Big Book GAA - Gospel Light · Big Book of God’s Amazing Creation. 2.If The Big Book of God’s...

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Permission to make photocopies of or to reproduce by any other mechanical or electronic means in wholeor in part any designated* page, illustration or activity in this book is granted only to the original purchas-er and is intended for noncommercial use within a church or other Christian organization. None of thematerial in this book, not even those pages with permission to photocopy, may be reproduced for any com-mercial promotion, advertising or sale of a product or service or to share with any other persons, church-es or organizations. Sharing of the material in this book with other churches or organizations not ownedor controlled by the original purchaser is also prohibited. All rights reserved.

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© 2006 Gospel Light. Permission to photocopy granted. Big Book of God’s Amazing Creation

Editorial StaffSenior Managing Editor, Sheryl Haystead • Senior Editor, Debbie Barber • Editorial Team, AmandaAbbas, Mary Davis • Contributing Editors, Suzanne Bass, Kurt Goble, Jim Hawley, Heather Kempton,Rich Smith • Art Directors, Lenndy McCullough, Christina Renée Sharp, Samantha A. Hsu • Designer, Zelle Olson

Founder, Dr. Henrietta Mears • Publisher, William T. Greig • Senior Consulting Publisher, Dr. ElmerL. Towns • Senior Consulting Editor, Wesley Haystead, M.S.Ed. • Senior Editor, Biblical andTheological Issues, Bayard Taylor, M.Div.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. Copyright © 1973, 1978,1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

© 2006 Gospel Light, Ventura, CA 93006. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.

You may make copies of portions of this book with a clean conscience if

• you (or someone inyour organization) arethe original purchaser;

• you are using thecopies you make for anoncommercial purpose(such as teaching orpromoting your ministry)within your church or organization;

• you follow the instructions provided in this book.

However, it is ILLEGAL for you to make copies if

• you are using thematerial to promote,advertise or sell aproduct or serviceother than for ministryfund-raising;

• you are using thematerial in or on aproduct for sale; or

• you or your organization are not the original purchaser of this book.


peter.germann

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3

If you are the children’s pastor, 1. Read “Schedule Options” on pages 10-11 to get an understanding of ways to use TheBig Book of God’s Amazing Creation.

2. If The Big Book of God’s Amazing Creation will be used as the ongoing feature of aprogram based on this book, you may want to recruit a coordinator several monthsbefore the program begins. Provide the coordinator with this book and plan regularcheck-ins with him or her. Be available for practical support and encouragement.

3. If teachers will use these activities to supplement an existing curriculum, providethem with copies of the appropriate age-level activities.

If you are the coordinator,

1. Read “Schedule Options” on pages 10-11 to get an understand-

ing of ways to use The Big Book of God’s Amazing Creation.

2. In conjunction with the children’s pastor, recruit the appropriate

number of teachers needed. (One adult for every four to eight chil-

dren is recommended.)

3. Use a calendar to assign the activities to teachers. (Note: These

activities stand alone; they may be used in any order.)

4. Prepare ahead of time the materials needed for each activity.

(You may wish to recruit a supply coordinator to collect and distrib-

ute materials.)

If you are a teacher or small-group leader, 1. Read “Schedule Options” on pages 10-11 to get an under-standing of ways to use The Big Book of God’s Amazing Creation.2. Read the following articles: “Leading a Child to Christ,”“Science at Church?” “Asking Good Questions” and “ScienceSafety: Helpful Hints” on pages 8, 12, 13 and 19.3. Prepare and lead activities to supplement your existing cur-riculum, or as assigned by program coordinator.


