Dynamo Diapers!: Absorbency Experiment Using Diapers During Our Babies Unit

Usually we all want to ditch those dirty, smelly diapers, but not today. My students observed several absorbent and non-absorbent items today in order to learn about absorbency.

They soaked up the knowledge quickly and by the end of the lesson were able to recognize items which sucked in the water (absorbent) and repelled the water (non-absorbent or waterproof).

I started the lesson by showing the children a diaper and asking them what diapers are used for. Several excitedly said it "holds pee and poop!" which is definitely the correct answer. I then explained to them that when a child is not potty trained they use the diaper as underwear and changed when wet. The diaper is made out of a special material which "absorbs" or sucks in the urine to keep it away from the baby's skin until it is time for it to be changed. I then had the children feel a clean wet diaper which had been dipped into a bowl of lukewarm water in order to explain the theory.

Beforehand, I laid out several items which were absorbent: washcloth, sponge and paper and a few items which were non-absorbent (did not suck up the water): a smock, counter bear, plastic baby spoon and my skin as an example.

We then tested and felt each one of the items. We learned that the sponge, paper and washcloth "sucked up" or absorbed the water and the smock, counter bear, plastic baby spoon and my skin did not absorb the water (stayed on the surface of the item instead of being sucked into it or absorbed).

The children were fascinated by this simple scientific process which prompted scientific questioning and cognition, cause and effect, and an introduction to new new scientific vocabulary.

Extension: Ask students if they think birds feathers are absorbent or non-absorbent. Answer: Birds feathers are waterproof (aka water stays on the surface and are therefore non-absorbent). The reason for this phenomenon is due to the fact that birds feathers are a form of insulation which wicks away the cold dampness of pond water from the fowl's skin. You could also graph the results of this experiment on a chart (math: charting results through use of a graph).

What you will need for this Experiment

• Bowl of lukewarm water
• 2 Trays or large paper plates (one for absorbent items and one for non/absorbent items) 
• Absorbent items such as a washcloth, sponge and paper
• Non-Absorbent items such as a smock, counter bear, plastic baby spoon, sandwich bag etc. 

Continue the experiment using ideas from above. (I re-created this experiment at home so some of the items are different than those explained previously in the post).

Lots of Gelt!: Hanukkah Sensory Bin and Activities

The Festival of Lights has long passed, but the remembrance of the fun my pre-k students had is still aglow. 

During Hanukkah, I presented the children with a sensory bin filled with blue and silver paint dyed pasta, golden gelt, shimmering blue and silver dreidels, plastic bead necklaces, and plenty of white and blue crepe paper that allowed the students to become aquatinted with the beauty and essence of this important Jewish holiday. 

The objectives that were met included social studies: understanding the importance of symbols such as the dreidel, colors (blue, white and silver) and gelt associated with the observance of the holiday and in Judaism and language arts: Making associations and becoming aquainted to the language of Jewish symbols such as dreidel, gelt etc. 

Other activities included using a stencil to create Menorah shapes and shadows using yellow paint and black paper, showcasing traditional Jewish clothing in the Children of the World Dolls colored with oil pastels shown inside the sensory bin, creating Jewish symbol puzzles, and playing a traditional dreidel game. 

A faux dreidel was created using a small white box and paper cutouts cut from the Winter Celebrations cartridge by Cricut. 

A favorite of the books I read during this celebration was Happy Hanukkah, Corduroy by Don Freeman.

Now that's a lot of gelt! 

What Do You Want?: Teaching Economics in Pre-K with Wants and Needs Graphic Organizers

Why bring up the subject of economics to pre-k students when its a tough subject for even college scholars to comprehend? I’ll tell you why! Children need to understand that we all have basic needs: water, food, shelter and a never-ending list of wants: pretty clothes, the latest electronic gizmos, and the newest toys on the market. Teachers too of course! 

In this simple activity based on the wants and needs of babies, students will be able to identify basic wants and needs after a short description of the definitions of the words. 

The following worksheet was found at Teacherspayteachers.com. This is a fantastic website which is free to join. There are many free worksheets, patterns and lessons that can send a teacher into planning euphoria. 

The creator of the worksheet is Christine Fotia and is titled Wants and Needs Graphic Organizers. Without her ingenuity, this lesson would have taken eons to create! Thanks, Christine. 

Subject: Social Studies (Economics): Understanding the wants and needs of babies through an organizational chart. 

How to Make: Join for free at Teacherspayteachers.com in order to get this fabulous worksheet. Cut the worksheets to the size of an 8 1/2 by 11 sheet of construction paper leaving a small border around the worksheet. Glue the wants and needs worksheets onto two separate sheets of construction paper. Place pages vertically in a large laminating sheet or use contact paper for greater durability. Find clip art of basic needs and wants of babies as shown in the photos below. These can be laminated or placed in contact paper for greater durability also. 

To Play: The teacher describes the differences between wants and needs. A want is something that we would like to have and a need is something that we cannot live without. See if your students can name a few wants/needs before continuing the lesson. Place the wants and needs graphic organizer worksheets in the middle of your circle. Show one of the clip art photos to your students and ask them if it is a want or need. After they have answered the question correctly, place the clip art on the correct worksheet (want or needs). Continue until both graphic organizer worksheets have been completed. 

Bottle Feeding Compound Word Puzzles!

Hey Baby! Our Baby unit is nothing to cry about (pun totally intended)! Below you will find a language activity that will bottle-feed phonological awareness knowledge to young students about the importance of the usage of compound words! 

Subjects: Language Arts: Identifying and matching compound word pairings. 

Math: Creating baby bottle puzzles through use of matching animal shapes and parts of a whole. 

How to Make: Create a bottle shape using an electronic die cut machine such as the Cricut or a coloring page. Using a word processing program, write easy compound words such as rainbow leaving space in between the two words for easier dissection of the words using scissors. Cut out the words in strips using scissors. Dissect the two sections of the word by cutting in between the two words. Glue the two words onto the bottles leaving space in between the words. Cut the bottles in half using scissors. Glue small die cut shapes to both halves of the bottles to make it easier for your students who have not yet begun to read. 

How to Play: During circle time, explain to the students that compound words are two small words that are put together in order to make a new word. Give examples of compound words such as sun + flower. Continue the lesson by putting half of a compound word bottle in the middle of the circle. Then place two of the ending compound words next to it. Ask the students which compound words go together such as fire (fighter) or (case). Help the students who find this activity challenging by asking them to match the animals found on the bottles. Continue the game until each student has had a turn or the students’ attention spans have waned. 

Extension: Have older students create a compound word word list.