'Learning biology' photo (c) 2010, Atli Harðarson - license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/ — photo © 2010, Atli Harðarson | more info

We ran across this article at Factoidz and thought there were some great science ideas you might want to try with your kiddos! With 12 different experiments and explorations to choose from {some unique and some well-known}, here are two of our favorite ideas...

Identifying Objects By Touch

Young children rely on their senses - touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing - to explore and order the world around them. For the preschool age group, touch is a major contributor to learning. Article author, Levy Dalumpines, suggests finding several well-known items from around the classroom {i.e. Sandy the stuffed seal, a library book, a matchbox car, a small ball, a pencil etc.} and hide them in a large bag or tote. Invite your kiddos to reach in and select and object without pulling it out of the bag. Have them describe what the object feels like - soft, hard, smooth, fuzzy, bumpy, etc. - then hazard a guess as to what the object might be before pulling it out and revealing it to the class. This is a great way to help students rely on their sense of touch to problem solve, practice verbally describing an object, and maybe even learn new tactile vocabulary words!

Cooking Experiences

Kids can learn a lot from cooking! They learn to follow directions, explore different types of measuring tools, practice taking accurate measurements, build muscle strength/coordination as they stir, and much more! While safety is certainly the first priority {i.e. no unsupervised encounters with hot oven, dangerous kitchen electronics, sharp utensils, etc.}, there are several fun and safe options to explore with your kiddos...

Make smoothies! While you'll need a teacher assistant or parent volunteer to man the blenders, your students will have a fantastic time measuring out the proper ingredients for their smooth summer snacks!
Ice Christmas cookies! Let you kiddos add and stir food coloring into the icing {provide them with color mixing charts that have the correct number of drops of each color needed}, then go to town decorating their treats.
Make chocolate covered pretzels! Invite students to dunk a pretzel rod into a crock pot of melted chocolate {under adult supervision, of course!} then roll it around in sprinkles.
Create sweet Christmas gifts! Collect all the dried ingredients needed to make a festive holiday drink or baked good, inviting your kiddos to measure them out, layer them in a jar, and decorate a gift tag with instructions on how to make the yummy drink/dish inside! [Here's an example from Paula Deen.]

As always, there are quite a few other great ideas to be had in the full post, so be sure to head on over to Factoidz to read the rest of Dalumpines' article!

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