Need suggestions: maps, lightbulbs, how to write

Here is a cool site showing how to make a lightbulb:
http://invention.smithsonian.org/cen...ghtbulb_01.asp

And there is a site called "howstuffworks.com" that has a lightbulb section, maybe you could read it and figure out a version that is age appropriate.

For the maps, how about starting by making "treasure maps" of the inside of your house with a surpise at the end, getting her used to the "aerial view". Then make maps of the roads to the store or grandmas house. My 5yo went through a phase where she made maps to everywhere we go, she developed a keen sense of direction and a real knack for identifying landmarks.

My younger DD would also copy everything. She always had paper and pencil just writing anything she could copy. I found a peice of paper once with times written all over it (8:24, 8:25, 8:26...) she had sat in front of the VCR copying the clock for half an hour! :LOL

For letters, there's all sorts of fun things:

*Montessori sandpaper letters, as you suggested. There are three types: cursive, d'nealian, and manuscript/print. Show the letter, say: this is the letter "m" and it says /mmmm/. You can go to games where you have three letters and say, see if you can guess which letter I'm saying..."mmmm" and have say, b, m, and x in front (very different from each other)...

*Write letters in salt/sand, on a cookie sheet.
*Write letters in glue and put glitter on them (or beans, seed beads, macaroni, popcorn, etc)
*Make play-dough letters
*Make body letters (how can you move your arms so they look like a "c") (my daughter still likes to do this in the grocery store line)
*"write" the letter on child's back and see if they can guess what letter you wrote; and vice versa
*write letters on steamy shower wall, mirror, etc

and this is just to be a pain in the rear, but a reggio emilia response to the lightbulb question would be "why do YOU think that is?" and work with the child to explore different theories and ideas through discussion, art, construction (pipe cleaners), etc. It doesn't mean you have to just play along with the most fanciful concept (i.e. because light fairies make them work, well of course honey!) but you can press/skeptically question back a little - how do the fairies make them work? why can't we see the fairies? why can't the fairies stop us from hurting ourselves...etc.

sort of a socratic dialogue to gently guide the dialogue towards the actuality; or to make them really engage their imaginations! either way, it's fun and it continues to be so. it's how the scientists came up with THEIR theories after all - imagining how and why and then testing the theory to see if it could possibly be correct. i suppose never hurts after a long discussion to pull it up on the internet if you're both still wondering how the light fairies did manage to get in the lightbulb...or not.

i used to answer all of my daughter's questions (i'm a librarian) but then i gave up and went with this approach, we're both happier. she has a million and one questions, all the time. our house is also full of various "experiments." by the ways, did you know silly putty does not freeze? one of the things we learned this week!

Wow, what great ideas! Where can I get the sandpaper letters inexpensively? The Neinhuis letters are way out of my league.

I like the RE method, that's where Gracie goes to preschool -- if we return, that is. I read this post too late, but I will definitely try that in the early stages the next time.

We got the "Me on the Map" book at the library today and she is fascinated by it. Benjalo, I am going to look for the Once Upon a Map book at the library tomorrow. It looks right up her alley.

We also took a trip to a nearby store that sells nothing but lightbulbs! We stayed there for over thirty minutes, and they had displays of lightbulbs she could turn on and off. We also broke a real lightbulb and looked inside of it and explained that wires run through the walls that carry electricity.

I thought about the post above and started to explain electricity in more detail, but she really zoned out when I started to explain about atoms and electrons. :LOL But she's three and half, and I think she was a lot more interested seeing the lights go on and off than hearing her mother drone on about electrons.

I would like to try the experiment with the make your own lightbulb website. I am very jazzed about trying that this weekend.

Quote:
oh oh mommy. not word. action. when my dd got interested in fog (thankfully winter) we went to the bridge and talked about it. we were able to talk about how water vapour was created by boiling water in the pot. i havent worked with electricity yet because she hasnt shown interest but have worked with magnets.

http://store.doverpublications.com/0486220303.html

http://ippex.pppl.gov/interactive/electricity/

http://www.42explore.com/electric.htm

i have not checked out these sites but i thougth they would give u some ideas of the type of experiments u can do to make sense to ur 3 1/2 year old. i once read of a mom whose 3 year old was obsessed with fans and she taught him a lot of electricity too. dont know how she did that. but she did.

sometimes i have a hard time figuring out how to explain things. then i go to either toy stores or school supply stores or discovery stores and look on line and figure out how to simplify the experiment.

i know another friend of mine used batteries and transformers to explain it to her 4 year old. dont know details but if u want i could ask her.

actually as i think more maybe use a flashlight to explain. in fact one time she put the pen light in her mouth and that moisture made it stay connected so we worked on that a little bit.