The Wonder and Magic of Science

The great part about science projects is that they are open-ended to allow for hypothesizing and making discoveries. They do not need to be time consuming and you can usually find materials around the house that when mixed together, can create magical changes. Today we used milk, dish soap, and food coloring to explore "cause and effect" and color mixing with the Beetle class.

 

Seattle Summer Days

 In the yard,

 with friends,

 enjoying the Summer,

 exploring water,

and having fun.

Water... Colors... Experimenting

 The Centipede class checked in on our experimental beads from yesterday.  They didn't melt, turn to milk, or become rainbows as the preschoolers had hypothesized yesterday, but they definitely grew larger, absorbing the water. Last month the teachers at Tiny Tribe attended a childcare conference together and purchased the non-toxic plant food pellets from a really cool company called Creation Station. You can check them out here:

http://www.creationstationinc.com/product/BIOGELKIT.html

Each preschooler had an opportunity to investigate them independently during class time.

 

 Zoe noticed how they felt in her hands and how they reflect light and appear to shine. All of the kids found the texture of the beads was still smooth and they noticed that the beads were softer rather than hard like they were yesterday.

 

 Eva took a close up look. 
How does it look?  Can you look through them?   

 Lena checked to see how they rolled and found that the smaller ones bounced but the larger ones broke on the floor.

At another station today we explored watercolors using water-droppers, extra gigantic coffee filters, and the primary colors yellow, red, and blue. We explored how the strength of their squeeze pushed the paint out and on to the filter.  They observed how the colors spread and changed as they mixed together with each other.

 

Myla and Ava worked with color a little at a time using two droppers simultaneously. It was enjoyable as a teacher to see the designs they could make and gradually fill their entire filters. We will continue to explore color mixing as well as explore what happens when you mix and add things together with some fun science experiments as the week progresses.

Outside Circle Time Fun

It was a beautiful sunny morning and the courtyard was shady and cool so the Beetle class decided to head outside for morning snack and circle time.



We happily ate our snack and drank some water as we chatted together. Because we are exploring color and our perceptions this week, we talked about our ripe juicy red strawberries, our bright soft yellow bananas, and our slippery white cheese.

When our bellies were full, we continued our color conversation during circle time using giant translucent colorful scarves. 

 

            The toddlers were delighted to "hide" in their color and yet still see their friends.

  Here's a link to an interesting article about why kids love to play peek-a-boo.

http://www.parentingcounts.org/information/timeline/peek-a-boo/

Moving around and walking with their colored scarves on was another new way they could explore their environment and each other. 

After circle time we were ready to cool off in the yard with some water play.

We ended our morning with a walk through the neighborhood and some truck watching at QFC.



What's Your Hypothesis?

The Centipedes were excited about the idea of coming back from summer break and checking out some science projects. They were introduced to these tiny beads during circle time and came up with ideas of what would happen to the beads if they put them in water.  Some of them shared their hypothesis with the class.  

 I think they will melt, when I put ice cubes in water they melt. - Eva 

 

They will get bigger, they will grow in water. - Lena 

They will turn into rainbows. - Myla.

They will become milk. - Kaya.

They will turn into milk rainbows. - Myla 

We will have to wait and see?  Look for an update tomorrow. 

Mixing Colors

The Centipedes are having fun with colors... exploring them alone and also adding more colors. Today they eachThey each chose a color to start with then added a color one at a time.  The options were the primaries - yellow, blue, red, and white and black to create shades of the colors.   Their choices were limited, but what they could make was boundless.

 Lena wanted to start with yellow.   Kaya chose blue to begin.

 Eva chose red.  Eva comment right away that as she moved the red paint across her white paper, her paint looked pink in some place.  "Look I made pink here."  Next she wanted to add blue to her mix to see what it would do.

Lena and Kaya chose to add a second color.  Remarking how their colors changed making green and light blue on their paper.

  Both Lena and Kaya wanted to see how black would effect their colors.  Lena's green turned darker and Kaya's light blue turned a bit grey.  They watched and moved their paint brush about, seeing how each stroke changed their painting more, blending and changing the colors.

 Myla took a turn painting and found how she could make purple "Whoa look I made purple."

 Chloe wanted make the color red.  For her second color she wanted green, how did Lena make it? Green wasn't a choice of paint color?  She decided to try yellow to see what would happen. 

 We will continue to explore and have fun with colors throughout the week, seeing how we can make new colors, how they mix and work together using various media. 

Beetle Summer Fun with Bubbles and Birdseed

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