Storytime: Science that Serves

by | Jul 10, 2023 | Blog | 0 comments

“S” is for science! We love science and so do children. And when a child observes how it serves a community or an individual, it’s even better! There are multiple non-fiction and picture books which introduce a child to science concepts. After reading one of these books, resist the urge to just put it down. Take the opportunity to talk about how the character worked with others using science to solve a problem. You can also talk about the scientific method of, 1) Observation, 2) Question, 3) Predict, 4) Experiment, 5) Record. and 6) Share.

Join us Tuesdays, and Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. or Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. in the Community Room.

Ages 2-5

Sing, Talk, Read, Write, Play

Tip

Children can help you with measuring things in all kinds of ways- in deciding whether something will fit in a certain space, in cooking, and in making things. Understanding the concept of measuring begins to develop one of the mathematical skills children will need in school. – Lambert

Activity

Activity- Read, “Bigger Than You,” by Hyewon Kyung with your child, and then practice the concept bigger and smaller with toys, dishes, or anything else. You could also make a simple balance scale such as this one at https://www.thoughtco.com/kid-science-make-a-balance-scale-2086574, and practice play using the scale.

Books Presented

Bigger Than You by Hyewon Kyung

 
Young dinosaurs take turns playing on a seesaw until a Tyrannosaurus interrupts their game with a temper tantrum. Includes chart showing relative sizes of dinosaurs and information about simple machines.

That's My Carrot by Il Sung Na

When two rabbits find a giant carrot growing between their yards, they do the only thing that makes sense: they argue over whose carrot it is! One rabbit brings a shovel to dig it out, and the other rabbit brings a spade. Next comes the bulldozers and backhoes and cranes … and when the dust settles, the carrot is gone! Now, it will be up to the rabbits to join forces and find the giant carrot, and build a friendship along the way.

Mary Had a Little Lab by Sue Fliess

Hoping for a friend, Mary invents a way to make a sheep, but when she starts making sheep for her new friends, chaos abounds

How To Code a Sandcastle by Josh Funk

Pearl and her trusty rust-proof robot, Pascal, need to build a sandcastle before summer vacation is over, and they’re going to do it using code

Songs, Rhymes, and Fingerplays

Sheep in the Bathtub

One sheep in the bathtub,
Going for a swim,
Knock-knock (clap twice), splash-splash (slap knees twice),
Come on in!

Two sheep in the bathtub…
Three sheep in the bathtub…
Four sheep in the bathtub…

And they all FELL IN!

adapted from https://kcls.org/content/one-elephant-in-the-bathtub/

Ten Little Bubbles

One little, two little, three little bubbles;
Four little, five little, six little bubbles;
Seven little, eight little, nine little bubbles;
Ten little bubbles to POP! (clap hands)

Pop, Pop, Pop, Pop, Pop those bubbles;
Pop, Pop, Pop, Pop, Pop those bubbles;
Pop, Pop, Pop, Pop, Pop those bubbles;
All the little bubbles go POP! (Clap)

Ten little, nine little, eight little bubbles;
Seven little, six little, five little bubbles;
Four little, three little, two little bubbles;
And one little bubble goes POP! (clap)

Credit: http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/2017/09/numbers.html

Crunchy Carrots

Five crunchy carrots growing in the ground,
Along came a bunny without a sound! (whisper)
She pulled on a top as hard as she could,
Out came a carrot! Mmm, it was good! (rub belly)

Repeat until none left

No crunchy carrots growing in the ground,
Along comes a farmer making quite a sound!

Credit: https://storytimeinthestacks.com/2019/08/09/flannel-friday-crunchy-carrots/

Crafts and Activities

S is for Science

Carrot Patch Craft

Precut orange triangles and green strips out of construction paper. Provide glue and blank paper for children to make carrot art. Ask them to number their carrots. Provide safety scissors for older preschoolers to practice cutting out their own shapes. (For a flower theme, precut circles for flowers instead of carrots.)

Additional Books

Goldilocks and the Three Engineers by Sue Fliess

When Goldilocks, an inventor, goes for a walk seeking inspiration, three bear engineers visit her bungalow and see that her inventions need a little work to be just right.

Charlotte the Scientist Finds a Cure by Camille Andros

Charlotte, a budding bunny scientist, ignores the doubters and confidently finds a cure to the mysterious malady affecting the forest

Boxitects by Kim Smith

Meg goes to Maker School to hone her talent for building with boxes, but when Simone, another boxitect, arrives they become so competitive they nearly fail in the annual Maker Match

Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty

 
A young aspiring engineer must first conquer her fear of failure.

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