3/22/02
Question 150
Dear Preschool
Teacher,
What kind of science projects can you do with
children between the ages of 2 and 3?
Little Scientists
Dear Little Scientists,
My favorite is the sand a water table. Put one of
these in your room (can also be a Rubbermaid container if funds are tight) and
put in Jello, shaving cream, peanut butter (watch for allergies), soap,
bubbles; they love all of this sensory stuff and it is all science! Discovering
who they are and their environment is also part of science. Some things I have
also done is make Play
dough or make some Goop
as they call it. Measuring the ingredients in is a great way to learn
science.
Hope this helps!
Jenny
"Ask The Preschool Teacher
Staff"
Dear Little Scientists,
You do not have
to do formal science projects to teach science to very young children. Any
"discovery" can be turned into a project. Use the "teachable
moment" with science. When a child makes a discovery, take a few minutes
to talk about it, maybe even have a small demonstration. Remember, they have
very short attention spans. You can do sink and float experiments with common
stuff . Add color to water. Mix paint colors. Examine a bug. Plant a seed. Keep
the explanations short and simple. Just have a few basics on hand and they will
usually lead the way. Have a large (several) magnifying glass available. Eye
droppers are great. (unbreakable glass or ask parents to save plastic ones from
medicine bottles.) Tape measures, rulers, a balance scale, large plastic
tweezers, and a pet or two will provide a lot of science discoveries. The
projects are limitless! Have fun!
Jackie
"Ask The Preschool Teacher
Staff"
