Volcano Sceince!

Today I decided to do a science project with the boys! I put some baking soda on a cookie sheet, and then gave them a tray with vinegar dyed with different colored food colorings. I also gave them some eye droppers so we can strengthen some fine motor skills.

They were very interested when they saw this set up on the table. I showed them a few times what happens when you squeeze the vinegar on the baking soda. They loved seeing it fizz, and they loved doing it themselves anymore. This kept their attention for quite sometime!

Ice Bricks

Connor has been very into building things lately. Blocks have become more then just stacking and knocking down. He really explores them now, and uses his imagination. He loves to build "briges" (bridges), and push his cars and trains under. He also builds train tracks, and houses.

So I decided to try to make some 'ice bricks' to build with. I filled a cupcake tin and a snack tray up with water and food coloring. I put foam letters in them (assuming they would freeze in the middle of the ice... however they floated so didnt go as planned). This is how they turned out...

We then built with them. I also gave the boys a hammer to break them, and get the letters out. Both boys were naming colors and letters. We were also comparing the different sizes. We had so many great conversations from these!

((look how engaged!!))

After a while Connor pointed out that his hands were turning colors, and kept calling it paint. Then I said great idea. We did paint with ice before, and decided to do it again!

We all had a lot of fun with this project (however, I havent found one that didn't bring smiles). The boys were really into it, and it lasted a good while! I want to try this one again when Logan is a bit older! This could be something real young ones could do as well!

Coffee Filter Butterfly

We folded coffee filters into a triangle, and dipped them into different colors of water. The boys loved watching the colors run through the coffee filter. During nap time we let them dry, and then I changed them into butterflies! They loved them!

We also read one of my favorite books, The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. Which is a great book that explains the process of a caterpillar turing into a butterfly! There are a lot of great projects that can go along with this one. Today we just focused on butterflies though :)

Happy Ground Hog Day!

Today is groundhog day. Connor, and the others are a bit young to fully understand the concept. I have a lot of ideas that can go along with this day, but will do most next year. For now, we made groundhog hats, and talked about shadows. I brought out flashlights, and they learned what a "shadow" was! Most importantly, they had tons of fun shining lights everywhere!

Painting with ice

It has been really cold out! (obviously, since it is January). Everytime we go outside Connor says "burr cold." So I thought we should do something to reinforce the hot/cold concept he has become interested in. So I decided to paint with ice. The night before I put water in an ice tray, and dropped lots of food coloring in each. Then I put plastic wrap over it. I cut up straws and punched them through the plastic into each ice cube. In the freezer it went!

When they were done, I took off plastic wrap and popped them out! This is what they looked like!

Connor and the others LOVED painting with them! They used different colors and mixed them. This allowed us to talk about the different colors they make when mixed. We also talked about hott vs cold, ice, water, solid, liquid, and they learned the word "melting." This was a great activity to introduce many basic scientific terms, and it was lots of fun!

This would also make an awesome summer activity since ice would melt faster, and may be a fun way to 'cool down.'

Playing in snow

Snow is good for some things. I see it as a big sensory table! You can use the same kind of toys that you would use to play with sand, and learn the same concepts. You can fill and dump, measure, pour, sift, feel, rub, pat, and best of all its kind of relaxing. You can also work on gross motor skills on it. Especially since just basic walking in it can be a bit more tricky and require extra work! There is no wrong way to play with this material. I love it because it is so open ended. You can just simply shovel a little, or make a big igloo. There is so much to learn from it, and if your dressed appropriately you can enjoy it at any age! Plus, getting some fresh air during a season we usually spend the majority of the time indoors is great!

Looking at it from this perspective makes me a little more tolerable of the stuff! :D