Do you have curious little outdoor explorers?

My kids are loving the change of seasons and the ability to play outside almost every day.  Most of the time their outdoor play involves riding bike, playing on the swing set and other large motor activities.  We also try to do an outdoor science  experiment.  So far we have played with wet chalk, planted our herb garden and done some bug investigation.

I think our next science activity might have to be building a small worm farm.  My daughter LOVES digging and playing with worms.  Within five minutes of being outside, she has her shovel and black dirt smeared on her hands and legs.  True scientific experiments usually lead to a bath, right?

Idea of the Day:

Take a look at the website: Home Science Tools

Here you will find great summer science projects with easy step-by-step instructions.

Under the “science” tab on this site, you will find science projects broken down into various categories.  There is one for PreK-4 Science projects.

Do your children enjoy sidewalk chalk?

Now that the weather is finally acting like spring/almost summer here in Minnesota, it is time to dig out the appropriate toys.  The kites, bubbles, bikes, sprinkler and sidewalk chalk have been taunting my children all winter.  They are so excited that they can finally play with all of these things again.

This past weekend when my children were creating their chalk masterpieces my neighbor asked me if I had ever soaked the chalk in water.  I figured that chalk+water=disintegrated chalk.  I guess I was wrong.  Supposedly (since I have not tried it yet and am a bit skeptical) that if you soak chalk in water for a few hours or overnight the chalk colors become very bright.

This is one experiment that my children are very interested in conducting.  We will see what happens.

Idea of the Day:

Try soaking the sidewalk chalk in water for brighter colors.

Here are a few links that have complete directions on this process.

Some say to add sugar to the water, others do not.  You decide.  One site I found said to soak the chalk in milk.  I think we will stick to the plain water first.

How to Create Wet Chalk Drawings

Preschool Art

Fun with Sidewalk Chalk

Have you ever tried the color changing milk experiment?

Recently I came across a website called Steve Spangler Science and found a great science experiment.  I classify a science experiment as “great” if:

1.  There are not a lot of steps.

2.  It does not create a huge mess.

3.  I have all of the ingredients in my home.

4.  My kids will go “ooohh, aaaahhhh” during the experiment.

This one meets all of my expectations.

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Have you read Bartholomew and the Oobleck?

I used to think I was familiar with most of the books written by Dr. Seuss.  However as I began to research ideas for Dr. Seuss week, I realized there are so many Dr. Seuss titles that I have not read.  I had never even heard of Bartholomew and the Oobleck.

Bartholomew and the Oobleck was written in 1949.  This book follows the adventures of a young boy named Bartholomew.  Bartholomew must save his kingdom from a sticky substance called oobleck.

This is a great book to use for creating a lesson that incorporates both children’s literature and science.

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Is it just me, or does going through all the papers in a child’s backpack seem like an endless task?

There are art projects, short stories, homework worksheets, lunch menus, papers to sign and return and of course the 900 fliers from Community Education about joining a class.  Don’t they know I don’t have time to take a class because I am too busy sorting and recycling papers from backpacks?

In all honesty, I do like being informed on what is happening in school.  I like seeing how my children spent their day and the type of things they are doing in the classroom.

Last week when I was sorting through the madness, I saw that they sent a home a science newsletter/short magazine called Science Matters. In this was a list of science websites for kids.  I have only had time to start investigating some of them.  The ones I have looked at so far seem great!  I decided I would share the list, hoping that you and your children would find a few you liked.

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