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Tagged with 'Science'

DIY Space Sensory Bin!
It’s simple to make your own space sensory bin using dried black beans and a few items you probably already have in your home or classroom.
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Coding Critters: Sequencing Lesson Plan 

Discover the possibilities the Coding Critters brings to your early coding curriculum.  Aligned to CSTA standards, these printable classroom activities from STEM.org will help your little learners discover coding without any screens or apps. Just power on the Coding Critters, and you’re ready to go!

Click here to download your STEM.org classroom Sequencing lesson plan

This lesson plan uses Coding Critters to teaching algorithmic thinking and how to develop a sequence of steps to create and test automated solutions.

 

Click Here to learn more about Coding Critters

Click here to shop for Coding Critters on Amazon

Coding Critters: Sequencing Lesson Plan 

Discover the possibilities the Coding Critters brings to your early coding curriculum.  Aligned to CSTA standards, these printable classroom activities from STEM.org will help your little learners discover coding without any screens or apps. Just power on the Coding Critters, and you’re ready to go!

Click here to download your STEM.org classroom Sequencing lesson plan

This lesson plan uses Coding Critters to teaching algorithmic thinking and how to develop a sequence of steps to create and test automated solutions.

 

Click Here to learn more about Coding Critters

Click here to shop for Coding Critters on Amazon

READ MORE

Day In the Life with The Rancics!

Everyday is Different 

Like many families, there’s almost no such thing as a “typical” day in our house. Thanks to the nature of our work, we split our time between Chicago and Los Angeles, where red carpet season is often a whirlwind of wardrobe fittings, hair and makeup sessions, and long rehearsals. No matter where we are or what we’re doing, we love to have some routines to keep us centered and refreshed on even the most hectic days. For us, that can mean something as simple as taking a walk. Whether we’re taking a family stroll through our neighborhood in Chicago or planning a hike in some of Los Angeles’s beautiful nearby wilderness, I find that taking a few of these short 30-minute breaks each week helps me reset my brain and reconnect with the world.
Although we’re used to traveling for work, we also enjoy traveling for fun and adventure, most recently to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and my hometown of Naples, Italy. For us, there’s no better way to refresh your creativity and broaden your understanding than wandering through a place you’ve never been.
That love of exploring the world also extends to the movies and TV shows that Bill and I watch at home. In the evenings, we’ll often check out some of the latest documentaries, which help us stay engaged and entertain at the same time. A recent documentary we really enjoyed was Free Solo about the captivating journey of Alex Honnold during his free solo climb of El Capitan. As we watch and discuss these shows, we’re not just learning new things ourselves; we’re also setting an example for Duke about how adults feed their love of learning even when they’re not in school.

Love of Learning

Of course, Duke has his own daily routines. As we wrote in our last blog, Duke’s love of learning takes him everywhere from STEM school to the Museum of Science + Industry. From learning new skills in coding class to tinkering with machines to see how they work, Duke loves figuring out the hows and whys of the world around him. Of course, that also includes plenty of play time, whether that’s a trip to basketball practice or an afternoon spent doing experiments with the Beaker Creatures.Most of all, we love the idea that, no matter how busy the day or how packed the schedule, we can always find simple ways to learn a little something new every day.
Day in the Life 
Save it for later!
Day In the Life with The Rancics 
Day In the Life with The Rancics!

Everyday is Different 

Like many families, there’s almost no such thing as a “typical” day in our house. Thanks to the nature of our work, we split our time between Chicago and Los Angeles, where red carpet season is often a whirlwind of wardrobe fittings, hair and makeup sessions, and long rehearsals. No matter where we are or what we’re doing, we love to have some routines to keep us centered and refreshed on even the most hectic days. For us, that can mean something as simple as taking a walk. Whether we’re taking a family stroll through our neighborhood in Chicago or planning a hike in some of Los Angeles’s beautiful nearby wilderness, I find that taking a few of these short 30-minute breaks each week helps me reset my brain and reconnect with the world.
Although we’re used to traveling for work, we also enjoy traveling for fun and adventure, most recently to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and my hometown of Naples, Italy. For us, there’s no better way to refresh your creativity and broaden your understanding than wandering through a place you’ve never been.
That love of exploring the world also extends to the movies and TV shows that Bill and I watch at home. In the evenings, we’ll often check out some of the latest documentaries, which help us stay engaged and entertain at the same time. A recent documentary we really enjoyed was Free Solo about the captivating journey of Alex Honnold during his free solo climb of El Capitan. As we watch and discuss these shows, we’re not just learning new things ourselves; we’re also setting an example for Duke about how adults feed their love of learning even when they’re not in school.

Love of Learning

Of course, Duke has his own daily routines. As we wrote in our last blog, Duke’s love of learning takes him everywhere from STEM school to the Museum of Science + Industry. From learning new skills in coding class to tinkering with machines to see how they work, Duke loves figuring out the hows and whys of the world around him. Of course, that also includes plenty of play time, whether that’s a trip to basketball practice or an afternoon spent doing experiments with the Beaker Creatures.Most of all, we love the idea that, no matter how busy the day or how packed the schedule, we can always find simple ways to learn a little something new every day.
Day in the Life 
Save it for later!
Day In the Life with The Rancics 
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DIY Crawling Rainbow!

