Measuring Our World - A Story and STEAM Event

This program was intended to introduce STEAM concepts to preschoolers ages 3-6 years old.  

Intro song #1:  Hello Friends (sign language action song for the words hello, friends, and time)

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

 

Intro song #2: If You Are Ready for Stories... (my adaptation of a Rob Reid storytime rhyme)

If you are ready for stories...
...Count to three.
...Stretch your wings.
...Touch your toes.
...Touch your nose.
...Bark like a dog.
...Snore like a log.
...Sit like a kid at storytime.

 

 

Book: 

Inch By Inch by Leo Lionni

 

STEAM questions and concepts:

How did the inch worm measure all of the birds? 

How can we measure different things? 

A measurement is a system we use that tells us the height, weight, capacity, or even the amount of certain objects. 

 

Demonstration:

Show pictures of dinosaurs and try to name them.  Talk about how large a tyrannosaurus rex footprint might be.  Show the approximate size of this footprint.  Talk about measuring how many feet would fit inside this footprint (area of the footprint).  Allow children to take off their shoes to measure how many children’s feet large this footprint is. 

 

Stations: 

Station #1- Measuring to make playdough. 

The children used measuring cups to mix cornstarch and hair conditioner together to make playdough. 

Station #2 – Measuring time.

I set out various timers for the children to play with.  There was also the preschool version of the Perfection game to challenge the children. 

Station #3 – Measuring dinosaurs.

The children used Unifix cubes to measure the length and height of various toy dinosaurs.

 

Station #4 – Comparing weight.

The used a balance scale to compare the weights of a variety of small toys.

 

Station #5 – Measuring your height on the wall. 

I put up a large piece of butcher paper on a wall.  I also attached a measuring tape to this paper.  I invited the children to measure how tall they are and mark it on the paper with a pen. 

 

Station #6 – Height measurement keepsake.

This one was more for the grown-ups!  I instructed the parents to cut a length of ribbon the same length as their child.  Then, place this ribbon in a clear plastic Christmas bulb ornament.  I also had out a paper that the grown-ups could write their child’s name, age, and date. 

 

Station #7 – Make a rainbow by measuring paper strips.

I found this idea at the Liberin blog https://librerin.wordpress.com/2012/03/16/easy-paper-rainbow/.

  

Reflection: 

Way too many stations!!!  But there were so many good ideas.

The rainbow strip station turned out to be the most challenging.  The children needed lots of parent guidance for this station.  When parents had more than one child, the parents just did the measuring for the children while the children explored other stations.  If the parent had only one child, I saw some wonderful interactions as they worked together to measure the paper strips.  Probably not a station I would do again in this setting. 

The playdough was super messy.  I was vacuuming it up for a very long time.  Also, be sure to have a sink nearby.  Good thinking on my part to also grab a step stool for the children to get up to the sink.  I was surprised at how many children did not want to use their hands to mix the conditioner and cornstarch.