Hands-On Minds-On StrategiesA Blueprint To The World of

Science and Math For Young ChildrenDeveloped and implemented at

Presented by Beth R. Davis, Ed. S., NBCT

bethdavis@kidsforkidsacademy.comBLOG: handsonmindsoneducation.com

Hands-On Minds-On Early Childhood is aframework that encompasses all areas ofdevelopment including social, emotional, earlyliteracy, mathematical thinking, culturalawareness, self-help skills, and fine and grossmotor skills. There is also a focus on infusingscience informally throughout the daily routinein several ways.

Infusing Science & Math Throughout Daily Routine

• Each day children have the opportunity to visit and play/learn in their science and discovery centers, where there are numerous activities and materials to observe and explore.

• Discovery areas contain: microscopes, hand lenses, rock and shell samples, sensory tables, magnets, insects (both real and plastic), x-rays, and additional items that are rotated in and out of the center.

• There are animals in each classroom to observe daily, as well as observing animals outdoors on the playground.

• There are science related books in class libraries, discovery areas, and in the school library based on various science themes.

• The garden is visited often each week. Each class has their own crop to plant, water, observe, and harvest.

• Cooking Activities are scheduled each Friday.• Science Experiments are aligned with themes that are taught in a lab

setting.

Science preschool goals are accomplished by practicing what scientists do:

• Observing objects, events, and people

• Asking questions

• Finding words to describe observations and to communicate ideas

• Exploring and investigating to try to answer questions

• Using science tools to observe and measure

• Recording observations using simple drawings and basic charts

Guidelines for animals in the classroom

• All mammals should be vaccinated

• Remember anything with a mouth CAN bite

• Children should not handle reptiles

• Children should sanitize hands before and after holding animals

• Animal cages should be cleaned daily

• Children should be taught to treat animals with respect

Animals can be used for observation and language expression

PaleontologistsStudents learn about the role of a paleontologist. They extract

dinosaurs from GAK.

Next, they sort, count, and match them to photos of the dinosaurs on their discovery trays.

Activity 1: Be A Paleontologist

Temperature

These children

have snow made

in their hands

and have a chance to

explorehow it feels.

Mix calcium chloride (Damp Rid) with water and let children feel how hot it gets. Then compare it

to something cold.

Activity 2: Temperature and Snow

Density and MatterMass, volume, and

density are all properties of matter. In this experiment, students pour red corn syrup, blue

water, and yellow vegetable oil and are amazed when

they sit at different levels. Corn syrup (most dense) sinksto the bottom. Oil (least dense) floats

on top.

Density and MatterThe Concepts: Students will learn that different liquids are denser (heavier) than others. Each child will be given a portion cup with blue water, yellow vegetable oil, and corn syrup colored red. Each child will pour their water in a large glass container. Next, they will pour the oil and watch as the oil floats on top of the water because the water is denser. Finally, they will pour in the red corn syrup and watch as the oil and water float on top of the corn syrup. Students will reexamine the words sinking and floating as well as heavier and lighter.

Elementary kids learn that mass, volume, and density are all properties of matter. In easy terms, mass is how much something weighs, volume is how much space it takes up, and density is how much of matter is packed into a given space. A liquid that is very dense will seem to be heavier and sink to the bottom where something that is less dense will float to the top. You can use different liquids to demonstrate the concept of density. In this activity, children will predict, pour, analyze, follow directions, use positional words top, middle, and bottom, and discuss colors.

The Set Up: For this activity you will need water colored with blue food coloring or liquid watercolor (Put a few drops into a water bottle and shake. It also makes it easier to pour from water bottles.), vegetable oil, corn syrup (Turn red with food coloring. Since it is very dense, you will need to turn the bottle back and forth many times.). Set up the following items on a tray for each child: Three 2 oz. Dixie cups (or portion cups), one with blue water, one with yellow vegetable oil, and one with red corn syrup. (For easy cleanup, put a paper towel on the tray). Each tray will also need an empty, clear 8 oz. plastic cup. You will also need a cup with water and some things to drop in to demonstrate sinking and floating.

