Mystery Object

Today at our science table we put out an interesting object and invited children to check it out and guess what it was. They spent time handling the object - lifting it, looking at it with magnifying glasses, and rolling it on the table. Some of them discussed their guesses with one another, leading to some interesting conversations.

This is the object.

When the children had decided on a guess, they were invited to write their guess on a large piece of paper. We wanted to encourage them to independently print their word in order to engage in some purposeful writing.

Some of their guesses included a door hinge, a trailer hitch, a paint roller, a horseshoe, a smoother, a bell, a magnet, and a car part.

When children had finished their play time we gathered back on the carpet and discussed our guesses. It was interesting to hear children explain why they decided on the guess they did.

Some Ontario Curriculum Expectations that this activity fulfilled includes:

3.2 demonstrate respect and consideration for individual differences and alternative points of view (e.g., help a friend who speaks another language, adapt behaviour to accommodate a classmate’s ideas)

1.3 express their thoughts (e.g., on a science discovery, on something they have made) and share experiences (e.g., experiences at home,

cultural experiences)

1.5 use language in various contexts to connect new experiences with what they already know (e.g., contribute ideas orally during shared or interactive writing; contribute to conversations at learning centres; respond to teacher prompts)

4.3 write simple messages (e.g., a grocery list on unlined paper, a greeting card made on a computer; labels for a block or sand construction), using a combination of pictures, symbols, knowledge of the correspondence between letters and sounds (phonics), and familiar words

2.2 make predictions and observations before and during investigations