SCIENCE ACTIVITIES & WATER TABLE OPTIONS

SCIENCE ACTIVITIES:
From Suzanne K in New Jersey
*Soda Experiment: You will need one can of regular soda and one can of diet soda.  Put each can in a tub of water.  The regular (non-diet) can will sink.  The diet soda will float.  Sugar is less dense than the sweetners in diet soda.  I know that the children don't understand "dense" or "sugar is heavier than other sweetners," but they enjoy showing the experiment to their parents, and they begin to wonder about bouyancy and science in itself.  This sort of experiment grabs their attention since it seems "magical" and it initiates the idea that science is fun.
*Heat Absorption:Heat Ingredients (so to speak): 2 bowls-- I used cheapie aluminum ones from the dollar store, Thermometers (I used alcohol, rather than mercury), Water, Food coloring, Plastic wrap Procedure: Put some water in bowls--1/2 full.  In one bowl, place a few drops of red or yellow food coloring.  Stick in thermometer.  Cover with plastic wrap.  In second bowl, use all food colorings so the color is black.  Stick in thermometer.  Cover with plastic wrap.  Tell children that one bowl of water will get warmer than the other.  Write down their hypothesis as to which bowl of water will get warmer and why.  Put both bowls outside.  Check periodically.  The bowl full of black water will get warmer.  It will also have condensation on the underside of the plastic wrap.  Discuss with children on their level how black absorbs or "sucks up" heat.  After I conducted that experiment, I used the same bowls, but put in red food coloring in one bowl and nothing in the other.  The bowl with no coloring was hotter that the red one.  I am still researching this, but I tend to think that the refraction of sunlight and the aluminum alone, without a color covering, made this bowl warmer.

From Cynthia Hernandez:
Science Globes: Use any clear glass jar (I like baby food jars).  Using thick tacky glue, glue a small figurine (a McDonald's toy or anything that will fit inside the jar) to the inside of the jar lid.  Allow it to dry overnight.  Fill the jar half full with clear corn syrup.  Add tiny items such as glitter, confetti, etc that won't dissolve in the corn syrup.  Put the lid on and test how it looks (it may need water to thin out the corn syrup or maybe it needs more corn syrup, more or less tiny items, etc).  Once complete, super glue the lid on.
Variation: You could make one without a figurine -- use buttons, beads, anything like that.  We made some with cute confetti from a stationary store and marbles.  You could even add colored sand, which gives it a neat touch.  You could make one for the classroom and/or help the children make individual ones of their own, but remember to use caution with glass jars.  (I got this idea from my Child Care Association.)

From Stormie
Exploring Shells: In the Science Center, place a container of seashells, a magnifying glass, and a book with lots of neat shell pictures in it.  Let the children observe the shells through the magnifying glass as well as match them to the pictures in the book.

From Angella W. McCoy, Ramah Jr. Academy Pre-K, Savannah, Georgia:
Art/Science Idea: Dear Stormie, During our "Spring" unit, I had asked parents to send egg cartons for various projects.  I decided to use the "extras" as paint containers and the children loved it.  Cut cartons into four or six sections for holding each child's paint.  Sometimes a section can be left empty so the child can experiment with mixing colors -- works wonders for mixing pastel colors after primary colors have been discovered.

From Christena Kaufman, South Carolina:
Science Globes: I was reading about snow globes teachers often make for their classroom using glass jars and of course the caution concerning glass.  I use clear plastic soft drink bottles instead (16-20 oz.).  I try various mediums such as corn syrup, water, oil or a combination and then I add differing items like glitter, confetti, etc.  I also made one with sand and small shells that the children could shake the bottle to reveal the different shells.  For the classroom, the single serving sized bottles are a nice size for children to hold.  Of course, I also glue the lids on securely.

WATER TABLE OPTIONS:
From Sarah, in Michigan
Slip and Slide: Fingerpainting with pudding or whipped cream.  It doesn't take much, and you don't need to "fill" the table up...just enough so the kids hands can slip and slide...and it's also great because the mess on their faces make them so loveable -- you don't WANT to clean them up!  Get your camera ready for THIS one!
From MJ, in Texas
Fine Motor Water Table Suggestions: 1. Unrolled toilet paper 2. Shaving cream and spoons 3. Sand, dry corn, gold nuggets (spray painted small rocks), and spoons.
From Stormie
Place "Cat Litter" in your water table (no water).  Right, I know what you're thinking -- how horrible!  When I first saw this in a water table, I thought the same thing.  But really, there was nothing wrong with it.  The litter was clean and not that different than having rice or dirt in the table.  Some litters are more perfumed than others though so I'd buy the plain old "clay" litter.   >^..^<
From Jennifer Williams (teacher of special needs preschoolers)
Pool of Fun: Instead of a water table, we use a small hard plastic kid's pool.  We fill it with many different things throughout the year.  Our pool rules are: Only two children in it at a time, no sitting on the sides, and shoes come off before getting in.  For safety, you may want to set the pool on a gym mat.  We have also padded the walls where the pool is located.
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Reminder from Stormie: If you would like to begin collecting ALL my current classroom ideas (each on a 4 x 6" index card), as well as new ones that I create, you can do so by ordering my "Activity Cards."  Click here to check them out.