CURRICULUM AND LEARNING DEVELOPMENT * 5 HOURS *
PROGRAM PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT * 5 HOURS * LEVEL 2 Playdough in the Classroom |
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Playdough is inherently scientific!
Like math, scientific concepts can often be challenging for teachers to incorporate. Little do they know, however, that playdough is inherently scientific! Anytime a child is exploring, testing, theorizing or using their senses they are participating in a scientific lesson. Playdough brings out all of these things in children’s play.
When a child squishes two colors of playdough together to create a swirly lump of mixed colors they are hypothesizing and experimenting. Whether the child knows what will happen or not doesn’t really matter. They are creating a hypothesis, conducting an experiment and analyzing their data. Science truly is child’s play.
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Another incredible option for scientific playdough play is to include children in making playdough. Many recipes for slimes and gaks include the use of ingredients such as school glue and liquid starch. Older children can measure and mix these materials to change the molecular properties of the common polymer which is glue. The addition of liquid starch makes the molecules of the polymer longer which thickens the glue and makes it stretchy and slimy. This is a simple scientific experiment that allows children to get a hands on experience with molecular changes.
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Another scientific concept tied to playdough type materials is in the study of non-Newtonian fluids. Oobleck, or the combination of cornstarch and water, is a common material used for exploring the properties of non-Newtonian fluids. These fluids are both a solid and a liquid. Oobleck can be picked up like a solid and also flows like a liquid. It is a fascinating and fun material for children of all ages to explore. Young children love the feel and the mess of the ooblek as do older children. Any slime, gak, flubber, or mud that can be both a solid and a liquid is a non-Newtonian fluid.
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