WonderWorks: Does it Sink or Float?

Engineering meets buoyancy and boat-making.

Today's Topic: Will it sink or float?
Supplies:
tubs of water
items that may sink or float (light bulbs, full can of soda, pencils, keys, paperclips, balloons, plastic eggs, whatever you have on hand.  It will either sink or float or do something interesting halfway between.)
sponges
wooden skewers
foam sheets cut into triangles for "sails"

Book:  

Arthur's dream boat / Dunbar, Polly <div style='clear:both;'>&nbsp;</div>

Captain Small Pig / Waddell, Martin

WonderWorks: Measuring Liquids

Measuring liquids is wet, messy math!

Today's Topic:  Measuring Liquids 
Supplies:
Water
Funnels (optional, but very helpful!)
As many of the following as you can gather:
-measuring cups (both liquid and dry work well, plastic recommended)
-measuring spoons
-baby bottles with measurements on the side
-children's medicine syringes, spoons or the cups that come on top of a bottle of children's tylenol
-rain gauges
-mixing bowls with measurements
-gallon jugs
-plastic or cardboard pint or quart containers
-plastic cups in various sizes and shapes (to do a more simple "which one holds more?" test)

Book:  

How do you measure liquids? / Adamson, Thomas K.
This is a great non-fiction book about the topic!  All of the fiction titles I found were way too long for read-alouds.  This one keeps it simple, includes a few experiments and has a hint of a storyline with high quality photographs of an African American family measuring liquids in several different settings (more vs. less, measuring medicine, etc.)

Toddler Art Class: Drip, Drop & Spin

Salad spinners and coffee filters make fun art outside the kitchen!

Art Projects:  Spin Art & Coffee Filter Color Blending 
Supplies:
salad spinners (I found mine at thrift stores and library staff donated a few)
small, uncoated paper plates (or cardstock cut into circles small enough to lay flat in the bottom of your salad spinner)
paint
small squeeze bottles
eye droppers
liquid watercolors or food coloring
coffee filters

Book:
  Monsters love colors / Austin, Mike

Music to make art by:  

You are my sunshine [sound recording] / Mitchell, Elizabeth

Toddler Art Class: Painting on Foil

Shiny, happy paintings add an interesting texture element.

Art Project: Painting on Foil
Supplies:
aluminum foil
paint (we used regular tempera)
brushes
containers for paint
water to wash brushes between colors (optional)

Book:
  Mouse paint / Walsh, Ellen Stoll

(not the best book-to-project match, but I did give the kids three colors of paint to mix and play with.)

WonderWorks: Drip, Drop

Eye droppers, turkey basters and bulb syringes all work on the same principle--a tricky one for kids to conquer!

Today's Topic: Drip, Drop
Supplies:
eye droppers
turkey basters
bulb syringes
bowls of water
plastic or styrofoam egg cartons, small paper cups, bowls, other small containers to drip into
towels (or do this one outdoors)

Book:
   Rain! / Ashman, Linda

update 3/2017: Newer book that would work great as the elephant sucks all the water in the bathtub up through her trunk, then squirts it back out. --


Get out of my bath! / Teckentrup, Britta

Summer Special: Wormapalooza!

"Dig into Reading" just begs for live worms so.... here they are!

Summer Special:  Wormapalooza!
What it is:  a multi-station celebration, a festival of fishbait, a wonder of wigglers!

The stations at my library were:  bendy beaded worms, wiggle worm stick puppets, a die-cut worm pencil decoration aaaaand... live worm racing!  (instructions for each of these after the jump or follow the links as given)

WonderWorks: Bubble Science

Bubbles are classic summer fun, but did you know they contain sneaky science lessons?

Wonderworks:  Bubble Science
Supplies:
--a clear plastic tub and a smaller cup
--water
--bubble solution
--pipe cleaners
--food coloring
--straws
--small paper cups

Book:
  Pop! : a book about bubbles / Bradley, Kimberly Brubaker