Preschool Science and Nature Study

Activities for preschool science and nature study to encourge your children to explore plants and animals and enjoy the outdoors.

This page is one of three pages of preschool science activities. For more preschool science activities consider these pages too:

Formal Preschool Science Activities & Experiments - these preschool science activities follow more scientific procedures such as testing hypotheses and observing test results, but don't let that put you off. They are such FUN - my kids absolutely LOVED them!

Everyday Preschool Science Activities - the activities on this page can be done as you go about your daily living at home. Most of them do not require any preparation or objects or resources that you are unlikely to have at your disposal.

Nature Study

Germination

1. Plant beans, lentils or grass seeds in a small container and let your children watch them grow. Bean seeds will germinate in damp cotton wool, which makes the stages of germination easy to observe.
Place one bean in a dark cupboard for a few days and let the children see what happens. Stop watering another one and observe the results.

2. Try growing an avocado pear pip suspended in the mouth of a jar of water. The bottom half should be below the water level. Stick a few matches into it to balance it across the mouth of the bottle.

3. Talk about seeds and their role in the reproduction of plants. Collect seeds and figure out how they are dispersed by the plant.

4. If you can, allow your children to have a small vegetable patch. Try growing carrots, lettuces, radishes, tomatoes, beans, corn or other vegetables that will grow in your area.
Alternatively, create a small herb garden with herbs you will use for cooking.

5. Grow carrots tops in a saucer of water on a windowsill.

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Parts of a flower

Pick a flower, like a petunia, which has easily identifiable parts and teach your children about pollination.
Talk about the role of insects and pollination. Get a book on this topic if you don’t have one.

Compost

Start a compost heap by building layers of soil, dried twigs, grass cuttings and vegetable peels and waste from your kitchen.
Talk about how animals and bacteria in the compost heap help to break down the plant matter so that it becomes re-usable food for new plants.

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Leaves

Observe the growth of leaves on plants throughout the year. Compare evergreen plants with deciduous plants through the seasons.

Life cycles

Learn about the life cycles and reproduction of animals. Either observe animals in your area like frogs/tadpoles, or let your children keep silkworms and learn about their lifecycles.

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Bird watching

Feed the birds that frequent your area and let your children begin to identify them. Set out bird feeders or a bird table. If necessary, get a nature guide and learn the names of them together. Learn about what foods they eat and then observe how the beaks of different birds are suited to their food types.
Identify males and females of the species and observe their behaviour.
Identify the nests of the birds. Learn about eggs and reproduction.

Other animals

Observe and identify other animals that may be found in your area: spiders, butterflies, bees and other insects, tortoises, lizards, snakes or other small reptiles, mice, bats, rabbits, other small wildlife.

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