Science Craft: Hovercrafts

Our last elementary-age drop-in craft for our Summer Reading Program was to create hovercrafts. It involved really simple supplies, and was a hit with the kids.

Each kid needed:

• 1 CD (we asked for donations of old/used CDs initially, but didn't get nearly enough, so I purchased the cheapest 100-pack I could find at Staples)
• 1 water bottle pull top (again you could get donations, but if you're doing this craft with a large group, I recommend just purchasing these from US Plastic Corp)
• 1 balloon

We also used the library's hot glue guns, and packs of Sharpie markers.

The steps: (I posted these around the room and on the tables)

1. Take a CD. Bring it to a table and decorate one side (this will be the top) with markers. 
2. Bring your decorated CD back up to the counter to have a library volunteer or an adult hot glue a pop-top-cap onto the colored side.
3. Take a balloon and return to a table.
4. Once the hot glue is cooled and dry, make sure the pop-top-cap is in the “closed” position. Blow up your balloon and stretch the neck over the top. Lift the pop-top-cap to the “open” position and watch your hovercraft scoot across the table!

If the air seems to be coming out of the balloon too fast, place a piece of scotch tape over the hole and poke a few smaller holes in it with a pin. We didn't need it with ours. The kids also discovered they could blow their balloon up through the CD hole while it was attached, twist the balloon, then set it down on the table and untwist.

I eventually also put out scrap paper, to put the CDs on top of
while coloring, to keep the Sharpie marker off my tables!

Kids who came in the afternoon had a special treat. A local gentleman had seen our flyers about making these crafts, and asked if he could bring in his own, real hovercraft for the kids to see. OF COURSE!!! I made sure to get his name and number to maybe have a full program with him sometime. :) What a special treat for our kids in our last week of Summer Reading!

Craft: Binary Code Bracelets/Necklaces/Keychains

One of the crafts listed in the CSLP manual for the Fizz Boom Read! season was all about binary code. This one caught my eye as my husband loves computers and coding, and... well... I'm a nerd too...

In short, binary code is a way of writing letters and numbers and symbols using an 8-digit string of 0's and 1's. For example, the uppercase letter "A" is written 01000001. Using black beads for 0 and white beads for 1, with colors in between for spacing, we were able to create bracelets, necklaces, and keychains with coded messages.

I offered this program for my teens, but it could easily be something for elementary kids to do too. Most kids wrote their names or initials, a few middle school girls wouldn't share whose name they were writing. :)

The keychain spells "Carrie", and I made the
blue necklace for my daughter "Abby".

Storytime: Movement/Kinetics

Age: 2-5 years
Time: 30 minutes

Sticking with the Fizz Boom Read! CSLP theme, I have chosen seven science topics for our summer. This was our last week, we talked about movement & kinetics!


1) What's the weather? 

I made a weather chart for week one of summer reading, and am starting each week this summer talking about the current weather. We sang this little song to go with it, to the tune of Oh My Darling Clementine:

What's the weather, what's the weather,
What's the weather everyone?
Is it windy, is it cloudy, is there rain, or is there sun?


2) Mr. Sun - Raffi
It had been another rainy couple of days, so we sang our song to bring the sun back out again. I use a combination of motions from Jbrary and Raffi himself.

Oh Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun (make big sun with arms over head)
Please shine down on me (wiggle fingers and come down, kind of like rain actually)
Oh Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun (make big sun with arms over head)
Hiding behind a tree (hide eyes with hands)

These little children are asking you (point at self with thumbs)
To please come out so we can play with you (hands make "come here" motion)
Oh Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun (make big sun with arms over head)
Please shine down on me (wiggle fingers and come down)


3) Introduce science topic: movement 
We listed all of our previous science topics of the summer, and everyone was sad this was our last week. I didn't go into a lot of detail about kinetics, just made mention of how our bodies are able to do some pretty cool motions, and how our storytime today would be mostly songs and action stuff. I had rearranged the room, taking out the craft tables, to allow room for us to move!


4) These Are My Glasses - Laurie Berkner
We sing this every week before reading our first book. I start by asking them to show me their glasses and their book so that they remember the signs. We sing it through twice, then I ask them to put their "books" in their lap while we read our first book.

