Little Scientists

Comenius Project2013-2015

Science and Pre-School Education as a Field of Pedagogical Innovation

,,LITTLE SCIENTISTS” 2013-1-LV1-COM06-053962

Şcoala Gimnazială,,Dimitrie Cantemir’’(Gradiniţa,,Anghel Saligny”) RO

Germencik Yedieylül İlkokulu TR Rokiškio lopšelis-darželis "Varpelis"LT

Обединено детско заведение "Чиполино"BG

ISBN- 978-973-0-18973-5

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.‘This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author,and the Commission cannot be held

responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

From the game to scientific research, the way is much shorter than it seems at first glance.

The child goes easily and naturally on this way if you take advantage of one of his greatest qualities which is curiosity. Small

experiments done with children at preschool age are not wasted science activities allow the child a natural contact with the

surrounding time or exaggeration. Well prepared and carefully guided by teachers, world. The activities won’t answer any

question the children have, but it will be a starting point for a serious study, for new questions and will help, why not, to the

training of future scientists.Come and enter together in a world of experiments from vital

’’water’’, ’’growing and sowing’’ to ’’astronomy’’ and ’’light-shadow’’

EVERYTHING IS FASCINATING! 

With much consideration and dedicationproject teams from Romania, Turkey, Lithuania, Bulgaria

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WATER

EXPERIMENT: “WATER DOESN’T FLOW OUT

FROM THE GLASS”

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EXPERIMENT: “WATER MILL”

WORKING PROCEDURE:Pour water from a container

into the mill hopper.MATERIALS: mill,

container for the water, water vessel.

WORKING PROCEDURE:

A glass of water is covered with a sheet of paper and

turned upside downMaterials: water,

transparent glass, a sheet of paper

EXPERIMENT: “WATER FEATURES”

WORKING PROCEDURE:Observe the water samples:

color, smell, taste

MATERIALS: drinking water, tubes, glasses

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EXPERIMENT: “OBTAINING HOMOGENEOUS MIXTURES”

WORKING PROCEDURE: Pour water into the tube.

Add different colored watercolor

MATERIALS:

water, tubes, watercolors

EXPERIMENT: “THE RAIN”

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MATERIALS: a transparent glass, shaving

foam, spoon, plate, paint brush, glass with blue

watercolor.

WORKING PROCEDURE:The transparent glass is filled

with water. The remaining space is filled with shaving

foam by using a spoon. Take blue watercolor with a paint

brush and drip it slowly in the shaving foam glass

EXPERIMENT: BUILDING “A DROPPER”

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EXPERIMENT: “THE CAPACITY OF RECIPIENTS”

WORKING PROCEDURE:

Moving the same amount of water from one

container to another.MATERIALS: recipients of different shapes and

capacity.

WORKING PROCEDURE: The straw should be placed in a glass of water and covered with a finger. By raising the finger and quickly cover the straw, it works as a dropper.MATERIALS: transparent glass, water, plastic straw.

EXPERIMENT: “THE FILTRATION OF WATER”

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EXPERIMENT: “WE HAVE A TAP”

WORKING PROCEDURE:Take a bottle and make a hole at the bottom, insert a plastic

straw.Pour water in the bottle and then pour water in a glass through the plastic straw

MATERIALS: bottle, water, plastic straw, glass.

WORKING PROCEDURE:Put in a transparent

container water then sandShake well the mixture

Put in a funnel some filter paper and gradually invertMATERIALS: transparent

container, water, sand, filter paper, funnel.

LIFE IS WATER

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Water you are not only necessary to life, you are the

life it self; you are the irreplaceable treasure of

EARTH; you are the most delicate, the most pure and

you are the soul of EARTH”

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Teacher shows a picture expressing need of water.

Teacher shows a model of water cycle.

Teacher explains the importance of water by using pictures and story telling.

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Children observing what floats on water and what sinks in water.

