No cat o’ nine tails, today. Nor walking the plank although it is time for some water play, as in float and sink. A kitchen sink or table or big bowl on the lawn are great locations for pirates to play. Round up some little items: a plastic spoon and fork, a cork, a small rock, a coin or two, an old toothbrush, a piece of paper, a popsicle stick, a metal spoon, a rubber duckie, etc. First predict if an object will float or sink. Why might it do that? Then, test and observe. Is this the same as the prediction? This activity gives children a chance to use some important science skills, hypothesizing or predicting, testing, and verifying the hypothesis. In reality, kids are doing this all the time. They predict that they can jump from the coffee table to the couch, test it and verify by landing on the couch or the floor. Kids are scientists very often in a day! What other experiments can you do?
