The Best Time To Use A Elementary Science Activity

Which is better- to do an interactive elementary science activity 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 an elementary science activity 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 An Elementary Science Activity

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 a good elementary science activity.

Being busy is not in itself a bad thing, and having more than one elementary science activity 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 an elementary science activity is 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.

Using An Elementary Science Activity That Students Buy Into

What's the hardest part of any elementary science activity? 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. Each elementary science activity 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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