Home Hot Topics Articles Directors' Choice Awards About Us / Contact Us Activities & Curriculum Arts & Crafts Activities for Outcome-Based Learning Sharing Boards: What Do YOU Think? NEWSlink Current National News Conference Calendar Blog State Licensing Requirements Stay Connected! We'll send you regular emails filled with articles and ideas for your classroom. Subscribe Now   ACTIVITY Ocean and Lake Water Buoyancy By Rae Ann Hirsh An Activity for Preschoolers This activity helps the child to see the differences between salt and fresh water. It also raises many questions and encourages the child to experiment to find results. Curriculum Area Science Before You Start Cut the tops off of the containers to easily put objects in and out. Fill both containers with water. Add ¼ pound of salt to one of the containers and mix well. Let's Begin 1. Drop one egg into each container. Have them record their results and ask them to try to explain the results 2. Talk about what happens when the straws are dropped into the liquid. Have the children discuss the results and how the results might explain why the egg in the salt water floats. 3. Explain to the children buoyancy; talk about some objects that float and sink in water. Give the children two eggs. Explain that they will put one egg in the regular water and one egg in the salt water. Ask them to predict whether or not the egg will sink or float. Have them explain their predictions. 4. Explain that one of these liquids is denser than the other. We can make a tool to figure out which liquid is denser. It is called a Hydrometer. Make a small ball of clay and put it on the end of one straw. Drop it in the fresh water. Make another small ball of clay and put it on the end of the other straw. Drop it in the salt water. Furthermore Have them repeat the experiment using different amounts of salt in the water.   Two empty gallon containers Two eggs Salt Water 2 straws Clay Articles and activities listed on this website may be printed for single use. No article or activity may be duplicated or distributed in any form, in whole or in part, without permission from the publisher, Excelligence Learning Corporation. Contact Permissions Department.

© 2006 Excelligence Learning Corporation, All Rights Reserved.