The Discussion: Review the principles of sinking and floating and demonstrate how items sink or float by dropping items in your demonstration cup of water. Then discuss that everything is made of matter. Go around the room and name things: blocks, paper, crayons, toys, even the children are matter. All matter has weight and takes up space. You can demonstrate this by picking up a block. Discuss that it takes up space, and if you drop it, the weight is has will cause it to fall. Liquids are also matter. Show your demonstration cup and discuss that the water takes up space in the cup. Pass around an empty cup and then the one with the water so the children can feel the difference in weight. Show the cups with the 3 different color liquids and ask the children to tell you the colors of each. Discuss that the liquids each have a different amount of matter packed inside them and that one of them will be very dense and sink to the bottom when poured together, while one will be less dense and float to the top.

The Exploration: Tell each child to place their empty cup on the tray in front of them. Instruct them to pick up the yellow liquid (the oil) first and pour it into their clear empty cup. Next, have them pour the blue water into the cup with the oil. Like magic, the oil is on top of the blue water. Remind students of the concepts of sinking and floating and ask them if the water is floating on the top or did it sink to the bottom? Students should respond that it sank to the bottom. The water sank because it is more dense than the oil. The oil is “lighter” (or less dense), therefore, it floats on top of the water. Next instruct students to pour the red corn syrup into the cup with the oil and the water. The children will be amazed to see that the red corn syrup will sink below the water. Discuss what happened using the words sink and float. Discuss that the corn syrup is more dense (or “heavier”) so it sunk to the bottom. Have the children look at their clear cups and ask them which liquid is on top, on the bottom, and in the middle. You can pour all of the student cups into one two liter bottle or large water bottle. Once the lid is on tight, you can turn the bottle and watch as the liquids will combine, but always separate. Try this again using other liquids and discuss the results.

Activity 3: Density

Classification Systems

Scientists use classification systems to make it easier to study branches of science. By dividing objects into groups, scientists become experts in their fields.

An attribute is a characteristic used to group things.

People Sorting Activity

Scientists classify things into groups so that it iseasier for them to observe what they are studying.Zoologists are scientists who know a lot aboutanimals. Botanists know a lot about plants, andmarine biologists know a lot about marine life.They are experts in their fields. Things are classifiedby how they are alike or different. An attribute is away of describing something. It can be how itlooks, the size, shape, color, how it feels, or othercharacteristics.

Activity 4: Sorting Plastic Lids

Children sort lids from the large container. Each child collects one color.

Child with

her tray of green lids.

Children getting ready to line up lids to make their graphs. Children lining up lids to be counted.

Children compare their

height to the length of

the lids and compare

which is taller.

Junk Boxes and other things to classify• Buttons• Beads• Bread tags• Lids• Keys• Hardware• Plastic pieces• Shapes• Stamps• Luggage tags• Hose & cable fittings• Gift cards• Barrettes• What else can you classify

Science Lab Video Part 1

Garden Studies

Field Studies to Perform in a Garden Count the number of yellow flowers on your tomato

plant. Those yellow flowers will fall off and tomatoes willappear.

Count the number of green tomatoes on your plant. Count the number of red tomatoes on your plant. Use Popsicle sticks to measure the height of your plant. Count the number of green peppers in the garden. Count the number of red peppers in the garden. Count how many heads of cabbage are in the bed. Use paper clips to measure across the cabbage. Count the number of broccoli in each bed. Count the number of cauliflower in each bed. Measure the length of a bean pod. Measure the distance around the purple eggplant. Draw the vegetables in the garden. Use snapping cubes to measure the height of the

cabbage plant.

Beans are

planted in a cup.

Bean seeds

are

transplanted

to the garden

after sprouting.

Once

grown, the

bean length

is measured.

Students observe and draw broccoli plants that have gone to seed.

“Hands On” Broccoli

Red tomatoes are

counted and data is

recorded on a post it

note & transferred to field study book.

Planting tomato seedlings in the bed.

Tomatoes picked are counted.

Students use blocks as a non-

standard measure to balance

the scale and weigh their tomatoes.

Tomatoes are tasted and taken home.

Paperclips are used as a non-standard

measure to measure across the cabbage heads.

Popsicle sticks are used as a non-

standard measure to measure

plant heights.

Paperclips are used as a non-standard

measure to measure the length of the peppers.

Counting

cabbage leaves

Touching Tomatoes

Students draw

the plants they

see in the garden.

Red and green peppers

are identified and counted separately.

Watering plants

during daily observations.

