Alpha science classroom：Floating Rocks

What do children know about things floating in the water? Wood, bread, apples ...... So have children ever seen a very small rock floating in the water? Today, the alpha science classroom is unlocking the mystery of rocks floating in water for children through the Pumice Stone Children's Physical Science Experiments activity, as well as learning about the principles of buoyancy and enjoying the magic of science through this kid's science experiments activity.

Alpha Science Classroom: Floating Rocks, Materials Needed

• 2" x 2" blocks of pumice

• 2" x 2" blocks of granite

• Small pebbles the size of a baby's fingernail

• Sand

• Plates

• Water

• Hand towel

• Stopwatch

• Notebooks and pencils

Alpha science classroom： Floating rocks. Step-by-Step Program

Step 1: Are the kids ready to rock? First, collect your rocks. If you don't live near a beach, you can also find sand at craft stores. Pumice rocks are common fish tank decorations and are also used for personal grooming. Granite is common landscape gravel. If you want to add other rocks and compare them to pumice and granite, make sure they are about the same size so you can easily compare them.

Step 2: Now that the kids are shaking, fill a dish with water. Keep your hand towel close at hand in case it spills. Put the plate in a waterproof place.

Step 3: The children hold each stone in their hands. What does each stone look like? What does each stone feel like? Write down your observations in your notebook, or get an adult to help.

Step 4: Children build a hypothesis, your best guess of what will happen. Will each stone sink or float? Do you think the rock will float?

Step 5: Now the children can test the rocks. Start with the big ones and work your way up to the small ones. Gently place a piece of granite on the surface of the water. When you get it to float, get a helper to start the stopwatch. What happens? If it sinks, how long will it take to sink to the bottom?

Step 6: Kids can do the same thing with pumice, small rocks, and sand. Make sure you end up experimenting with sand. However, as children experiment with each rock or group of rocks, they need to write down whether your rock floats or sinks, how long it takes to sink, and any other observations you make about the rock and the water.

Finally, the pumice will float for a while and then gradually sink. Granite will sink. Small pebbles will float temporarily and then sink. Sand will float, then move into the water and gradually float down to the bottom of the container.

Alpha Science Classroom：Floating rocks, scientific principles

If you've ever thrown a rock into a pond, you'll know that rocks usually sink. So, why do some rocks float?

Alpha Science Classroom tells kids that the reason most rocks sink is the law of buoyancy, which is about how things float or sink. This law is also known as Archimedes' principle. Archimedes was a scientist who lived in ancient Greece.

Archimedes' principle is expressed as follows. If an object replaces as much water as it weighs, it will float. This sounds complicated, but what it means is that everything you put into the water pushes the water away from itself. If it pushes away as much water as the object weighs, then the object will float. Light things will float, but heavy things can also float if they are designed to push away enough water. Think of a large ship on the ocean!

So, what does this have to do with your experiment? Granite and small pebbles generally sink to the bottom right away. Speaking of rocks, pumice is a bit of an oddity. Pumice has hundreds of small bubbles inside it. When it forms in a volcano, the force of the volcano pushes the air into the rock. This makes the pumice very light. It usually floats for a while, but then water gets into it and it starts to sink.

What about sand? If you use dry sand and a small container, the sand may stay on the surface for a very short time. This is because of the surface tension of the water. Surface tension means that water has a tough "skin" of water molecules that allows something to float to the surface, like a leaf. After a while, the sand gets wet, the water usually moves, and the sand sinks to the bottom.

Can you think of anything else that might float on the surface of the water? Take your new knowledge and try to find out what it might be.

Now, children can show this science experiment in front of their families and friends, showing a fun children's physical science experiments party, showing the magic of science, of course, children can also be based on the exploration of more kid's science experiment projects on buoyancy, more understanding of the esoteric knowledge in physics, happy growth, and become the most powerful physics wizard.

alpha science toys also prepared many children's physical science experiment kits to help children enjoy the fun of science while understanding the various scientific phenomena in life and exploring the treasures of science.