5 Step Pickle Experiment: Do Pickles Sink or Float?

⭐ Materials:
1 cucumber
1 pickle (same size works best)
1 large glass or clear plastic container
Water
Spoon or tongs

STEP 1 — Fill a clear cup or bowl halfway with room-temperature water.

STEP 2 — Predict what will happen
Have kids make a hypothesis:
Will the cucumber sink or float?
Will the pickle sink or float?
Will they behave the same?

STEP 3 — Test the cucumber
Gently place the fresh cucumber into the water.
Watch what happens.
Most fresh cucumbers sink because they are denser and filled with more water.

STEP 4 — Test the pickle
Now place the pickle into the water.
Most pickles float because:
Water leaves the cucumber during pickling
This makes the pickle less dense

STEP 5 — Compare and discuss
Ask kids questions:
What was different?
Why did the cucumber act differently than the pickle?
How does density affect sinking and floating?
What does pickling do to a cucumber’s insides?