50 science activities for your kindergarten classroom

As you help your children to "experience" science, rememberthatit's anapproach to learningand life... ACTIVITY: Stepsandsuggestionsforintroducing materials, helping children getstarted,

for Your Kindergarten Classroom

ALSO INCLUDES:

Learning Center Setup Tips for Science Journals

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Scholastic Inc.,555 Broadway,NewYork,NY10012.

Copyright© 1997 byScholastic Inc.

All rights reserved.PublishedbyScholastic Inc.

Printed in theU.S.A

ISBN0-590-06254-9

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 02 01 00 99 98 97

Activity Plans for Winter 21

Predicting and Experimenting

12 Experimenting With Time 22

18 Blocks and Boards 28

Bringing the Outside Indoors

27 Dip and Design 37

Activity Plans for Spring 39

Rain and Evaporation

34 Making Wind Indicators 45 All About Animals

43 What'sin theAir? 54

The Sun's Power

44 Me and My Shadow 55

45 Make a Shadow Clock 56

46 Shinin'Through 57

47 Sun-Powered Cooking 58

All About the Earth

48 Wake Up, Earth! 60

give them the motivation and capability to investigate and betterunderstand

Making Sense of the World

Do you remember learningabout the fourstages ofthe scientific method in junior

high? Like adults, kindergartners observe, make predictions, experiment, and

eval-uate data every day Justwatch the process by which kindergarten children build a

blocktower.They add more and moreblocksrandomlyuntilthetowerinevitablyfalls

tower stay upright (prediction) They try different methods (experimentation)

until voila they discover that the blocks are more stable when they are flush

with each other (evaluation)

to comprehend, apply, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate are

essential higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills that

formthefoundation ofalllearning In kindergarten, when weteach

lives to thinkaboutaproblem and to exploreitspossible answers

Building Bridges to Learning

Use the techniques presentedin the science activities in this bookto

generate future science investigations For example, you might adapt

an activity about predicting which objects sunlight will shine through

to one about predicting which materials will absorb water Always be

more formallyapply thescientific methodtowhatever theydo

In kindergarten,you areneverjustteachingscience! It isoften difficultto

iden-tifyan activity as a "science project" because itprobably also incorporates math,

literacy, and motor skills. As you help your children to "experience" science,

rememberthatit's anapproach to learningand life.

theactivitiesforyourchildren, rememberthattheyaredesignedto be open-ended. First,provide

theactivitieswith children'songoingscienceexplorations.You can makeuseofthesciencesetup on

science activities.Adaptthesciencejournal ideason page8forchildren'suseinrecording the

resultsoftheirinvestigations Refertothe index on pages63-64tofind activitiesthatencourage

chil-dren toexplore specific scienceskillsand concepts

Theactivityplanformat issimpleandeasytofollow Each planincludes mostofthefollowing:

AIM: The purposeoftheactivity;whatchildrenwill do and learn

MATERIALS: Basicmaterialsandspecial itemstogather.You willfind thatyou have mostoftheseon hand

Therestcan beeasilydonated by parents orlocal businesses

IN A D V A N C E: Tipsformaterials to prepareorarrangementsto makebeforeintroducing theactivity.

WARM-UP: Waysto introducetheactivity orunderlyingthemetothe group Open-ended questionshelp children

thinkandtalk abouttopics related totheactivity.

ACTIVITY: Stepsandsuggestionsforintroducing materials, helping children getstarted, andguiding theactivityin

REMEMBER: Social/emotional,cultural, and developmentalconsiderations; tipsabout waysto relateotherskills

and conceptstotheactivitytheme; andoccasional safetyreminders

OBSERVATIONS: Ideasandstrategiesforobserving children thatwillhelpyou understandtheirindividuallearning

stylesandguide, extend, orevaluatetheactivity.

SPIN-OFFS: Ideasforextendingtheactivityintodifferent curriculumandskills areas Becreative: Addyourown

BOOKS: Children's booksrelatedtotheactivityortheme

Colleagues, aides,studentteachers, volunteers,andfamily members canall benefitfrom fun

suggestionsforchild-centeredscienceactivities.Sofeelfreeto duplicateand shareeach plan

foryourprogram's use

a period offive days.

2 Related fictionandnonfiction

books organizedbytopichelp children

3 Aquestioninvites childrento use

creative andcritical-thinkingskills as

they explore thenature ofstones

read eachother'swork and inspires

demonstrates awayto record boththe

weather and thepassage oftime

6 Science-discoverytrays providea

focused activitywith arecordingtool

7 Amagnifiersuggests that children

observe the classroomfishtankmore

closely The bookinviteschildrento

researchmore aboutthefish.

