Sanity Savers: Ski Challenge

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sponsored by: national grid

Written by Dan Walsh
STEM Educator

Supplies needed:  

Tinfoil cut out the size of a piece of paper, tape, scissors, craft sticks/cardboard strips cut in .5 inch by 6-inch pieces. A simple ramp made from cardboard, a big book, or any flat surface the skier can run down.

Sanity Savers: Ski Challenge

Length:

Build time: 5-10 minutes   

Academic Subjects:

Science/ Engineering   
This lesson supports the following standards:
ETS1.A: Defining Engineering Problems – A situation that people want to change or create can be approached as a problem to be solved through engineering. Such problems may have many acceptable solutions. (secondary to KPS2-2)  
ETS1.A: Defining Engineering Problems – Possible solutions to a problem are limited by available materials and resources (constraints). The success of a designed solution is determined by considering the desired features of a solution (criteria). Different proposals for solutions can be compared on the basis of how well each one meets the specified criteria for success or how well each takes the constraints into account.  

Directions for Ski Challenge:   

Adding a design challenge to this lesson can add an extra layer of fun. Perry loves skiing! They are on a ski trip in the Swiss Alps. Perry has a problem when they got to the top of the hill their ski broke! Perry has just found out there is a hot chocolate sale at the bottom of the hill. Can you help Perry get to the bottom of the hill for hot chocolate?

 1.)   Decide if you would like to build a skier, snowboarder, or a sled. A skier and snowboarder will need two craft sticks and a sled will need three sticks.  

2.)   Start by bending a piece of tin foil in the shape of an upside-down U. Then tape it down onto two craft sticks.   
3.)   Bend the next piece of tin foil in the shape of a J. This will be our body. Hook the bottom of the j around the legs and make sure it’s tight.   
4.)   With the next piece of tin foil, roll it up. This will be our arms. Place them on the middle of the body and crisscross the arms around the body.  
5.)   With a small piece of tin foil, ball it up, then place it at the top of the body!  

6.)   Before we let Perry go down the hill have the student predict how Perry will ski. Will they fall over or stay up straight? Will they go slow or fast? Once predictions are made Perry is finally ready to go down the hill! Find a flat slanted surface and take Perry to the top and let them go! This is also a perfect time to introduce trial and error. At first, Perry may fall over, check to see if the skis are un-even?  What if Perry is really slow? Try taping a penny to each ski and see if the weight will change the outcome.    

Vocabulary words:

Prediction– the act of saying what might happen.
Trial and error– The process of experimenting with something to find the best option. Things may fail but try try again!     

Check out our other Sanity Savers posts here!

Sanity Savers: Apple Cars

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Sponsored by: National Grid

By Dan Walsh
STEM Educator

Supplies needed:

Apples, blueberries, grapes, marshmallows, toothpicks

Sanity Savers: Apple Cars

Length:

Build time: 5-10 minutes   

Academic Subjects:

Science/ Engineering   
This lesson supports the following standards:
ETS1.A: Defining Engineering Problems – A situation that people want to change or create can be approached as a problem to be solved through engineering. Such problems may have many acceptable solutions. (secondary to KPS2-2)  
ETS1.A: Defining Engineering Problems – Possible solutions to a problem are limited by available materials and resources (constraints). The success of a designed solution is determined by considering the desired features of a solution (criteria). Different proposals for solutions can be compared on the basis of how well each one meets the specified criteria for success or how well each takes the constraints into account.  

Directions:  

 Adding a design challenge to this lesson can add an extra layer of fun. Welcome to Apple City, this is a city that is made completely out of apples. Even cars are made out of apples. Today we will be acting as mechanics to learn how to make our own apple car to zoom around the city.
1.)   Have a grown-up slice an apple into individual slices.
2.)   Then we are going to stick two toothpicks in the apple. These will act as the axel.

3.)   Place a blueberry, grape, or marshmallow on each toothpick.
4.)   The apple car should be ready to drive. Students can shift the plate up and down to make the car drive across the plate. Students can even race each other in the Appletona 2020.  

Vocabulary words

Axel– The bar that connects two wheels together.
Mechanic– A person that uses tools to build, maintain and repair machinery.      

Check out our other Sanity Savers posts here!

Sanity Savers: Plastic Egg Maracas

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Sponsored by: M&T Bank

Written by: Will Kawalec
Lead Play to Learn Facilitator

Materials:

Plastic Easter eggs
2 plastic spoons (metal would work)
Markers
Tape
Rice or popcorn kernels or dried beans 

Sanity Savers: Plastic Egg Maracas

Length:

Set up: 2 Minutes
Activity 5-15 Minutes  

Academic Subject(s):

Art, Music, Play 

Looking for something fun and creative to do with all of those left over plastic Easter eggs? Here is a fun lesson to get your kiddos imagination soaring by creating their own musical instruments. This simple activity combines fine motor and sensorimotor skills through a blend of art and music.   

