Sometimes, labs and textbooks are not the best means to help your child learn science. These 3 fun outdoor science games for kids make the subject easy and fun. Happy exploring!
1. Nose workout
Follow your nose and give it a serious workout with this cool science game for kids.
You will need:
· Paper
· Pen
· Nose (preferably your own)
Instructions:
· Go for an early morning stroll this weekend. Notice the cool crisp air that smells so fresh?
· Find an orchard or park and walk through. How would you describe the smells?
· Go to the local bakery and inhale the various smells. What kind of smells are these?
· Describe the smells you encounter when you enter the subway, a restaurant and your school.
· What does your house smell like? Describe its smell and compare it to someone else’s.
· Go to a perfume counter of any big store and try some of their sample perfumes. Can you determine the predominant smell of each perfume?
· What does your local burger joint smell like?
· Now that you’ve given your nose a healthy workout, jot down your discoveries in a notebook.
2. Backyard stargazing
Introduce your child to the marvels of the universe with this backyard science game for kids.
You will need:
· Binoculars
· Lawn chairs
· Blankets (if necessary)
Instructions:
· Place the chairs in your backyard and have everyone gaze at the sky.
· Ask your child to try and spot familiar landmarks like the moon and some well-known constellations.
· Explain the difference between stars and planets and see if he can identify whether a heavenly body is a star or a planet.
· How many constellations can he identify by name? What are their characteristics? Do they appear the same in all seasons?
· Can he find the brightest star in the sky? How many stars can he count? Are they really stars or something else?
· Does he know which days of the week are named after heavenly objects?
· Can he tell the time by the position of the stars?
· When you come indoors, check out the large number of astronomy websites on the Internet.
3. River treasures
Discover all the treasures that float down a river with this interesting science game for kids.
You will need:
· Wire coat hanger
· Duct tape
· Mesh or screen
Instructions:
· Bend the hanger into a circular shape.
· Bend the screen or mesh around the hanger.
· Lock the screen or mesh into place with the duct tape.
· Go to a nearby stream or river, place the hanger into it and hold steady for a few minutes.
· Take out and see what you caught. It could be seeds or parts of plants or even fish or other water dwelling creature such as insects and minnows.
· If it’s a living creature, make sure you put it back into the river right away or it’ll die.
1. Nose workout
Follow your nose and give it a serious workout with this cool science game for kids.
You will need:
· Paper
· Pen
· Nose (preferably your own)
Instructions:
· Go for an early morning stroll this weekend. Notice the cool crisp air that smells so fresh?
· Find an orchard or park and walk through. How would you describe the smells?
· Go to the local bakery and inhale the various smells. What kind of smells are these?
· Describe the smells you encounter when you enter the subway, a restaurant and your school.
· What does your house smell like? Describe its smell and compare it to someone else’s.
· Go to a perfume counter of any big store and try some of their sample perfumes. Can you determine the predominant smell of each perfume?
· What does your local burger joint smell like?
· Now that you’ve given your nose a healthy workout, jot down your discoveries in a notebook.
2. Backyard stargazing
Introduce your child to the marvels of the universe with this backyard science game for kids.
You will need:
· Binoculars
· Lawn chairs
· Blankets (if necessary)
Instructions:
· Place the chairs in your backyard and have everyone gaze at the sky.
· Ask your child to try and spot familiar landmarks like the moon and some well-known constellations.
· Explain the difference between stars and planets and see if he can identify whether a heavenly body is a star or a planet.
· How many constellations can he identify by name? What are their characteristics? Do they appear the same in all seasons?
· Can he find the brightest star in the sky? How many stars can he count? Are they really stars or something else?
· Does he know which days of the week are named after heavenly objects?
· Can he tell the time by the position of the stars?
· When you come indoors, check out the large number of astronomy websites on the Internet.
3. River treasures
Discover all the treasures that float down a river with this interesting science game for kids.
You will need:
· Wire coat hanger
· Duct tape
· Mesh or screen
Instructions:
· Bend the hanger into a circular shape.
· Bend the screen or mesh around the hanger.
· Lock the screen or mesh into place with the duct tape.
· Go to a nearby stream or river, place the hanger into it and hold steady for a few minutes.
· Take out and see what you caught. It could be seeds or parts of plants or even fish or other water dwelling creature such as insects and minnows.
· If it’s a living creature, make sure you put it back into the river right away or it’ll die.