www.curiositots.co.uk / info@curiositots.co.

uk

Welcome
Hi! Im Soozy - science teacher, mum of two, and founder of CuriosiTots. The aim of this booklet is to provide a few ideas of activities to try with your children during the autumn, and so are concerned with autumnal themes such as wind and fallen leaves. It will also give you some ways to start them thinking scientifically about what is happening. Even someone with a good background in science can be flummoxed when trying to explain things to a young child, since they are still lacking so much of the background knowledge that we depend on. I hope that the questions I have included with each activity will guide you to help your child make observations and try to form conclusions about what is happening. For the less scientifically literate parents, I have also included a brief explanation of the science behind each experiment. The activities and associated questions are aimed at ages 3-4 but can be enjoyed by older and younger children too. If you enjoy this booklet, why not think about joining a weekly CuriosiTots class. For further information you can look on the website below, or email info@curiositots.co.uk to enquire about a free taster session.

www.curiositots.co.uk / info@curiositots.co.uk

Contents
Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 9 Collect some leaves Apple bobbing (and other things) Investigate how seeds are dispersed Milk fireworks Make a windmill Make some Gloop

Page 10 What is CuriosiTots?

www.curiositots.co.uk / info@curiositots.co.uk

1
You will need

Collect some leaves

Pieces of paper Some heavy books

What to do Go on a nature walk and collect some fallen leaves. Look for different colours and different shapes and sizes. Flatten and dry the leaves between sheets of paper under a couple of heavy books. Sort the leaves by colour, size or type of leaf. What to ask What different colours can you see? What different shapes? How would you describe the leaf to someone who couldnt see it? Why do you think the trees lose their leaves? Also point out the veins on the leaf and compare them to our blood vessels. The science The purpose of leaves is to carry out photosynthesis and provide energy for the tree. In the winter months the sunlight is less strong, and it is harder for the tree to get enough water from the cold ground. The plant recycles the chlorophyll (the green pigment that is needed for photosynthesis) and fills its leaves with waste products. These produce the red and brown hues. When the leaves rot the nutrients in them are returned to the soil.

www.curiositots.co.uk / info@curiositots.co.uk

Apple Bobbing (and other things)

You will need

Washing up bowl full of water A variety of things to try and float: apples, lemons (try with and without peel), stones, coins, lego, tins, glass jars, plastic punnets...

What to do Predict whether each object will sink or float, and then test it. See if your child can come up with a way to record their results so they can remember which sank and which floated. What to ask Does it make a difference how you put things in? Try pushing things that float under the water. Do they all float back to the surface? Why do you think that will float/sink? Do the things that float have anything in common? Did any of them surprise you? Why? The science Whether something floats on another substance depends on their relative densities. Density is mass-per-unit-volume. In other words if you took 1cm3 of lead and 1cm3 of aluminium then the lead would weigh more as it is more dense. A steel boat floats on water despite the fact that steel is more dense than water. This is because most of the interior of the boat is full of air, so the average density of the shape in the water is low

www.curiositots.co.uk / info@curiositots.co.uk

3
You will need

Investigate how seeds are dispersed

Thin card Paper clip Scissors

Examples of seeds eg sycamore helicopters, conkers, apples, nuts, sunflower seeds, poppy shakers Optional: fan, stopwatch

What to do Cut along the thick lines and fold along the dotted lines to give the shape shown in the third diagram. Drop from approx. 2m.

Use a stopwatch to time how long to hit the ground and compare with a plain piece of card. Try with additional paperclips or blowing with a fan. What to ask What do you think will happen if we add extra paperclips? How is this like the sycamore seed? How is it different? The science Plants want their seeds to germinate as far away as possible so they dont have to compete with their offspring for water and nutrients. Sycamore seeds are dispersed by the wind so need to stay in the air as long as possible. Another method is being eaten by animals or birds so that the seed is deposited in a nice pile of poo some time later. Seeds can also be dispersed by water, or attaching to animals coats. Look at some other seeds and guess how they get away from their parent.

www.curiositots.co.uk / info@curiositots.co.uk

Milk fireworks

You will need

Full fat milk Large shallow dish Food colourings

Washing up liquid Cotton buds

What to do Pour the milk into the dish add 3 or 4 small drops of food colouring. Dip a cotton bud in washing up liquid and gently touch it to one of the food colouring drops. You should see the colour exploding away from where you touched. What to ask What do you think will happen? What did you see? How many times can we do it before we need new milk?

