In January we are set for two sessions of Messy Fingers:
January 5: Build It!
January 19: Ice
Please sign up at the Millbury Public Library - 508 865-1181. Space is limited to 12 kids age 3 - 5.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Monday, December 21, 2009
Liquids
Our group at the library had a terrific time getting exceptionally messy while exploring Liquids. Each parent/child pair were given three mystery liquids, a dropper, and wax paper. We took a drop of each liquid and put it on the wax paper to see what it would do. One liquid made a high dome, one was flat, and one spread out only a little. Then came the magic. We put each of the three liquids in a jar together. They magically separated in to three layers yo can see above.We then tried dropping things in to the liquids to see what would happen. We tried buttons, glitter, and cork. The cork floated at the top, the buttons dropped so they floated on the bottom layer and the glitter seems to float on top of each of the three layers!
Our mystery liquids were: water with a bit of red food coloring, corn syrup, and vegetable oil.
Then we got really messy by making something called Goop or Oobleck depending on your recipe. I call it a non-Newtonian fluid. This substance is neither a liquid or a solid but takes on characteristics of both. Liquids will conform to the shape of the container they are in and solids stay in their own shape. Here's the secret recipe: 1 box of corn starch and 1.5 cups of water.
We all touched the corn starch and some water before mixing. When we first put the water in, the corn starch was HARD to stir. The slower you stirred the easier it was. Once it was all mixed, we played in it. If you slap or squeeze the mixture, it will act like a solid. If you move slowly with it, it acts like a liquid.
These area great experiments that you can do with your whole family. If you want to play with liquids even more, here are some other ideas to inspire you.
Science words: hard, smooth, slimy, slippery, density
What liquid is this? Try putting sugar water, plain water and white vinegar into small jars or bottles that can be capped. Can you look at the liquids and tell what they are? If you shake them, are they different? If you open them, can you tell what they are? What senses did you use?
Compare and contrast different juice. Pour orange juice, tomato or V8 juice, and apple juice into clear glasses. What do you notice about them? How are they different. If you close your eyes, can you use your sense of touch to figure out which juice is which?
Solid versus liquid. What would happen if you put an ice cube in a container? Does it take the shape of the container or stay as a cube? What happens if you let it melt – does it take the shape of the container now?
Play with volume. Grab some containers and head to the tub. How many of the smallest containers of water does it take to fill the largest container? If you pour the water out of a container, does it have a shape? Are bubbles liquid? Do they act like water?
Books:
Solid, liquid or gas? By Sally Hewett
Solids, liquids, and gases by Carol Lindeen
Solids, liquids, and gases by John Farden
Liquids by Jim Mezzanote
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Grrrr....
Bears invaded the library! We learned about bears - all seven types in the world and then we made bear masks of our favorites. There were polar bears, brown bear, black bears, pandas, and spectacled bears.
Everyone brought bears from home and Mrs. V loaned us a few too. We sorted the bears in to piles. Each pile had to have at least two bears in it and there had to be at least two piles. We sorted our bears based on size, color, clothing, realistic/make-believe looking, and even softness. Sorting of any objects is an excellent way for children to learn about classification. Ask probing questions about why your child sorts objects into the categories they chose. Learning to explain why is a key science skill.
Bears have a habitat where they live. It has shelter, food and water in it. We pretended to be bears gathering food, water, and playing in our "den" made from blankets and the tables in the children's section.
Check out some of these other activities you can do at home with bears.
Science words: Habitat, food, water, shelter, hibernate, sort
Bear Numbers: Give your child 10 teddy grahams or gummi bears. Have cards with the numbers 1 -10 on them. Pull out a card and put that number of bears on the card. Put the 10 bears back in their pile. Repeat the process three or four times. If you use gummi bears, you can also set the bears up in piles according to color. Which is the largest pile? Which color had the least?
Sort out other groups of stuffed animals or train engines or other group of toys. There must be at least two members in ea ch pile.
Have a bear meal – fish, nuts, berries and honey!
Bear facts:
Bears are mammals – just like people
Bears are omnivores – they eat meat and plants – just like people
There are eight different species of bears. They are Asiatic, Black, Brown, Polar, Panda, Sloth, Spectacled and Sun.
Bears live everywhere in the world except Antarctica and Australia.
Books:
Blueberries for Sal by Robert McClosky
Jamberry by Bruce Degen
Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen
Corduroy by Don Freeman
Resources on the Web:
www.bearbiology.com – international bear association – LOADS of biology for parents
www.janbrett.com – loads of bear stories and activities with great coloring pages
www.timeforkids.com/TFK/class/pdfs/2006F/061027_bp5.pdf – seasonal bear activity for older preschoolers
Science words: Habitat, food, water, shelter, hibernate, sort
Bear Numbers: Give your child 10 teddy grahams or gummi bears. Have cards with the numbers 1 -10 on them. Pull out a card and put that number of bears on the card. Put the 10 bears back in their pile. Repeat the process three or four times. If you use gummi bears, you can also set the bears up in piles according to color. Which is the largest pile? Which color had the least?
Sort out other groups of stuffed animals or train engines or other group of toys. There must be at least two members in ea ch pile.
Have a bear meal – fish, nuts, berries and honey!
