Have you ever enjoyed a smoking dragon STEM activity with your kids? This is a popular STEAM activity for elementary kids but middle school and high school students will also enjoy learning about the states of matter with this dry ice science experiment.
In this smoking dragon STEM activity, your students will create a fire-breathing dragon that spits “smoke”. You will observe the chemical process of sublimation while watching dry ice transform from a solid to a gas inside the dragon’s mouth. This activity is a great introduction to the states of matter and the melting points of chemical elements.
In this science experiment/dragon craft, your students will be able to create their own dragon using the accessories you supply. Each dragon will look different but will have the fire-breathing functionalities.
You might think this dragon STEM activity is best for preschoolers or elementary-aged students. You’d be right – however, be sure to keep reading to the end of this article for tips on how to make this learning activity applicable for tweens and teens! There are some pretty cool STEM project ideas for teens to experiment with.
Enjoy this dragon-themed art activity (with a science twist!) at your next homeschool co-op, as a birthday party activity, or as a family/sibling group. You could even enjoy this science activity on a stormy or rainy day.
There is no wrong way for your little dragon lovers to learn and play in a fun way with this smoking dragon STEM activity.
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Making Your Smoking Dragon
This kid activity allows your students to get super creative, making it one of the very best engaging teaching ideas. Feel free to supply any tools or materials you want and let your kids go crazy! The art and creativity is part of the fun!
A note on the dry ice – be sure to handle your dry ice safely! Severe injury can occur when frozen dry ice comes in contact with bare skin. Use gloves and be sure to supervise young ones closely.
Also, you might want to call around and find a store that has dry ice in stock before you start shopping.
Materials Required for your Smoking Dragon Head
- Styrofoam cups
- Paint or permanent markers
- Googley eyes
- Glue
- Plastic wrap
- Rubber band
- Dry ice (be sure to handle safely (use gloves))
- Water
- Scissors
- Foam sheets or construction paper (optional)
- Foam beads (optional)
- Pipe cleaner (optional)
- A dragon lover!
Assembling Your Dragons
Remember, let your dragon lovers get creative with this part! There is no wrong way to make a dragon. On that note however, I am sharing what our group did.
- First, paint your styrofoam cup. You can create your dragon using just 1 cup for the dragon’s head or you can use 2 additional cups to create a dragon with a body
- Cut out spikes or other decorations as desired. Some suggestions are pipe cleaner, foam, felt, glitter, or foam balls. Have fun making your dragon unique!
- Glue eyes, spikes, and any other accessories onto dragon parts
- If you’re creating a full-body dragon, assemble dragon pieces, securing with glue. Hot glue may work best for this step
Making Your Dragon Smoke
Now for the super fun part – making your dragon smoke! Arts and crafts projects are fine and dandy but this is where the true STEM part of this learning activity comes in.
- Cut a hole in the mouth area of the dragon
- Secure the plastic wrap on the back of the head at the cup opening with a rubber band
- Fill the dragon’s mouth with water through the mouth. About 1 TBSP should be enough
- An adult or person with safety goggles and gloves can drop a piece of dry ice into the mouth of the dragon
- To create more smoke, add more water to melt the dry ice
The Science (and STEM) Behind the Smoking Dragon
Dry ice is the solid, or frozen form, of carbon dioxide or CO2. It is -78.5℃ or -109.3℉ . When dry ice melts, it changes from a solid directly to a gas. This is a process called sublimation. Regular ice, made from water, or H2O, melts from a solid into a liquid.
Carbon dioxide is compressed until it becomes a liquid at approximately 870 pounds per square inch. Once in liquid form, the carbon dioxide is pressurized.
The pressurization causes the liquid to form a solid. The temperature also drops very quickly. Some of the CO2 gas is released while the rest creates dry ice powder. This dry ice powder, or snow-like material, is then compressed into dry ice blocks or cubes.
Dry ice is used as a coolant but is also used in theatrical productions or for special effects. Many times you will see dry ice used at Halloween to give the effect of rolling fog or a boiling cauldron. It can also be used to stimulate plant growth.
Plants use carbon dioxide from the air during photosynthesis to produce food. By exposing plants to dry ice for 10-15 minutes a day, you may be able to stimulate faster growth in the plants.
Understanding the different states of matter is important for this activity. Solids, liquids, and gases are all around us. Take time to allow your student to identify these states of matter in the environment.
Once they fully understand the states of matter you can discuss the chemical changes – freezing and melting between liquids and solids, condensation and evaporation between gases and liquids, and sublimation and deposition between gases and solids.
Take This Activity Further with Teen-Friendly Dry Ice Experiments
One fun teen-friendly dry ice experiment we found involves building a contraption that blows bubbles (including colored bubbles) with carbon dioxide. This experiment is super cool! Check it out!
More STEM Resources for Kids (Including A Free Printable)
If you liked this activity, you are going to love the STEM Made Easy Digital Subscription. Each month, you receive a project pack that includes 5 fully planned STEM project guides along with worksheets and instructions for how to make them fun and engaging for kids ages 3-19.
Want a free project sample? Sign up to get a complete 39-page project guide sent to you so you can see exactly what’s inside each of the STEM Made Easy Digital Subscription project pack.
I’ve also got this ultimate list of STEAM and STEM activities for kids of all ages if you want to take a look.
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