Density Experiment for Kids

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This density experiment will let kids see which liquids or substances are more dense than others. Density is a fun thing to play around with and doing it with liquids is an easy visual!

Density is a measure of how much mass is contained in a volume (density = mass divided by volume). Basically, density is a measure of how tightly the molecules are packed together. If something is more dense, but the same volume, it will weigh more.

We tried out some different liquid substances by combining them into different bottles and seeing which ones were more dense and which ones mixed or did not mix.  We also added some buttons into our liquids to see if they would sink or float. You could also try glitter or other small objects.

Supplies for the Density Experiment:

Lamp Oil
Corn Syrup
Clear Hair Gel
Liquid Watercolors (or food coloring)
Water
Colored Buttons
Test Tubes, jars or this fun “Baby Soda Bottle” set from Steve Spangler Science

Other liquid options to try include: rubbing alcohol, vegetable oil, dish soap, honey, maple syrup, etc.

For our density experiment, we decided to try mixing different liquids and chose two of each to combine in each test tube.

We mixed oil and water, oil and gel, oil and corn syrup, gel and corn syrup, water and corn syrup, gel and water… you get the picture!

My kids and I added a different color into each bottle. This is just for fun, but it made the mixing much more interesting. Some of the liquids did not turn colors. Some of the liquids dissolved into the other, such as corn syrup and water.

These Baby Soda Bottles are fun to use because they are bigger than regular test tubes and can stand upside down. Flipping them was fun to watch, too!

These density bottles are a blast to play with. My kids played with them for DAYS!  When I finally decided it was time to clean them out, they were sad and wanted to try it again!

This is definitely a good experiment to try at home or in a school setting!