@Mamaschool....sink or float experiment.

I told you he was into science experiments!  His other interest this week has been sink/float experimentation.  This probably came about because of a couple new boats he bought with his chore money at the dollar store.  Anyhow, we've done sink/float several times over the past couple years and he remembered it and asked to do it again.  Yesterday I set him up with a nice table of objects and a big glass bowl of water and he had a good time experimenting.  Today he asked to do it again while I was doing some dishes.  I didn't have a good window of time to set up the "big" activity, so I told him to get out a tupperware bowl (no matter what, it's best if the dish is clear so you can observe the object from all sides) and sent him out into the backyard with a small bowl and instructions to bring in 5 objects to see if they'd sink or float.  After sending him BACK out to dump out the bowl of sand he though he'd try (maybe next time, buddy....creative but it wasn't a good time for kitchen floor mud!) he came back with a pecan, a shell, a pine needle, a little teacup from Quinn's fairy garden (DON'T TELL HER--YIKES!) and a rock.  He got straight to work trying them out.  So today's experiment was a float/sink snack, eh?!  Just a little tidbit of time he spent exploring and a smaller set up than we often use, but he was still exploring and doing science!!  Besides just the floating and sinking, he was also exploring the properties of water/a liquid!  Wow, such scientific power in a few minutes of curious play!

@mamaschool....science with magnets!

During the week my big girl is in first grade all day.  That leaves me and the little man (he's 4) home together.  He always gets asked if he goes to school too, and saying, "No," didn't seem quite right, because we do a whole lot of learning during our days, so we started calling it "MamaSchool."  Typically our mornings are devoted to his "schooling," with lunch and a brief rest (and a bit of work for Mama) afterwards, then we go get Q from school.

My background (and my passion!) is teaching early childhood, so of course I can't NOT school my kiddos. :)  

I strongly believe that young children learn primarily through play and self-initiated exploration and their own curiosity with the world around them.  You won't find us doing letters of the week or math lessons....or really any type of conventional "lesson" at all.  However, we do spend our days learning a whole lot.

We base our days and our studies on my Little Man's interests.  Right now he is ALL ABOUT doing science experiments.  Not sure where he heard about science experiments--probably one of his audiobooks.  Anyhow, that is what he asks to do any chance we can!

He has also been interested in magnets.  I don't remember exactly how that came about, but he was asking questions and expressing interest in magnets, so I followed his lead.  I got out a few magnets I had from my classroom days, and we went to Mardel with some of his birthday money and bought  a little set of various magnets (the strong science type that have the poles marked on them.)  Then we got out a tray of stuff and set to work figuring out what things the magnets would pick up and which things they wouldn't.  As we worked, I began to use the correct vocabulary--repel, poles, attract, etc. as I talked with him about what we were doing/seeing.   I showed him how two magnets with the same poles would push away from each other.  We just played and played with magnets.  Through this, he was absorbing and exploring fundamental principles of physical science and of magnetic force.  We were also having so much fun!  Of course the first day he used the magnets for about 5 minutes.  But we've gotten them out every day since and he's stretching the time he wants to spend exploring.  He'll repeat some of the same activities again that we've done previously (repelling magnets, etc.), but often I will show him (or he will figure out) something new.  Today we put paperclips on a tray and moved them from below with a magnet.  

As I teach my son science simply by DOING SCIENCE with him, I hear the wise voice of one of my wonderful college professors in my head.  He drummed into us the importance of teaching science by just letting kids do science.  Not by vocab sheets or matching terms or definitions....not by writing out a lab report...but early on, just by doing the work of a scientist.  By using the tools scientists use--and learning to use them correctly.  By trying things.  By exploring.  And that makes me smile, because Dr. Vincent is right.  

Tonight the kids decided Matt would read bedtime stories to Quinn and I would read to Beck.  Beck commented that boys go with girls and girls go with boys (Matt/Quinn & Beck/Me) and further observed that it was kind of like magnets, how North goes with South and South goes with North.  AND HE'S FOUR!!! 

Best of all, this type of learning was so easy for me to facilitate.  Magnets and objects....and that's it!  Other than that all I have to put into this is the gift of my time--sitting down and playing and learning and talking with my little scientist.

On Our Nature Shelf....exploring rocks and gems

Remember that sometimes just "putting it out there" is a great way to invite little learners to explore science (or any!) objects.  When we were in South Dakota this summer, there was a big rock display at a gift shop.  They were reasonably priced, so I picked up a nice selection for our geology studies.  I haven't yet had time to pull together a geology study, but I did decide to put the rocks out for open exploration.

Note that my kids have been taught how to explore scientific objects properly--They take the whole tray/basket to the table and handle the items gently.  Then they return the items to the shelf when finished.  They also know these specimens aren't for playing with in other areas of the house, they are specifically for scientific exploration, so they won't be included in building a castle or hauled in mini dump trucks (we have other rocks for that!!)

I love these little Golden Guides and pick them up whenever I see them at used book stores or thrifting.

