Grow Up Great
Note: Balloons are used in this activity, but they are removed before the exploration.
Note: This activity requires balloons to be filled and frozen at least two days before the exploration. Before taking the frozen balloon globes into the classroom, remove the balloons and discard them.
Ice will begin to melt as soon as it touches something that is above 32 degrees Fahrenheit. The children used room-temperature water to drip onto the frozen globes so that they could examine the effect of the water on the ice. Colored water was used in the exploration so the children could see the path that the water took on the frozen globe.
Ice is water that has been frozen. Raindrops can freeze as they fall from the sky. Freezing rain is a type of winter storm where rain freezes as it falls and then collects on surfaces as a thin coating of ice. Frozen raindrops are too small and thaw too quickly to observe—so, to create a similar shape, we examined water that was frozen in balloons. When water is frozen, it provides interesting patterns for exploration. The patterns are caused by tiny air bubbles that get trapped as the water freezes.
These lessons are aligned with the Common Core State Standards ("CCSS"). The CCSS provide a consistent, clear understanding of the concepts and skills children are expected to learn and guide teachers to provide their students with opportunities to gain these important skills and foundational knowledge.[2]
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There are currently no Common Core Standards for pre-k, but these lessons are aligned as closely as possible to capture the requirements and meet the goals of Common Core Standards. However, these lessons were neither reviewed or approved by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices or the Council of Chief State School Officers, which together are the owners and developers of the Common Core State Standards.
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