Science Ideas

Science is about observing and experimenting with the world around us. It is for asking questions (something young children do naturally), making hypothesis, and discovering the answers to our questions. Science occurs daily and we should take the opportunity to explore it when it happens (ie. when you are outside and notice the buds apearing on the tree or an ant making its way back home.) I also have a science table in the room set up during freeplay time so the children can experiment on their own. Science for young children needs to be "hands on". Many of the science ideas listed match my theme ideas and work together well.

Ants Set up an ant farm, View ants and acitvities around ant hills
Body Use a stethescope to hear heartbeats, Eye charts, Skeleton
Bones Soak a bone in vinegar - what happens? Why? View fossils, Skeleton
Bugs Set up a habitat for bugs in a see through plastic jar and observe - remember to release them back outdoors when you are done
Chemistry Mix items such as flour,baking soda, salt, sugar with vinegar What happens? Why?
Colour mixing Mix primary colours to make new colours, Colour paddles in primary colours
Feely box Place items in a box and identify by touch
Gravity Drop objects of different weights from a designated height, Do they fall at the same speed? Time the objects to see - record your observations
Kinetic Energy Push,pull - with/without wheels
Leaves Observe the changes in the leaves in the fall time - Why does this occur?
Lifecycles Catch a tadpole from a swamp and observe the changes - release him once he has turned into a frog
Magnets Which items can be picked up by the magnet? Why?
Mould Leave some food out and wrap identical food in plastic. What happened? Why?
Pet care Care for an animal such as a fish or hamster
Plants Experiment with plants, What happens when they are deprived of light? Water? How do they eat?
Prisms What are prisms? How do we get colours?
Ramps Roll items down long, steep ramps, long gradual ramps. What is different? Why?
Rock Use a magnifying glass with different types of rocks - identify them
Sight Braille books, Magnifying glasses, Binoculars
Smell Identify items by their smell
Sound Match identical sounds, Identify objects by the sound they make
Taste Identify items by their taste, Do similiar things taste different? ie - red,green,yellow apples
Rain Make rain using a kettle & mirror, Make rain using sponge clouds
Seeds Compare the seeds of different fruits, Plant seeds and nurture their growth, Categorize fruits into "seeds we eat" and "seeds we cannot eat" - What is different between the two groups? What is similiar?
Shadows Discover how shadows are made by using an overhead projector or a flashlight, Observe shadows at different times of the day outdoors - What are the changes? Why?
Shells Use a magnifying glass with different types of shells sort them, Boil and disinfect a lobster shell - try to put it back together
Snow Make a large and small snowball and bring indoors - observe what happens
Water Float/sink experiments, Freeze water - What happens?
Weather Place thermometers in warm and cold water, What happens? - record results, Make rain, Sundials
Weight Balances, Scales