Learning with Collections: Seashells

Playthings don’t have to be expensive and manufactured to grab a child’s attention, and to learn from. Nature provides many objects to observe and tinker with, and kiddos are drawn to them. Sticks, leaves, rocks ... and don’t forget seashells! (If you already have a few around, from trips to the beach, then you’re all set! If you don’t, craft stores and discount stores often have baskets or bags of them for decor projects.)

Whether your child has never been to the seashore or has visited there lots of times, seashells seem to spark curiosity and can lead to all sorts of learning. There are many shapes, sizes, and colors of shells to be explored :)

Their first inclination may be just to look closely to see the nooks and crannies of each shell. You can help by providing tools, such as magnifying glasses and simple sorting mats. Sketching tools are great for encouraging in-depth observations, also.

“What do you notice?” is a great prompt to lead them into discussion and wondering, allowing natural scientific inquiry to take place. One kiddo here started to play with the distance from object to magnifier. “When I hold it farther away ...” and he was off checking things out :) 

They may observe fossils, shells inside other shells, or even find that two half shells that fit together. This may lead to questioning what might have lived in the shell previously. Many children might not realize that an animal had lived in the shell, and would likely be interested to find out about it.

Discussions of animal habitats and different types/shapes of shells can be supplemented by finding pictures in books or on the internet. Having books or pictures on hand is always a good idea and teaches children how to explore a topic.

Kiddos may make connections to other things they know about the sea. We had a shell with some green dried strands of what they imagined could be seaweed, knowing that seaweed sometimes was found by the ocean’s edge. Let your child question and explore ... maybe even get a pan of water to build a habitat for pretend play!

Have fun!

Discovery Walks in Winter

Sometimes you just need to get outside, even if it’s chilly and wintery out there! A quick walk or a bundled-up garden or playground visit will clear the head and get some movement into your day :) While you’re walking, shivering, or playing, make some observations!

Just like a “noticing” walk in Springtime*, take the experience to a new level by generating new vocabulary and slowing down to really see what’s outside. You might find some deserted (or not!) habitats for small animals. The undersides of fallen tree branches or beneath small piles of leaves are likely places for hidden wildlife such as insects. You might see some frozen icy spots, with cool cracking to snap a quick photo of. There are wonderful sights to see, when you slow down a little and really notice :)

Closely examine the pieces of nature that your little ones find ... It’s treasure to them! Look for pine cones, big and small, collect different types of needles from evergreen trees, or snatches of bark that you might find on your travels. Even a twig or a fallen feather will be a source of wonder for a child.

Take the “treasures” indoors and use in drawing and writing projects for little ones or older students. Children may want to use a magnifying glass to really look closely at their chosen objects, like the scientists that they are. Sketching and labeling are good first activities to get started for the younger ones. 

Older children may generate a list of words for writing. Begin with a shared writing chart to build vocabulary first. Students may help with beginning sounds and more, depending on their abilities. Try doodling a little picture next to each word, or hanging an actual sample in a clear bag right on the chart.    

Use this as an anchor chart for writing and labeling, and moving on to full sentences, where appropriate. No matter where your students are developmentally, you can bring some of that winter nature right into the classroom! It’s a great way to level the playing field with shared experiences :) 

Have fun!

*link to Mindful Noticing in Springtime post below

https://makeearlylearningfun.blogspot.com/2017/04/mindful-noticing-in-springtime.html

Motion: Moving Things Without Touching

Moving objects are often pushed or pulled by hands, feet or other extensions of our bodies. We’ve used ramps and slides to speed things up and bumpy surfaces to slow things down. 

Now, try making things move without touching them! 

Show your kiddos a small, lightweight ball (the dollar store usually has ping pong balls in packs!) and talk about how they could get it to move ... without touching it! See if they can come up with pushing the ball with their own breath :) 

You will need a straw - maybe from a sippy cup or water bottle, or maybe you have disposable straws tucked away in a drawer. Then, get out some play dough or blocks (or both) to have some fun moving the ball without touching it. :) 

Roll out some skinny play dough “snakes” and encourage your friends to use them to design a maze for the ball the roll through. See what designs they can come up with! Sometimes a side-by-side play example will help to get their creative juices going. 

See what directions they can make the ball go in, and what they learn from this ... Do you have to blow softly? Is it better if you blow harder? Where does your straw need to be? Encourage them to think outside the box ... what else could you use? Would a paper towel tube work? Which works better? How else can you make air move?

We are scientists! Have fun!

We Are Scientists: Learning with Leaves 🍁

Nature is a great equalizer - all students can be a part of a shared activity when the subject is something that they can all access, like leaves. 

Go on a nature hunt or ask students to bring in interesting leaves, pine cones, twigs, etc. Build a collection in a series of small tubs to allow for social distancing, but shared experiences. 

