Transportation Week: Sink or Float

Transportation Week: Sink or Float

We had Transportation Week at Preschool recently. We made Cardboard Cars, Painted with Trains and Car Wheels, and Color Matched the colors of the Stop Light. As a way to incorporate science, we had a Sink or Float Experiment. I thought for sure all the cars and trains would sink and only my boats would float. I was pleased to see that quite a few cars and trains remained floating. 

Each of the children predict whether they think the vehicle will sink to the bottom or float at the top of the water. I make sure to have a clear bowl for the kids to see around the table. 

During Free Play time, we bring out the water table and add some dish soap to make bubbles. Then the kids pretend they are at the car wash. This is another great way for the kids to explore on their own the concept of sink/float. 

For the Full Post on Transportation Week, Click Here. 

Surface Tension - Penny Science Experiment

On our Letter W day at Preschool, we decided to have a day about water. We brought in the water table, since it was Winter time, and the kids got to play in the kitchen. We made a water drop letter review of letters A-U. One of the things we did was to see how many drops of water we could get to fit on a penny. We had to use what we had, but I am getting Pipettes for next year. 

We had fun learning about surface tension and guessing how much water we could get on there. 

Ocean in a Bottle

 Ocean in a Bottle

We had Ocean Week at Preschool and I saw the idea of making Ocean in a Bottle. It was a great way to teach the way waves move in the ocean as well as teaching that some liquids don't combine. Water and Oil separate and don't stay mixed together. We also had to figure out what 2 colors make Blue Water. This is just an overall great Science Lesson. 

You can use larger bottles or just what you have on hand, which for me was water bottles. My kids put in beads that we had as well. You can add sand or sea shells for an awesome effect. 

You fill the bottle about a 1/3 of the way with oil, such as canola, and then add in 2/3 water and blue food coloring. I added super glue to the top of the lid to help keep it closed. I would hate for that to spill on something. 

Ocean Egg Float Experiment

Ocean Egg Float Experiment

We had Ocean Week at Preschool where we learned about the many different types of life that lives in the Ocean. We learned that the water there is different than in lakes and what we drink. It is quite salty! I saw the idea here. We started out with 2 Mason Jars and filled one with salt. Then we asked the kids their predictions. Some kids thought the egg would turn different colors (Easter) and others thought nothing would happen. A few guessed right. 

I used some of our Real Salt (aff link)  because it has the natural minerals that help this experiment. I didn't want to use too much of it though because it is more expensive than Table Salt. Then I filled the rest with the table salt. Note in the picture above, that was not enough salt! The egg sank so we had to add maybe double that. We used raw eggs. Note: The salt water was quite cloudy for a while before it cleared up and the salt sank to the bottom. 

The conclusion: Things float easier in salty water vs. fresh water. 

My older kids enjoyed seeing this when they got home from school

Egg Experiment

We experimented with putting eggs into vinegar and Corn Syrup. We started out with raw eggs to explore. They cracked them open and saw what they looked and felt like and learned about their parts. Then they explored Hard Boiled eggs. 

Why did the raw ones look different than the cooked ones? 

Then we took predictions on what would happen to the eggs left sitting in the solutions. I think we were supposed to put in raw eggs but I ended up putting in the Hard Boiled ones. It was still cool to see and feel the difference throughout the week. I definitely recommend the experiment.