8 A boxor basket keepsjournals

accessible to children

space to display children's predictions

11 Materialsthat are well organized

and attractivelydisplayedencourage

12 Locatingthesand/watertable near

dimension tosand andwater play

What we observed

day I wo+er droplets

day A saw earthworms day 3

day 4

day 5

i

How many ways

(gOK.

scientific discoveries is

a natural motivator for

lit-eracyskillsenablethemtomove beyond

simply experiencingactivitiestoingtheirfindingsinscience journals

record-As you encourage children to keep

alsobuildaportfolioof eachchild'swork

that can become avaluable component

ofyourassessmentefforts

The content ofanactivitywillplaya

part in determining the best way to

record information As you makeuse ofthe activities in this book, encourage

children to record their ideas in many

ways Firsttrythe journal tools

illustrat-Watch Our Bu/bs Grow/

Present some objects and ask a simple

question,such as "Whatwill lightshine

through?" or "Which objects will sink

or float?" Invite children to state their

eachitemistested,fillintheresultsside

ofthechart.Makethe chartsavailablein

com-plete Encourage themtoadd theirown comments or experiment with chart-

makingintheir science journals

Measurement Graphs

Graphs enable children to chronicle

evaporation ofa puddle Children canuse anonstandard tool, such as a piece

ofstring, to take each measurement,

then attachittothe graphin sequential

orderto documentchange

Pictorial Lists

Build language skills by encouraging

or compare in pictorial and writtenform.Theycan thenfillintheirfindings

by using drawings, words, tally marks,

ornumerals Childrenoftenenjoy ing personal word lists in

Activity Plans

Autumn

At the beginning ofthe year, kindergartners are naturally drawn to explore

theworld fromthe perspective oftheir own bodies By discovering all the

usingtheirbodyas aunitofnonstandardmeasure, kindergartnersarelearning

abouttheirfirsttoolofdiscovery themselves

Theirexperienceswithchanging autumn weatherofferaperfect

theylive in.

Encouragechildren touse theirbodiesas a

unitof measure How manyfeet

longistheblockarea? How many

giant steps tothecafeteria?

Introduceautumn words for

describingtheweather (crisp,brisk)

and change (harvest, crimson)

Around the Room

Makemirrorsavailable forchildrentouse

experiments

Create aseasonalcorner of beauty forchildren toexamine

Arrange autumn leaves,pictures,dried plants, abandoned

nests,and othersignsoftheseasonin aplacewhere

andtastes of

autumninvitechildren touse

theirsenses

Childrenwillmakeobservationsandpredictionsas they

Warm-Up

Cutoutthe tracingand showchildrenyour"foot picture."

Explain thatyou aregoingtouse thistomeasurethings in

theroom Askchildren to predictwhichitemsintheroom

arethe samesize asyourfoot Letchildreneach use the

cut-outfoot to testtheirhypotheses

Activity

IHavechildreneach traceone hand and onefootona

sheetof construction paperandcutthemout Ask

longer? Wder? Arethey bigger or smaller than the

teacher's? Thantheir friends?

measurements. Ask,"What things inour room do

youthink arethesamesize asyourfoot? Whichare

smaller? Bigger?" Recordeachchild'spredictionson an

experiencechart

cut-outfeet.Mark which predictionswerecorrectonthe

chart.Thentrythesame procedure usingthecut-outhands Invitechildrentomake otherpredictions What

manip-ulativesto buildsomethingthatistwo handslong?How

manyfeetlongisthetrip fromtheclassroomto thegym?

4 Use adding machine tapeorribbonto measure the

"Me Strip" aroundthe roomto find things that are the

same size,bigger, orsmaller Savethestripsforson attheend ofayearof growing

Share thesebooks about growth

Peter'sChairbyEzra Jack Keats(Harper & Row)

WhereIBegin bySarahAbbott (Coward) The GrowingStory by Ruth Krauss(Harper & Row)

SPIN-OFFS

Havechildrentake their"MeStrip" outside to find a"Me" tree,bush,weed, orplant thatisthesamesizeas

tree You cantrythiswith indoorplantsas well!

o the

What's Inside of Me?

We all have bones.

Introduce childrento the bookLookInsideYourBody by

Denise Patrick(Putnam) or other age-appropriatebooks

aboutskeletons Encourage them tolookatthe pictures

Activity

their skin, especiallythe easy-to-find bonesintheir ringers,

elbows, noses, chins, knees,andankles

2 Ask open-endedquestions like"What hasbones? Do

trees? Dofish? Why do youthinkwehave bones?

What do you thinkwould happenifwedidn'thave bones?

What do youthinkboneslooklike? Do youthink animals'

Allowplentyof timefordiscussion and sharingofideas

3 Introduceanimal bones byhidingthem inthe

sand-box Invite childrentogo onan archeological"dig"in

came from

4 Usethepanbalancetocompare theweightsof

Remember

Atthistime of yearchildrenmaysee pictures of

skele-tonshangingas decorations Help them deal withscared

or confused feelingsby showing them whatskeletons

really areand explaining thateveryone has one

Beprepared forsomechildren to feelsqueamish about

touching bones Don'tforce children toparticipate

Observations

fact-based?

Books

These bookswill enhancethe experience

SandboxScientistby MichaelRoss (ChicagoReviewPress)

MyFirstBody Book byChristopherand Melanie Rice(Dorling KindersleyInc.)

PublishingGroup)

SPIN-OFFS

Placeamodel ofa humanskeletonora medical diagramofaskeletoninyourscience area and observe children

flashlight Invitechildren toholditveryclose totheirhands andturniton.They maybeable to seethebones

in theirhandsrightthrough their skin!ExplainwhatanXrayisandaskifchildren haveeverseen oneorhadone

Body Graphing

We can use our bodies to make a graph.

