Floating Egg Science Experiment

Use this floating egg science experiment for preschool (and older kids!) themes with birds, eggs, Easter, nature, and more!  Science projects with children are so much fun!

Simple Supplies:

• cup or beaker
• raw, uncooked egg
• water
• salt

Easy How-To:

1- Ask your child if an egg will float or sink.  Carefully set the egg in a cup full of water.  What happened?  (It should sink!  Eggs do have an air space inside that grows as the egg ages.  A particularly old egg may actually float, but this is rare.)

2- Can you make it float?  Add a tablespoon of salt and stir until it is dissolved.  Try the experiment again.  Continue adding a tablespoon of salt until your egg actually floats.  The egg in the picture above only took two tablespoons.

What Happened? and Variations:

Adding salt changes the density of the water.  The egg's density does not change.  When the water is more dense than the egg, the egg will float.

Try the science experiment with a boiled egg and/or other solutes (instead of salt).  Do you see the same results if you use two eggs instead of one?  What about brown eggs compared to white eggs?  What else does your child want to test with this science project?

You can also display two cups, one with a floating egg and one with a sunken egg, and see if your children can spot the differences.  Then see what they would like to experiment with!



Happy Educating, Carla
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Yogurt Flowers & Butterflies

It's Spring!  These Yogurt Flowers & Butterflies are the perfect fun addition to lunch or snacks!

Inspired by Kitchen Fun With My 3 Sons and the fact that we are "growing" butterflies right now, I made yogurt flowers and butterflies!  It's wonderfully healthy--I used organic yogurt--and tons of fun.

You can make your own yogurt flowers and butterflies (or other shapes!) by scooping yogurt into frosting bags and piping it onto wax paper.  Place the wax paper in the freezer for at least an hour.  The shapes easily peel off the wax paper.  Just remember to eat them immediately because they melt like ice-cream!

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29 Easter Activities and Science Experiments for Preschoolers

Easter science experiments, math, reading, snacks, and printables!  I love Easter time!  This year, it is coming early...on March 31st!  Here is a fabulous list of Easter-themed ideas for science projects, crafts, and more.  I hope you enjoy them!!

Bunnies, Eggs, & Chicks:

• Walking on Raw Eggs at Preschool Powol Packets
• 20 Activities to do with Easter Eggs at Living Life Intentionally
• Easter in Latvia at Adventures in Mommydom
• Rhyming Eggs at Enchanted Homeschooling Mom
• {FREE} Chicks Egg Coloring Page at Preschool Powol Packets
• {FREE} Egg Colors Interactive Printable Mini-Book at B-Inspired Mama
• Easter Craft/Science Experiment: Crystal Eggs at Preschool Powol Packets  (pictured)
• Jello Egg Science at Mommas Fun World
• 10 Little Eggs Song at Preschool Powol Packets 
• Bunny Money at Crafty Journal
• Origami Easter Bunny (holds treats!) at Heavenly Handmades
• Bunny Cover Up (an estimating game) at Playdough to Plato
• 12 Activities Using Plastic Easter Eggs and Egg Cartons at Peaceful Parenting
• Jan Brett's Easter Egg (Egg Craft) at Adventures in Mommydom
• Microwaved Peep Experiment at Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas

Other:

• {FREE} Easter Egg Hunt Game at Preschool Powol Packets (pictured)
• Decorative Easter Wreath at Tales of the Scotts
• Easter Hunt Map Reading at Inspiration Laboratories
• Easter Finger Puppets at Happy Hooligans
• {FREE} Easter Pack Printable at 3 Dinosaurs
• Easter Themed Math Activities at Stay at Home Educator

Food:

• Easter Bunny Cake at Living Life Intentionally
• 8 Easter Treats for Kids at Mess For Less
• Bunny Tails Treat (Muddy Buddy Popcorn) at Shaken Together
• Easter Bunny Pancakes at Five Little Chefs
• Nutter Butter Chicks at Life With Moore Babies
• Painted Easter Cookies at Putti's World

Religious:

• Bible Resurrection Eggs at Adventures in Mommydom
• Cross Suncatcher Craft for Kids at Train Up a Child
• Easter Story Cookies at JDaniel4's Mom

Do you have an Easter-themed learning post you would like to add?  What kind of science experiments and other activities do your kids love? I'd love to see it!  Feel free to leave a link in the comments or on my PreschoolPowolPackets Facebook page so I can get a look at your science projects!




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{FREE} Easy Reader Mini-book Guest Post!

Today I'm over at b-inspired mama as a guest poster sharing this fun, free, interactive mini-book for early readers:

Come on over and check it out!  While you're there, take a look around--b-inspired mama has loads of great ideas and inspiration for parents!



