With the spring in full bloom can it be great to take class outdoor.

Here are some activities concerning different aspects of mathematics.

Outdoor mathematics (PDF, 453 kB)

SUPPLIES:

• 10 Jumbo Popsicle Sticks
• Rubber Bands
• Firing Power (marshmallows, pompoms, pencil top erasers)
• Plastic Spoon (optional
• Bottle Cap
• Sticky Dots
  

  HOW TO MAKE A CATAPULT WITH POPSICLE STICKS

  STEP 1:  Make predictions. Which object will fly the farthest?  Why do you think one will fly farther than the other?

  STEP 2:  Hand out supplies to each individual or in small groups, and build a Popsicle stick catapult following the instructions below.

  Read more about the science behind the catapult and simple ways to create a catapult science experiment below!

  STEP 3:  Test and measure how far each item goes when flung from the catapult.  Record results.

  You will want to use a pair of scissors to make two v notches on either side of two jumbo craft or Popsicle sticks (in the same place on both sticks). Use the photo below as a guide for where to make your notches.

Once you have made your notches in two of the sticks, set them aside!

Take the remaining 8 craft sticks and stack them one on top of the other. Wind a rubber band tightly around each end of the stack. Go ahead and push one of the notched sticks through the stack under the top stick of the stack.

At this point flip your partially made popsicle stick catapult over so that the stick you just pushed in is on the bottom of the stack.

Lay the second notched stick on top of the stack and secure the two popsicle sticks together with a rubber band as shown below. The V notches that you cut help to keep the rubber band in place.

Create more leverage with your catapult by pushing the stack of popsicle sticks towards the notched ends connected by the rubber band.

Use sticky dots or another strong adhesive to attach a bottle cap to the popsicle stick. Get ready to fire away!

TURN IT INTO A SCIENCE EXPERIMENT!

You can easily set up an experiment by testing different weighted items to see which ones fly farther. Adding a measuring tape encourages simple math concepts that my 2nd grader is just really starting to explore.

Or you can build 2-3 different catapults and see which one works better or if one works better with different objects.

Always start out asking a question to come up with a hypothesis. Which item will go farther? I think xyz will go farther. Why? Have fun setting up a catapult to test the theory! Can you design a different catapult using the same materials?

Additionally, you can encourage older kids to record the data from measuring all the launches. Have your kids fire each material {such as a candy pumpkin, plastic spider or eyeball} 10 times and record the distance each time. What kinds of conclusions can they draw from the information gathered? Which item worked the best? Which item didn’t work well at all?

You can also test out the number of popsicle sticks used in the stack to create the tension need to launch the catapult. How about 6 or 10! What are the differences when tested?

THE SCIENCE OF HOW TO MAKE A CATAPULT!

What is there to explore that has to do with physics? Let’s start with energy including elastic potential energy. You can also learn about projectile motion. Newton’s 3 Laws of Motion: An object at rest stays at rest until a force is applied, and an object will stay in motion until something creates an imbalance in the motion. Every action causes a reaction.

When you pull down the lever arm all that potential energy gets stored up! Release it and that potential energy gradually changes over to kinetic energy. Gravity also does its part as it pulls the object back down to the ground.

You can talk about stored energy or potential elastic energy as you pull back on the Popsicle stick, bending it. When you release the stick all that potential energy is released into energy in motion producing the projectile motion.

MORE CATAPULT DESIGNS

Idéa take from littlebinsforlittlehands

A simple game in Battleship style which you can combine with discussing the the effect of pollution on sealiving creatures.

Game and rules: New-Save-the-Whale-Treasure-Hunt (PDF, 1262 kB)

Idea taken from littlebinsforlittlehands.com

Material

• Hourglass, timepiece or timer
• Clipboard

Goal

Hypothesising. Test and evaluate.

Preparation

Divide the children into groups of three. One performs, one takes time and one documents.

How do you do it?

Make hypotheses like; I have time to get to the tree, run a lap around and come back. Get the children to think and come up with their own hypotheses and then perform.

Take turns and switch roles.

