Snow Part 2 (From Cloudy to Sunny Skies)

Science/Art Project “Snow, part 2”: Since we really enjoyed making fake snow last week, we explored yet another method. This time around, we used a soap bar and toilet paper.

Here is the recipe:
1 bar of white soap > grate 

1 roll of toilet paper > let kids rip into small pieces and add to soap flakes

1 – 1.5 cups of warm water > add and stir

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After making the snow, we explored the texture by playing with the snow in big bins.

Science projects are  great conversation starters: What do you think will happen? Will the fake snow feel cold as real snow? Will the fake snow melt?

Stick Together!

Hot/Cold Game: We played this classic game today with a twist: We worked in pairs. The 2 partners were sent out of the room while one of our friends hid two eggs with a prize inside (Important: Eggs have to be hidden in the same location). The players re-entered the room and looked for the hidden treasure/prize by listening to clues (cold, colder, hot, hotter, warm, warmer) given by one peer or the group. The players had to listen to the clues and to stick together.

FOUND IT!!!

This game is a fantastic game to practice following directions as well as giving directions. Played in the cooperative way as described above it also teaches the students the concept of staying together and working as a team. When played in a group with different skill and age levels, the pairing of the kids can be done in a way that an older student takes on more the role of the leader in the dyad. Abstract thinking is also addressed since the students follow the clues hot versus cold and have to adapt their movements accordingly (i.e., when given the clue "cold" it means that they are far away from the treasure).

SNOW (From Cloudy to Sunny Skies)

Today, we it was all about SNOW!

Snowman Bowling: We started off with a bowling game to warm up. Our bowling pins were self-made and filled with diluted white paint so they looked like snowmen. We never get tired of bowling.

Science/Art Project “Snow”: 
This activity was messy but super fun. We put on our "protective gear" and worked in small groups:

• One group made fake snow using diapers and water: Cut off the edges of the diaper with scissors, remove fluffy white stuff and put in bin, slowly add water and stir.

• The other group used cornstarch (2 parts) and shaving cream (1 part): Put cornstarch in large bin, add shaving cream and stir and mix with hands.

 
We then played with the snow and added some tools such as spoons and containers and cars. Some of us tried to form snowballs. It was interesting to compare the two different types of fake snow. Who would have thought that you can turn a diaper into snow?

From Cloudy to Sunny Skies: Raindrop Race

Music Time “I’m Singing in the Rain”: Umbrellas (pre-cut out of fabric) were arranged in a circle in the room. We danced to the classic song "I'm Singing in the Rain." When the music stopped, we found an umbrella to stand on. We then came up with different ways of greeting our friends (e.g., waving, high 5s).





Art Project “Raindrop Race”: We engaged in this activity once before a long time ago when the Clubhouse theme was science. We used eye droppers and diluted paint in different colors and placed drops of diluted paint on a piece of paper that was attached to a cookie sheet. The twist was that the cookie sheet was elevated. We worked in small groups. It was interesting to observe the movement of the drops.