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{FREE} Chick Eggs Easter Coloring Page

Click here to download your {FREE} Chick Eggs Easter Coloring Page!

This page works great for Easter, Spring, and Farm themes!  The file has a page with blank egg shells and a page with patterned eggs.

Young children can color the page with crayons, paints, markers, and more.  Try filling in the picture with play dough, torn paper, or gluing real straw to the nest!

Coloring pages strengthen fine motor skills which prepares children to write sooner and longer.  They also provide an opportunity to review colors.

Click here to download this {FREE} Chick Eggs Easter Coloring Page!




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Reading With Dry Erase Blocks

Are you working on letter recognition, sight words, or word families?  Using Dry Erase Blocks is the perfect way to add a little variety to your lesson!  Plus, it lets your child use their hands while they work on reading!  Your children will learn new material faster if they are using more senses (sight, touch, etc.) and methods as they learn.

To make your own Dry Erase Blocks, simply gather up some building blocks (we used Mega Blocks) and a dry erase marker.  Write the letters or words on the blocks that you want to work on!  In the pictured example, my child can take the yellow C off the -at family and replace it with a B, F, M, H, P, or R to make more -at words.  Each time, she reads the new word.  My younger son can build with blocks that contain the letters he is working on.  Each child can erase the letters with a paper towel or cloth and re-write them!

UPDATE (3-21-13):  Make sure you erase your blocks when you're done.  I left some letters on for a week, and they are much harder to wipe off days later!




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Making Green (St. Patrick's Day Preschool Art & Science!)

This festive art project combines the science of color mixing with the St. Patrick's Day fun!  The set-up is quick and easy, and you probably have the supplies at home already!

Simple Supplies:

• paper cut in the shape of a shamrock
• blue and yellow paint
• paintbrushes (optional!)
• embellishments (optional!)

Easy How-to:

Give your children the shamrock, paint, and other supplies, and let them create a masterpiece!  As they paint, ask them what is happening when they mix the yellow and blue paint together.  Let them experience the learning with their eyes and hands!  If you choose, they can add any embellishments like plastic jewels, yarn cuttings, or flowers to their shamrock.  Finally, display their St. Patrick's Day Shamrock!



Other St. Patrick's Day Fun:

 



{FREE} St. Patrick's Day Preschool Packet

Lucky Clover Bubble Painting

St. Patrick's Day Rainbow Craft Writing Activity 

{FREE} Rainbow Breakfast Printable

Shamrock Alphabets









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{FREE} Construction Board Game

Last week when I shared the Real Names of Construction Trucks and a fun poster for your truck-loving child, I promised a game this week...well, here it is!  When I asked my daughter what the construction teams goal should be, she quickly announced, "A castle!"  So, a castle it is.

This game is the perfect size to glue inside a file folder!  Tape an envelope on the back to hold the pieces!

This fun game includes construction truck playing pieces, the board game, instructions, and a set of construction cone cards (for when you land on a mud spot with a construction cone on it).  You will need one or two dice to play.

The directions are simple:  All players start on the big mud pile.  Roll the dice.  Move the appropriate number of spots.  If you land on a construction cone, draw a card and follow the directions.  The cards have a bright + or - number so non-readers can tell if they are moving forward or backward and how many spaces.  When you arrive at the castle, you win!  If you have older children, use two dice and subtract the two numbers you roll to find out how many spaces to move on your turn.

Board games are great for early math and reasoning skills.  They also let your child practice reading, taking turns, and focusing on a given task!

Click here to download the Construction Board Game for {FREE}!!

 Do you (or your kids!) love all things construction?  Be sure to check out my Construction Preschool Packet, {FREE} Construction Word Puzzles, and the {FREE} construction poster at the end of this post!

Download the {FREE} Construction Board Game here!!

Happy educating,

Carla

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St. Patrick's Day Rainbow Craft Activity {3-Day FREEBIE!!}

St. Patrick's Day, rainbows, Spring, weather, and writing all tie together in this colorful rainbow craft activity:

I'm not sure who's enjoying them on the wall more...the kids or me!

Everyone enjoyed putting them together...tearing paper, arranging the colors, and gluing.  You should have seen the way they bounced off their seats when they looked at the gold!

I'm sharing the template for this "craftivity" free this weekend only...so download it now (by clicking here) and then tell your friends to get theirs too!

The file includes instructions and printable pages for each part of the craft!  It also includes two writing prompts!!  Here are pictures of each printable page in the file:

Click here to download {FREE this weekend}!!



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