We found that children who grow vegetables, learn to eat more vegetables. Children here are packing produce donated

by Farmshare, a local food recovery program.

Adaptations for Older Children

• Use words like diameter when measuring across vegetables.

• Use words like mass when discussing how much something weighs.

• Use the word average when figuring out the average size of vegetables.

Sow It, Grow It, Know It Video

Activity 5: Parts Of A Seed

Seeds are alike in many ways. They develop in the ovary of a plant

and contain a little plant called an embryo. Seeds are covered by

a thin outer coating called a seed coat. The seed coat protects

the seed. The tiny seed has its own food until it is able to make its

own food in its leaves. The food storage of a seed is called the

cotyledon. Seeds are different sizes and shapes. A corn seed is a

monocotyledon and has a tiny embryo inside, but since it has onlyone cotyledon, it cannot be split in half. A bean seed is a

dicotyledon meaning it has two cotyledons and can be split in half.The embryo is between the two cotyledons.

A popcorn kernel is a monocotyledon: It has one cotyledon

root system

stem

leaf

cotyledon (food source)

Seed coat

embryo

endosperm

root

embryo

seed coat

cotyledon (food source)

endosperm

stem

leaf

A lima bean is a dicotyledon: It has two cotyledons

In this activity, you will have a chance to compare a dry and soaked bean seed. One lima bean has been soaked overnight.

The other one is a dry seed that has not been soaked.

Materials (per person): one soaked seed, one dry seed, a hand lens, a ruler or tape measure

Procedure:

1. Lay out the soaked seed and the dry seed next to each other. Write

down or discuss five observations of each seed.

2. Carefully remove the seed coat.

3. Split the seed in two parts.4. Look for the embryo in the middle. It may break off or fall out.

5. Draw the two cotyledons and the embryo.

Write about it:

Pretend you found a bag of magic beans. Explain what happened after you planted the beans.

Seeds are planted Roots sprout

Leaves form

Flowers form

Seeds are dispersed

Life Cycles• Humans

– The concept is easy to present with small children. They begin life in their mommy’s belly and are born to a baby unable to walk. As they grow, they learn to walk and talk and eventually will grow to be an adult.

Butterfly lays an eggCaterpillar hatches

Caterpillar grows by eating leaves

Caterpillar attaches to a plant, forms an outer shell, pupa

After two weeks a butterfly emerges

Female frog lays hundreds of eggs

A tadpole hatches, like a fish it breathes through gills

Tadpole begins to grow hind legs

Tadpole grows front legs. The gills disappear and it breathes with its lungs

The tadpole’s tail disappears, it’s a frog.

Life Cycles

Two students trying to catch tadpoles for observation.

Tadpoles in a

test tube for observation.

Student

using a

hand lens

to view a tadpole.

Student

cupping her

hand to pick up a tadpole.

After teaching children about the stages of

development for frogs, students have a chance to get a closer look.

After learning

about life cycles,

children pick up tadpoles

and get a closer look

at their attributes.

Student using tweezers to

gently pick up mealworms out of a container of

oatmeal.

After learning about the life cycle of beetles, students explore mealworms.

Students using magnified bug viewers and hand

lenses to look at mealworms.

Activity 6: Exploring Mealworms

Life Cycle of a Mealworm

Activity 7: The Use of Graphing and Data Interpretation Pre K – Grade 3

• What is your favorite food?• What is your favorite zoo animal?• What is your favorite sport?• What is your favorite fruit?• What are your favorite green vegetables?• What is your favorite pet?• What is your favorite bird?• What are your favorite shoes?• What is your favorite fast food? • What is your favorite farm animal?• What is your favorite ice cream flavor? • What is your favorite dessert? • What is your favorite cookie?• What is your favorite holiday?• What is your favorite Disney character?• What is your favorite snack?• What is your favorite play area?• What is your favorite stuffed toy?• What is your favorite balloon color?• What is your favorite reptile?• What is your favorite insect?• What is your favorite creepy crawly?

• How many doors are in your house?

• Do you brush, brush and floss, or neither?

• Do you have a four-legged or two-legged pet?

• Do you have a hot or cold lunch today?

• What is your favorite milk flavor?

• Do you like baths or showers?

• Where do you like to swim the most?

• Is (enter season) your favorite season?

• What kind of Halloween candy do you receive the most of?

