How can you help and support your child in the area of scientific thinking development? Create activities that address the following areas.
- Wondering about things
- Asking questions
- Making predictions
- Using the 5 senses to get information about something
- Organizing information and talking about it
- Comparing and contrasting things, talking about how they are alike and different
- Using words to explain why something happened
Get your thinking caps on! We are going to channel our inner scientists today! It's all about questioning, exploring, and predicting! You have tools around your house that can help you explore your world! There is a lot out there for your little ones to discover. Just think about how much is included under the subject heading of science. It's not just about experiments, but also things like weather, plants, animals, space, and the environment. This may seem a bit intimidating, but it doesn't have to be. Science is another one of those subjects I was never overly fond of, but the way it can be presented to children now is so much more exciting and interactive than it was when I was a kid. Now I find it all fascinating. Scientific concepts and ideas are brought to life in a visually exciting and appealing manner. Things are more practical and hands on which I think is absolutely fantastic. Kids can get right in the action and learn without even knowing it, and you know how much I love that! The "S" in STEAM is all the rage now. Even within the last five years, books on different science topics have exploded on to the seen. I also love the push to get girls interested in science and math as well.
Social media science
Okay, let me just start off by saying that I am not promoting the idea of getting your child their own account. If you do, do you. That's the prerogative of the parent. I am saying that many big names in science have a social media presence and often post short videos that can be very informative and exciting. Bill Nye and Neil Degrasse Tyson are two that I follow. Honestly there have been times when I find something in their videos so interesting, that I research the topic further on my own. It's almost like movie trailers for science! If you come across something that interests you, show the kids. Learn things together.
Pinterest is your friend
Continuing with the social media thread, Pinterest has been a valuable resource for me in a variety of areas, but especially when I am brainstorming for ideas for programs. Many an activity in my Preschool STEAM programs was born out of a Pinterest rabbit hole deep dive.
Dollar store science
The local dollar store has been a great source of items for scientific exploration and experimentation that won't break the bank. It's also a source for items that can have many uses. Ice cube trays are not just for making ice cubes. These can also be sorting trays. Or you can freeze paint in them. That is a great activity for talking about states of matter as well as color mixing. Candy isn't just for eating either. You can test liquids to see what dissolves it. You can even make a little magic with Skittles or M&Ms and make the letter come off and rise to the top of a glass of water. It's so cool!
Find your green thumb
Now I have a black thumb, but you might be more blessed in the gardening area. Plant a garden! Think life cycle, think photosynthesis, think food pyramid! A lot of math can come into play here too (measuring distance between seeds, sorting into food and flower seeds,
Check out DVDs from your local library
I can actually look across my department right now and see the familiar blue Bill Nye the Science Guy DVDs on the shelf. He covers so many different areas, and the lessons are geared towards kids (and adults) who want to learn but don't want to keep a scientific dictionary (is that a thing?) next to them. Then there's the amazingly awesome show, Mythbusters. My husband got me into them way back when. Not only are they educational, but they are hilarious. Plus I had a slight crush on Tory Belleci who was the class clown of the group and had that whole nerdy hot thing going on. RIP, Grant Imahara. He was probably my favorite of the bunch. When I found out he passed away this year, I cursed 2020 even more. Mythbusters tested out those crazy urban legends in very exciting ways. I mean, have you seen the one where they blew up the cement truck in the desert? Plus you will never look at powdered coffee creamer the same way ever again. Seriously. Google it.
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| Tory Belleci. Yum. |
Make up fun games
You can gather up the various stuffed animals in your house and then play a game. Have your child draw pictures of different places animals live (ocean, forest, jungle, etc.) and then sort the animals according to where they would live.
Get out in nature
There are so many fantastic parks all around where I live, with really cool nature centers where kids can learn all kinds of things for free from rangers and other park staff. Get out in your area and see what there is to offer. Even just talking a walk around your neighborhood works. Talk about the things that you see. What is the weather like? What kinds of animals might you see? Are there lakes or streams that you can explore? You can even gather found objects and make them into art.
Sink or float
Grab a bunch of random things from around your house, fill up your bathtub, and make your predictions. Will it sink or will it float? (Hmmm...that could be a fun game show experience!) I have done this is so many programs with a variety of different ages. It's always fun, and there are usually some surprises along the way. Another fun thing to do while your bathtub is full is make aluminum foil boats and then test the design by seeing how much they can hold. My daughter did this as a science project in 2nd grade. They also got to decorate their boats, so you know my designer of a daughter had fun with Mama's duct tape and other random craft materials!
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| The S.S. Natalie |
Books
More and more books about a variety of scientific concepts and ideas are becoming available on library shelves. Science experiment books and science project books have gotten really cool. Best of all, many of them are geared specifically towards preschool age children as well as school-age. So many of the new books that have come into my department have caught my eye. I read them, and I get inspired to create programs. A few years ago, I even lead a family science night which was a BLAST! Make science come to life for your children. Make it memorable and meaningful. Some keywords you can use in your search are science (obv), senses, scientific method, comparing, contrasting, STEM, STEAM, weather, animals, plants, outer space, seasons, and nature. Basically the 500s of your local library juvenile nonfiction collection will be the place to go. Here are some fiction books to check out as well.
- Princess and the petri dish / Sue Fliess ; illustrated by Petros Bouloubasis
- Dream big, little scientists : a bedtime book / Michelle Schaub ; illustrated by Alice Potte
- Cece loves science / Kimberly Derting and Shelli R. Johannes ; illustrations by Vashti Harrison
- Cece loves science and adventure / by Kimberly Derting and Shelli R. Johannes ; illustrated by Vashti Harrison
- Cece loves science : push and pull / by Kimberly Derting and Shelli Johannes ; illustrations by Vashti Harrison
- Charlotte the scientist finds a cure / written by Camille Andros ; illustrated by Brianne Farley
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Charlotte the scientist is squished / Camille Andros ; Brianne Farley
- Georgia's terrific, colorific experiment / Zoe Persico
- Pete the Cat and the supercool science fair / by Kimberly & James Dean
- Thank you, Earth : a love letter to our planet / April Pulley Sayre
- Can one balloon make an elephant fly? / Dan Richards ; with pictures by Jeff Newman
- Ada Twist, scientist / by Andrea Beaty ; illustrated by David Roberts
- The bot that Scott built / by Kim Norman ; illustrated by Agnese Baruzzi
- Toshi's little treasures / written by Nadine Robert ; illustrated by Aki
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