Fun and easy play-based STEAM activity for toddlers, preschool & kindergarten
Taking the Crystal Lift - Fun science & arts experiment about density & imagination
Activity summary
This is not JUST another science activity – it’s a play-based, hands-on STEAM activity. It will keep your children extra engaged & motivated, which helps them learn!
In this activity, your children will be little investigators helping Pi the investigator
to solve tricky problems and find creative answers to the question: What is it like under the sea? By doing that, they get to practice concepts like density, imagination, and more.
Activity length: 20-30 minutes
Subjects: Science, Arts
Adapt for your age group
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For this activity, you need only these simple supplies:
water
teaspoons
pipettes
measuring cups
funnels
plastic bottles with caps
cooking oil
colored water in a container
glitter or sequins
flashlights
You can also use
jugs
colored paper or cardstock
scissors
tape
aluminium foil
glue
What will your children learn?
Your children will learn to:
Observe and admire how oil, water, and dye behave.
Practice measuring substances.
Literacy aim: jump into imaginative play and tell stories about the icy kingdom underneath.
while practicing these concepts:
density
imagination
Instructions
Step 1: Introduce the problem with a story letter
Teacher introducing the reseach problem through the letter that arrived from Supraland
In this play-based activity, your children will lead the investigation as an investigator. When children role play as investigators, they learn so much better! Try starting with a little ‘spin’ to get into character!
Then, they can help Pi the investigator solve some tricky problems in their new role.
Before the activity, prepare your supplies and print the letter.
Pro tip:
When children play as scientists, they think like scientists. Try using “scientist jackets” to help them really get into character!
When you start the activity, introduce the research problem in the form of a letter that arrived from Supraland where Pi the investigator lives.
You might be wondering: “Why should I use a story?”
Well, when you introduce a research problem through play and imaginary characters rather than just stating cold facts, children will be extra motivated to solve the problem for their new imaginary friends. Academic research shows this results in increased engagement, better focus, and improved learning outcomes.
You can find the story for this activity below (register for free to print this & many more free activities!).
Hello, scientists!
You’ll never guess what happened to Hoseli and me while we were on a trip to the frozen pond of the Secret Forest.
I was digging through my backpack for lunch when I accidentally pressed some buttons on my Mega Gadget. Suddenly, a hole opened up on the pond’s surface! Then, an incredible elevator rose through it, shining with so many colors!
“Oooh, what a beautiful Crystal Elevator!” Hoseli said.
“Let’s jump in and explore the world underneath the ice!” I called out to Hoseli, as we stepped inside the elevator. Immediately, the sparkling doors closed, and the elevator started to spin. Wheeeee!
Scientists, get your flashlights and come on an adventure with us! I can’t wait to show you the icy kingdom below!
But wait! The lower the elevator went, the darker it became. Could you become investigators and shine light on this matter…?
After the child understands the problem, it’s time for some hands-on experimenting!
When children are doing the experiment, remind them why they want to solve the problem – to help Pi the investigator.
This helps them stay engaged. If they get stuck, you can ask supporting questions like: “What do you think might help Pi the investigator to solve this problem?”
If needed, you can get more ideas for guiding questions and adaptation tips for different age groups
(register here to get free weekly activities).
Here are the basic steps for his activity:
Measure water into the plastic bottles so that the bottles are a bit more than half full (about ¾). (In addition to using washbasins, you can also use jugs and funnels.)
Measure one measuring cup of cooking oil on the water.
Observe: What do you see? How do the water and oil act? Notice how the oil first appears as beautiful shiny orbs in the water and then forms its own layer on top of the water.
Close the bottles tightly.
Tilt the bottles slowly from side to side and observe carefully: What do you see in the bottle? Admire and wonder at the beautiful bubbles and how the oil always climbs to the top. Please note: Avoid shaking the bottles so that the oil does not turn cloudy.
Interpret: Why does the oil always end on top? Allow the scientists to share their thoughts and explain the phenomenon.
Together, you can state that water is denser than oil. That’s why the water always flows underneath the oil. The oil, on the other hand, floats to the surface.“How could we make the icy kingdom underneath look even more sparkly?”
Open the bottles and measure two teaspoons of glitter into the mix. Observe: how does the glitter act in the bottle?
Measure five drops of food coloring into the bottles. Observe carefully: what happens to the color? First, the color seems to hide within the oil but soon falls through it. Admire how the color spreads in the water.
Observe: What color is the water now? What about the oil? Interpret that the color dissolves into the water but not the oil. The glitter, on the other hand, seems to spread evenly into the oil.
Close the bottles tightly. Tilt the bottles from one side to another. Observe and admire how the sparkling orbs of oil move and shine in the colored water.
Take a sightseeing trip in the Crystal Elevator! You can dim down the lights and take out your flashlights, just like Pi and Hoseli did. You can also make a small fort under the table and step inside the fort as if you were stepping inside the Crystal Elevator.
Point at the sparkly bottles with the flashlights and admire the patterns reflecting on the walls or the table’s underside.
Peek through the bottle just like Pi and Hoseli viewed the icy kingdom underneath through the windows of the Crystal Elevator. What a mysterious kingdom it is indeed! Let your imaginations roam free and tell stories about what Pi and Hoseli might have seen.
Extension: Shiny Elevator Car
Make a paper or cardstock roll. The roll should fit snugly around the bottle, and you should be able to move it up and down like an elevator. Secure the roll with tape.
Cut out some windows you can peek through on the roll.
You can decorate the rolls (with, for example, aluminium foil or some other shiny materials).
Try out your elevators. Tilt the bottle, peek through the windows and observe the view through the Crystal Elevator.
Pro tip: give children the freedom to get creative and explore their own solutions!
Remember: It’s an imaginary world. It’s more than ok if children don’t give the “correct” answers right away – give them time to practice their skills.
Academic research shows children learn best through child-led play and inquiry rather than following strict instructions or memorizing facts because play allows them to build meanings and connections in an age-appropriate way.
This perhaps unintuitive approach is also proven to keep children more engaged and improve their learning outcomes.
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Adult wrapping up a play-based activity by encouraging children to share their findings with the character they’re helping.
To encourage children to analyze and share their learnings, you can gather in a circle to report to Pi the investigator.
Again, lead with the problem the character was experiencing in the letter. Encourage sharing wild and creative solutions without correcting children if they don’t fully understand the concept.
Remember: in playful learning, we’re not leading with scientific explantions – we’re putting the problem at hand into a context that makes sense to them. We can start building meanings from there.
Scientific explanation (for adults!)
As you noticed, the water and oil always form their own layers – the oil always ends up on top of the water no matter how you try to mix them by turning the bottle. It is because water is denser than oil. The less dense oil escapes from under the water and ends up floating on top of it.
Also, the oil doesn’t dissolve in the water either. However, the colors used in the experiment are water-soluble. You must have noticed how the colors dissolved into the water and dyed the water completely at the end when you kept tilting and rotating the bottle.
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This program is incredible. The characters, the stories, the experiments are so much fun. I do not need to spend any time planning. Everything I need is given to me be Kide Science.
Elsa
Kindergarten Teacher
Super easy to plan, and the items are usually things that we already have. Planning is made very easy & the children are very motivated!
Marju
Parent
Was just observed doing one of these lessons. Principal was shocked and so was I - one of the kids with pretty severe attention issues was engaged the entire time!
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Activity length: 20-30 minutes
Subjects: Science, Arts
30 min lesson
Easy preparation
Medium prep.
