this has been the best website for any and all preschool science projects. have fun!

With the leaves –

Put paper over the leaf and the kids can rub a fat crayon over it. This will make a really cool design of the leaf on the paper. You can then explain the different parts of the leaf and what the parts are for. (The veins carry the chlorophyll, etc.) Our kids also enjoyed a “leaf hunt.” Learn about the trees in your area and what kind of leaf they make. Then have the children go out and find leaves (just give them a bag and stay together as a group). Tell the children what kind of tree it comes from.

We got a wine glass and taught the children how to make the ringing sound with it. Not all the children could do it, but it was interesting to see who could and who could not. Be sure you have extra wine glasses for when they break 🙂

Grass Growing: (Sorry for another group activity…it’s just coming to mind) We’d get small plastic containers for the children. The put their soil in and planted the seeds. We left the containers on a well lit table and watered then every day. The kids, of course, got to bring home their own thing of grass. This went well with explaining the plant life cycle. (Same idea of Lima Beans in a bag with a wet paper towel)

Good butterfly life cycle lesson that can be adapted to an individual activity:

http://www.atozteacherstuff.com/pages/276.shtml

Also curious…are you in a Montessori school? A lot of those science activities you mentioned are part of the normal Montessori Science curriculum for this age group.

Matt

What we did in my class was hang up a white sheet. Then set up a light projector on the other side of the room. Pull all the curtains in the windows, turn on the projector and turn off the lights and let the children make shadows. Show them how the sizes change when the get closer of farther back. You can then stand a few children up and ask which one is tallest or shortest. You can also do a flashlight day. With the room dark and flashlights on you can show the children how the light changes around the room, by refracting it off objects and whirling it in the air. You can show them how to make funny faces by putting it up to their face. A table activity that is fun is putting objects on the table that are heavy and light. Ask each child to guess which one they can blow off the table. Have several things like a book, piece of paper, cotton ball, feather, ball, cup, rubber band, you get the idea. Ask them to look for other things in the room they think they can blow off the table. Have them get it and place it on the table. You will be surprised at what they get. Have fun!

you dont say which age group you are working with and that can make a difference, but here goes nothing

ck with your local museums they sometimes lend items to local school teachers for exhibit in their classrooms–animals, plants, etc

take the children on a nature walk and have them collect items to add to the science table

make up a simple recipe (trail mix, pbj sandwiches, juice) and have them follow the directions and eat then clean up….

use your sink/float table but use leaves, shells, sand or other materials and then hide animals, shells, or other nature items(non breakable) for a hide and seek(even make a prehistoric dig site–and hide minature dinosaurs–one of my personal favorites)

try making some smell bottles and use picture cards to help match the smells to what they are

build a habitat or environment and have the children add pieces each day (i have tried the following …a forest–using a tree to start then we added insects, and other animals–made at the art table—and plants////and a seashore…..we painted a background using actual sand mixed in the paint and then made shells, starfish, seahorses, and other animals to create the habitat) and the children loved to show their parents what was added each day

also try some other senses…tasting fruits……touch use various materials, animal fur(faux is best here), sound(using film canisters or other small containers add items–bells, seeds, beans–seal the lids and make a second set to match with)

use some old textbooks to find other ideas or ck out some books from the library for more help

I’ll definitely suggest a topic from Living and non-living things. !st it is fun for children. 2nd children can learn about that. and so…Experiments should be work out on living and non-living things. But one thing I loved when I am preschool is trivia and experiments.I remember my teacher give a little star sticker every time I answered a correct trivia question and for the small experiments I could bring back home… I have plant a small bean and took it home you know, now its so tall already…

Have them make fans by folding paper to have a summer cool-off.

Hard boil some eggs and let them paint faces on them and take care of them.

Blow up some balloons and rub them on cloth to show how static works. Let the kids stick them on the wall to see how long they stay there.

Teach them an easy computer game.

I read the book Muddigush, and I put mud in the water table. The kids had a blast!