I am a homebody. I can be home all day long without getting bored.
But, hmmm……. keeping our immune system strong is as important as social distancing during this fight against COVID-19, right? And we have to make sure that we move our body and get fresh air from time to time.
On the weekend, I went outside of house to see our small garden where we planted roses last year. And I found small redish flower buds!
Some stems were broken by winds during the winter, sadly. But, look! Do you see the small buds on the remaining stems?
Sign of spring!
On a nice day, go out for a walk with your child where you can see some trees, flowers, soil, grass and birds. 🐿
Get fresh air and observe what is happening to the trees, plants and flowers. Take some close photos of them. You can let your child walk around, find what s/he likes and take photos of them.
When you come home, or the next day, print out the photos and spread them on a table with a magnifying glass and a book that has real photos of plants and flowers.
Tip: It is a good idea to have a designated science/inquiry table in the playroom. So when your child sees something on the table set up, s/he knows what s/he can do with them.
You can look at the photos with your child and talk about the day that you went for a walk, the place that you went, the path that you took or the weather.
And then ask a question.
“What will they look like after a week / when we go see them next time?”
Discuss together.
Bring a clear plastic cover and let the photo covered by it. Tape it on the edges to secure the photo. I used a clear laminating pouch, so I just put the photo in the pouch.
Ask your child to draw on the picture – on top of the clear cover – how the tree buds or flower buds will change after a week. S/he can use Sharpie markers.
Possible guesses
- more leaves
- becoming flowers (where, how many, how big)
- changing colours
- growing taller
- shape of flower
- shape of leaf
Keep the drawings well and make sure you go check those plants and flowers later again. You can take new photos, print them out and compare with the first photos.
This is a great inquiry activity for young children like preschoolers and kindergarteners.
Try this before the buds grow and bloom. ☀️🌱🌱
Have a fun science class!
Missangela🎀