Supporting your child to develop kindergarten readiness does not mean you need to turn the house into a preschool. There are many learning and play activities that you can do at home. This science experiment is simple, uses ordinary materials, and is kid-tested for fun.
Use some water in a bowl or sink. The water needs to be as deep as an apple. Talk with your child about seeing if the apple will float or sink. Encourage your child to guess what it will do. (This is the step of making an hypothesis.) Next, let your child put the apple in the water to see if it will float or sink, (testing the hypothesis). What happened to the apple? Your child can try putting the apple in the water with the stem end pointing down, or sideways. Does the same thing happen?
If your child seems interested, offer a banana or orange to try. Encourage predicting what each piece of fruit will do. Kids often become very enthusiastic and want to try other fruits and veggies, like a grape or potato. The results will likely surprise you. This is also a fun activity to do when washing fruits and veggies for snacks or meals. While this was simple, some involved learning was taking place. Kids practice predicting, verifying, and making conclusions. As kids get excited and want to try on their own, there’s no doubt it’s fun. What did the apple do at your house?