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Movement, Motion and Patterns Kindergarten

©2016, Science Clubs for Girls Movement, Motion, and Patterns, v4


Unit Rationale In the curriculum, the girls become Physicists studying Movement, Patterns & Motion. Can you push or pull them? What tools can be used to control the motion of an object? Girls also discover musical and animal patterns to reveal how things move and communicate. Session One Focus On: Setting the Tone, Graphs The girls will agree to the Code of Conduct and contribute to the formation of club rules. They will then illustrate their favorite snack foods by creating a graph. Session Two Focus On: Senses The girls will identify their senses and apply them to solving a matching problem. Session Three Focus On: Observing and Describing Motion The girls observe, describe, compare, contrast, and even demonstrate many different types of motion. Session Four Focus On: Making Things Move The girls explore force and its application by experimenting with setting balls and pinwheels in motion. Session Five Focus On: Tools for Pushing and Pulling The girls explore some tools and their uses and then apply their understanding of tools to invent their own that controls the motion of a ball. Session Six Focus On: Patterns in Music The girls will get to know their mentor as a role model and a woman in science. They will also identify patterns in sound and rhythm. They will then make their own percussion instruments and create their own patterns and rhythms. Session Seven Focus On: Patterns in Nature The girls will learn to identify and interpret patterns. They will then apply their understanding to patterns in nature that identify different animal species.



Session One Focus On: Introductions/ Sorting Information

Question of the Day 15 minutes Activity One: Setting the Tone 15 minutes Activity Two: Favorite Foods Graph 20-25 minutes Reflection 20 minutes

About this Session In this first session, you will set the tone for the entire program, providing the girls with a sense of physical and intellectual security, and with a sense that this will be a friendly, fun experience for them. You’ll need to introduce the Science Club for Girls Code of Conduct, our guidelines based on safety, respect, and teamwork. With the girls, you’ll create more specific expectations that the girls will agree to follow and you agree to uphold. Also in this session your girls will explore the idea of sorting information. They will use their snack wrappers to create a graph, and sort their favorite snack.

Before Clubs Begin

Find out from your Site Coordinator what additional first-day activities will be occurring at your site (all-club assembly? Name game? etc.), and any site-specific discipline policy.

Discuss with your mentoring team who will be responsible for what portions of the session and prepare in advance of clubs

Create nametags for yourself and the girls.

Be sure the snack you are given for the girls is individually bagged snacks and DO NOT toss the wrappers when snack time is done.

Session Objectives By the end of this session, your girls will:

1. Agree to the rules and expectations of the club

2. Know the science/engineering topic they will be exploring during the semester

3. Create and interpret a graph indicating the club’s favorite snacks

Age Appropriate Definitions Graph – type of picture that shows the relationship between two things. Match – a pair, when two (or more) objects are like other

Materials for This Session

Activity 1: Setting the Tone

Per Club Per Group Per Girl

Code of Conduct

Markers

Activity 2: Favorite Foods Graph


Poster board

Index cards

Markers

Tape

Snack wrappers



Question of the Day (15 minutes) The Question of the Day is a great way to introduce the activity of the day and get the girls centered. It should be a regular starting routine of your club. The Question of the Day will usually be a question that kids and adults think about in everyday life or a question that can lead to answering a common question. Use it to get the girls talking but also focused. Question: What are we going to be doing in Science Club for Girls this semester? Convey to the girls that they are doing something unique and fun and that you are excited they are joining you!

Activity One: Setting the Tone (15 minutes) Set the tone and create rules together that all the girls agree to follow. 1) Introduce and lead girls in the Science Club pledge. (This is a great opportunity for a Junior Mentor!)

Explain to girls that each week of Science Club will begin with the pledge, which is designed to get them focused and excited about doing science together.

Your Pledge can be found on the back of the Code of Conduct or in the Volunteer Handbook.

2) Introduce each member of your mentoring team. Be sure the girls know:

Each team members’ name and a fun fact about them (connected to science, the curriculum topic or girls’ age)

That Mentors and Junior Mentors will be working together to lead Science Clubs

3) Have each girl introduce herself. 4) Before moving to the Code of Conduct, make sure the girls understand a few things that are important to

know over the course of the semester:

Their science/topic for the semester that all projects will relate to.

The type of scientist they are (Physicists, Biologists, Chemists, Engineers, etc.)

At the end of the semester, the entire site will have a Science Fest and each club will teach others about what they learned.

This is a major point even for kindergarteners to grasp. Your girls should be reminded throughout the sessions that they will teach and lead others including parents.

Be sure the girls are calmly sitting in a circle or at desks. As much as it is possible, ask mentors and junior mentors who are not leading the activity to sit with the girls as well. Mentors in non-active teaching roles may have a tendency to sit separate from the girls and sit with each other, but get them mixed in right away, to support and model participation, and build relationships with girls.

5) Get the girls’ attention and make sure they are clearly focusing on you. Explain to them that before they

can do any science experiments, they must all agree to follow the three rules of Science Club. Introduce the Code of Conduct. These are the 3 expectations that Science Club for Girls expects all participants to follow.



