Testing the Properties of Potions (materials)

Since our visit from the alchemist, Year 5 have been testing the potions he kindly left behind. Mrs Thackway demonstrated a couple of potion recipes advised by the alchemist. She made a strange concoction which changed from liquid to solid within a blink of an eye. Kayden kindly offered to assist the demonstration of the change of matter by placing his face close to the mixture. As suggested by the alchemist, the mixture suddenly changed to a solid, meaning Kayden luckily avoided the splash.

Following this, we prepared the next potion delivered by the alchemist. He left a mysterious packet labelled ‘Crystal Hedge Forest’. We placed these tiny, cream crystals in 1.5litres of cold water. We left them overnight and to our amazement, in the morning, they had grown significantly in size. However, Mrs Thackway left us wondering what they felt like and insisted we must test all the other potions before we could get our hands on them.

We tested a range of potions and considered their hardness,  transparency, magnetism and electrical conductivity.

Amongst the many potions left behind to test where:

  • Rainbow Dunes (Coloured Sand)
  • Steel Mines (ball bearings)
  • Silver Shingle Beach (silver coloured grit)
  • Glass Peak Mountains (glass nuggets)
  • Copper Nook (copper coins)
  • Gold coloured gravel mixed with compost
  • Once we had recorded our findings, we were able to feel the Crystal Hedge Forest. It was certainly worth the wait, although a little messy.