Monday, October 6, 2014

Science in Early Childhood + Steve Spangler Twitter Chat

Tuesday Teacher Twitter Chat with Steve Spangler on All Things Science

Twitter Tues #TeacherFriends! 
Have you heard about our ongoing weekly Twitter chat called #TeacherFriends? If you've been wanting to join and just haven't plunged in yet -- this is the week! We have Steve Spangler in the cyber-wings ready to inspire and support you on all things SCIENCE! Yes! There will be prizes! 

FIRST Let's sort out this whole Twitter business. 
SECOND Let's have some science show & tell! 

Tuesday #TeacherFriends Twitter Chat 9PM EST


Thought it was time for a quick review on navigating Twitter. 

1. Open a Twitter account. 
2. In a perfect world you would add your profile picture and a nifty description. 
Lovely, but not technically critical for participation.
3. Follow me @Kweezlequeen and I will follow you back!  
4. At 8:30 PM EST on Tuesday, several of us moderator-hostess types will be available to answer your questions, support your tweeting and offer encouragement. This is the time to tip-toe quietly and slowly into the water. If you're new, by all means plan to arrive closer to 8:30!

Navigating to #TeacherFriends Twitter Chat
Type #TeacherFriends into the Search Bar on Twitter to Find the Conversation 

5. All you really have to 'do' is type #TeacherFriends into the Twitter search bar and our 'conversation' will suddenly appear! All tweets (conversation contributions) will be sorted out and visible in chronological order. To use this method of chatting, you periodically will need to refresh the page. When you refresh the page, you may notice that you suddenly have 19 new tweets to read. Just about the time you read through all of those and hit refresh, you'll find that there are 23 new tweets on the hashtag..... and on and on it goes until 10 PM. 

Twitter Chat #TeacherFriends Tuesday Night 9PM EST, Practice 8:30

6. Of course we would be delighted for you to arrive at 9 and stay the whole hour, but that is not quite how real-life works. Think of a chat like an open house. You drop in as you are able. You are most welcome for any length of visiting. 

7. Because we have prizes to give out every week, you're going to want to make sure that you get your name entered into our weekly Google Doc. Enter one time any time between 8:30 and 10. Winners will be announced just before we conclude. The link to the Google doc will be tweeted periodically through the evening. Watch our hostess @fuzzlady66 Kristen Poindexter for tweets leading to the doc. 

Here's what I'm using now. Tweetdeck.

Using Tweetdeck to Navigate Twitter Chats

 I am now using a free site called TweetDeck. 
All of the tweets in one hashtag appear vertically.
You can arrange/rearrange the columns as you wish. 
That's 'us' #TeacherFriends in the first column. 
I have #Kinderchat in the second column. 
And #tlap Teach Like a Pirate in number three.  

8. Our hostess @MaggiesKinder will tweet out clever certificates for participants. You deserve to have a tangible reminder of your new found progress in joining the world wide education movement.  

9. At the conclusion of the chat (about half an hour later) 
our hostess @educatorsspin will create an archived version of the entire evening's chat. This is the PERFECT way to digest all that happened at the speed of lightning. 



Science Exploration in Early Childhood RoundUP at RainbowsWithinReach


Science Exploration in Early Childhood RoundUP at RainbowsWithinReach

Science Exploration in Early Childhood RoundUP at RainbowsWithinReach

Science Exploration in Early Childhood RoundUP at RainbowsWithinReach

Science Exploration in Early Childhood RoundUP at RainbowsWithinReach

Science Exploration in Early Childhood RoundUP at RainbowsWithinReach


Science Exploration in Early Childhood RoundUP at RainbowsWithinReach

Science Exploration in Early Childhood RoundUP at RainbowsWithinReach


Science Exploration in Early Childhood RoundUP at RainbowsWithinReach

Science Exploration in Early Childhood RoundUP at RainbowsWithinReach

Science Exploration in Early Childhood RoundUP at RainbowsWithinReach

Science Exploration in Early Childhood RoundUP at RainbowsWithinReach

photo of: Science for Young Children, Preschool + Kindergarten Experiments (RoundUP via RainbowsWIthinReach)

