Nursery Science with Morah Elaine

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Video Lesson: Seeds on the Move (3/16/20)

Before watching the lesson, print out this page:

Seeds on the Move - helicopter pattern

Seeds on the Move

Sorting Activities

Sorting activities are great for sharpening observation and critical thinking skills. Learning to distinguish differences and to note similarities between physical objects will eventually help children to recognize letters, words, numbers and more. Here are some easy ways to practice sorting at home:

Animal Sorts

< Have a box of random toy animals at home?

How many ways can your child sort them into categories?

Here are a few ways that I did this at my house:

Sort the animals by color:

Sort by stability - toys that stand up vs. toys that fall over:

My all-time-favorite animal-sorting criteria, suggested by one of my former Pre-K students, was "animals that scare me vs. animals that don't."

Sort by where you might see the animals. For example, here are the ones that might live on a farm (others you might only see in the zoo):

Sort the animals by size, then line them up in order, from big to small.

You can also sort by:

combinations of colors or patterns (stripes, spots)
domestic animals vs. wild animals
modes of locomotion (animals that walk, run, swim, hop, etc.)
volume (animals that make loud sounds vs. those that are quiet)

What else can you and your child come up with?

Don't have a box of random animals lying around? Worry not. Try sorting:

stuffed animals (same ideas as above)
toy vehicles (sort by type - planes / trains / trucks / cars, by color, by number of wheels, etc.)
Legos - sort by color, size, shape, number of holes, etc.
blocks - shape, color, size, etc.
socks

Note: If the sorting eventually turns into "just playing"...

Enjoy - they're still learning and they're entertaining themselves!

Sort a Rainbow

< Have a collection of random crayons at home?

They're perfect for sorting practice!

It's easiest to sort small items when there is a separate space to contain each category. For example, using paper plates or shoe boxes makes it simple to keep the sorted crayons separate.

There are lots of ways to sort crayons. In this activity, we'll sort by color, but you could also sort by:

Thick vs. thin
Short vs. long
Pointy vs. dull
Wrapped vs. unwrapped
Whole crayons vs. broken ones

Sort by color

Place your sorting 'containers' on the floor or on a table.
Place a single crayon in each container - each crayon should be a different color.
Ask your child to add crayons to each container that match the ones already there. ( Can you put all of the blue crayons in this container and all the orange ones over here?) Which container do you think will have more when we're done?

Subdivide

Now challenge your child to further separate each group by shades and tints* (e.g. dark blue and light blue, dark green and light green).

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*Science Fact:

In Color Theory, 'shades' of a color are created by mixing the color with black. Shades appear darker than the original color. 'Tints' of a color are created by mixing the color with white. Tints are lighter than the original color.

In everyday language usage, 'shade' refers to any variation of a color. (All of the crayons on one plate are various shades of blue.)

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Make a rainbow

The colors in a rainbow are always in the same order* from the 'top' down: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet.

*Because of the way that light refracts in raindrops, all rainbows are actually double rainbows, meaning that they have a primary bow (the one that we typically see) and a secondary bow which surrounds the primary bow. Because the light / cloud conditions have to be just right for the secondary bow to be visible, they are often difficult to view. The order of the colors in the secondary bow is reversed compared with that of the primary. From the 'top' down, the colors in the secondary bow are: violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange and red.

Here is a photo of a double rainbow that I took from my backyard.

Because the secondary bow is difficult to see, I decreased the brightness of the photo on my computer. Now the secondary bow is visible:

Can you take your color-sorted crayons and put them in rainbow order?

Here's what I came up with:

Video Lesson: Frogs (and Toads) DO NOT say "ribbit"* (3/23/20)

unless you live along the west coast of the United States.

Frogs and Toads

*The only frog that actually says "ribbit" is the Pacific Tree Frog (a.k.a. Pacific Choral Frog). Because they are commonly found in Southern California, they were the first frogs to be recorded by Hollywood movie makers. After that, their sounds became the standard frog call heard in films. This began and perpetuated the common belief that all frogs say 'ribbit.' For those of you who are interested, you can learn a little bit more about Pacific Tree Frogs and hear their calls change with temperature, by listening to the following 2-minute broadcast of the radio show, The Pulse of the Planet.

https://www.pulseplanet.com/dailyprogram/dailies.php?POP=1379

Imitating Animals around the World

Animals make the same general noises no matter where they live, but the way that people imitate those noises varies with their location. While Americans typically answer 'ribbit' when asked what a frog says, people in other countries answer with different sounds. To find out more, explore the Bzzzpeek website with your child. Bzzzpeek is a project that was launched in 2002 and was part of the "Talk to Me" exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC in 2011. The website features children from around the world imitating the sounds of animals and vehicles. Once you get to the website, click on an animal or vehicle silhouette, to get started.

http://www.bzzzpeek.com/index.html

^ screenshot of Bzzzpeek Homepage - See the silhouettes around the edge?

