Teaching science to preschoolers requires hands-on play based learning activities. Water is an ideal medium to use for a variety of preschool science themes. The concepts of how water changes form, expands, turns to vapor, heats air are at the fingertips of your students to discover.

The Shape of Water

Ask your students what shape water is. Once they have tried to describe it, start your discussion showing them that the water takes on the shape of the container it is in. Use your water table for this (or if weather permits in a wading pool outside) science activity. Provide containers of all sizes and shapes for them to fill and measure. Next have them fill a rubber glove and see the hand shape. Let them squeeze the glove, squish it.

Start a discussion on what will happen if you seal the glove and place it in the freezer. Will the glove still be soft and squishy or different? Put it in the freezer to examine the next day.

This will lead to another experiment to determine how to get the ice out of the glove. Once you have taken the glove off the ice, place it in the water table to watch it melt back to its original state.

Ice Magic

Suspend ice cubes in the water table. Give each child a piece of string and tell them to lay it across the ice and try to pick up the ice with the string. They won't be able to do this. Tell them to lay the piece of string on the ice again and have them sprinkle a pinch of salt over the string. Count to 10 and lift the string. Like magic...it sticks. Have fun watching their expressions. They will enjoy doing this time and time again.

Steam and Hot Air

Teaching about steam requires careful supervision and helper or volunteer to assist.

Use a hotplate, or electric teakettle, and bring some water to a boil. I prefer to use a pan and hotplate so that the children can see more easily. I do this in a circle time setting so that I can keep control of the situation.

Show the children the boiling water and ask them what the steam is. Some of your children may call it smoke. Point out what is it and that the steam goes up into the air. Use this to also talk about how hot air rises. Then proceed to the following activity.

Bottle Balloon

Show your students an empty bottle and ask them if anything is in the bottle. Someone may say that air is in the bottle; if not, you will have to ask if they think air is in it.

Next take a balloon and place it over the top of the bottle and ask if we can blow it up while it is on the bottle. You may get suggestions to take it off the bottle and blow it up, squeeze the bottle (If it is a soft plastic one), or a lot of "I don't think so" replies.

To illustrate our concept of hot air rising from the previous activity place the bottle the pan with some boiling water. Slowly the air in the bottle warms up and fills the balloon making it stand up straight. Your students will be amazed and can't wait to tell their parents about this trick.

If time permits place the bottle into cold water and as the air cools the balloon will shrink again. This can be repeated a few times until the hot water gets a bit too cool to warm up the air sufficiently.

Hands on learning is the most creative and effective way to teach your preschoolers about the world around them. These preschool science themes are just a few of the ways we can encourage them to observe and explore everything. Their curiosity knows no limits when allowed to try, to experiment, to make mistakes and to figure out how to correct them.

Mary Robinson has been teaching preschool for well over a decade. You can get instant access to her preschool activities, crafts, and lesson plans by visiting her website:

http://www.mypreschoolplan.com

For a limited time, all visitors to Mary's site will also get a free copy of her special report: "The 7 Biggest Mistakes Preschool Teachers and Parents Make". Go get your free copy today!