4

The Power of God’s Creation ..........................7

Leading a Child to Christ..................................8

Schedule Options ............................................10

Science at Church? ..........................................12

Asking Good Questions ..................................13

Setting Up a Science Center ..........................14

Lab Report Pages ..........................................15

Science Safety: Helpful Hints..........................19

Day 1: Light and Dark

Early Childhood ExplorationsLight Show ......................................................23

Hot Sun............................................................24

Shadow Scenes ................................................25

Stained Glass ..................................................26

Light Bender....................................................27

Shadow Stretch ..............................................28

Ultraviolet Light ..............................................29

Sunlight Shapes ..............................................30

Hidden Pictures ..............................................31

Color Prism ......................................................32

Elementary ExperimentsLight Bounce ..................................................33

Water Magnifier ............................................34

Kaleidoscope ..................................................35

Shadow Puppets ............................................36

Indoor Rainbow ..............................................37

Personal Periscope ..........................................38

Seed Sprouter..................................................40

Flash! Light......................................................41

Light Colors ....................................................42

Day 2: Sky and Water

Early Childhood ExplorationsSpray Paints ....................................................45

Cartons of Color..............................................46

Windy Race......................................................47

Wind Watchers................................................48

Wonderful Waterfalls ....................................49

Sensory Snow ..................................................50

Icebergs............................................................51

Bubble Blowers ..............................................52

Water Fun........................................................53

Colorful Sights ................................................54

Water Filtering ................................................55

Surprise Colors ................................................56

Sunset Sky........................................................57

Elementary ExperimentsWindy World ..................................................58

Baking-Soda Bubbles ......................................59

Dense Doings ..................................................60

Salty Floaters ..................................................61

Self-Watering Seed Starter ............................62

Tornado in a Bottle ........................................63

Water Wonder ................................................64

Air Force! ........................................................65

Thin-Skinned Water ........................................66

Rainmaker ......................................................67

Electricity Everywhere ....................................68

Icy and Immiscible ..........................................69

Personal Windpower ......................................70

DAY 3: Dry Ground and Plants

Early Childhood ExplorationsBranches for Brushes ......................................73

Leaf Inspectors ................................................74

Bean Sorting....................................................75

Grain Grind......................................................76

Earthy Folks ....................................................77

Dirt Fun............................................................78


5

Fruit Boats ......................................................79

Seed Match......................................................80

When Does It Grow? ....................................81

Bag Biome ......................................................82

Magnetic Food ................................................83

Plant Smelling ................................................84

Juice Stop ........................................................85

Pud Talk ..........................................................86

Elementary ExperimentsVolcano! ........................................................87

Hot Spot Pop! ................................................88

Revealing Messages ........................................89

Enzymes in Action ..........................................90

A Tiny Ecosystem ............................................91

Solid Vibrations ..............................................92

Helicopter Seeds..............................................93

Vegetable People............................................94

Nature Press ....................................................95

Soil Shakers......................................................96

Cabbage: The Acid Test ..................................97

Food Factories ................................................98

Lemons: Plant Power! ....................................99

Dirt Dust ........................................................100

Leaf Observation ..........................................101

DAY 4: Sun, Moon and Stars

Early Childhood ExplorationsSpace Shape Match ......................................105

Moon on the Lagoon....................................106

Solar Wind ....................................................107

Stand and Jump ............................................108

Heavy or Light? ............................................109

Kitchen Space Science ..................................110

Balloon Blow-Up ..........................................111

Tadpole Race ................................................112

Starry Art ......................................................113

Elementary ExperimentsMagnetic Fields ............................................114

Itty-Bitty Electromagnet ..............................115

Moon Face ....................................................116

The Blue Planet ............................................117

Eclipse ............................................................118

Twinkle, Twinkle ..........................................119

Always Shining..............................................120

To the Moon! ..............................................121

Orbiter ..........................................................122

Alka-Seltzer® Rocket....................................123

Outdoor Solar Cooker ..................................124

DAY 5: Birds and Fish

Early Childhood ExplorationsBlubber Fun ..................................................127

Ocean Sounds................................................128

Bird Talk ........................................................129

Texture Touch................................................130

Watery World Graph ....................................131

Nesting Instinct ............................................132

Rise and Dive ................................................133

Aquarium in a Bag........................................134

Bird Bone Building........................................135

Pill Bug Walk ................................................136

Chicken Clucker ............................................137

Fossil Finds ....................................................138

Elementary ExperimentsFloating on Lift ............................................139

