outside science

We've been doing some science activities with friends from co-op to finish out the typical school year, and trying to be outside in the nice weather as much as possible. I printed out a couple of previous years of the Summer Brain Games from the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago (don't remember how I found this) but we very quickly discovered these were too difficult for our crowd of preschool and lower-elementary kids. A LOT of hands-on from the moms instead of the kids doing all the work themselves.

The first time, we made tetrahedral kites from bendy drinking straws, tissue paper, yarn, and a whole lot of tape. The moms made the kites - the kids watched and played with the straws. And they didn't fly. I'm not sure how this shape of kite is supposed to fly in the first place, but there are lots of photos online of huge tetrahedral kites in the air. Maybe that's the secret - a lot more pyramids in the mix.

The second time, we made parachutes from scarves, tissue paper, and other items for small toys, and threw them off the deck. Some did really well! Getting the proportion the right size between the parachute and the toy was the key.

We kept getting rained out, so finally we went with it and met in the classroom space of the library. A couple of families brought microscopes and we looked at leaves and flower petals in them. We also had some worksheets and craft activities to learn the parts of a flower. Coloring and cutting are always a good thing!