Kindergarten readiness is not limited to specific answers that kids need to learn. Instead, getting them ready for school means helping them develop an eagerness for questioning and learning. Since they love to discover and experiment, we can attach learning on to their enthusiasm and natural curiosity and make it fun.
Last time, we explored magnets; this week balloons go high tech and high teach. (Balloons need to be handled with caution around little ones.) Rub an ordinary inflated balloon on your hair. Show your child how it lifts up your hair. Feels kind of tickly. Do you have any cereal in your cupboards? Ask your child if s/he thinks the balloon will lift up cereal. Put a couple pieces on a counter, rub hair and try again. Watch the cereal hop up and down. Usually, the balloon will pick up Rice Krispies, paper and even uncooked rice. The pieces seem to dance around when the balloon gets close. Sometimes, the most ordinary things can be exciting. Was this a surprise for the adults, too?