LEARNING PLAN OUTLINE
LEARNING PLAN OUTLINE
Name: Danielle Daugherty
Course: Child Development 130: Science and Math for Young Children
Curriculum Area: Science
Title/Name of Activity: Starter Test Tube Laboratory Kit
Age Group: Pre-K/Kindergarten – Second grade (Ages 4-8)
Source of Inspiration/Child Interest
- Once a year I go around to schools and provide a starter test tube laboratory kit for each child so they can explore different ways to use food coloring, seeds, water density, and investigate shape to volume. This activity can be done from ages 4-8 but may need some modifying depending on the age. Children are always amazed when they get to explore with different materials on their own and compare with what the person next to them did. This is a very hands-on experiment, so children will be able to learn through their own investigations.
- Reference: https://algaeresearchsupply.com/collections/bubbling-beakers/products/starter-test-tube-research-set
Objectives: (what do you anticipate children will learn with specific reference to the California Preschool Learning Foundations)
- Through this activity children will learn scientific inquiry through seeing what the colors do when you mix them together as well as learning what salt can do to the density of the water. They will also compare, observe, document, investigate measurement, and use predictions.
- The California Preschool Learning Foundations used are:
1.0-2.0 Scientific Inquiry: Observation and Investigation/ Documentation and Communication
1.0-2.0 Physical Sciences: Properties and Characteristics of non-living objects and materials/Changes in non-living objects and materials
- Objectives:
- They will compare what different colors do when mixed with each other
- Observe growth from seeds and document what the roots are doing
- Children will also investigate measurement using different beakers to investigate shape to volume ratios
Set-up and Location: This activity can be done indoors at tables or desks. Children should have either newspaper or paper towels on their desks in case of overflow.
Materials Needed:
- 1x test tube rack
- 8x test tubes
- 1x pipette
- 2x beakers
- 1x graduated cylinder
- colors for color mixing
- salt for water density experiments
- Paper towels or newspaper
Procedure:
- Prepare desks or tables by laying down paper towels or newspaper. Give each child a test tube kit that they may use for their investigations.
- First start by explaining to the children that the start of the experiment is to mix colors to investigate what two colors mixed together will change into a different color.
- The second part of the experiment is to test density with salt water. Fill up the test tubes with different amounts of salt water (Tube 1- no salt, Tube 2- pinch of salt, Tube 3 1/8 teaspoons of slat, Tube 4- ¼ teaspoon of salt, Tube 5- ½ teaspoon of salt, Tube 6- 1 teaspoon of salt, Tube 7- ½ Tablespoon of salt, Tube 8- 1 tablespoon of salt). Experiment to see which test tube can layer colors on top of each other because of their density. To do this very carefully use your pipette and drop one color at a time into the test tubes. You should observe the colors beginning to stack on top of each other instead of just mixing. Children should observe which tube stacks the colors better and what happens when they try to stack the colors without any salt in the tube (Tube 1).
- Vocabulary:
- Observation
- Documentation
- Investigate
- Scientific Inquiry
- Test Tube
- Graduated Cylinder
- Density
- Measurement
- Open Ended Questions:
- What happens to the colors when you mix them together?
- What happens to the colors that have more salt in their tubes?
- Can you get the colors to stack on top of each other?
Limits and Guidance Suggestions: Depending on the age group of the class they may need adult assistance when mixing colors and getting them to stack. Each child should have their own test tube kit to investigate with.
Extensions of Activity: Children can go into their own environments and test different types of water to see if they have salt and try stacking the colors themselves. Teachers can also use the book “Things that float, and things that don’t” by David A Adler to express to the children that everything has a different density.
A second part of this extension is to germinate the seeds in the test tubes and observe what happens to them in the weeks to come.
LEARNING PLAN OUTLINE
Name: Danielle Daugherty
Course: Child Development 130: Science and Math for Young Children
Curriculum Area: Science
Title/Name of Activity: Starter Test Tube Laboratory Kit
Age Group: Pre-K/Kindergarten – Second grade (Ages 4-8)
Source of Inspiration/Child Interest
- Once a year I go around to schools and provide a starter test tube laboratory kit for each child so they can explore different ways to use food coloring, seeds, water density, and investigate shape to volume. This activity can be done from ages 4-8 but may need some modifying depending on the age. Children are always amazed when they get to explore with different materials on their own and compare with what the person next to them did. This is a very hands-on experiment, so children will be able to learn through their own investigations.
