One area of early education that a lot of teachers struggle with is science. Taking big concepts and breaking them down for little, developing minds can be tough and finding great sources of good preschool science activities can be hard. Today I want to share a great resource with you, Rosie Research. Dr. Erica the scientist and behind Rosie Research agreed to let me share one of her fantastic science activities with No Time For Flash Cards readers.
Constellation Cookies
Summer is here, and that means clear nights perfect for pulling out a telescope and learning about the constellations in the Northern Hemisphere. Every year at this time we crack open some mythology books and learn about how and why some stars got clustered together into Orion’s belt, or how Hercules claimed one of the largest (but dimmest) constellations in the sky.
Of course, if your kids are anything like mine, nothing helps cement in learning like a little food, and the tastier the treat, the more information seemingly finds its way into their long-term memory. Cue our Constellation Cookies ( click for a more detailed step by step). Kids will have a great time mixing up the batter and carefully placing chocolate chips in the patterns of constellations.
The recipe download comes with a whole set of constellations for you to start from, and even has a few cookies for you to put in your favorites! If you have sprinkles on hand, they add a great connect-the-dot element to the activity and really bring out the constellations.
Then as you eat them, you can look at the stars and make up your own family myths for sets of stars! Looking to add a little more structure to your summer educational efforts? Draw out the constellations you create and write down the myths to go with them. Then turn it into an illustrated story to enjoy with the cookies and milk!
You can find more fun hands-on science activities on RosieResearch.com or download their lessons from the Rosie Research Teachers Pay Teachers Store.
Books About Stars for Preschool
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Draw Me a Star by Eric Carle is often not read in classrooms simply because of a depiction of a naked man and woman. It’s not what most parents expect to find in an Eric Carle book but it is very fitting in this beautiful and really touching book. The story although very similar to a biblical creation story isn’t necessarily reflective only of a Christian viewpoint, to me, it’s about the author’s own creation. It begins and ends with a star, and hits all the right points in between.
Stargazers by Gail Gibbons is a good choice of book to teach about stars, constellations, telescopes, and more. This picture book explains complicated scientific information in a really accessible way. I even learned a few new things about telescopes! Over the years I have shared it with my children as well as classrooms and it has been a great fit for 4-5 year olds.
How to Catch a Star by Oliver Jeffers is a sweet story about a little boy who wants a star of his own. I loved the bright and simplistic illustrations and the message about holding on to your dreams, working for them and figuring out that sometimes things come to you in packages you don’t expect. Great book.
Our Stars by Anne Rockwell is another wonderful nonfiction book from this author illustrator. The book shares the most basic facts about stars with the reader as well as more complicated facts about constellations, comets, and meteors. I love that the facts are shared pretty independently on each page, so if something is above your toddler’s head you can simply skip that page until they are ready for more facts. The illustrations are fun enough to grab attention but detailed enough to help explain the facts being presented.
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