The best kind of learning takes place when kids are having fun. One of the easiest ways to guarantee that your little one gets the most out of a lesson is to make certain they enjoy it from beginning to end, which is a no-brainer with a Little Partners Learning Tower at your disposal!
Teach them all about science without compromising on togetherness: use your Learning Tower at the kitchen countertop so that you and your child can complete the following science projects as a team, giving them the (supervised!) freedom to learn while sharing in all the fun
By bringing them into the fold at counter height, they can experience the same exciting workspace that the grown-ups do. And what’s more exciting for them than hands-on science projects? These fun back-to-school activities for preschoolers are sure to stretch their mental muscles as they get back into the swing of things.
For the Mini Green Thumbs
Got a future flower child on your hands? Support their plant passions by introducing some floral-inspired science projects that’ll have them blossoming just in time for preschool.
Plant an Avocado Tree
Guacamole-loving parents will appreciate this activity. Using an avocado pit, demonstrate how this common compost ingredient can sprout and grow.
Materials: 1 avocado pit from a fresh avocado, fresh water, 4 toothpicks, a glass or jar, a 10-inch-wide pot, potting soil, and a gardening trowel.
Instructions: After washing your avocado pit and letting it dry out, insert the toothpicks on each side of the pit—make sure they’re centered and spread apart (the toothpicks hold up the pit at the mouth of the jar). Now, position the broad side of the pit down into the glass or jar filled to the top with water, submerging the bottom third of the pit and balancing the toothpicks around it on the rim of the glass.
In a few weeks, you’ll see roots and a sprout emerge. Change out the water every so often, and when the sprout reaches six inches, trim it back to three inches to promote more growth before transferring it to a spacious pot within two months of propagating.
There’s obviously a bit of patience required for this particular project. Still, your preschooler can foster a plant from scratch and witness that growth firsthand from their Learning Tower as a proud plant parent. Plus, the whole family benefits from having a new avocado tree in the yard!
Sensory Soil Bin
Another amusing yet educational project for preschoolers who can’t get enough greenery is the sensory soil bin, which welcomes the outdoors in for year-round immersion in nature.
Materials: 1 large, clear bin (plastic or acrylic), potting soil, rocks, flowers and plants (either real or fake), and a small shovel.
Instructions: Fill the bin with soil, rocks, and whatever flowers or plants your child likes—living plants have a shorter shelf-life here, so fabric flowers from a craft store might be more conducive to long-term use. Give your little gardener the shovel and encourage them to explore with this tool or their bare hands. It can be a kind of countertop terrarium for them to decorate with various fairy garden items or toys.
For added enrichment, turn your bin into a “worm hotel,” where earthworms (collected from a larger garden) can wiggle around and charm your child through the transparent walls, maybe even turning it into a compost bin later on—we love a sustainable hobby!
For the Eventual Einsteins
While science projects for preschoolers should be scaled to their age group and skill level, this doesn’t mean they can’t accomplish amazing feats of physics with mom or dad’s help.
Homemade Lava Lamp
An oldie but a goodie, this crowd-pleaser entertains everyone and teaches kids about density through a tried-and-true oil and water experiment. This is definitely a countertop activity, and a Learning Tower will make it easy to participate in the fun.
Materials: water, vegetable or baby oil, food coloring, a tall glass or bottle, and an antacid tablet.
Instructions: Fill the glass with about two inches of water then add your child’s favorite food coloring hues (mixing primary colors to make secondary ones is a supplementary lesson opportunity!). Fill the rest of the glass with the oil, stopping about an inch below the top. Drop in an antacid tablet and watch the “lava” do its thing. The water sinks to the bottom and the oil floats on top, staying separate and creating that lava lamp effect. Try incorporating a backlight to really display your kiddo’s work!
They’ll be fascinated by the vibrant bubbles in this project. Cleanup is easy, and with your little helper safely standing on their Learning Tower, they’ll be front row for a disco light show.
