One of my colleagues assigned essays with title such as ‘Why Rocks are Hard’ or ‘Why Water is Wet’. I thought he was hysterical. But why is water wet? The answer is the unique properties of water. First examine Properties of Water with surface tension experiments. (Very young kiddos love Sink of Float experiments, too. Do Gravity-defying water, which is more about air pressure. Kiddos think it’s cool.). Potato Float examines sea water. The Properties of Water has all the standard labs: Drops on Pennies, Drop in Milk, Lava Lamp, and How to Make a Paper Clip Float. String Cohesion and Adhesion has kiddos pour water down string (or yarn.). If you have very dry weather, do the Bending Water Experiment. (It relies on static electricity. If the air is too humid, the water molecules capture the static—electrostatic force.) Finally, Exploratorium has a collection, water, which does not disappoint.
There are Just Add Water kits—excellent sources for more water experiments, such as Instant Snow. Also, hilarious.
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