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Tag Archives: science activity for kindergarten

Simple Science Project For Kids: Float or Sink

I love float or sink experiments. They have so much learning potential, are easy to set up, and offer different variations to sneak in STEM skills. The overall aim of this simple science project is to find out if objects float or sink. Kids love this because it is simple enough that they can do it independently and even draw conclusions by themselves. This helps them build confidence in their abilities as curious little explorers. 

simple science project float or sink

I can’t remember exactly when we started doing float or sink experiments with our oldest but I know we have done it a lot, in many different ways. At first we used her toys in the bathtub to see if they would swim or dive and eventually the proper vocabulary found its way. Developing scientific vocabulary in kids is such a great way to engage them in STEM. If they build this vocabulary around fun and hands-on experiences you are making it easier for them to better understand the concepts. Rather than explaining what float or sink actually means they are observing and testing for themselves and this simple science project is just perfect for that!

Simple Science Project For Kids: Float or Sink

There are many ways to do this project so first I will share different variations you can pick and choose from. Then I will give you an example of how we made our own simple science project and incorporated STEM learning with float or sink experiments. However you do it, remember that if you are combining young kids and water things are bound to get wet! Try to plan to do it outside or prepare a space that can get a bit wet so you are not worrying about this all the time. So here we go…

There are basically two ways to test if something floats or sinks:

  • Drop it in a bowl full of water
  • Place it in an empty bowl and fill the bowl with water

Questions you can ask to get your kids’ minds working:

  • What happens to an object when it floats/sinks?
  • Does it stay on the bottom?
  • Or does it stay at the top?
  • How can we find out if something floats or sinks?
  • For older kids: with your eyes closed, how would you find an object that floats/sinks?

Different ways of observing and working on STEM skills:

You can do a number of different things when you are engaging with your kids in this simple science project. From letting them discover and experiment by themselves, to guiding the activity a little. I always love to try a bit of both and observe my kid to see if she is up to being guided. Most of the time she will follow my lead but many times she just wants to do her own stuff, and that is totally fine too! So here is some inspiration if you are looking to guide the activity:

float or sink

Sorting and categorizing

This is a great STEM skill to practice. The obvious categories are float and sink but feel free to come up with more! Have two containers with the words float and sink and have them sort and categorize them either by testing first or by guessing and then adding water to see if they were right.

Testing, observing, and drawing conclusions

Have your kids test the different objects, observe and comment on what is happening. We discovered that green pine cones sink but brown ones float so it is not possible to say that pine cones in general float, which was my first thought! I love learning new things with my kid and showing her that I don’t know everything. I hope to foster a love for learning and a tolerance for making mistakes and not having all the answers right away.

Making hypotheses

Gather all the materials and have your kids make a hypothesis, a statement that needs to be proven. Set up an experiment to test the hypothesis and see what happens. 

Math

We can use this simple science project to sneak in some counting practice. Find out how many objects float and how many sink, which category has more items? Use 10 objects and work on ten frames. Keep a tally board while you are testing. Give each kid a clipboard and paper and have them keep count (tally) as they test, this is true scientific research!

Develop scientific vocabulary

When doing projects like this one always remember to talk to your kids about what is happening. Use the scientific words and help them build their vocabulary through hands-on science projects like this one. Explore what it means to float or sink, use other catergories such as size, weight, shape, color or texture. Basically it is important that you talk with your kids about what you are observing.

science float or sink

I hope these ideas give you some inspiration to explore with your kids and create your own simple science project for testing whether things float or sink. If you still want some more guidance and want to know how we did it keep reading. My kid and I were entertained for over an hour! Feel free to do it like we did or find new ways that better adapt to you and your family.

Our Float Or Sink Simple Science Project

Materials

  • Natural materials
  • 2 bowls for sorting/categorizing
  • 1 large transparent container for testing/observing 
  • Paper and pens
  • Water
natural materials

Simple Science Project Steps

Here are the steps that we followed to experiment with natural materials and the concepts of float or sink:

1. Gather natural materials

This is one of my favorite pre-project activities! Go on a nature walk and collect some materials, be sure to collect a bunch of different things and explore as a family. 

