Description

Your child guesses whether each object will sink or float, then drops it in a basin of water to check. The guess-before-you-test step is the heart of it, an easy first taste of making and checking a prediction.

What to prep

• basin
• water
• towel
• small_objects

Play guide

1. 1Fill a basin or large bowl with a few centimetres of water and set it on a towel where your child can reach it. Stay within arm's reach the whole time.
2. 2Gather a handful of safe objects that differ (a cork, a spoon, a stone, a plastic lid, a coin-sized object no smaller than 3cm for younger children).
3. 3Hold up one object and ask your child to guess by saying "sink or float?" before anything touches the water.
4. 4Let them drop it in and watch. Name what happened together without judging the guess.
5. 5Repeat with each object. At the end, look at which things floated and which sank.