Toddler Science at Telus Spark and an Air Cannon at Home

It is never too early to expose children to science.  Babies, toddlers, and preschoolers are naturally curious about the world around them, and this curiosity can easily be harnessed to teach basic science principles to youngsters in a way that is fun and play-based.  

The evidence of this was clear when momstown Calgary headed to Telus Spark earlier this week.  Our first stop was the Creative Kids Museum, an area specifically designed for children aged 0-8 years of age.  The facility is bright, engaging, and full of activities to explore.  One of our first stops was the giant water table in the centre of the room:

Anything involving water is always a hit with our crew, and the little ones had a fantastic time throwing beach balls into the water fountain, using containers to scoop and pour, and rearranging the rocks to redirect the flow of the water down the inclined plane.

We loved the special piano too.  By pressing the keys, you can make coloured bubbles appear that float to the top of each tube:

Of course, we stopped by the climbing area too.  There were a few school groups visiting at the same time, and that made it a bit difficult for our little people to do too much exploring, but it sure looks like it would be a fun place on a quieter day:

Fortunately, there is also a toddler specific area filled with giant blocks, books, a tunnel, a slide, and lots of other things just our size:

As we headed upstairs for lunch, we discovered that there was some pretty cool stuff to explore in the lobby too:

Even in the Creative Kids Area, there were all sorts of areas that we did not have time to explore on this visit, and I know we will spend many more happy hours playing and learning at Telus Spark.  You don't need to visit a science centre to explore science with your little one though. Whether it is discovering the principles of gravity by dropping different objects, using the bathtub to determine what sinks and what floats, or taking a magnifying glass into the backyard to see bugs and leaves up close, there are all sorts of ways to incorporate fun science based play and learning into your day to day activities at home. 

On this particular visit, one of our group's favourite activities was the interactive air cannon table.  Vents on the table release blasts of air strong enough to float various objects such as ribbons, and balls.  For even more fun, you can use the PVC pipes provided to change the direction of the air flow:

Incredibly, you can create a similar experience at home by turning your blow dryer into a home made air cannon.  All you need to do is grab your blow dryer (preferably one with a long nozzle), and set the heat down to its lowest setting.   Turn the hair dryer on, and adult's job, and point it upwards.  Let your little ones see what will float in it: balloons, lightweight foam balls, and strips of ribbon are all great choices, and sending a sock into the air is sure to produce a smile.  Experiment with different air flow levels too: will some things float with greater air pressure that would not float on low? Can you send an object higher into the air, or farther across the floor when the pressure is higher?  If your kids are preschool aged, you can even make it into more of a "real" science experiment by having them draw or tell you about the things that they saw and discovered in an observation journal.  It is scientifically proven that kids learn through play, so go ahead and have some fun with science at your house today.