K-3 Science for Co-op Looking for Ideas

[mom2boys030507]

I am starting to plan our Science classes for Co-op next year. I am hoping to spend at least a portion of the year focusing on Chemistry.

 

We try to make the classes very hands on, with weekly experiments or take home projects. We have a K-1 class and and 2-3 class each of about 15 kids. There are typically 3-4 moms in each group.

 

I am looking for ideas of books I can use to base our classes off of or just ideas for a weekly experiment.

 

thanks for helping me in my planning.

[2_girls_mommy]

Ours is doing Magic Schoolbus kits and worksheets next year. There is a book or video, an experiment and worksheets/labsheets for each one.

[Farrar]

There's some cool stuff you can do for polymers - that's actually one of my favorite Magic School Bus kits - you could just get enough of the extra supplies and do those. That's one option.

 

Messing Around With Baking Chemistry is a useful book. Janice VanCleave's Chemistry for Every Kid has some good ideas. And, of course, there are plenty of resources about states of matter for this age group.

 

Overall, I found chemistry to be hard for this age when we did it last year. We definitely learned some cool stuff and had some fun, but the hands on piece was not as good as you would think with chemistry. Everything was either cool to see a reaction but beyond them in terms of the reasoning behind it. Or, they could get it, but it was really simplistic. And I had trouble finding open ended exploration type experiments. Some of this may just be that chemistry is the science I know the least about. But I think a lot of it was that it's a tough topic for early elementary once you get past the solids, liquids and gasses phase.

 

Basically, all of that is to say that I suggest physics instead. :D

[TKDmom]

I did this last year for our science co-op. It was a lot of fun. I mostly focused on chemistry with some physics. I just spent a lot of time on Pinterest collecting ideas. Unfortunately, I deleted my Pinterest board after I was done with the class. :svengo: if you search for the BFSU thread A Pinterest board, that's where I got my start searching.

 

Some ideas I remember that you might like:

Oobleck (cornstarch and water)

Gloop (glue and borax)

A density column (pour layers of liquids of varying densities into a graduated cylinder and see where different materials float)

Balloon hovercrafts

put Ivory soap in the microwave for a couple minutes and watch it expand

Use the microwaved ivory soap to make bath paints

Make ice cream in a Baggie

Bottle straw rockets

 

I'll try to come back later and post some links when I'm on my computer. I may even have my excel spreadsheet from the class, so I could post more experiments. The kids seemed to have the most fun when I didn't try to pack too much in, and when they had something to take home.

 

ETA: I added the complete list with links down below.

Edited April 29, 2013 by TKDmom

[bethben]

I would do a Lego education unit. They always look like such fun, but the expense is too much for one family.

 

Beth

[Um_2_4]

I like these books from scholastic (just go them on the $1 sale, so check them out to see if they would fit for your age ranges):

Science in a _____ (box, bag or bottle).

Also I second pinterest, TONS of stuff, try not to get lost :lol:

[Erica in OR]

You might take a look at the Institute for Chemical Education's Super Science Connections: Integrated Activities for Grades K-3. I have a paper copy from back when I did some things with ICE, but it looks as though it's all available online for free at http://ice.chem.wisc.edu/SSC.html. They break it into five sections: color and light, insulation, pressure, surface tension, and water and changing its state.

 

Erica in OR

[TKDmom]

Here's my complete list of activities from our 8 week co-op:

 

States of matter http://pinterest.com...79260522921733/, http://pinterest.com...79260522921730/

Ivory soap

Fluffy bathtub soap

 

Daffy Densities*

Dancing spaghetti*

 

Oobleck*

Gluep*

 

Ice cream*

 

Salt painting

Naked eggs

 

Candy Chromatography

 

Balloons (This book was my inspiration, but I just got a bunch of different types and sizes of balloons, a bunch of balloon pumps and let the kids spend 40 minutes outside pumping up balloons until they popped, while they recorded how many pumps it took to pop each type of balloon)

 

Balloon hovercraft

Straw Bottle Rockets

 

*Starred experiments all came from this document

[mom2boys030507]

Thanks these ideas will get me a great start in my planning. I appreciate all the help of the Hive and can always use more ideas :)