Saturday, March 26, 2011

water cycle lesson for young children

the other day it rained cats and dogs, then the next the skies were clear and sunny. i took it as an opportunity to teach the little ones i watch about the water cycle.

first we talked about where water comes from. three-year old bubby quickly grasped the concept that water goes through a cycle. he was excited about "ebaporation" and loved explaining the diagram print-out. we left two jars on the window sill, one uncovered, and marked them to see what will happen to the water left in the sun. bubby predicted the water in the uncovered jar will go up into the sky.=)

next we created a rainy window. the little ones colored white paper blue and helped me punch out holes. then we stapled and glued it all together. though they don't yet have the strength to use them, children are intrigued by hole punchers and staplers and enjoy helping adults squeeze and push them.


after the lesson, we made rain noises -  we rubbed our hands together softly to make light rain, slapped our thighs to make loud rain, then stomped our feet to make thunder! they loved it and wanted to do it again and again. most pleasing was that they were getting exercise indoors without running around like wild animals.=)

the magic school bus has some great videos, and i found the 30-minute segment wet all over at the local library. the dvd wouldn't play, which turned out to be a blessing because we ventured outside instead. it seemed too cold for outdoor play but when bubby suggested we go out for some vitamin d=), we bundled up and ventured out. after being in the sun a few minutes, we warmed up and had a blast. we were also able to observe that the huge puddles there the day before had already evaporated.=)

8 comments:

  1. What a great learning opportunity. Love the rainy window.

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  2. Great learning moment with your children! Love it!
    Blessings, Debra
    Raw Vegan Diet

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  3. Kelli, I've nominated you for a blog award; you may have already received this from someone else, but I just love your blog :) http://barefootandfrolicking.blogspot.com/2011/03/one-lovely-blog-award.html

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  4. You are an awesome teacher! Isn't it easy to be joyful around kids who are excited to learn?

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  5. This is so cute and amazing. I love it. Great way to keep children using their imagination and getting crafty. Thanks for sharing.

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  6. So cute. Looks like what I see out my window all the time in Seattle.

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  7. We had the same kind of day yesterday, rained cats and dogs and then the sun came out and it was beautiful. I planted the butterfly garden and we released the ladybugs and butterflies. It was bitter sweet. I shall miss them :)
    Peace and Raw Health,
    E

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  8. That's so great! What a fun lesson! You're a great teacher.

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