Friday, May 30, 2014

// // 3 comments

Dirt: a Sensory Bin Challenge


Dirt.  Sensory Bins.  Preschoolers.  

You may wonder why sensory bins, and you may wonder why dirt.  Let me begin by explaining.

A sensory bin is a container with material inside designed to appeal to your children's senses.  It may have a unique texture or be easy to manipulate.  It may have a new smell.  It may be messy or it may be tidy.  Sensory bins can be created in a huge variety of ways, but they all allow your children to discover, explore, and manipulate more of their world in a contained space through their senses.  It can also provide a platform for your child to interact with others and practice communicating.  An added bonus, if you have a child who struggles with sensory processing, is that sensory bins provide a sensory material that your child can use for extra sensory input or limited sensory input, depending on the child's particular needs.  It is instantly differentiated instruction for each individual child!

Sensory bins are often created around a theme or with a learning purpose in mind.  Sometimes we want our children to discover something particular.  Sometimes, though, it is important to let them choose the manipulatives.  A sensory bin can actually become an item that your child has complete control of...one part of the day where the child dictates what will tools will be used and how.  This is where the Sensory Bin Challenge comes in!

Little Bins for Little Hands is hosting a monthly Sensory Bin Challenge, encouraging you to join us as we provide a bin with a predetermined "filler," and let your children take the lead in exploring, manipulating, and creating new frameworks to interpret their world.  


This month the filler is DIRT!  So just put a pile of dirt in a bucket, and put it in your kiddos' reach.  I put mine outside where they were sure to find it.  And find it, they did!

They touched it.


They brought shovels to it.


They brought leaves to it.


They climbed inside and stomped in it!  Check out those toes wrapping around the loose soil!


My biggest sensory-seeking kiddo even stood on his head in it!


They played in it for over an hour on four different days.

It has been a pile of dirt, a campfire, a launch pad, a mountain, and so many other things that I have lost track of them.  It has been a favorite outdoor station all week.

The kids have brought shovels, sticks, leaves, rocks, buckets, sand castle molds, rope, chairs, water, and other "tools" to the bucket.

Three of my kiddos tend to get dirt all over themselves every time we head outside.  Two of them manage to stay perfectly clean each time.  You may not believe it, but they all have played with the same bucket.  (Instantly differentiated activity, remember?!)

It has been one of the highlights of their back-yard time all week.  

Perhaps they love it because it is dirt.  But, perhaps they love it because it has been theirs. I haven't given it rules or boundaries or limits.  They know they need to keep each other safe, but beyond that I have let them do whatever they wanted with the bucket of dirt.

And it has been wonderful.


So, are you in?  Will you join us for a monthly sensory bin challenge?  I would love to see your bucket of dirt!  Or, if you use another sensory bin, I'd love to see it too!  You're welcome to share a link on our PreschoolPowolPackets Facebook page or here as a comment!

PS.  Did you know that soil has a bacteria in it that triggers an anti-depressant response in you?  Playing in the dirt may literally make you happy!  Read more about it here.


 
I may share at any of these parties!
Read More

Monday, May 26, 2014

// // 2 comments

Salt Water and Fresh Water Science Experiments & Crocodile Folk Tales

Salt Water Crocodiles can live in both the salty ocean and freshwater rivers!  How do they do this?  How do salt and freshwater differ?  Learn more about the differences in salt water and fresh water with your preschoolers with these simple science experiments! Get ready for some fun waterworks with these science projects!




This experiment is perfect for young children because it introduces new concepts about how solutes (like salt) affect water and other variables.  It introduces a concept and allows your children to build on it by further investigation!

Simple Supplies:

* 3 clear cups
* water
* salt
* food coloring
* ice
* other variables (toothpicks, grapes, soap, etc)


Easy How-to:

1.  Put about one cup of water in each cup.

2.  Let your child dissolve 1-2 tablespoons of salt in two of the cups.  This is comparable to very salty ocean water.  (See note below.)

