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Take a tour around our National Gallery

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Virtual tour of the National Gallery of Ireland

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Take a virtual tour around some of the Gallery spaces

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Captain Chris Hadfield shows us how astronauts get into their space-sleeping-bags when they need a snooze!

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Who wants to be an astronaut? NASA scientists help kids learn about how sound is created

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Story to help anxious children to understand why they will see more people around wearing masks.

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Some children and young people may have questions about people in their community wearing masks.

This story from Autism Little Learners may help explore and explain this concept.

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Some children and young people may have questions about people in their community wearing masks. This story from Autism Little Learners may help explore and explain this concept.

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What happens if you squeeze some lemon juice on an apple slice?

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How do you keep apples from turning brown? Do all apples turn brown at the same rate? Let's try to answer these burning apple science questions with an apple oxidation experiment that is pretty quick and easy to set up at home or in the classroom. Pair it with other fun apple science experiments!

Try This Apple Browning Experiment For Fall

Have you ever found a bad spot on an apple or opened a container in a lunch box filled with apple slices that were once pearly white and now look a bit on the used-up side. The bad spot is definitely not tasty, but the slightly browned apples aren't all that bad!

Is it safe to eat brown apples? My son tasted the brown slices of his favorite apple, the honey crisp, and declared them still ok. Not all apples are similar in their rate of browning!

How do you keep apples from turning brown? Lemon juice is often suggested as a solution for keeping apples from turning brown. Does lemon juice really work and how does it stop or slow the browning process?

Let's try a simple apple experiment and find out how to stop apples from browning!

Using The Scientific Method With Kids

The scientific method is a process or method of research. A problem is identified, information about the problem is gathered, a hypothesis or question is formulated from the information, and the hypothesis is tested with an experiment to prove or disprove its validity.

Sounds heavy! What in the world does that mean?!? It means you don't need to try and solve the world's biggest science questions! The scientific method is all about studying and learning things right around you.

As children develop practices that involve creating, gathering data evaluating, analyzing, and communicating, they can apply these critical thinking skills to any situation.

READ MORE: The Scientific Method For Kids With Examples

Note: The use of the best Science and Engineering Practices is also relevant to the topic of using the scientific method. Read more and see if it fits your science planning needs.

Helpful Science Resources To Get Your Started

Here are a few resources that will help you introduce science more effectively to your kiddos or students and feel confident yourself when presenting materials. You'll find helpful free printables throughout.

Set Up An Apple Browning Science Project

Science projects are an excellent tool for older kiddos to show what they know about science! Plus, they can be used in all sorts of environments including classrooms, homeschool, and groups.

Kids can take everything they have learned about using the scientific method, stating a hypothesis, choosing variables, making observations and analyzing and presenting data.

Want to turn this apple oxidation experiments into an awesome science fair project? Check out these helpful resources.

Why Do Apples Turn Brown?

There's great science behind the process of why an apple turns brown or why rotten spots are brown.

The simple science is that when an apple is damaged, or even cut into slices, the enzymes in the apple react with the oxygen in the air, which is a process called oxidation. The apple produces melanin to protect the apple which is the browning you see.

We watched this short video on Why do Apples Turn Brown? which digs deeper into the exact science of polyphenol oxidase (PPO) enzymes. It's a mouthful!

How Does Lemon Juice Stop Apples From Browning?

Lemon juice helps keep the apple from turning brown because it is full of ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) and it has a low (acidic) pH level. Learn more about the pH scale.

Ascorbic acid works because oxygen will react with it before it reacts with the polyphenol oxidase enzyme in the fruit. What else might prevent apples browning in a similar way?

Alternatives To Lemon Juice

We investigated whether lemon juice on apples stops them from turning brown in the experiment below. Why not extend the learning and compare different ways to prevent cut apples from browning!

You could also test...

Apple Oxidation Experiment

This is a great experiment to set up using the scientific method for kids. Use our printable apple browning experiment worksheet below to record your observations.

