not boiled.

I've boiled water so many times, it never even occurred to me that my girls hadn't seen it!  It's a good reminder to look at things from their point of view!