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Let’s face it, if you are going to make mess for one child you might as well do it for a whole bunch of them right? I actually hate doing gingerbread houses, getting candy to stay on the house is like expecting my children not to eat the candy before it actually gets popped on to the house. The main problem is though, my kids don’t eat the house or the candy once it is finished. It’s like the fun is only in the making. It’s a great idea, just not at my house. Gingerbread House Party
One of my favorite things in the little kid classrooms my daughter was in when she was younger (besides pretend play) was the science center. This space pretty much always had magnifying glasses (and probably binoculars because it was in front of a window), tweezers and other basic tools, but the content of the things they were studying would change every so often.
It might be the table was covered with rocks. Or flowers the kids picked when they were outside. Or fall leaves. Once they had tadpoles harvested from a puddle outside.
Because there’s so much to explore when you’re little, the ideas for science tables are almost endless. It could be about any kind of animal you’re learning about in class, the weather, parts of a plant, space, holiday related activities like weighing and measuring pumpkins, it goes on and on. If you’re doing this at home (or even in a classroom) you can let the interests of the child/children drive what’s on the table and how often it changes.
If you need help with what to put on your science table, or if you’re wondering why having one is a great idea, at home or in the classroom, check out this post from Little Bins for Little Hands.
They happen to have a whole series of printables for science centers that you can buy, but there’s also a free printable of basic science tools in this post, and it’s full of good information on the hows and whys of science tables, even if you don’t buy anything.
The article notes there are all sorts of great things kids learn at science tables in preschool, including a basic understanding of science tools and the scientific method, ways of measuring and classifying things, observation, problem solving, teamwork and more. Lots of these skills have applications outside of science, as they can also help improve vocabulary, critical thinking skills and more.
Check out the post for more great information on science tables and why you might want to set one up today. Have you ever had a science table in the classroom or at home? I’d love to hear about it!