Beans about Water

The Properties of Water
and Changes in Matter
5th-7th grade classrooms

From condiments to cooking oil,cosmetics to chocolate bars, baby formula to bubble soap, soy products abound in the products we use every day. In this four-lesson curriculum, students, like working scientists, use the plentiful soybean as a tool to study the properties of water and changes in matter. Among the activities:

• testing surface tension
• measuring density
• dissolving solids into solutions
• changing liquids to solids

Lessons can be used in sequence or on a stand-alone basis. The teacher manual includes lesson plans and camera-ready student handouts.

Beans about Water was developed by professional staff at The Ohio State University and the Ohio Soybean Council as part of the Science Alive in the Classroom series of 4-H school enrichment programs. For additional information on the availability of this unit in your classroom: