Make your playground or backyard are your very own science lab this summer.
Discovery Walks
Go on a walk and have children touch various objects. “How does it feel?”
Have them close their eyes and try to identify objects by their sense of touch.*Take a listening walk where children close their eyes and try to identify different sounds in the environment.
Class Tree
Let the children “adopt” a special tree on the playground. Vote on a name for your tree and then take photos of it in different seasons. Read stories or sing songs in the shade of your tree.
*Draw pictures of your tree or write descriptions. (Great for non-fiction writing.)
Dirt Detectives
Use magnifying glasses and sticks to dig in the dirt. What is dirt composed of?
Human Sun Dial
Have one child face north at 9:00 in the morning. Mark where they are standing and draw their shadow with chalk. Have the child stand in the same spot and record their shadow at various times in the school day.
*Play shadow tag where children try to step on each other’s shadows.
Cloud Watch
When there are cumulus clouds in the sky, have the children lay on their backs and look for animals and other objects in the sky.
*Let them draw pictures of clouds with white paint and a Q-tip on blue paper.
Melt Down
Give each child a paper cup with an ice cube in it. Who can make their ice cube melt fastest?
*Color the ice cubes with food coloring.
*Draw with ice cubes on the sidewalk.
Sit and Watch
Children can use a hula hoop or 7' piece of string for this activity. Lay the hula hoop on the ground (or make a circle with the string) and sit inside. Encourage children to sit quietly and use their senses to observe their habitat.
*Give them paper and a pencil to draw or write observations