Putting this little display out for my kiddos really peaked their interest and both of them have enjoyed looking at, touching, and exploring the rocks and gems.  Q will even use the book to try to identify them!

Obviously these rocks are more interesting than things we could find in our backyard, but we make some great nature displays even from our own area.  Often we save rocks that have neat textures or shapes or sizes to put on our nature table, so don't be discouraged if you don't have something amazing.

Including kiddos in finding items for your nature table/shelf is always a hit.  They feel ownership and pride and are so much more likely to use good stewardship for "their" items!

What's on your nature table/shelf/windowsill??!!!

Science for Preschoolers....exploring with eyedroppers and water.

When doing science with kiddos, the best way is just to explore, explore, explore!

I put out this invitation for Beck (3) this week.  Actually, two of everything, because I sat down and worked next to him.

Small bowl of water, some pennies, a couple types of eyedroppers, and a sponge.  

 First I taught him how to use an eyedropper (hug him (squeeze), dip him in the ocean, then let him go!) which is tricky for preschoolers, but great fine motor!  A clothespin initially may help demonstrate the concept, as well.

 For a while he just squeezed up water and squirted it out.  Then I taught him how to gently squeeze the drops out one at a time, and we put them onto pennies.  He loved this!

Besides being perfect for fine motor development, this sets great foundations for using scientific tools that he will encounter later on down the road in chemistry!  Also useful for some art procedures!  Ours have paint in them because Q and I have used them to drip watercolor onto coffee filters for art!

Of course since this was the first time with this activity, he didn't spend a real long time with it.  I will bring it back out again repeatedly and he will grow in comfort with it and explore more over time.

I have a couple more directed dropper-water activities I want to do, so I needed to give him some free exploration time with the tools before he was ready to "do stuff" with them!  Stay tuned for more on this!

Rocket Science for preschoolers!

My little man is very into rockets.  Through his enthusiasm, the rest of us have followed course!  Last week I set up some simple invitations for rocket "labs" for us to explore some different preschooler-friendly rockets!

First off was a string, two chairs, a straw with a balloon taped to it.  We blew up the balloon, taped it to the straw, then clipped a clothespin on the end of the balloon.  Insert a countdown (their favorite part!) unclip the balloon, and watch it fly!  We had fun making different changes  to the experiment and noticing what happened (reversing the balloon direction, adding fins, etc.)

 Next was another straw rocket--for this one we rolled and taped paper into a cylinder slightly larger than a straw (diameter).  We also cut a circle, cut a line on the radius, and then taped it into a cone for the top of the rocket.  Then a straw slides into the opening in the rolled paper and we can blow our rockets using our air to power them!!  We used tape on the floor to mark our distances in a little rocket launch!

Fun times and science learning abounded!!

Magnet box--toddler style!

Here's Beck, working with the magnet box.  I referred to it in a previous post and took this picture to show him enjoying his sister's work!

Magnet Sorting

 For this activity I had Q fold a piece of paper in half and then she wrote "yes" on one side and "no" on the other.  I spelled and she wrote. 

I offered her a wooden box filled with various objects--some that would be attracted to a magnet and some that would not.  I tried to use all different types of objects--paper, wood, fabric, different types of metal, etc.  I also offered a bar magnet and a horseshoe magnet (that I happened to have, though any magnet would work). 

Then she used a magnet to try and attract each item.  Once she figured out if it were attracted to the magnet or not, she placed it in the appropriate side of her chart. 

This task introduces the concept of magnetism and properties of solids.

It introduces simple charting/graphing methods.

Q LOVED this!  She has started making yes/no charts on her own for random stuff.

Also, Little Man (22 months) loves playing with this too--sliding the magnet around in the box and seeing what's attracted.

After the child has explored with the box several times, you could show them a new object and ask them to predict whether it will be attracted by the magnet. 

Rabbit Footprints

Today we made some rabbit footprint stamps.  I looked up the shape on the internet, cut them out of paper, then Q traced them on cardboard and I cut them out.  We hotglued them onto a base and used spools for handles.  We headed outside with purple paint and I stamped the rabbit prints on the patio.  They turned out less cool than I had hoped--there weren't super clear lines and you couldn't see the toes that well.  But Q liked em, and that's all that mattered.  Then we got her feet painty, which she LOVED, and we put her footprints next to them. 

 

 

And then she labeled her footprints and the rabbit footprints--she sounded out most of "rabbit" herself-I just helped with the double "bb" part.  Then we talked a bit about some similarities/differences and I wrote down our observations.  Then she played in the paint and made footprints and handprints all over the sidewalk--this was a huge hit--and it was washable paint, so I was happy to indulge her!  After her painting frenzy we washed her off with the hose and left the prints for Daddy to see.  