These are my glasses (make the letter o with each hand)
And this is my book (hands together)
I put on my glasses (put "glasses" over eyes)
And open up the book (open book hands)
Now I read read read (hold book up in front of face like reading)
And I look look look (put glasses over eyes and look around room)
I put down my glasses and… (lower glasses)
WHOOP! Close up the book. (clap as if closing a book quickly)


5) How Can You Dance? - Rick Walton

I paperclipped a bit in this book to only read the pages that included motions kids can actually do. Their favorite was dancing like a snake. :)


6) Shake Your Sillies Out - The Wiggles, Yummy Yummy


7) The Goldfish Song - Laurie Berkner, The Best of the Laurie Berkner Band


8) Head Shoulders Knees and Toes


9) Hokey Pokey
We did right arm, left arm, right leg, left leg, head, whole self, tongue (by request - they must have remembered my 5 senses storytime!). Afterward I pointed out to parents how I was using my other arms/legs. Kids' natural instinct is to mirror what they see, so then they were using their correct side.


10) Stretch - Doreen Cronin

The kids stretched with the dog during the first half of the book. Then we all sat down to finish it.


11) We Are the Dinosaurs - Laurie Berkner, Whaddya Think of That
I always save this one for last, so we can get the biggest roars out of the kids and they don't have to be afraid of being quiet in the library. :)


I closed with a few announcements about fall storytime, encouraging the adults to keep reading to their kids, and letting them know about the free books they would receive that day for completing our Summer Reading Program. And that's the end! I made it through my second summer! :)



Other movement ideas:
Bounce - Doreen Cronin
Wiggle - Doreen Cronin
Dance With Me - Charles R. Smith Jr.

Science Craft: Tornado in a Bottle

I've seen a number of different recipes for a tornado in a bottle all over Pinterest. Many used two bottles connected together, but for 100 kids I just didn't want to mess with that. I tried a few that included dish soap, and while the bubbles showed off the swirling, it eventually got too bubbly to see. I then found some that used colored lamp oil, which was REALLY cool, but that stuff was too expensive for 100 kids. I went with vegetable oil instead.

Each kid needed:

• 1 bottle of water (I initially asked for donations of empty bottles, but didn't get enough, so we just bought a few cases so they already had water in them)
• 1 drop of food coloring (any more and it would be too dark to see)
• 25ish drops of oil (probably could have used more, I was afraid I would run out but we never even came close)
• a sprinkle of glitter

I had a volunteer hot glue the tops on once everything was in the bottle.

It took most kids a few tries, but eventually they all were able to see the tornado. I heard sooooo many "WOW!"s that day. :)

Storytime: Light

Age: 2-5 years
Time: 30 minutes

Sticking with the Fizz Boom Read! CSLP theme, I have chosen seven science topics for our summer. This week we looked at light!


1) What's the weather? 

I made a weather chart for week one of summer reading, and am starting each week this summer talking about the current weather. We sang this little song to go with it, to the tune of Oh My Darling Clementine:

What's the weather, what's the weather,
What's the weather everyone?
Is it windy, is it cloudy, is there rain, or is there sun?


2) Mr. Sun - Raffi
I told the kids we would be talking about light today, and how we get a lot of light from the sun. I used a combination of motions from Jbrary and Raffi himself.

Oh Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun (make big sun with arms over head)
Please shine down on me (wiggle fingers and come down, kind of like rain actually)
Oh Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun (make big sun with arms over head)
Hiding behind a tree (hide eyes with hands)

These little children are asking you (point at self with thumbs)
To please come out so we can play with you (hands make "come here" motion)
Oh Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun (make big sun with arms over head)
Please shine down on me (wiggle fingers and come down)


3) Introduce science topic - light
I hung a big piece of posterboard, and wrote the sun at the top. Then I asked the kids where else we get/see light. Both groups came up with a pretty good list!

4) These Are My Glasses - Laurie Berkner
We sing this every week before reading our first book. I start by asking them to show me their glasses and their book so that they remember the signs. We sing it through twice, then I ask them to put their "books" in their lap while we read our first book.

These are my glasses (make the letter o with each hand)
And this is my book (hands together)
I put on my glasses (put "glasses" over eyes)
And open up the book (open book hands)
Now I read read read (hold book up in front of face like reading)
And I look look look (put glasses over eyes and look around room)
I put down my glasses and… (lower glasses)
WHOOP! Close up the book. (clap as if closing a book quickly)


5) Night Lights - Susan Gal

I liked how this one showed lots of places where we see light, like we had just listed. It was simple enough we could have even used it as a closing book (I typically pick a longer one for our first book), but it was a good way to introduce our topic.


6) Song - Moon Moon Moon - Laurie Berkner

We had already mentioned the sun, and the previous book ended with the moon and stars. This song is on Laurie's Victor Vito CD. I started with the motions from Sunflower Storytime, and then changed a few...

