With activities for children in preschool through age 5
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Science in the Home — Activities
Your home is a great place for you to begin to explore science with your child. Incorporating science activities and language into familiar routines will show your child how science works in his everyday life and provide him with a safe environment in which to explore and experiment.
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A Science Walk
Preschool–Kindergarten
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Even a walk around the yard can provide many opportunities to introduce children to scientific concepts and processes by helping them to gain the scientific habit of observing what's around them.
What You Need
- A magnifying glass
- Science journal
What to Do
Take a walk outside with your child—around the yard, to the end of the block, in the park—anywhere that's convenient. Invite her to bring along her science journal and show her how to use a magnifying glass. As you walk, stop and—depending on the season—ask her to use the lens to examine things such as the following:
- dirt
- leaves (from the same tree, one on the ground and one on the tree)
- a flower
- snowflakes
- icicles
- bugs
- a mud puddle
- a rock
Ask her to talk about what she observes. Ask, for example:
- What's on each side of this leaf?
- How is this leaf on the ground different from the one on the tree?
- Are all the petals on this flower the same size and color?
- Are these snowflakes exactly alike? How are they different?
- How many legs does this bug have?
- How many colors can you see in this mud puddle?
Other questions you might ask as she observes and examines things along the way include the following:
- Is it smooth or rough?
- Is it hard or soft?
- Is it dry or wet?
- Is it alive? How do you know?
- What shape is it?
Give your child two different kinds of rocks or flowers and ask her to tell you how they are alike and different.
Make sure she records her observations, reactions, findings and opinions in her science journal. Drawing pictures and taking photos are good ways to record observations, and you can help her to write appropriate captions. Encourage her to share her journal with others and to talk about her experiences.
TopBreaking the Tension
Preschool–Kindergarten
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These simple activities demonstrate surface tension.
What You Need
- Index card
- Safety scissors
- Sink filled with water
- Glass half filled with water
- Liquid dishwashing detergent
- Ground pepper < !!! >
- Toothpicks
What to Do
From an index card, cut out a boat shape, like the one on this page. Make the boat about 2-1/2 inches long and 1-1/2 inches wide. Have your child place the boat gently on the water in the sink. Have him pour a little detergent at the notch end of the boat. Ask him to describe what happens. (Note: To repeat this experiment, you'll need to use fresh water to make the boat move.)
Next, sprinkle a little ground pepper on the water in the glass. Give your child a toothpick and tell him to dip it in the middle of the pepper. Ask him what happens. Then tell him to put a drop of the detergent on another toothpick and dip it into the pepper. Now what happens?
TopBubbles
Preschool–Kindergarten
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Children can learn more about surface tension and about change just by blowing bubbles!
What You Need
- 8 tablespoons of dishwashing liquid
- 1 quart water
- 1 drinking straw
- A shallow pan
What to Do
Mix the dishwashing liquid with the water and pour it into the pan. Give your child a straw and tell him to blow through it as he moves it slowly across the surface of the solution. Ask him to notice the size of the bubbles that he makes.
Next, have your child try to make a very big bubble that covers the surface of the pan. Have him do the following:
- Dip one end of the straw into the solution. Then hold the straw slightly above the surface. Blow into it very gently. He may have to try several times to make a really big bubble.
- When he's made a bubble, have him touch it gently with a wet finger to see what happens.
- Have him make another big bubble, then touch it with a dry finger. What happens?
Ask him to look closely at the bubbles he makes. How many colors does he see? Do the colors change?
TopBugs!
Kindergarten–Grade 1
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Children can improve their understanding of the natural world and their classification skills by observing bugs.
What You Need
- Books about insects and spiders—preferably with photographs (for titles, see the list of children's books in the Resources section at the end of this booklet)
- A magnifying glass
What to Do
With your child, search your home and neighborhood for bugs.< !!! > Look for bugs:
- around your front door
- in cracks in the sidewalk
- in gardens
- at picnic areas
- on lights
- in corners of rooms
Using the guides, help your child to identify each type of bug that you find, such as ants, spiders, beetles, crickets, bees, flies, butterflies, mosquitoes, moths, wasps or ladybugs.
If you find ants, point out that ants work together as a community. Have her observe, for example, what an ant does when it finds a bit of food. Explain that when an ant finds food, it doesn't eat it on the spot. It runs back to the hill to "tell" the other ants. As it runs, it leaves a trail that the other ants can smell. These ants can then find the food by smelling their way along the trail.
