This is an educator's guide for a unit on things that sink or float. It includes lesson plans, experiments, and activities. Young scholars apply the scientific method as they investigate whether objects sink or float.

An experiment in density. After a review of floating and sinking of different materials, learners test four bottles, all holding four ounces of water, to see if they will float or sink. They each contain a different density of sugar...

An experiment to determine if either a regular or a diet can of soda will float or sink when placed in water, and what causes this.

Students will explore matter that sinks or floats when submerged in water and that matter is categorized as either a sinker or a floater. Students will work actively in small, cooperative learning groups as well as gather in a whole...

In this experiment, you test whether two different bowling balls will float or sink, then determine the density of each of the balls to see if they are less than that of water.

Students experiment with items that sink or float, and learn that water's density is equal to one, and objects/solutions with a density greater than one will sink, and those with a density less than one will float.

The tradebook, Who Sank the Boat? by Pamela Allen, is an excellent tool in teaching measurement. Students will engage in activities involving different types of measurement. In the story, five animal friends decide to take a boat ride....

A lesson where students learn how warm water is less dense than cold water, and what this means for global climate change as ice from the polar regions melts. Students will do experiments in buoyancy and water density when hot or cold,...

Use a condiment packet as a Cartesian diver to show how pressure changes cause the "diver" to float, sink or hover.

An experiment in buoyancy which involves making raisins float by using carbonated soda pop. Students then try the same test with other materials. Instructions for making one's own carbonated liquid are also provided.

Learn about density in this hands-on science experiment. Includes full list of materials, procedures, and scientific explanation of what makes an object float or sink. [PDF]

A simple experiment in buoyancy where you discover how to make a packet of sauce or candy float or sink at will, and why you are able to do this.

By choosing the mass, size, and time, students can experiment with whether the block floats or sinks in this simulation. Students have the option to display the forces and add a second block to the tank. Density is also shown to allow...

Experiment with a helium balloon, a hot air balloon, or a rigid sphere filled with different gases. Discover what makes some balloons float and others sink.

Students studying buoyancy will better understand its concepts with this virtual experiment using various balloons and testing what makes them float or sink.