May
19
More Flowers!
I have been taking close-ups of the flowers in my garden, and the beauty is breathtaking! Some of these flowers are barely half an inch in diameter, yet the details are striking.
Click here to watch.
May
19
Flower Study
What are the parts of a flower and what is a flower’s role?
Click here for a lab about flower dissection.
For a flower-themed STEM project, click here. During the first part of this lab, we investigated and experimented with various sizes of flowers and types of paper. It turned into a STEM activity, when students designed an object of their own to test.
Click here for a lab about pollination.
Click here to watch a Study Jam about flowers.
May
16
Every Day is Earth Day!
Every living thing requires water, and we have all the water that will ever be on Earth, so let’s learn more about caring for our water system.
I am reposting some past experiments about water conservation.
Click here for an oil spill investigation.
Click here to make water filters.
Click here to discover how much water on the earth is usable using a random sample.
Click here for a simple investigation to learn about the water cycle. Click here for a Study Jam about the water cycle.
Click here to learn ways to conserve water.
I recently discovered the Water Princess, a picture book based on supermodel Georgie Badiel’s childhood. As a young girl, she dreams of bringing clean drinking water to her African village. Click here to listen to Georgie read the story.
Just One Africa is an excellent organization working to provide clean drinking water for the orphans and vulnerable children of Kenya. They are change makers!
May
3
The Forest is Turning White!
For the last several weeks the forest floor was carpeted with yellow wildflowers, but it is slowly transitioning to white. Even those yellow wildflowers are dying and leaving behind puffs of white seeds. Watching the forest change is enchanting. Even the mood of the woodland changes with the time of day and type of weather. I like walking at dusk and dawn when sunlight peeks through the leaves and the wildlife is more active.
Consider how the wildflowers grow. They do not labor or spin.
Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. (Luke 12:27)
As I wrote this post, I thought of the yellow dandelions, the purple violets, and the other colored flowers that I have posted about recently. How fun it would be to go on a “Rainbow Flower Walk” with your children (or students) in your neighborhood, a park, the woodlands, or even in a plant nursery. Search for flowers of every color.
Click here for the Safeshare link. Plant a rainbow garden too!
May
2
A Focus on Goats
Autrey Mill Nature Preserve, only a few miles from home, has resident goats. I visited the preserve during their Earth Day celebration, and watched children feeding them magnolia leaves, which I consequently discovered is their favorite treat! Watch the goat below push the other goat away from the leaves.
In this post, let’s focus on a goat’s eyes. What do you observe and wonder?
How would it benefit a goat to have horizontal pupils? Scroll under the photo below to find the answer.
Goats are herbivores and need to be able to spot predators approaching along the ground. Horizontal pupils improve peripheral vision, so they can see on either side of them without turning their heads. Click here for the Safeshare link.
The two videos below present additional information about goats. Click here for the Safeshare link.
Click here for the Shafeshare link.
After studying goats, read The Three Billy Goats Gruff, a traditional folk tale about three brothers who need to avoid a troll as they cross a bridge to reach the pasture. A folktale is a fictional story that was originally passed down orally. Many folktales have animals as characters, magical elements, and teach a lesson. A common theme is good vs. evil.
It is fun to compare different illustrators’ interpretations of the story. The author will always be unknown. This is also an easy story to dramatize with sound effects. I used a rectangular school table as my bridge. The goats could safely walk across the table with the troll underneath. You may also have a bridge on your playground.
Click here for the Safeshare link.
My youngest scientists brainstormed alternative ways the goats could have safely reached the other side of the river. When one of them suggested a boat, my response would always be, “Let’s make boats for the goats!” Click here for the repost of this STEM lesson.
A lesson about absorbency would be a good place to begin. Click here for a simple lesson that will build background knowledge.
To learn more about animal eyes, click here for the Safeshare link.
Another great video about animal eyes. Click here to watch full screen.
April
26
Lines and Scribbles
I just added this book to my library because I immediately saw a connection with nature. Some things are made from scribbles, while others are lines. You will need to think abstractly and use your imagination for this activity! Click here for the Safeshare link.
When I went walking, I searched for scribbles and lines in the natural world. Such a great activity for observation and communication!
I saw lines:
But here, I saw scribbles:
Take a walk with your children and identify objects that are lines and scribbles. If you enjoy this theme, check out these picture books:
Click here for the Safeshare link.
