How do you explain density to grade 1's?

Answer 1

I would imagine the best way to teach children of that age is with a visual demonstration. I would start by first showing them what the components are. For volume I would fill up a container maybe even a tea kettle something you can catch the overflow with and then drop objects into the water one at a time and measuring how much water comes out. And then maybe get a few glasses of water and then drop an ice cube in one and maybe a rock of the same size in the other. And then explain why one can float and the other can't. I really wouldn't force it too fast though children of that age have a difficult time with size to volume relations just as a principle of psychology. But I do believe the general principles of science like density should be introduced earlier it's really a field I feel like kids enjoy with the experiments and demonstrations.

Answer 2

Density is how tightly packed the particles are in an object. Objects that are heavy for their size have a high density, while objects that are light for their size have a low density. For example, a rock is denser than a cotton ball because the particles in the rock are packed more closely together.