Bug Watcher..................................................140

Fish Floaties ..................................................141

Feather Flight! ............................................142

Shells of Lime ................................................143

Glider Wings ................................................144

Hold On Tight................................................145

Wave Bottles ................................................146

DAY 6: Animals and PeopleEarly Childhood Explorations

Fingerprint Fun ............................................149

Smell Well......................................................150


6

Kinetic Surprise ............................................182

Friction-free Flying........................................183

Boogie Bugs ..................................................184

Lazy Painting ................................................185

Inertia Spinners ............................................186

Bonus RecipesBathtub Finger Paint ....................................189

Cornstarch Paint............................................190

Corn Syrup Paint ..........................................191

Cream-Cheese Play Dough ..........................192

Face Paint ......................................................193

Finger Paint ..................................................194

Fruity Watercolors ........................................195

Gak ................................................................196

Garden Mud ..................................................197

Jiggly Dough ................................................198

Kool-Aid Paint ..............................................199

Make Your Own Stickers ..............................200

Nectar Bubbles ..............................................201

Potato Dough................................................202

Puff Paint ......................................................203

Rock Salt Goo ................................................204

Salt and Flour Play Dough............................205

Salt, Flour and Cornstarch Play Dough........206

Sand Dough ..................................................207

Sawdust Dough ............................................208

Shampoo Paint ..............................................209

Sidewalk Paint ..............................................210

Soap Dough ..................................................211

Super-Sandy Dough ......................................212

IndexesEarly Childhood Explorations ......................213

Elementary Experiments ..............................213

Activities Recommended for Mixed Age

Groups ......................................................214

Measure Up ..................................................151

Sorting Animals ............................................152

Listen to the Sounds ....................................153

Hiding Animals..............................................154

Animal Tracks ................................................155

Texture Walk ................................................156

Group Graph ................................................157

Plastic Tube Horn ..........................................158

Walk the Line ................................................159

Kangaroo Hop ..............................................160

Animal Food Book ........................................161

Muddy Animals ............................................162

Elementary ExperimentsTasty Testing ..................................................163

Touch Telling ................................................164

Mammal Meals..............................................165

Bouncing Sounds ..........................................166

Animal Camo ................................................167

Center of Gravity Lift....................................168

Can You Hear Me Now? ..............................169

Heartbeater ..................................................170

Fooling Your Eye ..........................................171

Penny Trick ....................................................172

Heat Huddle ..................................................173

Sight and Balance ........................................174

DAY 7: Rest and Inertia

Early Childhood ExplorationsWalk and Rest ..............................................177

Ice Cube Slide ................................................178

Push Your Pulse ............................................179

Elementary ExperimentsString Zinger..................................................180

Chain of Motion............................................181


© 2006 Gospel Light. Permission to photocopy granted. The Big Book of God’s Amazing Creation 7

loved; we have purpose for being. And our pur-pose doesn’t stop when we leave these bodiesbehind; rather, it begins!

Let the activities in this book spark yourimagination. Take them as God’s invitation towide-eyed wonder! Ask God to give you freshperspective on His good work. Then take thismarvelous opportunity to discover and revel inthese amazing aspects of God’s creation rightalong with your kids!

The goal of these activities is to encourage youand your kids to joyfully celebrate the wonderswe find in the world God made for us! Prepareyourself well for these experiences and activitiesso that you can focus on interacting with the kidsinstead of on finding missing materials or com-pleting unfinished details. As you share with themyour own understanding of these experiences andactivities, point out the beauty, wisdom, love and power of our Creator. As you genuinely ex-press your joy and admiration for what you see inGod’s creation, your kids will be encouraged toexpress their wonder and thanks as well!

It’s been said that 10 of the most controversialwords in the English language are, “In the begin-ning, God created the heavens and the earth”(Genesis 1:1). Certainly, few other statementscould have such a profound impact: These wordsdeclare a worldview that colors everything we see,feel and think! Choosing any other idea of Earth’sorigin produces a worldview that tells us we arerandom accidents with no meaning or purposebeyond our momentary self-satisfaction. But as werecognize that we are God’s creatures, we beginto understand the vastness and variety of Hiswork. It fairly shouts to us that, although we aresmall and finite, our Creator’s love, wisdom andpower are forever beyond our imagining!

