What are waves?
Why do they happen?
We explored different ways that water can move,
including using a large fan to blow like the wind over the sensory table.
We also tried making our own wind by blowing on water in tins.
The waves we made with "wind" were not as impressive as the waves we could make with other objects or our hands, however. :)
Magic Milk Exploration
We also explored ripples and liquid movement using milk, food coloring, and dish soap. This activity is sometimes called "magic milk," because the color seems to spread and move like magic.
Wave Sensory Bottle
We also made this sensory bottle out of colored water and baby oil. I loved using baby oil as opposed to vegetable oil for this project, because it is clear and gives the illusion of empty space above the wave.
Wave is a wordless picture book that helped us to get thinking and talking about waves at the beach,
Which led us to some further questions...
Why is there sand at the beach?
At first the kids thought that the waves of the ocean brought sand up to the beach. But when I brought up an additional question,
Is sand only at the beach?
we started thinking about it in different ways and asking more questions.
Where else do we find sand?
How does it get there?
Is sand only at the beach?
we started thinking about it in different ways and asking more questions.
Where else do we find sand?
How does it get there?
I pulled out some sandstone rocks from my rock collection, and after playing with those rocks for a bit discovered that they make sand when they break apart. Some students started to make the connection that rocks and sand are connected to each other, and other students lost interest with this topic after awhile. Since one of my goal's was to follow the interests and curiosity of the students, we decided to move on from this inquiry instead of probing further.
Are seashells alive?
This last question led to such an interesting discussion. There was some debate at first.
I loved listening to some of their thoughts and reasoning behind their answers:
---"the ones on the sand aren't alive, but the ones in the water are."
--"but they don't have eyes or legs."
--"they need water to survive."
--"the shells were taken by other animals to protect themselves."
It was apparent one student had learned about them before when he started chiming in with some more detailed information:
"It's not the shell that's alive, it's the animal in it. Animals make seashells. A special kind of snail, I think."
Unfortunately, this question came up at the very end of our camp- it would have been so interesting to explore this topic more deeply and support their inquiry with some great informational text and other activities. But we did get some hands-on exploration time with shells I've collected over the years.
We played one game where we tried to guess which seashell fit into the puzzle just by using our sense of touch.
And we practiced writing and drawing "like a scientist," by noticing details and drawing what we see.
All along the way in this class there were natural opportunities to practice math and science skills as we found different ways to answer questions and build new understandings about the beach. The activities that we tried fit into a kind of "mini-unit" about the beach, since we only had 3 days to explore. But there are many ways to extend this topic and engage in STEM skills along the way!
Here are a few additional ideas:
Sea Foam Sensory Bin
This activity was just an additional, fun sensory experience, and didn't really relate to any of the questions we were asking at the time. Sometimes you might see foam at the beach, where the water and the sand meet, and so we created our own foam with dishsoap and a handmixer. It would be interesting to explore the topic of foam and different ways to make it more in depth.
Sandpaper Shapes Play
I did this with Gorilla after the class was over. I just cut up different sandpaper shapes that we could explore and create with. I've seen these used as magnets before as well, but we just played with them on the table and later added glue and crayons for a sensory art process.
-Experiment with salty and non-salty water by adding salt to one cup of water while leaving the other plain, and then exploring their differences. Do they taste different? Is one heavier or lighter? Do they feel the same? Do the same objects float or sink in them?
-When we were talking about waves, one student brought up the moon and tides. That would also be an interesting topic to explore! Tide pools are also full of sea life, and it would be so interesting to learn about that unique animal habitat.
-Not all beaches are the white and sandy tropical beaches we often picture. Kids in my area might also be interested to learn about beaches at a lake, since that is a more local natural landform for us. There are also beaches that are rocky and icy in different parts of the world. Learning about different kind of beaches could spark lots of questions about why they are different.
-Animals at the beach would also be another topic to think about. The beach might be a habitat for some animals, while others might just use it as a place to rest or find food.
This last question led to such an interesting discussion. There was some debate at first.
I loved listening to some of their thoughts and reasoning behind their answers:
---"the ones on the sand aren't alive, but the ones in the water are."
--"but they don't have eyes or legs."
--"they need water to survive."
--"the shells were taken by other animals to protect themselves."
It was apparent one student had learned about them before when he started chiming in with some more detailed information:
"It's not the shell that's alive, it's the animal in it. Animals make seashells. A special kind of snail, I think."
Unfortunately, this question came up at the very end of our camp- it would have been so interesting to explore this topic more deeply and support their inquiry with some great informational text and other activities. But we did get some hands-on exploration time with shells I've collected over the years.
We played one game where we tried to guess which seashell fit into the puzzle just by using our sense of touch.
And we practiced writing and drawing "like a scientist," by noticing details and drawing what we see.
All along the way in this class there were natural opportunities to practice math and science skills as we found different ways to answer questions and build new understandings about the beach. The activities that we tried fit into a kind of "mini-unit" about the beach, since we only had 3 days to explore. But there are many ways to extend this topic and engage in STEM skills along the way!
Here are a few additional ideas:
Sea Foam Sensory Bin
This activity was just an additional, fun sensory experience, and didn't really relate to any of the questions we were asking at the time. Sometimes you might see foam at the beach, where the water and the sand meet, and so we created our own foam with dishsoap and a handmixer. It would be interesting to explore the topic of foam and different ways to make it more in depth.
Sandpaper Shapes Play
I did this with Gorilla after the class was over. I just cut up different sandpaper shapes that we could explore and create with. I've seen these used as magnets before as well, but we just played with them on the table and later added glue and crayons for a sensory art process.
-Experiment with salty and non-salty water by adding salt to one cup of water while leaving the other plain, and then exploring their differences. Do they taste different? Is one heavier or lighter? Do they feel the same? Do the same objects float or sink in them?
-When we were talking about waves, one student brought up the moon and tides. That would also be an interesting topic to explore! Tide pools are also full of sea life, and it would be so interesting to learn about that unique animal habitat.
-Not all beaches are the white and sandy tropical beaches we often picture. Kids in my area might also be interested to learn about beaches at a lake, since that is a more local natural landform for us. There are also beaches that are rocky and icy in different parts of the world. Learning about different kind of beaches could spark lots of questions about why they are different.
-Animals at the beach would also be another topic to think about. The beach might be a habitat for some animals, while others might just use it as a place to rest or find food.
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