• How do you like your apples?

• Where would you like to go on vacation?

• What would you like to be when you grow up?

• What kind of toothpaste do you like best?

• Which soup do you like best?

• Would you rather have a pet with ... Fur, Fins or Feathers

• How many brothers do you have?

• What time did you go to sleep last night?

• How do you feel today?

• How many syllables are in your last name?

• How many syllables are in your first name?

• How many teeth have you lost?

• How many people live in your house? • What is your favorite community helper?• Which leaf do you like the best?• What is your favorite breakfast drink?• What is your favorite milkshake flavor?• What is your favorite breakfast food?• What is your favorite type of berry?• Do you use bubbles in your bath?• How do you like to eat your eggs?• Does your shirt have buttons or no buttons?• What is your favorite kind of pie?• Do your pants have pockets or no pockets?• Do you like sunshine, snow or rain?• Do you like daytime or nighttime?• What month were you born in?• Which apple color do you like best?• What is your favorite kind of doughnut?• What color socks are you wearing today?• Which movie is your favorite?• What is your favorite time of day?• Who is your favorite super hero?

• What is your favorite mammal?• What is your favorite dinosaur?• What is your favorite Popsicle flavor?• What is your favorite character?• What is your favorite Halloween decoration?• What is your favorite shape?• How do you get to school?• What is your favorite way to exercise?• What is your favorite beach activity?• Are you a girl or a boy?• Which do you like to use most for art? • Which word best describes your hair?• What color are your eyes? • What are you wearing today? • How many letters are in your name? • What kind of shoes are you wearing today?• What kind of dinosaur would you be? • What is your favorite pizza topping? • What taste do you like the best? • How do you like your pizza crust?

How To Use Graphing Cards

• Go to http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Browse/Search:beth+davis.• Download and print graphic cards in color on cardstock.• Purchase trading card plastic sheet protectors and put them in a binder.• Cut apart cards and store each topic in one square of trading card sheet

protector.• Give each child a square with either their name or their photo (photos

work best, type or write their name under the photo).• Choose one topic and remove those cards from the sheet protector. Place

the cards in a graphing pocket chart.• Discuss the choices and have each child “vote” for their choice by placing

their photo or name card in the column that corresponds with their choice.

• Count how many responses each choice received. Discuss how many more one choice got when compared to others. GRAPH OFTEN! This will increase math and reading skills!

Magnetism

Students test various items to see if they are attracted to a magnet. Items are sorted into bowls to identify them as magnetic

or non-magnetic. Older children graph their data.

Activity 8: Exploring MagnetismSet Up: Each child will need a tray with

various items that are metals and non-

metals. By using a tray (can be a

recycled Styrofoam tray for a grocery

store) you create personal space and

boundaries for each child. Look around

your classroom, find various items that

can be tested to see if they are magnetic

or not….just about anything will do. Be

sure to get items made of different things

like wood, plastic, metal, etc. Put all

items on the tray. Have one empty

unmarked bowl, this will be the “I don’t

know bowl.” Mark the other bowls with

the words “No” and “Yes”. Each child

will also need a wand magnet.

Magnetic marbles are optional, but a

whole lot of fun.

The Discussion: Tell children that a magnet attracts

(brings near) things that are made of certain metals.

Items that are not magnetic will not “stick” to the

magnet. Point out that they will have one bowl with

different items and two empty bowls. Explain that the

bowl marked N O spells no. Ask what sound the letter

makes. Repeat for the word yes. Tell children that they

will test items to see if they will stick to or be attracted to

a magnet. If the item is attracted, it will go in the “YES”

bowl. If not, it will be placed in the “NO” bowl.

The Exploration: Pass out a tray with the three

bowls and a magnet to each child. Have the

children keep their hands under the table or else

the inclination is to touch everything on the tray.

Go over the three bowls and review the words

YES and NO. Have them pick up the magnet

wand in one hand and demonstrate the first

item. Pick up something made of rubber

(rubber stopper, eraser, rubber band, etc.) and

place it in the “I don’t know” bowl. Touch your

magnet to the item and ask the children if it

stuck to the magnet. Direct students to move

the item from the “I don’t know bowl” to the

“NO” bowl. Next choose an item that will be

attracted like a metal washer or paperclip. Ask

the children to pick up the item and place it in

the “I don’t know” bowl and then touch their

magnet wand to the item. Ask them if the item

stuck to the magnet. When they say “Yes” have

them pick up the item and put it in the “Yes”

bowl. Continue to let the children test the items

one at a time. Make predictions or guessesbefore testing the items.

