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Snow, Cars, and Tracks (MWF FINE ARTS / SCIENCE & NATURE)


We welcomed our students back from the December holidays. On the first day of school, we were surprised by a snowfall. We were so excited to go explore and play with the snow before it all melted away.



 

We tried different ways of playing with the snow. We ran and stomped across the field, dragging our shoes across the snow to make marks. It was really fun! A few children were interested in how we made tracks with our shoes. The next class, we talked about how the snow felt and what we observed. Children observed that on the way to school there were tracks on the road, just like there were tracks on the field. 

 



 

We decided to let the children explore more with cars and tracks. We made roads on the floor with painters tape. The children put cars on ramps to explore the relationship between the height of the ramps and the velocity of the cars. They discovered that the higher the ramp, the faster the cars would move. The children were very excited about cars and wanted to learn more. 

 




 

A child noticed that the cars were very dirty from the recent snow, rain, and mud. We thought of extending the fun by having a mini car wash. The children dipped their cars in "dirt" (cornstarch). Then the children washed, detailed, and dried their cars. We used water and eyedroppers, brushes, and towels, respectively.



 

  





For art, children experimented with cars and paint. They were able to make tracks just like the ones they had seen on the roads. By attaching markers to our toy cars were able to see how they move.

 






Our children were very excited to explore these subjects. They were able to learn through play and build stronger concepts of what they see everyday.

 


Looking forward to more exploration!
Karen

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