Science can happen anywhere! For caregivers with infants and toddlers you learn quickly to grab any chance you have to help your child explore and learn about the world. In fact, if you look closely at your day you’ll find that you already help facilitate a thousand wonderful moments of learning..you just might not realize it yet!
In our house, some of our best science moments have happened in the bathtub! I wrote about our experience for the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Hopefully it will reaffirm the awesome job you are already doing AND help inspire you to continue embracing the learning moments that you already have in your day.
There is a reason that the story of Archimedes shouting “Eureka” in the bathtub persists. Baths are a great time for thinking and an excellent place for scientific investigation. At our house, my 1-year-old son’s baths are one of his favorite times to explore and one of my favorite times to support his learning. There is so much to explore and learn with very little equipment, and clean up couldn’t be easier!
These same explorations could happen in a pool, bucket, or any body of water with very little adjustment. This gives the opportunity for children to explore together. Just make sure to keep safety in the forefront. NEVER leave a child alone during water play…even for a minute. I can’t stress that enough. Make sure that any toys or containers dry out completely between uses, and sanitize toys if multiple children will use them. Be sure to monitor toys for mold and replace them when needed. More complete water safety tips can be found through the Red Cross.
When I think about it, during the course of my son’s bath last night we touched on physics, marine biology, anatomy and acoustics, and he was squeaky clean by the end of it…continue reading
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