Materials

maskingtape

markers

recorded music

Aim

Childrenwilluse observationand comparisonskillsto find

similaritiesand differences in eachother

In Advance

Prepare an open area Starting from ablankwall, place

strips oftape approximately4feetlongonthefloor. Create

haircolor, eye color, sneakers/shoes/boots), and postthem

abovethe lines.

Warm-Up

Explainthatagraphtells usthenumber ofthingsin a

group, and thattheywill usetheir bodiesto make graphs

Activity

1 Explain thattogetheryouwill make aboy/girlgraph

usingyourbodies Have children sitin the set-up

dancearea Show them the tape lineson the floorand the

demon-strate howtostand onthelinethatdescribesthem

2 Playmusic and encourage children tomove any way

andthenfindthe right(boy/girl)graphline andstand onit.

3 Havechildren reach acrossand hold handswith

someone intheotherline. Askchildren whodon't

haveapartnertoraise theirhands "Ifthereisnobodyto

holdhandswith,whatcanyousayabout yourline?"

4 Continuethe routine, changingthe picturesabove thetapelines torepresentnewcategories aschildren

dance

Remember

Avoidcategories thatmight make somechildren

uncomfortable,such as height or weight

Observations

Books

Here aresome books aboutdifferences

We AreAllAlike We AreAllDifferent (ScholasticInc.)

We AreAll Different& That'sOkay!bySheila Holden

David M Avery(TricyclePress)

SPIN-OFFS

Usethistechniquewith otherscience topics.Trygraphingthecharacteristics ofdifferent stuffedanimals or books

You mightinclude rocks,blocks,or sunny-versus-rainydays Explore math conceptsbygraphingthe colorsand

12

construction orlined paper

camera and film (optional)

markers

stapler

Childrenwill makea class BigBookthatrecordstheir

observationsofhowtreeschangeovertime

In Advance

your window Choose anearbytreeto observe Name

anddiscuss thedifferentpartsofthetree, suchasbranches,

collectleavesand twigs thathave fallen to the groundto

bringback with them.)

Activity

IOverseveralweeks, takechildrenonnaturewalks or

changes they observe inthe tree.Encourage childrento

photograph the tree ispossible

2 Attheendof the fall,havechildrencollecttheir

drawingsand observationstocreatea class book

Encourage children to refer to theirrecorded data, and

invite them to shareand discuss their tree observations

Askchildren todictate whattheyobserved overtime

3 Discussthe sequence ofthe events and why sequence

isimportantwhenwritinga story:Write eachobservation onaseparate sheetofchart paper, andplace

4 Readeachpage aloudand invitechildren toadd

draw-ingsand invented spellings.Includephotos ofthe tree,

blanksheets forchildren to add furtherobservations

Remember:

Observations:

How do childrenrecord theirobservations? Do some

needa lotof timetoanalyze the tree andprocessthe

information?

Books

Have YouSeen Trees?by Joanne Oppenheim

(Scholastic Inc.)

When Autumn Comes by Robert Maas

(Henry Holt & Company)

RedLeaf, YellowLeaf byLois Ehlert(ScholasticInc.)

SPIN-OFFS

tolabel theparts

Encourage children to collect colorful leavesandtosavethem bypressingthem betweensheets ofwaxpaper

Display theleaveson thewall, orinthewindow, addingchildren'sdictatedcomments.

Exploring Leaves

Leaves are "sense-sational"!

Materials

heavyweight aluminumfoil

newspaper white or coloredpaper

construction paper paste

Aim

Childrenwilluse observation and comparisonskillsas

they exploretexturesofleaves

In Advance

Take awalk togetheroutside togatherfall leaves.While

differ-entsizes and colors and comparethem Howare leaves

Warm-Up

Gather childrentogetherto talkaboutthe leaves they

Together, compare thesizes, shapes,and texturesofthe

pilesof bigand littleleaves and to findothercategories to

sortthem into

Activity

1

comparethe texturesofthe leaves andtopredictwhichwill

2 Nowinvite children to predictwhichleaveswillmake

an impression onthe foil.Have children place each

pressonittomake a print

4 Finally, askchildren to place apiece ofaluminum foil

overabumpyleafandthengently pressand rubtoget

a print Whichleavesleftthe best prints?

Remember

Encouragechildren to describe howthe leavesfeel.

Reinforce understandingbyaskingchildren to locate

Share these favoritefallbooks

The Wonderful TreebyAdelaide Hall (GoldenPress)

SPIN-OFFS

Haveeachchildrolloutapieceofclaytoasizealittlelargerthanaleaf,andplacealeafontheclaybumpy-sidedown.

Layasheetofwaxedpaper overthe leafandclay, andskimtherollingpinoverthewaxedpaperso that theleafsinks

whenit's stillwet Place the clay printin asunny window.Insert alengthof yarnwhenit'scompletely dryandhangit.

Planting Bulbs

Planting spring bulbs gives us something to look forward to!

Materials

outdoorbulbs, suchas tulip, daffodil, or crocus

experience-chartpaper,marker

indoor bulbs such aspaper-white narcissusoramaryllis

flowerpots orbowls forindoor planting

Childrenwillseethe difference betweenbulbs and seeds,

anduse comparison,measurement, andpredictionskills.

