Safe at Home: Long Term Projects

Are you looking to add a fun activity that gets a lot of bang for your buck? Try out a long term science project.

Protects that last over time allows children to repeat activities, which reinforces learning. Creating a science journal where you observe a single object or environment is one way to do that. Spring is a great time to observe changes and growth.

This week we started an observation of caterpillars. Each day we will take a look at the caterpillars, Z will draw an image, and I will write down what she says she observes. If she needs labels on her diagram, then I add those, too.

Watching a metamorphosis in real time is special, but you don't need to spend money to do this project in spring. You can choose a tree or garden area outside. You can also adjust the number of observations to match your child's interest. Z is ready to write, draw, and have in depth conversations everyday. Younger children may need to do this once a week - especially if you choose something like a tree to observe, because the change take place more slowly.

Skills that this activity practices:
Observation
Writing (both practicing writing and watching writing helps)
Reading
Fine motor skills
Answering and asking questions
Life cycles
Identifying characteristics: color, shape, patterns

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