Bear facts:
Bears are mammals – just like people
Bears are omnivores – they eat meat and plants – just like people
There are eight different species of bears. They are Asiatic, Black, Brown, Polar, Panda, Sloth, Spectacled and Sun.
Bears live everywhere in the world except Antarctica and Australia.
Books:
Blueberries for Sal by Robert McClosky
Jamberry by Bruce Degen
Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen
Corduroy by Don Freeman
Resources on the Web:
www.bearbiology.com – international bear association – LOADS of biology for parents
www.janbrett.com – loads of bear stories and activities with great coloring pages
www.timeforkids.com/TFK/class/pdfs/2006F/061027_bp5.pdf – seasonal bear activity for older preschoolers
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Science of Sound
We had a great time this week playing with sound. We sorted musical instruments by their sound - which turned out to be trickier than expected.
Ears are very interesting ideas. We peered into each other's ears looking for the ear drum, but alas couldn't find it. So we had to rely on a diagram.
Slinky-s are great toys - and a great way to play with the idea of sound waves. You can pull the slinky out and then give one end a little push. You can see the wave travel from the push to the other end. That is how sound waves travel - from the source outward.
We also made a demonstration ear drum with a rubber glove and some rice. NASA has a great website exploring sound and describing a method for making your own "ear drum" model.
Science words: higher, lower, loud, soft, vibration, ear, eardrum
Try these fun activities at home to explore sound with your whole family.
Shake your Shaker: use your shaker or other sound maker to explore spatial relationships. Have your child turn their back then you make noise above, below, under, right, left… of your child. Ask them where the sound was. Then switch roles.
Bats: Bats have great ears. You can make a pair bat ears by making a large teardrop shape on two pieces of construction paper. You can cup them around your ears, or add to a head band so they sit behind your child’s ears. With your eyes closed, do the bat ears help you hear sound better if it is soft? Do you they help tell direction better than people ears?
What makes that sound? Grab some Easter eggs and add a few beans, rice, pennies, rocks, or other small objects inside it. Shake it. Can your child guess what is inside? Is it easier to guess if you shake it yourself? Sound makes vibrations we hear with our ears, but our sense of touch also can sense vibrations. Getting info from both senses might give more clues.
Munch Munch Crunch Crunch: have a loud lunch – what foods can you think of that make a lot of noise? Crunchy orange carrots, rice crispy treats, pita chips, romaine lettuce, croutons…
Go on a sound hike: Find a safe, comfy spot outdoors and sit quietly for at least a minute. What do you hear? Can you make the sounds you heard? What can you identify? What can’t you identify? How can you figure out what made those sounds?
Books:
Polar Bear, Polar Bear, what do you hear? By Bill Martin, Jr.
My Five Senses by Aliki
The Ear book by Al Perkins
Ears are very interesting ideas. We peered into each other's ears looking for the ear drum, but alas couldn't find it. So we had to rely on a diagram.
Slinky-s are great toys - and a great way to play with the idea of sound waves. You can pull the slinky out and then give one end a little push. You can see the wave travel from the push to the other end. That is how sound waves travel - from the source outward.
We also made a demonstration ear drum with a rubber glove and some rice. NASA has a great website exploring sound and describing a method for making your own "ear drum" model.
Science words: higher, lower, loud, soft, vibration, ear, eardrum
Try these fun activities at home to explore sound with your whole family.
Shake your Shaker: use your shaker or other sound maker to explore spatial relationships. Have your child turn their back then you make noise above, below, under, right, left… of your child. Ask them where the sound was. Then switch roles.
Bats: Bats have great ears. You can make a pair bat ears by making a large teardrop shape on two pieces of construction paper. You can cup them around your ears, or add to a head band so they sit behind your child’s ears. With your eyes closed, do the bat ears help you hear sound better if it is soft? Do you they help tell direction better than people ears?
What makes that sound? Grab some Easter eggs and add a few beans, rice, pennies, rocks, or other small objects inside it. Shake it. Can your child guess what is inside? Is it easier to guess if you shake it yourself? Sound makes vibrations we hear with our ears, but our sense of touch also can sense vibrations. Getting info from both senses might give more clues.
Munch Munch Crunch Crunch: have a loud lunch – what foods can you think of that make a lot of noise? Crunchy orange carrots, rice crispy treats, pita chips, romaine lettuce, croutons…
Go on a sound hike: Find a safe, comfy spot outdoors and sit quietly for at least a minute. What do you hear? Can you make the sounds you heard? What can you identify? What can’t you identify? How can you figure out what made those sounds?
Books:
Polar Bear, Polar Bear, what do you hear? By Bill Martin, Jr.
My Five Senses by Aliki
The Ear book by Al Perkins
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Magnets
We had a a great time today at the library! The forces of magnets can be amazing and seem like magic. If you have any wooden trains or other "take-a-long" toys, play with them and check out how the magnets work. Can they stick on to anything else? Can they stick to all metal?
We made predictions about what might be picked up by a magnet and what might not be attracted to a magnet. Our piles included pom poms, paper clips, tooth picks, chenille stems, pins, and barrettes. The one thing that stumped us all was the chenille stem. Was it attracted to the magnet or not? Then we tested everything in our Yes and No piles.
Our favorite activity was painting with magnets. We put paper in a box, then stuck paper clips in paint. We used the magnets underneath the box to move the paperclips and paint on the paper. We used red and yellow paint so we could also look at color mixing too.
