Big and Little Cups

Add to list Go to activity
In this indoor or outdoor water activity, learners pour water from small cups to large cups and containers. In doing so, they discover water takes the shape of its container. They also learn that the same amount of water will always fill the same container to the same height, and the same amount of water will fill containers of different sizes and shapes to different heights. This activity is part of the curriculum Explore Water, related to Peep and the Big Wide World, a preschool science series on public television. The activity starts on page 15 of the PDF. [Activity is publicly available through a web crawler capture on Archive.org.]

Quick Guide

Preparation Time:
5 to 10 minutes
Learning Time:
30 to 45 minutes
Estimated Materials Cost:
$1 - $5 per group of students
Age Range:
Ages 4 - 6
Resource Types:
Activity, Lesson/Lesson Plan
Language:
English

Materials List (per group of students)

  • small and large cups
  • containers
  • funnels of various shapes and sizes
  • plastic, newspapers, and/or towels to cover the floor
  • water table, pool, or container
  • water
  • water smocks (garbage bags with holes for head and arms work well.)

Keywords

Subjects

  • Earth and Space Science
    • Earth Structure
      • Oceans and Water
  • Mathematics
    • Data Analysis and Probability
      • Data Analysis
      • Data Collection
    • Measurement
      • Size and Scale
  • Physical Sciences
    • States of Matter
      • Liquids
    • Structure and Properties of Matter
      • Volume and Density
  • The Nature of Science
    • The Scientific Process
      • About Inquiry
      • Asking Questions
      • Conducting Investigations
      • Gathering Data
      • Formulating Explanations
      • Communicating Results

Informal Categories

  • Outdoor Activity

Audience

To use this activity, learners need to:

  • see
  • touch

Learning styles supported:

  • Involves hands-on or lab activities

Other

Components that are part of this resource:

Access Rights:

  • Free access

By:

Source Collection

  • PEEP and the Big Wide World

Rights:

  • All rights reserved, WGBH, 2005

Funding Source:

  • National Science Foundation