Hands-On History: Ancient Technology

The topics we cover in ancient history may seem a bit irrelevant to some (foolish) kids, but when we use hands-on, project-based learning, we give our students a tangible, memorable connection to the material they are learning.  Conveniently, most ancient technology is so simple, kids can reconstruct it themselves.  Here are just a couple of …

Preschool Science: Oil & Water

My preschooler goes bananas for any project that involves food coloring, so this week, we dyed some water and experimented with how it behaved in a bowl of baby oil.  You can use any type of oil for this, but we make homemade wipes, so we always have plenty of baby oil on hand! We …

Gardening with a Preschooler: The Strawberry Experiment

This summer for one of his projects, my three year old has been diligently caring for a strawberry plant. He waters it, keeps it clear of weeds, and on three separate occasions has had the supreme delight of picking a strawberry off of it. That's right. Spoiled as it is, the plant has only yielded …

Test, Observe, Revise: Engineering with a Preschooler

The slow-motion video option on my phone has captured my preschooler's attention lately, so we are using it to improve our marble track engineering.  When we record a run in slow-motion and review it, he can more easily see where problems occurred in our design and come up with potential solutions. He also really likes …

All Aboard!

Albert Einstein said, "Play is the highest form of research."  This is most true when our children play with toys that allow them to create, experiment, and solve problems. Our three-year-old is enchanted with his wooden train set these days.  He's developing his understanding of some basic engineering as he figures out where to place …