Molecular Adhesion is Elementary

I may have a degree in Fine Art, but Science is my favorite subject. I can't wait until the kids are old enough to get into biology & chemistry... ok, I'm so excited we're not waiting.

Awhile back I taught my Kindergartener & 1st grader about molecular adhesion. Really.

I asked them if they could fill a tub with water so full that the water heaped up and didn't run over the edge. They didn't believe it was possible, so a demonstration was in order.

Try it yourself: fill a glass to the brim. One by one, carefully drop pennies into the glass. The pennies will displace the water, but the strength of the molecules pulling on each other will keep it from flowing over.



This was a great opportunity to explain surface tension, mass, and displacement. I refrained from drawing diagrams of the molecular structure of H2O and the affinity of electrons. We'll get to that next year, but only after they memorize the periodic table of elements. The grammar stage of the Trivium is the best time to do that, right?!?