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Colorful Carnations

Lesson plan developed by Ms. Erika Geelhoed, BA Ed
Activity:  
Colorful Carnations
Age Group:
Preschool
Colorful Carnations
Colorful Carnations
* Lesson plan objective and assessment can be adapted to use this activity with school-age children.
Objectives:  
  • Student will use problem-solving skills to express how flowers absorb water 
CDA Competency Standard:   
 II.5.2a
  • Materials and equipment stimulate children’s thinking and problem-solving
a) Materials and equipment provide a variety of opportunities for cognitive development
Materials: 
  • White carnations
  • empty bottles (one for each color)
  • food coloring
  • water
  • paper
  • pencil/crayons
Procedure: 
Fill bottles with water (not quite to the top). Add a few drops of food coloring. Put the stem of the carnation in the colored water. Repeat this for all the colors you desire. Display bottles for students to observe. Set up paper, pencils/crayons, and magnifying glasses around bottles to encourage students to write/draw what they are seeing (these pages can be saved to make a book with later). As the days go on and the flowers show more colors in their petals, meet with students and talk about what is happening. 

Ask them questions such as:
  • How do you think the petals are changing colors? 
  • What part of the flower is helping them do that? 
  • What can you notice about how much water is in the bottles? Where is it going? 
Assessment: 
  • Student will explain how flowers absorb water using key vocabulary terms (stem, petals, leaves, etc). 
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Encouraging Natural Curiosity

As a preschool educator, you can expand kids’ science learning and lead them toward discovery by encouraging their natural curiosity; noticing what they are doing during play with water, shadow, or sand; and asking the right questions. 

You can get involved by asking children openended questions: “Tell me what you are working on now.” “What do you notice about how it’s moving?” “What else have you seen other kids try?” Writing down their thoughts and ideas is a good way to document their growth in STEM curriculum to share with their parents.
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