Dry Ice Experiments Your Students Will LOVE!

Inside: If you’ve been wanting to try dry ice with your students but aren’t sure where to start, you’ll learn about my favorite dry ice demo, dry ice station lab ideas, how to store it, and safety precautions for using dry ice.

Have your students ever explored the phenomenon of sublimation?

Sublimation is the process of changing from the state of a solid to a gas.

If you’re ready to take your classroom to a new level of excitement, keep reading!

Every year I look forward to the Sublimation Stations lab with dry ice!

There are so many ways to integrate it into the curriculum! It’s a fun way to extend a matter unit. This station inquiry is also a great way for students to practice writing a hypothesis and making observations!

The end of October is always fun for this lab! It is a great way to “celebrate” Halloween in middle school without candy, costumes, or a party.

This lab IS THE PARTY!

Dry Ice Candle Demonstration

An awesome way to introduce sublimation is with the candle demo.

Dry Ice Inquiry-Based Activities for Kids

I have created a set of six inquiry-based dry ice stations for students to explore.

These dry ice experiments are a great way for your students to practice following simple instructions, making a hypothesis, and writing observations.

Each station investigates dry ice using commonly found household objects (such as a popsicle stick, balloon, dish soap, and a penny).

Before each lab, students read directions and write a hypothesis. As they conduct each investigation, they write observations from the lab.

Students work in small groups to complete the following lab stations:

I also encourage my students to write an explanation for “why” the dry ice behaves that way to encourage them to think about the “science” behind the fun!

Early finishers love to design their own dry ice experiment – teacher-approved, of course!

Dry Ice Safety Precautions

• Use tongs to handle dry ice.
• Do not hold the dry ice in your hand for a long period of time. Touching it for a second or two will not hurt, but if you try to hold it, it can freeze your skin and feel like a burn. 
• Never put dry ice into a closed glass container. 
• Do NOT put dry ice into your mouth. 
• Use appropriate eyewear.

Tips for purchasing and storing dry ice:

• It’s all in the planning! Since dry ice “melts” over time, it’s best to get it as close as possible to when you will be using it. Store the dry ice in an insulated cooler. Be sure to keep the lid on top until you need to remove pieces for the activity. If there is space in the cooler, you may want to pack it with newspapers to insulate it and help it last longer.
• Slab vs. Pellets—Pellets can be easier to handle for activities, but they tend to “disappear” faster if you don’t use them quickly enough.
• You can often find dry ice at your local Kroger. Walmart and Costco often have dry ice as well. It’s best to call ahead and pick it up the morning you use it.
• Often fundraisers (such as cookie dough) are shipped in dry ice. Our science department fights over every shipment – it’s free fun!

Sublimation Stations Inquiry Lab

Still have questions about dry ice in the classroom?

Check out this post, “Dry Ice for Science Experiments – Everything You Need to Know.”