Sort and Match

For matching and sorting, look for a set of leaf ID cards on the internet, or have students help make a set :) Look for simple pictures that display size, shape and color. 

Sorting Mats with boxes (large construction paper, draw on boxes and maybe laminate) offer a focal point for slowing down observation to really look at samples, and a way to divide up leaves by similarities and differences. Seeing up close that all leaves are not the same may lead to closer inspection of the trees they come from :)

Scientific Observation

Encourage students to look carefully at the parts of leaf, and to try to draw what they see. Magnifying glasses are a great tool to introduce here. When they get close up “like a real scientist” and take a look, they may notice the veins and stems - don’t forget to look for nibble spots where insects and small animals may have feasted. 

Make Patterns

Use clear contact paper or packing tape to cover leaves, in order to make a group of leaves for forming patterns. Model a few simple patterns and see where they take it! 

Tracing and cutting leaf shapes from card stock or construction paper would work, too :) 

 

Remote Learners

If you have remote learners, encourage them to fill their own basket at home with natural finds. As an alternative, have a basket of samples bagged to take home outside your classroom. If available, send small magnifiers and sorting sheets to complete the experience.

Leaf Art

There are so many ways to explore leaves through art. For a list of Art applications see this post : We Like Leaves!

Have fun! 🍁🍂

We are Scientists: Pumpkin Exploration

There is nothing like hands-on experience for really learning and remembering about a topic. Pumpkins are a great subject for diving into and learning about in a multi-disciplinary way! 

Measuring is a fun way to start out .... try it with non-standard units of measure that you can compare to other objects. You can use something flexible like a rope or length of yarn to see how much it takes to go all the way around the pumpkin. You can also see how tall the pumpkin is this way, or use blocks or connecting cubes to get your answer. Hands on measuring and comparing are great math activities :) 

Talk about how your pumpkin grew and where it came from. Show photos of the stages of growth - from a seed to a sprout and changing colors - there are great non- fiction (and fiction) books that highlight this. You can find videos of pumpkins growing and even virtual pumpkin patch visits! 

Cut into your pumpkin for some slimy, hands-on fun next! I like to make a cut in the top and also cut out a “window” in the side, to make it easier to see in and reach in - the hole on the top offers more light.   

Lots of kiddos love to reach in and pull out all the pulp and seeds. Use as many of your five senses as possible - to see, smell, touch and maybe even taste seeds or pumpkin products. Run a hand around the outside and count up the ribs - or try guessing and counting as a fun predictive activity. For those with sensory differences, try for a little exposure at a time to the pulp in order to get them more comfortable with the squishy feeling. 

In-class learners can go back again and again to see and explore ...  remote learners may benefit from leaving a basket of baggies with pulp and seeds outside for them to pick up after school hours. Planning ahead can have all students on the same page with this activity. (If you’re up for it, watching it rot over a few days is also interesting.) 

Playing with sealed bags of “pumpkin guts” can be a fun counting activity - make sure there is pulp and seeds and have students mush around and count the numbers of seeds inside. 

Using a variety of gourds and small and large pumpkins can also be a fun sink or float activity. Introduce some other classroom items - maybe a pumpkin eraser, or some plastic scoops - and guess whether things will sink or float. Then, take turns testing out your theories. Your little scientists will love it! 

Have fun! 

We Are Scientists: Simple Machines

Every little one likes to move things - it’s part of being a “little scientist”! One of the first science topics that we always work (play) with in early childhood (and up through the grades) is force and motion. 

Simple machines make great playthings for experimenting with movement and force. You can find them everywhere in your home, classroom, or schoolyard. The six simple machines are the wheel and axle, the lever, the inclined plane, the pulley, the screw, and the wedge, although the latter three are actually just extensions or combinations of the first three.

For this post, we'll focus on the first three :)

The Wheel and Axle 

Experiment with moving carts or wheelbarrows to get some idea of moving objects with and without the benefit of wheels. 

An easy thing to find might be some old or new luggage pieces. Luggage with wheels is very common these days, but also find a suitcase with no wheels for some experimentation. With your child, load each with some blocks or something with some weight (same in each) and try to pull/push them. Look for play cars or trucks that have removable wheels in your collection. Try to move them on a flat surface or even on an inclined one, without wheels and then with - your little scientist will be able to make all their own predictions and conclusions on this one! There are many LEGO wheel and rod pieces - again, try to move with and without wheels, for fun. 

The Lever

We see examples of levers every day - a seesaw in the playground is a lever. Kitchen tongs are levers. 

Your scientist(s) can make their own simple lever with objects in your home or classroom. Look for a glue stick or other cylindrical object and a popsicle stick, and make a simple seesaw. Take it a step further and design a catapult lever - the easiest way is to tape on a plastic spoon and use it to hold a lightweight object. Push down on the opposing end and your object will be airborne!

