Now tell me the truth, who as soon as I said Archimedes lesson thought of the little owl from Sword in the Stone (affiliate link)?
Or was that just me? In reality, the owl from the Sword in the Stone could make a fun homeschool history lesson as you send your kids off to find out more about the real person….. But, that’s not this lesson. This lesson is about ancient history, and the scientific principles Archimedes devised.
(as you can tell there are affiliate links in here)
But really, let’s talk about this Archimedes lesson
For history last week in Mystery of History 1, one of our lessons was Archimedes and his many discoveries and how smart he was in matters of science. Not so much, according to story, in his real life. He may have been the founder of the absent-minded professor archetype.
But, back to my point. Archimedes discovered the concept of mass and density, one day while in his bathtub. Now, I suppose I could have done this lesson with a bathtub, but that would get into modesty issues and all that, so instead we used some metal toys.
We dropped them in and discovered, shocker of all shockers the water level did rise just like it did for Archimedes. Now the water level also fell at an astonishing rate because of the imperfect seal of our sink. I should have done this in a pot or something.
I also should have chosen things more dramatic than Batman, Martian Manhunter, and a matchbox car. They were all metal and seemed hefty enough.
And, in case you were wondering, the little army men are still wildly popular. That is now the preferred way of listening to history while enacting their Civil War battles with the cannons over and over and over again. But, Lego history is still a favorite in our house, and my preferred method because I don’t have to spend HOURS, HOURS I say cutting them out.
I have requests for more guys. They don’t realize how long it takes to cut out all of those little guys. Really it takes FOREVER……., But they make great reenactments. Seriously.
Want some more in-depth ideas on Greeks or Archimedes?
- For density, here’s another great early learner lesson: Will a pumpkin float?
- For Greeks try out: Greek columns
- Or another famous (almost) Greek: Alexander the Great
Or check out the entirety of Ancient History here at Adventures in Mommydom.
I remember reading that Archimedes was presented with the task first to figure out if the king's crown jewels are fake or genuine. Then he figured out the way to do it by submerging the crown in the water and looking at the displaced volume. I really don't think daughter would get any of it just yet though.
Cool history and science lesson. I think my kids would like this one.
Very cool!
I wonder if I can still find our copy of Sword in the Stone…
Of COURSE I thought of the owl from “The Sword in the Stone” as soon as I saw your title post…
Okay, now I am totally thinking about that owl!
I love this!! Why do sinks even have stoppers? Does anybody use them really? Our sinks drain in about five minutes.
My kids love any experiment that involves water. This looks like a fun experiment.
https://littlewondersdays.blogspot.com/
I TOTALLY thought of the owl! That is hilarious.