- Reference: https://algaeresearchsupply.com/collections/bubbling-beakers/products/starter-test-tube-research-set
Objectives: (what do you anticipate children will learn with specific reference to the California Preschool Learning Foundations)
- Through this activity children will learn scientific inquiry through seeing what the colors do when you mix them together as well as learning what salt can do to the density of the water. They will also compare, observe, document, investigate measurement, and use predictions.
- The California Preschool Learning Foundations used are:
1.0-2.0 Scientific Inquiry: Observation and Investigation/ Documentation and Communication
1.0-2.0 Physical Sciences: Properties and Characteristics of non-living objects and materials/Changes in non-living objects and materials
- Objectives:
- They will compare what different colors do when mixed with each other
- Observe growth from seeds and document what the roots are doing
- Children will also investigate measurement using different beakers to investigate shape to volume ratios
Set-up and Location: This activity can be done indoors at tables or desks. Children should have either newspaper or paper towels on their desks in case of overflow.
Materials Needed:
- 1x test tube rack
- 8x test tubes
- 1x pipette
- 2x beakers
- 1x graduated cylinder
- colors for color mixing
- salt for water density experiments
- Paper towels or newspaper
Procedure:
- Prepare desks or tables by laying down paper towels or newspaper. Give each child a test tube kit that they may use for their investigations.
- First start by explaining to the children that the start of the experiment is to mix colors to investigate what two colors mixed together will change into a different color.
- The second part of the experiment is to test density with salt water. Fill up the test tubes with different amounts of salt water (Tube 1- no salt, Tube 2- pinch of salt, Tube 3 1/8 teaspoons of slat, Tube 4- ¼ teaspoon of salt, Tube 5- ½ teaspoon of salt, Tube 6- 1 teaspoon of salt, Tube 7- ½ Tablespoon of salt, Tube 8- 1 tablespoon of salt). Experiment to see which test tube can layer colors on top of each other because of their density. To do this very carefully use your pipette and drop one color at a time into the test tubes. You should observe the colors beginning to stack on top of each other instead of just mixing. Children should observe which tube stacks the colors better and what happens when they try to stack the colors without any salt in the tube (Tube 1).
- Vocabulary:
- Observation
- Documentation
- Investigate
- Scientific Inquiry
- Test Tube
- Graduated Cylinder
- Density
- Measurement
- Open Ended Questions:
- What happens to the colors when you mix them together?
- What happens to the colors that have more salt in their tubes?
- Can you get the colors to stack on top of each other?
Limits and Guidance Suggestions: Depending on the age group of the class they may need adult assistance when mixing colors and getting them to stack. Each child should have their own test tube kit to investigate with.
Extensions of Activity: Children can go into their own environments and test different types of water to see if they have salt and try stacking the colors themselves. Teachers can also use the book “Things that float, and things that don’t” by David A Adler to express to the children that everything has a different density.
A second part of this extension is to germinate the seeds in the test tubes and observe what happens to them in the weeks to come. This is a great life science experiment because the children will see what the root does through the clear test tubes.
Questions for extension:
- What do you think is going to happen to the seeds when they start growing?
Role of Other Adults: Assistance may be needed for younger children when using the color mixing experiment.
References:
Algae Research Supply (2017). Bubbling Beakers. Retrieved from: https://algaeresearchsupply.com/collections/bubbling-beakers
.
is a great life science experiment because the children will see what the root does through the clear test tubes.
Questions for extension:
- What do you think is going to happen to the seeds when they start growing?
Role of Other Adults: Assistance may be needed for younger children when using the color mixing experiment.
References:
Algae Research Supply (2017). Bubbling Beakers. Retrieved from: https://algaeresearchsupply.com/collections/bubbling-beakers
.
