Activity
Pump It Up!
Most kids know that water comes from the tap in the kitchen sink, but does your child know how the water gets to the sink? This activity explores pumps, by moving water up, instead of down. It's a great activity to explain how siphons work to defy gravity.
What You Need:
- 2 rectangular tubs
- Water
- Pipettes, or glass bottle droppers
- 4 pumps, the same used for clear liquid soap
- Food coloring
- Spoons
- Towels
What You Do:
- Before creating this science experiment, pour water from a pitcher into a glass and talk to your child about how water always travels downward.
- Ask your child if he knows what gravity means. Explain to him that gravity works as an invisible force and pulls things down toward the earth.
- Show your child how a pump found in liquid soap defies gravity by pulling liquid up, instead of down.
- Have your child fill one of the tubs with water and set it next to the empty tub.
- Ask him to pick a favorite color food dye and drop a few drops into the water to make it easier to see.
- Give your child the challenge of transferring water from the full tub to the empty tub. He can use spoons, droppers or pipettes and, finally, the pumps!
- Ask your child which tool works best to transfer water? Which tool is the quickest? Who, or what is doing the work to move the water?
Voilà! You've now introduced your child to some key physics concepts and unlocked one of the many mysteries of the bathroom sink — not bad for a day's play.
Related learning resources
Add It Up
Workbook
Add It Up
With fun illustrations to demonstrate basic addition, your child can make the connection between counting up and adding.
preschool
Math
Workbook
Up, Up, and Away!
Lesson plan
Up, Up, and Away!
Up, Up, and Away! Let your students' creativity soar with this lesson plan that has them catch the beauty of hot air balloons in multimedia craft projects.
preschool
Reading & Writing
Lesson plan
Spruce Up the Sight Word: I
Worksheet
Spruce Up the Sight Word: I
On this printable kids can color the sight word, turn it into a crazy creature, and hang it up on their wall so they can practice reading it everyday.
preschool
Reading & Writing
Worksheet
Shape It Up!
Worksheet
Shape It Up!
Can students identify and draw 2D shapes? Find out with this assessment worksheet!
preschool
Math
Worksheet
Clean Up After Yourself
Worksheet
Clean Up After Yourself
Cleaning up may not seem important to your child now, but with the help of this coloring page, she'll learn that it can make the lives of others easier.
preschool
Worksheet
Dress-Up Pumpkin
Activity
Dress-Up Pumpkin
Pumpkins sure look adorable when bundled up in hats and cozy scarves!
preschool
Arts & crafts
Activity
Match Up: Sailboats
Worksheet
Match Up: Sailboats
Match up some brightly colored sailboats on this fun preschool matching worksheet.
preschool
Math
Worksheet
Write and Draw Sight Words: Up
Worksheet
Write and Draw Sight Words: Up
This worksheet challenges kids to trace the word "up" and write it on their own in a sentence, important exercises for new readers and writers.
kindergarten
Reading & Writing
Worksheet
Order 'Em Up!
Worksheet
Order 'Em Up!
Find out if students can order numbers up to 10 with this assessment.
preschool
Math
Worksheet
Shape Mix-Up
Worksheet
Shape Mix-Up
Kids cut out pictures to put silly, mixed-up shapes back together on this prekindergarten math worksheet.
preschool
Math
Worksheet
Alphabet Mix-Up 7
Worksheet
Alphabet Mix-Up 7
Rearrange these last few letters into their alphabetical order to finish up this worksheet series!
preschool
Reading & Writing
Worksheet
Nursery Rhyme Match-up
Worksheet
Nursery Rhyme Match-up
Nursery rhyme aficionados will enjoy testing their knowledge with this fun match-up!
preschool
Reading & Writing
Worksheet
See this activity in a set:
Rub-a-dub-dub, 8 Activities for the Tub!