Yesterday I shared a Thanksgiving science experiment explored building a boat to the Pilgrims. Today I have the second in a series of Thanksgiving Experiments to share with you It is called Do Cranberries Sink or Float?
This is the time of year that you may be a find cranberries for less than a dollar in your area around Thanksgiving. That makes now a great time to explore this Thanksgiving science experiment with cranberries.
Thanksgiving Science Experiments with Cranberries
Before You Get Started
I have created a Thanksgiving Science Cranberry Sink or Float prediction and recording sheet. You may want to print it out to use with your children.
Why Do Cranberries Float?
If you have ever been to a cranberry bog, you will notice that the cranberries float. This first experiment will explore just why they float.
Before you start this experiment, you may want to have your children predict why the cranberries float by drawing pictures and/or writing a hypothesis. I have created primary and grade school versions prediction recording sheets.
You will want to start the experiment by placing a bunch of cranberries into an empty tub.
Then you will add water to the tub. Your children will notice that as you add water to the tub. The cranberries start to float.
As you continue to add water to the tub, the cranberries will continue to rise.
Will Half a Cranberry Float?
The second experiment requires cranberries cut in half. You will then show your children the four hallow areas inside of the cranberry. Each of those sections is an air pocket. It is those air pockets that make it float.
Now that the air can get out of the cranberry still float. Your children will need to drop the halved cranberries into the water.
Have them try to come up with why the cranberries still float!
If you like this experiment, here are some more you will love:
Turkey Themed Thanksgiving Slime
What a fun bit of cranberry trivia, just in time for the holidays. It would be cool to do this with kids as they watched the cranberries being dropped into the hot pot of sugary water. I wonder how long they would float before they started to get mushy? x
I hadn’t thought about that. It would be cool to explore!
HAHA confession: On my bucket list is getting to wade through a cranberry bog. I LOVE cranberries. To eat them (I know, I know…I like sour), their color and to include them in recipes. Now I see them in science – as a trained scientist – I love it!
That would be so cool! I walked through an empty bog at a park once.
Such a fun and timely educational experiment! I love this! It teaches many things and mostly about forming a hypothesis!
This activity really was fun!
This is really interesting. I guess I didn’t know much about cranberries. Just that we enjoy eating them.
They are really cool! They even bounce well. I am working on a measurement activity with bouncing cranberries.
I would so love to do this. I live in Alaska and last year (for the first time) I went berry picking with some friends. But this cranberry activity seems like a lot of fun.
I am so pleased that you like it!