Activity Ideas

[Guest]

Hi there! Hope you all enjoyed your easter break-my school starts back on monday and as usual the easter break flew by!!

 

Next week i am teaching my reception class about natural things in the sky-sun, clouds etc. Was wondering if anyone has tried any simple investigations to do with rain/clouds etc with your class and how it went?

Does anyone have any craft ideas to do with the weather too?

 

Also thought about aerial views-do you think this will be difficult to teach??

 

 

Thanks! As you may guess-i am sitting here doing my planning!!x

[Rea]

Well I havent done this but I saw it on a real science programme. To decide if what is falling is 'real' rain in which the drops have to be a certain size, the scientists put a shallow tray of flour in the rain to collect a few drops. they then put the tray in a freezer until the drops were frozen and then measured each drop. You just need access to a freezer! If the suns shinning I put a chalk mark on the floor where the shadow falls and check on it during the session to watch the suns movement. Clouds I dont know about though, except they all have different names and mean different weather I think

[Guest]

Measuring Rainfall is always a classic at this time of year (especially judging the past weeks weather!)

 

From past experience it helps if you use a waterproof permanent marker / coloured tape (otherwise you end up with a runny smear! ) Measure it each day. At the end of the week look at the marks and spaces and discuss why there are big and little and no gaps between tape / mark.

 

Also read on here somewhere of 'picking up a puddle' using different methods e.g. spoons into a container.

[Guest]

A few more ideas...

Use streamers to see which way the wind is blowing.

Ping pong balls to see how fast wind is blowing maybe?

Make rainbows with garden hose (if sunny, of course!)

Measure temperature each day and at different times of day? - keep a class weather diary.

[Guest]

I did this activity with my children (3-5) and went good.

Materials: One cotton ball for every child, flat pans or containers filled with about an 1/2 inch of cold water.

 

Give each child a cotton ball to hold. Tell them that they pretend to hold a cloud.

Ask them how does it feel.

Instruct the children to place the "cloud" gently over the cold water and explain that water that has evaporated has traveled up to the clouds and it is a lot colder up in the sky, so the vapor turns into a water and it is filling up with the water.

Ask children to gently pick up "cloud" from the pan and encourage them to explaine how does it feel, is it light or heavy, warm or cold. Talk about how water is dripping from "cloud" (rain).What is happening with water? It is coming right into pan (river, ocean, sea), or on the ground.

 

I also had a story about Drippy the Rain Drop, what you can find on this website, together with lots of other activities: www.first-school.ws/activities/science/drippy_p.htm

[Guest]

Thanks Kit-kat

 

That sounds like a lovely activity - will file it away for future use.

 

Will be off to the website later!

 

Maz

[Guest]

If you can get a copu of April's issue of Nursery Education the focus is on weather and their are some great ideas.

[Guest]

We've made "rain" pictures to investigate the effects of water on dry paint powder.

 

Using black sugar paper (it's slightly absorbant)

The children spoon a variety of different powder colours into small piles onto the paper.

Place a bench outside the classroom door.

Place paper on bench and watch as the rain "drips" onto the powder.

Each picture is unique.

 

 

Puddle jumping by "Dixon" ( sorry forgot his first name)

 

How to collect a puddle.

 

Each child has a container and a variety of implements, spoons, sponge, scoops, droppers, cotton wool etc and some non absorbant items.

 

The question is How can we get you a puddle to take home?

 

The children are left to problem solve ( with support), then the container is labelled "Gemma's Puddle"

 

Be warned the child will go to the centre of the puddle, squat down and get a wet bum!!!

 

 

Peggy

[Guest]

Thanks for the great ideas everyone! Love the collect puddle peggy. I willtry an get April's issue of Nursery Education Verityn, Is is worth suscribing to that-do you find it useful?

I used to get Nursry World but i found that there wasnt many ideas in it. Before i did my teacher training i worked as a nursery nurse and remember getting something called Nursery Projects (i think!!) i have recently tried to find this but cannot-Has anyone heard of it?

[Guest]

I have recently renewed my subscription for (scholastic) Nursery Education. Like you while i was at Uni i had it but i hadn't used it very much because my previous job didn't lend its self to it. But since i have pure reception now it has been extremely useful to find out activities and give me inspirations when mine is running low. I would recommend it, plus at them moment they are offering a book when you subscribe for a year which is always a bonus.

[Guest]

Have just discovered that Nursery Education is just the new name for Nusery Projects.

[Guest]

I subscribe to Nursery World mainly because it keeps me up to date with National Issues relating to EY. The articles and activity ideas are ok but I am sure the other publications offer more activity ideas. I also subscribe to Practical Preschool which has good visual loose leaf pages for ideas.

 

Peggy

[Guest]

I do "Pitter Patter Paintings" with children.

 

A co-operative activity.

 

Mix up some coloured paint and thin out a little.

Get some foil pie tins or food trays and make some holes in the base.

 

The children get to choose what colour paper and paint they want and who is going to help them.

 

Place the paper on the floor, get one child to hold the tin over the paper and the other child adds some of the paint. It will drip through the holes, landing on the paper with a satisfying pit, pat. By varying the hole size or paint thickness you can vary the speed of the rain. Encourage the children to move the tin, or to make huge puddles.

 

Are they going to use one colour, or lots of different ones? (a different tin per colour is great!!)

 

The language I have got fromm this activity is great every time.

 

Jambo

[Guest]

Sounds lovely - there was an artist who did this with big tins of paint - his work was displayed in the Tate in London - I remember looking at it and thinking it would be fun to do (I think he may have walked up and down his canvass)! You never know you may just have Van Goghs in the making!!!

[Guest]

Thanks again for all the great ideas folks! i have done my planning for the week-thank goodness! (remember i am an NQT and still takes me a while to do my planning not like our year 1 teacher who does her whole week in an hour!!!)

Anyway, ive just made a powerpoint to use in my whole class teaching of aerial views-i have just take aerial views of everyday objects-a cup, teddy etc and put them on a powerpoint for children to guess then check if they are right. To return favours I would be happy to share this with people if i can and if anyones interested!

[Guest]

Yes please Alysha,

 

Just last week I gave the children free use of my digital camera, when I downloaded the pics to the computor, they were better at recognising the subject/object in the photo's ( ariel and other view points) than I was.

 

 

Peggy