Making Popcorn

Before we left for Holiday break, we spent our last day in pajamas, watched a movie of Maurice Sendak Stories and Songs, and made popcorn for the movie.

Picking away at the kernels on the cob.

Joanna Jerose, our school's outdoor classroom coordinator, was able to score up some real popcorn on the cob for us. On Thursday, the day before we popped the corn, we spent a lot of time at the science table picking the kernels out of the cobs. 

A full row out

We noticed the kernels were very small. We noticed it was a lot of work to pick them out one by one. It worked to strengthen the fine motor muscles in our fingers.

This is 100 kernels.

As we picked kernels, we did some counting. We made a pile of 100. We couldn't believe how little the pile looked compared to all of the kernels we picked. So, we counted out 50 more. It still looked little. We did some quick estimating and decided that we definitely picked more than a thousand kernels--and maybe even 2000. 

On Friday, Movie Day, we made the popcorn in a popcorn popper. The kids delighted in the spectacle. Many of them reported that they don't ever see popcorn popping. (I blame microwave ovens.)

I talked to them about how inside each kernel, there is a teeny bit of water. When the kernels heat up in the oil, the water inside ends up reaching its boiling point. They knew when water boils it gets bubbly. I told them when the bubbling starts happening inside the kernel, that's what makes the kernel explode into popcorn. As they watched the kernels burst, I also drew their attention to the steam coming out of the top of the popper. That was the other result of the boiling water inside the kernels. Steam is hot water being lifted into the air because it turned its gas form. 

We also learned The Popcorn Chant (by Peter and Ellen Allard). The words are:

"You put the oil in the pot and you let it get hot.

You put the popcorn in and you start to grin.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle, sizzle, sizzle, sizzle,  

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle, sizzle, sizzle, sizzle, POP!"