Last physics lab

Yesterday we did the last of the physics labs before starting biology in January. I don't think I did a good job with physics. I have done biology several times so I think I will do better.

I was looking for something fun and pretty to do on our last day. There were only 4 kids there so I divided them into 2 groups. We did this experiment, Seven Layer Density Column by Steve Spangler, but I only had 6 layers. I had the kids take 100ml of each liquid and get the mass. We put them in order, from most dense to least. I explained density and then we played with the liquids. Which ones mix, which ones layer.

At the last we added each of the 6 liquids in order of density, making the pretty column. I had failed to notice that, according to the groups, the water had more mass than the Dawn detergent, so they were added to the column in that order. When poured the Dawn, it nicely distributed between the water and the corn syrup, making an "ohhh" moment for everyone.This picture comes from the play time. Of course, I forgot to get a picture of the very pretty 6 layer column.

Finally we had a group lunch with everyone bringing lunch and treats to share. It is such a pleasant group of families. PRM