6) Guide the girls to create more specific rules and write these under each code of conduct. Ask the girls probing questions like, “Why do you think this is a rule we’ve made?” Or “What do we mean when we say to be safe in Science Club for Girls?” The girls will offer very directive and obedient rules like, “No touching dangerous materials.” Or “Don’t talk when the teacher is talking.” Think of ways to consolidate additional expectations so that you don’t end up with a long list of “do’s and don’ts.” Add these to the Code of Conduct so that the girls have a voice in the rules as well.

7) Once done, ask the girls to put their “thumbs up” to signify that they agree to follow the rules. You can also

have all the girls sign the rules sheet. Whatever you do, be sure that you have all the girls physically show that they can agree to follow the rules. You’ll need this as back up as the sessions go on!

8) At this point, explain to the girls the consequence of not following a rule. Make sure girls know that not

following rules can result in a call home, being taken out of Science Club, and that it also makes the club less fun because they might not be able to do all of the fun projects if things are unsafe. These are not used to scare the girls; rather, firmly structured expectations and consequences are a regular part of an out-of-school-time program.

A great way to continue to involve the girls is to ask them, “What happens when rules aren’t followed? What happens when the rules are followed?” “Do groups have more or less fun when rules are followed?”

9) Now, explain to the girls the benefit of following the rules. (Great experiments! Getting to know each other!

Being curious! Fun!)

Watch the clock. Be aware of the time since it is your first day. 10) Now, clearly go over the basic routine of the club. This involves:

Where they meet each day there is SCFG (Cafeteria? Classroom? Gym?)

What they are to do when entering the classroom (Sit on the rug? at a table? sit in a circle? some tables off limits? Get their journals from the bin?)

How you will show that you are ready to begin (Hands-up? Peace signs in the air? Clapping rhythm?)

Review the Science Club routine - Pledge (required for Clubs Grades K-3), Question of the Day, Activities, Clean up, Reflection

Review how the club will end each session for reflection time (return to rug, back to tables? All areas cleaned up?)

Activity Two: Favorite Foods Graph (20-25 minutes) In this activity, the girls will make and interpret a bar graph that records the snacks that the girls chose during snack time. Remind the girls about their snack earlier that day. Which were everyone’s favorite snacks? Explain that scientists have special ways of keeping track of important information, like people’s favorite snacks, and that one of these ways is by graphing information. Find out whether any of the girls have ever made graphs before. Depending on how experienced they are, lead the girls through the steps of making a graph (or let them lead you). While you and the girls determine what exactly ought to be graphed, ask a Junior Mentor to physically make the graph on the poster board. Here are some steps to follow to build the graph:



1. Ask the girls to recall what different snacks were available for them to choose. As each snack choice is

mentioned, the Junior Mentor can tape a full package to the bottom of the x-axis, creating a visual label for each category of snack. (This may take a lot of tape.) The poster board should now be propped up so every girl can see it.

2. Help the girls prepare graphing cards. Have each girl write her name across the bottom of her respective

index card (held vertically), and then tape her empty snack package onto the index card above her name. If necessary (to make the package fit on the index card), help girls fold the package so that the name of the item (only) is showing. (You and the JM can also make your own cards.) All of the graphing cards should end up being the same size, with no packages extending beyond the card boundaries.

3. When the girls are done making the graphing cards, have each take a turn physically going to the graph

and adding her card in the appropriate column on the graph. (You will need to show the girls how to do this.) The result should be a bar graph.

4. Stand back and admire the graph. Help the girls interpret it. Ask the girls to consider:

a. Which snack was the favorite? How can we tell? Which was the least favorite? How can we tell? Can girls name the people who had the same favorite snacks? If you name a girl, can someone say which snack was her preference? How many people’s snack choices are shown on the graph? How many girls like each snack?

b. Reinforce the idea that the graph helps us tell stories using the information that we collect. This is why scientists use graphs. You can ask girls to compare this graph to other graphs they may have made or seen.

If Time Permits: Now ask girls to talk about what their favorite foods are at home. Make and interpret this graph, using pictures to represent favorite foods

Reflection (20 minutes) Reflection is a time to bring your girls together and share their thoughts, expressions, and discoveries from today’s club. It is an essential component of the Science Club for Girls experience. As a group, summarize the topic and question of the day, using the girls’ journal as a guide. Girls can then write or draw in their journals. Many girls will need help getting going, so offer your guidance in getting them to write or draw. Ask them to draw their favorite food and write down how many other girls in the club had the same favorite food. Ask them what would happen if the favorite food wasn’t available. Which snack would be the clubs favorite then? Ask the girls: what other things could you measure with a bar graph? Are there other ways to measure? After clubs are done for the day, read what your girls wrote and comment back to them in the space provided. This is a valuable way for you to develop a dialogue with each girl. Be supportive in your comments, especially in the early weeks when girls are still getting to know you.



Session Two Focus On: Using Senses to Interpret Our World

Question of the Day 15 minutes Activity One: Matching Sound Shakers 20-25 minutes Activity Two: Matching Smell Shakers 15-20 minutes Reflection 20 minutes

About this Session The girls will use their senses to help them solve a problem. In the activities, the girls will observe the sound or smell of their shakers, then match it to the sound and smell of another girl’s shaker.

Before Clubs Begin

Discuss with your mentoring team who will be responsible for what portions of the session and prepare in advance of clubs.

Set out nametags.

Session Objectives

By the end of this session, your girls will: 1. Identify their senses. 2. Apply their senses to the solution of a

problem.

