This Month:
This month, we'll be focusing on observing matter with 4 of our senses (we know scientists never use their sense of taste in the lab unless a teacher tells them to!), measuring matter with a variety of non-standard objects, and pumpkins.
Home Connection(s):
- Give your child daily opportunities to share observations about objects in his/her world. Encourage observations with several of the five senses.
- Let your child participate in preparing meals. This is a great time to talk about germs and why we should wash our hands before preparing food or eating. It's also an opportunity to let your child practice safety skills by wearing an apron, wafting unknown liquids, and being responsible with breakable equipment. Finally, you can discuss standard measurement such as teaspoons, tablespoons, and measuring cups/bowls/spoons, and non-standard measurement like "a pinch."
- If you have a pumpkin in your home, carve open the top and let your student explore the inside. He/she can predict how many seeds there are and then dig all the seeds out in order to find the correct answer. Cook the seeds and let your child observe them with his/her sense of taste. Measure the circumference of the pumpkin with a piece of yarn or string, and allow your student to use various non-standard items (crayons, magnets, paper clips, bobby pins, etc.) to measure the yarn. If you have multiple pumpkins in your home, let your student put them in order from heaviest to least heavy and/or sort them by color/size/shape/texture.
Upcoming Events:
- The submission deadline for the first annual Old Union Science Fair is on November 7. Please click HERE for more information.
This month, we'll be focusing on observing matter with 4 of our senses (we know scientists never use their sense of taste in the lab unless a teacher tells them to!), measuring matter with a variety of non-standard objects, and pumpkins.
Home Connection(s):
- Give your child daily opportunities to share observations about objects in his/her world. Encourage observations with several of the five senses.
- Let your child participate in preparing meals. This is a great time to talk about germs and why we should wash our hands before preparing food or eating. It's also an opportunity to let your child practice safety skills by wearing an apron, wafting unknown liquids, and being responsible with breakable equipment. Finally, you can discuss standard measurement such as teaspoons, tablespoons, and measuring cups/bowls/spoons, and non-standard measurement like "a pinch."
- If you have a pumpkin in your home, carve open the top and let your student explore the inside. He/she can predict how many seeds there are and then dig all the seeds out in order to find the correct answer. Cook the seeds and let your child observe them with his/her sense of taste. Measure the circumference of the pumpkin with a piece of yarn or string, and allow your student to use various non-standard items (crayons, magnets, paper clips, bobby pins, etc.) to measure the yarn. If you have multiple pumpkins in your home, let your student put them in order from heaviest to least heavy and/or sort them by color/size/shape/texture.
Upcoming Events:
- The submission deadline for the first annual Old Union Science Fair is on November 7. Please click HERE for more information.