This article is the first in a new series of hands-on activities designed especially for early childhood students to encourage their natural curiosity and promote development of scientific thinking. The activity presented was created to help children learn how to make scientific observations using their senses. Children develop science inquiry skills whilst exploring a familiar substance. They also experience the scientific phenomenon of water mixing with something else causing a chemical reaction. The focus is not on the chemical reaction itself, rather on the observable changes that can be easily sensed and actively described. This learning experience helps prepare children for conducting simple investigations where they will collect and interpret data using it as evidence to answer questions. The learning experience also has a clear language focus making it ideal for developing children's scientific and overall literacy. The sharing of cognitive and discursive practices between science and literacy enable their productive integration.