Chip Bee Science Play Dates
天外有天，山外有山 beyond the heavens, there are ever more heavens. Stay curious!
Planets, Stars and Moons
A craft filled, action packed session exploring both our planet and celestial neighbourhood awaits us this week. Two books will be introduced; “My First Planet”, and “Planet Earth”. We build rockets and explorer flight, learn about the planets in our solar system, and play with an Earth globe to explore the different corners of the Earth that hosted our families and cultures.
Our lesson will start with 10 minutes of free play at pre-set stations, then delve into our first book; “My First Planet”. We then introduce and play with the planets. Each child then has the chance to create their very own sun, and we explore regular activities such as the counting mat (this time with planets) to help them integrate new concepts and continue reinforcing weekly skills. This week also involves group play, where the children can work together to investigate our world. “The Planet Song” and “Twinkle Twinkle Litttle Star” (movements available here).
Through the Looking Glass
Each child receives their own telescope, and when they look through it, can see the ‘stars’ (black tube with pinholes for light to shine through. We talk about how scientists use different tools to learn about the universe.
Learning outcomes: Hand-eye coordination, understanding that we can see different things with different tools, what does a star look like?
Mandarin Words: star 星星 (xīngxīng), black: 黑色 (hēisè), light: 光 (guāng), scientist 科学家 (kēxuéjiā), see 看 (kàn), learn: 学习 (xuéxí)
3, 2, 1 Lift-off!
We will explore flight and talk about rockets! We will explain to the children that humans can go to learn about space by flying up to the sky with a rocketship. We give a demonstration with a paper rocket, then each child makes their own rocket ship and launches it (paper, cardboard, tape, a teacher-controlled plastic bottle for launching).
Learning outcomes: Sensory exploration, engaging in sensory play through touching and manipulating different materials. Through making and launching paper rockets, toddlers will practice fine motor skills, and gain a basic understanding that rockets can fly into the sky.
Mandarin Words: rocket: 火箭 (huǒjiàn), fly 飞 (fēi), sky 天空 (tiānkōng), paper 纸 (zhǐ), up 上 (shàng),
Connect the Dots: Orion’s Belt
Every child receives a board with pegs in it and can string will around those pegs to make a shape. We explain that this shape can be seen at night in the sky. We encourage parents to explore this concept further at home (you can learn how to spot Orian’s Belt here).
Learning outcomes: Manipulating strings and pegs to create shapes enhances the childrens’ fine motor skills. We also provide a basic introduction to stars and constellations, using Orion’s Belt as an example, and encourage creativity in looking for shapes and patterns in the world and creating fantasy and stories from them.
Mandarin Words: star 星星 (xīngxīng), night 夜晚 (yèwǎn),
sky 天空 (tiānkōng), shape 形状 (xíngzhuàng), string 线 (xiàn)
The Solar System
Each child picks a planet and we talk about what colour that planet is. The children then work together to line up in order of distance from the sun.
Learning Outcomes: Aside from an introduction to basic astronomy, children will learn to identify and associate colors with specific planets, and be introduced to the concept of sequencing and spatial relationships. Most importantly, working together to line up in order encourages cooperation and communication, and teaches the importance of teamwork.
Mandarin Words: planet 行星 (xíngxīng), color 颜色 (yánsè),
sun 太阳 (tàiyáng), order/sequence 顺序 (shùnxù), together 一起 (yīqǐ)
Our Home Earth
We explore planet Earth, talking about oceans and land, and different continents. We will find Singapore on the map and ask each child to identify what country their family identifies with and find it on the map. Then we play a game of ‘pass the earth’ globe to show that we all must play together to take care of our precious planet.
Learning Outcomes: Global Awareness – toddlers gain a basic introduction to the concept of a planet composed of land and water, understanding Earth as a shared home. Through touching and passing a globe, children can develop sensory awareness and motor skills. We also talk about the diversity of the world through the identification of different countries, fostering early cultural awareness.
Mandarin Words: water/ocean 水/海洋 (shuǐ/hǎiyáng), land 陆地 (lùdì), map 地图 (dìtú), country 国家 (guójiā)