Age Appropriate Definitions

Sight- the sense that uses your eyes to see the world

Hearing- the sense that uses your ears to detect sounds

Smell- the sense that uses your nose to detect odors

Taste- the sense that uses your tongue to detect sweet, sour, bitter, and salty flavors

Touch- the sense that uses your skin to feel textures and pressures

Materials for This Session Activity 1: Matching Sound Shakers


* Matching film canisters for sound

Activity 2: Matching Smell Shakers


** Matching film canisters for smell

* Create Matching Film Canisters by putting identical objects in identical amounts into a pair of canisters. Examples include: pennies, beads, rice grains, etc. Label canisters on bottom so that they can be paired easily. ** Create Matching Film Canisters by putting identical objects in identical amounts into a pair of canisters. Examples include: coffee grounds, minty toothpaste, bubble gum, piece of fruit, etc. Label canisters on bottom so that they can be paired easily



Question of the Day (15 minutes) What do scientists do? Girls will probably respond with jobs that they’ve heard of that deal with science. We don’t need to be looking for a specific answer – scientists do lots of things: asking questions, observing, collecting data, analyzing information… etc. Generate a list of tasks scientists perform, and the girls will perform, rather than continuing misconceptions. Let the girls know that this semester they will be scientists investigating movement and motion, as well as finding a little about everyone here.

Activity One: Matching Sound Shakers (20-25 minutes) In this activity, the girls will use their senses to match their individual sound shakers’ sounds. Remind the girls that scientists use their senses. They use their senses to learn about objects. Ask girls what they know about their senses (What are some senses? What are some things they like the smell, sight, touch, taste, and/or sound of?) Let them know that that they will play a game to sharpen their science sense(s). Show a shaker to the girls. Tell them that each will soon receive a shaker to use. They can shake it, but they absolutely must not peek inside.

Figure 1: Film canisters with various ingredients. Introduce the game: Without speaking, the girls must find the person whose shaker matches theirs. Discuss how they might find their partners. Ask the JM to distribute one shaker to each girl, and then let the girls attempt to find their matches. You and the JM can play, too. If any girls seem stumped, you can help them by taking them systematically to other girls and asking them to take turns shaking. Ask the stumped girl if she thinks the sound of someone else’s shaker is similar to the sound of hers. If not, take her to another girl and repeat. If you sense that the girls will not be embarrassed, you might instead ask the other, “un-stumped” girls to help out the “stumped” girls.



When all of the girls think that they have found their matches, ask the partners to hold hands, and all girls to form a circle (so that partners are seated together). Let each partner pair demonstrate the sounds of their shakers. Does everyone still think that they are paired with their matching shaker partner, or would anyone like to change her mind? Now let the girls open their canisters and compare the contents. Talk about the activity: Were the girls correct? How did different girls try to find their matches? What was tricky, if anything, about this activity? How might they change their strategies?

Activity Two: Matching Sound Shakers (15-20 minutes) In this activity, the girls will use their sense of smell to make matches. Repeat the above activity, but this time, use smell shakers. To smell the contents of their canisters, the girls can peel corners of their canisters off, but still should not peek inside. Help the girls consider questions such as: Which set of canisters was easier to match? Why? How did their strategies change?

Reflection (20 minutes) Review the topic and question of the day with the girls. Ask them what they did (Investigate!) and what they used to investigate. Ask them to draw what and how they investigated today (the sound and/or the smell in their shaker, how they knew the other person had the same shaker, etc.). If the group is small enough, you might ask them to write the name of the person who had the matching shaker. Keep in mind that these girls will not be able to spell most names on their own and will need lots of your time if you choose to add this component. Be sure to write something back to each girl in her journal after clubs are done for the day.



Session Three Focus On: Observing and Measuring Motion

Question of the Day 15 minutes Activity One: Making Motion 15-20 minutes Activity Two: Motion Scavenger Hunt 25-30 minutes Reflection 15 minutes

About this Session The activities in this session will help girls think about and experience motion. As you work with the girls, help them develop descriptions of the way things move: zig-zag, curly-cue, straight line, back and forth, rhythmic. As girls observe, describe, compare, and contrast types of motion, you will be opening a door to their later thinking about how things move. This can be an important part of their formal physics learning, later in life.

Before Clubs Begin


Set out nametags.


1. Be able to identify, describe, and illustrate different kinds of motion

2. Make observations of things that move

Age Appropriate Definitions Motion – ways that objects, animals, and plants move

Materials for This Session Activity 1: Making Motion


Large open space (like classroom rug area)

Activity 2: Motion Scavenger Hunt


Sharpie or Marker

15 Index Cards

Clipboard



Question of the Day (15 minutes) Why do kangaroos like to hop? In this Question of the Day, get the girls thinking about motion and movement. Their answers will most likely be very amusing, but use this to transition into Activity One. The main idea is that a kangaroo hops because that’s the easiest way for it to move, but do not stop the girls here. Bring up that lots of animals and objects in the world are able to move and make motion for many different reasons. Some move to find food. Some move to grow. Some move because other things cause them to move. They might share examples as well.

