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Tag Archives: Easy fun science experiments

STEM Experiment: Scientific Method Float or Sink Activity

Oh the scientific method! Such a structured way to exploration but so helpful when taking on a big scientific project. Scientists and researchers use this method when trying to answer questions about our world. Following the scientific method allows researchers to have a guide that helps them organize all the information. Because let’s face it, nowadays the information at our fingertips is so huge! With this STEM experiment, you can help your children get an understanding of using the scientific method in a fun and educational way.

**Check out our Simple Science Project For Kids: Float or Sink for a simple play-based version of the Float or Sink experiment! Perfect for younger kids or if you are looking for a less structured activity.**

STEM experiment Scientific Method

Having a tool like the scientific method is very useful. And introducing it to your kids will help them with problem-solving and analytical skills. It will give them a way to structure their thoughts when problems arise. It also shows them to take their time to think about the problem and analyze different perspectives before choosing the best solutions.

Some Background Information

The scientific method is used by scientists to structure their research and make the process of discovering something more efficient and effective.

The steps to the scientific method are the following:

  1. Question
  2. Research
  3. Hypothesis
  4. Experiment
  5. Analyze
  6. Conclusion

As you can see, there are many steps before starting any experiment. By researching and writing down your hypothesis first you will be able to set up the perfect experiment to answer the question. You will also have some background knowledge that will help you when doing the experiment.

STEM experiment Scientific Method

STEM Experiment: Let’s find out the Answer to…

The Question

So here is a question for your children:

Why do you think things float or sink?

They probably have some ideas and answers for this. Encourage them to write down their original thoughts so that you can compare them once you are done with the STEM experiment.

Here you can find a free printable to fill out as the experiment goes on.

Time to Research

Research is usually done by reading and reading and more reading of scientific papers, journals and relevant material. We are not going to do this 🙂 We will move the research along by asking our kids some questions. So let’s get your kids brain to work a bit:

  • Think of objects that float/don’t float, what are they made of? How big are they?
  • Do you float in water? Can you make yourself float more or less? (By filling your lungs with air and holding your breath you will float more)
  • Show them a list of materials, do you think materials matter?
  • Show them different sized objects or images of objects, do you think size matters?
  • What other things do you think affect the ability of an object to float or sink?

Write down a Hypothesis you want to test

Now that you have brainstormed about why an object floats or not you can make a hypothesis or more than one! But first, what is a hypothesis?

  • A hypothesis is an idea or explanation for something that needs to be proved
  • A hypothesis tries to answer the question of your research (in this case, why do things float or sink?)
  • A hypothesis is proved through experiments and testing

Some ways you can express your hypothesis:

  • Things made out of _______ float/sink
  • Things that are ___________ float/sink
  • Floating depends on ______________

Time to test those Hypotheses

Once you’ve made a hypothesis, ask your child how you could test it. Here are a few examples of experiments you could do with them but feel free to come up with your own!

First step in any experiment is to gather the materials you are going to test and any tools you might need. For any experiment you are going to need:

  • Objects to test (different sizes, materials and shape)
  • Water, in a bucket, in the sink, in the bathtub, in a small outdoor pool
  • Paper and pencil to write down your findings

Ways you can experiment and make your children think about the hypotheses:

  • Categorize the objects you have collected and test their floating ability by pairs:

           ○ same material, different size

           ○ same material, different shape

           ○ same size, different weight

  • Get plastic containers and fill them with different materials and test the floating capabilities, for example:

          ○ empty container

          ○ container filled with cotton (what happens when cotton gets wet?)

          ○ container filled with sand

          ○ container filled with water

          ○ container filled with sticks

          ○ container filled with coins

          ○ container filled with stones

  • Do the same with a glass container

There is a list of materials and object ideas in the guide for inspiration. Let them experiment and play 🙂 there is no rush to finish the activity! Don’t forget to write down your findings so you can analyze them later!

Let’s analyze those Resultats

Now it’s time to look back on your STEM experiment and the results to see if your hypothesis was correct. You can ask the hypothesis back in question form and see if the results support it! Other questions you can ask to discover why certain objects float:

  • Does wood/plastic/metal/stone float?
  • Does shape or weight matter?
  • What containers could float? Which ones would sink? What was inside of them?

Conclusion Time

So did you find out why things float? Did you test your hypothesis? Did you get some fun ideas about other things you could test with this method? Did more questions pop up as you experimented? Welcome to the STEM world! The questions never end 🙂 and this is oh so important for your children to experience. How to answer questions using the scientific method is a must in the STEM world. If you want a more detailed answer to why things float you can download the printable guide, there is an explanation at the end. But I’m sure that you will have a pretty good idea about the answer from all that scientific experimenting you will do 😉

So to finish up the activity you can talk about what you discovered and if there are more things you would like to research together. If you have any topics you would like me to cover just comment below and I’d be happy to write a post about it in the future. I hope you enjoyed this activity and had fun experimenting and discovering how our world works.

