Spring is a fun time to try new activities with young children. The new life and growth of flowers makes this a wonderful time to look at biology and science with young children. To help you and the children in your care find new ways to explore and investigate the changes of Spring, we are sharing some fun STEM-oriented options to try with young children. These each require only a few budget-friendly materials that you might already have on hand!
For this project, you will need…
Paper Towels
Water
Seeds (pea and bean seeds grow quickly)
Large jar
This seed jar is an easy-to-set-up science activity that you can do inside. Seeds are grown in a mason jar using a damp paper towel so that kids can observe the growth of the plant. This science experiment is fun for multiple ages and developmental levels. Older kids can use journals to take notes about how the seeds are growing while younger kids can draw pictures of what they see or simply spend some time observing and conversing about the changes.
Children of all ages will get an opportunity to learn about basic concepts in science and biology, as they observe seeds growing. Click here for the full instructions for this activity from Little Seeds, Little Hands.
For this project, you will need…
Three clear cups labeled “stems” leaves” and “petals”
Parts of flowers
Work tray
This activity is quick to set up (older children can even help with cutting the flowers to practice their scissor skills) and easy for preschoolers to explore. All you will need to do is set out separated flowers and flower parts alongside some clear cups for children to sort the parts into. For children who are still learning to read, you’ll want to help them get started by placing a few examples in the cups to demonstrate.
This activity helps children practice an important foundational math skill: sorting! Sorting helps children classify items, recognize and create patterns, and compare for similarities and differences, all of which will help children prepare for math success as they get older! Click here for more detailed instructions for this activity from Play, Teach, Repeat.
For this project, you will need…
Shaving cream
Clear jar
Water
Container of water dyed blue with food coloring (so it will be seen when it falls through the rain cloud)
Pipette
The spring weather means a lot more rain, and children often are curious about where rain comes from and how it falls from the clouds. To explore some of these concepts on a smaller scale, this “rain cloud in a jar” becomes an easy and informative science experiment.
This experiment gives children a chance to think about rain clouds and how the rain falls from the sky. Click here for more detailed information about how to set up this experiment, including a closer look at rain clouds that can be easily shared with young children.
