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July 11, 2007
Travel Activities in Science
I mentioned in my last blog travel ideas for parents and kids around history/social studies. Now let’s look at science fun. I found all kinds of science events to explore. Try one of these on your next trip.
Weather fun. The trip I just took included sunshine, rain, hail, wind, and snow-all on the same day, some at the same time. I watched storms form in front of me and rain falling but not hitting the ground.
As you travel, ask your child what kinds of weather she’s seeing. What makes the rain happen? Why is it snowing? Where does the wind come from? You can check temperature gages if your car has one to see what the temperature is outside the car. Is the temperature outside the same as inside? What makes the difference? You can tell there are all kinds of questions and discussions to be had around weather.
Rock hound. Everywhere I went in Arizona and Nevada the last few days, there were rock formations. Camelback Mountain in Phoenix has some great history, but even more fun are all the tall tales about the Lost Dutchman’s mine in the Superstition Mountians. You can’t go looking for gold unless you know what gold looks like.
Picking up rocks can make for a fun afternoon events. Let you child find a few rock that catch his attention. Then using a rock book or the Internet, see if he can find what kinds of rock’s he’s discovered. A rock and gem shop is a nice follow-up to a little work finding rocks and matching them to what he thinks they are. Look out. Next he’ll want a rock tumbler.
Flora and Fauna. I grew up in the desert and, being the child I was, I didn’t find it attractive. This trip I certainly saw it differently. In the spring the desert is full of like. There are blooms on the tops or the saguaro cacti and flowers on the prickly pears. Everything was green and that’s saying a lot for the desert.
Any area has its own vegetation. If you’re traveling anywhere your child can learn a bit about the plants and animals in the area. There may be cactus in one area and tall pine trees in another. Talking about what makes the difference and why things grow where they do make for fun discussion.
In my recent travels I saw a herd of wild burros, a wild horse, a couple jackrabbits and a coyote. Fortunately for the rabbits the coyote didn’t see them.
What’s on your trip? What’s in your neighborhood? Find out and promote a few more learning activities with your child.
Posted by Dr Joni at July 11, 2007 07:41 PM
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