Learning at Home OSC KidZone Week 8

2 min
May 10, 2020

STEAM Activity:

Balance Scale

Create your own balance scale using a clothes hanger, two paper or plastic cups, a hole puncher or large pin, and string!  Loop string through 3 evenly spaced holes around the rim of each cup and secure to each side of the base of the clothes hanger.  Ensure the string length is the same for each side and that the base of the clothes hanger lies parallel to the floor when each cup is empty.  Hang from a doorknob or closet rod.  Now place different materials and amounts within each cup and practice achieving a balance of weights!

Science Activity:

Glass Animation

All you need for this activity is a white board marker, a glass bowl, and water.  Draw a pattern with a white board marker at the bottom of a glass bowl.  Trace over the pattern to ensure there is a thick layer and all points on the pattern are connected.  Tilt the bowl slightly and pour a small amount of water in the bottom away from the drawing.  Gently lower the bowl allowing the water to slowly move over the drawing.  The drawing will lift off the bowl, floating and moving around with the water! This occurs because the pigment from the white board marker quickly becomes a solid when it dries.

Physical Activity

Sidewalk Chalk Clock

Help your child create a giant clock pattern outside with chalk!  Be sure to add in both the minute and hour divisions.  One family member pretends to be the ‘hour’ hand and another family member pretends to be the ‘minutes’ hand.  Call out a time of day and practice the different clock face movements! 

Creative Activity:

Melted Crayon Art

For this activity, encourage your child to check the available materials in your recycling box.  Select a cardboard sheet like the front or back of a cereal box.  Cover it with tin foil.  Invite your child to paint the tinfoil canvas.  Next, collect crayons and remove the paper wrapper.  Grate these crayons into assorted piles and sprinkle creative designs across the canvas. Place the canvas on a cookie sheet and bake for 5 minutes at 200 °F. 

Additional resources:

www.stevespanglerscience.com - Click on the Free at Home Experiments in the upper right-hand corner to access hundreds of at home science experiments.

https://www.seussville.com/ - Dr. Seuss themed printable pages, activities, crafts and more