As a parent interested in keeping my children entertained and educated, I’ve learned it isn’t always easy to provide learning experiences that kids enjoy. After spending hundreds of dollars over the years on expensive ant farms and chemistry sets that my kids soon abandoned, I decided to rethink my strategy on fun educational activities. More than the cost, the overall lack of interest my children displayed, especially when they were young, disturbed me.
I came to realize my kids were much more interested in learning by doing rather than by demonstration. At that point, I decided to explore the world of educational crafts with them and I’ve never looked back.
Barometer Balloon
When my son was starting school, he often questioned me about the weather. In response to this interest, I decided to help him make an easy-to-build barometer balloon so that he could begin to learn more about weather patterns.
Materials:
- A large balloon (12 inches or so)
- Scissors
- A jar with a wide mouth
- Large rubber band
- Clear sticky tape
- Plastic straw
- Glue
- Needle or pin
- Cardboard
- Pencil or marker
Instructions:
- With the scissors, cut away and discard the neck of the balloon and stretch the remainder over the mouth of the jar.
- Fasten it in place with the rubber band.
- Use the tape to attach the needle, pointy side facing out, to one end of the straw.
- Lay the straw sideways on top of the jar with the needle-free end near the center, and glue it firmly in place.
- Lean the cardboard against a wall and place the jar close to it (but not touching).
- Write “high” on the cardboard two inches above the needle, and write “low” two inches below the needle.
- The air pressure inside the jar will remain the same, but when weather patterns shift, pressure outside the jar will change causing the balloon to either swell or sink.
My son had a great time tracking the weather shifts by noting times of low pressure as well as times of high pressure.
Waterscope
Both of my children have always loved everything about water. They love to fish, swim and collect seashells on the beach. In order to foster this interest in the outdoors, I helped them make waterscopes to magnify and observe the mysteries contained beneath the water’s surface.
Materials:
- Large juice or coffee can
- Can opener
- Duct tape
- Stretchy plastic wrap
- Large rubber band
Instructions
- With the can opener, help your children remove both ends of the empty can and place strips of duct tape around the sharp edges.
- Stretch a section of plastic wrap over one end and secure it with the rubber band and a length of tape.
- When the plastic-covered end is submerged, the pressure of the water creates a curved surface that works like a magnifying glass.
- With a waterscope, young water lovers like mine can study the small creatures that thrive in local lakes and rivers.
Miniature Hovercraft
My son loves transportation of all kinds. When I suggested we try to make a hovercraft one rainy summer day, he could barely conceal his excitement. After achieving success, he entertained himself for hours and learned a little about the physics of motion at the same time.
Materials:
- Balloon
- 4 inch square piece of cardboard
- Strong glue or hot glue gun
- Plastic thread spool
- Pencil
- Stickers, crayons or markers for decoration
Instructions:
- Have your child decorate one side of the cardboard while you get the rest of the materials together.
- Place the undecorated side of the cardboard up and have your child carefully poke the pencil completely through the center.
- Turn the cardboard over and apply a small ring of glue around (but not touching) the hole.
- Line up the hole in the center of the thread spool with the hole in the cardboard and press firmly together.
- Wait about fifteen minutes to ensure the glue has set.
- Inflate the balloon and twist the end to keep the air inside then stretch the balloon’s neck around the spool.
- Place the hovercraft on the floor or a smooth tabletop and untwist the balloon.
- With a gentle push from a child, the hovercraft will scoot along skimming the surface until its air supply runs out.
No matter what, all children respond well to educational crafts shared with a loved one. Some of my favorite moments as a parent occurred when I saw the light of comprehension dawn in the eyes of my children while we created something fantastic together.
Andrea Boley is a writer and blogger. She is always happy to share her passion for life and experiences through her work, and in her spare time works as a freelance writer for Storkie.
