Preschool Science - Window Nature Observers

Fall provides so many opportunities to teach preschool science--especially the seasons.

Go for a walk, and begin pointing out things that are changing--of course colors of leaves are the most noticeable.

The weather is changing too so there are many days you can't go outside so here is an option for observation skills.

Window Drawing

As the days get colder we enjoy, drawing on the windows. Use the crayola window markers.

Draw the trees with full leaves and day by day as the leaves fall erase a leaf, until the trees are bare.

I use this as a tool to teach about change, which also includes things around them and the environment.

You can also start a chart next to this and make a mark each time you erase a leaf. Then you can use your marks for numbers and counting fun.

If you like this preschool science activity, check out the other ideas in the Preschool Planner.

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

Mary


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Preschool Science Activities - Jumping on Air

If you are looking for hands-on preschool science activities you
must try the activity below.

In the spirit of sharing one of my readers sent this in and I couldn't wait
to share it.

It involves the kids, lets them experience and discover so many concepts--their own weight, what will hold them up, counting, cause and effect and even recycling!


Jumping on Air
Materials: plastic bags from grocery
plastic ties,large garbage bag

What to do:
1.Blow up a plastic bag.Secure it with a tie.Let a child sit on it.What happen?It will pop
2.Discuss the fact that one bag is not strong enough to hold us up.How can we make stronger? By adding more bags and bunching them together we can create a cushion of air. These can support not only one child but many.
3.Let the child help to blowup numerous plastic bags. Use the tie top to secure tightly.
4.Place many inflated bags into a large garbage bag. Secure the bag with a tie when it is stuffed with the air filled produce bags.
5.Let the children sit on,fall onto or jump on it.
6.What happens? Did the bag burst? Why not? The air distributed and formed a natural cushion for the children as they jumped.

Your preschoolers will love doing preschool science activities. Get them involved and learning takes place and so much fun.

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

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

Mary
marys.plans@gmail.com


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Preschool Science Activities - Science, Recycling and Wind Chimes

If you're looking for ideas for preschool science activities, try this fantastic idea.

Science activities get your preschoolers directly involved and my philosophy is having them learn by doing!

This activity gets the children directly involved, teaches creative ways to recycle old items around the house or classroom and teaches about air and its properties. One of my readers sent in this idea to share.

Wind Chimes
I do a science unit on air and its properties. One of the projects in this unit is a wind chime. Have each child gather some items from home (inside and out) with which to create their very own wind chime. I send an explanatory note home to the parents as well as a few suggestions to get them started.

I am going to use plastic lids from food containers (oleo, coffee, sour cream, etc.) so before the day of construction, I will punch several holes through the lids using a hammer and nail and then thread the string through them, attaching them all at the top with a loop.

The children will then help me tie each item to a string. As with store-bought wind chimes, there needs a striker item hanging in the middle. A large metal washer works nicely. My students love this activity and we hang them from our classroom ceiling for all to enjoy for a time. This is also a good project during which to talk about reducing, reusing and recycling materials with the children.

Thanks for sending this idea to share.

Keep your ideas coming in and I'll share them here for all.

If you like these preschool science activities, you'll love the other ideas in the Preschool Planner.

Check them out:

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


Mary
marys.plans@gmail.com


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Preschool Science Activities - Where do Pearls Come From?

Preschool science activities offer so many opportunities for hands on exploration. You can also use them to encourage the use of dramatic play fun that preschoolers love.

One of my circle time ideas is to talk about the next month that is coming up. For June, talk about monthly birthstones. The one for June is the pearl. Do they know what a pearl is? Where does it come from?

Talk about how oysters make pearls. In nature, a pearl is unusual, and finding gemstone quality pearls is rare. The pearl starts out as an irritant in a oyster or mussel. The "irritant" can be a bit of shell or parasite that gets caught in the soft tissue, which the pearl oyster tries to expel. If it can't get rid of it, t/he oyster coats the bothersome piece with a coating called nacre, forming the June birthstone.

Use the following ideas to continue the theme of pearls.


Secret Pearl Coloring Page
Since June’s birthstone is a pearl, show students where pearls come from by giving them an underwater scene to color and decorate. Give them a pearl to hold and look at and ask them to draw a secret pearl somewhere on their page. Then, they can trade pages and see who can find the hidden pearl.

Find the Pearl
Bring in three closed containers and put a pearl in one of them. Show the students which container the pearl is in and then mix the containers around. Students must try to follow the container with the pearl in it until you stop moving the containers. You should try to make them forget which one holds the pearl. When you stop, they can guess and you can see if anyone is right. Try this several times to improve their skills at attention and memory.

