Monday, October 27, 2014

Space Preschool Activities

Solar System and Planets

We are starting on discovering the planet Earth and space in a fun, meaningful, and hands-on way.

Beyond our planet is a theme of the month for our favorite Poppins Book Nook. Please, take a look at what we were up to this month and visit other families having fun with travelling in space - very exciting! You can find our previous Poppins Book Nook activities here: http://www.mybrightfirefly.com/p/poppins-book-nook.html.

Our favorite book of the month is "Space Walk" by Salina Yoon (Lift-the-Flap Adventures).

“I'm your space guide.
Come travel with me!
There are lots of planets
for us to see.”

There is a planet per page with several simple facts found when opening that planet. The front cover was the real winner with our little ones: The oval cut out for the face in the astronaut's helmet can also fit kids' faces! Have you ever seen a book that can be used as a mask?



Explore the Universe in a box

We upcycled a huge box from a lawn mower that was waiting for its glory days in the basement. I cut one of the walls down. Our Universe consists of: the Earth (bottom), the Sun (orange wall), solar system (the middle wall), and the wall of constellations, falling starts, etc.


Pictured below: I stapled the top flaps of the box at an angle and secured them with the packing tape. Packing tape is also used for the Earth pages.


Here is an interesting effect of the direct sunlight onto the orange surface surrounded by black walls. We explored the reflection of the light a lot this month and talked about the importance of the sun light for the life on Earth.


I tried to make use of movable parts as much as I could. The planets and the sun are laminated and  attached to the wall by the Velcro dots. I made a system of "zip lines" with the regular needle and thread. Some falling starts (also known as yellow beads on the thread) were used for counting. The space ships and planes are hung on chenille stems and have just enough traction to slide down slower.

The planets are a part of a nice matching activity that can be found and printed out for free (as well as many other activities for different ages) from 3 Dinosaurs: Free Space Pack.


Our space rockets are made from clear plastic ornaments. I taped the rocket images onto the inside of the ornaments. Our Playmobil people can get in and out, and fit perfectly inside the spaceship.


Earth and Environmental Science: the beginnings!

The exploration of the Earth was My Firefly's favorite part: I didn't expect it to be that engaging - it's just the pictures. She found areas of interest for her toys and made up some stories of what each of them like to do in that area. It turned out great for play based exploration of the Earth divided by regions. I included pictures of summer and winter too - we still need to talk about it.


Emergency Space Mylar Blanket preschool play and fun!

Yes! We got our hands to the Space blanket! My Firefly had hours of imaginative play out of it. Pictured below: what is this thing? The mirrored surface of the blanket is awesome for sensory play, dressing up, showcasing the toys...


Our Preschool Science hour was a pure magic!

We explored the light reflection with the Mylar blanket and talked about the Sun as "a huge ball of fire". I placed the blanket into the direct sunlight on the floor. The picture below does not make any justice to the effect of light. It is a large family room with the vaulted ceiling; and the whole room got filled with light!

The best magical sensory play ever!


The goal of this activity was to explore the sun light and the reflection of the light. Our topics: the sun and the stars give light, the Moon appears shining, but it is a reflection of the sun light, all living things need sunlight to survive.

Beyond Our Planet

It's time for a Poppins Book Nook - a book club that goes live on the last Monday of each months.
You can find our previous Poppins Book Nook books and activities here:
http://www.mybrightfirefly.com/p/poppins-book-nook.html

The theme for this month is "Beyond Our Planet". This is a very exciting topic - it calls for all things space travelling. Visit the hosts of Poppins Book Nook to find out what the kids were up to, their wild adventures and discoveries.

The wonderful bloggers that participate in the Poppins Book Nook are:  Enchanted Homeschooling Mom ~ 3 Dinosaurs ~ To the Moon and Back ~ Planet Smarty Pants ~ Farm Fresh Adventures ~ Growing in God’s Grace ~ Chestnut Grove Academy ~ Learning and Growing the Piwi Way ~ The Usual Mayhem~ Preschool Powol Packets ~ Monsters Ed Homeschool Academy ~ Adventures in Mommydom ~Teach Beside Me ~ Life with Moore Babies ~ Kathy’s Cluttered Mind ~ Are We There Yet? ~ Our Crafts N Things ~Hopkins Homeschool ~ ABC Creative Learning ~ Joy Focused Learning ~ P is for Preschooler ~ My Bright Firefly ~A Mommy’s Adventures ~ Inspiring 2 New Hampshire Children ~ World for Learning ~ Ever After in the Woods ~Golden Grasses ~ A glimpse of our life ~ Journey to Excellence ~ Happy Little Homemaker ~ Little Homeschool Blessings ~ Raventhreads ~ Tots and Me ~ As We Walk Along The Road ~ Stir the Wonder ~ For This Season ~Where Imagination Grows ~ The Canadian Homeschooler ~ School Time Snippets ~ Peakle Pie ~ A Moment in our World ~ Every Bed of Roses ~ Finchnwren ~ At Home Where Life Happens ~ The Library Adventure ~ Embracing Destiny ~ Day by Day in our World ~ Our Homeschool Studio ~ A “Peace” of Mind ~ Thou Shall Not Whine ~ SAHM I am  ~ Simple Living Mama

Beyond Our Planet Bundle Giveaway!

Every month the Poppins Book Nook group will be offering readers
a chance to win a brand new storybook
that ties in with our theme for the month.
 
This month one lucky entrant will win a bundle of fun for the theme of Beyond Our Planet. 
This bundle will include a copy of the storybook The Moon Book by Gail Gibbons
and a Space& Astronauts Bucket Playset.


a Rafflecopter giveaway
Entrants must be 18 years or older and reside in a country that receives U.S. Postal mail. This giveaway is brought to you by the company Enchanted Homeschooling Mom who is owner and founder of the Poppins Book Nook. By entering this giveaway you are also acknowledging that you have read and agree to all of the Rafflecopter terms & conditions as well as Enchanted Homeschooling Mom's disclosures found here {http://enchantedhomeschoolingmom.org/disclosures/}.    

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Clip art by: Melon Headz

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