The science Milk is a suspension of fat and proteins in water. The washing up liquid is a strange moleculeone end of it likes water and the other end is attracted to fat. This disrupts the bonds holding the fat and protein suspended in the water, and causes all the molecules to move around to find the best new arrangement. The food colouring molecules are pushed around during this process.

www.curiositots.co.uk / info@curiositots.co.uk

5
You will need

Make a windmill

10cm square piece of paper Two drinking straws (at least one bendy one) thin round piece of wood (cocktail stick or end of a wooden skewer)

Sellotape Blu tack or plasticine Hole punch scissors

What to do Fold the paper diagonally both ways to make a cross. Use a 10p coin to draw a circle in the middle. Cut along the diagonal lines stopping at the circle. Punch a hole in alternate corners and in the centre as shown in the diagram. If you want to colour it in then at this point colour the other side. Fold one corner so the hole lines up with the centre hole, and stick down the corner with a small bit of tape (dont cover the hole!) Repeat with all 4 corners. Put your thin round bit of wood through the hole and fasten it to the front of the windmill with a piece of blu tack.

www.curiositots.co.uk / info@curiositots.co.uk

Cut a straight bit of straw approx. 1cm shorter than the wood. Thread it over the wood and put some more blu tack on the back of the wood to stop it falling off. Take the bendy straw and bend the top over. Sellotape the cut piece of straw to the top of the bendy straw so that it sticks out as shown in the diagram.

What to ask What happens if you blow gently / harder? What is the best angle to blow it at? Why do you think it stops spinning again? You could also experiment with bigger / smaller windmills, or using card or newspaper instead of normal paper. How does it affect how easy it is to make the windmill turn? Look at some pictures (or go and visit) some real windmills or wind turbines. How are they different from your windmill? How are they similar? Why is the wind a good source of energy? What problems are there with using the wind to do things?

The science This windmill shows that the movement of air can be harnessed, and if the wooden shaft were connected to something then that energy could be used to do work. In traditional windmills, a series of gears meant the turning of the sails directly turned a millstone to grind wheat. In modern wind turbines, the shaft turns electromagnets inside coiled wires. The magnetic field passing through the wires induces an electric current within the wire and so the kinetic (movement) energy is transformed into electrical energy.

www.curiositots.co.uk / info@curiositots.co.uk

6
You will need

Make some Gloop

Large bowl / deep tray Cornflour Water

What to do Fill a cup with cornflour and add it to the bowl. Slowly add water, mixing continually (with your hands is easiest if a bit messy!) until you get a smooth goo. Play with the goo. Try moving a stick or finger through it fast, and then again slowly. What to ask Can you roll it into a ball? Can you make it drip? The science Gloop is a suspension of large cornflour particles in water. When you stir it slowly, the particles can move around each other. But when you try to move it quickly, the water particles move out of the way and the cornflour particles bunch up together into a solid like snow pilling up in front of a snowplough. When left, the water molecules diffuse back in, turning it back into a fluid. It is known as a shear-thickening fluid, or alternatively as a non-Newtonian liquid as it doesnt follow the laws for liquids laid down by Newton. Scientists are still working on devising equations to describe these complex fluids.

www.curiositots.co.uk / info@curiositots.co.uk

What is CuriosiTots? CuriosiTots is a weekly class which will engage your childs inquisitive nature. Original stories, role-play and simple experiments are combined to introduce preschool children to the fundamentals of science. We develop basic skills such as questioning, observation, numeracy, finding patterns and making comparisons. The activities are designed to also develop listening and communication skills, confidence, and social skills such as taking turns. Who is CuriosiTots for? Most children will be ready to join a class between the age of 2 and 3. If your child can sit and listen to a story for 5 minutes and can follow simple instructions then they can enjoy and learn from CuriosiTots. If they are constantly asking "WHY?" then you will benefit too! Isn't age 2 a bit young to be learning science? CuriosiTots isn't about learning facts and figures. It's about equipping children with skills that will help them make sense of the world. Babies start to categorise things and gain an understanding of cause and effect before they are 1. Between 1 and 2 they learn that making different choices can affect the outcome, and start to experiment with those choices to find underlying principles. They can be helped to find these rules about how the world works through structured activities and by teaching vocabulary to help them express what they discover. Where can I find out more? Look on our website, or email us to book a free taster session.

www.curiositots.co.uk / info@curiositots.co.uk

July 2013 11 www.curiositots.co.uk / info@curiositots.co.uk