“A drop of water, if it could write out its own history, would explain the universe to us.” -Lucy Larcom
Water is such an AMAZING substance! Did you know that the water that comes out of your faucet at home is the same water that the dinosaurs drank? All living things, no matter how big or small, or whether they live up high in the tree tops or in the deepest parts of the sea, need water to survive! It's because of this that scientists believe that searching for water on other planets is the best way to search for other life. Even by searching our own ocean here on Earth, we find new species all the time. In fact, it's estimated that just one drop of water can have millions of bacteria and viruses in it!
Unlike most liquids, water expands and floats when frozen, which is a good thing because if the frozen glaciers sank instead of floated, all the oceans (which cover more than 70% of the earth's surface) would freeze solid! Water can also defy gravity! Because water likes to stick to itself, droplets are able to travel from the roots under ground all the way up to the leaves.
But what's really awesome about water? There's no better way to beat the heat than to engage in water play! Check out how we explored the wonders of water through tons of fun and refreshing projects!!
Watercolor Exploration
We began our water investigation with mixing watercolors!
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Next, the kids experimented with watercolor on dry diffusion paper and compared the process to watercolor on wet diffusion paper.
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Sink/Float Exploration
First, we gathered various objects from around the property and hypothesized whether they would sink or float.
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Then the kids made boats that could float, even with small pebbles added!
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Lastly, we shaved chalk on top of shallow water to make floating chalk art!
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Volume and Displacement Exploration
The kids explored different containers with various volumes.
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Next, using graduated cylinders we observed what happens to water when it is pushed out of the way by another object -- water displacement!
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Phases of Matter Exploration
To explore the different phases of water, we first explored painting with solid watercolor ice cubes!
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Once the watercolor ice cubes melted, the kids used the liquid watercolor to paint with.
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Finally, to investigate water in its gaseous phase, we did some oil-diffuser inspired art!
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Water Animal Exploration
Using stencils and magazine cutouts we explored some animals that live in water. We talked about what water animals need to live in an aquatic environment and how they are different than humans and other land animals!
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The kids loved this water bead sensory bin with water animals!
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Lots of Water Play!
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We also made a DIY water wall using old PVC pipes! This was super fun and easy and can be done at home too using any pipes, noodles, funnels, water wheels buckets, zip-ties, or more!
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More Outdoor Fun :)
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On science Friday we went to the park to launch water rockets! Check out our Youtube channel to see some videos!
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Cinnamon Coconut Apples
Such a simple and fun snack to make! Add 1 tsp of cinnamon, 1 tsp of coconut sugar, and 2 tsp of unsweetened shredded coconut to a bag of sliced apples. Then "shake shake shake" the apples until they are fully coated.
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See you next time :)
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