Science & Hands-on Experimentation

Reporting the Weather – Watch the weather together. Is it warm or cold, cloudy or sunny? Look at the clouds. Will it rain? Encourage your child to make up a weather report about the day’s weather, including a prediction of the coming weather. Later that day, ask your child to remember his or her predictions and compare them to the actual weather.

A Seashore Zoo – It’s okay to collect sea creatures to observe, as long as you return them to their habitat. First, make a habitat for them, such as a pail or see-through container into which you have put sand, rocks, seaweed, and a container of seawater. Observe your sea creature for awhile, and then return it to the sand and sea. Draw a picture and write notes about what you observe.

Rain Painting – Sprinkle powdered paint on construction paper. Help your child place it outside for a few minutes on a rainy day. Ask your child to predict what will happen. When you bring the painting inside, talk about how the rain changed the pain from powder to liquid.

The Science of Sound – Help your child make a musical instrument by wrapping a rubber band around a coffee can. Have your child pluck the rubber band and discover what happens. Your child will notice that the rubber band moves, or vibrates, to make a sound. Have your child experiment with six thick rubber bands stretched around a plastic box to make a “guitar.” Let your child tune the guitar by tightening some of the rubber bands on the edge of the box to make different notes. Do the tightly stretched rubber bands make higher or lower notes than the untightened ones? Have your child form a theory about why the more tightly stretched rubber bands make higher notes.

Worm Pets – Earthworms are clean, quiet pets that will fascinate your child! Fill an aquarium with two inches of soil. Thoroughly wet the soil with water. Purchase or find earthworms and place them in the soil. To feed the worms, regularly sprinkle about one teaspoon of cornmeal over the top of the soil.