Sink or Float Challenge!
This lesson challenges young learners to become detectives, predicting and testing which everyday objects will float and which will sink. It encourages observation and critical thinking through hands-on water play. Together, you'll discover the surprising science behind floating objects.
The lesson goal is in this spark, your learner will predict whether common objects will float or sink in water, observe and describe the behavior of objects placed in water and begin to understand simple concepts related to buoyancy through experimentation.
What You Need
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Learning Guide
Step-by-step guidance. No preparation required.
- 1
Introduction5 Min
- Introduce floating and sinking concepts.
- Move on when Student shows curiosity and understands the basic idea of 'float' vs. 'sink'.
- 2
Explore & Plan8 Min
- Gather a bowl of water and objects.
- Explain what a prediction is.
- Predict for the first object.
- Predict for the second object.
- Move on when Student has gathered materials and made a prediction for at least two objects.
Photo by Christian Cortsen on Pexels - 3
Discussion6 Min
- Why do you predict the first object?
- Why do you predict the second object?
- Move on when Student has offered a reason (even a simple one) for their predictions for at least two objects.
Photo by Anna Shvets on Pexels - 4
Activity9 Min
- Test the first object in water.
- Observe and discuss what happened.
- Test the second object in water.
- Observe and discuss what happened.
- Move on when Student has tested all chosen objects and observed their behavior.
Photo by ROMAN ODINTSOV on Pexels - 5
Summary2 Min
- Ask what they learned or found surprising.
- Move on when Student shares one observation or learning from the activity.
Photo by Takuya Hozumi on Pexels
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