Change

1. Some Things Change Quickly

Take a glass of water and add a few drops of food coloring. Watch as the food coloring interacts with the water and changes the color.

2. Changing Colors

Prepare finger paint for children. Have red, yellow and blue available only (use Vano starch and tempera or liquid tempera). Have children select only two colors at first. Watch and observe the change. Then add the third color and watch again. See how many different colors the children can make.

Make cinnamon toast for a snack. Taste the bread before it is toasted. Taste the toast afterwards. Does the bread taste the same? Does the bread look the same? Heat makes some things change

3. All Living Things Change

Have each child and teacher bring in his/her own baby picture. Place them on display. Take pictures of everyone in class. Match the pictures of how people looked when they were little to how they look now.

Bring in a bouquet of fresh flowers. Place flowers on the table and have children paint "the still life". Watch what happens in a few days. Do the flowers look the same or do they look different? You may want to take a picture when the flowers are fresh. And then take another picture when they are faded and wilted.

4. Fresh Foods Do Not Last Forever

Bring in a banana and a tomato. Watch each day to see if there are any changes. Have children make comments. Do they change the same way? Do they change in the same time?

Take a 2 slices of bread. Sprinkle each with water and place each one in a zipped plastic bag. Place one in the refrigerator and one near the window. Watch and compare as they change.

5. Everyday the Weather Changes

Monitor the weather changes for two weeks. Each day check the weather. Use a chart to designate what the weather is like over a two week period. Is the weather the same each day? Is it different?

6. Water Can Change From Liquids to Solids

Fill two containers that are the same size and shape with water. Place one in the freezer. Keep one at room temperature. When frozen, remove the block of ice from its container. Place it in a large pyrex dish. With children, examine both the water and the ice. What happened? Why? As the ice melts, continue to compare. When melted, pour water back into the original container. Does it take up the same amount of space?

Using the same two containers of water, compare what happens with heat. Pour one container of water into a tea kettle and heat. (Note: Electric tea kettles or coffee pots work well.) Talk about water changing into steam (water vapor). Let water cool and then pour water into the original container. What happened? Why?

7. Some Trees Change Their Color and Lose Their Leaves

Once a month visit a tree (deciduous) that is in the garden or near the school. Have children observe the tree noticing what looks the same and what looks different. Take pictures of the tree every month throughout the school year. Be sure the picture is taken from the same distance and the same direction each time. Mount the pictures next to each other and document how the tree changes over time and as the seasons change. You may want to also document the same procedure using an evergreen, so children can see that all trees change but not always in the same way.