![]() Watch this parenting webinar from Bright Horizons to learn more about how you and your child can have fun at home with STEM, featuring Debbie Hoppy, education and curriculum director at Bright Horizons. Webinar: A Parent’s Guide to STEM Education Demonstrate what happens to water when it is frozen or heated, and introduce the concept of properties of matter. Notice any other conditions that accompany changes, such as a cloudy or rainy day. Keep a thermometer outside and record the temperature over several days or weeks. Explore why light dispels darkness as soon as a light is turned on. Do they look different when the sun is shining brightly versus when the day is overcast? Do they ever disappear altogether? Make shadows on a wall with a flashlight or play flashlight tag. Why are they longer at certain times of the day than others. Why do some objects roll easily while others require more effort? Do heavy objects roll more easily than lightweight ones? Does the surface they roll on make a difference ? Light Try rolling or pushing various objects, such as balls, a block, or a toy car. Make a pulley or purchase one at a hardware store and experiment with lifting buckets of sand, blocks and other objects.As your child grows, try child-sized versions of the real thing. Explore wedges, screws, and levers with child-size tools.Use a wheelbarrow or toy dump truck to move dirt from one area to another. Learn about wheels and axles as you explore wheelbarrows, tricycles, and scooters.Do the marbles move faster if the ramp is steeper? Why To explore inclined planes, help your child build ramps from PVC pipe or cut a pool noodle in half to race marbles and cars. ![]() One of the basic principles of physics is that there are six simple machines that can make our work easier, are found in every aspect of daily life, and include the lever, inclined plane, wheel and axle, screw, wedge, and pulley. Why doesn’t it fall to the ground ? Simple Machines Do all things touch the ground eventually? Why do some objects seem to fall faster than others? Make paper airplanes to explore concepts of flight and gravity at the same time. ![]() Gravityĭrop objects, such as socks, shoes, feathers, a flat sheet of paper, and a crumpled piece of paper, from a stair landing or high position. Or make a game of it with the old favorite, “Pooh Sticks,” from “Winnie the Pooh.” Drop sticks from one side of a bridge and race to the other side to see which stick appears first. Why is it that some objects, such as a sheet of paper, float initially before they sink? Fill the sink with water and drop various household objects, such as a paper clip, a sponge, a wooden spoon, and a metal spoon into the water. BuoyancyĮxplore with your child why some objects float and some sink. Discuss why some items are magnetic and some aren’t. Offer your child a magnet and together discover items around the house that are magnetic. Below are a few at-home physics experiments : Magnets Teaching children physics requires only a curious mind and an understanding that children learn through concrete means. It’s okay if you don’t feel like you have an aptitude for science. Use simple everyday materials and relevant experiences. ![]() Find out what your child knows and wants to know instead. Ask questions and look for interesting problems to solve. Add a few simple physics activities and you can enrich your child’s learning even more, especially when you approach learning with the following teaching methods: As they jump from play equipment, dangle from a tree, or topple a block structure, they’re learning about the world through play. Physics is simply the study of matter and how it interacts with energy and forces, and includes the following topics, among others:Ĭhildren are natural physicists. When you think of physics, you might think of a professor or scientist working out complex formulas or scribbling notes on paper, but physics, at its most basic, is a subject that children find endlessly fascinating, accessible, and relevant.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |