The Best Time To Use Elementary Science Activities

Which is better- to do interactive elementary science activities at the beginning or the end of a chapter? Which would you guess? In most cases you’re better off using demonstrations at the beginning of the chapter because:

1. Demonstrations allow you to introduce elementary science activities with more interest, when it’s really needed, and that causes…
2. Less stress and anxiety sometimes associated with a new chapter
3. And now you have the rest of the chapter to refer back to the demonstration for review or to show how newer concepts apply
   

Too Busy For Elementary Science Activities

Do you remember the magician from Frosty The Snowman? He was so “busy, busy, busy!”. That describes Americans today- always in a hurry trying to accomplish more than we have time for. But things done in a hurry are seldom done well, and that can even include good elementary science activities.

Being busy is not in itself a bad thing, and having more than a few elementary science activities to choose from should theoretically result in a better learning environment (since we should be choosing to do the strongest lessons and disregard the weaker ones; let's call this the natural selection of lesson plans). But sometimes elementary science activities are done just for the sake of doing them, and if most of what we’re “teaching” our students will soon be forgotten, then what’s the point of even doing it?

Our elementary science activities take a balanced approach. They don’t try to go all directions at once, nor is it all fluff and fun. There is terminology, but we also want to develop the creative and practical part of each student’s mind. Each lesson stays steadily focused on just 1 thing or theme from beginning to end. They tend to be more simple and quiet, so that your students can keep a sustained thought, and actually have some room left over in their minds to think creatively and to explore.

Elementary Science Activities That Students Buy Into

What's the hardest part of most elementary science activities? For most of us it's capturing our students’ attention. Since worksheets usually aren’t that exciting, we found that a different approach works better. Our elementary science activities were designed to be interactive with your students- to provide a reason for them to listen as well as give you a centerpiece you can build on. An involved student will pay attention and take ownership in the activity, which fuels their interest even more. And that’s what causes them to "buy into it".

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