Your first grader spends her time as a scientist, exploring, experimenting and observing. In first grade, students are taught to observe, ask questions, and record their observations and answers. Science lessons can be taught once to a few times a week, and science lessons often overlap with math and literacy as teachers use tools such as books, graphs, and measurement to help students learn. Since specific science topics taught in a 1st grade class vary across schools, find out which specific science topics your child will be learning about and find ways to explore these topics at home.
In order to build science skills, your 1st grader:
- Explores and experiments with the world around her and with objects provided by the teacher.
- Learns new facts about a variety of topics including: the human body, ocean and sea life, animals, measurement, electricity and magnetism, sound, and matter (the difference between solids, gases and liquids).
- Makes observations and records what she sees and learns using graphs, pictures, and words.
- Uses her 5 senses to observe and learn about objects.
Science Activities: 1st Grade
- Experiment with Water: Put different objects in water and see what floats and sinks. Heat water up (under your supervision) and see what happens when water boils. Put cups of water in the freezer and refrigerator and compare what happens. Ask your child what he thinks will happen before you do each of these things and talk about what he learns. Make ice cubes out of water and then watch them melt, focusing on how different matter can change from one state/phase to another.
- Observe Your World: Observe things around you—your pet, a rainstorm, a bug outside, or anything else in nature. Together, write down and draw pictures of what you notice. Use this to further your child’s interest. Ask her what else she wants to learn about a topic, then read books or look up facts online about that topic. Try to find answers to your child’s questions.
- Use Your Senses: Help your child use his senses. Blindfold your child and have him taste, touch, and smell different objects. Ask him to guess what the object is or talk about how it tastes, feels, and smells.
