Sink or float

Here we will build an understanding of family, idendify family members and the roles that they play.

Developmental Area

Cognitive

Description

Science

Age

Preschool

Sink or Float!

This activity allows children to explore a variety of materials and test to see if they will sink or float. Children use their critical skills, create and test their hypothesis and discuss the end result of the experiment. This may seem like a simple learning opportunity but with the right questions and materials, can be turned into an engaging and fun learning opporutnity.

Materials

For this activity you will need:

Large container with water and different objects and materials (man made and natural)
Involve children in choosing what materials they would like to test

Learning Goals

Here are the aims and goals of this preschool activity and learning opportunity:

Children experience various textures, weights, materials and can see which of the materials float and sink.
Prediction and logical thinking, increasing children’s confidence in their ability to think for themselves.

Process Description

Step 1

Children collect various materials from the natural and man-made environment. Materials can include coins, leaves, paper, wood or any material they find interesting. When the materials have been collected, ask children to predict if they will sink or float when placed into water and record their assumptions.

Step 2

The items children think will float, should be placed on one side if a table while the items they think will sink, should be placed on the opposite side. If you have labels (i.e. sink / float), put the relevant materials under their relevant label.

Step 3

It’s time to test! Start placing the objects into the water to see if they will float or sink!

Step 4

Engage in discussion! What happened? Was your assumption correct? Why/why not?

Open-Ended Play Opportunities for Young Children

Extension

If you find that children are interested in science or want to introduce further water-based science experiments to the children, check out our video on exploring with water clouds.

Reflective questions

Here are some sample reflective questions to get you started…

Did all children benefit from this? How can I aid all children in their learning?
I would like to improve…
What additional resources could have enhanced children’s learning?

Looking and responding

Start by asking the children to describe what they see. Draw attention to specific details that link into curriculum goals. Why did this float but not this? What is the difference between these two objects (size, weight, density)?