Secret Messages at Different Ages
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Secret Messages: Pre-Schoolers
Creating and de-coding Secret Messages can be a fun science activity for people of all ages. We provide these generalizations as guidelines about what children at different ages might do during Secret Message explorations at the Discovery Center’s Experiment Station, at home in your living room, or at school. Listed below are science and technology process skills that children may be practicing during their explorations. Please remember: each child develops at a different rate, so some children in each age group may be able to do some of the things described in the age group before or after their own.
How might pre-schoolers explore Secret Messages?
Classify – Preschoolers
Preschoolers may be able to classify the waxes and papers in various ways such as by color, texture, size or shape. By noticing how your child classifies the materials in the Secret Message experiment, you may gain some insight into how your child is thinking about these materials.
Early Literacy: Pre-Schoolers
The Secret Messages activity provides great opportunities for pre-schoolers to practice writing and identifying letters and shapes.
Older pre-schoolers may want to practice writing and revealing their names, if they are learning how.
If you have a group of pre-schooolers who are all practicing handwriting, have them each try to write their first name with the secret message materials- then, mix the papers up and have each child decode one (not knowing whose paper is whose). Finally, have each child try to re-locate the paper that their own name appeared on after painting.
This activity is great for kindergarten classes too!
Experiment – Preschoolers
Preschoolers can start making their own basic experiments by first observing differences in the way the materials interact with each other.
Children this age will be able to make comparisons of two things, such as two different types of waxes.
Try this!
Write messages on two pieces of the same type of paper, using a different kind of wax on each. Then, make a guess as to which of two waxes will work better, and test your guess by revealing their messages with the same color paint.
Observe - PreSchoolers
Preschoolers can notice the similarities and differences in the properties of the different waxes and papers. Help them observe and describe the texture of the papers and waxes and compare them to each other.
Some questions you might ask to get kids thinking about the properties of the materials:
Preschoolers may also enjoy exploring how the paint colors mix together to form new colors. They may also notice how the paint reacts to the paper and wax - for example, they may notice that watercolors bead up on the wax but are absorbed into the paper. With the help of an adult, preschoolers may be able to hold the different papers up to the light and see which one lets the most light through.
Work Together – Preschoolers
Preschoolers can be inspired by each others’ messages and try to recreate combinations they see other children making. They can work on their own or exchange messages with a friend or parent.