Science words: observation, record, force, magnet, attract, repel
Always take care to use magnets safely with young children. Be sure they cannot be swallowed or used around video equipment and cameras.
Magnet hunt – what magnets are in your house? Fridge magnets, some fridge doors, cabinet doors, wallets, toys, etc
What will a magnet stick to in the house? Can you take your magnet and find things it will stick to? Try everything that strikes your imagination. One sometimes unexpected metal spot is the door into your house.
Magnet Fishing – tie a magnet to a string and the string to a pole. Put paper clips on the end of paper fish. You can “fish” over and over. How many fish can you catch at once?
Here's a funny song about magnets:
I'm a little magnet can't you see Anything metal comes right to me. If it is not metal you will see. It just will not stick to me.
We made predictions about what might be picked up by a magnet and what might not be attracted to a magnet. Our piles included pom poms, paper clips, tooth picks, chenille stems, pins, and barrettes. The one thing that stumped us all was the chenille stem. Was it attracted to the magnet or not? Then we tested everything in our Yes and No piles.
Our favorite activity was painting with magnets. We put paper in a box, then stuck paper clips in paint. We used the magnets underneath the box to move the paperclips and paint on the paper. We used red and yellow paint so we could also look at color mixing too.
Science words: observation, record, force, magnet, attract, repel
Always take care to use magnets safely with young children. Be sure they cannot be swallowed or used around video equipment and cameras.
Magnet hunt – what magnets are in your house? Fridge magnets, some fridge doors, cabinet doors, wallets, toys, etc
What will a magnet stick to in the house? Can you take your magnet and find things it will stick to? Try everything that strikes your imagination. One sometimes unexpected metal spot is the door into your house.
Magnet Fishing – tie a magnet to a string and the string to a pole. Put paper clips on the end of paper fish. You can “fish” over and over. How many fish can you catch at once?
Here's a funny song about magnets:
I'm a little magnet can't you see Anything metal comes right to me. If it is not metal you will see. It just will not stick to me.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
One little pumpkin
Pumpkins abound this time of year with Jack-o-lanters, pumpkin pie, pumpkin muffins and even pumpkin coffee! Before carving up your pumpkin, take a few moments to just observe it with all your senses. This exploration reinforces the five senses and premath skills such as estimating and counting.
Science words: Observe, Describe, Color, Senses, Touch, Taste, Smell, Hear, See, Texture, Temperature
What can you figure out about a pumpkin before carving it up? Before diving in, take a moment to make some predictions. What can you observe about the outside of the pumpkin. How does it feel? How does it look? Can we listen to the pumpkin? Does it smell?
What does the inside of a pumpkin look like? Is it mostly full of seeds or empty? How many seeds do you think are in there? What are our predictions about color, texture, temperature etc.? How can we describe the inside? Cut open the pumpkins. What did you find?
Paper plate pumpkins: Paint one side of a paper plates to match your observations of the outside. Add stems or leaves as needed. While they are drying, dive into the inside of the pumpkin. When the plate is dry, flip your pumpkin plates over and create the inside. You can use paint, yarn, and the actual seeds to show you observations.
How things change. Make Pumpkin pie or pumpkin cookies together. Try the pumpkin from the can before adding anything. What does it taste like? How does cooking change the pumpkin?
Try Pumpkin explorations with apples. You can record your observations on a paper plate as well. Explore the outside and paint or draw what you see. Then cut open the apple and paint or draw what you observe. You can use the actual seeds from the apple or raisins on your creation.
Estimation – You will need a pumpkin and some string or measuring tape.
Ask your child how big they think they are around the middle (their waist) than the pumpkin. Take a string or measuring tape and measure. You can write it down for number recognition if you want. Then ask them if they think they are bigger or smaller around than their pumpkin. What else could they measure around? Are you bigger or smaller than the pumpkin?
Counting – Dry some pumpkin seeds. Write the numbers 1-20 (or 1-10 for younger kids) on small pieces of paper. Pick a number and ask your child to put that number of seeds into a small plastic pumpkin or other container.
Books to explore:
From Seed to Pumpkin by Wendy Pfeffer
Too Many Pumpkins by Linda White
Science words: Observe, Describe, Color, Senses, Touch, Taste, Smell, Hear, See, Texture, Temperature
What can you figure out about a pumpkin before carving it up? Before diving in, take a moment to make some predictions. What can you observe about the outside of the pumpkin. How does it feel? How does it look? Can we listen to the pumpkin? Does it smell?
What does the inside of a pumpkin look like? Is it mostly full of seeds or empty? How many seeds do you think are in there? What are our predictions about color, texture, temperature etc.? How can we describe the inside? Cut open the pumpkins. What did you find?
Paper plate pumpkins: Paint one side of a paper plates to match your observations of the outside. Add stems or leaves as needed. While they are drying, dive into the inside of the pumpkin. When the plate is dry, flip your pumpkin plates over and create the inside. You can use paint, yarn, and the actual seeds to show you observations.
How things change. Make Pumpkin pie or pumpkin cookies together. Try the pumpkin from the can before adding anything. What does it taste like? How does cooking change the pumpkin?
