Earth/Space Science
Earth and Space are vast and complex topics! But, are they too complex for Kindergarten, 1st grade and 2nd grade students? No way! Not if we capture their imagination and build on what they know. When we build on student interest and experience we can expand even the youngest student’s knowledge and build a framework for lifelong learning. Because our format includes interactive activities, games, and hands-on classroom explorations, we’re involving students in the types of experiential learning that lead to growth.
In our Earth and Space book we allow our kindergarten, 1st grade and 2nd grade students to explore beyond their reach! They will not only learn about fossils and dinosaurs, but also take a look inside our Earth and check out the materials like soil and lava and the features found on and within the Earth. In this book you will also find Weather, where kindergarten, 1st grade and 2nd grade students will use tools to monitor their own weather and look at patterns and cycles.
There’s a huge world to explore beyond our fingertips!
Click a module icon below to view some Earth demos.
- History of Earth
- Materials
- Features
- Weather
Click a module icon below to view some Space demos.
- Exploring the Universe
- Earth In Space
The study of Earth involves both tactile exploration and abstract concepts. The Earth book begins with the History of Earth module. This is perhaps the most abstract of the modules, and so it begins with children’s own lives, building a timeline of their life history. The module goes on to capture students’ imaginations through dinosaurs and through an interactive activity which shows students how scientists learn about Earth’s history through fossils. Through these very concrete activities, students learn about a very abstract concept — time.
Capturing students’ imaginations continues throughout the modules. In Earth’s Materials, students explore rocks and water, familiar materials for play. Now students will begin to think like scientists as they manipulate rocks and water, analyzing rocks for color and texture and playing a game to experiment with water absorption. Similarly, Features introduces landforms and bodies of water in the guise of a summer vacation, exploring both what and where they are. Finally, the activities in Weather encourage students to consider the practicalities of dressing for weather, engage them in learning about extreme weather, and build science skills by teaching them to make quantitative observations with weather tools such as thermometers and rain gauges.
You might think concepts about space would be a difficult topic to teach our youngest learners. Again, Science4Kid uses the familiar and engages student imaginations to introduce important science concepts. Earth in Space begins with the study of patterns that are related to space. Students notice the patterns of the day/night cycle, the Moon, and the seasons. Once they have studied them, students can begin to understand why these patterns occur. In Exploring the Universe, students begin by imagining going to space themselves, including what they will need and how they will get there. Online activities allow students to explore our solar system and to solve a puzzle that orders the objects in our sky and in space.
Earth and Space make these vast and complex topics accessible and engaging for your students. Through play and imagination, language-rich activities, and hands-on explorations, your students will build the foundation for further study of our planet, our solar system, and the universe.