Activity One: Making Motion (15-20 minutes) In this activity, girls use their bodies to mimic various motions that they are familiar with from their daily experiences. They use their minds to begin developing a rich vocabulary about motion. Begin by telling the girls that you will all be thinking about how things move during this session. Highlight the types of activities that you will be doing today and next week. To help rev up the girls’ thinking about motion, ask girls to share their ideas and experiences about movement. What types of movements can they make with their bodies? Allow them to demonstrate. During this section, you may want to stand in a circle with the girls and have the demonstrator stand in the middle of the circle. As they demonstrate, ask girls to describe the types of movements (graceful, jerky, fast, and slow). Also, as each girl demonstrates a type of motion, ask the other girls if they can make a different motion with their bodies that is also the same type (i.e., slow). Ask girls to meet the movement challenges below (or make up your own). After each or just a few of these challenges, you can ask girls to describe the motion in detail. Did their entire bodies move? Which movements were similar? Which were different? Which ones do they like to create the most?

Move like a tree on a beautiful calm day. Move like a tree in a big storm.

Move like a kangaroo.

Move like a cloud.

Stand as still and motionless as possible.

What other challenges can YOU (or the JM, or the girls) think of?

Figure 2: Volunteer demonstrates various movements for the girls.



Keep an eye on the time, as the girls could get very involved in this activity (once they warm up to it). You will need about 20-30 minutes to leave the building, go on the motion scavenger hunt (Activity 2), and return. If this activity ends up taking a long time, then it is OKAY to not do Activity 2 and let the girls enjoy Activity 1. You can even do a small game like Simon Says that gets the girls moving even more. Keep in mind that this activity may also need to be extended if the weather does not permit your Club to go outside.

Activity Two: Motion Scavenger Hunt (25-30 minutes) In this activity, the girls go outside and “collect” examples of different moving things that they observe. They also describe the different types of motion. Hopefully, it is a fair enough day to go outside. If it is not, you can conduct this activity at a large window; and then repeat it looking out a window that faces at least one other direction. Before taking the girls outside, remind them that scientists try to be very careful about noticing things, or making observations. You will all be going outside to watch for as many different moving things as possible. What sorts of things might the girls look at or look for? Divide the girls among the Mentor Scientists and JMs. Each leader (you and the JM) should have a set of large index cards and a Sharpie or marker. Ask girls to take a walk with you, noticing the motion of things on their own, for a minute or two. Then (in each group) ask girls to list the things that they saw moving. Using one index card per item mentioned, draw a quick picture that represents each item, and write the name of it under the picture. With each item, ask the girls to describe the motion, possibly using their bodies as well as words to convey the idea. Try to pull out as much detail as possible: Did the object always move in the same direction? Did it change its location (like a flying bird), or did just a part of it move (like a swaying branch)? Was the object moving quickly or slowly? Did it always seem to move at the same speed, or did it speed up or slow down? Was the motion in a straight line? A curve? A circle? A zig-zag line? Forward/backward? Up/down? Side to side? Was the motion smooth, fluttery, jumpy? Continue to encourage the girls to describe the motion in different ways. Do not repeat cards for the same item. For example, if two girls talk about leaves falling, make just one card. Either continuing to walk or staying in one place, ask girls to continue to look around for big and small things that move. Make an index card and repeat the conversation described above, for each item listed. As the leaders, you and the JM should try to see if the girls are missing anything. Have they ignored human-made objects that move? (Cars, doors, swings?) Have they forgotten to look on the ground for tiny insects? Once you have collected about 10-20 cards per group (20-40 in all), go back inside. It’s probably a good idea to let the girls know that you will use these cards next week in a sort of game about motion. (See Session 3: Question of the Day)



Reflection (15 minutes) Review the topic and question of the day with the girls. Gather the girls in a circle and ask each girl to show one motion that they saw or did that day. It is okay if girls show the same motion. Ask them why the object may make that motion. Is it aided by the wind? Is that the motion it uses when it needs to move somewhere else? Is that the motion it always has? Bringing it back to the Question of the Day, get the answer why a kangaroo likes to hop. It has very strong legs that are like springs! So a kangaroo moves in a hop-like motion. Be sure to write something back to each girl in her journal after clubs are done for the day.



Session Four Focus On: Making Things Move

Question of the Day 15 minutes Activity One: Making Balls Go 20-25 minutes Activity Two: Pushing a Pinwheel 15-20 minutes Reflection 20 minutes

About this Session The activities in this session will expand how girls think about and experience motion, by focusing on how things start moving in the first place. We will focus on the idea of pushes (force) and their effects on objects. What sorts of things can push an object? (The girls will explore how their bodies and how air can push objects.) How do different objects respond to similar pushes? Does it matter what direction a push comes from? How does a weak or strong push affect the object’s motion? These are questions that the girls will explore. IMPORTANT: For larger clubs, in order to complete both activities of this session in time AND with enough materials, it is highly advised that the Club be split so that Activity 1 and 2 run simultaneously. Switch the girls after 15-20 minutes of doing each Activity. This is a great opportunity for your JMs to lead an Activity.

Before Clubs Begin


Set out nametags.

Decide if the club needs to be split into two simultaneous activities and who should be in each group.