Child testing the item

Item is, moved from “I don’t

know bowl” to “yes bowl”.

Activity 9: Buoyancy

Students practice

dumping and pouring

water then test items

to see which sink and

float to learn about buoyancy .

The Set Up: Each child should

have their own set of materials

which include a plastic

container filled with blue water(color is added for the extra

wow factor; after all, how

boring is it to have plain

water!), a small and large cup

or discovery tube, two empty

bowls labeled "sink" and "float",

cork, metal items like large

washers, marbles, wood blocks,

plastic Legos, rubber balls andany other items that will sink or

float. Also give each child two

small bowls, one labeled “sink”and one labeled “float”.

The Discussion: Begin by asking the children if they

know some things that water is used for. Some answers

may include drinking, swimming, taking a bath, rain is

water. Some may say there is water in the ocean. If these

things are not discussed, find a way to bring them into

the conversation. Discuss the importance of knowing

that they should never go into a pool or body of water

alone. Continue the discussion by asking them if they

know how to float on top of the water. Explain that the

word float means to stay on top of the water. Something

that floats stays on top of the water. Ask if any of the

children have ever floated in the pool. Next discuss that

sinking is the opposite of floating. Something that sinks,

fall to the bottom of a container of water.

The Activity: Instruct the children to put their hands in the water

and ask them how it feels (wet, cold). Give them an opportunity

to explore the water with their hands. Then demonstrate how to

scoop up water in the small cup and then pour into the larger cup

or discovery tube. Give them a few minutes to scoop up water

and dump it into the larger cup or discovery tube. Encourage

them to fill the larger cup or tube and let the water overflow. Older

children can count how many cups it will take before the larger

container overflows.After exploring the water, have them empty both cups and place

a cork in the bottom of the larger cup or discovery tube. Next,

demonstrate how to fill the cup or discovery tube again, this time

watching as the cork floats on top of the water until the cup ortube overflows and the cork falls into the basin.

To continue the activity, pick up

the metal washer from your tray

and say the following. "I am

holding a metal washer. Can you

tell me what shape it is? (round).

What do you think will happen if I

drop it in the water? Allow

children time to make

predictions. Count the number of

children who predict it will sink

and those who predict it will float.

Have the children watch what

happens when the washer is

dropped in the container of

water. Ask if it sank to the bottom

of the water or floated on top of

it? Continue to review that

something that sinks will fall to

the bottom and something that

floats will stay on the top.

Science Tools (hand lens, funnels, test tubes, graduated cylinders)

Activity 10: Hand Lens

Place several small items on a plate or on a tray. Call out each item one at a

time and have the child pick up the items one at a time and look at them using

the magnifier. Discuss whether the magnifier makes each item bigger or

smaller. After looking at several items (be sure to use some with tiny print like

stamps or pennies with older children), give each child items like rocks, shells,

tree trunk pieces and other nature items and give them a chance to take a

closer look at each item. Also encourage the children to get a closer look that

their hand. Have them explain what looks different about their hand whenviewing it with the hands lens vs without.

Activity 11: Funnels & Test Tubes

Sometimes we want to pour something

into a container with a small opening. A

funnel makes it easier to pour liquids into

small spaces. We can use a funnel to

help us do so without spilling the liquids

we are pouring. A scientist uses test

tubes to study liquids. Test tubes are

slender containers that hold liquid. To

use a funnel, simply place the small end

of the funnel into the test tube or

container you wish to fill. Then pour the

water into the big opening of the funnel

and the water will flow into the

container.

The Activity:Give each child a test tube rack

and instruct them to place it

inside a plastic container to be

used as a catch basin. I got

these donated from a local

grocery store from the produce

department. Each child will also

need another container filled

with water and a small cup. I

use colored water to make it

more interesting. Demonstrate

by putting the funnel into the firsttest tube in the rack.

Activity 12: The Pipette or Dropper

The Discussion: A Dropper: Droppers are used to

measure and pick up small amounts of liquids. When

you need to take a little bit of medicine, you can use a

dropper to get just the right amount.