The Inclined Plane 

Children will see inclined planes in ramps, slides, and rollercoasters - all things that start high and go down on an incline. They are also part of working scissors, knives, and doorstops - they are designed to have a wedge shape to start with a slim side and get wider, like an inclined plane. 

To experiment, start with moving a toy car on a flat surface and see how far it can go. Have other elements laying around nearby and ask - How can we make it go faster?  Your child may decide to make a toy car move faster or farther by elevating one end of the road/block by propping it higher and making their very own inclined plane. By making a hypothesis and proposing a test, they are using the Scientific Method!!

Have fun!!

We Are Scientists: Ice Cube Treasures

We are scientists! My friends and I are excited about science - most kiddos are! Here's some science for a cold winter day ... all you need are some ice trays (or there small containers), water, and small colorful items for a little science fun!

First, fill the ice cube trays about 1/3 full and freeze. Then, lay in some tiny treasures ... little toys, natural items, or colorful pompous! Fill the rest of the tray with water and freeze (if the items float, just freeze part full and then do a third layer of plain water to freeze).

When they are frozen, pop an ice cube out per child and encourage them to think up ideas about how to get the “treasure” out. They may want to try breaking the ice cubes or chipping at them with some kind of tool. Have them predict some outcomes and plan a method ... that’s what scientists do!

Show them how to use a dropper or a small spoon to drip little drips of water over and over on the ice ... it will start to indent a little.

Dripping cold water might work s-l-o-w-l-y, but they will see a divot develop where they are dripping water. Eventually, you can guide them to drip warm water with an eye dropper, and see the magic work even better!

Start a chat about the connections between ice and water - and how heat and cold affect each. See what your kiddos observe - tell them they are, indeed, scientists!

My friends got great satisfaction out of this task and stuck with it longer than I thought they would :) Some even asked for more cubes to try again :)

Have fun!

We Are Scientists: Ice and Snow!

In the winter months up north, we can sometimes see a lot of ice and snow! When it keeps us from going outside to play, we bring it inside - to play and experiment!

There are so many ways to explore:

Bring in a big bin of snow to play with! Put on some mittens and make some mini snow people, using buttons and small sticks for decoration. Your kiddos will have great ideas for what to add for even more fun! Observe how the snow changes over time and talk about the volume of the snow - it fills a container but then, when it turns into water, does it take up as much space?





Try some ice dissolving - get some ice chunks and have small cups of salt and spray bottles of warm water available - and see what your little ones decide to do with them. Sprinkling or spraying may produce cracks and fissures - drop a tiny bit of food coloring in to see it spread out through the ice cracks!




Float an "ice cap" in some cold water! Take a container and freeze some water into an ice shape and set it to float. Notice how big it is and check the container for a good visual. Have some small polar animal figures available to float and balance, and observe over time ... as it shrinks! The kiddos will have some fun keeping their animals afloat and will make some great observations :)




See what other ideas your little ones come up with - exploring, asking questions, and trying out experiments will give them practice with the scientific process!

Give them pencils, paper, and crayons to record what they see - scientists aways keep notes!

Have fun!

We Are Scientists: Out for a Walk!

Sometimes you just have to pack your stuff and get outdoors! As Spring approaches, look for new ways to explore the backyard, playground, or sidewalk. Grab a basket or tote and throw in whatever "science" tools you have around ... Magnets, magnifiers, measuring tools, a sieve or colander, transparent colored or clear lids or containers. Grab a block and a car for even more fun! Somehow, making a Kit makes it more official - and fun!

Let your little ones take the lead - see what they're drawn to and slow down the pace to "notice" everything about it. It might be bugs or spiders, it might be plants or trees - lessons are all around you! If they need a little nudge, model your own observing style ... they'll want to know ... "What are you looking at?"

Prompt them to explore with "I wonder..." statements, and then let them go with it!

• Take some little cars out to the playground or backyard and see which ones go faster down the slide. Build your own slide with a long piece of wood and change the angle to make the car go faster or slower.

• Use your magnifier to get a close up look at all the different colors and parts of a bug (the non-stinging variety!) Your kiddos will be amazed at the details they see. Help them take a picture with your phone and enlarge it for viewing. Bring a sketch book with crayons or colored pencils, so your child can record like a scientist :)

• Measure everything you see - with a ruler or against something familiar - sneakers or fingers make a great non-standard unit of measure. How many fingers tall is that flower? How many sneakers long is that bench?

• Do a magnetic or non-magnetic study! Have your child see you try a magnet with something magnetic - it's magical! Then, something non-magnetic ... they will want to join in and find out for themselves!

• Take samples of dirt from different areas and check them for differences ... are they the same color? Texture? Wet or dry? Sift some sand and see what different sizes those grains of sand really are - are there stones left behind?

Let your little ones play in the dirt and the mud - it will open their mind to scientific thinking and making conclusions.

Have fun!