Even though this physical creation we see isbeautiful, the spiritual “new creation in ChristJesus” within us is even more beautiful than any-thing we can conceive! Beyond that, Jesus tells usHe is preparing a place for those who are His (seeJohn 14). Heaven is the full expression of His cre-ativity—our future home is something thatexceeds anything we have yet experienced. Whatjoy, hope and genuine meaning that awarenessbrings! We aren’t accidents: We matter; we are


© 2006 Gospel Light. Permission to photocopy granted. The Big Book of God’s Amazing Creation8

d. Are you sorry for your sins? Tell God that youare. Do you believe Jesus died to take the punish-ment for your sins? If you tell God you are sorryfor your sins and tell Him you do believe andaccept Jesus’ death to take away your sins, Godforgives all your sin. (See 1 John 1:9.)

e. The Bible says that when you believe thatJesus is God’s Son and that He is alive today, youreceive God’s gift of eternal life. This gift makesyou a child of God. This means God is with younow and forever. (See John 3:16.)

Give students many opportunities to think aboutwhat it means to be a Christian; expose them toa variety of lessons and descriptions of the mean-ing of salvation to aid their understanding.

Talk Personally with the StudentTalking about salvation one-on-one creates theopportunity to ask and answer questions. Askquestions that move the student beyond simpleyes or no answers or recitation of memorizedinformation. Ask open-ended, what-do-you-think questions such as:

“Why do you think it’s important to . . . ?”

“What are some things you really like aboutJesus?”

Many adult Christians look back to their childhoodyears as the time when they accepted Christ asSavior. As children mature, they will grow in theirunderstanding of the difference between rightand wrong. They will also develop a sense of theirown need for forgiveness and feel a growingdesire to have a personal relationship with God.

However, the younger the child is, the more lim-ited he or she will be in understanding abstractterms. Children of all ages are likely to be incon-sistent in following through on their intentionsand commitments. Therefore, they need thought-ful, patient guidance in coming to know Christpersonally and continuing to grow in Him.

PrayAsk God to prepare the students in your group toreceive the good news about Jesus and prepareyou to communicate effectively with them.

Present the Good NewsUse words and phrases that students understand.Avoid symbolism that will confuse these literal-minded thinkers. Remember that each child’s learn-ing will be at different places on the spectrum ofunderstanding. Discuss these points slowly enoughto allow time for thinking and comprehending.

a. God wants you to become His child. Do youknow why God wants you in His family? (See 1 John 3:1.)

b. You and I and all the people in the world havedone wrong things. The Bible word for doingwrong is “sin.” What do you think should happento us when we sin? (See Romans 6:23.)

c. God loves you so much, He sent His Son to dieon the cross for your sins. Because Jesus neversinned, He is the only One who can take the pun-ishment for your sins. (See 1 Corinthians 15:3; 1 John 4:14.) On the third day after Jesus died,God brought Him back to life.



As you talk about your relationship, the studentwill begin to feel that it’s OK to talk about suchthings. Then you can comfortably ask the studentto share his or her thoughts and feelings, andyou can encourage the student to ask questionsof you.

b. Prepare the student to deal with doubts.Emphasize that certainty about salvation is notdependent on our feelings or doing enoughgood deeds. Show the student places in God’sWord that clearly declare that salvation comes bygrace through faith. (See John 1:12; Ephesians2:8-9; Hebrews 11:6; 1 John 5:11.)

c. Teach the student to confess all sins. Thismeans agreeing with God that we really havesinned. Assure the student that confession alwaysresults in forgiveness. (See 1 John 1:9.)

The Preschool Child and Salvation

The young child is easily attracted to Jesus.Jesus is a warm, sympathetic person who obvious-ly likes children, and children readily like Him.These early perceptions prepare the foundationfor the child to receive Christ as Savior and todesire to follow His example in godly living. Whilesome preschoolers may indeed pray to become amember of God’s family, accepting Jesus as theirSavior, expect wide variation in children’s readi-ness for this important step. Allow the Holy Spiritroom to work within His own timetable.

