By Annabel Adams
As school hasn’t returned back to normal yet, the engaging activities that are provided are extra ideas for you. If you are looking for some fun and different ways to spend time with your children, try these out!
Invention challenge: Use the materials below to create an invention that will propel a ping-pong ball a distance of 1 metre.
Materials: 1 peg, 1 balloon, 1 straw, 1 rubber band, a ping-pong ball and 1 icy-pole stick.
Set the challenge with your child. Students are to use these materials and build something that can propel a ping-pong ball 1 metre. State that there is a 20-minute time limit. Test the prototype using a ruler and see if they could invent what the challenge said. Write a reflection on whether their invention worked or didn’t work and why.
Using senses: Hide an object in a container and have your child guess what is hidden by asking yes/no questions. They can use their senses to help them. By doing this, the child becomes curious and wants to investigate what has been hidden.
Another activity, blind fold your child and give them a different object. Have them use their senses to guess what it is. It is key that they ask closed questions to figure it out. This activity is great for them to acknowledge the importance of our senses and why we rely on them so much. By doing this activity, it is also prompting them to question and identify what open and closed questioning is. You could always switch and have a turn yourself. Have your child pick an object and you use your senses to guess.
(This activity was prepared from the Habits of Mind Institute).
Outdoor Investigation: Kids love to investigate and ask questions about new learnings. Create a ‘wonder wagon’ where your kids can pack their wagon (can also be a backpack or bag) with some binoculars, a magnifying glass, notepads and pencils (even some snacks if they would like). They can investigate their backyards by looking for insects, bugs or even birds. They sketch and label these as well as locate where they found them in the backyard. It’s important to give time for kids to wonder about our world and investigate living and nonliving things that take place. This activity could inspire them to conduct research on computers and write a report about living and nonliving things.