Using A Dropper:Step 1: Squeeze the bulb (end of the dropper). This pushes the air out of the dropper.

Step 2: With the bulb squeezed, place the other end of the dropper in the water.

Step 3: With the end in the water, let go of the bulb so that it is no longer squeezed.

Step 4: Air pressure from the room will push the water into the dropper.

Step 5: Remove the dropper from the water, squeeze the bulb to let the water

Surface TensionWater is made up of tiny molecules. Each one is like a little magnet. At the

edges of each drop of water, the molecules line up like little mini magnets,

attaching to each other. They form a kind of “skin” on the top of the drop of

the water holding the rest of the water in. The “skin” is called surface tension.

When there is too much water on the “skin”, the surface tension breaks and

the water will overflow.

Problem Statement: How many drops of water will the head of a penny hold?

Hypothesis: How many drops do you predict the penny will hold?

Procedure:

Step 1: Place a penny head side up on a paper towel.

Step 2: Fill a dropper with water.

Step 3: Drop the water one drop at time on the penny.

Step 4: Count how many drops the penny holds.

Step 5: When the surface tension breaks, record how many

drops the penny held on the data table. Graph your results.

Step 6: Repeat the experiment for the other coins.

Coin Number of drops Number of drops rounded to the nearest 10

Penny

Nickel

Dime

Quarter

Water is made up of tiny molecules. Each one is like a little magnet. At the edges ofeach drop of water, the molecules line up like little mini magnets attaching to eachother. They form a kind of “skin” on the top of the drop of the water holding the rest ofthe water in. The “skin” is called surface tension. When there is too much water on the“skin”, the surface tension breaks and the water will overflow.

Activity 13: Using a Dropper, Surface Tension

Problem Statement: How many drops of water will the head of a penny hold?

Hypothesis: How many drops do you predict the penny will hold?

Procedure:Step 1: Place a penny head side up on a paper towel.Step 2: Fill a dropper with water.Step 3: Drop the water one drop at time on the penny. Step 4: Count how many drops the penny holds. Step 5: When the surface tension breaks, record how many drops the penny held on the data table. Graph your results.Step 6: Repeat the experiment for the other coins.

Coin Number of drops

Number of drops rounded to the nearest 10

PennyNickelDimeQuarter

Data Table

Results: Summarize your results using the data from the table.

The penny held _________ drops of water.The nickel held __________ drops of water.The dime held ___________ drops of water.The quarter held _________drops of water.

Graph your data

Students sort shells by their attributes and then are encouraged to make patterns with the different shells and count how many of

each shell they have in each group.

Students review the properties that make

something a solid and a liquid. Next they will be

told that a suspension is when something is between two states, solid and liquid.

Students learn about solids and

liquids. They watch and feel as they turn to suspensions.

Students observe that

plants grow toward the

light.

Students watch a pretend volcano as it erupts.

Students pour water, corn syrup,

and oil into a graduated cylinder to explore density of

liquids.

Activity 14: Physical Changes and Properties In Matter

The Discussion: Begin by reviewing that

anything that has weight and takes up space is

matter. A block is matter, if you drop it, it will fall

to the ground because it has weight. It takes up

space on the table. Begin mentioning random

items around the room pointing out that they

are all matter.

All matter has physical properties. Some

physical properties are an items size, shape, or

color to mention a few. If you change matters

physical properties, you are still left with the

matter. To demonstrate this, take a piece of

paper and ask the children to say what it is you

are holding. Crumble it. Ask if it is still paper.

Flatten. In out and color on it. Ask if it is still

paper. Continue by ripping it in half. Still paper,

all that has changed is the physical property. In

this experiment, you will change the physical

properties of a bar of soap, yet the end productwill still be soap.

Changing states of matter: Soap Experiment

You will need a container or water, a plastic container, and a bar of Dove soap. Test to see if the soap sinks or floats. This will also get the bar of soap wet

Place the wet bar of soap in the microwave and heat for 2 minutes and 30 seconds.

Have children explore the mass of soap. Give it a minute to cool first

Children explore the soap until it becomes dust!

Chemical ChangeWhen a chemical change takes place, matter is changed from one thing to another. When a chemical change takes place, you can’t get the original items back. Example: When ingredients are mixed to make a cake, after it is baked, you can’t get the eggs out. By mixing ingredients to bake a cake, after baking, new matter is produced.

