I don’t know about you all, but my kids get bored with just playing in our yard. We often alternate between racing cars down the slide, or doing sidewalk chalk on the driveway. Blah. Unfortunately, we aren’t quite at the point where they will just go outside and play by themselves in the back yard (fenced in.) I am always looking for new ways to motivate them to want to go outside instead of rotting their brains in front of the TV or iPad, which is their preferred activity. We tried a new game called “Sink or Float” the other day and ANYONE can do it!
We took the trust buckets out in the woods behind our house and gathered up all kinds of natural things. Leaves, twigs, rocks, nuts, flowers, etc. I made sure to explain the purpose of the game before we headed out so that they could choose all the items on their own with that purpose in mind.
When we got home, I filled a container with water. Something clear or light colored is best, so you can see all the way to the bottom. Then, have them choose one item at a time, guess if it will sink or float, and drop it in. SPOILER ALERT Anything plant based is probably going to float. Encourage them to pick up a variety of items so they don’t get bored getting the same result over and over.
This activity would be great following a trip to the beach. You could do various types of shells, egg cases, driftwood, rocks, and more.
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