Last week a student brought up the question about whether or not an object would float and so we jumped into a short inquiry about sinking and floating.  We started off with a video about why some objects sink and some float. Then it was onto experimenting with a variety of objects.  Students tested and sorted objects that float and objects that sink.

Students decided that heavy objects sink and light objects float. So I asked the question, “Why does a boat float?” The students all agreed that boats are heavy so they were all a little puzzled.

We watched a video about why boats float and learned the word buoyancy. Then we read a story about how a girl built a boat and created a list of boat parts. Then it was time to get to work building! Students used a variety of materials to design and build a boat.

Our learning buddies came in and joined us as we tested out our boats, made some revisions, and retested them.  There was a lot of rich conversation going on around reasons for floating and sinking and what should be done to fix problems. The teamwork between the kindergartens and Big Buddies was incredible!

Currently we are engaging in an inquiry around seeds and plants.  Students have planted flower seeds. We have also planted a bunch of sunflower seeds in an aquarium so that we can watch the root systems develop. Our spider plant has developed babies and we put some into a glass of water to watch what happens.  Many students were very worried that they would turn brown and die but they are still bright green! Some students collected pine cones and are watching to see what happens when these seed pods open up. Today, some dandelions were brought in and put into water. We’re watching to see how long they will live in a glass of water.

With some videos and read alouds to prompt new learning and new questions I’m sure this inquiry will continue for a while!