2. Create a sorting station

Lay out your natural materials, take out the 2 bowls of sorting and label them. I used 2 different bowls and different colored paper for the label to make it easier to sort and categorize. Prepare a testing container full of water and let your kids go ahead and test the materials and then put them in the right category. Observe and talk about what is happening. Use scientific vocabulary.

3. A bit of play in between

It’s good to not go from one activity to the next but rather to let our kids explore a bit by themselves and go off topic a little bit. Sit back and just watch your kid play a bit, comment and observe with them.  

4. Involve the senses

Add different materials into the testing container and have your kid find different objects while they keep their eyes closed. See if your kid can find something that floats/sinks and use this time to ask some questions:

  • Where can you find different materials if they float or sink? 
  • Top or bottom of the container? 

5. Finish off by testing in a different way

Ask your kids to sort the objects again without testing them first. They should try to remember what floats and what sinks. Once the natural materials are sorted into both bowls ask them what they think will happen with the materials that sink/float? Then fill the bowls with water and find out if they got them right! 

simple science project

As I said before, feel free to do this float or sink experiment following these steps or create your own project using this information as inspiration. It is so simple and yet so entertaining for young kids and toddlers that I’m sure that once you discover it you will be doing it more than once!  

Summary of STEM Concepts and Skills for the Float or Sink Simple Science Project:

  • Sorting and categorizing 
  • Making hypotheses 
  • Testing
  • Observation 
  • Math/counting 
  • Developing scientific vocabulary 
    • Float/sink
    • Weight: Heavy/light
    • Size: Big/medium/small

If you’ve made it this far, congratulations! I know that was a long post for such a simple science project. But that is the beauty of this project, it has so much STEM learning potential! Hope to have inspired some float or sink moments at home with your kids. Check out this other lovely float or sink experiment if you want to go into the topic of density.

More Fun Activities and Games:

  • STEM Nature Box: Sort, Categorize And Learn
  • Water Use Experiment: Teach Kids About Saving Water
  • Movement and 5 Senses Scavenger Hunt
  • Hands-on Activities For Preschoolers: Frozen Nature Eggs
float or sink
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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
Where will the marble roads take you? 🚗🚦🚧 Where will the marble roads take you? 🚗🚦🚧 🧱
One day we set out to make some mazes or marble runs with clay. I thought my kids would each want to do their own but it ended up being a team project and I'm so glad it went that way! Our project turned into Marble city, with roads and many more fun things along the way. 
I drew a road with a start and a finish, a few loops here and there and some intersections so that they could cover it with clay. And then I just let their imagination take the lead. The beauty of open-ended activities and resources is you never know where it will take you. There were trees, mountains, tunnels, bridges and even stop lights! And after it was created there was imaginative play, role play and a lot of marble traffic!
It was fascinating to observe my kids build a world from clay and other resources we had around the house. The process of building it was play and then that play was extended and transformed by actually playing in the world they created 🧡
It is also definitely something that can be done outside. We did it out on our terrace but I'm excited to try it out in nature where there are even more open-ended resources!! 🌿🌰🍂🌸🪨
Learning new things ✨🥰 I have started a new Learning new things ✨🥰
I have started a new journey, training to be a Forest School Leader. I am not exactly sure in which direction it will take me but it was something that felt right. 
The ethos of Forest school and the role of the reflective practitioner just resonates with me, the outdoor, simple and slow child-led playful learning community. It is what I try to do with my own children and it's wonderful to extend and consolidate everything that I have learned over the last years into something that will serve me and my family as well as other families with children. 
I am very excited to show you how I adapt the Forest School practice to my parenting. We have already created some pretty cool indoor shelters, hammocks for dolls with ropes and cloth, and continue to use our natural materials for child-led experiments and activities. I am also learning to observe my children better and reflect on their needs and interests, which is key to their holistic growth and development.
Hope you find this as inspiring as I do and follow along for some reflections and of course for the nature play and wonder 💚🧡
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.
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