Try Pumpkin explorations with apples. You can record your observations on a paper plate as well. Explore the outside and paint or draw what you see. Then cut open the apple and paint or draw what you observe. You can use the actual seeds from the apple or raisins on your creation.
Estimation – You will need a pumpkin and some string or measuring tape.
Ask your child how big they think they are around the middle (their waist) than the pumpkin. Take a string or measuring tape and measure. You can write it down for number recognition if you want. Then ask them if they think they are bigger or smaller around than their pumpkin. What else could they measure around? Are you bigger or smaller than the pumpkin?
Counting – Dry some pumpkin seeds. Write the numbers 1-20 (or 1-10 for younger kids) on small pieces of paper. Pick a number and ask your child to put that number of seeds into a small plastic pumpkin or other container.
Books to explore:
From Seed to Pumpkin by Wendy Pfeffer
Too Many Pumpkins by Linda White
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Shadows
Shadows are spooky and fun to play with. Candles in pumpkins and flashlights, not to mention glow sticks each cast different sorts of shadows that are great to observe and explore. Candles tend to cast softer shadows that move and dance and Jack-o-lanterns are famous for the shadows they cast from inside a pumpkin. (No need to remind parents to be careful around open flames.)
In the daytime, grab some sidewalk chalk and trace shadows outside. You can trace your own shadow or that of other objects. How do they change over the course of a day (or a playground session!)?
You can capture the shadow of an object by placing it on photosensitive paper or even dark construction paper. Draw what you expect the shadow to look like. Place the paper flat and put a flat object on it - keys, leaves, toys, paper clips, combs, or even paper shapes all work well. Don't move it once on the paper. For photosensitive paper, this happens quickly - just wait for the paper to change color and follow the directions to set. Construction paper (use non-fade resistant) may take longer but watch for the fading on the exposed section. Carefully take the objects off your paper. How do the actual shadows compare to your drawings?
In our Messy Fingers session this week, we also explored the idea of translucent objects. Most objects make solid shadows because the blocked the light completely. Some objects had colored shadows because they let some light through. We tried tissue paper in front of a flashlight and it gave a green shadow - very cool! What other objects are translucent?
Here are some other fun ways to play with your shadow!
Science Words: Light, dark, solid, big, small, translucent
Make a translucent sun catcher: You can purchase a kit at craft stores or make your own. Take two pieces of wax paper, cover one with small bits of tissue paper that overlap, then iron the sheets together. You can hang this as is, cut it into a sun shape, or make a “frame” by cutting a sun shape out of black paper, stapling the wax paper on to it and hanging your sun catcher.
Effects of light: Take a piece of newspaper and cut it in half. If you put one piece outside in a sunny spot and one piece inside in a dark spot, what will happen to them? Check in an hour, in a day, in a week…. What could be making the papers change color?
Shadow tag: Can you tag each other’s shadow? This game is fun to play with a few very bright light sources. You can do the flip and play flashlight tag – can you tag each other with a flash light? Remember: no flashlights in faces.
Shadow Shapes: Before bed, turn out all the lights and pull out a flashlight. Try to make funny shadows shaped like birds or planes with your hands in the light. How does your shadow change when you are close to the light compared to farther away? What if you have two flashlights?
Make Shadow Puppets: You can make different characters cut from coloring books or hand drawn and glue them on to craft sticks. Hold up a sheet or even large piece of butcher paper and shine a bright light toward it. Hold the puppets in front of the light and put on a play with their shadows. You can use colored cellophane or candy wrappers to make colored parts to your puppets.
Books on Shadows:
What makes a Shadow? Clyde R. Bulla
Bear Shadow by Frank Asche
The shape of Me by Dr. Seuss
In the daytime, grab some sidewalk chalk and trace shadows outside. You can trace your own shadow or that of other objects. How do they change over the course of a day (or a playground session!)?
You can capture the shadow of an object by placing it on photosensitive paper or even dark construction paper. Draw what you expect the shadow to look like. Place the paper flat and put a flat object on it - keys, leaves, toys, paper clips, combs, or even paper shapes all work well. Don't move it once on the paper. For photosensitive paper, this happens quickly - just wait for the paper to change color and follow the directions to set. Construction paper (use non-fade resistant) may take longer but watch for the fading on the exposed section. Carefully take the objects off your paper. How do the actual shadows compare to your drawings?
In our Messy Fingers session this week, we also explored the idea of translucent objects. Most objects make solid shadows because the blocked the light completely. Some objects had colored shadows because they let some light through. We tried tissue paper in front of a flashlight and it gave a green shadow - very cool! What other objects are translucent?
Here are some other fun ways to play with your shadow!
Science Words: Light, dark, solid, big, small, translucent
Make a translucent sun catcher: You can purchase a kit at craft stores or make your own. Take two pieces of wax paper, cover one with small bits of tissue paper that overlap, then iron the sheets together. You can hang this as is, cut it into a sun shape, or make a “frame” by cutting a sun shape out of black paper, stapling the wax paper on to it and hanging your sun catcher.
Effects of light: Take a piece of newspaper and cut it in half. If you put one piece outside in a sunny spot and one piece inside in a dark spot, what will happen to them? Check in an hour, in a day, in a week…. What could be making the papers change color?
Shadow tag: Can you tag each other’s shadow? This game is fun to play with a few very bright light sources. You can do the flip and play flashlight tag – can you tag each other with a flash light? Remember: no flashlights in faces.