Talk simply. Phrases such as “born again” or“Jesus in my heart” are symbolic and far beyonda young child’s understanding. Focus on howGod makes people a part of His family.

Present the love of Jesus by both your actionsand your words in order to lay a foundation fora child to receive Christ as Savior. Look for oppor-tunities in every lesson to talk with a young childwho wants to know more about Jesus.

“Why do you think that Jesus had to diebecause of wrong things you and I have done?”

“What difference do you think it makes for aperson to be forgiven?”

When students use abstract terms or phrases theyhave learned previously, such as “accepting Christinto my heart,” ask them to tell you what theterm or phrase means in different words. Answersto these open-ended questions will help you dis-cern how much the student does or does notunderstand.

Offer Opportunities Without Pressure

Children normally desire to please adults. Thischaracteristic makes them vulnerable to beingunintentionally manipulated by well-meaningadults. A good way to guard against coercing astudent’s response is to simply pause periodicallyand ask, “Would you like to hear more about thisnow or at another time?” Loving acceptance ofthe student, even when he or she is not fully inter-ested in pursuing the matter, is crucial in buildingand maintaining positive attitudes towardbecoming part of God’s family.

Give Time to Think and PrayThere is great value in encouraging a student tothink and pray about what you have said beforemaking a response. Also allow moments for quietthinking about questions you have asked.

Respect the Student’s ResponseWhether or not a student declares faith in JesusChrist, there is a need for adults to accept the stu-dent’s action. There is also a need to realize that astudent’s initial responses to Jesus are just thebeginning of a lifelong process of growing in faith.

Guide the Student in Further Growth

There are several important parts in the nurturingprocess.

a. Talk regularly about your relationship with God.



allows for information, interaction and relation-ship to flow and flourish!

As a feature of an ongoing program basedon this book. Feature the science and Prayerand Praise ideas in this book in an ongoing pro-gram designed not only to inform children aboutthe wonders of God’s creation, but also to moti-vate their gratitude and praise. Add programcomponents such as active games, Bible storiesand/or Bible memory verse activities.

The explorations and experiments found in thisbook are intended for integration into a class ses-sion, whether by using them as a feature or sci-ence center in an existing program or as the basisfor an ongoing program.

The explorations and experiments, alongwith the questions and prayer activities listed,should take from 15 to 30 minutes. (Obviously,more complicated activities will take longerthan simple ones.) Many of these activities canbe extended both in time and content by usingthe optional materials and ideas listed in theactivities themselves.

These activities work best not with an adultdoing and children watching, but with childrendoing the activities themselves. It is highly recom-mended that you provide a small-group formatfor these activities. This provides children withhands-on interaction and the chance to bond witheach other and with one consistent adult leader.Using a small-group format will also make it easi-er to track attendance and to be aware of chil-dren’s prayer needs, as well as to create a commu-nity in which each child feels known and valued.

Here are instructions for ways to use the activities

found in this book:As a lesson supplement. To supplement les-sons during Sunday School, a second-hour ses-sion, midweek program, church retreat or otherclass, make photocopies of the activity pageneeded in advance. Give one copy to the teacheror small-group leader so that he or she can pre-pare the activity and gather needed materials.

As a science center. Photocopy the activitypage needed. Give one copy to the teacher orsmall-group leader so that he or she can preparea science center or “lab table” that could be onecenter among others during a learning time inwhich children rotate among centers. This format

For a 60-Minute

Session_________________

Science Activity*20 minutes

Prayer and Praise*15 minutes

Active Game15 minutes

Bible Memory Verse Activity

10 minutes

For a 90-MinuteSession

_________________Science

Activity*25 minutes

Prayer and Praise*

25 minutes (Addoptional activity.)

Active Game15 minutes

Bible Story15 minutes

Bible Memory Verse

10 minutes

* found in this book



your facility and the ages and abilities of yourstudents. This advance planning will ensure thatall children can participate successfully.

Carefully planning ways to meet the needs ofchildren sends each child these messages: You areimportant. We all help each other. We learn bet-ter together. We’re all part of the same family! Itis a powerful way in which adults can model theloving, Christlike attitudes and actions we wantour students to learn and show!

