Ocean Water Science Experiment with Mother Goose Time

I love how Mother Goose Time lesson plans can easily be differentiated, depending upon the ages and abilities of your children. This science experiment is a great example.

My daughters are three-years-old and seven-years-old, so their abilities are different from one another. My older daughter studies challenging curriculum appropriate for a 2nd grader. Mother Goose Time offers my older child a little break from academics, while still giving her the opportunity to learn and create, along with her little sister.

My three-year-old daughter loves sharing Mother Goose Time with her older sister, and each day is a fun and new adventure. It's so nice that each day's activities are separated in a separate bag with activities for both children, which is inside the themed, monthly school bus box. I love the daily curriculum guide that suggests songs, assessments and reflections.

 

Here is a fun ocean water experiment we enjoyed this week!

Ages: Preschool through Elementary Age

Mother Goose Time provided the above, pictured instructions sheet for the experiment.

Instead of bowls, we used a plate for the sugar and salt. I wrote "salt" and "sugar" below each one with a dry erase marker. I also wrote on the cups, being sure to keep the writing far below where they will drink.

The girls made their predictions...

How do you think ocean water tastes?

They prepared their supplies, and completed the experiment while using their senses of sight, smell and taste.

The girls smiled, laughed and discussed their observations.


Best of all, they had fun, sister bonding and as they learned that ocean water is salty and tastes about the same as a cup of water with one teaspoon of salt in it.

We Love Mother Goose Time Preschool Curriculum

Mother Goose Time has asked me to be a Blog Ambassador. Being a former preschool through 2nd grade teacher, I truly understand the time involved and value of Mother Goose Time curriculum. This little box saves me hours of preparation, and makes a huge, positive difference in my 3 year old daughter's day. Our second grade daughter loves the activities, too.

I had ordered a month of curriculum earlier this year for our 3-year-old daughter, and I was really impressed. I'm pretty particular, so it takes a lot to impress me. The curriculum is typically used at preschools, but it is also perfect for homeschooling a preschooler.

The art, music and science activities can be helpful for elementary-age children, especially if they need a break from their academic work. The Mother Goose Time curriculum box is delivered to your door, and the box is made to look like an adorable, little school bus. When you open the box you'll find an entire months worth of activities, teacher handbooks, CD for the theme of the month, calendar and circle time CD of songs, and monthly note for the parents, plus more I'm probably forgetting. Each days activities are packaged in a separate bag, so it doesn't get mixed together. Each bag has everything you need for the days lesson and activities, such as a craft! You can order for any number of children. I decided to order two kits, so our 2nd grade daughter can enjoy the crafts, too. The crafts are ideal for preschool through elementary age children, which is ideal for homeschool families. This saves a tremendous amount of time. I'm actually shocked that they can fit so much in the box. You can also add on the Experience God curriculum, if you like. I did, and the kids love it.

Every once in a while you will need to provide your own paint, glue or tape, but most things like googly eyes, feathers, construction paper and other supplies are provided.

This month our Mother Goose Time theme is Ocean Commotion. We just got our box and we can't wait to get started. I'll be taking pictures of the children's work to share with all of you. Mother Goose Time will also post our children's activities on their social networking sites.

In addition to working on our Mother Goose Time activities, I'm planning a field trip for our daughters to visit The Aquarium of the Pacific, and we just visited the Pacific Marine Mammal Center. The docents there gave us a wonderful presentation and tour explaining how important it is to clean up any trash we find around by the gutters. I know it sounds silly, but you can actually be saving a baby seal, sea turtle or dolphin simply by keeping the gutters clean of debris. I never would have known this made such a difference. The children were able to see animals that had been harmed, simply because of trash from gutters! If we are going to teach our children about the ocean, let's also teach them how to save the ocean and the beautiful animals in the ocean. :)

I love how Mother Goose Time teaches children good character. You can feel it in the lesson plans, it's really built into the program itself. I was really impressed when I saw this video of Tim Tebow on their website. Mother Goose Time is a wonderful example of a company that gives to people, not just in the wonderful services they provide, but also in the extra, unexpected ways they choose to give back to the community. I love Mother Goose Time, and I'm truly looking forward to sharing their wonderful preschool curriculum with my blog readers.



What fun activities do you like to use when teaching children about the ocean?

What preschool curriculum do you use?

What ocean theme picture books would you recommend?

Please share in the comments below.

Author Notes:
I'm writing a picture book this month about ocean animals. :) Immersing myself in these activities has really got my mind thinking about marine mammals. I think as a personal goal I'll write a children's picture book to go along with our theme each month. Fun!