Float or Sink?

Today we’ll test boats made from found materials to see which ones will float, and which ones will not.

• Let’s play with water. Choose a bath tub, sink, or any container that won’t leak.
• Now, let’s build a vessel that holds more than 5 pennies.
• What can we build with? Paper, popsicle sticks, aluminum foil, wax paper, bottle caps and lids, recycled yogurt cups, rubber bands, bamboo skewers and toothpicks…
• What do you see? Which materials float on their own? Can you add pennies to your boat? How many can it hold?

Further Your Experiment

• Talk about what happens before the boat sinks. Where does the water start coming into your vessel?
• What can you change to make it float better? Is it the material, the boat’s shape, or size?
• Which one of your boats can carry the most weight?
• Which one can travel the farthest distance?
• What material floats the best?
• Can you get the boat to move without touching it with your hands? How?
• How many pennies can your boat hold, and still float?