Topic - Contributors

10 Simple Tips for Bringing Science into your Home

By Kim Vij, The Educators’ Spin On It

Do you ever wonder if your child is getting enough Science?

As an educator and parent I have observed over the years that with more and more time focused on Reading, Writing and Math our children are not getting enough time for deeper levels of understanding of in science at school.  Children need more opportunities for hands on exploration and time to process the experiments and concepts at their own pace.  Are you thinking this is something I can help with at home but where to start? Do you know what concepts your child is supposed to be learning in science at school?  It’s easy you can just check the Standards for their Grade Level and support from home.  Your local school board website will have a link.

At The Educators’ Spin On It we try our best to insure that our children have the opportunity to explore science with our After School Express Series and our Tot School Series. We share ideas that you can incorporate as a stay at home parents, after school or

Young Alchemists – Science for Babies, Toddlers and Kids

By Angelique Felix

Young children are always experimenting! If you give your child a cup and a bowl of water, he will fill and pour, push the cup under the surface and watch the water rush in, and investigate why his sleeves get wet when he dips them in.

New theoretical ideas and empirical research show that very young children’s learning and thinking are strikingly similar to learning and thinking in science. (source)

I say that almost all young kids have the fundamental skills of becoming a good scientist!

They Play.

They Explore.

They OBSERVE.

They are CURIOUS.

They want to DISCOVER new things.

They want to know WHY certain things happen.

Every age contributes in its own way of becoming young alchemists.

Explore & Play

During the Baby age (0 to 1) a child explores & plays with what is suitable for its age (click here to see how babies can play). Babies learn about the world through their senses and use their whole body for that investagation. On the picture you see baby girl explore a homemade babypaint (cornstarch, water, food colors).

Do it yourself & observe

When baby grows up to

Leopard Reintroduction on a Wildlife Reserve in Malawi, Africa

 By Jody Tilbury, Mud Hut Mama

We are lucky enough to live in a wildlife reserve in Malawi that over the last ten years has been restored, rehabilitated and restocked. More than 2,500 animals have been translocated here and there is a lot of excitement that surrounds animal reintroductions.

The latest relocation was two leopards that were moved from South Africa to Malawi in November 2012. They take the total leopard population in the reserve up to six. The first two arrived in October 2011 and the second two in December 2011. Before that there had been no evidence of leopards in this reserve since the 1990s (however they are still found in other areas of Malawi). The reserve has a great leopard habitat and leopards used to occur here in good numbers but poaching and habitat encroachment drove them away. Now that the reserve is protected by the Malawian Department of National Parks and Wildlife, with support from a conservation project, it is a safe place for these predators and we are thrilled to see them return to the area.

All of the

Cave Stalactites and Capillary Action

By Marnie from Carrots are Orange

Preschoolers can learn science too. If you don’t believe me, go and check out Steve Spangler’s website. Search his experiments and do one with your child. They may not get all the abstract concepts but their brain will fire neurons in ways that when they hit a later age they will be prepared for more complex ideas.

Within the context of learning about Land Forms, we explored caves by taking a look at images of Caves Around the World. So, a project we absolutely had to try out recently was so simple yet so powerful. I have to share it with you.

With guidance from Steve Spangler, we created a cave pillar in just a few days with a few simple items:

• Washing Soda (I purchased this item from Amazon)
• Warm Water
• Thin Dish Towel
• String, Yarn or Twine
• Two Cups or Bowls
• Small Plate
• A Spoon

Approach:

1. Filled our two mason jars with hot water, leave an inch at the top of your beakers to avoid spilling Add approximately 1/2 cup of washing soda to each beaker and stir

Density in Action: Can You Sink a Marshmallow?

By Loralee Leavitt, Candy Experiments

At the USA Science and Engineering Festival in Washington, DC, children crowd around the Candy Experiments booth.  A volunteer asks if they’re ready to take the marshmallow challenge: “Can you sink a marshmallow?”

As Steve Spangler teaches in the lemon and lime sink-and-float experiment, an object sinks if it is more dense than water.  It floats if it is less dense than water.

When you drop a marshmallow in water, it floats like a balloon.  A marshmallow is full of air bubbles, which puff it out.  The sugar in the marshmallow gets spread out over a large area, making the marshmallow less dense than water.  So how do you make a marshmallow denser?  You have to make it smaller.

To try the marshmallow challenge, take a mini marshmallow and squash it.  You can do this by smashing it between your palms, rolling it between your fingers, or smashing it against a flat surface.  Try to roll it into a ball rather than flatten it into a pancake, because a pancake shape floats better than