Warm-Up

Gatherchildrenand examine avarietyofbulbs Discuss

similaritiesand differences in size, shape, texture, and use

Recordthese similaritiesanddifferences

Activity

and bloomnextspring Recordthe predictionsonthe chart

to refer toin the spring

schoolthatissafefrom disruption, suchas theedge of

afence orundertrees Ifyou do not have an area outside,

use only the indoorbulbs

about 5 inchesdeep and about 3 to 5 inchesapart Replace

kindsofbulbs, labelthem.

to measureits growth weeklyuntilitblooms Attach

forma growthchart Askchildren touse anotherpiece of

Observations

Dotheyseem tounderstandthe concept of graphing?

Books

Growing Up Green byAlice Skelsey(WorkmanPub.)AllAboutPlantsActivityBook byJustineKorman

(ScholasticInc.)ScienceFun by ImageneForte (IncentivePub.)

SPIN-OFFS

Plant paper-whitenarcissus bulbsinsoilin a flowerpot orin ashallowbowl ofwater (about2 inches deep) filled

with marbles orpebbles Encouragechildrentoobserveand record theroots' growth

Providechildrenwithartmaterialssuchascrayons, paper,paint, and clay,and encourage them todepictwhatthe

bulbswill looklikewhentheygrownextspring

Set Up a Weather Station

Autumn brings big changes in weather.

Materials

graph paper withlarge squares

constructionpaper

crayons ormarkers tape

Aim

Childrenwilluseobservation, prediction,problemsolving,

and recordingskills.

In Advance

Createweather symbols and make agraphtorecord the

month's weather

Warm-Up

Encouragechildrento describe different aspects of the

weather Is thedaycloudy? Windy? Cold? Sticky? How

mighttheweather change laterintheday?

Activity

1 Introducetheweathercalendar Explain thateach

daychildrenwillobserve theweather and help record

itbyplacingaweather symbolin thematching box on

weather onthecalendartogether.Next, showchildren

numberof sunny, cloudy, rainy, and snowydaysyouhave

allmonth Eachtimesomeone puts aweather symbol on

theappropriatecolumn onthegraph

2 Asthe days goby, helpchildrencompare the

information they'vegathered onthegraph andthe

weatheryou'vehadthemost ofand the leastof.

3 At theendofthemonth, savethegraph so that

childrencancompareitto graphsoffuture months.

Throughouttheyear, collectthemonthlygraphsonaflip

center Referto thepreviousmonthsto analyze predictions.Observations

do theymakequickjudgments?What words dotheyuse

Books

EveningGray, Morning Red byBarbaraWolff

(Macmillan)

/Like WeatherbyClaireMartin(Children's Press)

Flash, Crash, Rumble andRolland SnowIsFallingby

FranklynM. Branley(ThomasY Crowell)

SPIN-OFFS

Talk abouttheappropriateclothing for variousweatherconditions Fivesmaythinkthatif it issunnythey canwear

shorts— evenif it's 50degrees outside! Displaya"weatherdoll"madeoffeltfor children to dresseachday

and answerchildren'squestionsabout whatcauses theweather

Appetizing Apples

So many foods are made from apples!

Materials

applejuice, apple butter, anddriedapples

bread cutinto bite-sized pieces

plasticknives and spoons,paperplatesand cups, napkins

glue markers

Aim

Childrenwilluse comparison andevaluation skillsas they

explore differenttastes

In Advance

Prepare ataste-testgraphtorecord children's likesand

dislikes Make two columnsforeach apple product, and

face above the other

Warm-Up

Gather your group and show them thethree apples

Talkabouthowtheyarealikeand howtheyaredifferent

Together, think ofas manyappleproductsas youcan and

Activity

1

Invite afewchildren tohelpyou arrangean "Apple

Buffet." Lookatalltheapple products Encourage

comparative anddescriptive language asyou noticethe

similarities and differences.Areapple piecesvisible inany

of the foods? Howhavethe apples changed?

thegraph Explain thattheywill usethegraphto

recordwhichproducts theylikeand don'tlike.

3 Offer childrenasmall amountofeach foodto taste,

beginning with apieceoffresh apple (Spreadthe apple

childrento use descriptivewords likesweetandsour,rather

thanjustbadandgood

4 Showchildrenhowtovotebyplacingasmiling-face

circle inthecolumns ofthefoods theylike anda

frowning face inthecolumns of foods theydon't like.

Lookat thegraph together Whichfoods dochildrenlike

themost? Theleast?

Observations

Books

These bookswill encourage more appletalk!

The AmazingAppleBookbyPaulette Bourgeois(AddisonWesley)

TheApple &OtherFruitsbyMillicent E Selsam

(WilliamMorrow & Co.)Apple Treeby BarrieWatts (Silver BurdettPress)

SPIN-OFFS

Chooseotherfoods,likebreads, cheese, otherfruits,corn, and rice,for children totaste,compare, andgraph

Take atriptoafarm and goapple-picking Ifpossible, interview thefarmerwho grew the apples to learn more

abouthowapplesgrow,whatdifferentkinds thereare,and what youcanmakewiththem Celebrateyourtripwith

atasty glass ofcider!

Pumpkin, Pumpkin

Let's bake seeds and make shakes!

