Pre-K and Kindergarten
Science, Math and Games
Weather Chart
Each day for the month of April chart the weather. Was it sunny, rainy, cold,
warm. Ask your child for as many descriptive words as they can think of about
the day!!!
Measuring rainfall
On a rainy day, set out a container to measure the rainfall. Measure how much
rain fell that day. Continue to measure the rain each day, and record for a few
weeks. Ask your child to predict how much water will be collected. Ask at the
beginning of the day and ask when it is raining. Did their answer change?
Egg Carton Fun
Use a plastic egg carton for this activity. Fill each hole 3/4 full with water.
Add red food coloring to one hole, blue to another, and yellow to another. Give
your child an eye dropper, show them how to use the eye dropper to move the
colored water to clear water, notice how the color changes. Let them experiment.
For older children, ask them how to make green, purple, brown, and aqua colors.
Bean Bag Puddle Toss
You need a hula hoop (the puddle) and some bean bags. You can either set up the
hula hoop on it's side or on the ground. Have your child try to throw the bean
bags into the puddle.
Jump in the Puddle
Set a hula hoop on the floor. Play some music and have your child walk around
the hula hoop. When the music stops, have them jump into the hoop (the puddle).
Jump Over the Puddle
Cut out puddle shapes from blue paper or newspaper (you can have the
children paint it blue). They need to be small enough for the children to be
able to hop over. Then set them on the floor and ask the children to take turns
hopping over the puddle.
Wet or Dry
Cut some pictures from a magazine, or show some pictures from a book, ask your
child if the objects are wet or dry?
Rainbow in a jar
Take a large glass jar, fill it 3/4 with water. Drop a single drop of food
coloring into the jar from about a foot above the jar, so the coloring makes
it's way almost to the bottom. Try different colors.
Prism fun
You can find a prism at many science stores or teachers store. Show your child
the prism, and how to see all the colors of a rainbow in the prism.
Playing with Clouds
Put some shaving cream on the table. Tell the children to imagine that it is a
cloud. To keep children to their own personal space use a paper plate for the
shaving cream.
Raindrop fishing
Cut out several raindrop shapes from light blue construction paper. Write
several numbers or letters on them. Have them laminated. Then place a paper clip
on each raindrop. Make a fishing pole out of a dowel or pencil, string and a
magnet. Place the raindrops on the floor and have the children sit in chairs
around the raindrops. (This may work better with a few fishing poles.) Have the
children try to catch a raindrop with the fishing pole. Then, when they catch
one.. show it to them and ask what letter or number it is.
Variation: For younger children you could make the raindrops different
colors and ask what color is the raindrop
Variation: Ask the child if they can catch the "a" or the "1"
Which color is missing?
Draw several different rainbow on small pieces of paper. Each one, exclude a
color that should be in the rainbow.. so the first exclude red, second orange...
etc. Then make a rainbow that has all the colors. Show the children the rainbow
with all the colors on it. Ask what colors do they see. Then show each card to
the children and ask them if they can guess what color is missing
Variation: Put the colors in the wrong order. See if the children can
see which color is not in the right place.
Milky Rainbows:
Provide every child with a shallow container of milk. Place a couple drops of
different food coloring in the milk. Next have the child dip a toothpick into a
little dish soap and then dip it into the milk. What happens? Try it again!
Looking at the world through different colored glasses:
Obtain different colored celophane wrap and many toilet paper rolls. Apply a
sqaure of the cellophane wrap to the end of the toilet paper roll and secure
with a rubber band or masking tape. Each child should have one. Have the
children look through the tube to see what everything looks like. Have them
trade with a friend. You could also have five of these set up in your science
area for the children to use, or bind two of the same color for binoculars.
Goop
Mix 2 cups water with a little food coloring, add 6 cups of cornflour/cornstarch
to make goop.
Raindrop Search
Cut out many raindrops shapes and hides them around the room. Have the children
search for them like an Easter egg hunt.
Sand and Water Table Ideas:
- Add a little food coloring to water
- Add food coloring and soap to the water
- supply the children with colored pasta noodles or rice
Raindrop Hop
Place raindrop shapes on the floor. Have the children hop from one raindrop to
the next.
Raindrop Seat Markers
Cut out and laminate big raindrop shapes to be used as seat markers for the
children to sit on during story and circle time.
"Taste the Rainbow" Jar
For older children. Fill a small jar with Skittles. Ask each child to guess how
many Skittles are in the jar. For younger children, limit the number of Skittles
to less than ten. Record each child's guess. Count the Skittles.
"Taste the Rainbow" Jar for Schoolagers
Provide three identical jars with pre-counted Skittles of 20, 30, and 40. Label
these jars 20, 30 and 40. Place 20 to 40 Skittles in a fourth identical jar.
Allow the children to examine all four jars before they guess. Record the
children's approximations. Count the Skittles.