I know a lot of us are starting #DistanceLearning with our kiddos this week and that can cause some stress or anxiety as we learn to balance working at home with helping our children with their assignments. As a mom of a first-grader as well as 4-year-old twins, needing to come up with my own activities and lessons for Jacob and Seraphina is both exciting and a little stressful at the same time.
Yesterday my kiddos and I were talking about making oatmeal and how when you boil the milk (or any liquid), some of the liquid will evaporate. Jacob asked me what evaporate means. Then Olivia said, “I know what it means, Jakey,” and she explained it to him.
The conversation gave me the idea to do a little evaporation experiment at home to give them a real life example of water evaporating. Here it is if any of you want to join us.
Evaporation experiment
1. Draw a line on the OUTSIDE of a clear drinking glass using washable marker. I’d suggest no more than 2 inches up from the bottom of the glass unless you want the experiment to continue for a while.
2. Pour water into the glass up to the line (I used a liquid measuring cup so I could keep the glass on the counter top and then add the water to it).
3. Make a note/label that says “Evaporation Experiment” and then the date you started the experiment. This should help ensure someone doesn’t dump out the water accidentally.
4. Check the water level each day, marking any change in the water level. I recommend using a different color of marker each day.
5. Continue to measure and mark the glass each day until your water has completely evaporated.
Let me know if you decide to join us. Send me a message and then share your experiment and measurements on social media (remember to tag me @valeriemoe #moemama and @mnparent) — this is going to be fun!
UPDATE: Our experiment took 26 days! We were surprised to discover that as time went on, the remaining water in the glass smelled different. My kids’ favorite part was writing on the glass with markers to track our progress. Did you join in? Share your results with us!
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Valerie Moe lives in Bloomington with her 7-year-old daughter, Olivia, and 4-year-old twins, Jacob and Seraphina. Follow her on Instagram and Facebook.