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*observing how oil floats on water;

*putting white carnation in coloured water and observing the changes day by day;

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*Students put shaving foam over water and put liquid paint on the foam then see how paint goes inside the water like a rain and foam is like a

cloud.

*putting a boiling water in a glass and a holding a plate over it, students understand how rain is formed by seeing the water

drops;

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At the end of the lessonstudents make water balloons and enjoy.

*heating ice bar and seeing how it changes into liquid and gas;

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CHILDREN ASK: “Why did the flowers fade?

CHILDREN ANSWER: “The flower needs water”

CHILDREN ASK: “Why must we wash our hands?”

PROCESS:The dirty background is touched

The hands are washed

CHILDREN ANSWER: „There are a lot of bacterias on

the hands.”

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CHILDREN ASK: „What melt in the water?“

MEANS:•Glasses, teaspoons• Sand, paint, salt•Water Process: •The individual jars with teaspoon are filled with colour, salt, and sand . Observed, how it is melt in water.OBSERVATION TIME – 10min.

CHILDREN ANSWER: „In the water melts salt. The paint not only melts but colours the water too.”

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CHILDREN ASK: “How does the water change to ice?”

MEANS:• water• gouache• cups

PROCESS:• Pour into cups simple and colored water and freeze it.

OBSERVATION TIME: 2 days

CHILDREN ANSWER: “The water converts into blue and white ice and it increases

its capacity”.

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CHILDREN ASK:“What will happen when we put the egg into salted water?”

CHILDREN ANSWER: “the water will be unclear

And the egg will float On the top of water”.

CHILDREN ASK: “what will happen with the uncooked egg when we put it in the drincable water?”

CHILDREN ANSWER: “The egg will be wet and

fall down”

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CHILDREN ASK: „why is it not allowed to eat snow?“

MEANS:Magnifying glassConteinersSnow PROCESS:Watching the snow from the yard OBSERVATION TIME:2 hours.

CHILDREN ANSWER: „The melted snow is very dirty“

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CHILDREN ASK: „How does the drop look like?”

MEANS:Microscope PippeteDifferent size cons WaterPROCESS:It is estimated that the number of drops can fit on different sizes of coinsOBSERVATION TIME:10 min.

CHILDREN ANSWER: „The drop of water is clear and small“

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PAINTINGS AND POSTERS MADE BY CHILDREN

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SOWING AND GROWING

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GERMINATION PROCESS puts children in the position of making small research through handling, observation,

exploration and investigation of the seeds

The children are involved in the seeds research by asking:”What is inside the seed?”

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In every stage of the germination process children explore the seed which becames plant.

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Children are responsible to assure all the necessary conditions for the plants to grow.

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When the plants were 5-6 cm we put them in the kindergarten yard!

Learning through discovery seeks students cognitive activation!

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Carving the gourds and filling them with soil then painting the gourds and seeding the soil…an attractive activity to have students love

seeding and growing..

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Diagram of causes and effects

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An enjoyable activity for kids: making grass men.Students are very excited while grasses are appearing. They fill nylon women socks

with sawdusts and grass seeds then use buttons for face making.

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Students cut the plastic bottles making little circles and plant onions in the circles.The onions grow over the circles.

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Purpose: to sow, grow, observe and explore the plants in the immediate surroundings.

OLIMPIAD OF SEEDS

The idea To find out which

of the selected seeds faster

germinate in a damp wool, soil.

SEEDS IN A SOIL

THE SEEDS IN A COTTON

- different seeds germinated differently.

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GREENHOUSE EFFECT

IDEATo explore the seeds germination in the

greenhouse conditions.

Greenhouse effect accelerates the germination of seeds;

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MATERIALS AND DIVERSITY of flowerpots

IdeaTo explore the seeds germination in

various conditions and different materials: water, earth, sawdust,

plaster, egg shells, pots (glass, plastic, clay, ecological)

Water

Earth Sawdust

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Air Gypsum

Seeds in egg shells

Findings

In disadvantage conditions seeds did not spring up: In glass pot seeds roted,

because water cannot flow; In a sawdust the onion did not put

the roots, because they are not suitable for plant germination.

