Read field notes about this activity

Name of Activity:. Things Are A-Changin

Category:. : Me and My World

Props: A balloon, a radio, a pack of kool aid, a piece of rough wood and sandpaper (and any other prop that you and your child can modify as described below).

Your Role: historian, travel guide, coach, and model

Directions: Lay out the various transforming objects on the tape. Focus on one object and its transformation at a time. For example, demonstrate radio, then balloon, then koolaid, then wood. One at a time demonstrate how the object looks, feels, sounds, tastes, etc. (Make sure you blow up the balloon; do not let the child blow up the balloon. If you taste koolaid too, use two different cups.) Really focus your child on the way the object felt/sounded/looked/tasted before and after the transformation. Encourage your child to verbalize about before, during, and after the transformation.

Goals for You: Your task is to inspire and encourage your child to observe transformations--before, after, and during. The way things appear sensorily, the ways things can change, and the way the objects are after the transformation are interesting and fun--it's your job to help your child be excited by these and other changes in the world (both natural and the ones achieved by technology.)

Goals for Children: Children love the do projects in which changes take place. They can learn to recall the way things were, the way to change things, and the way things are now--all great material for memory images.

Possible Strategy:

What to say "Here's a balloon. Look at the way it looks now. Now I'll blow up the balloon. How does it look different now? Can you remember what it looked like before?" "Here's a piece of wood. It's a little rough. Let's sand it. Try to pay attention to the sanding so you can remember how it looks. What does it feel like now?"  "Let's put some koolaid in this water? How does it taste? Now let's put some more. Taste it again."

What to do: Help your child focus on the sensory nature of the object and on how it is transforming.

Possible Shaping:

What to say "How is the object different? Is the sound louder? Does it feel smoother? Is it sweeter?

What to do:

Possible Ending:

What to say: "What else in the world changes? Does it happen by itself or do you have to change it?"

What to do:

Material on this site created by Helane S. Rosenberg, Ph.D. and Yakov M. Epstein, Ph.D. in conjunction with their forthcoming book titled Play for Success. All material on this site is copyrighted and may not be reproduced or cited without written permission of Helane S. Rosenberg, Ph.D.. Dr. Rosenberg is Associate Professor of Education at the Graduate School of Education of Rutgers-The State University, New Brunswick, NJ. Dr. Epstein is Professor of Psychology in the Faculty of Arts and Science of Rutgers-The State University, New Brunswick, NJ. He is also Director of the Center for Mathematics, Science, and Computer Education of Rutgers University.

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