Science Activities With Night & Day for Kindergarten
Kindergarten children understand on a fundamental level that the day turns into night and the moon replaces the sun. Science activities in kindergarten can build on this basic knowledge to explore the natural world and why the sun rises while the moon sinks beneath the horizon. Kindergarten children also can understand the basics of sun warmth and moon illumination.
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Goodnight Moon
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Read students a copy of "Goodnight Moon" by Margaret Wise Brown. After the book is read aloud, students will be allowed to talk about the moon. Ask leading questions, such as "When do we see the moon?" "When does the moon disappear?" "What replaces the moon in the sky?" The words "night," "day," "moon" and "sun" should come up in the conversation.
Creating a Chart
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Give the children premade charts divided into four quarters with a different activity displayed in each of the four sections. Students will determine if each activity is completed during the night or the day and demonstrate the answer according to ability. The children either will write or copy the words "night" on the sections of the chart representing nighttime activities, or "day" on the sections representing daytime activities. If students are not able to copy, small pictures of the sun and moon can be used to represent night and day.
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Charades
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Arrange students into a group and tell the group it is night or it is day. Assign one child to mime an activity normally done during the time assigned to the group. The rest of the group will guess the activity. A variant of this activity is to ask a student to mime any activity he wishes, then ask the group to guess the activity and the time of day in which it may occur.
Paint the Sun and Create the Moon
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Introduce yellow paint to the children and allow every student to paint a version of the sun. After the sun is dry, give each student a flashlight and turn out the lights. Allow the children to imitate the moon with the flashlights on the ceiling. Talk about how both the sun and the moon give the Earth light. Ask the children how the sun and the moon benefit the Earth in different and similar manners.
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References
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