Great Dais had an explosive day filled with fun science experiments. The children had shown a keen interest in science and the world around them so practitioners planned some first hand experiences. First hand experiences are an exciting and memorable way for practitioners to extend on the children's current knowledge. The first experiment involved placing baking soda and white vinegar into a small drinks bottle and then placing a balloon on top.
The children were encouraged to smell the baking soda and the white vinegar and to consider what might happen when they two were mixed, they were also encouraged to consider what was the purpose of the balloon on top and what would happen to the balloon. The children discussed their ideas which built personal, social and emotional skills as well as promoted the children's characteristics of effective learning. After everyone had had a chance to share their thoughts the experiment took place. As the baking soda and white vinegar were mixed a gas was created which then lead to the balloon rising and filling up. The children enjoyed being involved in adding the components and lead to a richer learning experience as they were all excited and interested in discovering the end results. The second experiment involved going out into the garden ensuring that continuous provision was met for the children. As this was a messier experiment the garden was a more appropriate space and allowed the children to express themselves in a different way. Again the children were encouraged to predict what might happen when the experiment took place. Every child again had the opportunity to express their thoughts and ideas. The second experiment involved placing a mentos mint into a bottle of coke. As the end result is very explosive one of the practitioners placed the mentos into the coke bottle and the children could immediately see the effect; the coke fizzed up and poured out of the up right bottle. The children laughed, jumped and squealed with delight at the reaction that had been made. Throughout all the experiments the children were encouraged to consider health and safety risks increasing their own self awareness. The children wore goggles, lab coats for the first experiment and for the second they all stood a safe distance away from the explosive coke. The children couldn't wait to share with other practitioners and their parents about all the fun they had had with their science experiments.
