Kids can experiment with water and absorption with a variety of materials with this simple science exploration.
Materials Needed:
- ice cube trays
- medicine droppers
- cups of water
- materials that absorb or do not absorb (ex: small piece of wood, facial tissue, tissue paper, writing paper, paper towel, Unifix cube, cotton ball, rock, etc.)
- baby diaper (optional)
Set Up:
Gather all materials. Place each kind of item that you will use for the experiment into a ziplock (one of each item for each child or pair of children). For example, a bag of all of the cotton you will need, a bag of all Unifix cubes you will need, etc.
Procedure:
In a large group, ask children to guess how many cups of water a baby diaper will absorb. Try the experiment by pouring cups of water into the diaper while writing a tally mark for each cup on a chart. Continue pouring cups of water until it will not absorb any more.
At small group, children can do an individual absorption experiment. Give each child an ice cube tray, a cup of water, and a medicine dropper. Have them drop a few drops of water (not too much) into each section of the ice cube tray. Provide them with a variety of materials for the experiment, some that will absorb and some that will not. The children will place one item in each section of the ice cube tray to see which ones absorb water and which do not. Examples of materials to use: small piece of wood, facial tissue, tissue paper, writing paper, paper towel, Unifix cube, cotton ball, rock, etc.
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Thanks for a GREAT idea! I’m teaching grade one science for the first time this year and am starting their first unit on “Understanding Structures and Mechanisms” (i.e., Materials, Objects, and Everyday Structures). I want to design several hands-on experiements to test various properties such as which materials absorb/repel H2O; materials which show flexibility;strength, etc. You have just given me my first centre:) Thank you!
Nice and simple science project for my son who attends pre-k.
i will let you know who he does. He must also understand and explain his findings…………