A basic principle of education: always give the concrete before the abstract. In other words, give a new idea to the hand before you give it to the mind. We are generally awesome at this with little kids. Walk into
Volume: Give to the Hand
Homemade Rope-Climbing Toy
Pull the string down, and watch the toy go up! Fun and simple mechanical toy you can build with materials you probably already have in your basement.
Hands-On History: Ancient Technology
The topics we cover in ancient history may seem a bit irrelevant to some (foolish) kids, but when we use hands-on, project-based learning, we give our students a tangible, memorable connection to the material they are learning. Conveniently, most ancient
Test, Observe, Revise: Engineering with a Preschooler
The slow-motion video option on my phone has captured my preschooler’s attention lately, so we are using it to improve our marble track engineering. When we record a run in slow-motion and review it, he can more easily see where
Boundless Energy: Awesome Preschool Science Activity
This week, our marble set has been working overtime. Â We engineered a wall of pipes and tracks to run our marbles down, and we’ve been using it to explore how potential and kinetic energy work. Â We began with a short
All Aboard!
Albert Einstein said, “Play is the highest form of research.” Â This is most true when our children play with toys that allow them to create, experiment, and solve problems. Our three-year-old is enchanted with his wooden train set these days.