Since becoming a STEM school this year, I have gained a lot of experience in what works and what doesn't work when it comes to kindergarteners and science experiments. One experiment that worked really well for the students and for me was creating a rain cloud in a jar. I liked this experiment for several reasons. One of the reasons is because the materials are very easy to gather and very easy for kindergarteners to use.
Materials:
Clear Jar or Beaker
Water
Shaving Cream
Blue Food Coloring
Dropper or Straw
Another reason I like this experiment is because it is quick and easy to set up.
Set Up:
1. Fill the jars about 3/4 of the way full with water.
2. Add shaving cream to the top. The more shaving cream you add the more water students will have to add before it starts to "rain".
3. Fill a container full of water for each group and add blue food coloring.
And the set up is done! How easy is that?
Now it's time for the students to begin experimenting. I found that some students had a hard time understanding how to squeeze the dropper at the right time to get the water in it. So you might want to do a quick mini-lesson on how to use the dropper or just walk around and help students as needed. This also becomes a lesson in patience because the kids can't see the rain immediately. They have to wait until the "cloud" is full before it will start raining.
This can get a little messy so I would suggest putting down some paper towels or setting the jar in an aluminum tray so the table does not get stained.
I have created a TPT product that includes some of the graphic organizers we use in our science notebooks to go along with this experiment. Please check it out if you decide to try this experiment with your kids!
Have a Great Day :)
Mrs. Daleo
