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Which solids dissolve in water?

November 17, 2011 By Emma Vanstone 21 Comments

Today’s experiment is very simple but hopefully fascinating for even very young children. We’re going to investigate which solids dissolve in water .

When a substance  dissolves in water, you can’t see it anymore; it’s still there but has mixed with the water to make a transparent liquid called a  solution.

We call substances that dissolve in water  soluble . Sugar and salt are examples of soluble substances.

Substances that do not dissolve in water are called  insoluble . Sand and flour are examples of insoluble substances.

You’ll need

• Transparent containers – test tubes or beakers
• Water ( warm and cold )
• Substances to try to dissolve, e.g. sugar, coffee, pepper, sand, flour, salt.

Instructions

Add a teaspoon of whichever solid you are testing to a glass of cold water and a glass of warm water. Stir and observe the difference.

Watch to see if the solid dissolves in warm and cold water and if one is better than the other.

Remember to use the same amount of each solid and the same amount of cold and warm water to make the investigation a fair test .

Can you design a chart for recording your observations?

Which solids dissolve in water

Things like salt, sugar and coffee dissolve in water. They are soluble . They usually dissolve faster and better in warm or hot water.

Pepper and sand are insoluble; they will not dissolve even in hot water.

Dissolving for older children

Everything is made of particles which are constantly moving. When a soluble solid ( solute ) is mixed with a suitable liquid (solvent), it forms a solution . This process is called dissolving .

Two things that affect the speed at which a solid dissolves are temperature and the size of the grains of the solid .

Caster sugar, made of fine particles, will dissolve quickly, but bigger sugar particles will take longer.

Solids dissolve faster in hot water; in hot water, molecules move more quickly, so they bump into each other more often, increasing the rate of reaction.

An example of a physical change

Dissolving is an example of a physical change. The particles involved are rearranged, but no chemical bonds are changed.

In a physical change, there is no change in mass. If you dissolved 10g of salt in 100g of water, you’d have 110g of solution.

More Dissolving Experiments

Make a naked egg and watch as vinegar dissolves the calcium carbonate of the eggshell.

Lava lamps work because the effervescent tablet dissolves in water releasing carbon dioxide.

Handy definitions

Solute – the solid being dissolved

Solvent – the liquid the solid is dissolving into.

Solution – the solute and the solvent

Soluble – solute that does dissolve

Solubility – how much of a solute will dissolve

Insoluble – does not dissolve

Saturated – a solution that won’t dissolve any more solute at that temperature.

More Science for Kids

Don’t forget we have lots more easy science experiments for kids at home that you can try too!

You might also like our science books ! This IS Rocket Science contains 70 fun space experiments for kids, including bottle rockets, film canister rockets, space marble runs and shadow puppets.

Snackable Science contains 60 tasty and edible science snacks!!

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Last Updated on April 9, 2024 by Emma Vanstone

Safety Notice

Science Sparks ( Wild Sparks Enterprises Ltd ) are not liable for the actions of activity of any person who uses the information in this resource or in any of the suggested further resources. Science Sparks assume no liability with regard to injuries or damage to property that may occur as a result of using the information and carrying out the practical activities contained in this resource or in any of the suggested further resources.

These activities are designed to be carried out by children working with a parent, guardian or other appropriate adult. The adult involved is fully responsible for ensuring that the activities are carried out safely.

Reader Interactions

November 17, 2011 at 2:07 pm

For some reason, I struggled to understand solids dissolving in liquids. It was probably until I was in high school and taking Chemistry before I really got it. 😉 I like the little experiment.

November 23, 2011 at 10:34 pm

Glad you like it, we aim to please. xx

November 18, 2011 at 12:16 am

what simple experiments, my little one will be fascinated by this.

November 18, 2011 at 9:17 am

Thanks, My 4 year old loved trying all the different things! x

December 15, 2019 at 6:51 pm

I just needed to get this information for my butterfly garden but after Reading this i will try to do this when i have a science project

November 20, 2011 at 8:32 pm

Very fun & simple enough for my little ones! Welcome to TGIF LInky Party. Thanks for linking up. Don’t forget to grab the TGIF button for your post or sidebar so others can find the party & link up too. Thanks & see you next week, Beth =-)

November 23, 2011 at 10:33 pm

Thanks Beth. x

November 23, 2011 at 7:46 pm

You do really come up with fabulous experiments to do at home 🙂

Thank you for joining Kids Get Crafty!

November 23, 2011 at 10:31 pm

Thanks Maggy, glad you liked it. x

November 29, 2011 at 3:00 am

I am fascinated by this & want to try it! Thanks for linking your idea to the Sunday Showcase last week. Hope to see you this week!

