Explain the concept of density to your kid with this simple DIY oil and water experiment  

If you have a budding scientist living in your house, you are probably out on the hunt for ways to foster their love for science even further. One of the easiest and most fun ways to make learning fun is by conducting simple DIY experiments at home. Not only do they help in explaining a scientific concept much more clearly, they also help kids understand them more practically. Extremely easy to set up and clean as well, this super simple DIY oil and water experiment explains the concept of density to kids. Read on to learn what materials you will require, and how to perform it at home. 

What you will need 
This experiment requires basic materials which can be easily found in the kitchen.  

• Transparent glasses 
• Water 
• Vegetable oil 
• Water-based food colouring of choice 
• Toothpick 

Step-by-step guide to perform this experiment 
This quick experiment can also be performed by kids alone, and does not require more than 5 minutes. Help him follow these steps. 

• Firstly, start by asking your kid what she thinks would happen when the vegetable oil and water are mixed together. Ask her to note down her predictions to check if she is right later. 
• Into a transparent glass, add half a cup of vegetable oil. 
• Into the same glass, also pour in half a cup of water. Now, you will have a glass with equal amounts of oil and water. 
• Your child will notice that the two liquids are separate. 
• Next, ask your child to note down what she thinks will happen after a drop of the food colouring is added to the glass. 
• Put a drop of the food colouring into the glass. If it is not moving downwards, use a toothpick to push it in gently. 
• Ask your child which is denser- the liquid food colouring or the oil?  
• It will be noticed that the drop of food colouring sinks through the oil and into the water, thus demonstrating that it is denser than the oil. 

What exactly is happening in this experiment? 
This experiment shows us how the density of liquids tends to vary. The density of a liquid, or any material for that matter, is defined as its mass per unit volume. A great way to find out if a substance is denser or less dense than water is to put it in water. In this case, the oil floats on water which means that its density is less. On the other hand, the drop of food colouring is denser than the oil as it sinks through it.