What Rabbits Do

We are studying rabbits right now.  I made up a game for us to play during our circle time--needed something that could include an 18 month and 4 year old.  I cut some of Q's watercolors (I save them for projects) into rabbit shapes using a cookie cutter.  Then I wrote different things rabbits do on them.  When we play the game, we put on our rabbit ears (headbands with ears that we have).  We take turns drawing a rabbit, then we do what the rabbit card says.  We have fun acting out the different actions.  For example, for "Eat" we "hop" all around the living room to different parts of the garden and pretend to eat beans, carrots, cabbage, parsley, etc.  The kids' favorite is "dig."  Both kids love this game and get very into playing it!  They learn some great vocabulary words, exercise their large and small muscles and use some pretend play!

Groundhog Day flashback

Candlemas and Groundhog day are on the same day.  This year they were on a Saturday, so we didn't actually celebrate either on the correct day.  But the following week I decided to teach Q a little bit about the tradition of Groundhog day.  I needlefelted a little groundhog.  Sorta.  I am still not happy with it looking "groundhoggy" enough, but I fussed with it for several days and finally decided it would have to do.  We kept it on our table for the week and the kids enjoyed holding and playing with it.  It went into our box of Valentine decorations to re-emmerge next year!

We read these two books this year:

 

Note--this book has a Halloween Witch and Santa in the story, so if you are not fans of these two you may want to forego this book.  Though it is a fun read!

We didn't get any more involved than just reading the books and talking a little bit about shadows.  I saved the titles of several more "shadow" and "groundhog" books to my "February" teaching folder on my computer, so next year we may choose to delve deeper!

Treasure Ice sensory play

Sunday night I got out two sandwich-sized cheapo tupperwares (the thinner ones make it easier to pop out the ice when you're ready to play), filled them half way with water and dropped in some treasures (beads, flat marbles, stones, colored paperclips, snowflake sequins, buttons, poker chips, etc., with bigger items for the little guy who tries to eat everything).  I froze them for a couple hours and before I went to bed I added another layer of water and a few more items. 
Monday morning I told the kids the river fairies had brought a piece of frozen river for them!  We took them outside, along with a tub of water and some salt.
They had fun touching, holding and dropping their pieces of ice.  We poured salt on, and I was thinking we'd talk about how ice melts faster with salt, but there was really no interest in this--they just wanted to try and get the stuff out! 
After a while we dropped them into the tub of water (I pointed out that ice floats) and they poured water over them to get them to melt.  There was ice play, ice eating, and finally all the treasures came out, so there was even a bit of fighting over whose rock was whos. 
But it was a successful sensory activity--little hands explored new textures, temperatures and surfaces (and little mouths did, too!) and they also absorbed some science concepts about the properties of matter (solids and liquids). 
I think we'll do this again soon!  Easy and fun!

-could be themed (animals, holidays, etc.)
-could be done in an ice cube tray to make individual treasure ices
-could be made edible by using berries

Backyard Birds of Winter

We've been reading about winter backyard birds.  We've been watching them out our window, as well!
We learned from our book that birds like suet in the winter to give them protein since they aren't eating as many birds.  So we had a project this week of "winterizing" our bird feeding area!

We made a pole in the ground with a branch and hung our suet on it.  We tied another branch on to make a perch for birds to sit while they eat. 

We bought a new bag of seed and put some out!

We rinsed and refilled the birdbath.

And now we've been watching to see what types of birds come to our yard! 

Such a fun way to incorporate practical life, motor skills, science concepts, and literacy skills as we take care of our feathered friends!

Acorn Smashing

We have an abundance of acorns thanks to our oak trees, so we've been having fun using large rocks to smash up the acorns.  Q was interested to see what they'd look like on the inside.  We use the smashed acorn-ness in mudpies, of course!  They make great "sprinkles" for the tops!
At school they have a pecan tree, so they do the same thing with the pecans that they find on the ground. 
The smashing is great hand-eye coordination, practices muscle control, lends itself to imaginary play, and involves science exploration skills.  Who knew....just from smashing up a bunch of acorns! 
And the mommy benefit--it is a positive way to get some wiggles and energy and even aggression out of little ones!  If you don't have acorns or pecans there is probably some smash-able item out in your nature area--seed pods, etc.  Check it out!

 

Natural items in the playroom

I try to always have some natural objects available for examination/play in our playspace.  I raided our overflowing nature shelf and put the majority of items "into hibernation" for a while.  I kept out some pinecones and acorns (above) and feathers and leaves (below). 

 

Meet our Hens!

Meet Zoomba, Daisy and Cupcake, our fine hens!

Cupcake is the best layer.  If you look closely you can see an egg under her!

 

 

We feed our chickens cracked corn, but it has to be kept up high because little brothers also like to eat it!  Only comes down at mealtimes. 

We're doing a fall harvest study in our Kitchen School, so we've set up our playroom to be a barn.  The pictures above are the chicken coops.  I made the chickens out of scrap felt and a chicken tutorial I found online.  They are stuffed with a couple cups of dried rice to give them a nice weightyness, and then fiberfill pulled out of an old pillow we're no longer using.  Their roosting boxes are baskets I collected from around the house.  I raided my wrapping paper box and got the raffia for "hay."  Daddy gave us some scrapwood to put the names on each roosting box.  There's been lots of pretend play with the hens!