Constructivism is an educational learning theory that suggests that students take in new information and connect this new information to prior knowledge. Students will question and construct new meaning for themselves when they make connections between new information and prior knowledge. Educators and parents often follow this learning theory by presenting children with many hands-on learning experiences. This student-centered approach focuses on the questioning, critical thinking, and problem solving of students in order to create that new meaning on their own. There are many learning theories that focus on the idea that students must experience hands-on learning in order to process new information on their own. Many believe that it is through a child’s own questioning that they learn the most, especially in the world of science.

With this activity, your child will explore what may cause an object to sink or float without reading from a textbook. Although they may not even realize, they will be introduced to the concept of density. With this simple experiment using household objects, your child will learn what causes objects to sink or float and if the weight of an object really determines if it will sink.

Want a tip for this lesson? Try giving your child an apple! They may think that the apple will sink because of its weight, but they’ll be surprised when it floats on top of the water!

Sink or Float Lesson

Does it sink or float? Have your child explore density by creating a sink or float experiment in your own home. All you’ll need is a basin of water, bucket of household objects and some creativity! Print out our worksheet and have your child follow the directions below!  

Sink or Float

Directions:

• Choose one object from the bin

• Write the name of the object on your sheet

• Make a prediction if the object will sink or float

• Check off which one you think will happen on your sheet

• Place the item in the bucket of water to see if your prediction was correct

• Check off sink or float for that object