Kindergarden
Magnet Painting-
Children are fascinated with magnets and often believe that magnetic attraction is magic. But while magnets are amazing, they're also science, and that can be magical too! Here is an activity that blends art and science by using magnets, paint, and objects found around the house to create a picture.
What You Need:
What You Do:
By Latrenda KnightenLatrenda Knighten has spent 19 years teaching in a variety of elementary school classrooms, from kindergarten through fifth grade. For nine of those years, she taught kindergarten. She also served as an elementary school math and science specialist. She lives in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
1st Grade
Experiment with Balloon Science!
Whether your child loves science or just likes to be impressed, this activity will have her begging to learn how it's done. Tell your child that you're going to blow up a balloon without using your mouth. She may look at you like you're full of baloney, and proving her wrong will be half the fun. This isn't just a cool trick, it's also a great introductory lesson in chemistry and biology.
What You Need:
What You Do:
2nd Grade
States of Matter in a baggie-
In second grade, students build on kindergarten and first grade foundations and explore higher-level science concepts, such as the water cycle, magnetism, and states of matter. Some of these scientific principles are difficult to observe, and can therefore be challenging for a second grader to understand. When it comes to science concepts, nothing makes abstract ideas concrete, quite like hands-on experiences.
Here’s a simple experiment you can do in your own home, to help your second-grader understand how temperature can affect states of matter. Your child will have a more solid understanding of these important scientific concepts after she does this experiment in a baggie! Not to mention, this activity ends with a refreshing treat and is perfect for those warm summer days.
What You Need:
What You Do:
By Liana MahoneyLiana Mahoney is a National Board Certified elementary teacher, currently teaching a first and second grade loop. She is also a certified Reading Specialist, with teaching experience as a former high school English teacher, and early grades Remedial Reading instructor.
Magnet Painting-
Children are fascinated with magnets and often believe that magnetic attraction is magic. But while magnets are amazing, they're also science, and that can be magical too! Here is an activity that blends art and science by using magnets, paint, and objects found around the house to create a picture.
What You Need:
- Wooden blocks
- Sturdy piece of cardboard
- Strong magnet
- Metal (iron) objects such as washers, nuts and bolts
- Thread
- Liquid tempera paint in more than one color
- Tape
- Blank paper
- Small bowls or shallow pans for the paint
What You Do:
- Tape a blank piece of paper to the piece of cardboard. Then use the blocks to make a raised platform to hold the piece of cardboard. Make sure to leave enough room under the cardboard for your child to move her hands.
- Place a washer (or other metal object) on top of the piece of paper. Give your child the magnet and tell her to place the magnet underneath the piece of cardboard. Allow her to move the magnet around underneath the cardboard to make the washer move.
- Tell your child that the magnet is attracted to (sticks to) the metal washer and the force is strong enough to work through the cardboard. Show your child the paint and thread and tell her that she is going to use the magnet and the metal objects to create a painting.
- Allow your child to select 2-3 metal objects to use for her project. Help your child tie a length of thread to the metal objects and dip the objects in the tempera paint.
- Next have your child place the metal objects on the piece of paper and hold the magnet underneath the cardboard (the magnet should touch the cardboard) and move it around. The magnet will “paint” with the metal objects as they move over the paper.
- For some fun, let your child move the metal objects, dip them in paint again, and continue painting to make an art piece. Try using a variety of paint colors to make this a unique and memorable experience!
By Latrenda KnightenLatrenda Knighten has spent 19 years teaching in a variety of elementary school classrooms, from kindergarten through fifth grade. For nine of those years, she taught kindergarten. She also served as an elementary school math and science specialist. She lives in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
1st Grade
Experiment with Balloon Science!
Whether your child loves science or just likes to be impressed, this activity will have her begging to learn how it's done. Tell your child that you're going to blow up a balloon without using your mouth. She may look at you like you're full of baloney, and proving her wrong will be half the fun. This isn't just a cool trick, it's also a great introductory lesson in chemistry and biology.
What You Need:
- Balloons
- Narrow funnel
- 1 tablespoon (15mL) active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon (5 mL) sugar
- Measuring spoons
- Measuring cup
- Warm water
- Ruler
What You Do:
- Place the bottom of a funnel into the opening of the balloon. You may need to stretch the opening of the balloon a little bit so that it fits.
