Last week I recreated this Cloud identification tool that I saw on Pinterest and my son has loved it! Almost every day he has been outsid...
Map skills are an essential outdoor skill. Here's a successful method for teaching kids map reading skills.
Somehow summer is over and I have no idea how that happened. Maybe its the weather - it's been hot, hot, hot and sticky for the last couple of weeks around here - but whatever it is, I am NOT ready! Regardless of my desire to stop time, my middle kiddo goes back to school tomorrow and my oldest has been in school for almost three weeks. (Which is still hard for me to wrap my mind around since we are so used to starting school after Labor Day.) This year we compiled a "Summer Fun List" of around 30 things we wanted to do during the summer. (We still have several items on our Summer Fun List that we haven't completed, but I'm going to claim an extension until the autumnal equinox on September 22nd for those. Is that cheating?) This activity was inspired by one of the list items - "Go Stargazing". I found a site called Lie Back Look Up that has a lot of great activities, including a printable star map for kids which I printed out and brought with us to the beach in early August. The girls were able to find a couple of the easier constellations (i.e. The Big Dipper) but were struggling with identifying the others. (I think its a bit like using a microscope with children. You may know what you are seeing, but the kids can't distinguish between an air bubble and an amoeba due to their limited experience.) When we got home, I started thinking about ways to explore the constellations with them. I found an awesome book by HA Rey (the creator of Curious George) called Find the Constellations. I also saw quite a few constellation cards on Pinterest - check out my Science with Kids board to see some of them. My favorite are these from Lie Back, Look Up that includes information about each of the constellations on the back. We printed those, laminated them and stuck them on a key ring for future reference. Then I had a flashback to my own elementary school days and remembered making constellation tubes out of those black plastic film canisters. Since those are pretty few and far between these days (who uses film?!?) I thought we could make them using toilet paper tubes (one of my favorite things to repurpose). I found a few examples on the web, but no super clear instructions and since I did them completely wrong the first time, I figured it might be a good DIY project to write up in case other people have the same problems that I had. So, here it is. Let me know if you make them and have any feedback!! Step 1: Print out the constellation patterns from the About.com Space site. I think these may have originally been intended for use with the smaller film canisters because I found that I needed to print them at 120% size to match the approximate diameter of the toilet paper tube. The other key thing here is to make sure to select "flip horizontally" found under the 'layout' option in the print screen. I ended up with inverted constellations the first time because I didn't do this step. Because the words also end up flipped, I would print out an extra sheet not flipped so that you can use it as a reference. (I developed the ability to read upside down pretty well when I was teaching in the classroom but trying to read stuff flipped gives me a headache!) Step 2: Gather the rest of your materials. We used the following: empty toilet paper tubes glue stick tape scissors black construction paper squares (4.5" x 4.5") black sharpie marker giant push pin cork board Step 3: Cut around the outside, dotted line around the constellation pattern. Glue to the center of the construction paper. Step 4: Place the construction paper on the piece of cork board (I doubled it because my cork was fairly thin) and use the giant push pin to punch holes where the stars are located in the pattern. Step 5: Trim around the square into a rough circle shape (it does not need to be perfect!!). Then make cuts from the outer edge of the construction paper into the center, but do not cut into the constellation pattern. This allows for easy attaching of the construction paper to the cardboard tube. I made cuts to divide the piece into 8 wedges - you could probably do more to make the fit even smoother, but I wouldn't do less. Prefold the wedges by holding the circle with your thumb on the edge of the white constellation paper and folding the wedge upwards. Step 6: Center the constellation in the top of the cardboard tube and tape each wedge down. Start with the wedges opposite each other (i.e. 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock) then move on to the ones perpendicular to those (i.e. 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock). Finally tape the remaining 4 wedges down then go all the way around with another long piece of tape to add extra security. (You could also use duct tape here.) Step 7: Using the sharpie marker, write the name of the constellation on the side of the tube. Step 8: Close one eye and use the other eye to look through the tube at the constellation pattern. Start by sharing the name of the constellation with your child and have them look through the tube at the pattern. As they get more comfortable with the patterns, do it the opposite way and see if they can tell you the name of the constellation after viewing the pattern. Step 9: Because the tubes are fairly delicate, store them in a secure box. We chose to use a fairly thick shoe box. Also, because we only had enough rolls to make 4 constellation tubes to start, I put the extra patterns in the box as well so we could make more as we collected more empty toilet paper rolls.
Turn an ordinary flashlight into a constellation projector and explore the night sky while indoors!
Link to: Pioneering and Team Building CLICK ON PHOTOS FOR LARGER IMAGE
A huge collection of camp craft ideas for kids. Grab a few of these ideas that are perfect for summer camp fun anywhere!