Find out about spiders:
- Why do spiders spin webs?
- What are webs made of?
- How many pairs of legs do they have?
Help your child to think of other ways that she might classify the bugs—for example, by color or by size or by whether they have wings or antennae.
TopFloat or Sink?
Kindergarten–Grade 1
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Learning to make and test predictions is a good first step toward making and testing hypotheses.
What You Need
- 1 block of solid wood
- 1 plastic bottle cap
- 2 pieces of heavy-duty aluminum foil
- 1 piece of modeling clay
- Sink filled with water
What to Do
Tell your child to hold the wood block in one hand and the plastic cap in the other hand. Ask him to answer the following questions:
- Which one feels heavier?
- Do you think the wooden block will float or sink?
- Will the plastic cap float or sink?
Have your child test his predictions by carefully placing the block of wood and the cap on the water. What happens? Next, have him put both under the water. What happens now?
Give him a piece of aluminum foil and tell him to squeeze it tightly into solid ball then drop it in the water. Does it float or sink? Give him another piece of foil. Help him to shape it into a little boat, then have him carefully place it on top of the water. Does the foil float now?
Help him to try the same experiment with the clay. Have him make ball and drop it in the water. What happens? Then have him shape the clay into a boat and put it on the water. Does it float now?
TopSlime Time
Grades 1–2
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When one object moves against another, the result is friction.
What You Need
- Mixing bowl
- 4 envelopes of unflavored gelatin
- Hot water
- Square baking pan
- Vegetable oil
- Liquid dishwashing detergent
- 2 small bowls
- Stopwatch or a watch with a second hand
- Measuring cup
Don't let your child eat the gelatin cubes after they've been handled or after they're covered with lubricant. < !!! >
What to Do
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In a mixing bowl, dissolve the gelatin in two cups of hot tap water. Coat the inside of the pan with vegetable oil. Pour the gelatin mixture into the pan and put it in the refrigerator until firm. Cut the gelatin into cubes about 1 inch x 1 inch. You should have about 64 cubes. Place 15 cubes into one bowl. Place the second bowl about 6 inches (about 15 centimeters) away from the cube bowl.
Place the watch so that your child can see it. Tell her that when you say go, you want her to start picking up the gelatin cubes one at a time with her thumb and index finger (caution her not to squeeze them!). Tell her to see how many cubes she can transfer to the other bowl in 15 seconds.
Tell your child to put all the cubes back in the first bowl. Pour 1/4 cup dishwashing liquid over the cubes. Gently mix the detergent and the cubes so that the cubes are well-coated. Have her use the same method as before to transfer as many cubes as possible in 15 seconds.
Throw away the cubes and detergent and wash and dry both bowls. Put 15 new cubes into one bowl and pour 1/4 cup water over the cubes, again making sure the cubes are thoroughly coated. Tell your child to see how many cubes she can transfer in 15 seconds.
Again, throw away the cubes and water. Put 15 new cubes into one bowl. Pour 1/4 cup of vegetable oil over the cubes. Make sure they are well coated. Have her see how many cubes she can transfer in 15 seconds.
Ask your child to answer the following questions:
- With which liquid was she able to transfer the most cubes?
- With which liquid was she able to transfer the fewest cubes?
- Which liquid was the best lubricant (the slipperiest)? Which was the worst?
TopCelery Stalks at Midnight
Grades 1–2
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Capillary action is the name for the process that takes place when a paper towel soaks up a spilled liquid or when a plant transfers water from its roots to its leaves.
What You Need
- 4 same-size stalks of fresh celery with leaves
- 4 cups of the same size
- Knife < !!! >
- Vegetable peeler < !!! >
- Red and blue food coloring
- Measuring cup
- Paper towels
- Ruler
- Old newspapers
- Water
What to Do
Lay the four stalks of celery in a row on a cutting board or counter so that the place where the stalks and the leaves meet matches. Cut all four stalks of celery 4 inches (about 10 centimeters) below where the stalks and leaves meet.
Use 10 drops of red and 10 drops of blue food coloring for each 1/2 cup of water to make purple water. Pour the colored water in equal parts into the four cups. Have your child put one stalk each in the cups of purple water.
