How to Make a Piece of Clay Float
- 1). Fill a large bowl about halfway with water.
- 2). Form a piece of modeling clay into a 2-inch ball.
- 3). Ask your child to drop the ball of clay into the water. It will sink to the bottom of the bowl immediately.
- 4). Retrieve the clay from the water and dry it off with a paper towel.
- 5). Have your child flatten the ball of clay into a sheet about 1/4 inch thick. Instruct him to fashion a boat out of the clay sheet. If he has difficulty with the task, show him how to fold all four edges up about 1/2 inch. Pinch the corners together to seal the boat.
- 6). Set the boat on the water's surface. Changing the shape of the clay increases the amount of its area that comes into contact with the water, causing it to float.
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