Positives

• The directions are written in such a way that students can easily perform this experiment at home with an adult or in the classroom with little guidance.
• This experiment is a hands-on and engaging way to learn about convection in general, but also how it applies to the Sun.

Additional Prerequisites

• The link to download the DIY Sun Science app is broken, but the app can be found in the app store on your device.
• Some students may need the terms dense, float, sink, transfer, core, plasma, solar, granules, and others defined prior to performing the experiment.
• Students should understand that the Sun is a star made of hot plasma.

Differentiation

• Students can keep a scientist journal and use it to draw pictures and record observations about what happens to the water.
• In classrooms where there is not 1:1 technology, the teacher can record a video for the students to look back on after they perform the experiment, or the procedures can be printed out.
• Older students can discuss how convection works to heat the atmosphere and the effect that greenhouse gases have on that process.
• To take this experiment outside, consider using the energy from the sun to warm up the red water and keep the blue water in the shade.