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Frozen Jell-O Excavation

Lesson plan developed by Aurora Tollestrup, BS Ed
Activity:  
Frozen Jell-O Excavation
Age Group:
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Jell-O Excavation
Objectives:  
  • Children will excavate a small dinosaur from frozen
  • ​Jell-O to develop problem solving skills ​
CDA Competency Standard:
II.5.2a
  • Activities and equipment stimulate children’s thinking and problem-solving.
a) Activities and equipment provide a variety of opportunities for cognitive development
Materials: 
  • Clean, clear plastic jar or bottle
  • Shaving cream
  • A few marbles
  • Colored water in two shades
Procedure: 
  1. Prepare the materials a day or two ahead of time by preparing the Jell-O as stated on the box and pouring into the small plastic bowl. Place the small animal in the bowl of Jell-O and freeze at least overnight.
  2. Unmold the frozen Jell-O from the bowl and place it on a shallow cookie sheet or tray along with the spoon, paint brush and a bowl of warm water. Invite the toddler to excavate the dinosaur from the frozen Jell-O.
Assessment: 
  • Did the toddler try the different tools when another wasn’t working so well? Did they persevere through the challenges of this activity?
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Science for Toddlers

Toddlers are masters of exploring their environment and discovering boundaries. They will build upon their existing knowledge in order to discover new ways to do old things. This is the very essence of science, in that toddlers are using information that they have or can easily obtain and combining it with new experiments and ideas.

​Like infants, toddlers experience simple science in spatial awareness, sensory, object permanence and cause and effect, but are also introducing the concept of symbolic thinking and action. During the toddler years, this may look like the following:
Spatial awareness
18 month old Jude is putting wooden blocks into a box and dumping them out onto the floor only to put them back into the box.​

Sensory experience​
Two-year-old Alexia is smelling each food on her plate at mealtime before she takes a bite.
​
Object permanence
​20 month old Homar is upset when his teacher takes the toy that he had and puts it behind her back. He knows that it is behind her back and not gone altogether and he wants it back.

Cause and effect​
14 month old Anika pushes two different keys on the keyboard repeatedly because she knows that they make different sounds. 
​
Symbolic thinking and action​ 
​2 and a half year old, Shasta is using a play shopping cart as a baby stroller while playing with a baby doll. 
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