3.  Let your child squeeze some food coloring into the "fresh" water.  Watch how it spreads through the water easily and soon fills the entire cup.


4.  Let your child squeeze some food coloring into one of the salt cups.  Talk about how the differences you see in the salt and fresh water.


5.   What do you think would happen if you had fresh water on top of the salt water?  The best way to see this is to place an ice cube on top of the other salt water cup.  Give it about five minutes to melt.  Do not bump the cup! While you wait, read a crocodile story like the one below!

When the ice is significantly melted, you will have a little puddle of fresh water on top of the salt water.  Let your child squeeze some food coloring on top of the fresh/salt water cup!


Talk about how the food coloring stayed in the fresh water longer and took some time to spread throughout the entire cup.

6.  What other things could you test with your salt and fresh water cups?

My kids wanted to test grapes.  And guess what...with enough salt, a grape will float!  (When you add salt, you increase the density of the solution.  An item will float if it is less dense than the water it is in.)


7.  Crocodile Discussion:  Salt Water Crocodiles can travel hundreds of miles through the ocean, where they only have salt water to drink.  Salt water treats food coloring differently than normal water does, and it can cause problems if a crocodile (or any other animal) gets too much inside their body.  How do you think crocodiles handle the salt?  They actually have salt glands on their tongues that excrete the extra salt in their bodies!  


Gator Gumbo is a modern fable similar to The Little Red Hen, but with a Louisiana flair and an surprise ending!  



Note:  Ocean water averages 3.5% salinity.  This is just under 1 tablespoon  of salt per cup.  However, since 3.5% is an "average," and there are definitely portions of the water that are saltier, and the results are more visual, I recommend using closer to 2 tablespoons of salt in your cup.  :)




This post is part of the monthly Poppins Book Nook!  Each month bloggers choose a book based on a theme and share activities and science projects related to that theme.  This month the theme is folktales!  Check out these other great blogs for more folk tale science experiment and activity fun:

Enchanted Homeschooling Mom ~ 3 Dinosaurs ~ To the Moon and Back ~ Planet Smarty Pants ~ Farm Fresh Adventures ~ Growing in God's Grace ~ Chestnut Grove Academy ~ Learning and Growing the Piwi Way ~ The Usual Mayhem~ Preschool Powol Packets ~ Monsters Ed Homeschool Academy ~ Adventures in Mommydom ~ Teach Beside Me ~ Life with Moore Babies ~ Kathy's Cluttered Mind ~ Are We There Yet? ~ Our Crafts N Things ~ Hopkins Homeschool ~ ABC Creative Learning ~ Joy Focused Learning ~ P is for Preschooler ~ Laugh and Learn ~ A Mommy's Adventures ~ Inspiring 2 New Hampshire Children ~ World for Learning ~ Ever After in the Woods ~ Golden Grasses ~ Our Simple Kinda Life ~ A glimpse of our life ~ Journey to Excellence ~ Happy Little Homemaker ~ Little Homeschool Blessings ~ Simplicity Breeds Happiness ~ Raventhreads ~ Learning Fundamentals ~ Tots and Me ~ As We Walk Along The Road ~ Stir the Wonder ~ For This Season ~ Where Imagination Grows ~ Lextin Academy ~ The Canadian Homeschooler ~ School Time Snippets ~ Peakle Pie ~ Mom's Heart ~ A Moment in our World ~ Every Bed of Roses ~ Finchnwren ~ At Home Where Life Happens ~ Suncoast Momma ~ The Library Adventure ~ Embracing Destiny ~ Day by Day in our World ~ Our Homeschool Studio ~ A "Peace" of Mind ~ Thou Shall Not Whine ~ SAHM I am ~ eLeMeNo-P Kids ~ Simple Living Mama


Also, be sure to visit Enchanted Homeschooling Mom for a chance to win a folk tale curriculum bundle!  

