Category: preschool

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Our First Science Experiment!

Ok, a little background..  I was homeschooled, my mom wrote many of the books in the Castle Heights Press curriculum.  However, up until now, this very week, I have not had the chance to teach science to my children.  So… now we are homeschooling, and my oldest is in preschool.  We are using Alpha Omega’s Horizons preschool, which has great content for character building, Biblical application, and preparation for reading and writing.  I especially appreciate how the curriculum integrates all the subjects with the scripture being studied.  We are working through week 5, and studying the second day of creation, wherein God created an expanse (the sky) to separate waters from waters.  The curriculum uses this verse to begin to study air, the content of air, animals and plants that need air, uses of air (to inflate things, the wind, to breathe, etc.)

So for science, the activity was to boil water on the stove, producing steam, and noting that the boiling water was putting water into the air in the form of water vapor.  On this particular day, we didn’t see the steam very well, so we used a mirror to hold over the boiling water to produce visible condensation.

Now that was about the extent of the activity in Horizons, but we took it one step further, by printing an observation sheet from My First Science Notebook.  With crayons in hand while the water boiled, my son (with a fair amount of coaching) was able to sketch the pot of boiling water with steam being produced, and (my mother would be proud) we labeled it very scientifically.

A quick plug:  Using My First Science Notebook, you can take activities such as this one and practice the skills of science, in this case Observation.  In the book, there are also worksheets to practice Recording, Measuring, and Reporting.  We used the e-Book version of My First Science Notebook to print 13 blank drawing worksheets for use in upcoming science experiments.  The book is for K-3, but as you can see here, with some coaching and patience, it can be started early!

I linked this blog post to Preschool Corner, where there are lots of other little preschoolers doing science experiments!

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Preschool Science: Roly Poly Hotel

By Rachel Paxton, homeschool-articles.com and Christian-parent.com

If you have a preschool-aged child running around your home, chances are he or she has brought in a roly poly or two from your garden.  Because children are fascinated by these little creatures, they make great subjects for science experiments.

Before you and your child begin this experiment, you will need to round up a few items from around your home and garden:

  • Small rubbermaid container
  • Dirt
  • Moist dead leaves
  • Sticks and twigs
  • Medium-sized flat rock

Have your child fill the plastic container about halfway full of dirt from your garden.  Explain to your child that you are trying to re-create a roly poly’s natural habitat.  Where are roly polies found?  They are found under rocks and piles of decomposing leaves.  After the dirt is in the container, have your child place the rock in the container on top of the dirt and arrange the leaves and twigs around the rock.

Next give your child a jar and have he or she collect some roly polies for the roly poly hotel.  This will be their favorite part of the experiment.  After the roly polies have been collected, have them place them in the container.

Help your child create a “sign” with their name on it for their roly poly hotel.  They can create it by hand or on the computer. Tape the sign to the front of the plastic container.

Now that the roly poly hotel is complete let your child sit and observe the roly polies and let he or she hold them and play with them a bit.  Help them make observations about the roly polies by asking them questions. Ask them what the roly polies look like and what they notice about them. Ask them what color they are and how many antennae the roly polies have. You’ll be surprised at the answers they come up with.  My boys told me that the roly polies roll up like armadillos!

If your child is going to keep their roly polies for further observation, have them keep the soil moist and keep the container out of direct sunlight.

If your children are older you can tailor this activity to their learning level.  You could check out a book from the library about roly polies or search for information about them online and do a number of science activities with them.  With preschoolers, however, you’ll find that their attention span won’t last much longer than the observation part of the activity.  After about five minutes of watching their roly polies my boys informed me they were done and were ready to go swimming!

Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom of five. For resources for the Christian family, including parenting, toddler and preschool activities, homeschooling, family traditions, and more, visit Christian-Parent.com.

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Preschool Science: Worm Farm

By Rachel Paxton, Homeschool-articles.com

Preschool-aged children love to play with worms (at least my boys do!). You can turn their curiosity with worms into a science project with just a few items from your house and garden. Here is what you’ll need:

Empty two-liter pop bottle
Exacto knife
Dirt
Small shovel
Sand
Grass clippings
Kitchen compost (apple peelings, etc.)
Worms

Before you let your child loose in the garden, you will need to use the exacto knife to cut off the entire top of the pop bottle.

Help your child create a label for the container that has the child’s name and “worm farm” printed on it. You can make it by hand or on the computer. Tape the label to the front of the container.

Go out to the garden with your child and let he or she shovel a couple of inches of dirt into the plastic container. Pat the dirt down so the next layer of sand won’t filter through. Explain to your child that they need to be careful not to shake or jar the bottle or the sand and dirt will become mixed up.

Add a thin layer of sand, and then continue with a couple of inches of dirt and another thin layer of sand. The top layer should be dirt. Leave an inch or two of space at the top of the bottle.

Next add a few grass clippings on top of the last layer of dirt. The worms will need food, so add a few pieces of fruits or vegetables in with the grass, such as apple or orange peelings.

If you are lucky enough to have worms in your yard, help your child dig for a few worms for his or her worm farm. If you can’t find any, go to your nearest bait shop and buy a small package of night crawlers.

Let your child play with the worms before putting them in the worm farm. Help them make observations about their worms. Check out a book about worms at your local library or search for information online about worms. Talk to your child about how a worm’s job is to eat waste and mix it into our soil to fertilize it.

After your child places a couple of worms into the worm farm, they will be able to see for themselves how worms mix up soil. When the worms dig through the container, they will leave a trail of sand behind them that your child will be able to see mixing into the dirt.

For the most worm activity, place the worm farm in a dark place or tape a piece of paper around the worm farm to keep the light out. Worms do most of their work at night.

Your preschooler will have a lot of fun creating his or her worm farm. From digging in the dirt, to playing with worms… what’s not to like!

Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom of five. For resources for the Christian family, including parenting, toddler and preschool activities, homeschooling, family traditions, and more, visit Christian-Parent.com.