- Have a parent (or a carefully supervised child), pour the yeast and the sugar into the balloon through the funnel. Then fill the measuring cup with warm water from the sink and carefully pour the water into the balloon.
- Remove the funnel from the opening of the balloon. Tie a knot in the balloon to keep the water-and-yeast mixture inside. Measure your balloon.
- Place the balloon in a warm place and wait. Measure your balloon again.
2nd Grade
States of Matter in a baggie-
In second grade, students build on kindergarten and first grade foundations and explore higher-level science concepts, such as the water cycle, magnetism, and states of matter. Some of these scientific principles are difficult to observe, and can therefore be challenging for a second grader to understand. When it comes to science concepts, nothing makes abstract ideas concrete, quite like hands-on experiences.
Here’s a simple experiment you can do in your own home, to help your second-grader understand how temperature can affect states of matter. Your child will have a more solid understanding of these important scientific concepts after she does this experiment in a baggie! Not to mention, this activity ends with a refreshing treat and is perfect for those warm summer days.
What You Need:
- Re-sealable sandwich baggie
- Ice cube tray
- Water
- Powdered drink, such as Kool-Aid
- Masking tape
What You Do:
- Mix a batch of Kool-Aid or Hawaiian punch, or a more nutritious organic juice if you prefer, as long as it's brightly colored. Use it to fill an ice cube tray and leave it in the freezer until you've made solid ice cubes.
- Once you've made your juice ice, have your child put a few cubes in a resealable baggie, and seal it up tightly.
- Have your child squeeze the ice cubes in the baggie, and determine what state of matter they currently represent. (They should be in the solid state, because they maintain their shape.)
- Tape the baggie to an indoor window, where it can get direct sunlight for most of the day.
- Have your child observe the contents of the baggie about once every half an hour. What can she see happening? Is the ice cube still a solid? Has it become a liquid or a gas? How does she know? (A liquid takes the shape of its container, and flows.)
- After the ice melts, of course, it will become a liquid. After several hours, however, your child may begin to notice tiny droplets of water forming at the top of the baggie. This is because with the heat of the sun, the water evaporated into the air inside the baggie, and formed water vapor, a gas. Since the vapor cannot escape, it begins to condense on the baggie, forming tiny droplets of water and returning to the liquid phase once again. Ask your child some questions to get her thinking more about states of matter:
- What causes the water in the baggie to change from one state of matter to another? (The temperature.)
- What could she do to prevent the water droplets from forming in the baggie? (She could refreeze the water, so it could become a solid again. Or, she could open the baggie to let the water vapor escape. Eventually all the water would evaporate into the air.)
- Okay, now the most important part: what tastes better - frozen juice, cold liquid juice, or warm liquid juice?
By Liana MahoneyLiana Mahoney is a National Board Certified elementary teacher, currently teaching a first and second grade loop. She is also a certified Reading Specialist, with teaching experience as a former high school English teacher, and early grades Remedial Reading instructor.
3rd Grade
~WATER CYCLE DEMONSTRATION~
1. Fold a paper towel in half twice.
2. Lay the folded paper towel on a table and stand a glass on it. The glass must be large large enough to support a 16-ounce (480-ml) plastic soda or water bottle as shown.
3. Fill the bottle half full with warm tap water. Add a couple drop of blue food coloring just for fun. Close the bottle with its lid.
4. Invert the bottle and stand it in the glass.
5. Place an ice cube on top of the inverted bottle.
6. Observe the contents of the bottle as often as possible for 10 or more minutes or until the ice melts. FYI: Use another paper towel to blot any water from the melting ice if it obstructs your view of the bottle’s content.
Results
The bottle looks clear at first, then its sides look cloudy. As time passes, the tiny droplets combine forming larger drops. Some of the drops fall and others run down the inside of bottle.
Why?
Water evaporates from the surface of the warm water forming water vapor. This water vapor then condenses when it hits the top surface of the bottle or the air beneath, both of which have been cooled by the ice cube. When enough droplets have joined together, they form larger drops that fall from the inside “roof” of the bottle as well as run down the inside of the bottle. This is the same way the water cycle works on Earth.
