Playing with water at your... house!

Did you know that you can experiment with water at your… home?

Water is all around us. Although we find it mainly as a liquid element, we can also find it in  solid (e.g. ice) or in gas (e.g. water vapor) form. As a liquid, water has the property of taking the shape of the containers in which we place it, while a certain amount of water can put pressure on another object. One of its most important properties, however, is that it allows certain bodies to float. This is because of buoyancy.

So how can we experiment with water and buoyancy?

Choose some items that you have at home, of different size, weight and material. Some ideas are: stones and pebbles, pieces of wood and plasticine, balls of different sizes and weights, corks and lids, empty boxes and plastic bottles, paper and plastic boats. Place the items on a table with a large bowl full of water.

First discuss with children the concepts of "floating" and "immersion". Observe the objects you have collected, predict each object's behavior in the water. How does it feel in your hand? Is it small or large in size? Where do you think the stone will go if it falls into the water? Why?

Try, now, the objects in the water. Which of these float? Which ones sink?

Depending on the children's observations, verify the assumptions you made at the beginning and discuss the reasons why each object floats or sinks (depending on the nature of their materials).

Have a good diving!

#Tips:

  • Write the words "float" and "sink" on two pieces of paper. A body floats when it touches the surface of the water, while one is submerged when it touches the bottom. Discuss with the children and write down keywords for each meaning on each piece of paper, such as "touches", "water surface", "bottom".
  • Experiment with objects from the same construction material, but of different sizes. What different do you notice?
  • Categorize items according to whether they float or sink.
  • Don't forget to look them up in your school books! You will definitely find more information there!