For more information about STEM and how to transform your STEM activities at home, check out these posts:

  • 5 tips to transform STEM activities at home
  • What is STEM and why is STEM learning important?

Check out other fun STEM activities to sneak in some STEM learning:

  • STEM activity: Build a pyramid and learn about shapes
  • STEM project: Engineer a house out of natural materials
  • STEM challenge: The Tower of Random Things
  • STEM water play: 8 fun activities to try this summer
  • STEM Road Trip Experiment

Happy STEM learning!

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Hi! We are Anni and Stefan, a mix of engineering with a dash of education and a pinch of social work, blended together and turned into parents who have a passion for creating lightbulb moments. We want to help you bring STEM learning into your home in a way that is fun, educational and challenging enough so that children can develop their thinking skills. ♥

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astemfulmind

Anni | STEM + Nature Learning
The wonder of simple experimentation ✨ When you The wonder of simple experimentation ✨
When you let the child lead you never know what will happen. Sometimes nothing really happens, and that's ok too. But then there are times when you bring out some materials and "tools", add a bit of water and you suddenly have a full on experiment station on your hands!
I saved some pumpkin seeds from a pumpkin I had baked, thinking they might come in handy some time. I didn't have anything in mind, but when my 5-year-old said she wanted to do an experiment I offered them to her. 
She directly asked for water to check if pumpkin seeds sink or float. So we gathered water, some containers and a few extra tools (just some kitchen utensils). Turns out some actually sink and others float! We discussed why this might be happening and then I asked her if she thought she could find a way to separate them with the tools we had… this led to some critical thinking, some trial and error and a lot of experimentation and conversations. She was engaged, on a mission, and she had initiated the experiment herself. 
💜 I love watching these moments unfold and they just further convince me that experiments don't need to come with flashy reactions, or bright colors. They can be simple, like this one. Experiments should make us think, tickle our minds with questions about what we see and drive us to test possibilities that will reveal answers, solutions or rethink our questions. And childhood is full of moments like these if you look close enough.
The art of noticing the small details 🐚✨ A s The art of noticing the small details 🐚✨
A simple activity with natural materials and a magnifying glass. I just set this up on the table and we started looking at each material and paying attention to what we could see. It made us think and wonder about patterns, irregularities and just other things we might not notice otherwise. 
We learned to pay attention to details and that things might look different depending on how close you look. And these observations lead to questions and these questions lead to a search for answers, discovery, learning. 
And all it takes is a magnifying glass and some nature 🤎🧡
DIY OOBLECK BLOCKS 🧱🌽💧 These Oobleck blo DIY OOBLECK BLOCKS 🧱🌽💧
These Oobleck blocks are so easy to make and were a perfect addition to our dry Oobleck play as it gave us the chance to build structures and create small worlds. 
Materials you'll need:
🌽Cornstarch
💧Water
🧊Ice trays
🧘‍♀️Patience
To prepare the Oobleck you mix 2 parts cornstarch to 1 part water. If you have never tried Oobleck you are in for a fun treat! It is a great sensory experience for kids and really engaging as it behaves both like a solid or fluid depending on the pressure it's under. 
Once you are done experimenting with Oobleck try filling some ice cube trays with it and then let it dry (it can take some days, which can be tricky for little kids but is also a great opportunity to practice patience).
❗A lot of ours cracked and broke so make sure you prepare enough. We made 3 trays.
🧱 That's it! We crushed some of the broken blocks and used the other ones to create, nurturing some STEM skills through play. 
For more ideas for STEM and nature play follow along!
"If children are to keep alive their inborn sense "If children are to keep alive their inborn sense of wonder… they need the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering the joy, excitement, and mystery of the world we live in." Rachel Carson
These words truly resonate with me.
Sharing the path of learning and discovery with our children is so beneficial and not only for our kids. It is so positive for us too! It reawakens our inner child, our own sense of wonder. It allows us to slow down, to play. 
We explore together, we seek out the answers to our questions, we experiment and play, we struggle to find solutions, we persevere and through these experiences we learn. About the world, about each other, about ourselves, giving us the chance to bond over something beautiful.
👉 Follow along for inspiration on family activities that nurture curiosity and drive learning
Have you ever let Oobleck dry? ☀️ Letting Oob Have you ever let Oobleck dry? ☀️
Letting Oobleck dry is the best way to clean it up but it also gives you the chance to use it again in a different way. 
I like to leave it in a tray or cooking pan so it spreads out and dries faster. Once it's dry you can just poke it and scrape it out.
It crumbles and cracks nicely between your fingers and has a lovely texture that my kids (and I) really enjoy.
You can keep it dry or combine it again with water to get the gooey, slimy, and fascinating Oobleck back.
👉 I'm also testing a different way to use dry Oobleck so make sure you stay tuned!
DIY STONE STACKING GAME 🌈🪨 Stone stacking h DIY STONE STACKING GAME 🌈🪨