Shadow Shapes: Before bed, turn out all the lights and pull out a flashlight. Try to make funny shadows shaped like birds or planes with your hands in the light. How does your shadow change when you are close to the light compared to farther away? What if you have two flashlights?
Make Shadow Puppets: You can make different characters cut from coloring books or hand drawn and glue them on to craft sticks. Hold up a sheet or even large piece of butcher paper and shine a bright light toward it. Hold the puppets in front of the light and put on a play with their shadows. You can use colored cellophane or candy wrappers to make colored parts to your puppets.
Books on Shadows:
What makes a Shadow? Clyde R. Bulla
Bear Shadow by Frank Asche
The shape of Me by Dr. Seuss
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Along came a spider...
This was one of the participants in today's Messy Fingers class. We looked at some real live spiders and discovered many cool things. We learned about the body parts of a spider - Abdomen, Cephalothorax (head), 8 legs, 2 Pedipalps, and 8 eyes.We also made our own webs. This was really hard. Each child got a paper plate with 8 holes punched along the outer edge and a piece of yarn. We taped one end to the back of the plate and then wove our structural strands to form a star. Then we took another piece of yarn, tied it to the star and wove. Keeping your web together was tricky.
To check to see if we remembered our anatomy, we made thumb print spiders with our thumb as the abdomen, a finger print cephalothorax, 8 legs, and 8 eyes.
If you are in the area, check out our web in the craft room!
Science Words: first, second, more, less, weave, predator, prey, spider, insect
What do spiders eat? Not all spiders spin webs. Some are hunters like tarantulas. Go on a bug hunt and pretend to be a hunting spider. Search your back yard for yummy insects to eat! Who can find the most? Who can find the biggest bug?
Webs: Make some fun spider webs using glitter glue and construction paper. You can draw or trace a web onto black or dark colored paper with chalk or a white pen. Then trace over it with glitter glue. Wait for the moisture in the glue to evaporate and you have a sparkly web. You can add a plastic spider before the glue dries.
Go on a Web hunt: Search your yard for spider webs. If you mist a web softly with water from a spray bottle, a web will pop into view. Try –ever so gently- tickling the web with a piece of grass. A spider might come out to see what they’ve “caught” in their web.
Song:
Itsy Bitsy Spider
Books:
Itsy Bitsy Spider by Iza Trapani
The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle
Charlotte’s Web by E B White – this is great read aloud
Snacks:
Marshmallow Spiders For each spider, use one large marshmallow for the body and one small marshmallow for the head (attach with 1/2 a toothpick). Make eyes from mini M&Ms, legs from pretzel sticks. Cover with chocolate sauce, if desired.
This came from a great website with other fun snack ideas: http://www.kinderkorner.com/spiders.html
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Seeds
There are three ways that seeds travel: air, water, and animals. Seeds that travel through the air are lots of fun to play with and this time of year is a great opportunity to check out seeds together. We usually think of seeds in the spring when we plant our gardens, but trees and many wildflowers make large, easy to find seeds right now!
As the trees stop making food and prepare for the winter, acorns and helicopters like those above will come down along with the colorful leaves. Try dropping some maple helicopters - do they spin better with one or two seeds? Here's one you can make at home. You can try different types of paper or adding more paper clips to make it spin better.
At the library on Tuesday, we dropped them from the balcony much to the delight not just of the participants, but of the library patrons as well. Then we constructed our own seeds using recycled materials. We made seeds that floated on air like dandelions, seeds that had hooks like burs and even one that was supposed to float like a boat.
Science Words: Magnify, Grow, Outside, Inside, Float, Similar, Different
Here are some ideas for you to try at home.
Go on a Seed Walk – put an old pair of socks on over your shoes or put on bracelets of tape with the sticky side out. Take a walk thru a meadow or meadow-like area. What seeds attached themselves to you?
Plant a seed together. You can plant some Indian Corn seeds or bean seeds on damp paper towels. This is a fun way to watch a plant grow. What different parts of a plant to you observe? You can also sprout birdseed on a sponge. Sprinkle birdseed on a sponge in a small container. Keep the sponge moist and the seeds will continue to grow.
Make a seed mosaic. Grab some glue and a few beans, rice, grains, and even pasta to make a picture with the seeds. What is different about the seeds? What is similar?
Seeds for dinner? What seeds do you eat? Can you make a meal of them? Some ideas:
Corn is a seed – corn bread, Johnny cakes, polenta
Most nuts are seeds – cashew butter, walnuts, sunflowers
Grains are seeds – wheat, barley, oats
~Thanks to birds eye view at flicker for the great photo!
Monday, September 21, 2009
Corny Fun
Don't let the word science hold you back. While you are worried about science, your preschooler is already discovering, making observations about the world, and collecting information about how everything works. Join them in their discoveries and make a few of your own.
As fall harvests come in, we are seeing an abundance of corn - for eating and decorating. This is a perfect opportunity to encourage your child to explore with all their senses with a safe and easy to find subject: Corn! If you can find corn stalks with the corn still attached, this makes for a really interesting and noisy exploration of the parts of a plant. The silk on the top of corn is the flower - collecting the pollen from the wind and transporting it to the embryos or corn kernels (seeds).
