Författare: Björn Bergvall

Challenge

Build a sculpture, make a picture, or design a mandala with nature. Can you make a self-portrait or build a sculpture?

Instructions

Try to use as many natural items as possible such as sticks, leaves, rocks, bark, reeds, and anything else you have around the area! Go on a nature hunt and take a paper bag to collect goodies.

You may need to sparingly use string or twine, but please remember not to litter and bring these extra supplies back inside! Do your best not to use any man-made materials!

Encourage kids to not pick leaves off trees or break branches off of trees! Use items that are already on the ground as much as possible!

A part awakening scientific reasoning can be found in comparation and distinguishing between options..

I found some easy examples shaped in the form of ”Would You Rather…? over at the blog LittleBinsForLittleHands. One cover the topic of Nature the other Science. (They have other also if you want)

 You will need:

• A plastic container with a lid
• Unpopped pop corn
• A large marble
• A ping pong ball

Implementation

• Put the ping pong ball at the bottom of the container.
• The fill the container about 2/3 of the way with corn.  Make sure that the ping pong ball stays at the bottom.  Then place the marble on top.
• Put the lid on and shake it up!  It doesn’t matter if you shake it up and down or side to side… Just shake!  It won’t take much.

Ta da!  The marble has turned into a ping pong ball!

The Science

The ping pong ball is much less dense than the corn, so it quickly makes its way to the top of the corn.  The marble is more dense than the corn, so it sinks down into the corn.  This is the same concept as the ping pong ball floating in water – the ball is less dense than the water, so it floats.  Everyone expects a ping pong ball to float in water, but the way it behaves in the corn is really fascinating!

Grab some jars with lids that will seal tight. In each jar put a food that you want to observe.

Seal up the jars and place them somewhere where they won’t bother you. Being by a window will cause a lot of condensation in the jars due to the heat from the sun beating into the jars. This can make things mold quite a bit faster. You could try them in the dark if you want to prevent that. Or do both and compare!

Start with predictions, which rots the fastest, which will grow mold first, or last…

The worst part of the entire process is opening those jars when the project is done.

I warn you it is a disgusting science experiment.

 

The experiment was found at the blog TeachBesideMe

A simple experiment where you can think about units of length, estimation of length and how can so much paper fit on a still quite small roll.

1. Let the children write their name on a piece of paper that is then attached to its own stick.
2. Draw a starting line.
3. Let the children put the stick down in the ground where they think the paper will run out.
4. Roll out the paper starting from the starting line.

The roll will probably roll longer than the kids guessed.

 

NB! Check that you have sufficient space to roll it out before you start to roll it with the children. It’s quite a stretch on a full roll!

I found a alphabet made out of robots from the littlebinsforlittehands blog

NOTE: A suggestion for each letter robot is provided, but feel free to use your creativity when assembling the robots! You can even borrow pieces from other letters!

Tips For Alphabet Crafts in the Classroom

STEAM Integration: Introduce the alphabet robots as part of your STEAM curriculum. Discuss the science behind robotics, the technology used in building robots, and the engineering principles involved in their design.

Letter of the Week: Dedicate each week to a different letter of the alphabet and its corresponding robot. Explore words that start with the featured letter and encourage hands-on exploration with the associated robot craft.

Collaborative Projects: Foster teamwork and collaboration by assigning group projects where students work together to design and build a giant alphabet robot display for the classroom.

From STEM to STEAM: The Educational Value

This letters of the alphabet robot activity seamlessly integrates STEM concepts into the creative process:

Science: Children learn about the basics of robotics, including how robots are built, how they function, and the real-world applications of robotics technology.

Technology: As they color and assemble the robots, kids engage with simple engineering principles and learn about the technological components that make them work.

Engineering: Through hands-on construction, kids develop fine motor skills and spatial reasoning abilities, which are essential for engineering and design.

Arts: Creativity is at the heart of this craft activity, as kids express themselves through color choices, decorations, and storytelling, reinforcing the A in STEAM.

Mathematics: This activity offers plenty of opportunities for mathematical learning, from counting robot parts to identifying shapes and patterns in their designs.

Robot Alphabet Crafts