Today’s kindergarten readiness fun and learning play-of-the-day has been inspired by a conversation with scientist and author of children’s science books, Dr. Rebecca Keller. Science is all about exploring and wondering and kids do both of those things naturally! The following very simple science experiment, for kids 3 years old and up, helps encourage two basic science strategies: looking carefully (making observations) and asking questions.
Not all kids like to eat cinnamon hearts but they have a lovely red color and are popular for Valentine’s Day. You can let your child taste one and then together look at another one. Ask your child about it’s color and size. What else is red like the cinnamon heart? Is it as small as a grape? Is it as small as a raisin? Put some water in a clear cup or bowl. Next, ask your child what might happen if s/he puts a few hearts in the water? You may want to jot down what your child answers. While we may predict that the hearts will change the color of the water and get smaller, your child may have very different ideas. Now your child can pop the hearts into the water and let them stay there for a while.
It’s hard to tell from minute to minute, but after a few minutes check again to see if anything has happened. Did the water change? Is this what your child thought would happen? What about the cinnamon hearts? How did they change? Wait a few more minutes and see if there are more changes. How might the water taste now? Besides all the science, you and your child have used lots of language, too. And here’s another question: Isn’t that a lot of learning and fun from some very tiny candy hearts?