Creature clinic:Preschool science activities© 2008 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved
In this set of preschool science activities, kids create their own veterinarian clinic where they can examine and treat their own toy (and clay) animals. Children practice using science tools--like a magnifying glass and a balance scale. Kids also explore the concepts of measurement, health and illness, and growth.
• Pets • Farm animals • Zoo animals • Wildlife • Prehistoric creatures (like dinosaurs, pterosaurs, extinct mammals, etc.) Recommended readingYou can prepare your child for these preschool science activities by reading a book about what veterinarians do. Here are some suggestions:Animal Hospital by Judith Walker-Hodge (DK Publications 1999)This is a nice little story—-told with photographs—-of some boys who find a duck with a broken wing. They bring it to the vet’s office and learn about the kinds of problems—-and creatures—-that vets encounter. Besides the duck, the vet treats kittens, a rabbit, a dog, and a horse.Sally goes to the vet by Stephen Huneck (Harry N. Abrams 2004 )A charming picture book about a black Labrador who hurts herself while playing in the yard. She is taken to the vet and has a positive experience. The story is told in the first person and uses simple language that preschoolers can easily understand. Woodcut illustrations.Suggested materials• Doctor kit (may include a toy syringe, a toy stethoscope, etc.)• Magnifying glass • Balance scale (for weighing small toys) or bathroom scale (for big toys) • A ruler and/or graph paper for measuring the body length of toy creatures • Clay (for making clay creatures) • Tweezers and rice (for removing rice “slivers” from a clay animal’s “skin”) • Table, block, or box that can be used as an examination table • Washcloths and a bowl of water (for bathing plastic toys) • Old toothbrush (for veterinary dentistry and veterinary pedicures) • Cloth bandages; plastic adhesive bandages • Cardboard box(es) for creating animal carriers and sleeping cages • Food dishes for feeding any patients who must stay at the hospital PreparationOlder kids can help gather together materials. For younger children, assemble the materials ahead of time and put them in a box.Once kids are presented with the materials, help them identify and sort what they have. Set up a veterinary clinic. Where will the exam table go? Where will they keep the medical equipment? The bandages? How to playOnce the clinic is set up, kids can begin treating their sick or injured creatures. Here some activities they might like to try:• Create clay creatures for treatment at the clinic. If your child isn't quite ready for major acts of sculpting, show her how to roll out a simple clay snake. Your child can make the snake "grow" by adding clay and lengthening it. • Measure height or length. Measure the toy directly, by holding it alongside a ruler or yardstick. Alternatively, lie the toy down on a piece of paper and mark off the animal’s body length. Then measure the distance between these marks. You can chart the results. • Measure weight. Younger kids can pretend to weigh animals on a bathroom scale. Older kids can take real measurements using a balance scale. Again, you can chart the results. • Make your clay animals "grow" and have them return to the clinic to be measured. How much longer/taller are they now? How much heavier? • Compare your animal patients by height and weight. Who is the tallest? Who is the heaviest? • Examine the ears, eyes, and mouth. Use a magnifying glass to look for fleas and other problems. Listen to the patient's heart and lungs with a stethoscope. If you don’t have a toy stethoscope, you can make your own, working stethoscope using masking tape, vinyl tubing, and a plastic funnel. • Remove “slivers” or “thorns” from a clay animal’s skin. For this activity, put a number of rice grain “slivers” in the “skin” of the animal, allowing each grain to poke out from the clay. Provide children with tweezers and ask them to remove the rice grains and place them in a dish. • Check for broken bones. Clean and bandage wounds. If you are using plastic toys that can get wet, provide kids with a bowl of water and a washcloth. Clean an infected foot using an old toothbrush. • Give animals vaccinations and medications. More ideasFor more preschool science activities--and advice on how to teach science to young children-- click here.
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