Session Objectives By the end of this session, your girls will

1. Explore different methods of moving an object from one location to another

2. Discover that physical contact is not necessary to apply force and make an object move; there are many ways to apply force

Age Appropriate Definitions Force - a push or pull; something that makes something else move Push – energy that causes an object to move Energy – the ability to do work to push or pull or to cause something to move



Materials for This Session Activity 1: Making Balls Go


Large Open Space

At least 4 different balls*

*ping-pong, tennis, kickball, bouncy

Activity 2: Pushing a Pinwheel


Pinwheel

Reflection

Index Cards from Session 2 OR

Picture of objects that move in various ways

Question of the Day (15 minutes) What makes a door open or close? The idea of this Question of the Day activity/discussion is to demonstrate that there are many different types of motion to consider, and that objects move in multiple, different ways. There are lots of different types of doors and they can move different ways. How do you make a door open really slowly? How do you slam a door? Once the girls loosen up with this thought move them into the Activities. You can then tell them what to expect from this session. (“Today we’re going to look at some of the ways to make things move.”)

Activity One: Making Balls Go (20-25 minutes) In this activity, the girls explore different ways they can make different balls move. They compare the different balls’ responses to similar types of pushes. If possible, go outside for this activity (or in a large hallway or other open indoor space). If you are inside, make sure you have permission to use the space in the intended way.

1. Separate the girls into group of four to six and then have them partner off. This will allow for pairs to observe other pairs and find new ideas. Have them stand a few feet apart from one another, facing their partners. Give one partner in each pair a different ball, placing it in front of one of the girls. Ask the girls to think about all the ways that they can move the balls from their location to (or at least towards) their partners.

2. Allow them to try each different idea in turn. (For example, Partner One dribbles their ball from her

partner back to her starting place. Then try a new method: have the receiving partner from round one delivering the ball to the other partner, and with each partner taking a turn with different deliveries. The girls might roll, throw overhand or underhand/one-handed or two-handed, bounce, dribble, kick, or carry the balls.)



3. As the girls take turns pushing/delivering the balls back and forth, compare how the different balls react

to each way of getting the ball from one place to another. Also compare each type of push (or possibly pull). What parts of the girls’ bodies push the balls when the balls are kicked (or tossed or bounced)? In each instance, how does the ball react?

4. Now let the pairs of girls play with the balls some more, exploring however they want. After several

minutes of free-play, gather the girls together, take the balls away (!), and then ask them to think about what they discovered. Which types of pushes are hardest/most gentle? Which ones make the ball go farther? What direction does the ball move? Can the girls make the balls go different distances? Encourage the JM to chime in with questions or things she noticed, from time to time. Try to summarize their stories; for example, “So, when you push really hard, the ball goes far?” “If something big was in the way of the ball, it was hard to get it to roll straight?” If it is a windy day, you might consider the pushes and pulls provided by the air.

5. When you are done helping the girls summarize their experiences, ask them if they can think of a time

when they have made something move without actually touching it. (This will set them up for Activity 2, for which you might wish to move inside.)

Activity Two: Pushing Pinwheels (15-20 minutes) In this activity, girls get a pinwheel to move in many different ways. Because these ways involve blowing air, or getting air to move past the pinwheel, they’ll explore the idea that they don’t have to make physical contact with something in order to give it a push or a pull. *Note: If club group is large possibly perform in small groups with each mentor leading one.

1. Show the girls a pinwheel. Ask them to brainstorm ways that you could get the pinwheel to move. Let the girls know that they will have their own pinwheels, so that they can explore how the pinwheels move. Ask them to be careful observers, and to watch what happens when they try to get the pinwheels to move in different ways.

2. Place the girls into small groups and hand each of them pinwheels. Encourage them to show the other

members of their group the methods they are using to move the pinwheel. As the girls are exploring their pinwheels, you and the JM can circulate around the group. Every once in a while, stop and ask a girl a question or two about what she is noticing. You (and the JM) can look for opportunities to encourage new explorations along these lines:

Some things worth noting: the pinwheel as an object does not move from place to place; the motion is circular, clockwise (towards one wall) or counterclockwise (toward the other wall), fast, slow.

Compare the pinwheel’s motion to their balls’ motion.

What happens when they push the air (blow) from the sides, top, bottom, front, back of the pinwheel?

What happens when they blow really hard? Really gently? When they stop blowing all together? If they suck air into their bodies? Do the girls need to blow on the pinwheel to make it move?

What is pushing or pulling on the pinwheel to make it go? What is the force? Can the girls think of other things that move because of the same type of push or pull? (Windmills, waves of water, trees that sway in the wind, etc…)

Be sure to discuss the girls’ findings and explorations before you move on to the journal session.



Reflection (20 minutes) Review the topic and question of the day with the girls. Use the motion scavenger hunt cards that you created in Session 2, and ask the JM to lead this experience. Sit in a circle and lay out the cards in the center, face-up, so each one is visible. Ask girls to find cards showing things that move in certain ways. You can choose from some of the ideas below. This can be turned into a long Reflection if you have time or shortened if the Activities took up most of the session. Find an object that: - Stays in place while part of it moves - Moves quickly - Moves slowly - Moves through the air - Moves on the ground - Moves in straight lines - Jumps - Rolls - Flies

- Swims - Starts and stops - Pours - Falls - Speeds up and slows down - Moves at the same pace all the time - Moves back and forth - Pours - Fall



Session Five Focus On: Pushing and Pulling

Question of the Day 15 minutes Activity One: Grab Bag of Tools 10-15 minutes Activity Two: Invention Challenge 25-30 minutes Reflection 20 minutes

About this Session In previous sessions on force and motion, the girls have explored how things move and how to set them in motion. The girls will continue their exploration of these two concepts by trying to achieve a specific goal that involves controlling the movement of a Ping Pong Ball. While they attempt to control the ball’s motion, they will also be trying to solve a problem (meet a design challenge). It will be important for you to help them work through the problem, and become aware of how they cooperate, even as they devise their own individual solutions.

