When presenting this activity to my two and half years old daughter I offer her a tray with:
three empty jars:
– one with lid and bottom painted brown for land
– one with lid and bottom painted blue for water
– one as is for air (white or transparent)
a container for soil
a spoon for soil
a small water jur
a sponge
a large tray
Set of pictures of scenes that highlight some aspects of:
– the air (e.g. clouds)
– water (e.g. the sea, lakes, river, rain)
– land (e.g. mountains, fields, desert).
I’ve got mine from Montessori Print Shop.
Ask the child to put a little soil into the brown jar and look at it. Explain that land in the world is made of soil and rock. Talk a little about the land and discuss what we can find and land and who lives and grows on it.
After that I’ve asked Mia to put a little water in the jar. As she looked at it, we talked about water, about all the places where we find water, and how living things need water to survive.
Finally, we have looked at the air box, and explained that although it looks empty there is air in it. Air is invisible and normally we do not even feel it. You can feel the air move when the wind blows. We need air to breath. I let Mia to blow inside the jar and close it.
In the end we’ve looked in the pictures of air, water and land and together sort and match them to the filled jars. This activity is very easy to set up at home and my daughter really enjoyed it.
That’s it!
Lxoxo
14 Comments
Shannon
This is a great idea. My Little Miss would love pouring water into jars. Thanks for the ideas!
Leky83
I’m sure she would. Thanks Shannon.
Meg
I love this. I especially love how blowing in the jar makes something almost intangible (air) more real for littles. Great activity!
Leky83
So true! Thanks Meg!
Julie
These look so fun! Using jars to learn about land, water, and air is a great idea! My girls would definitely have a lot of fun with this science lesson.
Leky83
Thanks Julie.
Danielle @ A Sprinkle of Joy
What a wonderful activity!
Leky83
Thank you Danielle!
Julie Hood
Lelia, this is such a great idea!!! I love what you Montessori teachers come up with!!
Leky83
Thank you Julie!
Kristin's Peppermints and Cherries
I love the hands-on Montessori style of teaching and learning! It is so good for children to experience what they are learning and not just see things in books. Your baby girl is precious!
Leky83
Thank you so much Kristin!
Justine @ Little Dove
What a great idea, I’d love to incorporated this into our home school lesson plan!
Leky83
It is very easy to set up this activity at home. x