The independent variable will be the type of apple, and the dependent variable will the amount of lemon juice you add to each apple. Can you think of any other dependent variables?

Supplies:

Apples! (We used 5 varieties of apples since we had just completed our apple 5 senses science activity beforehand.)

Lemon Juice (or real lemon)

Paper Plates, Knife, Small Cups (optiona)

Printable Journal Pages

Set Up:

STEP 1: Label the paper plates with the name of each type of apple you are using.

STEP 2: Then cut two wedges of the same size out of each apple.

STEP 3: Place one wedge in a small dish and the other on the plate alongside the rest of the whole apple.

STEP 4: Squeeze a little lemon juice over each slice in the dishes and mix to coat evenly. Dump out excess juice. Do this for each apple.

STEP 5: Now wait and be patient. Record your observations.

If you want, set out a timer to get an accurate measurement of the time it takes for each apple to turn brown. This way you can record results in number of minutes for drawing conclusions later.

Our Results

Which apple turned first?

Did they all turn equal shades of brown?

Does the apple slice coated in lemon juice taste different than the plain apple slice?

Does the brown apple slice really taste all that bad?

Did the lemon juice really work?

BELOW WAS OUR QUICKEST TURNING AND DARKEST BROWN APPLE SLICE.
He went on to happily eat both slices of cut apple and found them tasty. Fall is a great time of year for exploring apples!

More Fun Apple Science Activities

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Apple Browning Experiment - Little Bins for Little Hands

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Why do apples turn brown? A fun and easy apple oxidation experiment for kids to try this fall! Find out how to keep apples from browning.

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Build your finger muscles by learning these finger dances and then challenge your family to a thumb-wrestling tournament!

Who will be the champion?

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Strengthen your finger muscles with these push-pin games!

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Have you ever used a poke picture to practice fine motor skills and concentration? It is a frequent activity in Montessori classrooms to work on strengthening the fingers and attention to task. Young children seem to enjoy working on the poke pictures. This freebie is a twist on the traditional poke picture. It is a pin poke game!

This freebie is from the complete Year of Push Pin Games packet. The complete pin poking game packet includes the following 12 games: Back to School, Apples, Halloween, Turkey Trot, Santa's Reindeer race, Winter, Valentines, Over the Rainbow, Bunny Hop, Ready Set Grow, Beach and Olympics.

How to Play the Poke Picture Game

How to Play the Montessori Pin Poking Game:

1. Print the game (download at the bottom of the post for free) and put it on a cork board, foam or heavy cardboard.

2. Roll a die and put in that number of push pins.

3. First player to the end is the winner!

Video of the Poke Picture Game in Action

You can watch a quick time lapse video of the game in action. The children roll the die and put in the push pins to help the kids get to the school supplies.

Want to Make it Easier?

Using a push pin can be hard for children if they have very weak hand muscles. To make it easier, put the printed game board over styrofoam - they will be much easier to put in styrofoam compared to traditional cork board. Try different pin or thumb tacks too - some are easier than others.

Want to Make it Harder?

Hang the poke picture game on a cork board that is hanging on the wall. The children will also be working on shoulder and wrist strengthening.

If You Don't Have Push Pins, You Can Still Play

If you do not have have any push pins, you can still play the game. Instead of pushing the tacks in the children can color in the small circles or put small dot stickers on each circle.

Download your FREE Poke Picture Game

Sign up to receive the weekly email newsletter and other announcements from Your Therapy Source. You will be redirected to the download.

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Poke Picture Free Printable Game - Your Therapy Source

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Have you ever used a poke picture to practice fine motor skills and concentration? It is a frequent activity in Montessori classrooms to work on strengthening the fingers and attention to task. Young children seem to enjoy working on the poke pictures. This freebie is a twist on the traditional poke picture.

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Who loves trains? Can you make your own train with bits and pieces lying around your home?

