Heating Things Up!

During week 4 of Physical Science, we have been learning about the three types of heat transfer and experiment with different types of insulators. During this experiment, I used aluminum foil, bubble wrap, a cotton dish towel, and a Sparkle paper towel. Using water that was brought to 80 degrees Celsius, I filled my four cups to the same level. I covered each cup with an insulator and used a rubber band to ensure that the insulator was covering the opening of the cup tightly. After thirty minutes, I uncover each cup and used a simple thermometer to measure each cup of water's temperature. In conclusion, I discovered that the foil insulated the water the best. The bubble wrap can in second and then the dish towel. The Sparkle paper towel lost the most heat.
If I had to complete this experiment again I would use more non-traditional materials such as, a wool scrubbing pad, press n seal wrap, a large piece of bandage and possibly a piece of flat glass. I think that using more non-traditional materials would make this experiment more interesting. When think about how I could complete this experiment in my second grade classroom, I am a little stumped. My students do not learn about the different types of heat until they are in third grade. In second grade, students are to know and understand that substances stay hotter longer if they are in smaller containers and that if you would like to cool a substance down, blowing on it or placing it in a larger container would be correct. Instead of determining what materials are better insulators, I would have my students measure the temperature of oatmeal that is in different size containers. I know that our third grade science teachers complete the insulator experiment near Thanksgiving. I understand that my experiment would not achieve the same results, but it would fit my curriculum and standards much better.