Yesterday, for some kindergarten readiness fun and learning with hands-on activities, I interviewed MaryAnn F. Kohl on Learn and Play with Mrs. A. She is an artist with 20+ books on kids and hands-on activities, speaker, toy consultant, columnist, publisher and has appeared on several tv shows. Her focus is on the experience, not the final product and she combines science, math, nature, stories, and art, because kids do not learn by subject, but by doing.
For older kids, one of MaryAnn’s favorite activities is making a baking soda and vinegar volcano. (see her recipe in the comment on yesterday’s post) For much younger kids, she suggested letting them rip up paper. For babies, just ripping the paper is enough. (Have you seen any of the videos of babies laughing hysterically at the sound of ripping paper?) As kids get a little older they can glue the bits of ripped paper onto another paper or cardboard to make a collage or picture.
As kids rip paper, they are learning about change. After many experiences, kids also learn that this change can not be undone. Even gluing won’t put the paper back together in the same way. When kids do get to school, they learn that this is an example of a non-reversible physical change. Did you know that ripping paper, besides being lots of fun, could be such an advanced level of science learning?
Here is a link to the podcast for more hands-on activity ideas:
Hands-on Activities with MaryAnn F. Kohl/Learn & Play podcast