Science Words: More, Less, Magnify, Grow, Outside, Inside, Float, Similar, Different
Pop Corn - measure out an amount of unpopped corn together. Make a prediction about how big the pop corn will be after it is popped. For example, if you start with a half of cup of unpopped corn, how many cups will you have after it has popped? What made the corn pop? (The moisture in the kernel is heated up and expands - popping the outer kernel when it gets too big to be held in.)
Go on a Seed Walk – put an old pair of socks on over your shoes or put on bracelets of tape with the sticky side out. Take a walk thru a meadow or meadow-like area. What seeds attached themselves to you?
Plant a seed together. You can plant some Indian Corn seeds or bean seeds on damp paper towels. This is a fun way to watch a plant grow. What different parts of a plant to you observe?
Make a seed mosaic. Grab some glue and a few beans, rice, grains, and even pasta to make a picture with the seeds. What is different about the seeds? What is similar? This will help kids improve their fine motor skills and sharpen their observation skills.
Corn comparison - Cut in half both a kernel of canned corn and a kernel of Indian corn (you many need to soak it first) and add a kernel of popped pop corn to the pile. Grab a magnifying glass and compare the structure of both kernels. Can you draw what you see? Using a magnifying glass can be tricky - sometimes starting with a bug box can help.
If you want a diagram of the corn kernel - check here: http://bioweb.sungrant.org/NR/rdonlyres/C8D9EEEF-C88E-4FE1-88B5-AA5A59B9CDC1/0/DiagramofCornKernelcopy.gif. The actual names of all the parts is not important but this shows the structure very nicely.
Have a corny dinner. What foods can you eat that come from corn? Polenta, corn bread, Johnny cakes, corn chowder, and more can be made into a corny meal. Try Indian pudding for dessert!
If you have a moment, share what activies you try and how they worked out!
As fall harvests come in, we are seeing an abundance of corn - for eating and decorating. This is a perfect opportunity to encourage your child to explore with all their senses with a safe and easy to find subject: Corn! If you can find corn stalks with the corn still attached, this makes for a really interesting and noisy exploration of the parts of a plant. The silk on the top of corn is the flower - collecting the pollen from the wind and transporting it to the embryos or corn kernels (seeds).
Science Words: More, Less, Magnify, Grow, Outside, Inside, Float, Similar, Different
Pop Corn - measure out an amount of unpopped corn together. Make a prediction about how big the pop corn will be after it is popped. For example, if you start with a half of cup of unpopped corn, how many cups will you have after it has popped? What made the corn pop? (The moisture in the kernel is heated up and expands - popping the outer kernel when it gets too big to be held in.)
Go on a Seed Walk – put an old pair of socks on over your shoes or put on bracelets of tape with the sticky side out. Take a walk thru a meadow or meadow-like area. What seeds attached themselves to you?
Plant a seed together. You can plant some Indian Corn seeds or bean seeds on damp paper towels. This is a fun way to watch a plant grow. What different parts of a plant to you observe?
Make a seed mosaic. Grab some glue and a few beans, rice, grains, and even pasta to make a picture with the seeds. What is different about the seeds? What is similar? This will help kids improve their fine motor skills and sharpen their observation skills.
Corn comparison - Cut in half both a kernel of canned corn and a kernel of Indian corn (you many need to soak it first) and add a kernel of popped pop corn to the pile. Grab a magnifying glass and compare the structure of both kernels. Can you draw what you see? Using a magnifying glass can be tricky - sometimes starting with a bug box can help.
If you want a diagram of the corn kernel - check here: http://bioweb.sungrant.org/NR/rdonlyres/C8D9EEEF-C88E-4FE1-88B5-AA5A59B9CDC1/0/DiagramofCornKernelcopy.gif. The actual names of all the parts is not important but this shows the structure very nicely.
Have a corny dinner. What foods can you eat that come from corn? Polenta, corn bread, Johnny cakes, corn chowder, and more can be made into a corny meal. Try Indian pudding for dessert!
If you have a moment, share what activies you try and how they worked out!
Monday, September 14, 2009
Color
Let's face it, we are visual creatures. We love the shape, shadows and color of objects. Our eyes are build for color vision and given all the colors we wear, paint our houses, choose in our cars, and plant in our flower beds, we love color a lot.
Kids love color and it is an easy way to explore some pretty darn cool science with your favorite preschooler. At the Messy Fingers program at the library we put food coloring into milk (above) then added one drop of soap. The colors mixed and mingled creating a new design each time we looked.
We also used bath color tablets to make primary colors. We used clear egg cartons on white paper to see them nicely and droppers to mix two primary colors at a time to form secondary colors. To record our observations, we put drops of primary colors on to coffee filters and watched where they merged into ... none other than our secondary colors (orange, purple, and green).
Here are some ways to explore color at home.
Eat a rainbow – you can talk about how we should eat all the colors of the rainbow each day to be healthy. What are some of the colors you all like to eat? Can you make a rainbow meal with something from each color?
Jello Rainbow – you can make a rainbow snack with layers of jello. You can get just the primary colors and mix them, but remember that you have to let each layer fully set before adding the next one.
Rainbow Streamer – cut the center out of a paper plate. Add construction paper streamers off of one side in the colors of the rainbow. You can staple or glue them on. Hold it like a tambourine or turn it into a windsock by putting a string thru the hole and hanging it up.
