Tag: make learning fun

Learning Play – Chemistry Via a Child’s Spark – Part 2

Eating ‘glass candy’

Part 2

of the wonderful experience I had with my Colorado grands in the summer of 2012, as we embarked on our chemistry adventure.

The adult books we got from the library had hundreds of pictures of crystals with very long names. Ashley worked on sounding out dozens of them. We found an amazing picture that showed crystals that were transparent, translucent, and opaque. Wow, a follow-up to the ‘mini conversation’ we had had earlier. We spent a few minutes selecting items from the library that fit each description. Windows were transparent, colored glass was translucent, and the door frames were opaque (sorta).

We collect rocks, we wear rocks, and we eat rocks!

We saw a picture of a rock collection in an egg carton. Right away, they began discussing where we could go to find good rocks to make our own rock collection. The girls thought it would be fun to find the rocks and then figure out if they were igneous or sedimentary.

There was a chart in both the adult books and the kids’ book showing the softest rock, talc, and the hardest rock, diamond. They couldn’t believe there were ground-up rocks in body power and that wedding rings contained rocks. We read a book on the history of salt, which is a crystal. Ashley and Lizzy thought it was funny that we eat a rock, of sorts, on our food.

We were at the library poring over the books for about an hour and a half. When it was time to go, Lizzy said, “Grandma, shouldn’t we take some of these books home so we can look at them some more?” It was Saturday afternoon, a beautiful day. They were on vacation at Grandma’s. The neighbor girl they loved to play with was home. Yet here were a six-year-old and an eight-year-old diligently learning about rocks and crystals. They were absorbed in the information. It was fun. They LOVED it.

On the walk home from the library, the girls were busy searching the ground for specimens to add to the rock collection they planned on making. When we got home, our sugar crystals had already begun to form. It was exciting. We scooped a few out and sampled them. Yummmmm.

While I was making dinner, which was peanut butter and honey sandwiches, we noticed that the honey had formed some sugar crystals. The girls compared them to the crystals forming in their “sugar jars”. We discussed the fact that you can melt sugar and honey crystals by heating them, but that it would take a much higher temperature to melt quartz crystals.

Books over scooters. What!!

Later, I found Lizzy and Ashley sitting at the bottom of the stairs, looking at the books they brought home from the library. They had originally gone out to ride their scooters, but the books were so compelling that they never made it to the driveway. They were comparing the crystals in each other’s books, chatting away about the shapes, sizes, and colors.

When I went to check on them next, they had finally made it to the driveway and were buzzing around the parking lot on their scooters. Ashley hollered to me and said, “Grandma, we are finding crystals.” Lizzy asked me, “What are those people called who dig and look for rocks?” “Miners”, I replied. Then Lizzy said, “We could become miners, Grandma, and find crystals.” Ashley said, “I told her we could be scientists and study crystals.” Then she thought a moment, “Yeah, we could be partners finding and studying crystals.” I realized that their imaginative play that evening had centered on what we had learned during the day. When that happens, you know learning has been impactful.

Before bed, we read another children’s book about rocks, which reminded us of all the new words and facts we had learned. They were excited for the coming day. We planned to use the hardness scale and scratch chalk with a penny. Chalk is a 1 on the hardness scale, and a penny is a three. We had decided to collect 10 rocks for their new collection and determine if they are igneous, sedimentary, or metamorphic. The activities we accomplished on this special visit weekend could be spread out over several weeks for your children. It doesn’t need to take up an entire weekend. 🙂

The Result

This is the result you want when you see a Spark and respond. You want to see enthusiasm for the topic and excitement in the learning process. You want the learning to carry over into play and life. Recognizing a Spark and then responding are skills that any adult can learn. They facilitate a parent’s ability to inspire their children and help them feel excitement when learning new things. We had a wonderful adventure. It was fun.

They don’t know everything about volcanoes and how rocks and crystals are made, but what they do know, they will remember.

They LOVED learning some chemistry while making crystals!

