You’ve seen the popular Valentine’s Day density jar, but we wanted to continue the fun! If you use blue dye instead of red dye, you can make an adorable winter density jar that is not only super adorable, but it is great for learning about density, molecules, and buoyancy. Follow along with our simple directions to make your own super fun winter density jar science experiment for kids!
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We had a blast with this activity, and it is perfect for preschoolers, kindergartners, and elementary kids interested in learning more about science.
Winter Density Jar Science Experiment for Kids
What You’ll need to Make the Winter Density Jar
- Honey
- Corn syrup
- Maple syrup
- Dish soap
- Water
- Oil
- Large mason jar or other skinny container
- Winter-themed items of various weights (we did pom poms, penguin erasers, white plastic beads, and confetti snowflakes)
- Blue dye in various hues
How to Make Your Winter Density Jar
We wanted to make our layers distinct, so we tried to stagger our colors so you could easily see between the layers. We dyed our liquids the following colors:
- Honey: Dark blue
- Corn syrup: Clear
- Maple syrup: Light blue
- Dish soap: Dark blue
- Water: Light blue:
- Oil: Clear
After dying the liquids, carefully pour them into your mason jar starting with the honey. Add the ingredients in the following order:
- Honey
- Corn syrup
- Maple syrup
- Dish soap
- Water
- Oil
If you follow this order, then they won’t mix as much and you can get to the experiment faster.
Instruct your kids to drop the items in the liquid one at at time. The erasers were our densest items, followed by the snowflakes. The beads stuck somewhere in the dish soap level, and the pom poms floated on the top!
The kids enjoyed watching the items fall. Since the winter density jar is dark blue, sometimes the items can get lost for a second! The kids enjoyed relocating them after they had lost them.
What Kids Learn with the Winter Density Jar
The winter density jar doesn’t just look cool and let kids drop things into liquids. There is real science going on behind this experiment. Use this opportunity to talk to your kids about what makes some liquids denser than others, and what makes some objects denser than others. Talk about how just because two things are the same size, it doesn’t mean that they will have the same density or weight. Bigger items aren’t necessarily heavy, as we found out with our confetti snowflakes versus the smaller penguin erasers.
Looking for more STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) projects and inspiration?
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For More Winter STEM Activities, Check Out:
