When the only way we can bring certain science concepts into the classroom is through paying a little money we want it to be inexpensive and within our budget. For this blog I focused on three different concepts taught in the classroom and ways to bring it in all under five dollars.
One of the first concepts is understanding air pressure. This is a hard concept for children because they do not understand how something you can not see has weight and force. A great way to help children understand air pressure is through an egg in a bottle. To show this you need a two litter bottle, paper, hard boiled egg, and strike matches. All of these items can be brought in from a student or the teachers home bringing the cost down very low or to nothing. To do this activity you twist the paper and slide it into the mouth of the bottle. You then light the end of the paper sticking out and finish pushing the paper all of the way into the bottle. Next you place the unwrapped egg skinny side on top of the opening of the bottle. The egg will get sucked into the bottle and the sides will collapse. This activity can be done at no cost, but should be approved by the school first and only done with older children.
Another inexpensive activity is about teaching children the importance of filtering emergency water sources. To do this you need a white coffee filter, funnel, a bowl and snow that looks clean. Place the snow in the filer and a bowl under the filter to catch the snow as it melts. Once the snow is done melting show the children the white filter so they can examine what was in what they thought was clean snow, and then relate it to the importance of filtering emergency water. All the materials needed for this activity can be found around the average household making it free or really cheap.
The last concept you can teach through free or inexpensive materials is electrostatic energy. For this activity you will need a balloon, paper, salt and pepper. To begin the activity have students rub the inflated balloon over their head several times. After this place the balloon close to the salt and pepper. The positive charge should attract to the pepper. Once again these are all materials that can be found in the home or purchased for under five dollars.
Website:
http://www.ehow.com/list_7156121_fun-cheap-science-experiments.html
I enjoy reading about how we can cut costs in the classroom. In my clincial placement my teacher is discussing the concept of the water cycle. The school provides an actual plastic water cycle diagram/model. She shared with me that an easy, inexpensive way to demonstrate the water cyle is by filling a zip lock back with water and taping it to a window. The sunlight will heat the water, water turns to water vapor, once it cools the water vapor turns to rain. I thought it was a great idea! It's good to keep in mind if I ever need to teach the water cycle!
ReplyDeleteTeachers need any way possible to save! Thank you for these great ideas. I always think about activities that are going to break the bank, when really it ends up being the ones that are the least costly that are the most beneficial.
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