Bead Experiment
Today is going to be really exciting because you're going to do a cool experiment where you can have a lot of fun and learn about water and how things float. Grab two bottles and some colorful ironing beads, and find out what happens!
What you'll need
- Two empty, clear bottles
- Colorful ironing beads
- Water
- Large bowl or baking dish
- A piece of paper or card
How it works
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Fill both bottles completely with water. Imagine the water in the bottles is like a little ocean. You'll soon see how things move in this mini-ocean!
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Now take a handful of ironing beads and put them in one of the two bottles. This bottle will now be your 'bottom bottle'. The beads are like little treasure chests waiting to be discovered and explored.
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First, take a piece of paper and hold it firmly over the opening of the bottle without the ironing beads. Then turn this bottle upside down and place it on the other one. The paper will keep the water from spilling out. Be careful and ask an adult for help if you need it.
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Now comes the most exciting part! Slowly and carefully pull the paper away and watch what happens. The ironing beads start to rise through the water into the other bottle! But why is that?
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When you remove the paper, the oceans of the two bottles mix. The ironing beads, which are lighter than the water in this magical world, begin to float upwards. This is called buoyancy.
What kids learn from this
- Imagination & social connection
- Curiosity & scientific thinking