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You have come to the right place if you are looking for fun, engaging and exciting Train themed activities to do with toddlers, preschoolers and kindergartners. Our activities are widely used by teachers, moms, dads, child care providers and more!

All our activities are available at no cost and are free to print and share. Select below to get started.

Train Shapes
Cut out construction paper shapes into the shape of a train (rectangle - boiler, triangle - cow catcher, square - engineer's cabin, upside down triangle - funnel, 3 circles - wheels). Have the children glue together. Add cotton on for smoke.

Shoe Box Trains
Have children paint and decorate shoe boxes. Add two wheels on each side of each shoe box. String them together. Sort toy trains by type, color, size, etc. Sort pictures (stickers on cards) of trains.

Egg Carton Train
Supplies: bottom half of egg carton, scissors, glue, empty spool (one per child), toilet paper tube (1 per child, black construction paper, small paper cup to trace, chalk, black and red paint.

Cut the bottom of an egg carton in half lengthwise and give one half to each child. Have each child glue a toilet paper tube on top of their first egg cup and a spool on top of their last. Have them paint the spool and the adjourning egg cup red, this is the caboose.

Have them paint the rest of the egg carton black and let dry. Using the small paper cup, trace ten circles on the black construction paper. Cut these out to be wheels. Glue five wheels on each side of the the train.

Number Train
You need: cardboard, markers, paste, construction paper, railroad shapes.

Prepare several cardboard cutouts of railroad engines and cars. Help the children trace a train onto large sheets of construction paper.

Write the numerals 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 on each car and the words first, second, third, fourth, fifth on each, respectively. Have the children try to arrange the railroad cars in order on another sheet of paper and paste them in place when they are correctly laid out.

Encourage verbalization of the names of the ordinal positions while the children work. Use this activity to reinforce counting as well. Let the children imagine a very. long train and ask, "How many cars can you count?"

Model
Build a village with mountains and tunnels, etc. with blocks.

Use one large cardboard box per child. Cut top and bottom off. Make shoulder straps from heavy ribbon. Let them paint their own train cars. Use small
painted paper plates for the wheels. Line them up and let them march and sing "Workin' on the railroad."

Big Trains
Make train cars out of shoe boxes and lots of other "stuff." Take cardboard boxes (1/2) and cut a hole out of the top (enough to put it over the child's head - resting on their shoulders). Have the kids paint and decorate them. You can even put black construction paper wheels on the side, then put crape paper to sting them together. The kids love to "BE" trains. We sing songs and walk through the neighborhood.

Milk Carton Caboose
Rinse out milk carton (pint, quart, or half gallon). Press the top flap down and tape shut. Use white paper and tape to wrap the carton. Cut four circles from cardboard and cover the circles with foil. Glue these onto the sides of the carton for wheels. Use markers to add windows and doors to the train.

Creative Movement
Sing "Little Red Caboose" as you have the children hold onto each other's waists and choo-choo around the room.

Dramatic Play
Arrange 1 chair per child in a curvy line. Have children sit in chairs and tell them train is about to leave. Blow a whistle calling "All aboard! Train is leaving!" Sing:

I'm a train, I'm a train,
I'm a choo-choo train.
I ride in the sun.
I ride in the rain.
My wheels go slow.
It depends, it depend,
On where I go.
Chugga chugga, chugga (continue going faster)
Choo!choo!

Pretend to move with the train as it runs on the tracks. As the train goes uphill, lean back and chug slowly. As it goes downhill, lean forward and chug slowly. On the curvy track, lean left or right. On the bouncy track, bounce up and down and make the chug-g-g bounce too.

Dramatic Play
Line chairs up and play "train". Make tickets and have someone collect them. Ask all the children where they are going and why.

Group Time
Talk about what trains carry.

Show and Tell
Ask the children to bring a train set from home.

Dress-up
Have the children come to school in striped shirts (like conductors).

