Science Discovery Table
Toddlers and preschoolers are notorious for their short attention spans, big messes, and inopportune timing. The old standbys are still true – keep them moving, involve them as best you can, and have lots of meaningful activities that they can choose from. But this can be a challenge when you need to plan for the big kids’ lessons and find new, fun stuff to keep your little ones occupied.
To ease my workload, and to help my three year old get her fill of tools and “big kid” work, I pulled out an unused table and put it in the kitchen between our water cooler and the big kids’ workboxes. I’ve been rotating science and observation activities and tools for her.
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She has colored pencils and a spiral notebook to serve as her “science notebook” like her big siblings, a shatterproof magnifying glass on a lanyard which she adores walking around the house with as she observes her world, and a pair of child binoculars for checking out squirrels in the front tree. If I know that I’ll be sitting near her while she plays, I’ll add a larger breakable magnifying glass or the microscope. She loves trying out the same tools she sees us using.
Some things she’s observed at her discovery table:
- water beads
- acorns and seeds of various sizes
- a dead moth we’ve had since summer
- different insect specimens preserved in plastic
- different powders – flour, baking soda, salt, sugar, cornmeal
- leaves {with paper and crayons for rubbing}
- bark strips
- sticks from different types of trees
- a potted plant
- her beta in its tank
- child-safe magnets and things to test for magnetism
- a small bowl of sand with plastic dinosaur skeletons buried
- rice with buried treasures’
- shark teeth
Some of the tools I’ve given her to discover are:
- oversized test tubes
- measuring spoons
- measuring cups
- magnifiers
- microscopes
- rulers & tape measures
- forceps
- water droppers
- plastic beakers
I’ve found that providing her with something fun and open-ended, using real science specimens and tools like the ones she sees her older siblings using, and guiding her very little, sparks long periods of engagement and interest. She gets visibly excited to see that I’ve changed things up and that there is something new to discover.
Do you have ideas for fun additions to a science discovery table for little kids?
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