All kids love experiments!! They are captivated by the unknown and in awe of the results. The crawling rainbow experiment is a sure crowd pleaser for all age levels! It simulates how secondary colors are created from primary colors. What a gorgeous color wheel it creates!

The beauty of this experiment is that it requires little prep and simple supplies, and leaves little to no mess! So if you’re working with little ones, you can rest easy.DIY Crawling Rainbows

Supplies

- 5 or 6 clear plastic cups or mason jars

-Water

- Paper towels cut into strips

- Food color drops or gel dye

DIY Crawling Rainbows

Experiment Time

Getting started, it might be a good idea to begin with asking the kiddos predictions of what they think might happen and why. I’m always so amazed with their background knowledge with the phenomena in the world around us. After the discussion, prepare three cups with water filled three-quarters of the way full. Add as much or as little of the primary color food coloring as desired (red, yellow, blue). I believe adding more color will produce better results.

DIY Crawling Rainbows

Next, prepare two cups with water and assemble them as seen in the picture above. You will notice the osmosis occurring instantly! The colors will slowly begin to“crawl”and form the secondary colors.

DIY Crawling Rainbows

Be aware that you’ll need to let the cups set for some time (a few hours) for final results, however, check back in to see the color changes happening periodically. If the kiddos play with the water in the cup, the color will begin to transfer more quickly. Some of my favorite pictures of the experiment happened during the color transfer. It’s incredible to seethe two pigments coming together. After having finished the experiment, I wish I had added a sixth cup to watch purple form. I think you should definitely give it a try!

DIY Crawling RainbowsDIY Crawling RainbowsDIY Crawling RainbowsDIY Crawling Rainbow

If you’re looking to extend this experiment, you can pair it with the incredible book, MIXED. It’s “A Colorful Story” about how lucky we are to live in a world full of different colors. It begins with red, yellow and blue and ends with endless colors!

DIY Crawling Rainbows 

Final Product

Enjoy this highly engaging experiment as the excitement unfolds before your very eyes!

DIY Crawling Rainbows

Save it for later!

DIY Crawling Rainbows  

DIY Crawling Rainbow!

All kids love experiments!! They are captivated by the unknown and in awe of the results. The crawling rainbow experiment is a sure crowd pleaser for all age levels! It simulates how secondary colors are created from primary colors. What a gorgeous color wheel it creates!

The beauty of this experiment is that it requires little prep and simple supplies, and leaves little to no mess! So if you’re working with little ones, you can rest easy.DIY Crawling Rainbows

Supplies

- 5 or 6 clear plastic cups or mason jars

-Water

- Paper towels cut into strips

- Food color drops or gel dye

DIY Crawling Rainbows

Experiment Time

Getting started, it might be a good idea to begin with asking the kiddos predictions of what they think might happen and why. I’m always so amazed with their background knowledge with the phenomena in the world around us. After the discussion, prepare three cups with water filled three-quarters of the way full. Add as much or as little of the primary color food coloring as desired (red, yellow, blue). I believe adding more color will produce better results.

DIY Crawling Rainbows

Next, prepare two cups with water and assemble them as seen in the picture above. You will notice the osmosis occurring instantly! The colors will slowly begin to“crawl”and form the secondary colors.

DIY Crawling Rainbows

Be aware that you’ll need to let the cups set for some time (a few hours) for final results, however, check back in to see the color changes happening periodically. If the kiddos play with the water in the cup, the color will begin to transfer more quickly. Some of my favorite pictures of the experiment happened during the color transfer. It’s incredible to seethe two pigments coming together. After having finished the experiment, I wish I had added a sixth cup to watch purple form. I think you should definitely give it a try!

DIY Crawling RainbowsDIY Crawling RainbowsDIY Crawling RainbowsDIY Crawling Rainbow

If you’re looking to extend this experiment, you can pair it with the incredible book, MIXED. It’s “A Colorful Story” about how lucky we are to live in a world full of different colors. It begins with red, yellow and blue and ends with endless colors!

DIY Crawling Rainbows 

Final Product

Enjoy this highly engaging experiment as the excitement unfolds before your very eyes!

DIY Crawling Rainbows

Save it for later!

DIY Crawling Rainbows  

READ MORE

DIY Overnight Crystals Craft!

Are you hosting a sleepover? Pack your child’s overnighter with a fun science craft! Here’s a fun and safe way to grow rock crystals during the night when your child and their buddies catch some ZZZ’s.

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DIY Overnight Crystals Craft!

Are you hosting a sleepover? Pack your child’s overnighter with a fun science craft! Here’s a fun and safe way to grow rock crystals during the night when your child and their buddies catch some ZZZ’s.

READ MORE
DIY Unpoppable Bubbles Experiment!
This warmer weather brings out everyone’s favorite pastimes: Bubbles!
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