Preschool is the natural age to ask questions and explore the world. Science activities for preschoolers let children explore and make connections to the world around them.
We kick off our FREE STEAM: Preschool Activities for STEM Enrichment Ecourse with our first Science challenge, observation, and classification of rocks!
What better way to explore your child’s natural curiosity than collecting, observing and creating! It is a great way to be hands on and learning. Lil B (5) and M-Wow (3) both enjoyed collecting the rocks and also taking a close look at them with the magnifying glass.
Read below for our first STEAM: Preschool Activity for STEM Enrichment activity! You do not need fancy or expensive materials to do science investigations or experiments at home. Be sure to read more from Amanda at The Educator’s Spin On It for her tips on incorporating Science everyday learning for your preschooler. Now on to the challenge!
Week 1 SCIENCE CHALLENGE:
Thinking like a Scientist: Collect and observe rocks.
This science STEM activity is re-printed with permission from STEAM:Preschool Activities for STEM Enrichment
Rocking Rock Collection
Learning Objective Observe and describe differences in rocks.
Materials Needed: Assortment of Rocks Magnifying Glass Science Journal Pencil or Marker
Directions for Activity:
1. The child will collect rocks on their daily adventures outdoors. Tell him that a rock is a natural solid made up of one or more minerals.
2. Once a group of 5 or more rocks have been collected, encourage him to observe the shape, textures, weight and colors of each rock. Talk about what he sees. Use language rich words such as shiny, dull, smooth, bumpy, round, flat, heavy, light, and hard.
3. Allow the child to organize his collection in any way he chooses. Encourage him to then sort by certain attributes as described earlier. Find a place the home or classroom where this collection can be displayed.
4. After the collection has been sorted, choose one rock to draw in a science journal.
Label colors, divots, textures, or differences in the rock that makes it unique. Write one sentence to describe the attributes of that particular rock.
Preschool children may attempt to write these words on their own. An adult may also write the words dictated by the child in grown-up writing on the paper. This helps beginning writers make the connection between spoken words and written words.
Science at home does not have to be complicated with basic materials you can help your child develop their natural curiosity into thinking like a scientist.
Tell us in the comments below. What color rocks did your children find? And don’t forget join us!
Join us this SUNDAY for the first week of our ecourse with a Google Hangout on September 21st @ 8:00pm to hear tips and tricks for incorporating Science activities for your preschooler. We will be discussing along with Amanda from The Educator’s Spin On It our own personal experiences and tips for making Science an everyday learning experience.
STEAM Preschool E-Course Schedule
This Science STEM activity is one example from the ebook, STEAM: Preschool Activities for STEM Enrichment of how to easily incorporate STEM enrichment into your preschoolers daily lives. Click here to purchase your copy of the ebook.
Okay, I am just now reading this.. I know, I know… But guess what we did today! WE COLLECTED ROCKS! We sorted them, we counted them, we compared them. How funny! Awesome book!
Rocks rock! 🙂 Such a simple activity but a great hands on way to learn and observe. Thank you for commenting.