Label four sheets of paper towels: "2 hours," "4 hours," "6 hours," and "8 hours." (You may want to put newspapers under the towels.) Every two hours, have him remove one of the stalks and put it on the correct towel.
Each time he removes a stalk from the water, help him to carefully peel the rounded part with a vegetable peeler to see how far up the stalk the purple water has traveled.
Help your child to measure the distance the purple water has traveled for each stalk and record the information in his science journal. Talk with him about what he has observed.
Work with your child to make a list of other objects around the house or in nature that illustrate capillary action. Have him look for paper towels, sponges, old sweat socks, brown paper bags and flowers.
TopIcky Sticky Stuff
Grades 2–3
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Adhesives are used to stick things together. Many adhesives occur in nature and have important uses for plants and animals.
What You Need
- Flour
- Measuring cup
- Egg white < !!! >
- Food coloring
- 4 small bowls
- 4 plastic spoons
- Aluminum foil
- Cotton balls
- Toothpicks
- Small pieces of cloth
- Glitter
- Safety scissors
- Colored yarn or ribbon
- Colored paper
What to Do
Help your child to search your home to track down everything that she can that is sticky. See how many of the following she can find:
- Tape
- Peanut butter
- Postage stamps
- Envelopes
- Honey
- A decal on a t-shirt
- Spackle
- An adhesive bandage
Ask your child to make a list of things in nature—animals, plants and so forth—that have adhesive properties or are sticky. For example:
- Spiders that use sticky threads to create webs to catch their food
- Tree sap
- Barnacles that stick to boats, ships and rocks
Next, ask her to think of adhesives that are used in hospitals? in offices? in auto repair shops?
Help your child to make a poster or collage using adhesives by doing the following:
- Make three bowls of flour-and-water paste. In each bowl, add 1/4 cup water to 1/2 cup flour and mix until smooth. Add a different-colored food coloring to each of the three bowls and mix. Use the pastes to make colored shapes on a poster board or heavy paper.
- Crack open an egg and separate the white into a bowl. Use the white as a clear glue to attach aluminum foil, cotton balls, toothpicks, cloth, glitter, ribbon, yarn and colored paper—whatever works to create a collage.
TopSplish Splash
Grades 2–3
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This activity introduces children to the scientific concepts of volume and measurement.
What You Need
- Measuring spoons and cups of different sizes
- Milk containers of different sizes—e.g., pint, quart, half-gallon and gallon (or 1/2 liter, 1 liter, 2 liter and 4 liter)
- Funnel
- 2 containers that hold the same amount but have different shapes—e.g., one tall and thin, one short and squat (try a 1-quart pitcher and the same-sized storage bowl)
- 1 sink filled with water
What to Do
Have your child fill a quart-sized container with water. Then help him to use the funnel to pour the water into a gallon-sized container. Ask him to observe how many small containers it takes to fill the larger one.
Continue by having him use the different measuring devices to answer question such as the following:
- How many tablespoons does it take to make half a cup?
- How many cups does it take to make a quart?
- How many pints make a gallon?
Set the short squat container next to the tall thin one. Ask your child to predict whether one container will hold more water than the other. Let him fill the short squat container with a given amount of water—for example, four cups if you're using quart containers. Then have him pour this water into the tall thin container. Was his prediction correct? Ask him why he thinks both containers held the same amount.
TopHair-Raising Results
Grades 3 and up
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Here are some great hands-on ways to learn about static electricity.
What You Need
- A cool dry day
- 2 round balloons (inflated and tied)
- 2 20-inch pieces of string
- Wool or acrylic sock
- Mirror
What to Do
Have your child tie a string to each inflated balloon. Then tell her to rub a balloon on her hair for about 15 seconds—help her to rub around the whole balloon. Have her take the balloon away and see what happens to her hair! Then have her observe what happens when she brings the balloon back close to her hair.
Next, stand a few feet away from and facing your child. Have her rub the balloon on her hair again as you do the same with the other balloon. Tell her to hold the string to her balloon, letting it hang freely but without letting it touch anything. (You do the same with your balloon.) Slowly move the two balloons toward each other, but don't let them touch. Have your child tell you what's happening: Do the balloons push away from each other, or do they pull toward each other? Have her place her hand between the two hanging balloons. What happens?
Give your child a sock to place over one hand. Tell her to rub her balloon with the sock, then let the balloon hang freely. Have her move her sock-covered hand near the balloon. What happens? Have her try rubbing both balloons with the sock and then letting them hang near each other. What happens now?
