to Engage Your Child in Hands-On Learning
— Boston, MA
If you’re struggling to find ways to engage your child in STEM learning, hands-on, experimental learning is the solution. The following elementary level activities will have kids on their feet, exploring science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
How High?:
This experiment teaches kids about potential and kinetic energy and how it affects different objects. Potential energy is energy that is stored in an object. Once this object is in motion, it becomes kinetic energy.
What you will need:
Different sized marbles
Ruler with a groove down the middle
Books
Instructions:
Put a book underneath one end of the ruler to give your ramp height. Roll a small marble down the ramp and observe its speed. Give your ramp more height to see how the height changes the energy and speed of the marble.
Exploding Volcano:
Ions are particles with a negative or positive charge. Negative and positive charges attract each other, and when this happens, they stick together and bond. This can be seen when hydrogen ions in vinegar and sodium, and bicarbonate ions in the baking soda, bond together to create carbonic acid and sodium acetate. Carbonic acid turns to water, and then into carbon dioxide, creating foam that can be seen in the reaction of the volcano activity.
What you will need:
Dish soap
Mixing tool
Baking soda
Water
Vinegar
Clear tube or bottle
Instructions:
Put one tablespoon of dish soap into the clear container. Take one tablespoon of baking soda and add it to the clear container. Add two tablespoons of water to the container and take the mixing tool and mix up the container's contents. Add a half cup of vinegar, and watch for the reaction.
For more ideas on how to engage your child in homeschool learning, visit:
scienceforkids instagram