Kindergarten, Science, Week 7

This week we started our unit on Air. Experiments are from Science Experiences for the Early Childhood Years.

Monday we read about Day 2 of Creation and learned what comes out of an empty can.

• Hand your child. an empty can and asked her if she noticed anything in it.
• Asked if she thinks you could make something come out of the can.
• Take a bowl and put 4 - 6 inches of water in it. Take a nail and hammer and let your child hammer a hole in the bottom of the can.
• Had your child put her hand about 1 inch above the end of the can with the hole as you lower it, open end first, into the water.
• Asked if she feels anything coming out of the can? Air!
• The water going into the can pushes the air out of the can.

Tuesday we explored more with "empty" containers.

• Get a bottle that is easy to squeeze and has a small opening or a squirt cap. A 2 liter soda bottle works.
• Ask your child if she notices anything inside the bottle.
• Aim the bottle at your chin and squeeze it. Your child should be able to see the puff of air move your hair.
• Let your child squeeze the bottle at their face. What do they feel? What was in the container?
• Take a square of colored tissue paper and put it over the bottle opening (you may need to mold it to the shape of the bottle to get it to stay. Quickly squeeze the bottle. What happens to the tissue. Play a game and see who can make the tissue shoot the highest or stay up the longest with repeated puffs of air.
• Air is almost everywhere.

Wednesday we learned about the air inside us.

• Ask your child to take a deep breath, close their mouth tightly and pinch their nose for as long as they can.
• Ask them What happened? Why did they let go of their nose? What did their body want so much that they had to let go?
• Our bodies use the part of air called oxygen. We have to keep breathing because the oxygen get used up quickly. Discuss how all living things need air to stay alive.
• Get an nose tissue for you and your child to hold near the nose and mouth. What happens to the tissue when you bring air into your body? when you blow air out of your body?
• Try it with your mouth closed; with your mouth open a bit. Air enters your body 2 places.
• Where does the air go in your body? Lay down when you breathe what part of your body moves?

Thursday we discovered the substance of air.

• Talk about a piece of furniture (we were on the bed, so we used the bed) being real. How do you know it is real? You can feel it.
• Prepare a small plastic bag by gathering the opening around a straw and securing it with tape (one for each of you). Also have a twist-tie or chenille wire to be able to close the bag.
• Blow through the straw into the bag. What are you blowing into the bag? Feel it. Is there something real in it?
• Remove the straw and tie the bag closed with the wire so your child can play with their bag full of air.
• Air is real.

Friday we learned what a glassful of air could do.

• Put a cork in an empty bowl (use a clear bowl). The cork is on the bottom of the bowl. What will happen if we add water?
• Fill the bowl half full of water. Is the cork touching the bottom of the bowl now? Can you put it back on the bottom? Does it stay?
• Show your child a clear glass. Let's see if something in this glass will push the water away and let the cork stay on the bottom of the bowl. Invert the glass over the cork and push it straight down to the bottom of the bowl.
• The air inside the glass can't get out, so it pushes the water away.
• K. wanted to try different things. One thing we tried was a toilet paper roll. It let the water in because it wasn't closed and the air could get out.
• Air takes up space.