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Sink or Float?

What is more fun for your child than to have fun playing with water? You could introduce this lesson at bath time where she can freely experiment with different items to test if they will sink or float.

Sink or Float

Materials:
Assorted items - be sure to have some things that will float and some that will sink. Some suggestions would be: an apple, piece of wood, tennis ball, rock or a coin
small wading pool, bucket or sink filled with a couple of inches of water
towel for wiping off the items after they have been soaked and perhaps your child
Science Book PDF

Ask your child what does it mean to sink? Have her demonstrate with her hands in the water. If she is confused or doesn't understand, explain that some things will sink in the water or go to the bottom of the container.

1. Ask her, "Out of all of these things (the assorted items that you collected) which ones do you think will sink?" Have her draw her observations in the Science Book PDF.
2. Have her sort the items by sink or float.
3. Now it's time to test out her thinking.
4. It isn't important if she is right or wrong, it's okay. She isn't supposed to know the answers yet and this isn't a test. She is being a scientist, learning basic scientific principals.
5. When she is all done, you can ask her, "So, what do you think makes something sink?" This is where she is allowed to explore new ideas. 

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Assessment

This lesson is one that children grasp slowly. Watch your child play in the water. What objects does she think will float? Have her explain her reasoning to you.   She will continue to build on this skill in the future and shouldn't be expected to be mastered immediately.

October 18, 2008

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