If you’ve ever found yourself explaining floating and sinking to early years and grades, this blog post is for you! The following activities and resources make it easy and fun; the perfect way to incorporate learning into your simple homeschool lifestyle. I’ve also included a free printable sink or float activity that you can download. It uses items easily found around the house so you can simply print it off and jump in immediately with minimal preparation time.
Sometimes the easiest and most fun homeschool lessons are the most simple. Usually, they’re born of a question your child has about the world around them. The beauty of homeschooling is that we can take the time to explore our children’s interests and indulge in child-led learning. Many times I’ll find myself on a rabbit trail with my son in tow as we research random questions that he has during our regular homeschool studies.
Learn All About Buoyancy: Will it Sink or Will it Float?
In this short and sweet video by SciShow Kids, your child will discover which items sink and float and why. They’ll also get a basic introduction into The Scientific Method and learn how to collect, graph, and analyze data to draw conclusions and form a hypothesis. SciShow Kids features a series of science-related videos and is an offshoot of SciShow which was founded by Hank Green in 2012.
Explaining Floating and Sinking Early Years Books
Things that Float and Things that Don’t
Geared for Preschool through grade 3, or age 4 to 8 reading level, this 32-page book by David Adler answers questions kids have about density and floatation with activities that illustrate the hows and whys of buoyancy.
What Floats in a Moat
Geared for Kindergarten through grade 4, or age 5 to 9 reading level, this 48-page book follows Archie the Goat who is trying to cross a moat to deliver barrels of buttermilk to the queen. He needs to determine what items will sink or float as he crosses and tests several theories to determine the proper method of transporting the items across the moat.
Floating and Sinking (My Science Library)
Geared for first and second grade or age 6 to 7 reading level, this 24-page book helps early readers explore which materials, shapes, and sizes of items float or sink in water.
Free Printable: Let us Observe! Sink or Float Activity
For this sink or float activity, you’ll just need a few items from around the house. You’ll also need a large watertight bin. Gather the items and your bin filled with water. Have your child make a prediction as to which items will sink and which ones will float. The printable is ideal for non-readers as they simply have to color in symbols to mark their predictions and results.