Do you have any folk tale related blog posts?  We'd love to see what you're up to!  Please share them here:







I may share at any of these parties!
Read More

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

// // Leave a Comment

Ocean Preschool Packet ~ 3 Day FREEBIE

The Ocean Preschool Packet is here!!



With more than 50 pages of adorable preschool printables, this Ocean Preschool Packet can be fun for "school time," "busy bags," Montessori baskets, one-on-one time, games, and so much more!  

What's in the packet?  Well, I'm glad you asked!  Here are two collages with thumbnail images of all the pages:




And the best part is that (like most of my big packets) the Ocean Preschool Packet will be {FREE} FOR 3 DAYS!!!  Sorry for shouting...I just want to make sure my readers have a chance to grab it before it becomes a paid product.  :)

And please feel free to pin and share this post and tell others about it!  


  You will need either a Teachers Notebook or TPT account, but that is {FREE} and then you will have access to hundreds of other {FREE} printables too!!

And, as always, I would love to hear from you if you plan to use it!!  It totally makes my day when people comment or send me an email!  :)


Happy Educating, Carla

I may share at any of these parties!
Read More

Monday, May 19, 2014

// // Leave a Comment

Awesome Preschool Science Experiment


Preschoolers are natural little scientists, and this open-ended, inquiry-driven science experiment is the perfect type of exploration their minds (and fingers!) love!

The concept behind this science project is flow, and the materials provided let your preschoolers experiment with how different objects flow through foam, water, and other textures.  Even more important than flow, though, is that this experiment provides an opportunity for your children to manipulate materials, predict what they think will happen, experiment, and then repeat the experiment to see if the results change.


To set up the experiment, arrange different objects within easy reach.  We used toothpicks, small rocks, leaves, bits of play dough, and liquid watercolors.  (To see how we easily make our own liquid watercolors, click here!)


Then fill clear a clear cup or bowl half full with water and add a layer of shaving cream.  Ask your children if they think the paint will flow through the foam.  What about the toothpicks?  Invite them to try it out and see!


They may think of other objects they need to experiment with...like sticks!





Or they may decide they need more shaving cream!



They may try adding more than one thing at a time...



...or they may decide they need to touch it!  It does make a wonderful sensory material!  Does the foam feel the same when it is a different color?



However they experiment with it, the results are stunning!




This one looked like a rainstorm!

Do your preschoolers have a favorite science experiment or exploration? I'd love to hear about your science project fun!


Happy Educating, Carla

I may share at any of these parties!
Read More

Saturday, May 17, 2014

// // 2 comments

Sports Theme Preschool Lesson


We recently had a super fun sports themed preschool day, so today I'm sharing our Sports Day with you!

Sensory Bin: I use this as a gathering activity.  This time, we put little sports balls inside a big rice bin.

Circle Time & Guessing Bag:  In the circle, I give each child a chance to share something, we count, and talk about days of the week.  To introduce the sports theme, I had about a dozen different balls or sports accessories inside a large gift bag.  Each child drew out an item and explained which sport it represented.

Relays outside:  Our weather has been gorgeous and our kids are energetic, so we headed outside right away!  Click here to learn how we used relays as a team building activity!



Free play outside:  After the relays, I let the kids play outside.  I loved watching them work together to build a "campfire" together!


Snack:  We had homemade rolls (aka balls) and oranges (aka basketballs)!

Sports Grid Game:  Click here to download your own {FREE} Sports Grid Game and get instructions to play it!



Craft: Make a Football:  Aren't these little footballs the cutest ever!  I just loved watching the kids make them!  Click here for instructions and tips to make your own football craft!



Find & graph hidden sports:  This activity combined our kiddos' active energy, a fun game, and graphing skills!  Click here for details!!


Books!  I love to read, and the sports theme has so many fun options!  I have a list of more than 20 books about different sports that preschoolers love here!


And, like usual, I over-planned the day!  Here are some fun activities that we did later because we couldn't fit it all in a 2-1/2 hour day:

Crayon rubbings on different balls:  place a paper on a ball and rub a crayon on it to make a textured drawing!  Or, just cut out ball-shaped sand paper and make rubbings using that!

