Children share and learn from one another at Head Start’s annual science fair.
Children ages 3 to 4 at NVFS’ Head Start Center excitedly presented science projects to their peers, teachers and volunteers at the center’s annual science fair. Twelve classrooms participated, with projects ranging from an erupting volcano to color mixtures to sinking or floating objects.
Food coloring was by far a favorite ingredient in many projects, and added visual effects to everything from celery to flowers to slime.
“We used 16 cups!” young Isabella shared with a volunteer judge about her class’s celery project, in which each child soaked a stalk in either red, green or blue food coloring and watched the leaves turn into the color of the respective dye.
“What did you think about the project?” the volunteer asked.
“The celery is crunchy,” Isabella responded, noting that the kids got to try their dyed snacks.
Volunteers from CapTech helped lead a balloon experiment, in which children placed vinegar in a beaker and then filled a balloon with baking soda. The teachers then helped the students place the balloon on the beaker, and the children eagerly watched as the balloon inflated with the gas emitted from the mixture below.
Children also learned how sound can travel with a string telephone experiment and tested the weight of different objects by placing them on a scale. Active exploration is a key component to introducing young children to STEM, as hands-on experience and play provide kids an opportunity to inquire about everyday situations, develop new interests and test their ideas. We use these tools to help prepare Head Start students for success in kindergarten and beyond.
Thank you to all of our teachers and volunteers for making this such a fun and educational event for our Head Start children!
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