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Science · Kindergarten

Design a Helpful Solution

The class bean plant will be alone for a long weekend. Who will water it? Children work like engineers: they ask questions to understand the problem, draw and label a design (a string that carries water from a jar into the soil), explain how its parts help it work, and compare test results from three designs to choose the one that keeps the soil damp.

  • 3 lessons
  • About 55 minutes
  • Engineering check: 5 questions
  • Ways to answer: choose an answer, label a picture, put in order and sort into groups
See plans Included with Family, Teacher and School plans. Open in PlayOwl

What learners will discover

  • Understand a problem by asking helpful questions and saying what a good solution must do.
  • Use a labeled drawing to show a design and explain how its parts help it work.
  • Compare test results from two or more designs to decide which solves the problem best.

Lessons

  1. What is the problem? 4 steps2 practiceabout 16 min
  2. Draw and explain a design 3 steps2 practiceabout 18 min
  3. Test and compare designs 5 steps2 practiceabout 21 min
  4. Engineering check 5 questions at the end

Keep exploring

Games to practice with

  • Habitat Builder 3DFind the right home for frogs, camels, polar bears and more.
  • Body ExplorerTap, match and label your way around the amazing human body.
  • Label LabPut the right labels on beautiful science diagrams, from bean plants to heart chambers.

More kindergarten science

Guide for grown-ups