Tag Archives: Science

Frozen gardens

It’s science week at Cart Mill and we have been discussing the properties of water and the effect of the cold. We found out during our visit from Williamwood that water is a liquid and that it can move about in a container.

We gathered some containers and used scissors to cut up some foliage to add before we poured the water in, then off to the freezer we went.

The next day we were surprised by the appearance of the water “it’s gone hard” “it’s cold” The water had changed from a liquid – something that can move about in the container, to a solid – something that doesn’t move in the container. When the temperature of the water becomes very cold (below freezing) it turns to ice.

The children decided to add colour to the water, so, very carefully we used droppers to add some dye “it’s getting  darker”

 

The children wondered what would happen if we added more water to our ice. We added another layer of foliage and coloured water on top of our ice. The water sat like a different layer on top of the ice, it was very strange, the water moved but the ice didn’t! We all wondered what would happen if we put the container back in the freezer so off to the kitchen we went with our containers. What will happen? Watch this space…

Water Xylophone

This week is Science Week and we will be exploring science themed experiences throughout all the different areas in each of the playrooms.

Today in our music area we made a water xylophone using some glass jars and food colouring.

We were developing our fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination as we used a pipette to pour the food colouring in to the jar after which, we added some water.

Once the children had added the water, they lined up all the jars and noticed that each jar had a different volume of water.

”that one is filled right to the top”

”the red one has just a little bit”

We used a beater on the jars to listen to the sounds it made.

”The blue one sounds really low and the red one sounds really high”

I asked if the children knew what made the sounds but they were unsure.

After searching the internet we learned that when we use the beater to tap the jar it causes sound waves which are vibrations that travel through the water to make the sound. When there is less water the pitch is higher.

We listened to the different pitches as we played our own music, we are going to collect some more jars to add lots of different sounds.

Magic Beanstalk

Today in our garden we had lots of fun making our very own magic bean stalk!

After reading the story indoors, the children were super excited and wanted to make their own beanstalk. So we did some research to find all the materials that we needed.

We placed a handful of cotton balls into our individual jars, sprayed them with water to dampen them and then, just like Jack we threw our magic beans into the jars. Now we all have to be patient and wait and watch, checking on them every day to see if they start to grow. Do you think they will grow to the sky?


“It’s going to grow so big”

“It’s going to be just like Jack’s beanstalk”

“I can take this home to show mum”

This exciting experience allows the children to observe the changes in plant growth over time and helps them develop knowledge of seasons and life cycles.

Magic Magnets

Today in the discovery room we looked at magnets and how they work.

We decided to select different items we found around our playroom and investigated to see if they were magnetic using a selection of different sized magnets.

We used our mathematical skills to discover that magnets can pull together objects or push them away. We also found that although we had two of the same item, only one was magnetic. This is because objects that look the same are not always made of the same material.

We recorded our findings on a chart. It showed us what items were magnetic and those that were non-magnetic. We discovered that magnetic things were made of metal but items that were made of wood or plastic were not magnetic, unless they had a little bit of metal in them!

We loved listening to each other making our predictions whether something was magnetic or not, everybody made sure they were taking turns when choosing what items to test. We loved guessing the material!

Why don’t you have a look around the house and guess what materials are magnetic or not!

Hibernation & The Black Bear

The children in the home room have been showing curiosity around dark and colder nights, like what happens to the animals? We got our creative heads on and developed a small world hibernation cave and have been learning about the animals that hibernate in the winter, and how we can accommodate them.

The children have been busy creating animals and their homes all week using natural resources to help keep them warm during hibernation.  Today the children have been enjoying making the black bear. They have been learning what happens when the weather grows cold and food supply dries up, and how the black bear hibernates for the winter.

We have also been extending our learning further today, looking at different stories about hibernation, including ‘The Great Big Sleep’ . The children enjoyed listening to the story, learning how the bear was getting ready for his winter sleep and how the squirrel just wasn’t sleepy.

A Rainbow in a Jar 🌈

This morning in the Discovery room the children wanted to do a science experiment exploring liquid. The name of the experiment was Rainbow 🌈 in a jar and the learning intention for the children was to be introduced to the concept of density of liquids.

4 liquids were used which were all of different densities.  They included golden syrup, fairy liquid, oil and water. The children then had a discussion as to which liquid had the ‘thickest density’. They correctly named the golden syrup to be the first liquid in the jar.

The golden syrup was then poured into the jar followed by the fairy liquid, water and oil. A rainbow effect was then created in the jar. The children enjoyed naming the colours of the liquids and especially watching each coloured liquid sit on top of each other.

One child then asked what would happen if the jar was turned upside down. We all watched when the jar was turned upside down and watched all the colours merge together and a nice turquoise colour was created. However our experiment concluded that once the jar had been shaken that the liquids would not go back to their original layers straight away but instead stay mixed up together. Over several hours the liquids separated again.

The children enjoyed their rainbow in a jar science experiment, why don’t you try it at home with your little one.

Super Science!

This morning in the Discovery room the boys and girls took part in a science experiment. This experience was to introduce the children to the mathematical concept of volume. Within this experience some children practised their measuring skills, while others were encouraged to share  their knowledge of primary colours and what happens when you mix colours together.


Some of the children have been exploring 3D shapes  and shared their knowledge by discussing what 3D shapes the containers represented.

The children listened carefully to instructions while we explained that 500mls of coloured water would be added to every container on the water tray. The children then had to decide if they thought the container had enough space inside to hold the volume of water we were going to be pouring in.

Great fun and giggles was had watching the smaller containers over flow with the coloured liquid.

Lastly,  we mixed the coloured waters together to see what would happen and guess what colours would appear.  Why don’t you try the volume experiment at home?

Volcano o’clock

Some of the children in the home room today were asking questions about the “volcano on the TV” which has sadly been on the news. We talked about what a volcano is and what happens when it erupts! We decided to experiment and make  our very own exploding volcano using a mixture of household objects to see what would happen!! We used clay, vinegar and bicarbonate of Soda with a water bottle. Ready… steady… blast off!! “The flames are very red like on the TV!” We also used a range of media such as  the iPad to research different volcanos from all around the world and see what the flames looked like. Maybe the children could look for some books at home about volcanos? Or other natural disasters? It could make for some interesting discussions! Let us know what you find. Good luck everyone 🙂

Bubbles bubbles and more bubbles

At Cart Mill we have been having lots of fun with bubbles.

“How do you make giant bubbles”

Some of the children wanted to make giant bubbles. So we decided to experiment to see what we could use to make giant bubbles.

“how about that hola hoop?”

We mixed some water and washing up liquid and used our hola hoop, but our bubbles just kept popping.

“I think we are going to have to look up a special recipe.”

We used the internet to find a recipe to make giant bubbles. We also watched some video’s of The amazing bubble man. The children were fascinated with the bubble tricks Louis Pearl created.

We made up our recipe and started experimenting trying out different techniques to creating some amazing bubbles.