Sink or float?

From the house

• A big bowl or sink of water
• A towel underneath
• 6–8 things: spoon, lid, sponge, apple, bath toy, leaf

How to play

1. Put the bowl on the towel and line the things up next to it.
2. Hold one up and ask, “Will it sink or float?” Let them guess.
3. They drop it in. Cheer either way and say what happened.
4. Make two piles: floaters and sinkers.

Fit it to your child

• Easier: Skip the guessing; they drop things in and you say “sink” or “float” for each one.
• Harder: Drop a raw egg into a tall glass of plain water (a fresh one sinks), then stir in salt a spoonful at a time until it floats.

Words to use

• guess
• float
• sink
• heavy
• light
• wet

Why it helps

Guessing first and then checking is how scientists work, and they find out it isn’t only about heavy or light: a big apple floats while a small spoon sinks.