At The Nature Preschool, investigation, observation and experimentation are a regular part of how we think and play in the natural world. Teachers harness the children’s own curiosity about natural phenomena and processes to encourage scientific thinking skills.
When we do intentional science experiments we:
1) pose a question (what does the group want to figure out? what interesting thing are we curious about?)
2) make predictions (hypothesizes)
3) do trial and error experimentation
4) record and discuss findings
5) adjust and try again
6) arrive at a conclusion and discuss what we learned.
Try one of these experiments with your mad scientist:
Check out this creative experiment called Scientists in Space (moon rocks and craters). It is a great way to teach the tots about how craters are formed – but in the sand box!
Will it grow? Plant the same kind of seeds in various soils (IE: sand, soil, leaves, clay, or small stones). Which material will the seeds grow best in? Provide the same amount of sun and water. Make predictions and record over time. This is a great experiment with carrots or sunflower seeds.
Composting 101. Select five materials to compost (break down into soil). IE: newspaper, candy wrapper, plastic bag, dead insect, leaf, or apple peel. Conduct the experiment over several months for most dramatic results. Which will break down first? Bury items at the same depth outside and clearly label each plot. Periodically dig up the items to obseve and photograph changes. Continue to monitor for set period of time, then draw conclusions. Display images side by side to see changes. Why is composting useful to people? To plants? To animals?
What color? Use watercolor paints to mix colors. Make predictions about new colors first. Try mixing primary colors (red/yellow, yellow/blue, and blue/red). Next, mix complementary colors (yellow/violet, blue/orange, red/green). What happens if you just mix one color with more or less water? Label mixed colors or invent new color names. Once dry, cut out colorful shapes to make a color wheel!
Sounds like Music. Use drinking glasses or recycled bottles as sound vessels. Experiment with varying amounts of water in each glass. Do you need more or less water to create a high pitched sound? Low sound? Does the sound change if the shape of the glass is different? Experiment using measuring cups to pour the same amount of water in different shaped glasses. Make predictions and experiment some more.
What do you think? Please comment here!