Happy Thanksgiving week my turkeys! I hope you gobble til you wobble. After all…It’s Thanksgivingggg

I hope your kids gobble til they wobble as well. And I really hope they don’t make too many loud comments about how gross your Aunt Betty’s green beans taste, especially when within earshot of Aunt Betty. Or spend their day eating nothing but pickles. But you know what? Pickles are delicious and taste the same every time and the same absolutely. cannot. be said for Aunt Betty’s green beans (is that a cat hair?).

After you and your kids are done gobbling platefuls of Thanksgiving delights, you’re stuffed to the brim and ready for your nap. You plop down on the couch lay your head down for a rest. Hahahaha just kidding, you’re a parent! Your kids are filled with endless energy from the two platefuls of pickles they devoured like wild animals and now they seem to want to do nothing more than to wreak havoc. Oh %$#@ is that Great Uncle Cletus’s urn they are about to use as a football?

Thanksgiving Sink or Float to the rescue!

Have your kids gather up a bunch of random Thanksgiving stuff. If it can get wet and not disintegrate, it’s fair game. Decor, pumpkins, gourds, a spare plate, an apple, a napkin. Whatever. If you really need the kids out of your hair for longer, send them outside to get acorns, pine cones, or leaves too.

While they’re hunting and gathering, make a chart like this:

Top row says: Item, prediction, finding. Next row says sink/float under both prediction and finding. Left column is the items we found listed out. Sorry about the poor quality pic!

Once all the supplies have been gathered, fill out the ”predictions” side of the chart. If you’re working with one kid, you can use checkmarks. If you’re working with multiple, you or the kids can write names on their votes in place of checks. No need to make extra charts. Use that valuable time to get yourself an extra glass of wine or slice of pie.

Supplies gathered and chart made? Head to the tub! Fill up the bathtub with enough water for the objects to do their thang-sinkin’ or floatin’. Take turns putting the different objects into the water to see if they sink or float! Test one object at a time, reviewing predictions before putting it in the tub. Check off the results on the chart when you find out the answer to record your findings.

Have fun and enjoy the giggles and anticipation that come along with this activity. Did you just sneak in a little informal lesson on density? Yes, yes you did. #parentingwin

If your kids are super into this activity or the science behind it, your options for experimentation are pretty limitless! Try other household items and read some books about density! I love and used this one but it’s certainly not the only one out there:

I hope you have a wonderful holiday!

Shannon