These children mix flour, water, salt, and oil to make Playdough.

Activity 15: Alka Selter Rockets

Basic rocket

design with

recycled lid

taped to toilet

paper tube

Film container

half full of

water, student

ready to drop in

½ Alka Seltzer tablet

After lid is

snapped on

QUICKLY turn

over the film

canister

Place rocket

on top of film

container with

the lid, step

back and

begin counting.

Step 3:Step 2:Step 1: Step 4:

Science Lab Video Part 2

Activity 16: Sound

Sound: Using A Tuning Fork

Sound travels in the form of vibrations or waves. A vibration is a repeated

back and forth motion. Vibrating objects make the air around it vibrate.

These sound vibrations pass through the air to our ears, strike our eardrum

and cause them to vibrate. Bones in the middle ear transfer the

vibrations of the eardrum to the fluid filled inner ear.

The movement of the fluid in the inner ear causes hairlike nerve receptors

in the inner ear to move. These receptor carry the message to the brain

and the brain perceives these signals as sound.

Although sound can travel through all different types of material, it travelsbetter through some than others.

Parents donated their Christmas trees and they

were cut into tree blocks. In all, 140 trees were

recycled and every class got a container of tree blocks. Students freely explore tree blocks.

ENCOURAGE RECYCLING!

Tree Trunk Exploration

Blocks are lined up in size order and are counted.

Students use a

hand lens to

see the rings.

They also smell the pine scent.

On their own, they measured

the height of their tree towers!

Students use a

tape measure

to find the

diameter in centimeters.

Free Exploration at learning centers gives children a chance to think critically

Miscellaneous nuts and bolts provide opportunities for construction.

Cable fittings placed in a box are ideal for building.

Magnetic pattern shapes Sorting colored caps by color and shape

Large plastic discovery tubes with gel balls and other liquids

Small discovery tubes out of test tubes

Miscellaneous hose

pieces screwed together

Insect specimens encased in plastic

Children reposition PVC

tubes with Velcro

attached to a carpeted

wall and drop balls down the tubes.

Plastic animals for sorting and pretend play

Free Exploration with tree blocks

Feeding Lab Animals

Gears can be attached to walls

or used on the floor in various configurations.

Buckets of

water and

measuring

cups provide

opportunities

to practice

dumping and pouring.

Free exploration with shells

Kids are amazed with animal

tracks. You can purchase these

molds and make castings with

plaster or Paris and paint or use Playdough.

Molds can be left at an

exploration station and animal

tracks can be made over and

over using Playdough. If you

leave them out, they will get hard.

Science Lab Videos: Go to handsonmindsoneducation.com to view videos• Kids For Kids Academy Lab Tour Part 1: Watch bits and pieces of science explorations• 11:50 Watch bits and pieces of the following science activities: Temperature & Snow,

Sorting Shells, Sorting & Graphing Plastic Lids, Paleontologist, Density, Suspensions• Kids For Kids Academy Lab Tour Part 2: Watch bits and pieces of science explorations• 12:52 Watch bits and pieces of the following science activities: Life Cycles:

Mealworms, & Tadpoles, Mixing Primary Colors, Magnetism, Fire & Air, Alka Seltzer Rockets

• Life Cycle: Tadpoles: 14:20 Preschoolers learn about the stages of from development and have a chance to touch and observe real tadpoles.

• Density: Preschoolers learn that Density is a property of matter. They will combine water, oil and corn syrup to find out which liquid is the densest.

• Mentos & Diet Coke Rocket: 00:23 After learning about rockets, preschoolers launch a rocket across the school parking lot propelled by Mentos and Diet Coke.

• Life Cycle: Mealworms: 13:56• Preschoolers have a chance to learn about the life cycle of a mealworm from egg to

mealworm, to beetle. The children examine first hand mealworms as they explore their attributes.

• Sorting Shells: 00:42• Preschoolers are given a hand lens and a box of shells. They explore the shells sizes and

shapes as they sort and count the shells.• Rockets :2:04 Preschools learn about space travel and have a chance to launch their

own rocket made out of toilet paper tube, film canister, and Alka Seltzer and water. "POP" goes the rocket!

