Showing posts with label Science. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Science. Show all posts

Saturday, June 15, 2013

Ice goop fun

With summer in the air and July 4th coming soon, we took out the goop today and played with our kool-aid ice and goop.

Fun and super inexpensive sensory play for kids of all ages, plus it will keep you cool playing with ice.

How to make GOOP. Then just add kool-aid ice.


Sorry my camera battery needed to be charged will post pictures when we play again. Cause this was a fun activity the kids loved it.

Be sure to check out the  Scented Goop play as well. Also, all the fun things you can do with Kool-Aid.



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Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Magic Jello ice

Kids love science and we are always exploring to fine new things to do with things around the house. Back in March we made Fizzing Shamrocks and since then we have been messing around to make a better mold.

Well we came up with it and had a lot of fun playing with our Magic Jello Ice Stars. They are simple to make and super fun.

All you need to do is mix about 3 tsp of jello with 1/2 cup of hot water, once the jello is dissolved then mix with about 1-2 cups of baking soda. Don't make it too thick you want it a little runny to pour into the ice trays. (We got our start ice trays from Dollar Tree)

Then let it freeze and you have your magic jello ice.

Place on a tray and make them erupt and bubble with vinegar. Once the vinegar dissolve them you will have a goop like sensory play.

NOTE: You can make them with Kool-Aid as well.


This is a fun experiment for all ages.

We love ice play be sure to check out some other fun ice things we have done.


Alphabet ice learning

Dinosaur ice excavation


Ice Volcano

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Monday, June 3, 2013

Weather in a jar

We love doing fun and simple science experiments that tie into learning. We have been talking about weather, so I put together 3 fun weather science experiments you can do using a jar.

Make your own rain in a jar. All you need is a jar, coffee filter, rubber band, and dropper.

I placed the coffee filter over the top of the jar and put rubber band around it. Then I placed colored water in a container and let the kids use a dropper to place water on the coffee filter. Once the coffee filter absorbed the water it dripped like rain.


Here are some facts about rain that we looked up.

  • Rain is an important part of the water cycle. Learn how it works with our page explaining the water cycle for kids.
  • Rain falls from clouds in the sky in the form of water droplets, this is called precipitation.
  • Heavy rain can cause flooding and landslides.
  • Rain allows us to create electricity through hydropower.
  • Plants need water in order to survive, they receive much of this water from rain.
Make your own rain cloud in a jar. This experiment the kids loved. All you need is a jar, water, shaving cream and food coloring.

Fill jar 1/2 way, place shaving cream on top as the cloud, then have the kids drop colored water on the cloud and watch it.

After we did this experiment we talked about how a cloud holds water and then that is how rain is formed.




Here are some facts about clouds that we looked up.
  • There are a range of different types of clouds, the main types include stratus, cumulus and cirrus.
  • Stratus clouds are flat and featureless, appearing as layered sheets.
  • Cumulus clouds are puffy, like cotton floating in the sky.
  • Cirrus clouds are thin and wispy, appearing high in the sky.
  • A cloud is a large group of tiny water droplets that we can see in the air.
  • Rain, snow, sleet and hail falling from clouds is called precipitation.
Our last experiment was making a tornado in a jar. 



I remember doing this in elementary school, so I wanted to show the kids. It's very simple we just filled the jar with colored water and then swirled it around and you get a tornado in a jar.

Once we made the tornado in a jar we talked a little about tornado's. Below I added some facts we looked up about tornado's that we thought were pretty instructing to know.


  • Extreme tornadoes can travel much further, sometimes over 100 miles (161kilometres).
  • A tornado is a rapidly spinning tube of air that touches both the ground and a cloud above.

  • Not all tornadoes are visible but their high wind speeds and rapid rotation often form a visible funnel of condensed water.
  • Most tornadoes travel a few miles before exhausting themselves.
  • US States most often hit by tornadoes include Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma and Florida.



    We have also made a rainbow with sunlight  be sure to check out that fun experiment.

    Also if you have never made fake snow, you have to try this. We love playing with our fake snow.



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Sunday, May 12, 2013

Balloon science comparing gas, liquid and solids

We were making ice the other day for once of our science projects and Jake asked how the water turns to a solid. So I was explaining to him that water freeze when it is below 32 degrees, like when  it was winter outside and we placed our Fruit ice project outside and it froze.

So that got me thinking that it would be a great time to compare liquid, gas and solids. I saw this great experiment at Fit Kids Cludhouse using balloons. Fun and easy for a preschooler to understand the difference.


We took 3 balloons and filled them up with Gas, liquid and solids. Then we compared the 3 balloons. To fill the balloon with gas see our Bottle blowing balloon experiment. Then add water to 2 balloons. 1 water balloon place in the freeze overnight, that is how you get the solid.

Then compare the 3 balloons. What Jake said about each:

Gas....light weight, floats a little when you try to throw it, hard to break on the grown unless you stomp on it.

