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A student holds an owl pellet during their dissection activity.

During the school age student’s Eco-Friend strand, students were posed with the question, “What is an Owl Pellet?” Throughout the Wild Animals unit, students explored characteristics of owls including the following facts they shared prior to our dissection: “Owls sleep during the day and are awake at night because they are nocturnal” and “Owls have big eyes that see very well at night so they can catch food when it is dark outside” and “Owls like to eat mice and rodents.”

Remnants from the dissected pellets.

This previous knowledge spurred on a thoughtful discussion about why owls cannot digest an entire animal causing them to cough up remains of animals leaving us with owl pellets to dissect!

Students dissect their owl pellets.

Students were encouraged to observe drawings and diagrams to identify what may be found in an owl pellet and what items to look out for in the dissection.

Next, prior to the dissection, students were asked to make predictions of what they might find in their owl pellets. Most students wanted to find fur and bones in their owl pellet and some wanted to find animals skulls!

The school age class is so brave to take on such an activity and had a wonderful experience! Students were encouraged to gently dissect their owl pellet to prevent breakage of animal bones and to look very carefully for even the smallest bones! Each student found: fur, bones, teeth, jaws and at least parts of an animal skull! Some students discovered an entire mouse skull!

Students were also encouraged to run water over their findings to remove any excess fur from the bones for better observation.

Students were encouraged to describe and look for detail in their findings. The description conversation that followed included, “The bones were so tiny,” “the fur smells bad” and “the mouse teeth are so long!” Finally, students placed their findings in plastic bags for further observation and discussion.

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A student records the latest results from the experiment on a chart.

Children in my class were given the opportunity to exercise their probability skills when deciding if objects would sink or float.

A piece of flannel was placed over the easel and labeled/divided FLOAT and SINK.  Picture cards were placed in the shelf for children to choose from and make a guess based upon their knowledge and experience.  The picture card was then placed under their guess of whether the object would float or sink.  After making their guess – they then tested it in the water filled sensory tub!

The  Lesson Objectives:  Teamwork to fill the sensory tub with water, probability skills, testing guesses, cause and effect, exploring with water, float, sink, buoyancy, properties of water, and the effect water has on objects.

It’s fun to see the students enjoy activities with and involving water – that’s why they seem naturally drawn to water puddles, rain, splashing and mixing, basically anything dealing with water!

A student contemplates whether objects will sink or float.

Children can spend lengthy amounts of time simply pouring, dumping, mixing, and stirring water.  From a parental perspective it can be messy to clean up and time consuming.  From a teacher perspective it can become a nuisance if children are constantly washing or most often playing at the sink!  Capitalize on these instances and use them as learning experiences – provide soapy water, washcloths, and dishes for washing, water babies and sponges for bathing, varying objects to float/sink, cooking materials, or really anything – remember children have imaginations – something we tend to “lose” as we grow older!  If a child spills water – provide towels to clean it up.  If a child gets his/her clothing wet – allow them time to reflect and problem solve (next time roll up sleeves, wear a smock, change into swimsuit, etc).

Water play is often found to be very calming for children and is very tactile experience.  Children need ample time to play in and with water.  Sometimes, we as adults, take the pure simplicity and joy of water for granted!  Remember it’s just water AND it will dry!

Misti is a Pre-K teacher at The Grove School of Plano. She is an avid Kansas State fan. (We don't hold that against her!)

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The "clean" tomato soup

Students in Ms. Sue’s Pre-K class conducted a science experiment recently.  They used cotton swabs to go around their room to collect germs.  Then they placed the soiled swabs into a plate of tomato soup to “infect” the soup with the collected germs.

After five days, a mold developed in the soup.  As scientists do, they recorded their observations by drawing what they saw in the moldy soup.

The photos below show the process of learning for the students.  They swabbed, they infected, they waited and then they observed.

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The Moon @ Eclipse

The Moon @ Eclipse (Doug Murray - Reuters)

Last night was a rare happening – full lunar eclipse.  It was actually the second one of the year, but the first one, in June, was only a partial eclipse.  You can see more photos here.

I have always been fascinated by the “heavens.”   I can remember watching Carl Sagan’s PBS series COSMOS as a teenager and just having my mind blown away.

Matters of science can be one of the ways we engage students in learning throughout their lives.  Some love it and others don’t.

My photo of the event

A lunar eclipse (Scott Andersen)

However, if you have a child who loves it, then I recommend you feed their love with lots of rich content and science-related opportunities.  So studying about the dark side of the moon can be quite illuminating…and inspiring…and it might just be the vehicle to an enriching academic and professional career.

We definitely need amazing scientists!

Please allow me to recommend the Cosmos series, which you are able to purchase (I just found that out).

Time Lapse of Lunar Eclipse

The eclipse is shown over time. (Luis Acosta / AFP - Getty Images)

The eclipse was visible this morning for about five and a half hours beginning around 12:30am for North America.

I hope you caught a glimpse.  If not and you want to share a video with your children, I found this one from the Today Show to be sufficient.

OK, I have to share one more video to honor the title of this blog entry.  This video has NOTHING to do with this morning’s eclipse other than the title of the album from which it is taken is where I got the title for this blog entry.  Enjoy!

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Today students in Ms. Alli’s preschool class made sea foam and bubbles as part of their “Under the Sea” EcoAdventure.  The students stirred up the water to make the foam then used their wet hands to blow bubbles.  Reactions were mixed as some students liked getting their hands “slimy” with the sea foam more than others.

Nonetheless, it was a fun (and wet) activity on a warm Friday afternoon! Enjoy the photos and the video as a way to share the experience with our students.

