Science for kindergarten can be said to be a method of answering questions, either by using observation or an experiment.
It involves using simple language and demonstrations. In this article, I will talk about all you need to know about Science for kindergarten. Before we go on to the Science for kindergarten, here is a quick rundown of what we will cover.
What is Kindergarten?
Kindergarten is a class or small school for young children, usually between the ages of four and six with the aim of preparing them for primary education.
Everyone knows that the purpose of the kindergarten is to prepare children for reading, writing and maths, but it will be interesting to note that the kindergarten also prepares children for the understanding of scientific principles.
In general, they learn the basics of physical sciences, earth sciences, life sciences, and scientific principles of investigation and experimentation.
Explaining Science to Kindergarten Students
As a teacher, it might be a little hard to explain to your pupils what science is. But in any case, you have to use simple language and demonstration.
During your demonstration, you have to let them know how science requires documentation of all steps, materials and results so they can be easily shared.
Science can easily be defined for them as the study of anything–numbers, people, insects,–anything at all.
Children are encouraged to develop their curiosity about the world around them and to make observations.
As they are introduced to science, children develop organized and analytical thinking as well as problem-solving skills. Here, in general, is what most kindergarten children will learn.
How to carry out scientific investigation and experimentation for Kindergarten
Children won’t be conducting any complex scientific experiments, but they will learn the basic scientific principles of observing, predicting, and measuring.
It is through these activities that children will learn about the physical, earth, and life sciences. These things will be found also in any Science for kindergarten PDF you see out there. They will learn to:
- Ask: Questions based on prior knowledge and observations
- Compare: Common objects using one physical attribute, such as color, shape, size, etc., structures and behaviors of different animals
- Describe: How objects move (or behave), the characteristics of common objects in terms of the five senses,
- Observe: Seasonal changes, the size, shape, texture, and color of common objects such as tree leaves, illustrate observations through drawings
- Predict: What happens when certain materials are subjected to tests (i.e. place a piece of wood in water to see what it does)
- Recognize: Patterns and describe them, sort objects
Science for kindergarten Lesson Plans
Students will explore concepts in physical science, life science, and Earth/space. Below are some of the activities your child will take part in.
- Observing and describing matter
- Spatial relationships
- Needs and characteristics of living things
- Different types of animals and their characteristics
- Earth’s different materials and how living things use them
- Sources of energy
- Qualitative and qualitative observations
- Difference between living and non living thing
What to look out for while making your lesson plan
Your lesson plans are expected to have the following:
- Name of each lesson and activity
- Description and objective
- Activity type (scored, non-scored, printable worksheets, test)
- Activity number
- Number of chapters, activities, worksheets, quizzes within each subject
- Answer keys for printable worksheets
Fun and Free Kindergarten Science Activities
Kindergarten children are curious almost about everything. This state is very vital, it is the stage to start doing hands-on science projects and experiments.
Kids at this stage love to try things. Therefore these kindergarten activities about to be listed give them a chance to do just that.
They are easy to set up and quite easy for teachers to tackle. Therefore choose the ones you can and watch your students learn. These activities will be found in any Science for kindergarten PDF you see out there.
Here is the list:
- Use apples to learn what science is all about
- Learn how germs spread
- Use your senses to explore the properties of mystery items
- Play with fizzing ice cubes
- Find out what sinks and what floats
- Explore buoyancy with oranges
- Sniff away at scent bottles
- Play with magnets
- Waterproof a boot
- Watch colored water walk
- Create a tornado in a jar
- Suspend water inside a jar
- Dig into some soil science
- See popcorn kernels dance
- Mix up some Oobleck
- Make it rain with shaving cream
- Grow crystal letters
- Bend light with water
- Blow up your fingerprints
- Bounce popcorn with sound waves
- Build a three little pigs STEM house
- Draw a marble maze
- Germinate a seed
- Move a butterfly’s wings with static electricity
- Change the color of flowers
Use apples to learn what science is all about
The apple investigation is one of the great ways to start. Kids are encouraged to examine the apple by using a variety of techniques to learn its properties.
Learn how germs spread
The hand washing experiment involves using glitter as a stand-in for germs and learning how important washing your hands with soap really is.
Use your senses to explore the properties of mystery items
In this experiment, you can perform it by tucking a variety of objects inside mystery bags. The kids are then encouraged to feel, shake, smell and explore. In the process, they are required to determine what the items are without looking.
Play with fizzing ice cubes
Here kids get a kick out of spraying baking soda ice cubes with lemon juice and watching them fizz away.
This is some way gives them a concept about the acid-base reactions.
Find out what sinks and what floats
Here kids learn about the property of buoyancy and at the same time learn to make predictions and record their results through experiments. A container is good to get the experiment started.
Explore buoyancy with oranges
Here Kids will be surprised to learn that even though an orange feels heavy, it floats. That is until you peel off the skin!
Create a tornado in a jar
As you fill in the weather during daily calendar time, you might have a chance to talk about severe storms and tornadoes.
Show your students how twisters form with this classic tornado jar experiment.
Watch colored water walk
Fill three small jars with red, yellow, and blue food colouring and some water.
Then place empty jars in between each.
Fold paper towel strips and place them in the jars as shown.
Kids will be amazed as the paper towels pull the water from full jars to empty ones, mixing and creating new colours!
See popcorn kernels dance
Here’s an activity that always feels a bit like magic.
Drop an Alka-Seltzer tablet into a glass of water with popcorn kernels, and watch as the bubbles cling to the kernels and make them rise and fall. So cool!
Suspend water inside a jar
Lots of kindergarten science activities involve water, which is terrific because kids love to play in it!
In this one, show your students how air pressure keeps water in a jar, even when it’s upside-down.
Sniff away at scent bottles
All you need to do here is to drop some essential oils into cotton balls. You then have to seal them inside spice bottles. The kids then sniff the bottle and identify the smell.
Mix up some Oobleck
what is oobleck? It’s a non-Newtonian fluid, which looks like a liquid but takes on the properties of a solid when squeezed. Weird, messy… and so much fun!
Play with magnets
Place a variety of items into small bottles, and ask kids which ones they think will be attracted to the magnets. The answers may surprise them!
Waterproof a boot
This experiment lets kindergartners try their hand at “waterproofing” a boot with a variety of materials.
They use what they already know to predict which materials will protect the paper boot from water, then experiment to see if they’re right.
Change the color of flowers
This is one of those activities which explains how flowers drink water through their capillary actions. They even beautifully bloom while you are still at it.
Dig into some soil science
Ready to get your hands in the dirt? Scoop up some soil and examine it more closely, looking for rocks, seeds, worms, and other items.
Bend light with water
Light refraction produces some incredible results. Make a straight line mark on a cardboard paper and place them behind a transparent glass of water and see the mark on your cardboard bend, duet to the refraction of light.
Your students will think it’s magic when the arrow on the paper changes direction … until you explain that it’s all due to the way water bends the light.
Bounce popcorn with sound waves
This involves a plastic wrap-covered bowl, which serves as a perfect stand-in for an eardrum and then places some popcorns on it. sound waves might be invisible, but then you will see them in action once u play your music set close to the plastic wrap-covered bowl.
Germinate a seed
There’s something about seeing a seed develop roots and shoots with your very eyes that’s just so incredible. Sprout bean seeds in paper towels inside a glass jar to give it a try.
Were these descriptions enough? Find full details and explanations of these activities and experiments at https://www.weareteachers.com/kindergarten-science-activities/.
See also:
What to expect in subsequent articles:
Science for kindergarten PDF on Most practised home activities.
Science for kindergarten PDF on Experiments.