Stone stacking has many benefits, for both kids and adults. It encourages patience, creative processing, concentration, focus, and hand-eye coordination. We love doing this when we are outdoors and in nature, it gives us a moment to stop and relax. 
This simple DIY is inspired by all those stone stacking moments and adds a bit of a challenge to nurture those skills even more. 
👉 This is how we prepared it:
We collected stones and selected 6 of them for the game, we painted them using acrylic paints, and borrowed a color dice from one of our board games. If you don’t have a color dice just add stickers to a normal one.
👉 How we played:
Players take turns to roll the dice, find the stone that matches the color and place it on the stack. 
🌈 It’s pretty simple, but it adds a new layer to simple stacking, as you navigate having to put bigger and heavier stones on top. It also encourages problem solving, conversations and observations which are key drivers of learning. 
💫 For more simple nature and STEM play you can take outdoors and that nurtures learning make sure to follow along
Motherhood is definitely reawakening my childlike Motherhood is definitely reawakening my childlike curiosity and wonder 💫🌱🦴 
As we were on one of our nature walks one day we found some animal bones in the forest and our reaction was… wow!! Let’s take them home! After packing them in a bag, we decided it would be a good idea to clean them before examining them.
A quick google research revealed that we could use hydrogen peroxide to clean and whiten the bones. Gloves on and to work!
With great care we handled the bones and the hydrogen peroxide, saw the fizzy bubbles come out and observed the reaction (a bit of chemistry at play here!) We talked about what was happening and about the bones themselves, how they are different from ours, what type of animal they could be from according to their teeth (herbivore?) and a lot more.
This process of curiosity, hands-on exploration and discovery is a key part of childhood. Children are naturals at this, and if we follow along and support this process who knows what amazing things we might discover together. What is certain is that by exploring together like this we are nurturing their natural curiosity, cultivating a love for discovering new things and giving them the tools to drive their own learning. 
Never would I have thought that cleaning bones would turn into a great hands-on learning experience. But I have learned that following my children usually leads to moments of discovery like this.
OOBLECK WITH NATURAL MATERIALS 🐚🪨💫 Oobl OOBLECK WITH NATURAL MATERIALS 🐚🪨💫 
Oobleck will never cease to amaze me! This fascinating sensory STEM play is always a win in our home. 
👉 For those of you who have never tried it, Oobleck is a mixture of cornflour and water (the ratio should be about 2 cornflour to 1 water). I always keep extra cornflour around cause my kids love making the mixture themselves and they usually add too much water.
👌 What is special about Oobleck is that it behaves differently depending on the amount of pressure you put it under. It can behave like a solid or a liquid!! 
➡️ Try rolling it into a ball and it will more or less keep its shape as long as you keep putting pressure on it. As soon as you stop, it will flow out of your hands.
➡️ Try to poke it really, really fast and your finger won't go through, do it slowly and you can dip your finger in it. 
💫 Oobleck by itself is a great way to encourage observation skills and critical thinking. Most of the time I let my kids prepare it and as they try to get the perfect consistency, they test it out and decide if they need more water or cornflour. It is also just a great sensory activity!
🐚 We love adding natural materials and color to the mix. One day it became snow, another it was a beach… There are so many possibilities. And many times that involves my kids letting it drip over their arms and legs 🙈 yes… Oobleck can get quite messy, but that's part of the fun!
Have you tried Oobleck before? 
👉 Follow along for more simple STEM and nature play 💫🌱
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#childhoodlearning #natureactivities #stemactivitiesforkids #educationforkids #funactivitiesforkids #stemkids #kidsactivityideas #stemactivities #activitiesforchildren #stemlearning #activelearning #playfullearning #childrensactivities #activityforkids #kidactivities #steameducation #stemforkids #familyactivities #funactivities #earlyyearsideas #naturelearning #kidslearning #kidswhoexplore #funwithkids #gooutsideandplay #natureplay #handsonlearning #activitiesforkids #kidsactivities
SKELETON PUZZLE 🦴🧩🦴 Puzzles are a wonder SKELETON PUZZLE 🦴🧩🦴
Puzzles are a wonderful way to nurture your child's memory, problem solving and critical thinking skills, spatial awareness and attention to detail. We even discovered a few extra games to extend the learning even more! 👇
🧩 Simple puzzle: sort out the pieces and recreate your skeleton
🧩 Correct your skeleton: identify what is wrong and correct it, takes turns to build an incorrect skeleton
🧩 What is missing?: Find out how many pieces are missing and try to name them. Take turns taking the pieces away
We had so much fun with this activity. I had seen it on @one_little_project and thought it would be perfect to try it out for some STEM play, and it did not disappoint! Not only are puzzles and games a great way to cultivate important STEM skills, but this specific skeleton one also encouraged some great conversations about how our body works and the names of different bones. We tried feeling the bones in our body and had fun creating funny skeletons.
❓ Can you think of any other ways to use this in your play?
🧩 This just came to mind while writing… What about having two skeletons and playing a copycat game!?
For more simple STEM play make sure to follow along 🤗💫
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