Directions:

Step 1: Fill plastic Easter eggs with dried food of choice. If your eggs are like mine and have small holes on the ends, place tape over the ends on the inside of the egg before filling. I used left over rice from a sensory bin for my maraca!
Step 2: Generously tape two plastic spoons around the sides of the egg. Also take a small strip of tape and tape the ends of the spoon together.
Step 3: Decorate the tape with markers.

Step 4: Shake away! Make more than one of these maracas using different fillers. Can you compare the different sounds each makes? Use your new instruments to put on a concert for your family or follow along with some of your favorite music videos!  

Vocabulary Words

Percussion (Instrument): An instrument that makes sound by striking, shaking or scraping.
Maracas: A musical instrument of Caribbean and Latin origin that make sound by shaking.
Noisy: When something you hear is very loud.  

Check out our other Sanity Savers posts here!

Sanity Savers: Cave Paintings

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Written by: Dan Walsh
STEM Educator

Supplies ideas:

Construction paper, painters tape, crayons, flashlight

Sanity Savers: Cave Paintings

Length:

5 to 10 minutes

Academic Subjects:

Art History  

Directions for Cave Paintings:     

April 16th is National High Five Day! We are going to practice social distancing but still celebrate the day by learning about cave paintings! Cave Paintings are a prehistoric art. Some of the paintings are older than 30,000 years! The paintings cover walls that early people might have lived in. The paintings range from all sorts of themes. Some paintings include animals, hand prints, and even stick figures. Some of the animals include a 30,000 year old pig painting from Indonesia. There’s Buffalo herd paintings in Spain. A few caves have featured hand prints. When scientists studied the hand prints they noticed one amazing detail. Some of the hand prints were small, which meant they were done by children. Another amazing thing scientists discovered was the small hand prints were done at least six feet in the air, which meant the children had to be lifted by their grownups in order to paint that high in the cave.

1.)  Start by crumpling up your piece of paper. Ripping the paper slightly adds a prehistoric effect. If you have brown construction paper and black crayons, that’s perfect. Good old fashion computer paper and crayons will also work.   
2.)  Look at the following for inspiration,  (Insert two stock photo images – Bison and Hands)
3.)  Decide on a safe place to color. Make students know not to color the walls. (Magic erasers will work in a pinch) Since the paintings are found on walls, consider taping your paper to the bottom of a table. The student can work on their drawing by laying underneath the table and drawing upwards. Or have students draw at the table like normal, then tape to the wall afterwards.  

4.)  Students can trace the outline of their hand by stretching their fingers out on the page and coloring the outline.  
5.)  Once done, students can tape their paintings to the walls. The next part can be a lot of fun. Turn off the lights, draw the shades, and leave the room. Grab a flashlight and pretend to be archaeologists discovering the cave paintings for the first time.
6.)  Slowly enter the room and shine the flashlights on the drawings. Help make students make observations by asking; what did these paintings mean? What sort of animals do you think these are? How old do you think these paintings are?   
 

Vocabulary:

Archaeologist– Scientists that study human made objects, buildings, and even cave paintings! When they find artifacts that ask questions like how old is this, who made this, and why did they make this object.
Artifact– A human made object that scientists study.  

Check out our other Sanity Savers posts here!

Sanity Savers: Puff Paint

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Sponsored by: M&T Bank

Written by Amelia Schrader
Senior Manager of Learning and Education  

Materials:

Shaving cream
Food coloring (or paint)
Liquid glue  

Sanity Savers: Puff Paint

Length:

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Play Time: Unlimited!  

Academic Subject(s):

Fine motor skills, science  

Using the same craft supplies over and over can get boring pretty quickly! Here is a simple recipe for making your own puff paint at home – using things you already have around the house! This recipe can be used to make every color of the rainbow and will add a three dimensional element to any painting project!  

Directions:

 Step 1: The ratio of shaving cream to liquid glue is 1:1 so use however much you want to make your puff paint! I usually do ¼ cup of each. Mix this ration together. You can use a spoon or the paint brush you will use for your art project.  
Step 2: Add in a few drops of food coloring or paint. The amount of color you add will depend on how vibrant you want your final color. I recommend adding only a few at first then slowly adding more until you get your desired color. Mix carefully until fully incorporated.   


Step 3: Now it is time to paint! You can use paint brushes like I am or you can transfer your puff paint into squeeze bottles or piping bags (plastic bags with the tip cut work great here!).  The sky is the limit when your imagination comes to play! You can use this paint to make a rainbow, a fluffy ice cream cone, a cuddly sheep the possibilities are endless!
As you can see, this can even be a great sensory activity for your little sensory seekers! Post a picture of your puff paint creation on the Explore & More Facebook page. 

Vocabulary Words

·        Ratio – a relationship between two amounts. In this case the amount of glue to the amount of shaving cream.   

Check out our other Sanity Savers posts here!

Field trips are back! Please be aware that it will be busier than usual.