Activity: Phew!

Use this activity to let your child explore how sweating helps cool us down when our body temperature rises. Assist your child in following the steps below:

1. Wet the foot of one sock with warm water and squeeze it so that it is damp but not dripping.
2. Have your child put the wet sock on one foot and the dry sock on the other.
3. Have your child sit facing the blowing fan for about 10 minutes.

Ask your child whether the foot with the wet sock feels different from the other foot. Explain to your child that as the fan blows, the water in the damp sock begins to evaporate, or turn into vapor. Evaporation occurs when liquid molecules gain energy and become gas molecules causing the liquid to disappear into the air. The water molecules gain energy from the heat of your child’s foot, lowering the temperature. Explain that sweat works the same way. The heat from your body evaporates with your sweat and cools you down.