Click here for the Safeshare link. This book could also be used during a discussion of camouflage.
Scribbling is an important developmental skill for writing, just as crawling and babbling are stages in walking and speaking. When they scribble, children develop the small muscles in their hands, eye-hand coordination, communication skills, creativity, and imagination. Scribbles have meaning and it is the manner in which young children express their thoughts and feelings.
April
25
Foxes
Susan, a friend of mine, recently relocated to Montana with her husband. I’ve enjoyed her wildlife photos and her recent pictures of a fox inspired me to post about this canine.
Why is the fox jumping in this photo? Watch the video to discover what is happening.
I was in my backyard when I heard the scream of a fox. It will startle you! Listen to the call in the video below.
Click here for the Safeshare link.
Hattie and the Fox is an easy story for young children to dramatize and the predictable, repetitive text will encourage them to participate in the reading experience. Click here for the Safeshare link.
April
19
Dandelion Study
Use dandelions to teach your young scientists about plants! They are safe, plentiful, and move quickly through their life cycle.
The flower’s role is to produce seeds. Because dandelions bloom in the spring, they are one of the first food sources for pollinators.
Can you name the parts of the plant? Dandelions have a tap root, like a carrot. Label the plant parts. Diagrams are found in informational text.
Dandelion seeds disperse by the wind. I am mesmerized by the beauty of these seeds.
A dandelion rapidly changes from a flower to a puffball of seeds. Sequence the life cycle. Click here to watch an animated life cycle. Plant the seeds and journal the growth of the dandelions.
Dandelions are edible. They were brought to America by European settlers and were cultivated for their medicinal qualities and as a food source. After studying dandelions, try a dandelion tea like the one below, or taste dandelion greens. These were at Whole Foods.
These photos were taken after a spring rain.
Take photos of the shadow created by the ball of seeds and draw what you see.
Click here for the Safeshare link.
Click here to listen to the story.
Dandelion is a classic children’s book. Click here for the Safeshare link.
April
18
Inchworms – Math and Science
I discovered this inchworm climbing up my window frame. An inchworm isn’t a worm at all, but the larval stage or caterpillar of a geometer moth. All moths go through metamorphosis-egg, caterpillar (larva), pupa (cocoon), adult (moth). Inchworms are about an inch long and are commonly brown or green.
Do you see the six legs near its head? All insects have six legs. The inchworm’s name is derived from the way it arches to propel itself forward. Ask your children to move like an inchworm. Start in a plank, walk your feet toward your hands, and then walk your hands forward. Repeat.
Inch by Inch is an excellent book to teach beginning measurement skills. Cut green paper into inch strips (inchworms) and use them to measure items at home or in your classroom. Click here to watch the story.
Inchworm, performed by Danny Kaye in the movie Hans Christian Anderson, is a classic children’s song. Click here to watch him sing the song with the Muppets.
April
12
Spirals
I believe in teaching with a multidisciplinary or cross-curricular approach (integrating subject areas) rather than teaching subjects in isolation. STEM also follows this methodology. I’ve found that students consequently reach a higher level of understanding, develop stronger connections, and see real-life applications. The following is an example of how standards can be chunked around a theme. In this case, it is the study of spirals.
How does the study of spirals connect with math? Click here for the Safeshare link.
Before you watch this, brainstorm where you see spirals in nature. Click here for the Safeshare link.
I am reposting links to past labs that focused on spirals found in nature.
Click here to go to the spider lab.
Click here to go to a lab about snails.
Click here to learn about a proboscis.
I recently wrote posts about conifers and ferns. Add spirals to your study of these plants.
A vortex is spiral shaped. Click here to go to the lab.
Many shells are spiral shaped. Don’t pass by those broken shells! Click here to go to a lab about shells.
Use loose parts you find to form spirals. Create spirals with patterns too. When you visit the beach, arrange shells and driftwood into spirals.
Turn spirals into snails or snakes.
From the Artful Parent
Doodle with spirals. Use this activity to teach the elements of design, such as line and space. Make large spirals with chalk outside on concrete sidewalks or driveways.
Cut paper into strips of various widths and lengths. Roll them around a cylinder, like a pencil, and place them inside a box with shallow sides. This would make a simple collaborative project and it is a fun way to strengthen hand muscles.
If you have any additional ideas, please leave them in the comments section.