Before Clubs Begin


Set out nametags.

Research and select a favorite female inventor to introduce to the girls during the Question of the Day. Bring in photos or objects to supplement.


1. Explore different kinds of tools and their uses

2. Invent their own tool for moving an object easily and expediently

Age Appropriate Definitions Invent – to make up something that hasn’t been done or made before Invention – something that hasn’t been done or made before Push – a type of movement caused by a force Pull – a type of movement caused by a force, opposite of a push



Materials for This Session Activity 1: Grab Bag of Tools


Grab Bag with tools inside

String on a pull toy

Tennis racket

Hammer

Knife

Can with a pull top

Toothbrush

* pictures of the Grab bag objects work fine as well

Activity 2: Invention Challenge


Masking Tape

Toilet Tissue Rolls

Paper towel rolls

Aluminum Foil

Box to Collect Balls

Ping-Pong Balls

Question of the Day (15 minutes) Why do people invent things? In this Question of the Day, get the girls talking about why scientists and other people invent things? Do things get invented to make things easier? Faster? Harder? Slower? Get the girls to give suggestions on things that have been invented. This should be easy since practically everything we use has been invented. Is there a famous female scientist who was an inventor who you can introduce to the girls?

Activity One: Grab Bag of Tools (10-15 minutes) In this activity, girls consider how they use everyday objects as tools to push or pull things. Ask the girls to think about objects they use to help push and pull other things. Ask girls to consider whether each object gives a push or a pull, or perhaps both. Have some objects collected in a grab box; ask each girl, in turn, to take out an object, ask the JM to help the girl operate it, and as a group decide what it pushes or pulls. Here are some examples of everyday objects that push and pull, which you might include in the grab bag. Feel free to add or substitute your own ideas:

String (as in string on a pull-toy or a yo-yo); helps pull things

Hand broom and/or regular broom; pushes dirt

Hand-held Dirt-Devil-style vacuum cleaner: can be used to “pull” air

Knife (non-serrated for safety): pushes peanut butter onto bread

Tennis racket, hockey stick: pushes sport objects like balls or hockey pucks

Hammer (be careful): pushes nails into wood and pulls them out too

Pull-top on some cat-food and other cans: pulls up on the can top

Toothbrush (pushes food and plaque off of teeth)



Try to make the point that there are objects, tools, in our everyday life that help us make things move or change the position of other objects by helping us push or pull on them. These objects had to be invented by people. Now is the girls’ chance to invent (loosely speaking) their own pushing and/or pulling tools.

Activity Two: The Challenge (25-30 minutes) In this activity, the girls will invent and build a tool that will help them get a ball from one specified location to the other. Let the girls know that today they will get to be inventors. (Make sure they know what inventors do. Perhaps name some inventors that you know of and their inventions. Spend as much time on this as the girls’ interest will allow, but be sure to leave time for their inventing, or designing.) You may wish to share this make-believe scenario, or make up one of your own, to help motivate the girls to meet the challenge(s): You are a worker in a ping-pong ball factory. Your job is to get the balls into boxes so that they can be sent to stores. Usually, you have to carry the balls to the boxes, but this is kind of boring, and can take a lot of time. Today, you will invent a way to get the balls from one part of the factory (the part where they are made) into a box on the truck. You can use any materials (from the materials box) you want to give the balls pushes and pulls in the right direction, but you may not carry the ball. See how many times in a row you can use your tool to get the ball in the box. Your machinery can push or pull the ping pong ball, or push AND pull it. Show the girls where each of their starting places will have to be, and make sure each girl has a box (even if shared with others) to represent the truck. (The box can be set so its opening is on the side; the balls can be pushed right in.)

1. Divide the girls into 2-3 “support” groups. You can lead one group, and the JM can lead the other. Remember that your role is to help the girls think of their own ideas to try. Ask questions like:

How can we get the ball from here to there?

Let’s take a look at the stuff in the box; can we use anything to meet the challenge?

Can you show us what you mean?

2. Let each girl actually build her own tool, but encourage the girls to ask each other for help.

Figure 3: Two examples of machines built by Kindergarten Clubs.



3. Allow 10-15 minutes for each girl to show off and talk about her invention.

This public speaking portion of the activity is important, so be sure to leave plenty of time and manage the girls appropriately while others present. If a girl has a hard time describing her invention, ask her questions about it, focusing on the ideas of “push” and “pull.”

Reflection (20 minutes) Review the topic and question of the day with the girls. Have the girl draw a picture of the pushing or pulling tool that they created. (Label it.) If you have time, get them to share if they think only scientist invent things. Hopefully, they will see that anyone can invent something. All it takes is a good idea and lots of hard work to build and keep trying! Be sure to write something back to each girl in her journal after clubs are done for the day.