Materials

cookingutensils: smallsaucepan,mixingbowl,

cookie sheet, andblender

paper cups andnapkins sharpknife for adultuse

experience-chartpaper marker

measuringcupsand spoons paper towels

Gather childrenand invitethem towatchasyoucut off the

and encourage childrentouse all theirsenses to observe

thepumpkin, then invite them to describeit. Recordtheir

responses onexperience-chartpaper Dothe samewiththe

canned pumpkin.

1

milk shakes using thepicturerecipe chart

2 Preheattheovento 300°.Melt themargarinein a

meltedmargarine Spread themixture onacookiesheet

and bakeabout 20minutes untilbrown.

and cinnamon intoablender Peeland slicethe

bananas.Add themto the mixture andblenduntilfoamy

4 Pourtheshakes intopapercups Servethemwith

Observations

Whatinformation do childrenuse tomake comparisons and drawconclusions?

Books

Pumpkin Blanketby Deborah Tumey Zagwyn

Have childrensavesome rawseeds to comparetothe cookedseeds.Ask themto predicthowtherawseedswill

change Invitechildren togatherseedsfrom other kinds ofvegetablesand compare them tothepumpkinseeds

Brainstormalistofall thefacts childrenknow about

popcorn Howdoespopcorn change whenit's cooked?

Where doesitcome from? Passaround both popped

and unpopped kernels to aid in the discussion

Activity

1 Explain thatapredictionisakind ofguess Tell

howfarpopcornwillpopout ofthepan

2 Place alargesheetofcleanmural paperon thefloor

Putthepopcorn popperinthecenterofthe paper,

gatherthe children ina circlearound theoutsideof the

withoutalidonthe popper Askchildren to guesshowfar

thepopcornwilljump outthepopper

3 Drawa circle onthe paperwhere you thinkmostof

the popcornwill land.Then, askeachchild todraw

childrenwrite theirnamesor initialsbythecirclestheyhave drawn

4It's timeto popthepopcorn! Remind childrento

standbackbecausethe kernelswill be very hotwhen

they pop Childrenwill lovetheexcitement offindingout

popped, collectitand makeanother batch(with thelidon!)for snacking

Remember

appli-ancesandfood

Observations

Dochildrenmake awidevarietyofpredictions? Why

Books

Place these popcorn booksinyourscience center

(Lothrop, Lee & Shepard)

(MorrowJunior Books)

SPIN-OFFS

Ask, "What would happenif itrainedpopcorn insteadofrain?" Children can useplasticfoam tomake collage

tinyunpoppedkernelsinapan.Asthepanheats up,theygrowbiggerandbiggeruntiltheystartpopping and jumping!

Candle Dipping

Let's see how candles are made!

Materials

(available at manygrocerystores)

pot holders

popsicle sticks

Aim

Childrenwillwatch asubstance change fromsolid to

importanceofhandling materialssafely.

Warm-Up

howthey think candles aremade Breakthecandles in

hypothesize about howthey thinkthese materialsmight

bechangedto create acandleshape

Activity

IHelpchildren cutthewickinginto 10" lengthsand tie

eachpiece to apopsiclestick.As you do this, talk

aboutsafety rulesto observearound meltedwax

placedinside apot ofboiling water Carrythecan of

waxcarefully toa table, andplaceitinarubberbasinfilled

with aboutaninch ofwarmwater

thewickintothewaxfor a second ortwo Letchildren

continue thisprocess, takingturns, untiltheircandles are

about 1/2" thick.

Remember

causethe waxtohardenfaster.

You might needto reheatthewax betweensessions

Observations

observe asthey createcandles?

Books

Enhance the experiencewithmorecraftactivities.

TheLittleHands ArtBookby JudyPress

(Williamson Publishing)

(WilliamMorrow & Co.)

SPIN-OFFS

and pouringinhot wax

Providemodelingclayandsuggestthatchildrencustom-make holdersfor their candles Usetheunlighted candles

andholders in aspecialgroup activityorparade

Activity Plans

,or

r\

LJLJ LJ

learning how things move and work This is a good time to introduce

experiences with the basic science concepts of temperature, time, sound, and

volume Open-ended experiments invite children to apply higher-order

think-ing and problem-solving skills to each new science concept they

encounter Through repeated experiences with physical science,

more challengingconcepts withintheworldofphysical science

experimentationwiththeprocessof change

Discuss andobserve change Point out

Around the Room

activities.

Putoutanumberofdifferentclocks and other

timepiecesforchildren to observe, use, and

compare.

water help

childreninvestigate

physical-scienceconcepts

Experimenting With Time

How long does it take?

Materials

sand timers, etc.)

Talkabouttime.Ask,"How do peopleknow whattimeit

is? What would peopledoiftherewere noclocks?"

Activity

IHelpchildrencomparethe different timers.Talk about

in aminute and seeiftheybothgo offatthe sametime

2 Helpchildrenmake time predictions Forexample,

ask, "How manytimescanyou jump up and downin

30 seconds?"Record children'spredictionson achartand

3 Explain thattimerscan alsobeused to figureouthow

timertomeasure howlong ittakes todo variousactivities,like buildingablocktower,paintingapicture, or singing

4Provide paper cupsandpencils, andplacesand ineach

"What would happenifwe putmoreholesinthecup? Willthesand timeremptyfasterorslower?"Helpchildren add

alsocomparesand timers with differentnumbersofholes

Remember

Focus ontemporal termsthroughouttheweek Referto

Observations

What words dochildren useto describe time?Dotheyunderstand thepurpose ofatimer?