~WATER CYCLE DEMONSTRATION~
1. Fold a paper towel in half twice.
2. Lay the folded paper towel on a table and stand a glass on it. The glass must be large large enough to support a 16-ounce (480-ml) plastic soda or water bottle as shown.
3. Fill the bottle half full with warm tap water. Add a couple drop of blue food coloring just for fun. Close the bottle with its lid.
4. Invert the bottle and stand it in the glass.
5. Place an ice cube on top of the inverted bottle.
6. Observe the contents of the bottle as often as possible for 10 or more minutes or until the ice melts. FYI: Use another paper towel to blot any water from the melting ice if it obstructs your view of the bottle’s content.
Results
The bottle looks clear at first, then its sides look cloudy. As time passes, the tiny droplets combine forming larger drops. Some of the drops fall and others run down the inside of bottle.
Why?
Water evaporates from the surface of the warm water forming water vapor. This water vapor then condenses when it hits the top surface of the bottle or the air beneath, both of which have been cooled by the ice cube. When enough droplets have joined together, they form larger drops that fall from the inside “roof” of the bottle as well as run down the inside of the bottle. This is the same way the water cycle works on Earth.
4th Grade
~MAKE YOUR OWN THERMOMETER~
Materials
~MAKE YOUR OWN THERMOMETER~
Materials
- 1 pint jar with cap
- 1 straw, preferably clear
- Some clay or play dough
- Water
- Rubbing alcohol
- Food Coloring
- 1 marker
- Fill the jar with equal parts water and rubbing alcohol about ¼ of the way up the jar
- Add a few drops of food coloring to color the temperature-sensitive liquid. Using red coloring best mimics a standard mercury thermometer.
- Secure the cap and shake well to mix the liquid and to ensure the food coloring is evenly dispersed.
- Punch a hole with a pen in the center of the cap, allowing the straw to feed through.
- Position the straw so that it dips into the liquid but does not touch the bottom of the jar.
- Use the modeling clay or play dough to wrap around the straw where it enters the cap to create an air tight seal.
- Use a marker to mark on the jar the water level in the straw at room temperature. Building the thermometer is only half the fun. Now experiment with your students by having them take their thermometers and place them in differently-heated places to watch what happens. Take it outside; place it in a shadow, in the sun light or wherever to see how temperature reacts with their thermometers.
5th Grade
~FILL EM' UP~
This activity will help students to learn the concept of volume through hands-on activities.
Materials:
Various containers (size & shape)
Instructional Procedures
Instructional Procedures
~FILL EM' UP~
This activity will help students to learn the concept of volume through hands-on activities.
Materials:
Various containers (size & shape)
Instructional Procedures
- How Much Will It Hold? (pdf)
- Clear geometric solids
- Rice
- Lentils
- Water
- Funnels
- 50ml graduated cylinders
- Paper towels
Instructional Procedures
- Display a small container of rice, lentils, and water which students might use to measure volume. Question students as to which material would give the best measurement and why?
- Demonstrate proper measurement, with rice and water, measuring the volume of the small rectangular prism. Compare the measurements and ask which material provides a more accurate measurement. Why?
- Working with a partner, students will use the eight geometric solids on their table to estimate which has the least volume and list in order least to greatest.
- Using a 50ml graduated cylinder and funnel, one student will fill chosen solid and note on chart the volume of the solid. Students will use the same material to measure all of their shapes. Have different pairs use different materials at each table. One pair will use water, one lentils and one group will use rice.
- Partners will complete measurement a second time to assure accuracy.
- Repeat the same process with all eight shapes.
- Students will list solids, greatest volume to least, and compare with estimation.
- Group students according to the material used to measure volume. Have groups share their findings. Listen as students attempt to explain and question differences in findings.
- Ask students to compare the relationship between different solids. Do they see any relationships? If students can see a similarity, have them share and discuss their findings. If they cannot see a relationship, aim them toward the cube and square pyramid. Was their measurement of the square pyramid 1/3 of the cube? What are some ways in which they can prove their findings to be true? Can they see any other similarities with other shapes?