Boston Children's Museum
308 Congress Street, Boston, MA 02210
617-426-6500
© Boston Children’s Museum 2024
Website Design by Jackrabbit
At the beginning of the year, it’s always good to get an idea of where your students’ heads are. Having kids draw their silhouettes and then fill them in with their thoughts and ideas will not only give you insight into your students, but also will give them a chance to reflect on themselves and their own lives. Not only are children undergoing physical changes as they grow, but they are changing inside as well—repeating this activity at the end of the year, or even later, will give your students a chance to reflect on where they’ve been, where they are and where they’re going.
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Strawberries are an important (and delicious!) part of the summer harvest for the Wampanoag Tribal Nation. This activity introduces children to a recipe used by Native Americans in Massachusetts and across North America.
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Children’s bodies are undergoing constant change. By getting to know their own bodies better, these changes can be less mysterious. Children who are in tune with their own bodies can use all of their senses as tools as they explore and try to understand the world around them. This activity helps children learn more about their sense of touch, along with properties of objects, observation and descriptive vocabulary.
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Much of the food we eat started out as something else. Bread comes from wheat, ketchup comes from tomatoes and cheese and butter come from milk. The process by which these foods are created is often a mystery to children, and by experimenting with making their own versions of these foods, they can begin to understand and have a greater appreciation for the fuel they are putting into their bodies.
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As children discover how to express themselves through art, they should learn how to use a variety of materials and media such as crayons, chalk, paint, clay, various kinds of papers, textiles, yarns, etc. It is important for them to also understand how to use these materials to produce different visual effects. Shadow puppets offer children an opportunity to not only develop this knowledge, but also to create artwork in a variety of 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional media, to use appropriate vocabulary related to methods, materials and techniques, and to take care of materials and tools and to use them safely.
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So much of discovery relies on observation skills. By giving students an opportunity to really look at the world around them and the experiences they have, you give them the chance to develop and grow into good observers.
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This simple activity introduces children to basic experiment design, recording, observation, animal behavior and some basic math skills like counting, addition and graphing results.
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Engineering challenges like this one help children develop problem solving, observation and teamwork skills and much more. In this challenge, your students will learn about properties of different materials and the transmission of sound as they work to develop a multi-line phone system with simple materials.
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Engineering challenges like this one help children develop problem solving, observation and teamwork skills and much more. In this challenge, your students will learn about properties of different materials and the transmission of sound as they work to design working “telephones” using simple materials.
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Spring is a time of rebirth and renewal—and eggs! Many animals lay and incubate eggs in the spring, and in some cultures spring is a time in which kids paint, hide and eat lots of eggs. This makes it a great time to not only take a close look at eggs, but also to experiment with some of the things we can do with them. This activity is part of the Incredible Egg series of activities, which are designed to be done during the Spring—start your students off with this and other “egg science” activities, then move on to egg art, and finally take the Egg Drop Challenge!
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Boston Children's Museum
308 Congress Street, Boston, MA 02210
617-426-6500
© Boston Children’s Museum 2024
Website Design by Jackrabbit