Customize Sessions for Your GroupAs you prepare an activity for a session, note theskills needed and the level of understandingrequired. Then take an extra five minutes to lookat your class roster. Think about how best toadapt the activity to your particular group’sneeds. For instance, if some children in yourgroup do not like to write or are unable to write,use drawing as an option or invite students todictate responses to small-group leaders. Adaptactivities and explorations as needed to fit both

If you are using an activity with elementary-aged stu-dents, make one copy of the activity for each teacherand helper as well as one copy for every group of fourstudents (the most common grouping in this book) orone for each individual student. If you are using these activities for preschool-agedchildren, make one copy of the activity for each teen oradult leader of a group of four to eight children. For alarge-group activity, making a copy for each teen oradult leader is helpful but not necessary.

Use the Lab Reports found on pages 15-18 either

as a way to extend the experiment time or to

increase thinking and discussion about the topic.

Keep copies on hand for students to complete when-

ever there is extra time to fill or distribute them as

a way to help your young explorers express more

detailed information about their discoveries!



By involving kids in simple, clear and excitingscience activities, we send them a message: thatGod’s Word and science are not at war, nor arethey mutually exclusive! The Bible gives usanswers to the questions science cannot addressabout the purpose and meaning of this life thatwe experience. Wherever the Bible addresses ascientific subject, we find that God’s Word, writ-ten to people in ancient cultures, is accurate. Aswe help our kids experience scientific processesby asking good questions and showing our owndelight in what God has done, we all are betterable to understand bits of God’s work and torespond in thankful celebration at the amazingways God put our universe together!

Our kids (and we) need to recapture the fear-less wonder and excitement of discovering Godas He has revealed Himself in creation. Involvingkids at church in hands-on science activities willfuel their wonder at God’s great love, wisdomand power. Besides, it’s just plain fun!

In our world, kids may more often be seen as peo-ple to be amused than involved. Special effects,lifelike graphics and digitized sound have becomebenchmarks of “virtual quality.” Such a valueplaced on unreality might tempt us to think kidsno longer care about exploring the real world. Butalthough our culture advertises its values, prod-ucts and ideas to children (and parents) all thetime, culture has no mandate to teach us what’simportant—rather, its frankly stated goal is tomake sure we buy what is for sale!

But in a high-tech, low-touch, profit-drivenworld, kids need now more than ever to under-stand how the real world works. Such under-standing used to be absorbed naturally as kidsworked on farms or in yards with interestedadults who explained God’s wonders. The veryrarity of this kind of interaction today gives us asChristian educators a great opportunity to bethose interested adults who help kids bothunderstand the world around them in a hands-on way and give them a sense of awe thatreminds them of the grandeur and power of Godseen through His creation.



1. State the problem. (What happens if . . . ?)

2. Make a hypothesis (an educated guess). (Wethink it will . . .)

3. Perform the experiment. (What happened?We see that . . .)

4. Record the results. (This is what happened.)

5. Try it again. (Will we get the same results?)

6. State the conclusion. (What did we learn?)

Also involved in any kind of scientific experienceis a variety of thinking skills: problem solving,observation, measuring, communicating, predict-ing and classifying, to name just a few.

On the other hand, science explorations arealso likely to give rise not only to questions youare asking but also that are asked of you! If youdon’t have an answer, the best response is neverto bluff or to guess. Simply say, “I don’t know theanswer to that. Let’s each see if we can find ananswer this week. We’ll talk about it next week.”That response models honesty—and goodresearch technique as well!

In the process of exploring and experimenting,one of the best ways to help children understandwhat they are experiencing is to ask good ques-tions. There are questions already provided inthe individual activities. But the potential forgood discussion and greater understandingincreases when you become skilled at askinggood questions.

Characteristics of a Good Question 1. A good question is likely to be open-ended;that is, there is not a yes-or-no or a right-or-wrong answer. Of course, this depends largely onthe question, but you will get more discussionout of a question that kids can’t answer in oneword than one for which only your brightest stu-dent will provide the right answer.