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CREATIVE WORK

IdeaTo use a variety of available materials, seeds, vegetables

for children's creative artistic piece of work.

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The teaching excursion allows students the possibility to observe, investigate and to know directly a wide range of issues.

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The creative and dynamical student detaches himself from information, moves freely within knowledge, showing initiative

and independent spirit.

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Students assume the role and the behaviour of those working in a particular field.

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Teachers, students and parents of the students have also planted outside and inside our school

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EXPLANATIONS OF THE PROJECT’S TOPIC ACTIVITIES

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ASTRONOMY

Theme Project – The Universe

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Science „ Fill in by keeping the given order”

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Art Drawing „astronaut”

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INTEGRATED ACTIVITY DS-The environment

Interpreting images „The Universe – Earth, the blue planet” DEC

Drawing „The blue planet through children’s eyes”

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Integrated Activity„The Universe – Earth, the blue planet” finalizing the map of the

projec DLC “Language and communication”Retelling of „The Little Prince”

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Students are learning the movements of the earth and how seasons occur

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Students are making rockets and robots, using toilet rolls, foil papers and waste materials

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Students are making stars, sun and moon using colorful and foil papers.

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Students are observing sun via sooty glass

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Students are making telescopes and observing planets

Students are making sun using yellow balloons and coloring them

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Children built model rockets, modules and Martian exploration monthly surface, satellites, a model of the Solar System and an astronaut suit

from concrete working conditions and what they must do.

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Theme ,,Astronomy“ in practical papers.

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Teachers create problem situations, that require students’ use, restructuring and completion of prior knowledge

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An educational environment stimulating favors the learning!

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Projects Sun, Earth and Moon and Journey through the Solar System have been highly appreciated by children.

Musical game „Eurythmy elements” music J.M.Jarr

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The teacher is the mediator of student’s learning in a heuristic framework!

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. The moon – a sky element that arises the

student’s curiosity

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. The world seen as a puzzle

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Active methods used during lessons illustrate their instrumental function: the student himself achieving the objectives, they aware

them as their own finalities

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LIGHTS AND SHADWS

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Procedure:Light a torch and light headed toward the mirror, table or cardboard

Receiving and scatter light fixtures are called light

fixtures. 

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In terms of light passing through them, the bodies are as follows: transparent (light switch and it is

obvious object behind them), translucent (light switch but there is clearly subject) and

opaque (no light passes)

Light travels in a straight line.

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Experience Crystal MAGICInstructions:

1. Turn off the light in the room, close the curtains and light the torch.

2. Sit in front of a white wall and you "crystal" in one hand

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3. With other hand, take the torch and light it.4. Rotate slowly "crystal"

View all reflexes multicolored on wall?5. You can also realize experience using sunlight and

place the flashlight

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Demonstration method serves to facilitate understanding of new knowledge through observation and analysis of an intuitive material,

and the correct execution of some activities.

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The light and shadow experiments facilitate the learning process making the activities more appealing!

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Learning develops naturally, from what knows the student, to discover the variety of nature and of the phenomenon he

experiences.

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It's fun and interesting - theater of shadows!

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We are great actors !

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The group activity

brings extra value to the

acquired knowledge!

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Interactive learning strategies stimulate the participation of subjects to action, socializing them.

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The experiment can create favourable emotional states, may lead students to use their experiences after making further

experiments and in other future activities

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Students use scientific approach to understanding and active participation in social life.

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The assessment is less criterial and more reflexive, integrating alternative methods of assessment;

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Active methods used during lessons illustrate their instrumental function: the student himself achieving

the objectives, they aware them as their own finalities.

This is my shadow!

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A Game of Shadows

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We bring many thanks to the project teams from

Romania, Turkey, Lithuania, Bulgaria.Long live the Little Scientists!