Biology… The study of life is quite an elite subject that must be part of every child’s education today! For humankind, will it ever be possible to conquer amazing innovations without being close to the wonders of nature? Never! Thus it is advised to introduce biology for kindergarten to high school core curriculum. Biology allows pupils to encounter the diversity of living organisms in their local and wider settings.
Moreover, learning the subject enables them to understand their bodies and the changes they experience in their bodies with the influence of time and the environment. And the best way to teach them life sciences is by using biology activities/experiments. We have gathered two such activities to help your child learn basic biology.
The need for biology experiments
Easy biology experiments can enkindle learners’ interest in biology, which is necessary. Kids will be more interested in hands-on biology rather than theoretical classes. It makes use of their keen learning abilities to investigate different biological phenomena. Additionally, these activities help your kids learn the basic concepts of biology in the easiest and most fun ways. So, here are some easy biology experiments teachers and parents can introduce to kids at school or home.
Important note*
For kids, always consider choosing simple experiments in terms of both the apparatus used and the concepts explained. Simply put, begin with basic experiments on plants, flowers, insects, soil, or food.
Experiment 1: Dyed Flowers (Capillary action in flowers)
This simple and enjoyable biology experiment teaches children about how plants absorb water. The results of this simple biology experiment demonstrate how the stalk of a flower absorbs and distributes water to the leaves and petals.
Requirements
1 glass of water
2 clean flasks
Food colouring
A flower with a complete stalk
Procedure
- Clean the flask and then combine food colouring and water.
- Examine for lumps and dissolution of colour.
- Fill another flask halfway with coloured mix (water).
- Place the flowers with intact stalks in the flask, half-submerged in water.
- Place the flask on a stable surface near a sunny window.
- Lastly, tell children to keep track of the changing flower colours.
Experiment 2: Introduction to Bacteria
The experiment can help your children learn about bacterial cultures and observe them under a microscope. This is one of the best biology activities for kindergarten to high school and will help them learn about the most common bacteria present in yogurt.
Requirements
A combination microscope
Yogurt
Water in an empty cup
dropper
Slide for a microscope and coverslip
Procedure
- To begin, combine half a teaspoon of yogurt and two teaspoons of water in a cup.
- Using a clean spoon, combine the yogurt and water to make a homogeneous suspension.
- Using a dropper, place a drop of this yogurt suspension on the clean, sterile microscope slide. (Take no more than a drop at a time)*
- Use a coverslip to cover the suspension drop.
- The slide is now ready to be examined under the microscope.
- Ask children to examine the prepared sample under the microscope.
- This will help them see the structure of bacteria present in yogurt.
- Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus are most commonly found in commercial yogurt; educate kids about these beneficial bacteria.
Final words
With the activities mentioned above, one can smoothly introduce biology for kindergarten to high school. Kids will be drawn to such experiments if you interestingly organize them during school hours. Please encourage them to conduct similar experiments with their parents at home and report their findings in class.
And if you are a parent trying to find the right place that offers extra hours of biological learning for your child, Logic Learning can be the right place! Their basic syllabus for biology includes; an introduction to biology, cells, organelles, membranes, cellular exchange, DNA/RNA and the chemistry of life.