More Lab Videos• Liquids, solids, & Suspensions: 8:00 Preschoolers learn the difference between liquids and solids. They

also learn that a suspension is between states. They will combine glue and liquid starch to make a suspension.

• Exploring Colors: 2:53 In this lab, Preschoolers learn about primary and secondary colors. They will mix primary color liquids watercolors to make secondary colors.

• Sorting Recycled Plastic Lids: 1:49 Preschoolers sort plastic lids by color. Upon completion, each child lined up their color lids and counted how many were in their row. The children compared their height to the length of their line. (Additional sorting video on Instructional DVD)

• Temperature: 9:51 Students will feel the differences between hot and cold. After feeling something hot, they will make snow in their hands to experience cold.

• Magnetism: Preschoolers will learn about magnets and then investigate which items are attracted or not attracted to a magnet. Following the exploration, they will count the items and graph their data.

• Using Science Tools: Funnels and Test Tubes: 4:52 Preschoolers learn that scientists use science tools in their work. In these explorations, students learn to use a funnel to fill test tubes with water.

• Fire and Air: 10:09 Preschoolers learn what to do in case of a fire. They also will learn that firefighters wear special masks to help them breathe during a fire. They will count to see how many seconds it will take to extinguish a flame once the oxygen has burned out of a small, medium, and large jar.

• Dinosaurs: Preschools learn about the role of a Paleontologist in finding fossils. They will extract plastic dinosaur and other items from a pretend fossil. Afterward, they will sort their finding by attribute.

• Sinking & Floating: 6:57• Preschoolers learn about properties of water and things water is used for. They also test item to explore

whether the items sink or float, count the totals of their findings, review the “S” and “F” sounds, and discuss hot and cold.

Available Products

90 Days of Graphing Topics on cardstock$20

$14.99

Table Of ContentsThe Philosophy, Program Overview, Hands-On Minds-On Preschool Framework Components…Science Discovery & Mathematical Thinking Sow It, Grow It, Know It…Garden Field Studies For Young ChildrenThe Science Behind Hands On Minds On

Also Included in Hands-On Minds-On Preschool:

The Use of Graphing and Data InterpretationAdditional Activities for Integration of Math and ScienceCognitive and General Knowledge (Math & Science) RationaleConcept Development and Memory (birth- age 2) Problem Solving and Creative Exploration (birth-36 months) Mathematical Thinking (ages 3-5) Scientific Thinking (ages 3-5) Individualized Technology & Small Group InstructionLiteracy, Language, & Phonemic AwarenessLanguage and CommunicationListening, Understanding, Communicating and Speaking (birth- age 5)Emergent Reading (birth-age 2) Emergent Writing (birth- age 2) Early Reading (ages 3-4) Early Writing (ages 3-4) Literature and Reading (ages 4-5) Writing (ages 4-5)

Also Included in Hands-On Minds-On Preschool:Social Studies and Character Development Social Studies Rationale (ages 3-5) Dramatic Play & Creative Self ExpressionMusic, Movement and The ArtsPhysical Development RationaleGross Motor (birth- 5 years) Fine Motor (birth-5 year-olds) Self-Help (birth-5 year old) Health (birth-5 years old) The Arts (ages 3-5) Parental Involvement & Support ServicesAssessment Tool/ Process to Evaluate Child ProgressOverview of Birth to 2 Standards infused in Hands-On Minds-On FrameworkDevelopmental Milestones for 3-5 Year Old ProgramRecommendations on Daily Routines (Schedules) Room Arrangement: Materials for Indoor/ Outdoor Learning EnvironmentAdaptations For Children with Special NeedsProcess to Evaluate Program’s Implementation of CurriculumReferences & Additional Reading

$12.00 in book form or $10 as activity cards

Activities included in this book

Science Lab Link Videos

Tools That Scientists Use: A Magnifier

Tools That Scientists Use: A Funnel

Tools That Scientists Use: A Hand Lens

Buoyancy: Sinking and Floating

Magnetism

How Things Grow and Change: Mealwoms

How Things Grow and Change: Tadpoles

Absorption

Fire and Air

Sorting and Classifying Recycled Objects

Physical Changes in Matter: Soap

Temperature

Sound

Free Exploration Activities

$10

Conference Special 1: Both books for $20A $27 value

Conference Special 2:

All four products for $49

A $57 value