Materials
Balancing scale
Assorted nuts in their shells
Muffin tins or egg cartons
Instructions
1. Set out a large container of nuts for children to explore. Have enough so that a few children can work together.
2. Now let them see the balancing scale and show them or let them figure out themselves how to balance the nuts, for example, two little ones weigh the same as one big one. Use vocabulary such as "more than," "less than," "heavier," "lighter," etc.
3. Add a muffin tin or an egg carton for sorting the nuts by shape, color or size.
4. Bring out a large wooden mallet for older children and assorted nut crackers so the children can crack the nuts and eat them.More to doArt: Use the cracked shells as a collage material. Allow the children to use the shells in other creative ways.Cooking: Use the shelled nuts to cook with, for example, to make banana bread.
