Note: the activity chosen for this post came from the awesome book, A Head Start on Science: Encouraging a Sense of Wonder by NSTA Press (National Science Teachers Association). If you are interested in purchasing the book, you will find means to order the book through Amazon in the right hand panel of this blog page.
As a sequel to my last blog post, Summer Science Spectacular!, I continue here with another summer science idea.
Now, even though these ideas are coming from an NSTA Press publication, I have found many activities that support the Montessori Method and its principles.
For example, in the Senses Section on page 29 they have a tasting activity. Each child is given a particular food to taste and describe.
A fun modification to this activity would be a matching tasting game with a variety of beverages, for example, orange juice, apple juice, milk, chocolate milk, and water.
Note: Please always check for food allergies before presenting food and beverages to a child.
Method:
Create two sets of five small paper cups (I used the Dixie 5 oz. size), 10 small squares of foil that will cover the tops of the paper cups, and ten plastic drinking straws. Using markers or crayons, mark one set of two cups on the bottom with a red dot. (If your straws come in different colors, try to use the same color straws for all cups to keep the visible portion of the cups uniform.)
Mark another set of two cups on the bottom with an orange dot, continue with a set with green dots, blue dots, and purple dots. You should have 5 sets of two matching cups each.
Fill both cups with red dots with orange juice, fill both cups with orange dots with apple juice. Follow the same procedure with the milk, chocolate milk, and water.
Place the straws, one in each small paper cup, and then place a small square of foil on top of each cup. Mold the foil so that it seals the top of the cup and around the straw.
Keep each set of five beverages separate from the other. The first set can be kept in order, but be sure to carefully rearrange the order of the second set.
Invite the child to play the game. Have the child sip the first cup in set one. If he/she is able to name the beverage, encourage him/her to do so. The child proceeds to sip each beverage from the first set of cups. Encourage the child to name the beverage if he/she is able.
Then have the child sip from the first cup of the rearranged second set. Encourage the child to name the beverage and invite the child to match that beverage to the one in the first set. They can check their own work by carefully looking on the bottom of each cup for matching colors.
He/she can then proceed with matching the rest of the beverages in the second set to the first set, checking their work each time by looking at the bottom of the cup for matching colored dots. Allow the child to play again if they desire.
This activity not only requires matching the beverages but is also memory work in that the child must remember where the matching beverage was in the first set.
This is just an example of how this book can support and be modified to work in a Montessori setting. There are many wonderful books and materials out there than lend themselves beautifully to Montessori work for children. Of course, we should never abandon the principles on which Montessori stands. Always follow the child.
Until next time-
Lorraine
