Elementary

Easy Rocket Craft – Perfect Space Themed Project for Preschoolers

By Marnie Craycroft Filed Under: Activities, Science Tagged With: Crafts, Easy & Inexpensive, Elementary, Kindergarten, Math, Preschool This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

As I journey down our homeschool path, I have a few homeschool “bibles” from which I source activities and ideas for preschool learning. For example, one of these books is Rachelle Doorley's Tinkerlab: A Hands-On Guide for Little Inventors. This book is accessible, beautiful, and filled with easy crafts (like the rocket ship craft in this post) for preschoolers. In other words, I simply enjoy the process of looking at its pages because I feel inspired by the words and images. I am excited to show you one of the many projects in this book – the straw rocket craft, simple and packs a punch with kids. If you have ever wondered how to make a rocket with kids, this easy craft is the perfect starting point.

“There is the happiness which comes from creative effort. The joy of dreaming, creating, building, whether in painting a picture, writing an epic, singing a song, composing a symphony, devising new invention, creating a vast industry.” ~ Henry Miller

Doorley presents simple yet powerful ideas to help us parents and teachers guide our children's innate desire to learn, to do, to build, to wonder, to create, and to imagine by presenting an arsenal of hands-on learning activities. Children develop problem-solving, logic, and critical thinking skills by doing rather than imitating. She does this by introducing easy crafts and activities for preschoolers, like the rocket craft presented in this post. This science craft is the perfect addition to a spaced themed unit of learning.

Doorley provides easy to read and to digest philosophy and research behind the ideas presented in Tinkerlab: A Hands-On Guide for Little Inventors. She also provides tangible words of wisdom to adults in how to make these activities happen in our home and classrooms. You will be hearing a lot more about this book as we explore and progress through it.

Easy Rocket Ship Craft for Preschoolers

Materials

1 piece of construction paper (or 2 if you want different colors)
Scissors
Straw
Tape

How to Make a Rocket for Kids

Cut paper in half
Roll one half into your rocket's body
Tape so the body stays wrapped up

Cut a circle about 1.5 inches in diameter from the other piece of paper
Then, cut a slit to the center (or origin of the circle
Roll from slit to create a cone from the circle
Tape paper to maintain a cone
Finally, place nose on the end of the rocket's body. Secure with tape.

Blow a puff of air through the straw. Watch your child's face light up with joy.
Repeat.

11 Easy Extensions for this Easy Craft

The child can decorate her rocket. So, add decorating materials (e.g. glitter, glue, markers, stickers, etc) to your materials list for added rocket detail.
Incorporate your rocket into imaginary play and storytelling
Try a shorter (or longer or fatter or skinnier) straw and see what happens
Use shorter (or longer or fatter or skinnier) body and see what happens
Create different size cones for the nose. Observe what changes when you blow through the straw.
Ask about shapes (e.g. cone, circle, cylinder)
Discuss rocket launches
Inquire how the speed at which the rocket launches might change (blow slowly, blow quickly, short breath, long breath, etc)
Remove the nose and ask why the rocket doesn't launch
Then try blowing up instead of blowing out. How does this change the launch pattern of the rocket?
Take the space learning a bit further and discuss gravity

This project is one of over 50 in Rachelle's book, Tinkerlab: A Hands-On Guide for Little Inventors. She has a great Tinkerlab blog, too. I can't recommend her work enough to you all! You won't regret a minute spent!

More Straw Rocket Projects for Kids

If your child wants more straw rockets, check out these tutorials. Have fun!

Make a Slingshot Straw Rocket

How to Make Simple Straw Rockets

How to Make a Rocket from Paper & a Straw

I hope we inspired you today!
Marnie

Make a Marbled Art Paper Print of the American Flag

By Marnie Craycroft Filed Under: Activities Tagged With: Art, Elementary, July 4th, Kindergarten, Preschool This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

One of my favorite parts of my Montessori training was the art portion. Not only did I learn a ton of process art activities for preschoolers, but I also got to do the activities! How lucky am I? Recently, we created an American Flag with marbled paper.

Marbled paper is known for a vibrant design as a result. So, creating an American Flag certainly required a bit of constraint. Once we created our flag, however, we made more marbled paper with gorgeous, creative designs.

Kids absolutely love this art activity. The result is beautiful (albeit the process is a bit messy and that is ok!). A super fun addition to a 4th of July, Memorial Day, or Veteran's Day themed unit.

Make a Marbled Paper Art Print of the American Flag

Art Materials Used

White cardstock
Shaving foam
Liquid watercolor or food coloring
Scissors or paper cutter to cut the cardstock
Tray
Drying rack (like the one you use for baking) is super handy

Steps to Take to Make Marbled Paper

Cut your cardstock to a size you'd like
Cover the tray (mostly) with the shaving foam
Add your American flag color design using a squirt bottle or dropper
Use a brush to smooth out foam and colors
Add stars to your flag (although it would be nice to be completely strict about placement and number of stars, I advise you to let it go, especially when working with kids!)
Press the paper flat onto the foam
Lift and allow time to dry
Admire your creation & consider extensions to this activity

Marbled Paper Extension Ideas

Make a Fourth of July night scene. Use black construction paper as the background and paper hole punch stars from your marbled paper
Create a string of stars using the marbled paper and hang it in your classroom or playroom
Design greeting cards & sell at a school function to raise funds
Make bookmarks as gifts for family, friends, & teachers

Before I go, I'd like to say one thing – this art activity will not produce an exact replica of the American flag. Give kids a poetic license. Allow them to be creative with the concept, which lays the foundation for the activity.

The Ultimate List of Baking Soda & Vinegar Experiments

By Marnie Craycroft Filed Under: Activities, Science Tagged With: Chemistry, Elementary, Kindergarten, Preschool This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

This post delivers the ultimate amazing list of baking soda and vinegar experiments for kids. We're talking baking soda and vinegar with balloons, rocket boosting baking soda and vinegar, color changing experiments, and so much more! Are you ready to dig into these ROCK star baking soda and vinegar experiments? Yeah, me, too…

The Science Behind Baking Soda & Vinegar

Baking Soda and vinegar react chemically we know that much simply by observing the experiments. We can see the chemical reaction. What it is about the two ingredients that react in such phenomenally cool ways?

The science is that baking soda and vinegar react with each other because of an acid-base reaction. Baking soda is a bicarbonate (NaHCO3) and vinegar is an acetic acid (HCH3COO). One of the products this reaction creates is carbon dioxide, which makes the bubbles.

Baking Soda and Vinegar Experiments for Kids

Fizzing Colors from Happy Hooligans is not only fun science learning but it is also great fine motor skills work. This baking soda and vinegar experiment with food coloring adds a bit of pizazz to a child's day.

Busy Toddler adds a bit of a twist on the dropper food color experiment by Happy Hooligans. She presents the baking soda and vinegar activity with hidden colors. By adding this element of surprise, this activity has kids at ‘hello'.

My sons LOVED this baking soda & vinegar experiment. Chelsey from Buddy & Buddy nails this one with her exploding baggies.

Along the same lines, Sarah from Frugal Fun for Boys & Girls created a rocket baking soda & vinegar experiment for her kids. Totally out of this world!

Katie from Preschool Inspirations tops the cake with her color changing baking soda & vinegar experiment.

A few years ago we explore chemistry with a baking soda and vinegar experiment with balloons. To celebrate Earth Day we use an earth balloon and really made the scientific point about expanding air.

Maria Montessori & Science

What is a scientist?… We give the name scientist to the type of man who has felt experiment to be a means guiding him to search out the deep truth of life, to lift a veil from its fascinating secrets, and who, in this pursuit, has felt arising within him a love for the mysteries of nature, so passionate as to annihilate the thought of himself. ~ Dr. Montessori

More Easy Science Experiments for Kids with Baking Soda & Vinegar

Kim from Life Over Cs does a fizzy baking soda and vinegar experiment with ice!

