2-Year
FromBaby Steps to STEM, Jean Barbre
What to have - liquid tempera paint in fall colors - small containers for paint - twigs and branches, about 4–8 inches in length - magnifying glasses - white construction paper - masking tape - water and paper towels for cleanup
What to do Getting Ready Place yellow, orange, brown, and green liquid tempera paints in small containers. How To Place the collected twigs on a table. Invite the children to touch and feel the twigs. Talk to them about what they see and feel. Model how they can use a magnifying glass to examine the bark of the twigs more closely. Tape one or two small twigs on a white piece of construction paper and give one sheet to each child. Invite the children to dip their fingers into the paint and use finger print marks to add fall leaves around the edges of the twigs. Hint: You may want to collect twigs ahead of time in case you only find a few on your nature walk. Be sure to closely supervise young children to make sure they don’t place small objects in their mouths.
Why Children will gain a sense of life and earth science as they collect twigs on a nature walk. They will observe and explore the leaves and flowers on plants and trees on their walk.
For more activities check out Baby Steps to STEM: Infant and Toddler Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Activities
By Jean Barbre Copyright 2017 2-Year