Inquiry lesson: Density

I chose to do a lab on density for our Inquiry lesson.  Throughout this lab students got to see density work at two different stations.  The first station had a 250 mL cylinder with 5 different liquids inside it: honey, Dawn dish soap, water, vegetable oil, and rubbing alcohol.  I surrounded the cylinder with each of these liquid's containers, and my students had to guess what liquid they thought was at each layer.  They were amazed that the liquids were not mixing together.  It was a great visual way for my students to visually see density work.

The next station had students creating their very own "lava lamp."  Students used a 20 ounce clear plastic bottle and poured 1/2 cup water followed by 3/4 cup vegetable oil.  Students then added food coloring for a nice visual effect, and then added an Alka Seltzer tablet to the bottle.  Students were amazed at all of the bubbles and how it actually looked like a lava lamp.  This not only allowed students to observe density, but also physical and chemical properties as well as physical and chemical changes.

I have attached a sample of student work as well as a few pictures from the lab that my students didn't mind me sharing. Enjoy!