Floating Bananas

Today I gave the kids a huge jug of water and asked them to explore sinking and floating. They tried various things like paper clips, popsicle sticks, marbles, cotton balls, crayons, rubber bands, and pencils. After awhile, I sat down with a group of them and asked them if they thought my apple would float.

No, they all said, it will sink. To their amazement, the apple floated. I asked if anybody had an orange. Isaias dug around in his backpack and came up with an orange - which promptly sank.

"I have grapes," said Madison with excitement, and ran to get exactly two. Both of them sank and much discussion erupted about grapes and oranges and apples.

"Does anybody have a banana?" I asked. For a split second, nobody responded and then Aaliyah piped up, "Teacher! I have a banana!"

"You do?" I asked, "Well, go get it!"

Aaliyah stood there smiling like a deer in the headlights.

"Aaliyah," I prompted, "go get the banana! Is it in backpack or the snack bucket?"

Aaliyah paused and then shook her head.

"No, Teacher," she said, "It's at my house!"