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Wheel Discoveries

Wheels, wheels everywhere!

Materials

• toys with wheels:
  toy cars
  bike (or trike or scooter)
  wagon
  stroller
  pull-toys (or push-toys)

Directions

Spend some time with your child exploring wheels in your neighborhood and at home. Try some of these simple ideas.

1. Go on a Wheel Hunt: See how many wheels you can find! Look for objects with wheels around the house (including toys!), in your neighborhood, in stores and parking lots, and in parks. As you find things, ask: Why do you think this object has wheels? What would it be like if it didn't have wheels?

2. Go Up, Go Down: Go for a walk. Let your child push or pull a wagon or stroller uphill, downhill, and on a flat area. What discoveries does your child make?

3. Make Tracks: Have your child push, pull, or ride different objects with wheels through water. (Use a hose to make a puddle!) Talk about the tracks each object leaves on the dry pavement and compare them. How do the tracks change as your child zigzags or backs up?

Take It Further

Do some wheel art! Invite your child to try these ideas:

• Draw a picture of a favorite wheeled object.
• Draw a picture of a made-up object that has wheels, and explain why the object needs wheels.
• Lay a piece of paper in a box top, shallow box, or cake pan. Dip a marble in paint, then roll it around in the box or pan. Look at the tracks it makes on the paper and talk about them. Use more colors to make more tracks--and a great piece of art!