Homeschool Kindergarten Science Lesson Plans With Water

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Using water activities for teaching kindergarten science. Water is a familiar substance for kids in kindergarten. Science activities with water can teach physics, chemistry, life science, and earth science. Use water to teach kindergarteners about solids, liquids and gases. Water activities can teach kids about gravity and centrifugal force. Use water to teach kids about the needs of living creatures. Finally, water carves rock formations into the earth and shapes our landscape. Kindergarten science lesson plans that focus on water activities are fun and memorable ways for kids to learn.

Kindergarten Activities for Teaching Earth Science with Water

Next time you find your kindergartener making mud pies in the backyard, take a look at how the running water in the hose can carve rivers down the sides of even the smallest of hills. It won’t take more than a quick discussion about how snow melts on mountains can create rivers that run into streams that pool into ponds, or flow out to the ocean. Create a miniature mountain of sand or dirt and let the hose run from the top. Allow creative children to make little houses, press twigs into the sides, and “liven it up” a little. Use a watering can or hose to simulate melting snow and watch as the water erodes the soil and creates multiple streams and deltas as it flows out “to sea.”

Activities for Life Science Lessons With Water

Allow a fishbowl of water to sit out on the porch for days at a time. What happens to the water? Have insects come to lay eggs? Is anything floating or swimming in the water? If you have access to a pond, scoop some pond water into a mason jar and see what’s living in the water. Explain that living creatures require water for life. Discuss and research ways that desert cultures survive, and how difficult life is in areas without access to water. Visit an irrigated farmland and learn about how the irrigation system works and why it’s necessary.

Kindergarten Physics Activities with Water

The earth science lessons previously mentioned illustrated physics properties, too. Here are more physics activities for kindergarteners. Fill a toy bucket with water to the halfway point. Hold onto the handle and spin around in circles, bringing the bucket up sideways and then upside down to demonstrate centrifugal force. Similarly, you can use a kitchen mixer in a bowl of water, to see the water building up on the sides of the bowl, creating a hollow in the center, due to the force of the mixer. Discuss the idea that the pressure from the spinning causes the water to seem like it’s defying gravity.

Water-based Chemistry Lesson Plans for Kindergarten

Water is one of the first chemistry lessons for older kids. Since it exists in a liquid, solid and gas state, many science teachers use water to illustrate the three states of matter. Solid water, ice, can be formed into fun shapes. Use nesting mixing bowls to create an ice bowl by weighing down the inner bowl so that the water freezes into a bowl shape. Place a votive candle into the bowl to illuminate your evening meal, water lanterns are beautiful. Use your water bowl to serve a giant ice cream sunday, or as a party punch bowl. Water in its vapor form, steam, can be used to reveal a secret message. Next time you plan to dump boiling water in the kitchen sink, secretly use shaving cream or dish soap to write a message on the window. The steam from the pasta won’t show up on the writing, imagine how surprised kids will be to see the secret message appearing before their eyes.

Try using water activities for teaching kindergarten science. Water is readily available and safe for kids to use alone. The science activities with water that are featured here can easily be duplicated in any home, and are great for helping kindergarteners learn about earth science, life science, chemistry and physics. Try these kindergarten life science activities with your kids.

These activities for teaching kindergarteners about glaciers are excerpts of the “Activity-Based Kindergarten Curriculum” scheduled for release in July of 2009.  Subscribe to TypeAMom or Lisa Russell’s website by email for notification of its release, special early-bird pricing and promotions and more excerpts.

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