Name the phenomenon.<\/b>\u00a0(“This is caused by static electricity.”)<\/i><\/li>\n<\/ol>\nPresenting the Activities<\/p>\n
With three-and four-year-olds, present the entire lesson in the traditional Montessori manner and then invite them to choose the work. However, for children ages five and up, it’s important not to show the science activity from beginning to end. Whenever possible, just get children started and encourage them to make their own discoveries.<\/p>\n
Fascinating activities for the older child include exploring chemistry (baking soda and vinegar), electricity (building a simple circuit to power a light bulb or buzzer), light (building a periscope), and sound (making a tin can telephone).<\/p>\n
Don’t Be Afraid to Be Wrong<\/p>\n
Recently I was tutoring a six-year-old child who is being homeschooled. He enjoyed math and language, but was most enthusiastic about physical science experiments. We called science “dessert” and often saved it for last, ending our sessions on a fascinating and joyful note. If I was unfamiliar with the experiment, I would try not to look at the explanation, and would make my prediction alongside the child’s. He especially loved it when I wasn’t correct!<\/p>\n
Science and Nature<\/p>\n
Whenever possible, take children out to explore physical science in nature. Students can watch leaves float down a river to observe water currents, or sail a walnut shell boat in a puddle to observe the effects of air. They may wonder what causes the sound of rain on the tin roof to be so loud or why the black sand is so much hotter than the white sand in the sunshine.<\/p>\n
With the right presentation, access to materials, and opportunity to explore, children will naturally, often unconsciously, begin to comprehend the laws of physics and the nature of the universe. Just as importantly, teachers and children alike can use their imaginations and minds to develop a great love for science and the natural world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Children naturally absorb the logic and the beauty of physical science as they interact with the environment: pushing a truck up an incline, observing light reflecting on water, or unconsciously witnessing gravity as the rock falls to the ground. It’s easy for teachers to offer many hands-on science activities so young children can explore how …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":882,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[43],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/yycmontessori.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/880"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/yycmontessori.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/yycmontessori.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yycmontessori.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yycmontessori.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=880"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/yycmontessori.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/880\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yycmontessori.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/882"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/yycmontessori.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=880"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yycmontessori.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=880"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yycmontessori.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=880"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}