Ms. Amy's Blog @Child Central Station

  Eruptions are always a hit around here, so with the warmer weather we decided to spend some time melting some snow with our colorful snow volcanoes! First, we gathered some snow to created our volcanoes. Then while the children chose their squeeze bottle, I sprinkled baking soda on the snow...... The squeeze bottles were filled with vinegar, water, and a couple drops of food coloring.  The perfect combination of erupting fizz!!! (You can also add a bit of dish soap for a bubbly fizz). After the children melted their volcanoes, they decided to just add color to the bin of snow: Although the parking pad has melted, our yard is still full of piles of snow and we are expected to see more snow fall this weekend.  We sure did enjoy the thaw and the sunshine today though! If you enjoyed these eruptions, you might also enjoy some of our other explorations with vinegar and baking soda: Preschool Chemistry Giant Volcano More Than Just Volcanoes Blowing the Cork Have you been playing outsid...

I've been having a fantastic time meeting early childhood educators and professionals all over the U.P. of Michigan! One of my most popular training sessions this summer has been "It's Not Rocket Science, but Sometimes It Feels Like It!" We have been working to break down the fear barrier that is sometimes associated with science, and to build confidence in scientific exploration.  One of the great things about this training is that participants walk away with this great kit from Learning Resources: (courtesy of the Great Start Regional Child Care Resource Center) As much as I am loving presenting, sometimes I think that some of the children enrolled in my care could do just as good, if not a better job in teaching this topic!  They have mastered the science kit, and have been having a great time exploring extension activities. We LOVE to play with vinegar and baking soda! One of the fun extension activities with the science kit is to blow the cork off of ...