2. A good question (especially in science) shouldbe one that will give rise to another question. Forinstance, instead of asking, “Do you see thesteam rising?” you could ask, “What do yousee?” or “What do you think is happening?”“Why do you think so?” “What might happen if(we added cold water)?”

The Scientific MethodIt is helpful to remember the steps to the scientif-ic method as you think about an activity you willbe doing. They are:



and then removed. Posters and items can also beattached to a sheet (with staples or duct tape)that can be hung on a wall during each session.

Wear a UniformWhen adults are having fun, it’s amazing howmuch more fun the kids have! Invite the adultsinvolved in sessions to dress in lab coats or whitejackets, or even T-shirts with logos or labels thatdesignate them as part of the scientific researchteam (such as the Cousteau Society or a universi-ty research group).

Create a Place Name and label one ormore room doors, espe-cially if you are usingmore than one room.Places such as CreationResearch Center, GladScientists’ Lab or DinoDig HQ can give youand your students someintriguing “handles”for thinking aboutGod’s creation and thelessons we learn fromthe world around us.

If you will be expanding these activities into aregular feature of your program or will be basinga program around them, consider decorating anarea of the rooms where your sessions will takeplace. Creating a “science lab” can add fun,excitement and dimension to the proceedings!Here are some ideas for setting the stage to cre-ate the perfect atmosphere for fun and learning.

General Science-Related DecorationsConsider drawing a laboratory backdrop or mural,or invite older students to do this as a service proj-ect. A mural on one or two walls can make thearea (or the whole room) resemble a science lab.On the mural, include drawings of equipment(microscopes, magnifying glasses, computers,beakers, Bunsen burners, etc.), charts (map ofEarth, space diagrams, parts of an animal, etc.)and other items to give the room the feel of a sci-ence lab. Add appropriate props, such as books,models of animals or the human body, plants, etc.

If possible, include some real scientific referencebooks or a computer with search capabilities toenrich and expand students’ scientific experiences!

If you cannot leave the science center in placefrom week to week, consider simply pinningmurals or posters onto rolling bulletin boards. Adda rolling science table holding books or othermaterials that can be rolled in during the sessions

Use the Lab Report

s found on the fol

lowing

four pages (15-18) e

ither as a way to ext

end

the experiment time or to in

crease thinking

and discussion about

the topic. Keep cop

ies on

hand for students t

o complete whenever there

is extra time to fill o

r distribute them as a

way to help your youn

g explorers express

more

detailed information abou

t their discoveries!

’



keep latex gloves or plastic disposable food-servicegloves on hand for those children in your classwho are likely to be sensitive to substances theymight touch with their fingers.

Safety Rules Post these safety rules (and read them aloud toyounger children) so that everyone knows howto use the materials safely and enjoyably.

1. We use the materials only for what we plan,unless we ask an adult first.

2. We wear safety glasses if there is any chancewe could hurt our eyes.

3. We wear gloves if there is any chance wecould hurt our fingers or that the materials mightmake our hands itchy.

4. We help each other and take turns.

Remember that an alert adult is the best protec-tion against injury. Plan to recruit volunteer labassistants (small-group leaders) as well as peoplewho are willing to act as lead scientists (peoplewho rotate among the small groups to helpgroups stay on track and also to ask engagingquestions).

Many of us shy away from scientific activitiesbecause we can still hear our mothers’ voices say-ing, “You’ll put your eye out!” However, not allscientific endeavors are the kinds that explode!Have no fear. With proper preparation and a lit-tle forethought, scientific activities can be safe,fun and fascinating!

The activities included in this book use ingre-dients that are generally recognized as safe: Theyare mainly items found in any household. Theseare also activities that should be done with atleast one adult for every eight children (or witheven smaller groups, if possible, to increase theinteraction and relationship building).

Eye ProtectionProtective goggles will be needed for a few ofthese activities. They are inexpensive and can bekept as part of the “lab storage.” Consider askinga retailer to donate these to your program (mostretailers have a donation amount they areallowed to spend yearly).

Gloves Protective gloves will be needed for only a few ofthese activities. It might also be a good idea to


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