STEM = Science, Technology, Engineering, Math!
Is your school district expanding it's emphasis on STEM projects? 
Are your parents asking about STEM goals for your year ahead? 
Are you on the lookout for STEM to integrate with young children? 
Let's begin today with S = Science!
How can we use science to enhance creativity? 

photo of: Science in Kindergarten: Handwritten Knowledge Base

SCIENCE! Did someone say science?? 
What does 'science' look like for our youngest? 
Simple. 
Science is literally all around us waiting our further exploration. 

photo of: Make Math Meaningful with Weather Chart
Simple Weather Graph


photo of: Math Journals in Kindergarten: Weather Graphing

Keeping track of the weather is an obvious science exploration that can begin quite simply in preschool with observation and documentation. These charts can be expanded upon through out kindergarten and the early grades. These are examples of kindergarten graphs kept over the course of the entire school year in individual science notebooks. 

photo of: Make Math Meaningful in Kindergarten: Weather Graphing

What about those amazing botany experiments of yore? Delayed gratification and science all rolled into one biology experiment on the window. Solar greenhouse, anyone? 

photo of: Seeds and Science: Classic Experiment of Seeds Growing in a Baggie on the Window

photo of: Creating Science Exploration in Early Childhood Preschool Classrooms

And of course there is always the incubator-in-the-spring that is always brand new and full of anticipation for young children. 



photo of: Science Meets Math with Ladybug Graphing in Kindergarten Project

photo of: Preschool Labeled Drawings of Spring Creatures

photo of: Science Table of Insect specimens for Examination in Preschool

One of the best things about science in the mind of the young child? 
There are COOL TOOLS!!

photo of: Science Exploration in Preschool with Magnifying Glass and Shell Collection

photo of: Science Tools for Young Children: Magnifying Glass for Exploration + Examination (RoundUP via RainbowsWIthinReach)

photo of: Science Tools for Preschool: Binoculars for Exploration

photo of: Science Tools for Preschool Classroom: Magnets for Exploration (RoundUP via RainbowsWIthinReach)

Combining magnets and children is just a short extrapolation beyond the combination of peanut butter and jelly. I have this same exact set of scientific tools in my workshop. Seriously. I never tire of chasing those magnetic colorful spheres around.

In case this is your first time here -- I'm an author and illustrator of picture books. These photos are from my school visits around the countryside. I LUV any chance to 'sing' the message home. Here's a cute piggy-back song, easy to implement.... whatever age the students. 

photo of: Insect Song (Piggy Back) on Handwritten Anchor Chart

photo of: Reggio Emilia, Italy: Shadow Box of Nature Elements

Science exploration is indeed universal. These two images are from my day of exploration in Reggio Emilia, Italy. Their pine cones look pretty similar, don't they? 

LUV LUV LUV the way their seasonal mural turned out!

photo of: Seasons as Science: Art Project from Reggio Emilia Italy (Science RoundUP via RainbowsWIthinReach)

Here's another overview of seasons, as created in collaboration in kindergarten. These were HUGE in real life! Took up the ceiling to floor hallway. 

photo of: Four Seasons Art construction for Eric Carle's book, The Tiny Seed, kindergarten collaboration
photo of: Brain mapping in Elementary School, Diagram of prior knowledge about 'Bats"
What do we know about bats?
Chart for prior knowledge

Science Center in Kindergarten: Science RoundUP at RainbowsWithinReach

photo of: Tadpole to Frog Metamorphosis through Song and Fine Motor Supplemental Pages (from RainbowsWIthinReach)

My first 'digital download' lesson for Teachers pay Teachers is based on my ubber-science friendly song entitled "Pollywog." My four verse dittie unveils the predictable cycle of metamorphosis following the entire tadpole to frog cycle. I've created numerous support materials to help augment the lesson for your kiddos. 

Chances are you don't know my little classic. I have a YouTube video of the song to serve as your introduction.



'Hop' on over to my Teachers Pay Teachers shop to purchase your instant download of the Mp3 version of the song and all of the support materials. I can't wait for your feedback! 


-- Debbie -- 
I have an entire pin-board collection dedicated to tadpoles, metamorphosis and all things Frog! 

Look at the picture I took today! 
My three babies in one photo!



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