Dramatic Play: Underwater Divers
Send your students on a scuba mission to find valuable pearls at the bottom of the ocean. They must avoid sharks, jellyfish, and other dangerous animals as they venture to the bottom of the sea. They can comment on the types of animals they encounter and what it feels like to be able to breathe underwater.

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

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


Mary
marys.plans@gmail.com


P.S. If you would like to receive my free newsletters for ideas for your preschool class, enter your name and address at the site below:

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Preschool Science Activities - Dinosaurs and Birds

If you enjoy teaching science to preschoolers as much as I do, you will want to try these preschool science activities with your class.

The first one combines a favorite topic for all preschoolers--dinosaur--with another favorite interest which is eating and digestion. This was sent to me recently by one of my readers and is so much fun. Your kids will love this!

Use this activity also to show how dinosaurs digested their food the same way that birds digest theirs. This can be done in a circle time activity and also for gross motor skills and following directions when coupled with music.

Dinosaurs & Digestion
To demonstrate how plant eating dinosaurs digest their food (Same process can be used for a bird unit!) put one or two large lettuce leafs in a jar half filled with water. Place three or four 1-2 inch rocks in the jar and screw tightly shut. Pass around having the children shake the jar up and down and all around. This process will smash the lettuce to a pulp rather quickly "digesting it". Dinosaurs swallowed small rocks with their food (birds swallow sand and gravel).

To make it more fun, put on music such as Greg and Steve's "Freeze" song, or any other song you wish, to add dance to the process. Every time they say freeze or any time you stop the music, have the children pass the jar to a friend. Great movement and exercise and gets the job done quickly!

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

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


Mary
marys.plans@gmail.com


P.S. If you would like to receive my free newsletters for ideas for your preschool class, enter your name and address at the site below:

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Science for Preschool - Caterpillars and Butterflies

It is a fact that preschoolers are fascinated by insects and bugs. I use this curiosity to create some of my lessons for science for preschool.

Yes, some may be frightened initially but the fascination and curiosity usually takes over and they love learning about them. I find that starting with bugs such as caterpillars is the perfect and introduces them to the wonders of science and nature.

For circle time, gather together and talk about the life cycle of a butterfly--start with egg, caterpillar, chrysalis and then butterfly. You could read to them as well. I like the Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle or From Caterpillar to Butterfly by Deborah Heiligman.

Magical Transformation
From caterpillar to butterfly-Give every child a paper tube to decorate any way they please. Once they have finished, glue on 2 black dots for eyes, attach a pipe cleaner antenna. Also have the eyes facing you and glue a small loop to the opposite side of the tube so they can be hung in a window.

Have the children place the tubes into plastic grocery bags to represent the chrysalis. Next cut out wings from clear contact paper and give each child a pair. Have them attach glitter and pieces of tissue paper to decorate the wings leaving a small piece of the protective paper still on the contact paper so you can peel later to attach to the tube. Peel the piece of protective paper off of the wings and attach them to the paper tubes in the bags while kids are enjoying their snacks or after they have gone home for the day.

Ask the children what they think has happened to their caterpillars from yesterday’s “Magical Transformation” activity. Let them open the paper bags and witness the magical transformation for themselves. Explain again the basics of the transition from caterpillar to butterfly.


Reasoning skills
Talk about the magical transformation of the caterpillar to the butterfly. Find out where they think the wings come from. Ask if there are any other magical transformations they can think of in nature, like acorn to tree or egg to chicken.

Art Activity
Butterfly footprints and hands mural- let the children dip their feet in shallow dishes of washable paint, and have them place footprints on a big white piece of paper and have the hand prints go the other way. Leave a bit of space between the left and right foot for the body of the butterfly. After the paint has dried, let the children decorate the footprints and hand prints to resemble butterflies with paint and markers, and display the mural in the classroom for the remainder of the week.


If you like these activities for science for preschool, 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


P.S. If you would like to receive my free newsletters for ideas for your preschool class, enter your name and address at the site below:

http://preschoolplanner.com/preschool-activities.html

Preschool Science Themes - The World through a Magnifying Glass

Teaching preschool science themes always presents fun experiments and skills of observation. One of the more popular science ideas is to look at everyday objects through a magnifying glass.

I have several available so that the waiting time isn't too long. I have the hand held round ones as well as the larger sheet magnifiers.

This is an activity that can be done inside or outside weather permitting.

Show the children the magnifying glasses they will be using. I like to take newspaper or a magazine page and show them how the words and pictures will look different when you hold the magnifying glass over them. Move it in and out to show them how different things appear.

