The Story About Ping - Science

This is my second post about our Five In A Row (FIAR) studies relating to The Story About Ping.  You can read the first post (which includes an explanation of the FIAR program) here.

I was inspired by a blog entry I'd seen to do an experiment with the kids about why ducks don't get wet.  After our reading of the story, I started by asking the children if they'd noticed that Ping never looked soggy in our story.

As I spoke, I started gathering my materials (because, of course, I did not have them prepared the night before).  We contrasted Ping, who stayed dry-looking after coming out of the water, to the boy in the story, who'd fallen into the water and was dripping wet.

Still searching for what I needed to run our little experiment, I explained that a duck's body has a special oil, and that the grooming ducks do, called "preening", spreads the oil all throughout the feathers.  This oil helps to keep them dry.

("Look!  I'll show you" cried the enthusiastic Mother, as she continued to rummage through the cupboards. Popping up some moments later with a handful of brown paper bags and a spray bottle, she exclaimed, "Isn't God so creative and awesome?! .)

I then gave each kiddo two brown paper lunch sacks (NO, not the $290 ones!) and told them that these would be our "ducks".

("Oh! These must be the ducks' feet!" Exclaimed an enthusiastic student, and suddenly,  three pairs of brown paper "duck feet" began dancing all over the  counter.)

Dancing duck feet

I broke up the dancing by introducing crayons and instructing that each child select a bag to be "the duck".  The selected bags were then given duck-y faces.

Three interpretations of a duck's face

Next it was time to cover our "ducks" with oil.  I gave them a paper towel dipped in olive oil and told them to start "preening".

"Preening"

 After the ducks were finished preening, we "made it rain" on the ducks and also onto the "control" paper bag.  The children enjoyed watching the water pool and bubble on the surface of the "duck".   The control, meanwhile, simply got wet.

Made this picture extra large so that you could see the "pools" of water on the oiled "duck"

Next, I had J-Bird round up three empty soda bottles while I filled our fancy-tea-party pitcher (kettle?) with water.  I then let each child pour water into a bottle until it was about half-full, then I added each kiddo's choice of food coloring to the water.

The caps were (tightly!) screwed on, and then my seemingly innocent instructions of "Shake it up until it is all mixed in," were gleefully obeyed.

Next, I put some olive oil into each bottle of colored water and replaced the caps.

I thought the olive oil was ugly, but I kept that thought to myself. 

Once again, the children were instructed to "shake it up until it is all mixed in".  The kids shook and shook their bottles.  They would stop occasionally, watch the oil re-surface, and then shake again.

("It's getting closer!" Exclaimed the enthusiastic J-Bird.  She stopped shaking for a moment, then watched as the olive oil once again rose to the top.  With a sigh, she shook again, this time with more vigor and determination than ever before.) 

Z-Man is shaking it up! 

 Finally, I felt it was appropriate (and probably legally required) that I let them in on the secret: 

("You can stop shaking, now," Mother confessed,  "You will never get them to combine!  Oil and water don't mix!")

I did not have my camera at the ready, because nothing says "I'm about to trick you terribly" like a camera in your face.  

 I had to have the kids re-inact their indignation at my evil withholding of information: