Elementary • Carrots Are Orange

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.

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Join Steve Spangler STEM Lab Club (AMAZING!!)
Black Marker Coffee Filter Experiment & Science of Colors
Science Activity with Milk & Food Coloring

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.

What to Do to Rock Storytelling with Older Children

By Marnie Craycroft Filed Under: Positive Parenting Tagged With: Elementary, Family, Parenting, Reading and Writing This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Yesterday my oldest son and I handed my camera back and forth taking picture after picture, alternating the perspective from him to me. Little in life makes my heart warm more than learning the art of photography along side my sons.

As we gleefully continued this activity, I asked him “What is your story? Remember that the you're photographing, think about the story are you telling.”

He turned to me and replied, “We're creating this story together, Mom. What story are you telling?”

This kid. All kids. So darn wise. Six and telling me truth after truth.

Yes, of course. That is brilliant.

My son enjoys story telling. We try to find ways to do this activity together. Here are a few ideas for you to consider in your family.

Storytelling with Older Children

Orally tell stories while snuggling up on the couch, or winding down for the day. No props. No writing tools. Simply your voices.

Back and forth storytelling is loads of fun! My sister and I used to do this activity when we were younger. She would write a sentence then I would write a sentence. The twists and turns of a joint story never cease to surprise me.

In silence storytelling simply means using your ears, your eyes, your nose, and your hands. Go on a hike and soak it all in. Take a moment to stop and reflect without vocalizing your thoughts. Write your stories of that moment together, then share at a later point.

Journal storytelling is lovely and personal. To make journaling a family activity, my idea is to write a page in a journal and then leave it for my son to write the next page, connecting his words with my words. The next page can be written the same day, week, or even a month later. There is no time limit.

Storytelling through drawing is a natural activity for my sons but not so much for me. So, I use this activity as an opportunity to step out of my comfort zone and get creative. I will admit that this one is my least favorite, mainly because my son always sweetly asks me, “Mom, what is that you're drawing?” or encourages me by saying, “Oh, mom, that's really great.”

Take a chapter from a favorite book and rewrite it. We read lots of chapter books out loud. I love to ask my son which character is his favorite and how he would have changed the story (or what he believes might come next). So, I proposed that we rewrite one of his favorite stories. He is still trying to decide but I will let you know if I have to come up with some alternative to the Trojan War. I am going to need all the help I can get.

Tell a story with images. I opened this post with this idea. I loved sitting with my son at the computer reviewing all the photos we had taken together throughout the afternoon. He was proud of his work explaining the “angle” of each photo.

Hope you enjoyed these ideas!

Marnie

40 Reading Comprehension Questions to Ask Kids

By Marnie Craycroft Filed Under: Positive Parenting Tagged With: Elementary, Parenting, Reading and Writing This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

As my six year old races through 1st grade, I find myself seeking ways to guide his development of reading comprehension. I am a Reading Parent for his classroom. His teacher supplied me with valuable information to assist me in speaking with the children about the stories and content we're sharing with one another each week. I took her guidance and added to it where I felt I could and where I believed adding more meat was necessary. I have many authentic AMS language lessons archived for your reference. I also have loads of Montessori language materials available for download in my Teachers Pay Teachers store. Don't miss all the freebies!

Reading Comprehension – How to Talk with Kids about Fiction

Reading Comprehension – Setting

Describe the scene(s) of the story
At what point in the day/week/year is the story taking place?
Did this story happen in the past or present?

Reading Comprehension – Characters

Name the main characters in the story
What words does the author use to describe the main characters?
Who is the most important? Why?
Which character can you describe to me?
Which character do you enjoy learning about?
Do any of the characters have a special friendship or relationship?
Describe the appearance of the main characters
Describe the personality of the main characters

Reading Comprehension – Plot

Is there a problem to be solved?
How might the problem be solved?
How was the problem solved?
Would you have solved the problem differently?
What were the main points of the story?

Reading Comprehension – Narrator/Perspective

Who told the story?
Is it the author? Is it a character?
How do you now who is telling the story?
Why do you think this character told the story?

Reading Comprehension – Mood

What do you feel when you read this story?
How do you think the characters feel?
Is there a happy character? a sad character? a frustration character? an angry character? a worried character?
How can you tell? Which words does the author use to let you know how the character is feeling?
Did your feelings change as you read the story? At which point?

Reading Comprehension – Theme

What is the story about?
How did the author show us the story was about courage/friendship/sadness/etc?

Reading Comprehension – Genre

Do you think this story really happened?
What makes you believe it could have happened?
How do you know the story is fiction?
How can you tell that the story isn't non-fiction?

Reading Comprehension – Style

What type of language does the author use?
Does the author use soft words? Give an example.
Does the author use strong words? Give an example.
Which parts of the story are most memorable?

Reading Comprehension – Simile

How does the author describe a character or place?
Does the author compare the character or the place to anything?

Reading Comprehension – Metaphor

What did the author compare the character or place to?

Reading Comprehension – Personification

What was the author trying to tell us about the character or the place?
How can you tell? Which words or phrases did the author use to get this point across to the reader?

By the way, our favorite read-aloud chapter books currently are The Magic Treehouse series, the Droon Series, Boxcar Children, and My Father's Dragon Tales.

Marnie

P.S. You might be interested in this post: 25+ Exciting & Thoughtful Questions to Ask Kids EVERY Day