TopPlants
Grades 3 and up
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A few seeds and household plants can teach children about cause and effect and change.
What You Need
- Household plants
- Plant fertilizer < !!! >
- Paper
- Safety scissors
- A magnifying glass
- Seeds
- Permanent markers: green, red, blue, black
- Paper towels
- Water
- Sandwich bags (without zip locks)
What to Do
With your child, take two clippings from one houseplant. Have him put one clipping in a glass of water and the other clipping in a glass without water. Tell him to check each day to observe and record how long the one without water can survive.
Have your child water all of the plants for several weeks. In addition, have him choose one or two of the plants to fertilize during this time. Have him label the plants to be fertilized. Tell him to record the following in his science journal:
- Did any of the plants start to droop?
- Did any of the plants have yellow leaves that fell off?
- Did any of the plants grow toward the light?
Next, have your child observe what happens when a plant (or part of plant) doesn't get any light. Help him to do the following:
- Cut out three pieces of paper, each about 2 inches x 2 inches in size.
- Clip the pieces to different leaves of a plant, preferably one that has large leaves.
- Leave one piece of paper on a leaf for one day, a second for two days and a third for a week.
To show your child how seeds germinate, have him divide some seeds of the same kind into four equal batches. Tell him to spread each batch of seeds on a wet paper towel folded into quarters, and then put each batch into a separate sandwich bag. Give him the markers and tell him to color one bag red, one green, one yellow and one black. Have him put the bags in the sun for a week. Tell him to check each day to make sure the paper towels are still wet.
After a week, have him examine the bags. Ask him which color light was the best for seed germination.
Ask your child to explore what other things can make seeds germinate faster. Have him, for example, put a little soapy water on one batch of seeds and clear water on another.
TopCrystals
Grades 4 and 5
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A crystal is a special kind of solid. Growing crystals introduces children to change and variation.
What You Need
- A magnifying glass
- Table salt
- Epsom salt
- Honey container
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Paper cut into circles
- Safety scissors
- Pencil
What to Do
Help your child to use a magnifying glass to look for crystals. Inspect the table salt, Epsom salt and honey container (particularly if it has been open for awhile). Ask your child to draw pictures in her journal of what she observes. Do all of the crystals look the same? If not, how are they different?
Have your child try dissolving salt crystals and forming new ones. Help her to do the following:
- Dissolve 1 teaspoon of salt in 1 cup of water.
- Heat the mixture over low heat to evaporate the water. < !!! >
Snowflakes are made of ice crystals. They're beautiful, but hard to see clearly. Making paper snowflakes will give your child an idea of what snowflakes look like. Have her:
- Take a circle of paper (use thin paper) and fold it in half.
- Fan-fold it.
- Make cuts along all the edges.
- Unfold them.
TopLet 'Em Make Cake!
All ages
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Making cakes is an enjoyable way to help children of all ages learn about chemical reactions and change.
What You Need
- 3 small bowls
- Several sheets of aluminum foil
- Pie pan
- Cooking oil
- Measuring spoons
- Ingredients for one cake: (You'll need to measure and mix this set of ingredients four times—with the exceptions that are given below.)
- 6 tablespoons flour
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 pinch of salt
- 2 or 3 pinches of baking powder
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
- Part of an egg (Break egg into a cup; beat until mixed. Use 1/3 of it. Save the rest for 2 of the other cakes.) < !!! >
What to Do
With your child do the following:
- Wrap several sheets of aluminum foil around the outside of a small bowl to form a mold.
- Remove your foil "pan" and put it in a pie pan for support.
- Oil the "inside" of the foil pan with cooking oil so the cake doesn't stick.
- Turn the oven on to 350 degrees. < !!! >
- Mix all of the dry ingredients together.
- Add the wet ones (only use 1/3 of the egg; save the rest for later use).
- Stir the ingredients until smooth and all the same color.
- Pour batter into the "pan."
- Bake for 15 minutes.
Help your child to make three more cakes, but tell him to do the following:
- Leave the oil out of one.
- Leave the egg out of another.
- Leave the baking powder out of the third.
After baking, have him cut each cake in half and look inside.
- Do the cakes look different from each other?
- Do they taste different from each other?
Tell your child to write about, or draw pictures of, what he observes.
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