Darcy at Darcy and Brian creates a Melting Rainbow Baking Soda and Vinegar experiment.

I quickly added this baking soda and vinegar activity to our list. Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls made hot ice from a few items you likely have in your home at this current moment.

Life Over Cs presents us with a playdough volcano baking soda & vinegar experiment.

The Pinterested Parent takes her baking soda and vinegar experiment a step further by creating art from the volcano eruptions!

Bitz and Giggles created electric eels twist on the baking soda and vinegar experiment!

What's Next After All this Baking Soda & Vinegar Experimental Learning?

Try to add other substances such as carbonated water, hydrogen peroxide, or dish soap. Observe how the eruption changes.

The First Great Lesson: The Beginning of the Universe

By Maria Burke Filed Under: Montessori, Montessori Lessons Tagged With: Cosmic Curriculum, Elementary This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

My son came home one day with a huge smile on his face. He shared that his teachers gave the Montessori First Great Lesson. Consequently, I knew his journey into the Cosmic Curriculum had begun, and he would henceforth be intrigued with the many cultural subjects. Montessori Elementary is simply amazing.

Montessori's First Great Lesson

Elementary children are filled with awe as the story unfolds. They usually receive this lesson during the first few weeks of school. In To Educate the Human Potential, Montessori states, “Our aim, therefore, is not merely to make the child understand, and still less to memorize, but so to touch his imagination as to enthuse him to his inmost core.”

{Original Mulberry Paper Batik from Azoka Company}

Montessori's First Great Lesson: The Impressionistic Lesson

The story begins with a narrative about “The Great Spirit.” The first few sentences sound similar to the Bible. (Montessori was a Catholic.) Following this, however, various demonstrations and visual representations (either through posters or batiks) introduce the scientific laws governing our world.

These representations captivate young minds:

The difference in the temperature of two glasses filled with ice (one in which salt was added)
The gathering of glitter in a bowl of water
The introduction to the three states of matter (a stick, a container filled with BBs, and a spray bottle with water)
The difference in the melting points of three solids (wax, lead sauter, and a nail heated on a burner)
The contrast in densities of three different liquids (water, oil, and rubbing alcohol)
The representation of the magma inside the earth desiring to escape through a volcano
The balloon with Vaseline shaped like mountains, catching the water from the spray bottle which represents the water cycle

As a result, children ask many questions after receiving this lesson. The studies of chemistry, physics, geography, history, and other cultural subjects begin captivating them.

After having this lesson, my son delighted in delving more into each of these areas, the First Great Lesson being the catalyst. There were questions about the history of the universe and the geography of the world. In addition, an increasing interest in science experiments and the why behind each one followed. He began his journey through the Cosmic Curriculum and I cannot wait to join him on the journey!

Maria

More about the Author

Maria Burke has a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education as well as a Bachelor’s Degree in French from the University of Arizona. She obtained her Master’s Degree in Curriculum Education from Lesley University and holds certification through the American Montessori Society for ages 3-12. She currently teaches upper elementary at Abintra Montessori School in Nashville, Tennessee. Maria also owns Lighthouse Learning, LLC, and creates supplemental educational resources for academic subjects as well as proprioceptive materials.

What You Need to Know about Montessori’s Cosmic Curriculum

By Maria Burke Filed Under: Montessori Lessons Tagged With: Cosmic Curriculum, Elementary, Theory This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

When my son entered Montessori elementary, my heart pounded with excitement. Having been trained in Montessori early childhood (which I don't regret for a second), I had heard of the amazing cosmic curriculum. Sure enough, the cosmic curriculum blew my mind away. My son's eyes widened as the director of the program began to explain what his journey would entail that coming year. In short, jealousy enveloped my body! Here is an introduction to Montessori's cosmic curriculum!

