6 cool water experiments for kids
Water is an exciting element for children: they can try to hold on to it, splash around in it or observe it at length. For one day, childcare center Wolkenzwerge Berlin transformed its roof terrace into a little water paradise.
"We set up stations for all ages where the children could try out different experiments. For example, the children were able to collect various materials from the water, such as shells, corks or stones," explains nursery teacher Laura Röben, who accompanied her colleagues Dagmar Thürmer and Anh Nguyen on the research day.
Laura introduces you to six water experiments.
Water experiment 1: What is frozen in the block of ice?
"We froze creepy-crawlies in buckets and put a bit of food coloring in them to make them look nicer. The animals didn't mind. Then we waited a night until the creepy-crawlies were frozen. It was exciting for the children to see that the water was no longer liquid but solid.
The next day, the children had to try to get the animal out again. What does the surface look like? How do you get the animal out of the ice? Some children didn't even know what was hiding in the ice. Then the incentive was particularly great: "What might be hiding inside?"
Water experiment 2: What floats on top, what floats on the bottom?
"It's best to take a transparent, fairly large container of water and collect various objects together with the children. Now the children can take their time to try out which objects float or sink. We have set up three containers so that it is also exciting for older children: a bucket with normal water, one with sparkling water and another with salt water. Why do objects float more easily in salt water than in fresh water?"
Water experiment 3: What does the seabed actually look like?
"What does the seabed actually look like? To show the children that the bottom of the sea is not smooth like the bottom of a swimming pool, but is criss-crossed by mountains and trenches, we built an imitation seabed that the children could explore with a magnifying glass. Unfortunately, we didn't get any algae, but the moss will do."
Water experiment 4: We build our own water pipe
"It's quite simple: you turn on the tap and water flows out. But how does it get in and how does it get out again - after brushing your teeth, for example? We built our own pumping station to illustrate the path of water to the children. This allowed the children to experience for themselves how the pump transports the water from A to B."
Water experiment 5: Gold digger station
"All you have to do is bury small pieces of gold in the sand. Then the children can search for the hidden treasures with shovels and sieves to their heart's content. And those who found gold pieces were allowed to take them home with them."
Water experiment 6: Sponge rally
"Who can get more water from A to B? The task was to let the sponges soak up water and then squeeze it out again in a container. A simple game, but one that was a lot of fun."
We hope you have lots of fun splashing around and trying them out!
By the way, we work together with the "Haus der kleinen Forscher" initiative, which awakens children's enthusiasm for science and technology. You can find lots more ideas and great experiments for children on the website childcare center.
You can find our childcare center Wolkenzwerge Berlin here: www.familienservice.de/web/wolkenzwerge
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