Image by rawpixel.com

While winter still lasts – why not try making ice sculptures (this also works when it’s not snow – you make the ice in the freezer)

Do like this:

1. Fill deep plastic plates and bowls of different sizes with water.

2. Put the containers in the freezer. (For clearer ice, use boiled water that has cooled.)
3. Remove the ice cubes with hot water and place them on a high-edged surface or baking sheet, preferably out in the sun.
4. Sprinkle a little salt over the ice. Wait a minute and you’ll see how the salt makes cracks on the ice surface.
5. Pour a little more salt in different places so that cavities and tunnels form on the ice. This will require some time and patience.
6. Drip liquid watercolor mixed with water over the ice and into the formed cracks to create a nice color effect (if you do this outdoors in cold weather, use warm water).
7. Let the kids photograph ice artwork one and arrange an exhibition!

1. Put some damp cotton wool in plastic bags (4 of them) and pour some Crassus seeds on top.
2. Place on the window. When the plants have grown a little, start the experiment.
3. Water the plastic bags with different types of water: one with salt water, one with sugar water, one with vinegar or lemon water and one with plain water. The one dipped in plain water is the control. You can put a frame around the plastic pocket.
4. You can also compare how the cress reacts to boiled water, for example, or water with dishwashing liquid mixed in.
5. Document, compare and discuss.

Idea from Hands-On Science

This is what you need:

• Plastic bags
• Household paper
• Jars
• Flower sprayer
• Potting soil
• Documentation
• Pot
• Drawing material
• iPad
• Stop-motion (app)

Time to collect leftovers from summer flowers. These are called winter standers and are old inflorescences that have dried and are still standing filled with flower seeds. Put the winter stands in bags.

When you get to school/preschool, put the seeds on damp paper towels in different jars and keep the jars warm. For example, in a window with lots of sunlight. After a few days, some seeds will germinate. Then you will see the very first green leaves called heart leaves. Water with a flower sprayer. See how they grow day by day. After a few more days, carefully sprinkle some soil on the seedlings and plant them in a pot.

Continued

Option 1:

Rig a recording with an iPad and a stop-motion app that takes a picture of the plant once an hour for a couple of days, and you’ll get an absolutely stunning movie as a result!

Option 2:

What kind of flower will it be? Let the children imagine and draw the flower they think will grow from the seed. These can be beautiful, crazy and imaginative paintings that are perfect for an opening or theme party.

Option 3:

When the spring sun has warmed the ground and it is possible to dig in it. Plant your plants out in the wild again and mark the spot and follow the plant for a year. Document with analogue and digital tools.

How to play?

The worm in the box exercises the ability to divide numbers. The game starts with the teacher and the children investigating how many beads make up the worm’s body. Count the beads in different ways, both backwards and forwards. The teacher takes out the matchbox and tells them that this is the worm’s house. It is important to draw the children’s attention to the number on the house and link it to the number of beads on the worm.  The teacher explains and demonstrates that the worm crawls into the house and hides and then the house closes. Ask the children: how many beads of the worm’s body are inside the house? How do you know? How many are outside the house? Open the house and see how many there are.

What is the purpose of the game?

The purpose of the worm in the box is to practice the ability to divide numbers. It is a concrete and clear way to make addition and subtraction visible to the children. In order to understand the relationship between parts and whole, it is important that the whole is discernible. The worm in the box helps children to practise the ability to automate the division of numbers.

How to make the game?

I have used small matchboxes which I have lined with coloured paper with a number on it. This becomes the worm’s house. I made the worm itself by stringing beads on a thread and tying the ends of the thread. How many beads you need depends on the number you want to practice with the children. My suggestion is to make nine worms with corresponding houses, with numbers two to ten to practice different numbers.

The idea is taken from Mattelekar i förskolan

Take two sheets of newspaper, lay them out flat and start rolling it from one corner. The tighter the roll the more support you’ll have. My boys aren’t tight rolling masters yet but they did pretty well for their first time!

Secure the end with a small piece of tape. An ideal amount would be around 48 but it can be enough with less. Next, you’ll be making triangles with your newspaper rolls. Tape or staple the ends together to form a triangle.

Create as many triangles as you can with your newspaper rolls. Finally, you’ll secure each triangle to each other creating whatever size structure you want!

Your structure size will depend on how many triangles you made. Just make sure you have enough for the roof which will provide the final stability for your fort.  You can secure the “joints” with some extra staples or tape to be sure it doesn’t move around too much.

The rest is up to your imagination! The structure should even be sturdy enough for a blanket on top!

The idea is taken from https://modernparentsmessykids.com/play/