Video Lesson: Matzah vs Bread (3/30/20)

Please note that, while this video initially appears to be the same as the lesson for the tots and toddlers, it is unabridged, and a bit more scientifically sophisticated (as it would be in class).

Matzah vs Bread (Nursery)

Dig Up Some Science

Nice weather? Looking for a project? All you need is a patch of dirt or mud (where it's okay to dig) and a digging tool - like a garden trowel, a sand shovel, or even an old soup spoon. Help your child to carefully turn the dirt over using your tool or turn over a rock or brick and see what's underneath. I was outside this week enlarging a flowerbed and found all sorts of interesting critters. I took pictures of them (below) so that you can see what you might find:

roly poly

sowbug

worm

< It's perfectly safe to pick these up gently. Just replace them where you find them after your visit.

Snail and slug slime doesn't wash off with soap and water, and handling some caterpillars and grubs may cause allergic reactions. It's better to use your eyes (and not your hands) to study these critters. V

terrestrial snail

slug

caterpillar

grub

Make up a silly story about the creatures you find. Have your child tell you what to write, then let them draw the pictures.

Need some inspiration? Watch and listen to the story Diary of a Worm at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPxoEQn5I70

Make a Tree Journal

The next time you and your child are outside, choose a tree to study. Get to know your tree. Give it a name if you like!

Make a journal and keep track of your tree's growth and development with photos and drawings.

For instructions, ideas and my own Tree Journal, click on the link below:

Leif Mapleson ~ and ~ How to Make a Tree Journal

Here's my tree:

"Leif Mapleson"

(an appropriate name for a Norway Maple)

Video Lesson: Bird Identification (4/6/20)

Note: This lesson is for students of all ages!

Bird ID

Happy Passover!

Wishing everyone a Happy (but more importantly, a very Healthy) Pesach!

As soon as the holiday is over, I'll be posting more activities and videos. Until then, observe the world around you, ask lots of questions and see what you can discover.

I'm looking forward to hearing about what you've learned!

Morah Elaine

Video Lesson: Skeletal Science (4/20/20)

Skeletal Science

Video Lesson: The Science is Blowin' in the Wind - Part 1 (4/27/20)

Be the Wind

Video Lesson: The Science is Blowin' in the Wind - Part 2 (4/27/20)

Take a Wind Walk!

Video Lesson: Roly Poly Science (5/4/20)

Please note that, while this video initially appears to be the same as the lesson for the Pre-K classes, it is somewhat abridged (as it would be at school).

Roly Poly Science (Nursery)

Video Lesson: Bird Identification, The Sequel (5/11/20)

(unabridged)

Bird Identification, the Sequel (Nursery & Pre-K)

Internet Bird Field Guides

All About Birds - Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/

Audubon Guide to Birds Across Pennsylvania: https://pa.audubon.org/birds

WhatBird.com - Birds of Pennsylvania: https://www.whatbird.com/birdexpert/statecolorsize/3/6514/306/birdexpert.aspx

Video Lesson: Slug (and Snail) Fest (5/18/20)

Slugs and Snails

Video Lesson: Part 1 - Dairy Science (5/25/20)

Dairy Science (Nursery & Pre-K)

Video Lesson: Part 2 - Let's Make Butter! (5/25/20)

In order to make butter, you'll need the following (see video for details and instructions):

heavy whipping cream (1/2 pint is fine)
small food storage container with either a screw-on or tight-fitting snap-on lid
zip-top plastic bag, large enough to hold the food storage container
a marble (wash with dish soap and water prior to using)

Let's Make Butter!

Digital Clock courtesy of DrLex1

Video Lesson: Ladybug Life Cycle (6/1/20)

Ladybug Life Cycle

Video Lesson: The Science of Getting Bigger (6/8/20)

The Science of Getting Bigger

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