Floating and Sinking

100% Success!

Last week, while we were at the river, we started talking about sinking and floating.  Preschoolers were noticing that the rocks and stones sunk to the bottom when they threw them in the water, but the leaves and the sticks usually (but not always) floated down the river. Why? What else sinks or floats?  We decided to build boats and see if we could make them float.  So, last Thursday each preschooler built their own boat out of paper towel tubes, straws, pop cycle sticks, and tape.  There were several different types of designs.  We tested them out today and were happy (and a bit surprised I might say) that all of our boats floated.  Check out the videos of our boats floating down the river and read why the preschoolers believe they floated.

Hypothesis: "Sometimes it will float and sometimes it won't because sticks sometimes the tapes will breakaway."

Conclusion: "Mine floated so well because of all the tape and the wood.  The water is moving fast too."

 

Hypothesis: It's going to float.

Observation: I was right! It floated!

Hypothesis: "It will float because it is a hovercraft."

Observation: "It floated. I don't know why."

Hypothesis: "It will float because there is straws."

Observation: "It floated."

 

Hypothesis: "There is a giant motor of straws and straws float."

Conclusion: "The straws protected the boat part.  That's why it floated."

TS - Hypothesis: It will float "because it's big."

Observation: "It just went down to Ms. Meg."

LF - Hypothesis: "It will float because the straws are long and straws float on water."

Observation: "It stayed up and floated and the water went through the straws and that's why it stayed up."

Hypothesis: "Raft not going to float because it has huge holes in it and water will get on top. My other one will because it has street engines."

Observation: "I thought I made a boat, but I made a submarine!  The other floated because it's a raft."