Introducing ‘Learning Play’ – Cows

When I first began writing and publishing articles, it was in 2010. My grands, the ones I still live with, were all under five. As their grandma, I wanted to find ways to play and connect. I’m not a board game person! Tea parties and dress up are not on my list of fun things! The truth is, I like learning. I always have. I thought a lot about how I could ‘play’ with my grands and make it work for all of us. What I came up with was learning for fun. Every Tuesday, for several years, we would gather and play/learn. They looked forward to it and occasionally would tell me what they wanted to know or ask about at our next Tuesday session. It was a hit and was called Grandma School. : )

I’ve been moving articles from my old site to this new home for nine years, come May 2025. Why has it taken so long? Well, I always have new experiences and lessons to share. And I had over 600 articles on the old site. That’s a lot of rewriting. : ) Not everything applies or will be shared here, but there are fun things on that old site, especially when it comes to learning with kids and making it fun.

So, over the summer, I’m going to share many of the cool lessons I taught my grands and the tools I used to do it. If you have kids under eleven or twelve, it will give you summer fodder to keep them occupied and entertained while they learn and help chase away summer boredom. It will also help you move them from technology to imagination, a very good thing to do now and then.

Another Idea

If this is a family activity, then those over twelve can help those under twelve. You’ll be surprised how involved they get when they are doing the teaching. If all your kids are over twelve, then share these cool articles with someone in your neighborhood or family who has younger children or grands. At the bottom of this article are great resources for extended learning and learning for your older children. You’ll be amazed at the possibilities.

Using this ‘learning play’ with my grands created FUN times and built terrific memories. Enjoy, as I roll them out again.

LET’S BEGIN WITH COWS

The study of mammals is called mammalogy. This is a branch of zoology, which is the study of animals. One Tuesday, we studied a mammal – cows.

Jack’s first question on this Tuesday was, “What are we going to learn today, Grandma?” So, we played a guessing game to see if they could figure it out. When I finally said, “We’re going to learn about cows today,” Jack yelled, “Woo-hoo, Cows!” Kids are soooo easy to please.

As usual, we started with books about cows. We didn’t actually read the books, but we talked about the pictures and I told them fun cow facts, such as, “Did you know a cow has four stomachs. You only have one, but a cow has four!!” That type of comment is usually followed by a question such as “Why Grandma?” Then we get to learn a bit more. Jack’s favorite cow fact was: “Daddy cows are called bulls and they go Moo really, really loud.” I did such a great daddy cow impersonation that it sent Jack into gales of laughter.

Books About Cows

I know that many people have stopped using libraries, but I still do, and that’s where our great books came from. You can find stories, pictures, and facts online, but kids like holding books and looking at the pictures. So, in case you want to take a short trip to the library, here is a list of great books. They will give you lots of cool facts to share, and they have fun pictures.

Cows in the Parlor: A Visit to the Dairy Farm by Cynthia McFarland
My Cows by Heather Miller
Milk: From Cow to Carton by Aliki
Cows on the Farm by Mari C. Schuh
Life on a Cattle Farm By Judy Wolfman
Cattle Kids: A Year on the Western Range, Cat Urbigkit
Cows, by Rachael Bell

A Cow Activity

After the books, we did a cow activity. I had created a picture sheet on my computer that showed cool foods that are made from cow’s milk: cheese, cream, ice cream, milk for cereal, cottage cheese, sour cream, etc. I also had the real item on the table, if we had it. We looked at the pictures, talked about each item, and then tasted it. Of course, we all liked the cookie dough best. (It has milk in it!)

A Cow Game

We created a fun game by cutting two copies of the food sheet into separate pictures. Then we played Memory. The kids enjoyed it so much that they played it with their mom and dad later.

A Cow Craft

We made cow door hangers, a very simple project, that I am sure you can figure out how to do from looking at the picture. But just in case you want directions or your older children want to make a talking cow, click here.

