Iceberg Challenge

In this activity, the children were asked to build an iceberg using recycled materials that would float and carry up to 4 penguins. Some icebergs floated on our ocean and others sank in the water. The children observed that the icebergs made of paper and cardboard sank and those made of plastic or Styrofoam (or at least the base of the iceberg) floated. Brandon also noticed that his juice box could float so we added that to the materials available to build an iceberg. We explained to the children that some materials absorb water and other materials are waterproof. They also noticed that the water was all white because the glue did not keep the materials together. We decided to use skewer sticks, fasteners and pins to keep the materials together as the glue dissolved in the water.

 

See our Penguin Inquiry under the tab Our Inquiries. You can read about some of our activities on penguins under the tab Classroom Activities. You can also listen to Fouad, Ivy and Nahisha reading Tracks in the Snow.