Colors of the Rainbow - A Family STEAM & Stories event

This program was intended to introduce STEAM concepts through stories and exploration activity stations to families with children ages 3-8 years old.    

Intro song:  Hello Friends (sign language action song for the words hello, friends, math, fun, and time)

Hello friends,
Hello friends,
Hello friends,
It's time to say hello.

Hello science,
Hello science,
Hello science,
It's time to have some fun.   

 

Demonstration and Storytime:

 

·         Read the book What Is a Rainbow? by Harritet Blackford, illustrated by Mike Henson (from the TechTots STEM Science series  

·         Show the word card for rainbow.  Talk about what this word means.

·         Show the word card for colors.  Talk about what the word means.      

·         Show the word card for color spectrum.  Show a color spectrum chart.  Be sure to mention the “ROY G Biv” memory device. 

 

·         Put the color words for ROY G Viv on the white board.  Hand out papers with the colors on it.  (Give the blue, indigo, and violet papers to the older kids.)  Allow the children to tape their paper to the white board under the correct color. 

·         Instruct on how to use the stations. 

 

Stations: 

 

Station #1- Color roll game

The children roll the cloth die.  They then pick an action card that matches the up-top color on the die and do the action.  I used the ThinkFun Roll & Play game. 

Station #2 – Prism play

The children changed look through various shaped prisms to see the color spectrum. 

 

Station #3 – Beaded rainbow sun catcher

The children create a sun catcher using pony beads strong on a length of pipe-cleaners with one prism bead attached at the bottom.  I got this idea from Rhythms Of Play website at https://rhythmsofplay.com/rainbow-pony-bead-prism-suncatcher/.    

 

Station #4 – Lego brick challenge

I found some free printable Lego Rainbow challenge cards from the Little Bins for Little Hands website at https://littlebinsforlittlehands.com/lego-rainbow-build-challenge-kids/.  I set out a large tub of Lego bricks along with these challenge cards.