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[nev]

I have two classes five times a week. On the Friday, I'm supposed to teach them "science". This can be interpreted very broadly - with my classes last term I would talk about animals/geography/anything for 10-20 minutes then give them a wordsearch of the relevant words.

My problem is, this year the classes are younger and not really up to wordsearches. One class has barely grasped the alphabet. Does anyone have ideas for filling 40 minutes with something even vaguely science related?

I teach 43 classes a week and so need something pretty easy and quick to prepare. Wordsearches used to be ideal. I did paper aeroplanes and paper boats one class, so you get the idea of what's expected. My school aren't expecting particles physics or discussions about chromosomes.

Ironically, my degree is in biochemistry, so science should be the one class I'd find easy.

[Dawn]

I teach kindy, but here are some I've used in the past few weeks:

Transportation -- put the biggest kid in the class in a chair with no wheels and let the other kids take turns trying to push him/her around. Next, put the victim in a chair WITH wheels. Let kids take turns pushing again, and note the difference. Ask kids why the task was so much easier the second time around. Wait for a sharp kid to come up with the word "wheel" (or point to the things) and brainstorm a list of other ways wheels help us.

Cut a boat shape out of a piece of heavy paper. Put a touch of toothpaste on the end, and drop it in a tub of water. Observe what happens. (As the toothpaste melts, the boat will be propelled along.) Explain that the toothpaste is serving as the boat's fuel. Discuss modes of transport used in real life and identify their energy sources.

Weather -- Make rain by holding a big block of ice over very hot (or boiling) water. Watch the steam rise, collect as condensation on the bottom of the block of ice, then drip back down in the form of liquid droplets (a.k.a. "rain"). Explain that warm air turns water from rivers, lakes, and oceans into water vapor which rises into the air and forms clouds (made of water droplets and/or ice crystals) and that when the water vapor in the clouds becomes too heavy, it falls back to the ground as rain or snow. Depending on students' ages/ability levels, you can also use this to introduce them to the three states of matter.

Blow up a balloon and measure the circumference. Ask students what they think will happen if you stick it in a freezer or cooler. Will it get bigger, get smaller or remain the same size? After writing down their predictions, tuck it away until the end of class. (Use time in the middle to teach about measurement or explore how a thermometer works.) When time is up, pull the balloon out of its cold hiding place and measure again. Compare results to students' predictions.

(Not overly scientific, but fun for the younger set) Use origami paper and those styrofoam stick things to make windmills. Blow them with your mouth, stick them in front of a fan, hold them out the window on a windy day, etc. Note that the wheel spins faster when the wind is stronger and slower when it is weaker. Depending on students' language levels, you may also use this as a lead-in to discuss how people in some parts of the world are harvesting wind power as a safe, cheap energy source.

Plants -- the age-old plant a flower routine still seems to hold a lot of kid appeal. Brainstorm beforehand a list of things all living things require (light, water, air, food, etc.). Show a plant or a picture of plant, and get them to identify a light source (the sun) a water source (rain) and a food source (soil, by way of the roots). Conclude by giving each child a paper cup. Have the kids punch tiny holes in the bottom for air circulation, fill it with dirt, and plant seeds. Pour water over them, set them in a sunny location and let nature take its coure.

Fill three vases with water. Add red food coloring to one, blue to one, and yellow to the third one. Stick white carnations (or daffodils or celery even) in all three cups. Observe the change. Note that the colored water in the vase is carried through tubes in the stem to the flower. This one you would probably need to set up on your non-science day, then let the kids observe it over the next few days and be prepared to discuss what happened on science day.

Senses -- have students close their eyes and listen as you closed as I poured cups of water, trying to guess what they're hearing. Next, let them touch the wet stuff and tell what it feels like. For step three, give them each a baggie with pre-measured pre-sweetened Kool-Aid or similar drink mix. Direct them to mix the colored powder into the water and tell what they see. Fourth, let them smell it and describe the smell. Finally, encourage them to drink up and tell what the end result tasted like.

Other topics that my kids have really enjoyed are animal habitats, plant and animal life cycles, animal families, extreme weather conditions, any and everything involving magnets (electric magnets made from AA batteries were a favorite), living v. non-living things, seasons, constellations and moon phases.

For more ideas, I would highly recommend Science Experiments for Young Learners written by Jill Norris and published by Evan-Moor. I've also used Cut and Paste Science, written by Jodene Lynn Smith and published by Teacher Created Materials, and Irresistable Science Pocket Charts from the Scholastic Professional Books series a fair amount. All three are available from YesAsia.com and (in discounted e-book format) from DedicatedTeacher.com.

[kylehawkins2000]

You can find some science experiements that are geared towards Kindergarten kids at home (Canada or US). Have a search for state of provincial curriculum exemplars.....or simply look for "kindergarten Science" or something like that.

I know that the Province of Ontario has very detailed lesson plans availalbe. Try "Ontario Ministry of Education Curriculum Exemplars" in a search. Their lesson plans are great and easily adapted. Not sure what they have for science but it's worth a look.

I've also done some 'flotation' experiements with young kids and it works pretty good. Get a bunch of objects together and make a chart. Have them guess if each item will float or not and fill in the chart accordingly. For Geography I've tried creating world maps where they color each continent a different color and make a little map key with the continent names (you'd need to adapt depending on writing ability here). For higher level classes you can always include directions (North, South, etc.) and work on longitude and latitude. (not great for kinder kids obviously).

Good luck!

Kyle