Disclosure: I received a free copy of The Curious Kid’s Science Book in exchange for a review. In fact I begged this author to do a review for all of her books (including future ones) because I love her work that much!
So you know the activities that you plan for children that you think will capture their attention for about five minutes, but instead they can’t get away! This ice cube melt science experiment was exactly that! My son spent 45 minutes watching it, and I loved the scientific explorations he came up with on his own.
One of the most overlooked learning domains in a child’s early years is science. I must even admit that I had no clue how to teach science for several years. I mean how do you really break down the parts of a molecule to a child?
That’s where I had it all wrong. Science is not about me giving long-winded lectures or explaining really complex processes. It’s about engaging children in the scientific process. This happens when we let children explore, and we help them dig deeper.
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Teaching science to young children is about finding the answer to Caleb’s question, “Why do we eat food?”
It’s about following Danielle’s lead when she asks what would happen if the plant drank blue water.
This honestly does not come easily to me. That’s why I am so excited to share about a book that has completely taken the pressure off me to be a mad scientist in the classroom with strict controls and perfect variables. I just received my copy of The Curious Kid’s Science Book: 100+ Creative Hands-On Activities for Ages 4-8
by Asia Citro, and it has been a breath of fresh air for me. Teaching science is not stressful at all anymore. Really!
Asia is a former science teacher, and she explains how teaching children about science is a child-led process. It’s not about me knowing all the right answers. And it’s definitely not about the coolest science experiments — although those are fun. By the way, she has some of the best science ideas ever on Fun at Home with Kids. My favorites are Rainbow Soap Foam Bubbles and Painted Salt Sculptures.
Science is about engaging children and going on a journey with them through their own curiosity. Asia describes this process so perfectly in the introduction. I have recently learned never to skip an introduction — they have some of the best content of the entire book!
Here’s a peek at one of the science experiment prompts that my son picked out in The Curious Kid’s Science Book. It’s on page 65, and it is an experiment about how to make ice melt faster.
My son decided on freezing spiders in the ice cubes as well as various bugs. Then we put them in a container with a different ingredient to melt and release the bugs and spiders.
Here are all the ingredients we put int our dividing tray. I highly recommend using whatever is in your home or classroom that interests you or that your kiddos suggest.
My son and his friend thought that all of the ice would melt at the same rate. I thought the “ice melt” would dissolve the ice cube holding our trapped bug the fastest. And I called it our “mystery ingredient.” After eight minutes the first bug was released from….water! We were all surprised.
The ice cubes that we put into the water and vinegar had a little bit of liquid water coloring in them, if you were wondering about the color.
Then we talked about what the food ingredients would taste like if mixed together…ewww! I loved that they asked about it though.
And then they wanted to add tons more ice cubes. By the way, that’s when the “ice melt” kicked into full gear and melted the ice super fast.
If you would love to make science engaging and a part of a child’s daily life, I cannot recommend The Curious Kid’s Science Book highly enough. It’s filled with simple science prompts that are fun and get children asking questions. All of the activities are easy to implement, and it is a perfect way for a child to start learning about the scientific process.
By the way if you are looking for a book with some super exciting science activities and play activities, that would be Asia’s first book, 150+ Screen-Free Activities for Kids: The Very Best and Easiest Playtime Activities from FunAtHomeWithKids.com!
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