Moon, moon, moon (form arms in circle over head) 
Shining bright (wiggle fingers like they are sparkling) 
Moon, moon, moon (form arms in circle over head) 
My night light (act like turning off a light) 
Moon, moon, moon (arms in circle over head) 
I can see (point to eyes)
Moon, moon, moon (form arms in circle over head)
You’re taking care of me (hands over heart) 

Look up, it’s the moon (point up with right hand and look up) 
Look up, it’s the moon (point up with left hand and look up) 
Look up, it’s the moon (point up with both hands)
Up in the sky (wave arms back and forth over head)
It’s big and round (make circle with arms over head) 
And I have found (thumbs to chest)
That it looks just like a pizza [lemon] pie! (make circle with hands in front of you, then take a bite)

7) The Very Lonely Firefly - Eric Carle

In one of my groups, a kid did mention fireflies when we wrote out our light list. This is the time of year when there are sooooo many of them out in our area, so most of the kids knew what they were. On each page I asked the kids "was it another firefly?!" and waited for their "nooo..." answer. Unfortunately my batteries are dead in this book, though one kid exclaimed "I have this book at home, and the fireflies DO light up!!!"


8) Two Little Fireflies
Two little fireflies land on my hand ("Blink" fingers of both hands)
One named Sally ("Blink" right hand)
One named Sam ("Blink" left hand)
Lights ON Sally! (Spread right hand open)
Lights ON Sam! (Spread left hand open)
Lights off Sally (Make right hand into a fist)
Lights off Sam (Make left hand into a fist)


9) Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Everyone knows this one...


10) Night Light - Nicholas Blechman

A really fun guessing book. One of the kids in my second group had this book at home, so he yelled out the answers each time... Oh well! I was a little disappointed in how the book was created, in that the last page included the inside of the back cover -- which got partially covered with the book's dust jacket (which is of course taped down for library use).


11) Suncatcher craft
I'd seen a number of tissue paper suncatchers on Pinterest that used contact paper. I really didn't want to cut 60 pieces of contact paper and risk having 2-year-olds crumple/wrinkle/bend/stick together. So I searched for another idea and came up with a great one all on my own! I found a box of clear transparency sheets (remember using those with overhead projectors??), which I sliced in half. The kids took one piece and spread glue on it, then stuck down tissue paper pieces. Then they put glue on the other half and stuck it on top of the tissue-papered half. Brilliant! Beautiful! They turned out so sturdy. My daughter has hers leaning up against her window at home.

Showing how it looks with a flashlight. My club room
doesn't have easily accessible windows (basement).

Other light ideas:
What Makes a Shadow? - Clyde Robert Bulla
Moonbear's Shadow - Frank Asch
The House in the Night - Susan Marie Swanson
The Dark - Lemony Snicket
Katie's Light & Electricity Storytime

Science Craft: Rubber Blubber

Our first science experiment/craft of our Fizz Boom Read! Summer Reading Program for grades 1-6 featured Rubber Blubber (aka Homemade Gak). I found a number of recipes online, and settled on this one from Erika. I did a bit of unit conversion (my algebra teacher hubby would be proud!) to come up with how much supplies I would need for the 100 kids we expected to come through that day.

I figured I would need 2/3 cup Borax in a gallon of water, to
make the "Borax solution" ahead of time for 100+ "servings".

I set up the craft in a buffet-style format, along two counters so we could have two lines going at once. Instructions were everywhere with how much of each ingredient to place in their bag. Then the kids went to a table and started squishing their bag!

My sample, which I took out every so often to show.

 Each kid would use:

• 1 plastic baggie (I used quart sized freezer bags, so they would be sturdy enough for all the squishing)
• 4 spoonfuls of water
• 2 drops of food coloring (neon colors are great!)
• 4 spoonfuls of glue (I went through about a gallon of Elmer's School Glue, but didn't have nearly as many kids as we'd hoped for)
• 2 spoonfuls of Borax solution

Spoonfuls was a really easy measuring system. I just made sure to keep the proportions correct from the recipe. The glue was the hardest to measure, and I often ended up adding another spoonful after kids had squished for awhile.

They never believed me when I said they needed to squish for over 5 minutes! :) My last instruction on the paper said "Even when you think you're done, MIX MORE!" I had food coloring stains on my hands that I showed them, from trying to take my blubber out of the bag before it was mixed all the way.

This craft was such a huge hit. Unfortunately there was also a day camp going on at one of the local schools that took a lot of my kids away. Parents came in saying their children were so disappointed they couldn't come, and did I have the recipe I could share? So I posted the link above to our Facebook page, and directed parents there so they could make it themselves.

I wish Borax came in smaller containers. Oh well, I bought this box myself and am using the rest at home with my laundry. :)