More summer fun is on the way in next week’s Under the Sea adventures.

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Eco Friends is a science- and ecology-based curriculum strand designed to meet the content standards established by state and national boards of education for early childhood instruction, in particular children two through five years of age. The lessons in Eco Friends introduce young children to the four main fields of science – physical, life, environmental, and earth and space. Children will also learn about the scientific method and the six basic science process skills: observation, communication, comparison and classification, measurement, inference, and prediction. Through interesting, interactive, hands-on activities using multi-sensory teaching methods, young children involved in Eco Friends will explore, discover, and make sense of the world around them.

Philosophy

Teaching science to children involves teaching skills more than facts. Children learn best through experiences that interest them or that apply directly to them. They are naturally curious and want to know how things work, why things happen, and what is happening in the world around them. Science activities meet this need in children by providing them hands-on opportunities to get involved. Science in early childhood is not only about ‘doing’ science activities as an integral part of daily life, science learning should be woven into everything the children do.

There are three important areas of science that should be included in science learning: the scientific process, science knowledge, and scientific attitudes.

1. The scientific process involves asking questions and seeking the answers to those questions–-a skill that is used regularly in all aspects of life.

2. Science knowledge encompasses the basic concepts of science, or what is known about the world.

3. Scientific attitudes focus on dispositions to science, such as curiosity, imagination, and respect for doing things in a specific way to validate results. (Virginia Standards of Learning, 2002)

Learning the scientific process should command significant attention when educating young children. Just as children must learn to crawl before they walk or run, certain ‘skills’ need to be learned before children can make sense of the scientific process. These ‘skills’ are referred to as science process skills, and they form the foundation for teaching science. Most scientists recognize six science process skills. Ironically, these skills are used by children and teachers everyday in various capacities, but are not always associated with science learning. When the connection between these skills and science learning is made that children become actively involved in science.

Listed below is a brief description of each of the six science process skills included in the Eco Friends curriculum:

Observation. Using the five senses to watch things with a purpose in mind; finding out about objects or events and what makes them unique or similar.

Communication. Describing characteristics, properties, and changes in objects or events; using language (both spoken and written) to share information and ideas with others; using graphs, charts, and drawings to document information from observations.

Comparison and Classification. Noticing similarities and differences among objects or events and sorting, grouping, or ordering them based on those properties and attributes; includes recognizing and following set patterns.

Measurement. Understanding quantity, size, and volume and comparing an unknown amount with a known unit; using measurement tools.

Inference. Explaining or interpreting observations; drawing conclusions from events.

Hypothesizing and Prediction. Making an informed guess based on observations; formulating a belief of what might happen based on evidence, observations, and inferences and that can be tested through experimentation.

Linda is a program development specialist. Our curriculum benefits from her 23 years of expertise. She's also taught all age groups of children, with an emphasis on preschool and prekindergarten.

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Ecology is defined as “a branch of science concerned with the interrelationship of organisms and their environments.” At The Grove School, children learn to take their environment into consideration every day through the materials they use, the activities they engage in, their awareness of their surroundings, and their interactions with others.

By providing opportunities for children to explore and experience nature in appropriate ways, we instill in them a caring and respect for their environment. Environmentalist Carol Petrash sums this up by saying, “Environmental awareness will come naturally to children when it is integrated into the early childhood classroom and home as a way of life” (Earthways, 1992).

Environmental awareness is imbedded in the Eco Friends lessons. As the children learn about animals, plants, themselves and the world around them, we are instilling in them a respect for each other and providing them with tools to care for each.

Linda is a program development specialist. Our curriculum benefits from her 23 years of expertise. She's also taught all age groups of children, with an emphasis on preschool and prekindergarten.

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The science environment in a young child’s world is actually the world itself–objects to look at and feel, lights that turn on at the flick of a switch, fish in an aquarium, shadows on the sidewalk, or wheels that turn on a tricycle. All of these experiences are related to scientific principles, and young children are ready to explore them.

An interesting science environment for children includes a variety of materials that are safe for them to handle and manipulate, tools to use for observation and experimentation, and writing or drawing tools for documentation. Adequate space in which to perform observations and experiments is also necessary for successful science learning.

Books and pictures that feature science subjects are used in the Eco Friends activities. Tools that are portable, such as magnifying glasses and color paddles also encourage children to use the entire classroom or outdoor spaces as their science lab, rather than limit their experiences to a table or confined space.

Linda is a program development specialist. Our curriculum benefits from her 23 years of expertise. She's also taught all age groups of children, with an emphasis on preschool and prekindergarten.

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Young children are “doing science” every day as they explore their environment and draw conclusions based on their experiences. The evidence of what they have learned is demonstrated in unique and different ways, based on each child’s level of understanding.
One child will represent his science learning through drawing or journaling. Another will use three-dimensional representation, such as constructing a vegetable garden with blocks to represent her learning, while still others will act out their rendition through dramatic play, puppetry, or in conversations with others.

In addition, children’s learning is episodic. Noting what children can do or what they express at a given moment in time might not give a teacher a complete picture of their overall
understanding of science concepts. Often time’s children need to digest what they are learning and fit the pieces together with what they already know before demonstrating understanding. Observing children over time enables teachers to watch the process of learning develop in each child. Therefore, the use of observation and portfolio collection is very much apart of the Eco Friends curriculum.

Linda is a program development specialist. Our curriculum benefits from her 23 years of expertise. She's also taught all age groups of children, with an emphasis on preschool and prekindergarten.

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