Books

These bookswill inspire more thought abouttime

AllKinds ofTime by Harry Behn

(Harcourt Brace Jovanovich)

Do YouKnow What TimeItIs?by RozAbisch

(Prentice Hall)ItsAbout Time by MiriamSchlein (Addison- Wesley)

SPIN-OFFS

Makeanother sand timerbytapingapapercupwithoneholeinitinsidea glassjar. Children can observethe timer

and watchtimepassas thesandpilesup Useatimertohelpyou placeenough sandinthecuptomake it lastexactly

oneminute,twominutes, orthreeminutes.Tryusingthisto timeyournextcleanup!

Talkabouttheimportance of timeincooking.You mightboilpasta for 5minutes and 20 minutes andcomparethetastes.

An Observation Game

Observing is especially fun with this unusual game!

Materials

and carryingoddobjects

Tellchildrenthattodayat circle time theywill meeta

unique visitor. Explain thatthispersonisjustalittle

unusual inafun way.Askchildren tolookatthevisitor

abouther Present thevisitor in a funny,lightwayso that

Activity

aboutwhereshe lives,whatshelikestoeat, and whather

hobbiesare.Letthemobservethevisitorfor aminuteortwo

and thensaygood-bye

2 Encouragechildren to take timeto reallythinkabout

noticed aboutthevisitor.Make an experiencechartofdren'sobservations.Ask, "What madethatperson unusual?"

chil-3 When childrenrunout ofobservations, askthem to

thinkaboutspecifics, suchas thecolors, shapes, and

4 Bringthevisitorbackin. Firsthavechildren lookfor

Remember

Somechildrenmaybe frightenedby someone too

Observations

Books

Hereare some books abouttheimportanceof looking

carefully

(Grosset & Dunlap)

/Spyby Jean Marzollo(ScholasticInc.)

TakeAnother Lookby Tana Hoban (Greenwillow Books)

SPIN-OFFS

Tryobservinganddescribingeachother.Together, chooseonechildatatimeand makeachartwithacollectionof

the observations childrenmake, suchas"Hehas redhair.Heiswearingblue jeansandagreenshirt. Hesmilesalot."

Adduniqueand warmobservationsofyour owntohelp eachchild feelspecial Postthe chartinyourlanguagearea

and entitleit"We AreAll Special."

magnetic itemssuchas paperclips,

screws, brass fasteners

nonmagneticitems suchas buttons, feathers,sponges

Aim

Childrenwillproblem-solve and buildobservation and

Warm-Up

items thataremagnetic.Walk aroundthe roomtogether,

same or different

Activity

1

eachmagnet and examine itssizeand shape Ask

childrentothinkabout which magnets arestronger than

2 Placethemagnetic and nonmagneticitems and two

trays inthecenterofthetable Labelonetray"Yes"

foritems children thinkwillbe attracted tothemagnets and theothertray"No"foritemsthey thinkwillnot be

attracted

magnetic objectsinthe "Yes"trayand thenonmagnetic

objects inthe"No"tray.

game. Children canworktogetherto findmore

magnetic objectsaroundthe room.

Observations

Books

These bookswillprovidemore informationabout magnets.LookatMagnets by RenaKirkpatrick

AllAbout Magnets by Stephen Krensky(Scholastic Inc.)

TheMysteryofMagnets by MelvinBerger

(Newbridge Inc.)

SPIN-OFFS

Invitechildren tomake homemademagnets Helpeachchildstraightenoutapaperclip. Ask themtorubamagnet

overtheirpaperclip at least25 timesinthesamedirection Thenletthemexperiment withthese"attractive"clips.

Provide childrenwithcompasses and encourage themto findwherenorth is.Seeifthecompass needlechanges

directionifchildren placea magnetclosetoit.

There's lots to learn just filling containers!

Materials

plastic bowls,bottles, measuringcups,cardboard boxes

Talkaboutpredictions Explainthatapredictionis likea

guessthatpeople havethoughtabout Forexample, the

weatherperson makesapredictionabouttheweather based

Activity

1 Introducethevarious containers andexplain to

as theylike. Thengatherchildren (and thecontainers) for

anotherdiscussion Whichcontainers arebigand which

willhold the mostsand.Have eachchild makea mark on

measuringcups ofsand Encourageeveryonetocounttogetheraseachcontainerisbeingfilled.Comparethe

resultswith the predictionsand marktheoutcome onthe

chart.Havechildrenrepeat theprocedureto predict(and

test)which containerwillholdthe smallestamountofsand

hold thesame amounts andwhy

Remember

The objectofthis activityisto helpchildren learn to

observe and make thoughtful guesses

Observations

Dochildrenunderstandtheconcept offillingcontainers

tothe top? Dothey understand themeaningoffull?

Books

MudpiestoMagnets byWilliams, Rockwell, and

Sherwood (Gryphon House)

What WillHappenIf ?bySprung,Froschl, and Campbell(Educational EquityProject)

Art &Industry ofSandcastlesby Jan Adkins (Walker & Company)

SPIN-OFFS

Collectboxes ofsimilarsizesbutdifferentshapes.Askchildren to predictwhethertheboxeswillhold thesame

amountofsand, more,orless.Have children experimentwiththe differentboxesand testouttheirpredictions

Providematerials thatsandwillsiftthrough, suchas colanders, funnels, screens, andstrainers Encouragechildren

How Much Is There?

