Valentine's Day Science Ideas
Seeing Hearts
Cut
heart shapes out of construction paper, then cut each heart shape
in half.
Set out the heart halves and small, rectangular mirrors. Invite a
few children
to join you. Challenge them to find a way to use the heart halves
and mirrors
to create whole hearts. If needed, show them how to
hold a mirror along the cut side of a heart to do this.
Seeing
Red
Make
red eyeglasses for the children to wear on Valentine's Day. Cut
heart
shaped frames out of red poster board. Glue small squares of red
cellophane
over the backs of the eye holes. Then attach pipe cleaners to the
sides of
the frames and bend them to fit over the children's ears.
Encourage the children
to describe how colors change when seen through their red eyeglasses.
Magnet
Fun
Provide the
children with a variety of magnets to play with. Explain to
them tha
t magnets
attract each other and stick together just like friends do.
Valentines For the Birds
Let
each child use a valentine cookie cutter to cut a heart shape out
of a slice
of stale bread. Have the children spread peanut butter on their
hearts and
then sprinkle on birdseed. Insert a pipe cleaner through each heart
to make
a hanger. Help the children hang their valentines for the birds on
a tree outside
a window in your room. Let them also spread the leftover bread
pieces on the
ground around the tree. Encourage the children to watch for the
birds that
come to enjoy their valentine treats.
Variation: Make a bird feeder by cutting holes in the sides
of a half gallon
milk carton. Let the children paint the feeder with a mixture of red
powdered
tempera and liquid soap. Have them decorate the feeder with
valentine stickers.
Then place birdseed inside the feeder and hang it outside a window.
Listen
to the Heartbeats
Talk
with the children about how the human heart works. Then give
them a
stethoscope and let them use it to listen to one another's hearts.
Ask them
to try describing the sound that the heart makes as it beats. Let
them listen
to one another's heart while sitting quietly, then after doing jumping
jacks.
What differences can they hear in the heartbeats? Talk about how our
hearts
need both rest and exercise in order to stay healthy and strong.
Colorful Carnations
Materials Needed:
Three fresh white carnations,
warm water,
knife,
food coloring
Procedure:
Talk to the children about last valentines day (or a
long time ago)
and the present of white carnations you received. They were beautiful
flowers, but you had wished for some red flowers, not white. "At the
time I didn't know what to do, so I kept the white flowers and gave them
plenty of fresh air, and new water every day. Nothing happened except the
flowers got old and died. This year I found a way for the flowers to
change
color. Should we try it?" First give the flowers a new cut on the side.
Then
fill the vase with warm water and food coloring. Put the flowers in the
water
and wait. (try with different colors and wait for the colors to creep up
into the flower).
Pre-K Fun Theme Pages are
for educational reference only!
No copyright infringement is intended.
I do not claim any of these as my own ideas.
They are shared from friends and fellow group
members.
Thanks for sharing all your great ideas!