We had the most fun learning to use scissors. This was new for the kids. Jack tried it the traditional way, but then switched to using two hands and having me hold and turn the paper. Special scissors with 4 finger holes allowed me to help Maggie cut her own cow spots. She was thrilled. (Remember, Maggie, who is now eighteen, has severe cerebral palsy, so doing anything with help thrilled her and still does.)

If I am missing an item, I don’t run to the store. I make do. Simple is what made these types of play dates doable for me, then and now. We had large paper plates, but cut the smaller circle from tagboard. We had skinny chenille stems, so our tails weren’t as fluffy as the model cow’s, but no one noticed. We didn’t have any little bells lying around, so we cut them out of paper. I think our cow door hanger craft turned out every bit as lovely as the one on the web!

A Cooking Activity

We ended the day by making mac and cheese. Cooking was a favorite activity, so everyone helped. The kids liked tasting the powdered cheese. We had our mac and cheese for lunch, and it was delicious. Maggie, Jack, and Mary decided that having cows in our world is a very good thing.

Extend The Learning

While we ate our mac and cheese, I read a silly story called The Cow Loves Cookies by Karma Wilson and Marcellus Hall. If you want to extend your ‘cow learning’, then explore some of these other resources – easy readers and chapter books.

Sixteen Cows by Lisa Wheeler
The Story of Ferdinand by Munroe Leaf
Kiss the Cow! by Phyllis Root and Will Hillenbrand
Counting Cows by Michelle Medlock Adams and Mark Meyers
The Cow That Went OINK by Bernard Most
Donna O’Neeshuck Was Chased by Some Cows by Bill Grossman and Sue Truesdell
George Washington’s Cows by David Small
Moonstruck: The True Story of the Cow Who Jumped Over the Moon by Gennifer Choldenko
The Smallest Cow in the World (I Can Read Book 3) by Katherine Paterson and Jane Clark Brown
The Blue Cow (Sugar Creek Gang Series) by Paul Hutchens
The Cow in the House: Level 1 (Easy-to-Read, Puffin) by Harriet Ziefert and Emily Bolam
Mrs. Wow Never Wanted a Cow (Beginner Books) by Martha Freeman and Steven Salerno

Learning for OLDER Children

You can expand your study of cows and let it take you in new directions. These books would engage older children in learning about cows.

Cow books about math:
Whole-y Cow: Fractions Are Fun by Taryn Souders and Tatjiana Mai-Wyss
Cow books about giving:
14 Cows for America by Carmen Agra Deedy. The true story of a gift from a village in Kenya to the USA after 9/11.
Cow tales from other countries:
The Silver Cow: A Welsh Tale by Susan Cooper and Warwick Hutton
Hamish the Highland Cow by Natalie Russell
The Cow-Tail Switch: And Other West African Stories by Harold Courlander, George Herzog and Madye Lee Chastain
Cows in history:
Dadblamed Union Army Cow by Susan Fletcher. The story about a cow that marched (clopped?) in the Civil War with the Fifty-Ninth Regiment of Indiana Volunteers, giving milk to the soldiers. Go here for facts about this book.
Cows in Art:
Learn to Draw Farm Animals: Step-by-step instructions by Jickie Torres and Robbin Cuddy
The Blue Rider: The Yellow Cow Sees the World in Blue (Adventures in Art) by Doris Kutschbach
Cows and English:
Herd of Cows, Flock of Sheep: Adventures in Collective Nouns (Language Adventures Book) by Rick Walton and Julie Olson
Cows and a girl with Autism:
Temple Grandin: How the Girl Who Loved Cows Embraced Autism and Changed the World by Sy Montgomery and Temple Grandin
Books about cows that aren’t even cows:
Sam the Sea Cow (Reading Rainbow Books) by Francine Jacobs and Laura Kelly
Sea Cows, Shamans, and Scurvy: Alaska’s First Naturalist: Georg Wilhelm Steller by Ann Arnold
Information about cows for kids.

I hope you take an afternoon or evening and learn about cows with your kids. I would love to see pictures and hear your stories. : )