Bern http://momto2poshlildivas.blogspot.com/search/label/Sunday%20Showcase

November 29, 2011 at 2:40 pm

Yay, so glad you like it, let us know how you get on. x

February 19, 2013 at 5:59 pm

simple but effective

February 23, 2013 at 3:35 pm

Had so much fun doing this for homework, you basically saved me in a desperate situation, simple but very effective ;0)

February 26, 2013 at 4:36 pm

do all solids dissolve in water?

April 26, 2017 at 8:52 am

not all of them

April 30, 2016 at 2:43 pm

what other solids dissolve?

February 12, 2017 at 9:12 am

Loved this experiment – My daughter is nearly 5 and she loved setting up and carrying out the experiment 🙂 We wrote about it first a nd then after we wrote our findings down and then the sciency part too – She has to practise her sentence writing for school (she is in YR R) and it’s not a secret that my daughter loves to write. I wanted to give her a reason to write so experiments are a great way so I don’t have to pluck a random sentence out of the air on demand – THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

August 30, 2017 at 7:15 pm

So cool! most coolest thing i have ever seen

May 08, 2018 at 3:23 pm

September 04, 2019 at 3:50 pm

Was a very fun experiment and also very fun to do…

Had a fun learning experience with the simple ,little experiment… during theory classes I wasn’t able to understand until I got to do this experiment..the for coming up with the idea.

Wish u luck for upcoming experiments. Love .MELLOW

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What Dissolves In Water Experiment

Do you know what solids dissolve in water and what do not? Here we have a super fun kitchen science experiment for kids that’s very easy to set up! Learn about solutions, solutes, and solvents through experimenting with water and common kitchen ingredients. We love simple science experiments and STEM all year round!

What Dissolves in Water?

Have you ever wondered why some things dissolve in water while others don’t? Join us as we dive into the fascinating world of solvation – the process where substances disappear into water. In this experiment, we will witness firsthand how water, the “universal solvent,” interacts with different substances.

Through simple yet captivating demonstrations, we’ll uncover the secrets behind dissolving and understand why water plays such a crucial role in our everyday lives. So, grab your lab coats, and let’s embark on this journey to unravel the mysteries of water’s remarkable ability to dissolve!

Watch the video:

Free Printable Science Process Pack

Enhance your What Dissolves in Water experiment with this free pack!

YOU WILL NEED:

• Five different powders: Sugar, Salt, Gelatin Powder, Flour, and Pepper. What else can you find to use?
• Five clear jars
• Data Sheet (optional)

How to Set Up Dissolving Experiment  

STEP 1. Start by talking about what they (kids) think will happen when you add water to your jars.

STEP 2. Then you want to heat the water so it is warm. This makes the experiment happen a bit faster. (Alternatively, try the experiment with cold and warm water, and note the differences.)

FUN FACT: Long ago,  alchemists tried to turn substances into gold (unsuccessfully I might add), but they pioneered the idea of experimenting and testing for us! Let your kids be modern-day alchemists with this simple chemistry experiment!

STEP 3. Add one tablespoon of each material to each jar.

STEP 4. Next, pour 1 cup of warm water into each jar. A good scientist carefully measures so that all variables but one are the same. In this case, the amount of water is the same, but the material in each jar is different.

Read more about variables in science here.

STEP 5. Lastly, you want to give each jar a stir and then wait 60 seconds. I love having a kid-friendly stopwatch on hand for these activities.

Once the time is up, kids can determine which materials dissolved in the water and which didn’t. Were they correct? Did they need to change their answers?

What do your results show you? Can you pick out which ones are homogeneous mixtures? Read more about solutions below!

Quick Vocabulary

Solute : The solute is the substance that gets dissolved in a solution. The component is present in a smaller amount and dissolves into the solvent.

Solvent : The solvent is the substance that dissolves in a solution. It’s the component that is more significant and is responsible for dissolving the solute.

Solution : A solution is a mixture formed when a solute is dissolved in a solvent. It’s a homogeneous mixture where the solute particles are evenly distributed and dispersed throughout the solvent.

Things that Dissolve in Water

When you dissolve something in water, like salt or sugar, the water molecules surround the particles of the substance you’re dissolving. Imagine the water molecules as little magnets. They pull apart the substance’s particles and spread them evenly throughout the water.

So, instead of clumping together, the substance mixes into the water, becoming a part of it. This happens because water molecules are like magnets with positive and negative ends, attracting and surrounding the particles of the substance you’re dissolving. That’s why things dissolve in water.