Color Scavenger Hunt – take crayons or small pieces of paper on your next walk. See if you can find something that matches each color. Are primary colors easier to find?
Books:
Mouse Paint by Sue Walsh
Planting a Rainbow by Lois Elhert
Kids love color and it is an easy way to explore some pretty darn cool science with your favorite preschooler. At the Messy Fingers program at the library we put food coloring into milk (above) then added one drop of soap. The colors mixed and mingled creating a new design each time we looked.
We also used bath color tablets to make primary colors. We used clear egg cartons on white paper to see them nicely and droppers to mix two primary colors at a time to form secondary colors. To record our observations, we put drops of primary colors on to coffee filters and watched where they merged into ... none other than our secondary colors (orange, purple, and green).
Here are some ways to explore color at home.
Eat a rainbow – you can talk about how we should eat all the colors of the rainbow each day to be healthy. What are some of the colors you all like to eat? Can you make a rainbow meal with something from each color?
Jello Rainbow – you can make a rainbow snack with layers of jello. You can get just the primary colors and mix them, but remember that you have to let each layer fully set before adding the next one.
Rainbow Streamer – cut the center out of a paper plate. Add construction paper streamers off of one side in the colors of the rainbow. You can staple or glue them on. Hold it like a tambourine or turn it into a windsock by putting a string thru the hole and hanging it up.
Color Scavenger Hunt – take crayons or small pieces of paper on your next walk. See if you can find something that matches each color. Are primary colors easier to find?
Books:
Mouse Paint by Sue Walsh
Planting a Rainbow by Lois Elhert
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Mud
This is a natural topic in the summer. Huh? you say! When we run sprinklers or play in pools, water and dirt just find each other and are a great way to explore many science ideas.
Also, clean up is a breeze with the hose!
Science Words: color, texture, wet, dry, evaporation,
Make Mud Bricks: Add a small amount of water to different kinds of dirt and dirt with sticks or leaves. Pack in to a brick mold or some sand toys. Let them dry in the sun for a day or two. Make some predictions about which bricks will be the strongest? How could you test your idea? Unmold them and test your ideas.
What is in the dirt? Put dirt in a kitchen strainer and pour water thru it. What happens? What stays and what goes thru? Now put a coffee filter in the strainer and do the same thing. What is left behind now?
Growing: Do a dirt scavenger hunt in your yard. Gather up some pots and put different kinds of dirt in to each pot. Then put in a seed or plant and see which soil is best for growing plants.
Eat Dirt: Make chocolate pudding and sprinkle the top with crushed chocolate cookies or chocolate graham crackers. Add some gummy worms and you have dirt for lunch!
Compare dirt samples. Make a list of how they are the same. What is different about them.
Soil Layer Discovery: Fill a jar half full of dirt. Add water and fill to full. Close and tighten the lid. Shake the jar vigorously. Set the jar down and let it sit until the dirt settles into layers. Carefully pour off the water and insert a clear straw to take a core sample. Observe the layers.
Mud Pie: Have children measure out different amounts of water to stir into same-size soil samples in pie tins. Observe and discuss the changes in consistency of the pies as more water is added. Note how much water is required before the soil can no longer absorb it and the water pools on top.
Sing:
Mud, mud, mud is fun
Watch us stir it up
Round and round and round and round
Mud is fun to make.
Mud, mud, mud is fun
Listen to it squish
Through our fingers, round our toes
Squish is how it goes
Also, clean up is a breeze with the hose!
Science Words: color, texture, wet, dry, evaporation,
Make Mud Bricks: Add a small amount of water to different kinds of dirt and dirt with sticks or leaves. Pack in to a brick mold or some sand toys. Let them dry in the sun for a day or two. Make some predictions about which bricks will be the strongest? How could you test your idea? Unmold them and test your ideas.
What is in the dirt? Put dirt in a kitchen strainer and pour water thru it. What happens? What stays and what goes thru? Now put a coffee filter in the strainer and do the same thing. What is left behind now?
Growing: Do a dirt scavenger hunt in your yard. Gather up some pots and put different kinds of dirt in to each pot. Then put in a seed or plant and see which soil is best for growing plants.
Eat Dirt: Make chocolate pudding and sprinkle the top with crushed chocolate cookies or chocolate graham crackers. Add some gummy worms and you have dirt for lunch!
Compare dirt samples. Make a list of how they are the same. What is different about them.
Soil Layer Discovery: Fill a jar half full of dirt. Add water and fill to full. Close and tighten the lid. Shake the jar vigorously. Set the jar down and let it sit until the dirt settles into layers. Carefully pour off the water and insert a clear straw to take a core sample. Observe the layers.
Mud Pie: Have children measure out different amounts of water to stir into same-size soil samples in pie tins. Observe and discuss the changes in consistency of the pies as more water is added. Note how much water is required before the soil can no longer absorb it and the water pools on top.
Sing:
Mud, mud, mud is fun
Watch us stir it up
Round and round and round and round
Mud is fun to make.
