Science Experiment 8

The neighborhood kids liked coming over for our summer science experiments so much, that we would be asked/harassed daily. "When is the next science experiment? What will it be?" Well, I didn't have a new one ready, so I quickly found some objects for the classic sink or float experiment. They were all placed in a gift bag. The kids took turns randomly selecting a mystery item from the bag before predicting if it would sink or float. When we ran out of items, the kids asked for more. So I scrounged up a few additional trinkets for a second round.

Growing Hands

This handprint kit was a gift we received at one of Emma's baby showers. Each birthday we record her growth with this fun project. What a neat keepsake!

Science Experiment 7

Dancing dots! Static electricity! Try explaining positive and negative charges to a 3-year old.

Up In the Air

Since Emma enjoyed her first visit to the gymnasium, we tried out another in town a few weeks later. Emma was up in the air more than she was on the ground!

Doctor, Doctor - Part 3

Doctor's Visit - Emma was so proud to step on the scale for her weight and height. When asked by her doctor, "What are some healthy snacks you like to eat?" Emma said, "Goldfish and animal crackers!" Then he said, "What is your favorite fruit?" Emma answered, "Fruit strips!" It sounds like we let our kid eat junk food, but Emma really does eat fruits and vegetables at lunch and dinner every day.

Medical Bag Art - I made the pieces to construct a paper doctor's bag and let Emma glue them together. Then she took the 3-D objects out of the apothecary jar (tongue depressor, cotton ball, Q-tip, cotton swab, and band-aids) and glued them to the inside her art project. This came from Homeschool Creations.

Tools and Parts Match - This printable from Hubbard's Cupboard challenged Emma to choose a doctor's tool and match it to the correct body part(s). The tongue depressor goes with the mouth, but the stethoscope goes with the heart and lungs.

Doctor, Doctor - Part 2

Imaginative Play - On a few occasions, Emma used her doctor's kit to give her baby dolls a check-up or take care of them when they were ill. I love the second picture where she is showing Beth how to say "Ahhh!" when looking at her throat with the tongue depressor. Emma also used gauze and tape to wrap a boo-boo on Beth's knee, but only after thoroughly cleaning it and telling her, "Don't cry. It will be okay."

Sorting Tray - Like I said in the last post, she loved doing this with the tweezers.

Book & Size Sequencing - I read the book Farm Flu by Teresa Bateman to Emma and then played this game to review skills like sequence of events and small, medium, and large. The printables came from Hubbard's Cupboard.

Song Time - Our song for this theme was "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes."

Doctor, Doctor - Part 1

Since Emma was going in for her 3-year check-up, I decided to do a few doctor activities in the days before and after her appointment. Here is part 1!

Doctor Books - We, again, raided the local library for books on doctors and staying healthy. Baa-Choo! by Sarah Weeks and Arthur's Chickenpox by Marc Brown were her favorites. We read those over and over.

Sorting Tray - The red tray was a Dollar Tree find. The other materials we had in the bathroom, including the glass apothecary jar. Emma used tweezers to pick up the items from the center jar and place them in like categories. She had a lot of fun and asked for this activity for several days. I adapted the idea from the tot school blog, Growing Up Our Style.

Band-aid Art - The Dollar Tree had boxes of neon and flesh colored band-aids. I liked this activity, because Emma had to work on opening the package, peeling the back off, and then sticking them in place on the construction paper in her own design. She wanted to do it again the next day. I saw a similar idea on Growing Up Our Style.

McDonald Magic

Ronald McDonald put on an interactive magic show at the BPL one summer afternoon. All of his illusions revolved around the summer reading program theme, "A Mid-Summer Night's Read." He posed for pictures following the performance.

Dino Days - Part 3

Reading Books - Our local library had a lot to choose from. Emma particularly liked the How Do Dinosaurs . . . ? series by Jane Yolen. Scott and I thought Dino Basketball by Lisa Wheelerwas written well enough to entertain children and adults.

Puzzles - This puzzle came from 1 + 1 + 1 = 1. We also did a giant floor puzzle I brought home from work, which was quite challenging.

Do-A-Dot Letter Dd - This worksheet came from Confessions of a Homeschooler. Emma used her Do-A-Dot markers to form the letters.

Paper Plate Dino - Emma used her finger paints and paint brushes to prep the paper plates for her dinosaur art. I thought I took a picture of the final project, but I can't put my finger on it right now.

Life Cycle Sequencing - Making Learning Fun had this four-card activity.

Song Time - I remembered the song "My Name is Stegosaurus" from hearing my mom sing it with her first graders when I observed her teaching years ago. Emma quickly picked up the lyrics and hand motions.

Dino Days - Part 2

Coloring Book - The Dollar Tree had a dinosaur coloring book for . . . $1.00. There were great coloring pages and games, though the mazes and word scrambles will have to wait until later.

Uppercase and Lowercase Dd - This activity came from Confessions of a Homeschooler.

Figure Sorting and Counting - Again, I took a trip to the Dollar Tree for the sorting tray and dinosaur figures. She sorted by color and species and then counted the number of each.

Dino Days - Part 1

Emma became interested in dinosaurs this summer after visiting the Indy Children's Museum. When we went to the gift shop, she really wanted a stuffed Brachiosaurs. She named him Dino. In the days after we got home, we picked out some good books at the library and I planned some fun learning activities. Here are a few that we did the first week.

Grow a Dino - The materials include Dollar Tree dinosaurs in capsules, water, Easter eggs, Easter grass, a container for the nest, and a mommy dino.

Pom Pom Fun - The skills she practiced include hand-eye coordination and letter formation.

Size Sequencing - This activity came from Confessions of a Homeschooler. I printed several of her dino projects to use in our little dinosaur unit.

Q-Tip Art - I found this worksheet at Making Learning Fun. Emma used Q-tips and finger paint to carefully fill in each circle.