Wind and Air – The Invisible Force

Exploration of the existence and effects of wind and air began for the nursery children with the discovery of leaves not falling from the trees, but floating, why?
(Power Point presentation)

The main exploration points through scientific play and experimentation were

• Air is strong and moves things.
• Air is invisible, so how do we know it is there?
• Air is everywhere, even inside us.

Observations made through play were

• You can blow paint and move tissue with our breath, but “the big air” (wind) outside was very strong and moved the washing.
• You can extinguish candle flames with your breath or by moving the air around it.
• The tissue leaves and bubbles were so light they floated fast and high.

To find wind outside, the children experimented with various resources. Good predictions were made

• The wellie boot was too heavy.
• The balloon would float away (even into space!)