My family lives near a lake, so whenever the temperatures begin to rise, my children can’t wait to play in the water. They like getting wet! How about you? Do you enjoy boating and playing in the water? Have you ever been on a submarine? I have always thought it would be fun to see below the water while riding in a submarine! The experiments below will help us learn about water, boats, and submarines, and they might even get us a little wet.

Experiment #1: What’s the Difference Between Salt Water and Fresh Water?

Okay, you may be chuckling at me and thinking, “One has salt and one doesn’t.” You are very funny! This is true; however, this causes some differences that you may not be aware of. Have you ever heard of the Dead Sea? It’s a salt lake located near Israel. It is actually one of the world’s saltiest bodies of water. What do you think happens when people try to swim in the Dead Sea? See if you can figure the answer out by doing this experiment.

Items Needed:

• 1 jar

• Modeling clay

• Table salt

• Measuring tablespoon

• 1 marker lid

• Tape, small stickers (optional)

First, fill the jar ¾ full of water. Next, place enough clay inside the marker lid so that it will sink when placed in the jar of water. You might want to mark the level of the lid somehow on the outside of your jar with the tape or small stickers. After that, add 1 tablespoon of the salt into the jar. Observe if there is any change. Then continue to add 1 tablespoon of salt at a time until 5 tablespoons have been added. Make sure you observe the level of the marker lid after each tablespoon is added. What happened? Based on this experiment, what do you think would happen to people who went swimming in the Dead Sea?

Why do you think this happens? Well, fresh water is less dense than salty water. As the amount of salt increases, the water gets even denser. Because the water is basically thicker when it has lots of salt in it, it is easier for an item to float rather than sink. 

Experiment #2:  Build a Boat that Floats!

Have you seen the many different varieties of boats? Some different types are pontoon boats, motor boats, barges, cruise ships, and rowboats. What shape of boat floats best? In this experiment, you will try your hand at making a few boats and testing which one stays afloat the best.

Items Needed:

• 3x5 cards (enough for each person to make at least 2-3 boats)