education

Static Electricity Activities with static electricity help children learn that electricity has force and makes light. Children can easily produce a static electricity charge by rubbing a balloon on their hair, socks on a carpet, or a comb through their hair and then on a piece of wool. When they take a charged object such […]

Weight, Force, and Motion Applying force to an object makes it movea concept children employ every day as they push cars or blocks across the floor, draw with a crayon, or pedal a tricycle on the playground. Simple machines such as pulleys, gears, ramps, and levers are endlessly fascinating to children in their efforts to

Solids, Liquids, and Gases Basic concepts related to states of matter appropriate for young children include the following: Liquids assume the shape of their container Solids retain their shape Some solids dissolve in liquid; some do not Water changes form when frozen or boiled Liquids move at different speeds (viscosity) Air is a gas Adding

Light and Shadow Young children are highly intrigued by the interplay of light and shadow and the ways light can be manipulated to achieve different kinds of effects. Young children can understand and use terms such as light, shadow, reflection, filter, rainbow, image, transparent, translucent, and magnify. Concepts that can be acquired by young children

Science Concepts and Curriculum Activities Science content and curriculum are currently not emphasized in early learning standards and primary grades curriculum to the same extent as mathematics. But teachers should facilitate science learning and scientific inquiry through both informal and structured or facilitated investigations (Hamlin & Wisneski, 2012). Informal science learning occurs daily as children

Linear Measures, Weight, and Volume Examples of standards measuressuch as a growth chart, weight scale, or masking tape on the floor to mark off distances in inches or feetshould be displayed and used to build awareness of linear measures (length, width, height). Children should be encouraged during play to describe nonstandard measurements, such as “How

Patterns and Patterning In mathematics, a pattern represents a repeating series of any kind. We want to help children learn to recognize, replicate, represent, and extend visual, sound, and motor patterns. Many of the typical materials in Figure 10.2 are useful for learning about, copying, and creating patterns. To identify a pattern, children apply classification,

Symbolic Representation Like counting, learning to represent numbers with the corresponding numeral is developmentally sequenced. A child who counts correctly does not necessarily associate the number with its matching symbol. Thus many materials that support learning to countsuch as an abacus, Unifix cubes, or dominoesdo not feature numerals. Conversely, being able to trace or write

One-to-One Correspondence Hemera / Thinkstock One-to-one correspondence develops as the child learns to match one object with a corresponding space or item. The most fundamental concept of number is one-to-one correspondence, which is basic to understanding equivalence and conservation and necessary for counting. Children demonstrate one-to-one correspondence when they distribute items saying, “one for me,

Mathematics Concepts and Curricular Activities Content standards and mathematics concepts are heavily emphasized in preschool and primary grades curricula and classrooms. It is important for early educators to understand the hierarchical nature of how mathematical thinking grows and children’s need for concrete materials and hands-on experiences to eventually develop abstract reasoning. Each of the following