Commuter Mom: Explosive Learning

My daughter has been interested in science related things recently. I’m sure Curious George and Sid the Science Kid have had something to do with it. But mostly, I think her interest is due to all of the science that they have been doing in her preschool class.

When I dropped her off at school last week I was able to stay for a few minutes and the teacher demonstrated one of the activities so that my daughter could tell me about it. They made a volcano in a jar. Of course, it was a purple volcano because my daughter got to choose the color. Then they told me all about how they made eggs they could bounce. Really. They soaked eggs in vinegar; the acid in the vinegar causes the shells to become soft allowing you to “bounce” them. Of course that is until one of the children drops it on the floor and it breaks.

As I was leaving I read the parent board and saw pictures of their experiment with water displacement. The children counted pennies as they dropped them into a bowl of water until the water overflowed. It took 200 pennies. I’m not sure which part of that activity impresses me more – the fact that they counted to 200 or that they are learning about water displacement.

I can’t wait to find out what I will learn from my 3-year old and her preschool teacher next week.