Liquid...heavier then the gas balloon, but lighter then the solid, when you throw it up it pops and water is everywhere, easy to squeeze

Solid...hard when you try to squeeze, when you throw it breaks to pieces, the heaviest of the 3 balloons.


The kids had the best time breaking the water and ice balloons.



We love science play and learning be sure to check out our Science Board



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Friday, May 10, 2013

Erupting Kool-Aid ice science and art

The kids love to explore and create. I froze 2 blocks of ice for them to play and experiment with since we have had some night days outside.

This is a simple and fun experiment project for kids of multiple ages. I filled 2 square containers up with water and placed int he freeze overnight.

Then just collected different materials for Jake and Cate to explore with. You can use whatever you want. Listed below are what we used.

Materials:
Ice block
Salt
Baking soda
Kool-aid packets
Spray bottles with vinegar
Baby oil
(all the materials can be bought at the Dollar Tree and are very inexpensive)




First the kids poured kool-aid and baking soda on the ice to see if it would bubble and fizz. It did. Then they mixed colors and explored. Poured salt in the block and Jake thought that was neat cause it held the color more on the ice.



After they explored a little I gave them paint brushes and they painted their ice and explored some more. I love how simple this project is and the kids sat still for over a hour doing this.


Great way to have fun on a hot day, along with enjoying science and art play.



We love to do all kinds of fun hands on play with Kool-Aid.

Below are some of our favorite hands on science play, be sure to check them out.






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Monday, April 29, 2013

5+ things to do with baking soda and conditioner

Sensory play is a fun way for your kids to explore and play.  We love to mix things together and experiment.

Below I put together some of the fun ways you can play and explore with 2 simple ingredients in your home. Then add 2 more ingredients to give it a different twist.






The fun started with mixing baking soda and hair conditioner together and we made some AWESOME snow play. This is a MUST TRY sensory play.




then with this awesome snow you can set up a fun sensory play for the kids.




Then you can have some glow play fun.






Then for all those Dinosaur lovers you can make some fun dino eggs.


and erupting mud dinosaur sensory bin.


One of our favorites Magic snowballs


Then a really fun imaginary play make your own ice cream shop.




You can also place it in molds and freeze it to make a fun fizzing science play.







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Sunday, April 28, 2013

Fizzing Shape Art

We are working on shapes with Cate and I saw this great idea using popsicle sticks from A, Bee, C preschool. So I added our own little twist to it.

This is a fun and easy way for kids to learn shapes. After we put the shapes together I had the kids sprinkle kool-aid baking soda inside to make shape art. After the shape was formed they sprayed their vinegar on the shape and had fizzing shape art.

Materials:
Kool-Aid packet
Baking soda
Vinegar
Foam or popsicle sticks (we used foam sticks bought from the Dollar Tree)








This is a fun way to tie learning in with art, plus it is a great fine motor skill for preschoolers. 

We love to add learning to our fun activities be sure to check out some other ways to below.




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Saturday, April 27, 2013

Rainbow science

I took the kids to the science center when we were in Florida and there was this really neat book that had some simple but fun experiments to do with the kids.

So in the Florida sunshine we tried it.

Materials:
Glass of water (filled 3/4)
White sheet of paper
Bright shining sun outside

Hold the glass of water up so the sun is shining through it, then placed the white paper in front of it and move the paper to an angel. Then you will see the rainbow on the paper. The kids were amazed. Have to admit I even thought it was really neat.




Jake and Cate are too young to understand why it happens, but for older kids you can explain that the rainbows form when the light is refracts when it passes through the glass of water. It happens just like real rainbows form when the sunlight refracts through raindrops.


If you like rainbows you might like these links below:






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Friday, April 26, 2013

Test tube science

Jake loves to make the Lava lamp we did last year. We have made it several times. So today I mixed the fun science up a little and we did in the test tubes we have.

Jake and Cate had a blast watching it bubble and fizz at the top of the test tube. You make them the same way you do the Lava lamp, but you just don't put the top on and it was pretty cool to watch.

Materials:
Test tubes
Cooking oil
Water
Alka seltzer
Food coloring








Be sure to check out our Science link for more science play and learning.

You can but the test tubes inexpensive at Science Bob's on-line store, we got ours at Lake shore Learning.

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Thursday, April 18, 2013

Down on the Farm sensory play

Sensory bins are a great way for kids to explore and for use their imagination during play. The kids got

They've been having a blast playing with them so I decide to put together a farm sensory bin. I am not sure who had more fun mom putting it together or the kids playing with it.

I used hay, jello, cut up bushes from the yard and mud. Jake and Cate loved the mud play with the pigs and it's a fun science twist to add.




The pond for the ducks is made from jello, then just added some small rocks around it.








 
Below are some other sensory bins we have set up that you may like.
 
 
 
 
 

 
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