Session Six Focus On: Patterns

Question of the Day 10-15 minutes Activity One: Get to Know Your Mentor 15 minutes Activity Two: Patterning Thoughts 10-15 minutes Activity Three: Shake, Rattle, and Roll 15-20 minutes Reflection 15-20 minutes

About this Session The girls will get to know their mentor as a role model and a woman in science. They will then identify and explore patterns in sound and rhythm. They will make their own percussion instruments and create their own musical patterns.

Before Clubs Begin:


Set out nametags.

Prepare for the Get to Know Your Mentor activity. Discuss with fellow mentors to be sure your Show and Tells work well together.


1. Get to know you as a role model and a woman in science

2. Identify patterns in sound and rhythm 3. Create their own percussion instruments

and invent their own patterns and rhythms

Age Appropriate Definitions Pattern – when a group of things like sounds, colors, shapes repeat themselves in the same way over and over Rhythm – a pattern of motion or sound

Materials for This Session Activity 1: Patterning Thoughts


Prepared Handmade Percussion Instrument*

*Oatmeal Container with beads inside

Activity 2: Shake, Rattle and Roll


Scissors Container to use as instrument*

Tape * container=empty can, glass jar, coffee cans, etc.

Glue Balloon

Popping Corn Chopstick

Rice

Rubber bands



Question of the Day (15 minutes) How can we use science to make music? Although this question might be a little over a Kindergartener’s head at the outset, get them to think about the idea that music is science. How? We use our ears to listen, our bodies to play and move and dance around (possibly connect to session two’s activities with investigating sound). Can music be considered investigating sound? And it has a pattern - a repeated rhythm. Discuss these ideas briefly with the girls.

Activity One: Get to Know Your Mentor (15 minutes) In this activity, your girls will learn more about you as a woman in science. Having the girls recognize you as a role model in the world of science is a very important piece of the Science Club for Girls experience. It can be difficult to share with Kindergarteners what you do in your STEM field, especially if you work in an environment or field with which they have no prior knowledge. But a little old fashioned Show and Tell can go a long way! Bring in 2-3 artifacts from your STEM field. They may be commonplace to you, but to a Kindergartener, it can be an engaging experience! Goggles, lab coats, and petri dishes were once fascinating to you too! Ideally, these artifacts should be things that can be passed around and/or tried out. Give the girls a very brief description of what you do or study and then describe the items you brought. Try to describe how what you do is relevant even to their young lives or the lives of their family members. Repeat for all mentors.

Activity Two: Patterning Thoughts (10-15 minutes) In this activity, girls will listen to sound patterns and try to repeat them. Begin by introducing the idea of patterns to the girls; a pattern is formed when a group of things: sounds, colors, shapes, for example, repeat themselves. Provide an example or two to help the girls think of some examples that they might recall. You might count out a repeating pattern (1, 2, 3--1, 2, 3--1, 2, 3…), or you could all sing the song “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes,” showing that the body parts form a repeating pattern. If you have been following this curriculum closely, you might even point out the pattern of activity in a session: first a snack, then activities, then a reflection, then the session ends. Try to get the girls to think of and share other ideas about things that repeat (patterns) in their lives. Now suggest that the girls try to catch on to patterns that you and the JM will clap out. (Clap out several different patterns…keep them simple.) When girls think they can repeat each pattern, they should raise their hands, or just join in (your choice). Point out that these are sound patterns, and that sound patterns are often in music.



OPTION: If you think you’ll have time, and would like to do so, you can expand on this idea of musical patterns by singing songs such as B-I-N-G-O; the Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly; Old MacDonald Had a Farm. Each song has its own type of pattern to it.

Activity Three: Shake, Rattle, and Roll (15-20 minutes) In this activity, the girls will make percussion instruments AND use them to tap out sound patterns. *Note: You may want to make or partially make some instruments ahead of time in case activities 1 and 2 run long. Let the girls know that they’ll be making musical instruments such as drums and rattles (shakers) that the girls can use to create sound patterns. Divide the girls into 2 groups for this part of the session. Great idea to have your JM in charge of a group! Demonstrate the use of your simple instrument to the girls. If there are several ways you might play it (shaking, banging with hand, clapping with stick, etc.), encourage the girls to brainstorm different ways it might be played. Play out a few different rhythms just so the girls can get the hang of some sound patterns.

To make a drum: 1. Take a clear and empty jar (no lid necessary)

2. Take a balloon and measuring from the open end, cut about 2-3 inches off

the balloon so that the balloon can be stretched over the top of the jar.

3. Stretch the top over the balloon so that it is smooth

4. Secure with a rubber band around the top

5. Test to make sure it produces a good resonating sound.

To make a shaker:

1. Use an empty jar or yogurt container

2. Put a common shaker material such as rice or beans in it.

3. Seal the top of the container with the original lid or cut one out using construction paper and secure with tape.

Now invite the girls to make their own sound pattern maker. (Drum or shaker) When the girls have finished making their instruments have a Jam Session! You and the JM can demonstrate. Ask the JM to come up with a tapping pattern. (1-4 beats will work nicely. For example: Long, short, short, short--Long short, short, short…) Then you can say out loud what it is that you hear, and then repeat it on your own instrument.



