In the book The Last Child in the Woods, Richard Louv (2005) links the lack of nature in the lives of children to being part of a “wired generation.” He says attention disorders, depression (yes, in children), and obesity are all due to a “Nature Deficit.” This is an amazing book and a great resource for teachers. I encourage you to read it and bring more nature into your work with children

Kids love to dig and what’s more exciting than finding a Roly Poly? Supply the kids with shovels, magnifying glasses and bug containers and let them go to work. I purchased all of my supplies at the Dollar Store making it very reasonably priced. You could use recycled food containers and spoons found in your kitchen if you don’t have access to these materials.

Here are some fun facts about roly polies that you may not know:

You can explore habitats of all kinds of animals, bugs, or crustaceans. Try creating a roly poly habitat with children out of found materials. However, you also want to help children respect animals and their natural habitats. So make sure they know you ALWAYS put animals back in their natural habitats at the end of every day.

 

This resource is a great guide to using the scientific method with young children by following their interests.  Steps for scientific inquiry (question, observe, predict, experiment, discuss) are outlined and suggestions for how to support children’s thinking during each step are given.  Get ready to follow the child’s lead and support them in the inquiry process!

Using the Scientific Method Handout

 

Make homemade bubble solution with liquid dish soap and water.  Start with a cup of water and a tablespoon or two of dish soap (Dawn seems to be the most popular choice for making bubble solution) and mix.  You can add a little corn syrup or dissolve some sugar in the water to make the bubbles last longer.  You can use wands you already have or children can create their own with pipe cleaners or flexible wire.

Goal: Children will experiment with creating bubbles that are different sizes and observe changes from the bubble solution to bubbles to bubbles as they pop.

 

 

 

Some of the most magical experiences come from the simplest materials. Bring out some flashlights and see what magic explorations happen.

This experience supports development in several of the Early Learning Science Goals.