Today's "State" Debate!

So, if we're pretty sure about the states of matter...the properties of matter....can we always classify things as a solid, liquid, or gas?  Does everything fit neatly into one of these categories?  Today we investigated.....SHAVING CREAM....to try to determine what it was!  It was quite a stumper for us!

Some observations and questions from the student scientists:

"It melts over time and disappears into your skin!"
"How does it grow when it comes out of the container?"
"My penny sinks into it over time!"
"It's a liquid because it makes my hand wet when I touch it...."
"I think it's a solid because it keeps its shape"
"The penny sinks into it when it's placed on its side, but when it's placed level it stays on top"
"I don't think it can be a gas because I can hold onto it"
"Since the hole is moving that was made by the penny, it has to be a liquid"
"It can't be a gas because you can see it"
"I think it's a little of everything!"
"It has to be a liquid because liquids change their shape to be the same as the container and it does that"
"It's does not have a certain shape and it just disappears so it's more like a gas!"
"It's a solid because you have to physically move it, a liquid because it soaks into the paper, and NOT a gas because it doesn't rise and it's not invisible"