Axel built the KiwiCo Lava Lamp. He observed how the water is at the bottom of the bottle and the oil on top - when he pressed the pump, he pushed air into the water causing it to rise up to the top and fall down again. He made a ‘Dens-o-meter’ and learned about density and experimented layering different liquids (honey, water, oil, dish soap, milk, rubbing alcohol) to see their density. He then proceeded to place objects (paperclip, pasta, bottle cap, ice cube) in the jar with liquids to see at which layer they settled and measure/compare their density. He learned vocabulary such as hydrophobic, emulsion and density.

Art

• Axel learned about color mixing and layering through the different liquids in the lava lamp.
• He explored the visual effects created by the movement of liquids and objects in the jar.
• Axel used his creativity to design and decorate the jar for the lava lamp.

English Language Arts

• Axel practiced observation skills by describing the changes he observed in the lava lamp and the dens-o-meter.
• He learned new vocabulary words such as hydrophobic, emulsion, and density.
• Axel can write a descriptive paragraph about his lava lamp experiment and the concept of density.

Math

• Axel measured and compared the density of different liquids using the dens-o-meter.
• He used numerical values to describe the layers formed by the liquids in the jar.
• Axel can graph the results of his density measurements to visualize the differences between the liquids.

Science

• Axel learned about density and observed how liquids with different densities separate in a container.
• He experimented with layering liquids of different densities to create distinct layers in the jar.
• Axel explored the concept of buoyancy by observing how objects settled in different layers based on their density.

For continued development, Axel can further explore the concept of density by experimenting with more liquids and objects. He can also research other properties of liquids and how they affect density. Additionally, Axel can create a presentation or poster to explain the concept of density and his experiment to others.

Book Recommendations

• The Density Detectives by Lucy Beevor: A fun and engaging book that introduces the concept of density through a detective story.
• Science Experiments with Liquids and Solids by Sally Nankivell-Aston: This book provides hands-on experiments and explanations about the properties of liquids and solids, including density.
• The Magic School Bus Explores the Senses by Joanna Cole: In this book, the Magic School Bus takes a journey inside the human body, exploring the sense of touch and the concept of density along the way.