More Fun Dissolving Experiments to Try

• Skittles Experiment
• Dissolving Candy Fish
• Sugar Crystal Experiment
• M&M Experiment
• Liquid Density Experiment

Turn It Into A Science Fair Project

Science projects are an excellent tool for older kiddos to show what they know about science! Plus, they can be used in many environments, including classrooms, homeschool studies, and groups.

Kids can take everything they have learned about using the scientific method , stating a hypothesis, choosing variables , making observations, and analyzing and presenting data.

Want to turn one of these experiments into an awesome science fair project? Check out these helpful resources.

• Science Project Tips From A Teacher
• Science Fair Board Ideas
• Easy Science Fair Projects

Helpful Science Resources To Get You Started

Here are a few resources that will help you introduce science more effectively to your kiddos or students and feel confident yourself when presenting materials. You’ll find helpful free printables throughout.

• Best Science Practices (as it relates to the scientific method)
• Science Vocabulary
• 8 Science Books for Kids
• All About Scientists
• Free Science Worksheets
• Science Supplies List
• Science Tools for Kids

Printable Science Projects For Kids

If you’re looking to grab all of our printable science projects in one convenient place plus exclusive worksheets and bonuses like a STEAM Project pack, our Science Project Pack is what you need! Over 300+ Pages!

• 90+ classic science activities  with journal pages, supply lists, set up and process, and science information.  NEW! Activity-specific observation pages!
• Best science practices posters  and our original science method process folders for extra alternatives!
• Be a Collector activities pack  introduces kids to the world of making collections through the eyes of a scientist. What will they collect first?
• Know the Words Science vocabulary pack  includes flashcards, crosswords, and word searches that illuminate keywords in the experiments!
• My science journal writing prompts  explore what it means to be a scientist!!
• Bonus STEAM Project Pack:  Art meets science with doable projects!
• Bonus Quick Grab Packs for Biology, Earth Science, Chemistry, and Physics

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• KIDS SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS
• --> DISSOLVING EXPERIMENT

Dissolving Experiment

To play this science experiment, click on the link below:

https://www.turtlediary.com/kids-science-experiments/dissolving-experiment.html

To know more about different science experiments, please visit www.turtlediary.com

Hope you have a good experience with this site and recommend to your friends too.

Dissolving Experiment is designed to acquaint kids with the concept of dissolving. Through a simple activity involving water, salt and pepper, kids will learn to make simple solutions and learn what dissolving is. They will also learn how and why certain substances dissolve in water more easily than others.

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Hands On As We Grow®

Hands on kids activities for hands on moms. Focusing on kids activities perfect for toddlers and preschoolers.

Easy Preschool Science Experiment to Learn What Dissolves in Water

Science Preschoolers Experiment Water Activities 65 Comments

This is a fun experiment for preschoolers to predict and observe what dissolves in water. You’ll both have fun making predictions!

I’ve mentioned before that Henry’s really been into experiments lately. He’s created his own experiments as well as begs for others to do quite often.

Like I mentioned in the how to become a hands-on parent post , I go to Pinterest for a lot of my ideas.

On a whim when Henry asked for an experiment to do, I checked out my ‘Simple Activities at Home’ board . This post popped up:  Does it Dissolve?  from Little Bins for Little Hands.

Find out what dissolves in water!

So we set up a dissolve experiment station with stuff from the pantry.

I found a few things in my pantry that might dissolve, along with a few that I knew wouldn’t dissolve:

• Brown Sugar
• Orzo Noodles
• Colored Sprinkles

I started out setting out two pitchers of water. One would be for things that Henry thought might dissolve and the other was for things he didn’t think would “disappear.”

Making predictions is a great critical thinking skill for preschoolers to start developing!

But right off the bat, Henry predicted wrong. We realized how hard it was going to be to tell if the next one dissolved or not.

So, instead, I filled up seven different plastic jars with water. One pitcher for each pantry staple.

I gave Henry a funnel and a couple wooden spoons. And let Henry have at his experiment.

He predicted before pouring in each one if he thought it would dissolve or not. Then we observed to see what happened after he stirred for a bit.

He was wrong a lot. And I’m so glad it didn’t upset him.

He did really like when something changed the color of the water, though.

Some things changed the color or made it foggy, but they still didn’t dissolve.

The sprinkles were, of course, the most fun to watch.

They changed the color of the water, but the sprinkles didn’t dissolve.

I had a hard time choosing what to use for our experiment. I’m curious what other items we’d have to ‘test’ out.

What items in your pantry would you use in this experiment?

