Integrating Science and Math into Toddler Play

Integrating Science and Math into Toddler Play

WRITTEN BY SARAH SNIDER

As older children head off to school and you find yourself at home with the younger kiddos, here are a few tried-and-true activities, which are not only fun but also incorporate science and math into play.

Shape Scavenger Hunt

In this activity, you and your toddler will explore the shapes of everyday objects found in your house. Sorting through a variety of shapes, your toddler will learn shape recognition, meeting early learning standards in mathematics.

Materials: » Paper (plain, whatever is on-hand) » Pencil (or other writing utensil) » Household items in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors

Directions: 1. To prepare for this shape scavenger hunt, take a quick inventory of the items around your house. Notice the shape of items within eye-level and reach of your toddler. What common shapes do you see? Squares? Circles? Rectangles? Triangles? 2. Ensure there are items that are easily accessible for your toddler to move, lift and sort. Items that do not break easily work best for this type of activity. 3. Label pieces of paper with a shape’s name and a drawing of the shape. 4. Once all of the preparation is done, read the shape’s name and show the shape (on the paper) to your toddler. Explain that the two of you will be searching for items around the house with the same shape. When you find an item with the same shape, you will add it to a pile. These steps can be repeated as many times, with as many different shapes as you would like.

Slime Time (MSC’s slime recipe)

Practice measuring skills and follow a scientific recipe with this sensory-based slime recipe. *WARNING! Kids love slime, parents loathe it. Leaving a child alone with slime is pretty much always a terrible idea and sure to end in the complete destruction of something in your home. Montana Parent suggestion: Store slime where children cannot reach it without an adult’s assistance.

Materials: » Water » Glue » Borax » Measuring spoon » Measuring cup » Bowl » Spoon » Optional: food coloring

Directions: 1. Pour equal parts glue and water into a bowl and mix well using a spoon. 2. If you wish to add color to your slime, add a few drops of food coloring until the desired hue is reached, and mix well. 3. To prepare the Borax mixture, dissolve 1 teaspoon of Borax per 1 cup of warm water. You can make more solutions, too, depending on the size of your slime batch. 4. Once the Borax solution has cooled, pour an equal part of the Borax mixture into the bowl with the glue, water and food coloring. At this point, you should be able to see the slime mixture forming. 5. Store in an airtight container or airtight bag.