Then the girls can repeat the sound pattern, either one at a time (going down a line), or all together. In turn, each girl can come up with a sound pattern for other girls to repeat. Encourage the girls to say how each pattern is like the others, and how each is different. You might point out that the rhythm patterns are the same, even though everyone has a different instrument. Get the girls moving and marching around. Even up and down the hallways if the mood is right! Or put on a concert for parents when they arrive for pick-up. This would be a great way to engage parents.

Reflection (20 minutes) Review the topic and question of the day with the girls. Ask the girls how they were scientists today even while making music? Did they investigate new things? Most of the answer they should know from the Question of the Day so get them to recall it. Did they invent anything today? Be sure to write something back to each girl in her journal after clubs are done for the day.



Session Seven Focus On: Patterns in Nature

Question of the Day 20 minutes Activity One: King vs. Coral 30-35 minutes Reflection 20 minutes

About this Session In this session, the girls will become field biologists and determine which snake (Coral or King) is the poisonous one. Both snakes use color patterns in nature, but one tells you that it is poisonous (Coral Snake) and the other tries to look like the poisonous one using mimicry (King Snake). This session will take a little set-up before the girls arrive so be sure that a Mentor Scientist is able to do this BEFORE the girls enter the room.

Before Clubs Begin:


Set out nametags.

Cut red, black, and yellow strips of construction paper before girls arrive


1. Learn to recognize and interpret patterns

2. Understand how animals use colors and patterns in nature

3. Demonstrate that patterns are clues for humans to understand nature

Age Appropriate Definitions Pattern – An orderly repetition; something that gets imitated over and over again King Snake – a non venomous snake with black, red, and yellow markings on its skin that imitates the coral snake Coral Snake – a venomous snake with black, red, and yellow markings on its skin Venom – a type of poison that can hurt or kill an animal

Materials for This Session Activity 1: King vs. Coral


Pictures of snakes

Bin to hold the “snakes” 2 Toilet Tissue Rolls

Glue

Scissors

LOTS of strips of red, black, and yellow construction paper

Markers

Clear Tape



Question of the Day (20 minutes) What do zebras, bees, and tigers’ bodies have in common? Ask them, have they ever seen any of these animals in person? This should get the girls thinking about animals that have stripes and gently lead the girls to associate stripes as a type of pattern. Are the patterns the same for every animal? Ask the girls if they know that some snakes have stripes this will lead them into the activity. Ask if the girls can think of other animals that have shapes on their backs (Dalmatians and leopards: spots; giraffes: patches). Are those patterns?

Activity One: King and Coral Snakes (30-35 minutes) In this activity, the girls will each create the King Snake and the Coral snake using toilet tissues rolls and construction paper. *Note: Mentors may want to make example snakes a head of session. Tell the girls that they will each make two snakes that have a similar but slightly different pattern. Show them the example. The toilet tissue roll should have 4 strips of construction paper around it. Coral Snake = Black, Yellow, Red, Yellow King Snake = Yellow, Black, Red, Black Be sure to show eyes and a tongue for your snake! Have the JMs pass out two toilet tissue rolls to each girl and help them make both snakes. Use tape to wrap the construction paper around the roll, then draw the eyes and a tongue and lastly write their name on it. KEEP IN MIND: some girls will finish before others and they may get rowdy while others are still working. Keep the girls calm while everyone finishes by playing a quiet game or providing drawing materials for quiet art time. Once each girl has her snakes done, collect them all in a bin or box. Next, divide the girls into two teams and elect a JM to be “captain” of each team. Then tell or read them this scenario with enthusiasm and character:

You are teams of famous Biology Explorers in search of the famous King Snake and must try to collect King Snakes quickly in order to do your research on them. You have just come across a huge desert that has an abundance of the snakes! But wait! Among the King Snakes are also the deadly Coral Snakes that look very similar to them. If you grab the King Snake and bring it back to your team you can do your research, but if you accidentally grab a Coral Snake then you are dead because the Coral Snake has a bite that injects venom and kills you. When the Mentor Scientist says go, she will tell you one clue that will help you be able to tell the difference between the King Snake and the Coral Snake. Then it is your and your team’s job to find them. One person a time can cross the desert to grab a snake. Once they grab it, they have to run back to their team and touch the next person’s hand. Then that person can cross the desert and find a King Snake. The exploration continues until all King Snakes have been found.



Gather the girls in the area where they will line up (enough space for two lines) and make sure it is opposite where the “Snake Desert” is. Then read them this clue: “On the snake’s body you’ll notice a pattern. If red touches yellow, you’re a dead fellow. If red touches black, you’re okay Jack. The snakes that are okay will not kill you.” Ready, set, go! Some girls may not get the clue so try to help them understand which snakes they should grab and which snakes they should leave alone. It might even be helpful to have a Mentor Scientist or Junior Mentor standing where the Bin of Snakes is in order to help point to the snakes. Once all snakes have been collected, do a count together to see which group got more. If you have time you can do the game again and see who wins again. The girls are bound to get better as they do it again! Add variation to the activity in the following ways:

Use a timer

Make different teams

Have the girls come up with a way to create a variation for the activity

Reflection (20 minutes) Review the topic and question of the day with the girls. Ask the girls to share how they knew which snake to grab (which pattern is the non-venomous snake?). They should draw a diagram in their journals to help others identify which snake to grab. Ask the girls: are there other times where patterns tell us something important? How can seeing these patterns help us? Be sure to write something back to each girl in her journal after clubs are done for the day.

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