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Science
- Lie down on the lawn and watch clouds. Make up stories about what you see. Try it again at night on a blanket, and gaze at the stars or watch in style in a hammock.
- Find big garden pots or a little piece of land to show children how to plant a garden. Remember to water it.
- Borrow (available in our ECE Resource Library) or buy a bug kit and go on a bug safari.
- Ask children to collect leaves, flowers or clover, and help them iron the items between two pieces of wax paper.
- Feed the ducks or birds at the park.
- With yard sale buckets in hand, spend time together gathering rocks, leaves, and outdoor goodies. Return home to sort them in different shapes and sizes.
- Create a time capsule at the beginning of the summer by filling an empty chip can or shoe box with drawings or written wishes of summer activities your children want to do. Open it late August and have fun remembering the highlights of those summer activities.
- Plan a visit to the library once a week to stock up on summer reading material.
Get a jump on your garden this year, involve your children, and try the following planting activities. Children seem to possess an innate desire to watch things grow. Remember to include them in all stages of gardening. Seedlings can be started indoors in early to mid-May and later transplanted outside. You may even want to give your children their own area of the garden to tend. If space is limited, try a large pot or window box. Experiment, make predictions and follow up. Try charting plant growth. Have children guess when sprouts appear and watch to see how accurate their judgement is. Older children can make and record on their own charts. Now get busy, dig out your garden tools and start planting!
Greenhouse Tumblers
Place a wet paper towel around the inside of a clear plastic cup. Slip seeds between the cup and the paper towel. Invert a second cup on top on top of the first cup and tape together. Place in a warm, sunny location. Watch for growth. Various types of seeds can be used. Try beans, sunflowers, and pumpkins. Try one of each seed, and compare the rates of growth, shapes and sizes. Note that the roots appear first, followed by stems and leaves. Also note the direction of growth.
Sponge Gardens
Fill a small pan or Styrofoam meat tray with water. Place a sponge in the pan and sprinkle with seeds. Grass seeds or alfalfa sprouts give quick ‘no-fail’ results. Place in a warm, sunny location and keep moist. Sponges can be cut in various shapes; for example, cut shamrocks for St. Patrick’s Day or try hairy caterpillars.
Egg Shell Plants
Save your broken egg shells, wash out, and use as a planter to start your flower or vegetable plants. Place an egg shell in each compartment of an egg carton. Fill with soil and plant a few seeds in each egg shell. Water and keep in a warm, sunny location. For a greenhouse effect, use half an egg carton and place in a large Ziploc bag. As plants grow, thin to one plant per shell. When plants are ready to transplant outdoors, simply crush the shell and place in the ground. (The egg shell acts as a natural fertilizer for the soil.) Marigolds and zinnias are recommended for children because they grow easily and will not be disappointing for the young gardener.
Now is the time to join your youngster in learning scientific concepts while gardening. Give your child their own “plot” whether it is a corner of your vegetable or flower garden, a flowerbox or a variety of small containers (pots, an old wagon, a lined basket), it will be his/hers to prepare, sow and watch. Use seeds that will delight little gardeners with noticeable growth within days or weeks (marigolds, nasturtiums, beans, peas, radishes, lettuce). Add some seedlings for instant colour, then water daily and let nature take its course. A spray bottle is fun and exercises hand and wrist muscles. Children love to add “ornaments” to their landscape – rocks, shells, hand-made or purchased ceramic figures, a saucer bird bath, or whatever else catches their imagination.
Here are four practical ideas that you can try with your preschoolers. Enjoy these fun activities together and watch your seeds grow!
Beans in a Bag
You need:
® 1 ziploc bag
® 3 different bean seeds
® 2 cotton balls
® 2 tablespoons of water
1. Place 2 of each different kind of bean in Ziploc bag.
2. Add 2 tablespoons of water.
3. Add 2 cotton balls.
4. Close bag.
5. Tape bag onto a window to watch the beans sprout roots, stem, and leaves.
6. Beans can be transplanted in soil later.
Marigolds in Peat Pots
You need:
® 2 peat pots
® 6 marigold seeds
® Soil and water
1. Fill pots ¾ full of soil.
2. Plant 3 seeds in each pot.
3. Add 1 more tsp. of soil to cover seeds.
4. Add 1 tbsp. of water to dampen soil.
5. Place pots in sunny window.
6. Water daily to keep soil moist.
Grass in a Shell
® You need:
® 2 half egg shells
® Soil
® Pinch of grass seed
® Water
1. Fill shells ¾ full of soil.
2. Sprinkle a pinch of grass seed on soil.
3. Top up with 1 more tsp. of soil to cover seed.
4. Add 1 tbsp. of water to dampen soil.
5. Place in a sunny window and keep soil damp.
6. A face could be coloured on the shell, and grass will sprout as hair on the head!
Magic Soil
Encourage children to help cut up all organic waste such as vegetable and fruit peelings. Layer with soil, grass clippings, leaves and other plant trimmings in a composter or hole dug in the garden. Keep moist, aerate by turning over weekly and voila! A fertile food for plants and reduced curb side garbage.
Get a jump on your garden this year, involve your children, and try the following planting activities. Children seem to possess an innate desire to watch things grow. Remember to include them in all stages of gardening. Seedlings can be started indoors in early to mid-May and later transplanted outside. You may even want to give your children their own area of the garden to tend. If space is limited, try a large pot or window box. Experiment, make predictions and follow up. Try charting plant growth. Have children guess when sprouts appear and watch to see how accurate their judgement is. Older children can make and record on their own charts. Now get busy, dig out your garden tools and start planting!
Greenhouse Tumblers
Place a wet paper towel around the inside of a clear plastic cup. Slip seeds between the cup and the paper towel. Invert a second cup on top on top of the first cup and tape together. Place in a warm, sunny location. Watch for growth. Various types of seeds can be used. Try beans, sunflowers, and pumpkins. Try one of each seed, and compare the rates of growth, shapes and sizes. Note that the roots appear first, followed by stems and leaves. Also note the direction of growth.
Sponge Gardens
Fill a small pan or Styrofoam meat tray with water. Place a sponge in the pan and sprinkle with seeds. Grass seeds or alfalfa sprouts give quick ‘no-fail’ results. Place in a warm, sunny location and keep moist. Sponges can be cut in various shapes; for example, cut shamrocks for St. Patrick’s Day or try hairy caterpillars.
Egg Shell Plants
Save your broken egg shells, wash out, and use as a planter to start your flower or vegetable plants. Place an egg shell in each compartment of an egg carton. Fill with soil and plant a few seeds in each egg shell. Water and keep in a warm, sunny location. For a greenhouse effect, use half an egg carton and place in a large Ziploc bag. As plants grow, thin to one plant per shell. When plants are ready to transplant outdoors, simply crush the shell and place in the ground. (The egg shell acts as a natural fertilizer for the soil.) Marigolds and zinnias are recommended for children because they grow easily and will not be disappointing for the young gardener.