Water and sand are perfect partners.

Materials

jarfilledwith raisins

different-sizedplastic containers

tub filledwith water

Prepare aprediction chartby drawingpictures ofthejar

Underneatheach picture, make two columns, onefor

children'spredictionsand the otherforresults

Activity

IShowchildren the collectionofplastic containers.Ask

themtopickoutthe ones theythinkneedthemost

cupsof waterandfewestcupsofwatertobe completelyfull.

manycups of waterwillfill eachcontainer Help

ofthechart

mark on thepaper each time theyaddanother level

cup ofwaterto acontainer

4 Comparethepredictedamountwiththeactualamount

measured Ask, "Howclosewas yourguess? Wasit

too highortoolow?" Encourage children to try different

Observations

Warm-Up

Explainthata prediction isaguessbasedonthe thingsyou

watch and see.Then askchildren to predicthow many

raisinsarein thejar. Recordtheirpredictions onthechart

or too low

Books

These booksoffermorescience ideas!

Nancy White(Williamson)SimpleScienceExperimentsWith StrawsbyEijo Orii

and Masako Orii(Gareth Stevens)

MakeItChange by DorlingKindersley(R R Bowker)

SPIN-OFFS

Use maskingtape to create three different-sized rectangleson thefloor Invitechildren to predicthow manyunit

blocks (samesize) will fillthe squares Whichwillneed themost? Chartit. Thentestthe predictions

fillacontainer Record yourresults

Shake a Sound

Let's experiment with sounds!

Materials

experience-chartpaper

varietyofcontainerswith lids,suchas:

oatmeal tubs,milkcartons, coffeecans

itemsto make sounds,such as:

gravel,buttons, bells

markers

Aim

Childrenwill developlisteningskills astheycreate,

compare, and classifysounds

comparethesounds Whichare loud?Whicharesoft? Are

someinbetween?

3Suggestthatchildrenchooseanother containerand

item andrepeatthe process They mightlike to

choosetheirown soundmaterialsfrom around theroom.

indifferentways,suchas loudandsoftorscratchyand smooth Encourage them to trydifferentcombinations

In Advance

Gather the "sound" materialsand place inseparatebowls

Warm-Up

Askchildren to sitveryquietlyand close theireyes

Together, listenforsoundsinyour room, the building,

are soft. Then encourage everyoneto think of other loud

and softsounds Recordtheirideas

Activity

IShowchildren the differentsoundmaterialsyou

setout Encourage them toguesswhichoneswill

a container

Remember

Ifyouhave amixed-age group, superviseyounger

Observations

Do somechildren havedifficultydistinguishing

between sounds?

Books

Here aresome wonderful booksabout sounds

Hearing by Maria Rius,J.M Parramon, andJ J. Puig(Barron)

Plink, Plink, Plinkby ByronBaylor(HoughtonMifflin)

SPIN-OFFS

inthe bag.At grouptime, askeachchild tomakethesoundwithoutshowingthe objecttheyfoundwhile others

guesswhatit is.

Encourage children touse theshakerstheycreated toexperiment with rhythms andbeats whilelistening tomusic

Blocks and Boards

How do balls roll down ramps?

Materials

2 boards ofequallength

hollow cardboard blocks orunitblocks

Setuparamp in theblockareausinga board Placea

hollow block orstackofunitblocksunder one end ofthe

board, lifting itabout 12 inchesoffthefloor Parkcars and

trucks nearby

Warm-Up

you'll returnlater. Observe howchildrenusethe materials

Dotheyroll theballsand carsdown the ramp? Dothe cars

rollsmoothlyor fallofftheside? Dochildren addwalls to

Activity

1

balls? Will theystayon the ramp?"Suggest that

children usetheother boardto makea second,higher

ramp nextto thefirstone

2 Encourageeachchild to predictwhich rampwillmake

the carsrunfaster.Thensetthecarsontheramps and

ramp wasfaster.

theball rollfartherandtomarkthespotonthefloor

withtape.Thenencouragethemtotesttheir predictions

rampsto knock down Howhigh orlowwillthe ramps

havetobefortheballstoreach thetargets?

Remember

Introducedifferentaspects oframpplayoverafewdays

Observations

Books

These bookswillinspiremoreramp-building

New Road byGail Gibbons (Thomas Y Crowell)

SPIN-OFFS

Attach muralpaper to boardsandplacethem onnewspaper Dipwheels orballs intempera,and rollthem down

theboard tocreate a visualrepresentationofmotion!

speed of biggerobjects,including themselves!

pottingor localsoil

wateringcan

Aim

Childrenwilluseobservation and experimentationskillsas

Warm-Up

area.Togetherwithchildren, choose seedsfromacatalog

Activity

catalogs, and pastethem onconstructionpaperto

make amapofyour planned garden Read theplanting

instructions together

2 Together, fillthebottom ofthe tubsorboxeswith

pebbles or gravel,thenadd thesoil. Helpchildren

growthclosely, tryplanting a fewseedson damppapertowelsin theclear-plasticcups

themaccordingto directionsonthe package Explain

thatit's importantto thin plantsso that there isroom for

growth

drawthechanges theyobserve.Providepieces ofyarn

children paste thesein arow on apage oftheirjournal

Remember

overwaterthem. Talkabout howthiscan be harmful,

and perhaps arrange anexperimentto showtheeffects

of toomuchwater, usingplantsinsmall cups

Observations

Observechildren'sfine-motorskillsas theyhandle small

and delicateitems

Books

Here are a few good books about plantingand growing

Up Above and DownBelow by Irma E Webber

(William R Scott)

SPIN-OFFS

Createawatering experiment Place thinnedseedlings incups, thenwatersometoomuch and othersnotatall.

