Density can be such a fun concept to teach! There are so many lab options to choose from. My recommendation: do a minimum of two density labs. Introduce one lab BEFORE you teach what density is, and allow students to discuss why some objects sink, why some float, and how mass and volume are related. Then AFTER you teach what density is and how to calculate it, introduce another lab where students can actually measure the density of objects. I have a bunch of density labs available in my TpT store. Read through the descriptions and see which ones suit your fancy! 
BEFORE you teach density lab options:

1. Density Column Lab- this lab is always a winner! Have students layer different liquids in a graduated cylinder and have them figure out why the liquids form layers and don't mix. You can also add objects to the cylinder and see which layer they settle in. Here is a video of this lab from Steve Spangler's sick science series. 

2. Dancing Raisins Lab- Another fun hands on lab. Students will try and figure out why raisins "dance" (rise and fall) in a beaker of soda as the carbonated bubbles stick to the raisins.  

3. Volume vs. Mass Lab- This lab is great for reinforcing measurement and graphing skills. It is similar to the density of water lab (listed below) but doesn't discuss density yet. Students will measure the mass of water in 10mL increments and graph their data. They will find out the density of water based on their best fit line.

AFTER you teach density lab options:
4. Density of Water Lab- Once students know the formula for density, have them figure out the density of water with this easy lab. Students will calculate the density of water at different volumes and learn that the density of water will always be 1 g/mL. 

5. Density of Oil and Water Lab- I wrote this lab shortly after the BP oil spill in 2010. I love that students are able to relate density to a real world situation and discuss oil spills and clean up methods. In this lab students will observe how oil and water react when mixed and try different methods of absorbing the oil from their beaker. 

6. Sink or Float Lab- In this lab, students will keep adding salt to a beaker of water and measure how much salt it takes to make a baby carrot float. Once they get the carrot to float, they will need to calculate the density of the salt-water solution. Don't forget to show students a picture of the Dead Sea!

And an extra freebie!
7. I used this colorful convection lab when I taught about heat transfer, but it also demonstrates density! You could easily adapt it to your density unit. Download it here for free!

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It's that time again! Last year we had a huge secondary science giveaway where we gave away 4 $100 TpT gift cards and resources to our store. This year it's even better! We are giving away 5 $100 TpT gift cards and a ton of resources! TpT has everything you need to have an awesome low-stress year. We would love to help you pay for those resources! Keep reading to learn how!

There are 2 ways to win:
1. Individual giveaways: Each seller pictured above is giving away individual prizes on their blogs! Check out the bottom of this post for a chance to win $25 worth of resources to my TpT store! There are multiple ways to win, so be sure to check out the rafflecopter below.
2. Group giveaway- We put together one HUGE blog hop giveaway, just for science teachers teaching in grades 6-12: 5 $100 Teachers Pay Teachers gift cards! Each blog post has a secret code word and number. My clue word is 17. right. The number tells you where the word falls in the secret sentence. Collect the words from each blog, write them down in number order, and copy the secret sentence into the joint rafflecopter giveaway. This rafflecopter form is the same on every blog, so you only need to enter once from any one of our blogs!
Giveaway starts Monday at 12 noon EST and ends at midnight on Friday. Best of luck!

Congrats! You've completed the blog loop! CLICK HERE to head back to Mrs. Lau's science site.

The fine print: “Giveaway ends August 11th, 2017 at 11:59 PM EST.  Winners will be selected at random and be notified by email. Winners have 48 hours to confirm their email addresses and respond before a new winner is selected. The product offered for the giveaway is free of charge, no purchase necessary. My opinions are my own and were not influenced by any form of compensation.  Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram are in no way associated with this giveaway.  By providing your information in this form, you are providing your information to me and me alone.  I do not share or sell information and will use any information only for the purpose of contacting the winner.”

I posted a picture of my latest bulletin board on facebook and instagram and got a lot of positive feedback. Many people reached out asking for a copy to make their own, so I've uploaded it for FREE to my TpT store! I've included 2 versions: a non-editable PDF that is ready to print-and-go, and an editable powerpoint version in case you want to change up any of the scientists or quotes. Enjoy!

CLICK HERE to head to my TpT store and download them for free! I'd love to see your classroom! Share your images on instagram and tag me @ScienceLessonsThatRock!