Flowers and Bees - A Symbiotic Relationship The relationship between bees and flowers is called symbiosis. Symbiosis: A relationship between two organisms in which the organisms benefit from one another. How Bees Benefit Flowers. Bees pollinate flowers, which means they transfer the pollen made by one flower of one plant to the flower of another plant. Bees do not purposely do this. Actually, the bees are trying to collect the pollen to take back to their hives. In the process of going from one flower to another as they collect pollen, some pollen is picked up from one flower and accidentally dropped on another flower. Pollination results in the formation of seeds. In the photo, the bee has pollen covering its whole body. The yellow pollen makes the bee appear to be … [Read more...]
Fun Ways to Teach Kids Ages 4-8 about Weights and Measures
May 20 celebrates the day that the International Bureau of Weights and Measures was established in 1875. Parents can teach kids to notice measurement concepts by trying one or more of the hands-on “around the house” activities listed below. One of the best ways to teach kids about weights and measures is to give children real life experiences involving hands-on practice on a regular basis. Kids won’t be able to say no to scavenger hunt games, cooking ventures and other fun ways to learn measurement concepts. Learning about weights and measures will be more relevant to kids when they experience how measurement relates to their everyday lives. Fun Ways to Teach Kids about Weights and Measures Cooking Activities Using Measurement: Teach kids cooking skills and measurement concepts at … [Read more...]
Weather Charts for Preschoolers
My girls love to talk about the weather, and this time of year seems to have all kinds of weather to observe. Here are some of the weather charts we have made: This paper plate weather chart is perfect for even the littlest weather watcher. We used die-cut shapes and a cotton ball for the cloud. An arrow attached to a clothespin marks the weather each day. You could also attach an arrow with a brad in the middle of the chart. Another fun and easy way to show the daily weather is with a magnet chart. The girls drew pictures for 4 types of weather - sunny, rainy, cloudy, and windy. I scanned them into the computer and added text. I then printed the drawings on magnet paper and gave this a little spot on our fridge. If you don't want to use magnet paper, you could just glue your … [Read more...]
Making Glurch (or Oobleck)
This stuff is so fun, so easy, and so non-messy! If you are stuck inside on a cold winter day, make some of this with your kids for hours of play! We love to make GLURCH or OOBLECK (from Dr. Seuss). RECIPE for GLURCH: In a small bowl mix: 1 cup glue (8 oz. about 2 regular sizes of Elmer's glue) 3/4 cup water In a large bowl mix 1 tsp. "20-mule-team BORAX" (I found this in the cleaning section at Home Depo. I haven't seen it at every store.) 1/2 cup Hot water (I microwaved it for about 1 min.) POUR GLUE MIXTURE over BORAX MIXTURE. Let sit for a minute and gently stir. Pour off any excess water. **If you add food coloring, add it right away and mix in thoroughly for best results. This stuff is great! It sticks to itself, yet it is not sticky. It is a bit slimy, … [Read more...]
