This nature game cootie catcher is meant to help children use their senses (sight, smell, hearing, and touch) as they test their knowledge and explore the natural world around them.
These belong in every teacher's craft kit.
Last year the cup stack was one of my FAVORITE team building activities (see post here). So, naturally, I wanted to give it another shot! The Cup Stack is a fun, yet challenging activity that promotes team work. The supplies are basic: cups, string, rubber bands. I go ahead and tie the string to the rubber bands so it is ready to go. I make a few for groups of 4 and a few for groups of 5, this way no matter what the numbers are in the classroom I can make it work. I start by asking students what teamwork is. What does it look like? sound like? feel like? We brainstorm a list of ideas that I hang in the classroom for students to refer to. Each class comes up with a variety of ideas, but they all center around the same theme. Then I introduce their challenge. I start off my admitting that this will be a frustrating activity. We discuss ways to handle our stress and feelings that arise when others make a mistake or don't do what we want them to do. I model that they will each be given 6 cups and a rubberband with strings attached to it. Their job is to stack the cups into a design by only holding onto their individual string. I demonstrate that when everyone pulls on their string the rubberband opens wider, and vice versa. I also show them the challenges of picking up a cup that has tipped on its side or fallen on the floor. No matter what happens, they must follow the one rule: YOU CAN ONLY TOUCH YOUR STRING. No touching the rubber band, no touching the cup, and no touching other group member's strings. I reinforce how communication is so important in order to reach the goal. Then I set them off. Here are some videos and pics. After about 10-15 minutes, we pause and reflect on our experiences. I ask them to rate their group on how well they worked together using the ideas we wrote at the beginning of the lesson. I ask them what went well for their group. I also ask them what didn't go well for their group. We talk about different strategies and ways we an handle ourselves when things don't go the way we want them to. Throughout the activity I walk around and facilitate positive communication, so I usually have a few examples to help springboard the discussion.
Learning about the Human Body is great fun! Exploring and understanding the amazing structure and design within the composition of human life, inevitably points to a Creator. Oh what a blessing to be made in
Learn how to integrate art into your plant science activities by having students make chlorophyll paintings. Similar to leaf rubbings, this simple science based art project is a fun and creative extension for teaching kids about photosynthesis.
As Big Brother is getting older it's really interesting to see both his interests and skills develop into more specific skill sets. Lately he's been really interested in the building of things (mostly stemming from a love of Legos, Magnatiles, and our wooden railroad track.) As he leans that way I'm finding myself looking for other creative ways to develop those interests and skills. A few weeks ago he had the chance to observe a beaver dam up close with my husband on one of their nature walks. This lead to some great questions. A few days later I followed up with a drive to a local man made dam which he was able to inspect from a distance. When we came home I set up this building investigation in the yard. It was inspired by a great tinfoil river activity we did last year from the amazing book 101 Kids Activities That Are the Bestest, Funnest Ever by the team over at Kids Activities Blog. Similar to that experience, we used tinfoil to create a river (this time on our lawn.) This time we set it up on slight slope. The boys and I also collected natural materials from around the yard that might be useful in building the dam. We collected sticks, acorns, rocks, and old reeds from lilies. I added in a few non-natural materials I also thought Big Brother might want to use: modeling clay, popsicle sticks, and lumber scraps. Big Brother's goal was to be able to get his dam to hold enough water so that these three acorn boats could float. It was so interesting to watch his process, which mostly involved trial and error. First he started with just a pile of the wooden natural materials. When he observed the water move through those, he decided to try using more rocks. With each trial he would tweak his design a little, before trying again. In the end I encouraged him (although I was really trying to let it be his process to try using a little clay. I led him to the idea that he had seen mud on the beaver dams.) He started to get into the idea of building a space for the water to collect. He never quite got to the place where all the boats could continuously float, although his last design definitely best slowed down the water. He continued to tinker on his dam a few more days, and even brainstorm other materials he would like to add in. (Including trying to find some clay like mud on our property.) We'll definitely be looking for other ways to invite building experiences. What do your children like to build? This post may also have been shared at some of these terrific link parties.
This week on Science Saturday with MeetPenny.com and Apologia’s Human Anatomy and Physiology, we are studying skin and hair.
Use these two Boggle templates again and again just by changing the letters. There are two versions, one for the document camera and one for students to use individually. Have fun! Download Boggle Template Rachel Lynette You Might Also Like:Sight Words Uno for Dolch Pre-Primer Words!Dinosaur Virtual Escape Room SamplerFebruary Calendar LoveFebruary Journal Prompts for ... Read More about Play Boggle with Your Class!
Does it seem like everyone around you is obsessed with Pokemon Go? If your kids are into it, or the original Pokemon, why not add a Pokemon spin to their learning with Pokemon lesson plans? Mathema…
The more observant one is, the more one can find in the natural world to inspire awe. Cultivating your child's powers of observation ...
Learn how to make grass heads with your young learners! Perfect for PreK, Kindergarten, and Preschool, this activity will have your little ones giggling with excitement as they grow.
Wikki Stix spark creativity and imaginative play in all children ages 3 to adult! Wikki Stix offer a variety of fun crafts for kids!
