Level 2: Floating and sinking

Air and fluids · level 2 of 8 · rough age 7-8 (a guide for parents; anyone can start anywhere)

Why does a huge ship float when a tiny pebble sinks? This level tests things in water, feels water pushing up, and finds out why being heavy for your size matters more than being heavy. Then it turns to air, which pushes up too, and ends with a boat and a balloon on Mars.

Lesson	You will be able to
Float or sink?	Test things in water and sort them into floaters and sinkers
Water pushes up	Feel and explain the upward push of water
Heavy for its size	Say why some things float and others the same size sink
Boats	Explain how a boat made of heavy stuff can float
Balloons	Explain why some balloons float up in air
Floating on Mars	Say how floating would change on Mars, and how it would not

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