About Jamie Reimer

Jamie learned to be a hands on mom by creating activities, crafts and art projects for her three boys to do. Jamie needed the creative outlet that activities provided to get through the early years of parenting with a smile! Follow Jamie on Pinterest and Instagram !

More Hands on Kids Activities to Try

Reader Interactions

65 comments.

January 20, 2023 at 3:57 pm

Cotton candy would be mind blowing!

June 10, 2020 at 6:31 pm

Very fun experiment. my 3 y.o. And I brought the experiment outside, and filled some jars up with lemon-lime soda. Than looked at the diff reactions. Some things make it foam and overflow.

July 1, 2018 at 11:48 am

So I absolutely love the idea of doing a science project for my preschooler! I’m going to try this today :)

May 25, 2017 at 9:59 pm

what if you add to it and change the water temperature since this would allow more item to dissolve

Khekhe says

November 6, 2016 at 3:32 pm

Thank you so much! I now have ideas for my son’s e perimeter at school!

Valerie says

April 19, 2016 at 10:53 am

How long did It take to see the outcome? want to do this during my presentation in class but due to time limitation not sure if I will have enough time to wait (:

June 24, 2015 at 11:02 pm

Your posts are so helpful! Thank you for sharing all the great ideas which I can do with my 38 month-old girl from now on.

Roberta Bardin says

April 29, 2014 at 8:53 pm

I to love this, as a student I have to find ideas for weekly activity plans and theses were awesome, I will be sharing you with my clss

emily lavalley says

April 10, 2014 at 12:15 pm

does it have to be hot water?

Jamie Reimer says

April 10, 2014 at 2:17 pm

No, not at all. We just did lukewarm water out of the faucet.

April 4, 2013 at 1:34 pm

I also LOVED the idea of dissolving tests with younger science minds, particularly in the rich prediction piece. I would also suggest Alka Seltzer tablets (even pieces of it) and biodegradable packing peanuts (these corn-based, eco-friendly foamy pieces dissolve in water and leave a distinctly corny smell as they dissolve in water) and as other test materials. Sprinkles are a GREAT idea!

Brandi says

February 16, 2013 at 10:46 pm

Hi! I am new to your site…I love what I have read thus far! :) I have a daughter who just turned 4, and a son who will be 1 next week… I am going to try this experiment with my daughter this week…thanks for the fun idea! :)

Amanda P. says

January 27, 2013 at 8:14 pm

Thank you for the great idea, Jamie and Cara. I’m planning a water lesson for our homeschooling co-op (preK-2nd grade), and although the kids love it, I’m so tired of doing “Sink or Float?” experiments and food coloring experiments. This is a fresh idea that I haven’t come across on the hundreds of homeschooling and teaching websites I scan for ideas. So easy to throw together, cheap/free, and engages the children in real discovery. = Simple genius. :)

If you don’t mind, I might do a write-up about this on my own blog when I run the program with my kids. I’ll throw credit your way.

My list of pantry ingredients I plan on using, in addition to your suggestions:

Koolaid Jello cocoa powder

rice broken up spaghetti goldfish crackers bits of torn bread marshmallows

Samanta says

November 17, 2012 at 10:04 am

I really love this page when I showed it to my mom she was like surprised and said wow i love this page for u and every time I do a science project now i dont waste my time in other websites and just go here my 4th grade teacher was surprised about my science project

March 21, 2012 at 4:59 pm

I love your blog, so I was so thrilled to see you mention my post about our experiment. The Little Apple LOVES this activity, and we’ve done it many times. Great choice using colored sprinkles, by the way! I will definitely be including those next time. And I think for the youngest kids, setting up a cup/bowl of water for each substance is probably the best way to go. That way it doesn’t get all muddled, and they can stir stir stir! Happy Wednesday!

Christina says

March 21, 2012 at 12:35 pm

I love this! My 4 year old is going to really enjoy it!

March 21, 2012 at 2:13 pm

Would love to hear how it goes!

Rachelle | TinkerLab says

March 19, 2012 at 3:18 pm

I love how you set this up with the canning funnel, and made it a real experiment for the kids to test and figure out. If you were to do it again you could try asking them what they’d like to test. Now that they’ve done it once they might have some ideas about what would and wouldn’t dissolve. Otherwise, a few more ideas: yeast, brown sugar, salt (various kinds).

March 20, 2012 at 7:38 am

I really like that suggestion Rachelle – to get the kids involved in choosing the ingredients and seeing what they think will happen with them.

Veronica says

March 19, 2012 at 1:41 pm

That’s a great science experiment I’ll have to book mark for as my daughter get’s into Kindergarten and 1st grade. We love fun hands on activities like these. Thanks for sharing.

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