Water Cycle Visual
The weather each day provides parents with handy examples of sun, rain, snow, etc. So how about a science project for preschoolers that brings a no-mess rainstorm into the kitchen?
Materials: a glass vase, shaving cream, blue food coloring, and a dropper.
Instructions: Start by filling the vase ¾ of the way with tap water before filling in the remaining ¼ of it with white, foaming shaving cream (your “clouds”). Fill a bowl with water and add the blue food coloring (your “rain”). Using the dropper, scatter “raindrops” on top of the shaving cream pile and wait for the mixture to release the blue food coloring into the vase water. And there’s the water cycle, right there on your kitchen counter!
At Little Partners, we prioritize sustainability in everything we do. With this water cycle project, your child will understand more about our climate and why it’s so important to protect it for their generation.
For the Animal-Obsessed
If your kid is an animal lover through and through, these activities will pique their interest and satisfy their desire to focus on their favorite subject simultaneously. It’ll be a roaring good time!
Elephant Toothpaste
This one’s a classic among science projects for preschoolers. Safely demonstrate a controlled chemical reaction that has the finished look of a giant, overflowing “toothpaste tube.”
Materials: ½ cup 20-volume hydrogen peroxide, blue and red food coloring, ½ cup warm water; yeast (1 packet, or 2 teaspoons from a jar), dish soap, a recycled plastic water bottle (a 12 oz. works well), a funnel, a tray, safety goggles, and plastic gloves.
Instructions: Be sure you and your child wear safety goggles and plastic gloves throughout the entire project! 20-volume hydrogen peroxide can mildly sting sensitive skin. Place your bottle in the center of the tray with the funnel stuck into the top. Add a few squirts of dish soap to the bottle before pouring in the ½ cup of peroxide, swirling the bottle to mix.
Next, drip individual alternating “stripes” of the red and blue food coloring down the inside of the bottle, being careful not to mix the colors with the rest of the bottle contents. Mix your yeast and warm water, stirring to combine into a paste. Then pour this mixture into the bottle via the funnel, and give it a quick swirl to watch the foam go wild!
Your kiddo will love seeing this elephant-sized toothpaste ooze everywhere, and it’s an activity that incorporates the best principles of the Montessori learning philosophy.
Coffee Ground “Fossils”
What science project promises tactile engagement, independent learning, and a lifelong memento? Coffee ground fossils! Dinosaur connoisseurs will be thrilled to form their own textured fossils with simple pantry staples.
Materials: 1 cup used coffee grounds, ½ cup cold coffee, 1 cup flour, ½ cup salt, wax paper, mixing bowl, cookie cutters (a butter knife works too), and any seashells, toys, or other accessories you have on hand to do their “fossil” impressions.
Instructions: Stir the cooled coffee grounds with the coffee, flour, and salt. Once it’s combined, put your preschooler in charge of kneading the dough by hand and flattening it on the wax paper. From there, use the cookie cutters or butter knife to shape their “fossil” before pressing small shells and toys into the dough. They’ll air dry and harden overnight, so they should be solid for extended play the next day!
A keepsake DIY fossil is a pretty neat childhood science project. It’ll inspire your tiny tot to continue learning about archaeology and empower them to tackle tasks by themselves. All the while, you’re right by their side at the countertop, crafting memories together.
Give Your Budding Scientist a Boost
These are just a few of the many science projects for preschoolers that exist—the possibilities are as boundless as your child’s imagination.
With your pint-sized assistant atop their Learning Tower at hip level, you’ll have the chance to work cooperatively as they learn how rewarding the STEM fields can be. All at the age of three or four years old! Needless to say, they’ll be the brightest little preschooler on the playground.
Ensure the best start to your kiddo’s school career by shopping our Learning Tower inventory today to see what they can achieve tomorrow. (And check out our newest addition to that inventory, the dynamic Learn ‘N Fold Learning Tower!)