🧪 Science with Sarah: Density Towers

👉 Watch the video of Sarah’s school science experiment at Forester Elementary here!

Hello parents, teachers and students! If you’re looking for a fun way to explore the physical properties of density with your elementary-aged kids, this experiment is for you!

Be sure to check out GMSA@9 on Wednesdays when Meteorologist Sarah Spivey does the demonstrations and explains the science behind it. Check out our Science with Sarah webpage for more fun science experiments!

HERE’S WHAT YOU’LL NEED

Vegetable oil
1/3 cup measuring cup
A clear cup
Food dye
Metal bolt
A grape
A bottle cap
Tiny piece of sponge

DO THE EXPERIMENT

STEP 1: Put 1/3 cup of water in a clear cup mixed with a little food dye
STEP 2: Put 1/3 cup syrup into the same clear cup. The syrup should sink to the bottom
STEP 3: Put 1/3 cup vegetable oil in the clear cup. The oil should float on top of the water
STEP 4: One-by-one place the nut, grape, bottle cap, and sponge into the cup. They should sink or float at different levels inside of the cup. Here’s what it looks like:

HOW IT WORKS

This is a great example of density. Of the liquids, the syrup is the densest and sinks to the bottom. Water is the second densest and floats on top of the syrup. Oil is the least dense and floats on top of both the water and syrup.