BINGO! See who can find a whole row of nature finds with these adorable printable game cards.
Are you looking for (or wondering about) STEM or STEAM activities for kids? If so, you are in the right place, my friends! This is the ULTIMATE resource list for the best of the best Science, Technology, Engineering, (Art), and Math (STE(A)M) activities. My boys have always loved STEM challenges. And I completely understand why!
Say What? Blooming Paper Flowers? Yup, these little paper flowers will actually bloom right before your very eyes! This is such a fun and simple little experiment, but you have got to try it.
This homemade herbal slime is guilt free! No toxins, borax free, no glue! Just 3 ingredients (one of them is water) and it's 100% edible! I'm a little late to the slime trend. I avoided it for so long because one it's messy and quite honestly.... with 5 kids, I just don't enjoy more mess. (I'm not one of those moms. I send my kids to Grandma's house for the messy crafts). The other reason I steered clear of homemade slime is because it always contained ingredients that were not natural enough for me. Many homemade slime recipes use glue
Foster a love for science with these fun experiments perfect for even the youngest scientists .
This craft stick harmonica is fun to play, and you can adjust the pitch by moving the straws! It’s a neat project, and a good one to make with a group because the materials are very inexpensive. You can fit in a little science learning too – see the bottom of the post for ways […]
Stop. Notice. Let go. #cartwheelimpact
Make your own cloud viewer with this easy Cloud Spotting Learning Tool! A wonderful weather craft for preschoolers and elementary kids.
Create a recycled craft with kids to remember a frog's life cycle
25 fun spring science activities for kids of all ages. From preschoolers to preteens, you'll find fascinating Science projects to try with flowers, jelly beans, seeds, water, static electricity, butterflies, birdseed ornaments, and more. FUN SPRING THEME IDEAS and Spring Activities for Preschoolers Science
During winter we don't have so many outdoor activities because temperatures here are constantly below zero. But luckily there are tons of winter crafts and arts activities to make with kids and have cold winter days amusing. I especially love seasonal Waldorf activities inspired by nature, followed by Waldorf books that are helping us understand
Learn what plants breathe through with this easy leaf & tree science experiment as kids get hands-on with the process of photosynthesis!
Our students enjoyed a presentation a few weeks ago from a musician so much that they were creating music everywhere in the class - we noticed they were hitting blocks together to make a beat, tapping
Easy and fun natural disaster science activities for kids that explores hands on experiments for tornado, hurricane, volcano and earthquake!
Leaving and following tracking signs is a brilliant outdoors family activity, and a great way to entice kids outside - who doesn't love following clues
How to make your own story stones 1) Buy the stones I bought these unglazed mosaic stones from Home Depot. I do not think Lowes carries them. They come connected to a mesh sheet and you will …
Enjoy teaching plants' parts, structures and functions with these hands-on activities. Your 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students will love them!
How Do Pine Cones Open and Close? This student led science experiment is a fascinating and quick learning activity that the entire family will enjoy!
Learn about raising tadpoles by creating a tadpole to frog observation tank. This is a fascinating, hands-on way for kids to learn about the frog lifecycle
Building with sticks and playdough is a fun, inexpensive way to pass the time, develop fine motor skills, and foster creativity. My
Get out in the yard and do a little science. Simple Soil Science is a fun way to learn while playing in the dirt.
Every living thing is unique in their own way. Look at your teacher, the trees outside, the animals in the zoo, and the insects on the ground. We look quite different, don’t we? Despite this, all of…
This project is an ecosystem in a bottle showing how animals, plants, and non-living things are all connected.
My son has long since loved St. Michael - in fact, this will be his third year dressing as his favorite saint for Halloween. To celebrate Michaelmas on September 29th, I've pulled together a list
Introduce the concept of photosynthesis to young learners with this coloring page and simple diagram.
Christian astronomy is fun to teach in your Montessori inspired homeschool! Here are lots of great crafts, activities, and printables for your kids.
In this fun STEM activity for kids, children will design and build a structure to protect an animal craft (made from UV-senstive beads) from the sun. If the beaded animal changes color, students know the shelter did not work and have the opportunity to make improvements. This design challenge is a wonderful hands-on science and …
Orienteering is a great activity to do as a family and teaches your kids map reading skills. There are also places you can easily give it a go. Read more.
Here’s another fun thing to do with popsicle sticks – build them into stick bombs! Popsicle stick bombs are quick to make and fun to throw. The boys thought it was cool that they are kind of like ninja stars, and they loved how the sticks fly apart in all directions when they hit something. […]
This simple growing seeds project is a hands-on way to show kids what really happens to seeds when they're buried in the earth!
Social anxiety is one of the most common problems that prevents children from having a growth mindset. It is one of the main reasons kids are afraid to fail or to make mistakes. They may be afraid to let others down, or that they’ll be embarrassed in front of others. One of the bigger consequences of social anxiety, though, is that it prevents children from trying new things and taking risks, which are important in having a growth mindset.
The end of the school year signals the beginning of summer for many students. This is the perfect time of year to teach about the sun and have some “fun in the sun” performing learning activities outdoors! These hands-on activities are perfect for keeping young students engaged and learning those last few days/weeks of school. […]