“…All things are part of the universe and are connected to each other to form one whole unity. This idea helps the mind of the child to become fixed, to stop wandering in an aimless quest for knowledge. He is satisfied, having found the universal centre of himself with all things.” (To Educate the Human Potential, p. 6)

What You Need to Know about Montessori's Cosmic Curriculum

In the first plane of development (from 0-6 years of age), children often ask the question “why” as they transition from subconscious to conscious learning. They are curious about the world around them as they move through sensitive periods, wanting and needing to learn about their environment through their senses.

In the second plane of development (from 6-12 years of age), children begin to ask a different question. “Who am I?” Now that they have explored the physical world around them, the task at hand becomes universal and cosmic. They have more reasoning skills and more of a thirst for the larger picture. They wonder what their place is in the universe.

Montessori Five Great Lessons

Children are presented the five Great Lessons as a part of the cosmic curriculum: The Story of the Universe, The Story of Life, The Story of Humans, The Story of Math, and The Story of Language. Following these impressionistic lessons, children become engrossed in cultural studies: history, geography, astronomy, geology, biology, physical science, and chemistry. They might conduct experiments or research topics of interest, creating presentations for their classmates in the process. The possibilities seem endless.

Another benefit for children in this second plane of development is through “going-out” experiences in the community. As they develop a sense of awe and wonder of the world, excursions present opportunities to meet their curiosity head on. Visiting areas of interest related to their studies is important not only for improving social skills but also for broadening their knowledge within a different setting. As social individuals, learning in the real-world becomes increasingly important.

Maria

More about the Author

What is so Great about Montessori Elementary?

By Maria Burke Filed Under: Montessori, Montessori for Beginners Tagged With: Elementary This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

I am so glad you asked about Montessori elementary…

Imagine the parts of the tree: roots, trunk, and branches. Each of these parts illustrates a different Montessori age grouping. The roots represent the fundamental principles that each child gains through his or her experience in the early childhood classroom: order, concentration, control, and independence. The trunk represents the areas of the classroom that the children are exposed to in early childhood: practical life, sensorial, mathematics, language, and cultural.

The branches represent the elementary curriculum. Students that began in the early childhood classroom have a firm grasp of concepts in each of these areas, much as a trunk supports the rest of the tree. As children move into the elementary classroom, the parts of the curriculum become broader and more diverse.

What is Montessori Elementary?

Practical life in the classroom becomes focused on skills and concepts that older children need to master. For example, children learn the manners one needs to be successful in going out into the community. They also learn more complex hand work, which might include knitting, crocheting, sewing with a machine, or cross stitch.

The sensorial and mathematical areas of the early childhood curriculum that are focused more on a kinesthetic experience combine in the elementary classroom to cover geometry as well as more difficult mathematical concepts.

Language encompasses numerous topics: vocabulary, grammar, writing, literature studies, and spelling strategies. This is also the age when children may become interested in learning foreign languages, including Latin and Greek, as they learn the etymology of words throughout the classroom subjects.

Cultural constitutes the majority of the branches in the Montessori tree. Botany, zoology, astronomy, physical science, earth science, history, and geography are some of the many topics that stem from this area.

Elementary children are also introduced to the cosmic curriculum. There are five Great Lessons that are introduced: The Coming of the Universe, The Timeline of Life, The Timeline of Humans, The Story of Math, and The Story of Language. In this way, children learn about their place in the universe.

As children move through the elementary environment, they find what interests them and are able to focus more on these topics. There are many branches one the tree just as there are experiences for students to have in order for them to learn about what they love. This ultimately assists in shaping their personalities and helps them in their life journey.

Thank you.

About the author

Maria Burke has a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education as well as a Bachelor's Degree in French from the University of Arizona. She obtained her Master's Degree in Curriculum Education from Lesley University and holds certification through the American Montessori Society for ages 3-12. She currently teaches upper elementary at Abintra Montessori School in Nashville, Tennessee. Maria also owns Lighthouse Learning, LLC, and creates supplemental educational resources for academic subjects as well as proprioceptive materials.