Make a Zoo Train out of small milk carton or other boxes. Label the cars #1, #2, etc. and put one animal in car #1, two in car #2, and so on. For homework, have the children each bring in a box car of a train & something for it to carry. Then, hook the train up (I used strings with paper clips
tied at each end) and have the children chant "I think I can" while you pull the train. Sing Hap Palmer's song, "Clickity Clack" substituting the items that the children put in their box cars in the appropriate place.

Twinkie Trains
Take one twinkie and 6 vanilla wafers. Use those decorator gels in the tubes(or you can use cream cheese to glue the wheels on) and have the kids decorate the twinkies then "glue" the wheels on the sides. Use a marshmallow for the smoke stack.

Marshmallow Trains
Use pretzel sticks to hook the "cars" together and use peanut butter to glue cheerios on as wheels and other features.

Choo Choo Train
This is a choo choo train (bend elbows)
Puffing down the track (rotate arms in rhythm)
Now it's going forward (push forward, continue rotating motion)
Now it's going back (pull arms back, continue rotating motion)
Now the bell is ringing (pretend to pull the cord - ding ding)
Now the whistle blows (hold fist near mouth and toot toot)
What a lot of noise it makes (cover ears)
Everywhere it goes. (stretch out arms)

Little Red Train
Little red train,
Chugging down the track,
First it goes down,
Then it comes back.
(chug around room by yourself)
Hooking on cars

Here Comes The Choo Choo Train
Here comes our choo choo train
Coming down the track
First it's going forward
Then it's going back
Hear the bells ringing, ding a ling, ding a ling
Hear the whistle blowing, woo woo
What a lot of noise it makes
Everywhere it goes!

Little Red Caboose
Little red caboose, chug, chug, chug
Little red caboose, chug, chug, chug
Little red caboose behind the train, train, train, train
Smokestack on his back, back, back, back
Chugging down the track, track, track, track
Little red caboose behind the train.

Down By the Station
Down by the station early in the morning
See the little puffer bellies all in a row
See the station master pull the little handle
Chug chug, choo choo, here we go!

Down By the Station
Down by the station (down by the station)
Early in the morning (early in the morning)
See the little pufferbellies (see the little pufferbellies)
All in a row (all in a row)
See the station master (see the station master)
Turn the little handle (turn the little handle)
Puff, puff, toot, toot (puff, puff, toot, toot)
Off we go! (off we go!)

Little Red Caboose
Little red caboose, Little red caboose,
Little red caboose behind the train, train,
Smoke-stack on his back, Going down the track,
Little red caboose behind the train, train.

Choo, choo, choo (slide hands together)
The train runs down the track (run fingers down arm)
And then it runs right back. ( Run fingers up arm.)

This is a Choo Choo Train
This is a choo choo train (Child becomes a train by squatting)
Puffing down the track (Child does actions that the rhyme states)
Now its going forward, (child goes forward)
Now its going back. (Child goes back, etc.)
Now the bell is ringing (child pulls make believe bell rope)
What a lot of noise it makes cover ears and make train noises
Everywhere it goes. (Children move around the room at random.)

The Freight Train
Clickity, clackity, clickity clack!
The train speeds over the railroad track.
It rolls and rattles and screeches its song
And pulls and jiggles its freight cars along.
Clickity, clackity, clickity, clack!
The engine in front is big and black.
The cars are filled with lots of things
Like milk, or oil, or mattress spings.
Clickity, clackity, clickity, clack!
The engineer waves, and I wave back.
I count the cars as the freight train goes
and the whitle blows and blows....and blows!

As it goes,
Little red train
Just grows and grows.
(have one child hook on behind you)
(repleat until all children are part of the train.)

The Peanut Song
Oh, the peanut sat on the railroad track,
His heart was all a flutter.
The choo-choo train came down the track,
Toot, tooot, peanut butter.

Improvise: lemon-lemonade, grapes-jelly, apples-applesauce, strawberry-berry jam and on, and on, and on.

