After we made our salt dough fossils, we decided it would be really cool if we could dig them up like scientists excavate real fossils. I thought burying them in oobleck would be an interesting way to introduce the concept of excavation to my friends because of the varying properties of the material. When friends started arriving in the morning, they noticed the oobleck in the container and immediately started playing with and manipulating the oobleck inside of it. As they were exploring the oobleck, Zinn said, "Hey! There's something at the bottom. I think there is something in there! Hey! It's one of our fossils!" Then Levi said, "I found a fossil too!" And the real hunt began! Everyone began digging through the oobleck in search of more fossils. Zinn started putting the fossils that were discovered in the smaller bin next to the oobleck container. While we were looking for our fossils, we talked about paleontologists, archaeologists, and anthropologists and why those scientists may need to dig fossils out of the ground. After all of the fossils had been extracted from the oobleck, the little scientists started experimenting with the substance with fervor! Some of the experiments performed involved filling containers, observing the oobleck drip from various objects, molding it into a solid, and changing the amount of time hands and cups stayed in the oobleck to find out how long it took for them to "get stuck". Gage even took the gloves off that he had been using while playing with the oobleck and touched it with his bare hands. His reaction to the feel of it, and Ada's reaction in response to his, is definitely one for the books! Gage showed tremendous courage and confidence in himself by taking a risk and allowing the oobleck to touch his skin. I know this act will inspire other friends to step out of their comfort zones and try new things as well. As fun as it was to excavate our fossils from the oobleck, my friends are already talking about other ways we can practice our excavation skills. Be on the outlook for more fossil fun!
While participating in this activity, my friends engaged in several Vermont Early Learning Standards (VELS) including, but not limited to: Domain 3 (Growing/Moving/Being Healthy) Element 1 (Motor Development and Coordination) Domain 8 (Mathematics) Element 3 (Measurement, Classification, and Data) Domain 9 (Science) Elements 1 and 4 (Physical Sciences and Engineering Design) Domain 10 (Social Studies) Element 4 (History)
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AuthorHi there! My name is Dawn Irwin and I've been a teacher here at Stepping Stones since August 2011. I love our school, I am passionate about our approach to learning, and am proud of all of our students for all that they accomplish each and every day! Archives
August 2017
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