What happens? Record yourresults

Talkabouthotand cold Askchildrento demonstrate how

they can make their handsfeelwarmer You maysuggest

blowing warm airon themorrubbingthemtogether Next,

Activity

ITalk aboutthe temperaturechanges thattake place

where you live Is ithot orcold outside now? How do

we know whentheweatheriscold or hot?

2 Fill twopaper cups withwater, onequitewarm, the

othercold Invite children tofeel theoutsideofthe

cupsand to choose theonethey thinkiswarmer Mark

ared dotonthecup they choose Use themetalspoons as

thermometers. Passthe threespoons around so thateach

oneout ofthe water Havechildren predictwhether

thewet spoonswillchange temperatureand, ifso,

how.Keep the spoons inthewater foroneminute Then remove them and compare themwith thedry spoon

cold-water bowl and describehowit feels.Then,leaving that

inthewarm-water bowl and describehowit feels.Finally,

room-temperaturewater Ask,"How do your handsfeelnow?"

Remember

Donotmakewater too hotforchildren to touch.Observations

Whatcomparative anddescriptive vocabularydo

Books

Hot & ColdbyNeil Ardley(FranklinWatts Inc.)

Temperatureby James Barry(Little, Brown)

ScienceFun by ImogeneForte (Incentive Publications)

SPIN-OFFS

Fill fourpaper cups with four kinds of water verywarm, warm,cold,andcoldwater withicecubes Havechildren

eachcup andwaitafewminutes Remove and comparethe different levelsof mercury.Record the temperatures

Askchildrentorecalltimes theirparents orthe doctortooktheir temperature Whatdidtheylearn?

Its Melting!

What happens to ice?

marker

waterpaper cups andplates

Childrenwillinvestigatethefastestand slowestwaysto

melt anicecube

Warm-Up

Gatherchildren fora discussionaboutmelting.Ask,

"What happens when you puticeina glass of water? What

happens when youbring asnowball inside?" Givechildren

plentyof timeto share theirideas

Activity

IAskchildrento thinkofdifferentwaystomeltice

whichthe slowest.Trythemethods forwhich you have

2 Wraptheicecubesin different materials, such as

aluminumfoil, plasticwrap, and cloth, theninvite

Recordpredictions, experiment,and theninvitechildren to

thebestandstarthoseon thechart

3 Place icecubesaround the room Askchildren tohelp

youdecidewheretotestthe cubes,suchasonasunny window,inarefrigerator, andneara heater.Ask themto

eachspot Recordthepredictions

4 Whenthecubes haveall melted,checkthe chart

Discusswhyaparticularcube meltedfasterthan

Remember

All Wet! All Wet!by James Skofield(HarperCollins)

Ice Is Wheel byCarolGreene (Children's Press)

WaterIs Wet!bySallyCartwright(Coward, McCann

& Geoghegan)

SPIN-OFFS

Onasnowyday,emptythewatertableandfill itwith snow Ask,"How muchwaterwillaboxfull ofsnow make?"

color Comparethe markstothelevelof the meltedwater

Bubble, boil — and watch things change!

Materials

spoons, forks, andnapkins (oneforeach child)

water colander

plasticcup small bowls

Aim

Childrenwillobservechangesinwater andwilluse their

In Advance

butwheretheycaneasilyseeit. Place thebowls, noodles,

andpot ofwaterona table

Warm-Up

to gatheraroundthe table Offereachchild afew raw

noodles and talkabout them together How do the

noodles feel? How do theysmell? Whatshapes are they?

How do theytaste?

Activity

1

Ask whether anyone has everseennoodles being

cooked What do you need to cooknoodles?

2 Puttheglasspotonthehotplate orstovetop, and

3 When thewater reaches afull boil, addthe noodles

Turnthetemperature down.

4 Whenthenoodles are done, pour theminto the

bowls and encouragechildren totouch andtastethe

noo-dles Howhave theychanged? Recordchildren'sresponses

Remember

but canstillsee inside the pot

Observations

knowledge youcan use toextenddiscussions

Books

Here are some more booksabout cooking!

Company)

IsThereanElephantin YourKitchen?byEtheland

Len Kessler(Simon & Schuster)

PretendSoupbyMollieKatzen and Ann Henderson

SPIN-OFFS

Whatelse do weboilwaterfor?Explore dyingcotton fabricoryarn withnaturaldyesbyboilingsuchthings

asonion skins, beetjuice,orinstantcoffee!

Experimentwith boilingeggsfordifferentlengths oftime, from 1 minuteto 10.What happens when youbreak