Engines Ready!

As we navigate this new world of remote education, I'm trying to develop and find activities that families can do together with the use of items and materials that are already accessible to them at home without having to buy anything. This opportunity to slow down and look at everyday objects more closely and thoughtfully is a gift. 

Last week I was refilling my windshield washer fluid and my youngest had all kinds of questions about what was under the hood, so we got out the owners manual for my car and found a diagram, my oldest saw what we were doing and drew closer to see too. I had them find each of the items on the diagram and we talked about what their job is to help the car run. Some of them we could answer, some of the items sparked questions that we had to investigate a little further by looking up those parts in the manual or online. It was fun and simple way to look behind the scenes of one of things we use and take for granted everyday. Lots of bigger questions were asked that we can look into with our new found free time in the coming weeks too. With an adult's help you can do this too!

Parents/guardians let your kids' questions lead your discussion, and have fun learning along with them. It is ok if you do not know the answers to them, make guesses together and even better look it up.

* For safety reasons, always have an adult around and only do this when the car is cool, in a secure location and hasn't been running in a while.