Skip to main content

Fine Arts & Science Class - The Properties of Water

The Provocation:

Wearing our winter boots, mittens and warm jackets, the cold winter was upon us. There was frost on the grass, playground and deck at school. One of the children brought in an icicle she had found outside. The children were very impressed and inquisitive. They were amazed at how it might have formed and what could we possibly do with ice. We took small Dixie cups, as well as assorted clear containers, and filled them with water. We then added some color and placed them outdoors. The following morning we checked them. To the children’s delight, they were frozen.

The Purpose:

The purpose was to explore the properties of water. We experimented with color, warmth of the classroom, dish soap, weight and measurement.


The Observation:

The children first explored the ice containers in the water table. Some of the comments were as follows: “This is really, really cold!” “ Look, look there is a face!” “It is melting, the ice is melting!” “Can I paint with this?” “It is turning into water!” The children explored, engaged and watched each other as the ice melted and changed from a solid to a liquid once again. Interesting!


  “Will this sink or float?”

 “I think this looks like a face.”

 Playing with the ice in the water table.

"It’s an octopus, I see the tentacles!”

 The ice begins to melt in the child’s hands.

 The ice painting begins.

Whisking bubbles….so much fun!

Conclusion and Reflection:

Conversation and collaboration – it is a wonderful thing to see children learning in this way. Everyone experienced a new way of looking at the cold weather as well as how we can explore and be creative with water. All of the children participated in these activities with questions and hands on experimentation. We will do this again…weather permitting! 


~Joanne      

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

MWF 4 Hour Class When I’m writing a documentation, one of the hardest things for me is to decide what pictures, stories and reflections I’ll share with you. There are so many joyful, meaningful moments and every day’s learning experiences! As I was selecting some of the class’ photos I found myself wondering: if we consider the classroom’s environment, the third teacher, what is mother nature’s role in a child’s learning and development? The exploration of natural environments nurture children’s curiosity and holistic learning as much, or even more, than a classroom. Some of the benefit of connecting children with nature include: supporting creativity and problem solving, increasing physical activity, reducing stress, promoting social emotional development. We see children as innate scientists, artists, builders… full of wonders and curiosity they can nourish and experiment while they are playing in nature. Exploring the snow  Olivia tested her movements in designing sno...
3 Year old class - T/Th In our 3’s class, we had a conversation about using kitchen appliance and some safety rules around the grater the children were about to use. Luca, Victoria and Carter rushed to the bathroom to wash their hands. I think it must feel like a new experience. They  children watched me assemble the grater eagerly waiting to have a turn to operate the appliance. Everyday life is full of challenges and children need to test themselves in order to make decisions that is right for them as educators we need to show we are trusting them to follow the safety rules we have informed them. We feel from giving children these experiences they handle appliances safely and with a purpose, understand consequence to action.     Victoria places the lid on the Grater  Luca pushes the potatoes        Victoria scraps the grated potatoes.        Luca is placing the potatoes i ...

3 and 4 Year Old Classes – Holiday Time

The preschool 3 and 4 year old morning classes have been busy preparing for the holidays over the past few weeks. Along with many other activities, each child has made a gift for their families. These gifts are now wrapped and ready to be sent home, and we are sure they will be well received! We also showed the children our Preschool Donation Box and spoke about the importance of giving to those who are less fortunate than us. We have decorated a Christmas tree and created two very large snowman (which will be on display at the family potluck!) It was fun to stand back and watch the children strategize and work together as a team. The preschoolers have also been practising the songs they will sing at the family potluck and for the Hugh Boyd Seniors. In the coming week they will be decorating a gingerbread cookie with their big buddy - this always makes for a fun day! Inspirational Paintings     ...