Little Red Train
Everyone sits and waits at the train station. One person begins by pretending to be the engine. They walk about the room as everyone chants:

Little Red Train chugging down the track.
First it goes down, then it comes back.
Hooking on cars as it goes,
Little Red Train just grows and grows.

The "engine" calls for a "car" to hook on. Repeat the chant. The second
person calls a third to hook on. Continue until everyone has completed
the train.

Line up in a row in to form a train. One child is the engineer.
SING: (Tune: Down By the Station)
Down by the Zoo Train
Next to the zoo
On came an animal
Do you know who?

The engineer says an animal...such as "A Kangaroo came and it was hopping."

Sing: We picked up a kangaroo
And what do you know
This is the way the train started to go.
(Hopping, Hopping) watch us go.
(Hopping) fast then (Hopping) slow
(Hopping) down, then (Hopping) back
Watch us (Hop) around the track.

At the end of the song the engineer goes to the end of the line. A new child is now the engineer and you can play again.
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Related Books

The Caboose Got Loose by Bill Peet
Freight Train by Donald Crews
Train Song by Diane Siebert
The Little Engine That Could
Green Eggs and Ham
Frosty the Snowman
Dear Reader: You can help us make this theme even better!
All of our theme ideas have come from our imagination and from reader submissions. Please if you have crafts, activities, games, recipes, songs or poems that you would like us to add to this theme.

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Train Activities & Fun Ideas for Kids | ChildFun

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You have come to the right place if you are looking for fun, engaging and exciting Train themed activities to do with toddlers, preschoolers and kindergartners. Our activities are widely used by teachers, moms, dads, child care providers and more! All our activities are available at no cost and are free to print and share.

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Can you sing along with Elmo and friends?

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Sesame Street: Sing the Alphabet Song! | Sesame Street Alphabet

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Alex Scheffler has illustrated this lovely book to teach children about the Coronavirus and how it can affect our lives.

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Are you ready to tap your fingers along to Mr. Goat's beat?

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Click the link to open Dance Mat Typing Level 1 on BBC Bitesize offical DMT:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zf2f9j6/articles/z3c6tfr#zf8yg2p2

Hello rock and roll kids. Here is the first lesson of typing. Through this flash, you will learn how to type on the keyboard using your fingers correctly.
In this lesson, Mr. Goat will be your teacher. You just need to do the exercises by following the background voice. Once you typed correctly, the funny music will be heard as a praise.

First of all is the home row which includes the letters "asdfghjkl" and a semicolon ";" or colon ":". Put your left and right hands' index fingers respectively on "f" and "j," and leave all the other fingers conveniently on the other letters of the home row. Now you've got the right gesture.

Next is the "space" button. This is very easy to acquire. You can type it with either of your thumbs. Mr. Goat shows his face in the next step and says that this is a big moment to check if you can type correctly the home row and the space together. There is a boundary line between "g" and "h" which separates the home row into two parts. The "g" part is controlled by your left hand, The "h" part is the territory of your right hand. Remember to move your index finger to type on "g" and "h." After learning this, a comprehensive exercise comes. At the end, you will hear a letter song sang by Mr. Goat and his lady chorus. You can sing and dance with them to enjoy your success at this stage.

Rock and rolls, now off you go!

Because of the colorful scenes and nice music, the kids can be very easily attracted. They will be focused on the cute characters and will feel happy when they type the right words and are praised. Don't be afraid of typing incorrectly because there is an alert sound that says "type on me" and the icon of the letters which need to be typed will flash.

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Dance Mat Typing Level 1 Stage 1 - HOME ROW

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Click the link to open Dance Mat Typing Level 1 on BBC Bitesize offical DMT: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zf2f9j6/articles/z3c6tfr#zf8yg2p2 Hello rock and roll kids. Here is the first lesson of typing. Through this flash, you will learn how to type on the keyboard