This week in EYFS, we’ve had an exciting time exploring floating and sinking. The children have been curious scientists—predicting, testing, observing, and talking about what they discovered.

We began by sharing ideas about what floating and sinking mean. The children made fantastic predictions about which objects might float on top of the water and which ones might sink to the bottom. Their confidence grew as they realised it’s okay if their predictions didn’t match the results—this is how scientists learn!

We set up a floating and sinking investigation station with a range of objects: wooden blocks, plastic animals, metal spoons, sponges, stones, corks, and even some surprise items like rubber ducks and foil balls. The children carefully placed each object in the water, watching closely to see what happened next.

The best part was listening to the children explain their thinking:

• “It’s heavy, so I think it will sink!”

• “This one is made of wood. Wood floats!”

• “Let’s squash the foil into a ball and try again!”

They were wonderfully engaged in experimenting—changing shapes, swapping materials, and even designing their own mini boats to test out. Many children discovered that size doesn’t always tell us what will float or sink, and that materials play a big part.

Throughout the week, the children developed their scientific vocabulary, collaboration skills, and confidence in exploring the world around them. 

Next week we will continue our investigations by exploring water movement and simple boat building, so stay tuned for more watery adventures!

Have a great weekend.