Here follow my instructions for the thermoplastic experiment. With a little creativity and diligence, you can make your own figures and give nice Christmas presents for the family. Thermoplastics may be reshaped by heating, so if you are not happy with what you just created, just heat up the thermoplastic again and start all over again.

Remember to start the experiment with a hypothesis, what do you think will happen?

Instructions for parents: Read this first.

Material included:

• Thermoplastic
• Water

Additional things you will need:

• Water boiler or a saucepan to heat up the water in
• A cup
• A spoon

Description:

1. Heat water to at least 140 degrees F (60 degrees C) and pour into a cup.
2. Take a small amount of thermoplastic and immerse in the water.
3. Let the thermoplastic melt.
4. Pick up the spoon and gently remove the plastic mass. Notice, the spoon may be hot.
5. Shape the plastic into a figure.
6. If the plastic solidifies before you finish, you can put it back in the water again.

Explanation:

A thermoplastic, or thermosoftening plastic, is a plastic material, a polymer, that becomes pliable or moldable above a specific temperature and solidifies upon cooling.

There are several types of thermoplastic that have slightly different characteristics and can, therefore, be used to produce parts by various polymer processing techniques such as injection molding, compression molding, calendering, and extrusion.

To see others do the experiment look at this video:

Click the link to get to my Kids Christmas Calendar for more experiments.

Do you have any questions or comments about the experiment? Just leave a comment below!

Thanks!

Marika