Soak It Up

Test absorbency: which materials soak up water?

Warm-up, learn, try it together, practice, then a quick check. About 15 minutes.

What children learn in Level 26

Absorbency tells how well something soaks up water. A sponge is very absorbent!
Some materials don't soak up water at all, like plastic, foil, and glass. Water just runs off. That's why raincoats are plastic.
A class tested materials. They poured the same amount of water on the same size piece of each one, and counted the spoonfuls soaked up.
The sponge soaked up the most. The plastic bag soaked up none. Using the same amount of water each time made the test fair.
Your turn! Sort these: do they soak up water, or not?
Try it with a grown-up! Drip water onto a paper towel, a piece of foil, and a sock. Which ones soak it up?

Georgia Standards of Excellence in Science:

S2P1.a — Ask questions to describe and classify different objects according to their physical properties. (Examples of physical properties could include color, mass, length, texture, hardness, strength, absorbency, and flexibility.)