Floating Seahorse Experiment is a Learning Story by Pauline Travnik, Childcare Consultant, and takes place at Komal’s Dayhome in Edmonton
The children enjoy learning science in a fun and hands-on way, so we decided to do a simple science experiment together. I provided each child with a clear bottle filled with water, a paper clip, and a plastic straw that I had already cut. I helped them glue eyes onto their straw seahorses, letting each child choose their favorite eye color.
Bea and Amelia used paper clips as tails for the seahorses and also helped the younger children attach the tails to the straw heads. This encouraged teamwork and kindness.
Once everyone was finished, the children carefully placed their seahorses into the bottles and closed the lids tightly. When they squeezed the bottles, the seahorses moved down. When they released the squeeze and the pressure returned to normal, the seahorses floated back up.
Through this experiment, the children learned about air pressure, floating and sinking, and how squeezing the bottle changes what happens in the water. They were excited to see science come to life in such a fun way.
Watch the floating seahorse experiment (28 seconds) on our YouTube channel.
