Preschool Science Activities - Textures & Magnifying Glasses

I can't remember ever having a preschooler who isn't intrigued by a magnifying glass, insects and exploring adventures. Try these preschool science activities with your class. Your students will love it, learn, explore and ask questions. You can use this activity for so many opportunities to teach shapes, numbers, textures, discovery of the world around them.

The kids will help you with the set up of the sand table. Start at circle time to discuss what they will be doing and then introduce the steps.

Texture Exploration!
Activity area: Sand/Water table

Materials: Magnifying glass, picture of an ant, measurement cups/spoons, big spoons, bowls, funnels, cotton balls, foam packing peanuts, birdseed, sand, rice, dried beans, pebbles and stones

Hook: Hold up a magnifying glass and say that they are all going to be scientists, this morning! Pass around the magnifying glass to each child and have the children look at the ant picture, with their new "lenses." Explain that the magnifying glass makes everything appear bigger and that we can all be like scientists and explore.

Activity
Explain that the ant in the picture) uses their feelers or antennas to explore and we, as humans, use our hands, eyes, ears, nose and mouth to explore. Point to each of these body parts. After this discussion, have the children create their own sensory table using their own feelers or hands.

Allow the children to pick from the materials listed above, which item they would like to add to the sensory table. After their choice, ask the child how the object feels.
Let the children use the magnifying glass to see the textures. After all the children have added their item have them all put their hands, in the table, to mix together. Give them plenty of time to explore and experiment!

If you like these preschool science activities, check out the other ideas in the Preschool Planner.

http://www.preschoolplanner.com/thefullstory.html

There are Two Editions now for the Preschool Planner: Basic or Platinum.


Send me any ideas you would like to share and I will post them on my Blog.

Mary
marys.plans@gmail.com


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