Next you can have them get into groups, each with a magnifying glass and then take turns letting them look at common things around them, for example: fuzz from the carpet, threads in the curtain, cracks on a painted toy, hair. If you are outside, they can look at leaves, sticks, bugs, etc.

Remind them to look closely and notice things they may have missed without the magnifying glass. Ask what is different? Encouraging their curiosity is the key here and increasing their ways of observing the world around them.

If you like these preschool science themes, you'll love the other ideas in the Preschool Planner.

Check them out:

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


Mary
marys.plans@gmail.com


PS: If you would like to receive my free newsletter for more ideas for your preschool class, enter your name and address at the site below:

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Preschool Science Activities - Earth Day Fun Project

April, springtime and Earth Day all go hand in hand! Here is a simple and fun-for-all-ages preschool science activity to try.

Preschoolers love planting things and watching them grow. They do however prefer to see this occur quickly so here is an idea for a fast growing plant for them to try--grass! They can take them home, plant them outside and have learned how to recycle as well. What could be better for Earth Day!

One of my subscribers sent this to me and it is perfect to share here with you today!


Growing plants in earth friendly "pots"

Need: egg shells, cotton balls, grass seed, water

I wanted the children to explore the processes of being able to plant something. So we planted grass inside an egg shell.

We saved egg shells from home and washed them so there would be enough for all the children. We used a cottonball and grass seed in 15 days we had hair growing inside the hollow egg! The children loved watching the process daily as we shared and charted together.

I thought this was such a sucessfull activity and would recomend everyone to try.

Keep the ideas coming and I will post them here.


Have fun with this Earth Day preschool activity!


Mary
marys.plans@gmail.com


PS: If you would like to receive my free newsletter for more ideas for your preschool class, enter your name and address at the site below:

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Preschool Science - Magnets and Art

As preschool teachers we are always searching for new ideas for our classes. Preschool science activities provide the perfect opportunities for hands on learning.

It is my firm belief that children learn by doing--holding things, making things happen, wondering why and figuring out the answer.

Try the art project below that Kimberly sent to me to share here on the blog. It uses art and the science of magnets to create a fun project for all age preschoolers from 2 years old and up.

Marble Magnet Art
Need:

magnetic marbles and a wand
Paint
empty box

Using the magnetic marbles and wand I came up with this idea for my preschoolers to use during science time.

We love to marble paint, so I decided to use these magnetic marbles. I placed the paper, paint and marbles in the box. Then I held the box up in the air while they used the wand to move the marbles around their paper. They really enjoyed it so the next day I used it with my 2 year olds and they enjoyed it as well.

This is a new take on marble painting and a preschool science lesson all in one.


If you like these ideas, you'll love the other ideas in the Preschool Planner.

Check them out:

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

Enjoy and remember to send in any ideas you wish to share and I will post them here.

Mary
marys.plans@gmail.com

PS: If you would like to receive my free newsletter for more ideas for your preschool class, enter your name and address at the site below:

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Preschool Science - The Seasons

Hi There,

Well, this is our first full week into the New Year. I hope you all had a wonderful Holiday season and are looking forward to new adventures.

I want to share some ideas on how to explore the seasons with your preschoolers. These ideas cover all the seasons and help them to understand why we have seasons. Not only do they peak interest in the Solar System, they also provide lots of ideas for activities and crafts to enhance learning and create lots of fun!


Why is it so Hot?
Bring out a poster or a 3-D model of the solar system. Ask students to show you where Earth is and where the sun is. Ask students if they know why it is hot in summer and cold in winter. Use the poster or the model to show students that in certain times of the year, Earth is closer to the sun than at other times. When we are closer, the weather is warmer. When we are farther away, the weather is colder.


Changing Seasons Worksheet
Give students a piece of paper with four equal squares on it. Tell students they must draw a scene for each of the seasons. They can include whatever nature things they want as well as animals. Give everyone a chance to describe their drawings and why they think it represents the seasons.

Weather Reporters
Take your class on a “field trip” throughout the room as they serve as weather reporters for the local news station. In one corner of the room, it is summer. Give students a chance to report what the temperature is and what it looks like outside. As they move to different corners, make sure students understand that the weather patterns change, so their reporting must change.

Hope you have some fun with these ideas. If you have any special ways of teaching the seasons, send them my way and I'll be happy to share them.

Bye for now,

Mary

PS: If you would like to receive my free newsletters for more ideas for your preschool class, enter your name and address at the site below:

http://preschoolplanner.com/preschool-activities.html