Mud, mud, mud is fun
Listen to it squish
Through our fingers, round our toes
Squish is how it goes
Monday, June 22, 2009
Bread
Any kind of cooking involves chemical changes. Bread is a f
un cooking/science project because it involves all the senses and some great teaching opportunities with yeast. If you are of a mind to, you can also make this a cultural lesson as bread changes across ethic groups, social occations, and geographic location.
un cooking/science project because it involves all the senses and some great teaching opportunities with yeast. If you are of a mind to, you can also make this a cultural lesson as bread changes across ethic groups, social occations, and geographic location.And you can eat the results!
Science words: bigger, smaller, most, least, rise, yeast, dormant, carbon dioxide, breathe
Make Pizza - make your own dough or buy a dough ball. Split the dough and
put one in a warm spot and one in a cooler spot. Which one rises first? Which one rises the most? How does the dough feel when you spread it out?
put one in a warm spot and one in a cooler spot. Which one rises first? Which one rises the most? How does the dough feel when you spread it out?Yeast - yeast is usually dormant when we buy it at the store. We wake it up with warm water and some food (honey, sugar). Without yeast, bread is a tortilla! How does yeast make bread puffy? Yeast breathes. Ok, they yeast doesn't have lungs like people but they give off carbon dioxide and that is captured in the bread as a bubble.
You can put some yeast, warm water, and honey or sugar in an empty 2l bottle and cover the opening with a balloon. The balloon will inflate, or get bigger, as more of the carbon dioxide is released by the yeast.
Silly songs – music and math stimulate the same part of the brain that is separate from the language centers. So make some music…
(This is from http://www.everythingpreschool.com/)
(This is from http://www.everythingpreschool.com/)
This Is The Way We Make The Bread
This is the way we make the Bread
Make the Bread, make the Bread
This is the way we make the Bread
To make this Bread for you
This is the way we knead the dough
Knead the dough, Knead the dough
This is the way we knead the dough
To make this Bread for you
Additional Verses:
Mix the dough
Shape the dough
Bake the dough
Eat the Bread
This is the way we make the Bread
Make the Bread, make the Bread
This is the way we make the Bread
To make this Bread for you
This is the way we knead the dough
Knead the dough, Knead the dough
This is the way we knead the dough
To make this Bread for you
Additional Verses:
Mix the dough
Shape the dough
Bake the dough
Eat the Bread
Monday, June 15, 2009
Bread
Bread is such an integral part of all cultures and a good way to explore geopgraphy. But we are here because we love science. So let's do some science!
Yeast is the critter that makes bread rise. Without yeast we'd have sandwiches on flat breads like tortillas or pita breads. Yeast are tiny one-celled fungi humans use to make bread rise and beer bubbly.
When we purchase yeast at the store, it is dormant. We wake it up with warm water and feed it with some sort of sugar.
Go try making bread together and explore the work on yeast!
Science words: bigger, smaller, most, least, rise, yeast, dormant, carbon dioxide, breathe
Bread tasting - gather a handful of different kinds of bread such as rye, pita, whole wheat, or tortillas. Which ones do you think used yeast to grow? Which ones would you guess are the yummiest? Use your sense of smell to explore your guesses - then taste them! Try them plain or toasted - do you still like the same one best?
Make Pizza - make your own dough or buy a dough ball. Split the dough and put one in a warm spot and one in a cooler spot. Which one rises first? Which one rises the most? How does the dough feel when you spread it out?
Silly songs – music and math stimulate the same part of the brain that is separate from the language centers. So make some music…
This Is The Way We Make The Bread
This is the way we make the Bread
Make the Bread, make the Bread
This is the way we make the Bread
To make this Bread for you
This is the way we knead the dough
Knead the dough,
Knead the dough
This is the way we knead the dough
To make this Bread for you
Additional Verses:Mix the dough
Shape the dough
Bake the dough
Eat the Bread
Books:
The Little Red Hen makes Pizza by P. Sturges – great for talking about sequencing – what happens first, second and so on.
Bread, Bread, Bread by Ann Morris
Yeast is the critter that makes bread rise. Without yeast we'd have sandwiches on flat breads like tortillas or pita breads. Yeast are tiny one-celled fungi humans use to make bread rise and beer bubbly.
When we purchase yeast at the store, it is dormant. We wake it up with warm water and feed it with some sort of sugar.
Go try making bread together and explore the work on yeast!
Science words: bigger, smaller, most, least, rise, yeast, dormant, carbon dioxide, breathe
Bread tasting - gather a handful of different kinds of bread such as rye, pita, whole wheat, or tortillas. Which ones do you think used yeast to grow? Which ones would you guess are the yummiest? Use your sense of smell to explore your guesses - then taste them! Try them plain or toasted - do you still like the same one best?
Make Pizza - make your own dough or buy a dough ball. Split the dough and put one in a warm spot and one in a cooler spot. Which one rises first? Which one rises the most? How does the dough feel when you spread it out?
Silly songs – music and math stimulate the same part of the brain that is separate from the language centers. So make some music…
This Is The Way We Make The Bread
This is the way we make the Bread
Make the Bread, make the Bread
This is the way we make the Bread
To make this Bread for you
This is the way we knead the dough
Knead the dough,
Knead the dough
This is the way we knead the dough
To make this Bread for you
Additional Verses:Mix the dough
Shape the dough
Bake the dough
Eat the Bread
Books:
The Little Red Hen makes Pizza by P. Sturges – great for talking about sequencing – what happens first, second and so on.
Bread, Bread, Bread by Ann Morris
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