Balance Beam Walk:  Watch this awesome video clip of Shawn Johnson and let everyone walk along a balance beam!  We have a 2x4 that's about ten feet long that we use for a balance beam, but you could even just stretch a string across the floor for your kids to walk on!

Play Kickball outside!

Swimming Balloons:  Fill a big bucket, tub, or container with water, blow up a balloon (but don't tie it!), and release it on one end of the bucket.  The force of the air leaving the balloon will propel the balloon across the top of the water...and maybe even in the air!


Do you have a Sports Day coming up?  What is your preschooler's favorite sport?




I may share at any of these parties!
Read More

Friday, May 16, 2014

// // Leave a Comment

20+ Sports Books for Preschoolers



As you know, we recently had a Sports themed day, and since the heart of any preschoolers education is reading, I wanted to share a ton of sports themed books your preschoolers might love!  You can print this post and take the whole list to the library, or click on the individual pictures to go to Amazon and learn more about each book.   These books cover a huge range of interests...from football to ballet!  What sports do your kiddos love the most?

The pictures are Amazon affiliate links...you never pay more for ordering through them, but they do give me a small referral commission.  Thank you for your support!

Little Granny Quarterback
by Bill Martin



Dino-Soccer
by Lisa Wheeler



Dino-Baseball
by Lisa Wheeler



Dino-Basketball
by Lisa Wheeler



Dino-Hockey
by Lisa Wheeler



Dino-Football
by Lisa Wheeler



The Berenstain Bears Get Their Kicks
by Stan Berenstain



The Berenstain Bears Phenom in the Family
by Stan Berenstain



Baby Dance 
by Ann Taylor



Spot Loves Sports
by Eric Hill



Sports Illustrated Kids Big Book of Why Sports



Little Basketball
by Brad Herzog



Little Football
by Brad Herzog


Swish!
By Bill Martin



I Spy With My Little Eye Hockey
by Matt Napier


Clifford's Sports Day
by Normal Bridwell



Curious George Plays Baseball
by H.A. Rey



Fancy Nancy: Budding Ballerina
by Jane O'Connor


First Day at Gymnastics
by Anita Ganeri



Dinosailers
by Deb Lund



Giraffes Can't Dance
by Giles Andreae




The Boy Who Wouldn't Swim
by Deb Lucke



I may share at any of these parties!
Read More

Thursday, May 15, 2014

// // Leave a Comment

Sports Hide & Seek Graphing

This sports hide & seek graphing activity ties sports, science, math, and active large muscle exercise together into one interactive educational activity!



Simple graphing is an early math and science skill that your children will use for the rest of their lives.  It takes grouping and sorting activities up a level and prepares them to read charts and graphs by building one themselves.  Plus, the hide and seek element of this activity makes it great for my little friends that just can't hold still!

Sports Hide & Seek Graphing:

1.  Preparation:  Print off several copies of 4 different sports.  You are welcome to use our page {here} -- it has a running child, soccer ball, baseball, and bicyclist.  I printed it twice.

2.  A little more preparation:  Cut out the sports squares and hide them!  You can do this inside or outside and make the hidden pictures easy or hard to find!  Reserve one of each sport to place on a graph.

3.  Final preparation:  Draw a bar graph and tape one of each sport to the bottom of each column.  I drew two columns on each page, but you can see where our pictures went right over the edge!  A poster board might work better!

4.  Show your children how each sport has its own column, and tell them that the rest of the pictures are hiding!  Invite them to find them and tape them in the right column.

5.  Hide & Seek!!  As your children find sports, let them tape them in the right spot.

6.  Analyze!  Ask your children which sport has the most pictures?  Which has the least?  Can they order them from most to least? from least to most?

7.  Let your children hide them for another round!


Remember that I am sharing loads of sports-themed crafts and learning activities this week!  Come by tomorrow to see them all!!




I may share at any of these parties!
Read More