Kids Activities

Science can be fun for all ages. There are many activities that you can do at home with little or no expense. Many kids activities are easily adapted from the older set to the younger preschool group.

For those pre-kindergartners, how about collecting butterflies? Talk to them about the life cycle of a butterfly. The word, metamorphosis, will surely be new to them. Let them wrap themselves in a small blanket to simulate a cocoon and slowly have the kids come out, to flap their blankets as if they were new butterflies. Worksheets are a popular kids activity for this age group. They enjoy coloring butterfly worksheets or cutting out their own from paper plates.

The lower elementary grades will take pleasure in making their own fossils. Mix a cup of salt, a cup of flour, and a teaspoon of alum (which you can buy at any pharmacy). Slowly add 3/4 cup of water till the dough is formed. Place balls of dough on the protected table and flatten them with your hand. Now you can press items into the dough. Leaves, shells, and small bones make the best fossils. Let them dry and they also make small gifts.

Other kids activities that would be enjoyed by older elementary students are the life cycle of a frog or learning all about snakes. Take a tour of a pet store to see the variety of both frogs and snakes. Have your child look up information on the internet or at your local library. Create a list of questions and send your child on a hunt for the answer. Some questions you might want to add to your snake list would be; what does a snake eat? How big can a snake get? How long can a snake live? How heavy is the largest snake? Are all snakes poisonous?

Pre-teens will enjoy many kids activities. One that is designed for the older kids but can also be adapted for the all ages is a weather station project. These older kids can graph out the daily weather over a long length of time. Children can keep track of such things as humidity and wind. While the younger set can use a precut velcro board with symbols such as rain drops representing rain, and a sun for a sunny day. The older kids will enjoy predicting the weather and watching local weather reports.

There are many kids activities to do at home with your children. Remember to have fun while learning and enjoy time together with your children.