Potion-making has piqued our imaginations for centuries. In the first scene of Macbeth we are introduced to the magic and mystery of potions as Macbeth stumbles upon ” A cavern. In the middle, a boiling cauldron” while an incantation is chanted:
"Double, double, toil and trouble
Fire burn, and cauldron bubble"
and more currently children have lapped up the wonderful imagination of the Harry Potter series, where Professor Snape says:
“…I don't expect many of you to appreciate the subtle science and exact art that is potion-making."
But recently our Year 1 students certainly did appreciate the magic of potion-making as they explored Chemical Science with Ms Wilson.
The shelves held ornate bottles labelled with fascinating contents including Dragon’s tears, Elf’s dust, Unicorn’s bathwater, Toad’s eyes, Troll’s teeth and Wizard’s fizz. I mean – how much more potion-like can you get?
Ms Orkin’s class was well supported by parent volunteers who helped their charges work through the intricate recipe to create ‘magic’. The shimmery purple concoction in their ‘test bottles’ sparkled with the golden sheen of elf’s dust and spoke of mysteries past and present as it swirled around and around in its bottle, like a trapped whirlpool.
But it was the scientists in charge here. Tiny hands gripped their syringes and sucked up Unicorn’s bathwater to the required amount, squirting it in with the troll’s teeth and toad’s eyes as they watched carefully to record changes. As their helpers spooned in the key ingredient of pure white Wizard’s fizz, students’ eyes widened, and gasps were heard as the liquid came to life. It turned bright pink. It fizzed and bubbled and grew taller than its container, sliding down the glass side like a lazy volcano. This was the moment of transformation – pure magic! (or scientific chemical reaction).
Ms Wilson spent hours preparing these special ingredients and she certainly had an engaged Science class, who will probably never forget the wonder and magic of this experiment! What a gift for their future learning.
Thanks to all the parent helpers who helped make this a success for all these little scientists!
Photos, written and posted by Dawn Veary