We were working on the Traveler Pin for scouts, which in my opinion is the most boring pin. One of the requirements is that you talk about using a compass and how align a compass on a map. That took all of 5 minutes. Big whoop. The rest of the pin is looking at bus routes and talking about how to catch connecting buses and talking about other modes of transportation. Seriously...the most boring thing to do with 10 year olds. What got us through? Aaron telling the boys that we would do a compass course at the end of all of it. Today was the pay off for the boys. Aaron and I went out yesterday to the church building to figure out where the balloons would end up being and what route they would take to get there. We worked it through backwards and then Aaron had me do it. I haven't worked much with a compass in recent years so I was a little rusty. But it helped us work out the kinks. This morning, I started filling up water balloons. 125 water balloons. I did it in two shifts. I did 70 this morning. True story about this picture. I was going to take a picture of this REALLY hole filled balloon so I refilled the tube with water and put the balloon back on. But when I put the balloon back on, it was in a different spot than the first time...and I totally sprayed myself in the face. This is what the water balloon looked like. Oh...did I tell you that Pippen tried to eat these balloons a couple days ago so most of them were filled with holes. Yeah, good thing we had another untouched bag. I sprayed the dogs ONCE while we were outside and this is as close as they would come for the rest of the morning. When I got tired of that, I moved inside to work on the "maps". I told Aaron that I was going to do something to make them cool and legit looking. So, I got out the tea and set the oven to warm. They came out looking really good. (Guess who Captain Red Beard is?) I decided that I wanted them to look even cooler so I got some matches. I was going to singe the edges. That ended poorly for me. Seriously people, I'm a giant klutz. But at least I had time to make more. Don't these look awesome? By this time I'm imagining myself in 10 years having an 8 year old pirate themed birthday party for my kid and what an awesome mom I am. It was good day dreaming when I went back to filling up water balloons. Then Aaron got home and we headed to scouts! When we got to the church we were a bit alarmed to see that cars were parked in the parking lot...like every Wednesday. WHY DIDN'T WE THINK OF THIS!?!? The map leads them right through the cars!! Oh well. I walked with the boys while Aaron got the treasure hidden. I was kind of super impressed with some of the boys. They really grasped onto the concept and would get the compass pointing the right way and walk as straight as they could the whole way. While others would start to stray and their friends would have to call them back (I spy with my little eye, a Gospel metaphor). When they finished the treasure map, this is what they found. I wanted him to dress up like a pirate because it would have been hilarious and we have the costume for it. It wouldn't even wear the hook hand! LAME! Side note: The boy with the plastic bag on his arm, was wearing a brace since he dislocated his wrist at home. The treasure for the boy was totally worth the hunt. I don't know what we are going to do next week to top it though.
After pausing our Egyptian Unit study for a few weeks to discuss the election process, we are back in the saddle again. (This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for full details.) We recently read the books Hieroglyphs from A to Z by Peter Der Manuelian and Seeker of Knowledge: The Man Who Deciphered Egyptian Hieroglyphs by James Rumford. After learning what hieroglyphs were and how they were deciphered, we decided to try our hand at this ancient script. Using oven-bake craft clay we were able to create our very own Cartouche necklaces, oval-shaped ornaments worn by pharaohs depicting their name in hieroglyphs. To make a Cartouche You will need the following: wax paper oven-bake craft clay craft string/twine a pencil or clay awl a butter knife or toothpick Cover your work surface with wax paper. Roll a one inch square of oven-bake craft clay into a snake shape. Using your finger, flatten the "snake" and then flip the flattened oval over to the smooth side. Use the tip of a pencil or a clay awl to make a hole at one end of the oval. Refer to Hieroglyphs from A to Z or this downloadable PDF to learn the picture symbols of your name. Using a toothpick or the tip of a butter knife, recreate the hieroglyphs of each letter of your name. Follow the baking instructions indicated on the clay package. Tie some craft twine through the hole to complete the necklace. More Ancient Egypt Ideas to Explore Mummified Apple Experiment Taamia Falafal (Meatless Pitas) Making Papyrus Make a Cartouche Map of Egypt
Although catapults (catapulta, in Latin) had been used earlier than the Romans, the Romans loved using them to defeat walled and fortified c...
“There is a superhero inside all of us, we just need the courage to put on the cape.” This was the theme of Wednesday evening’s scout meeting. We have some new scout leaders in ou…
Learn about fingerprinting for kids & play detective! Fun ideas for a CSI or spy party or science activity for preschool & elementary ages!
The Special Agent badge is a truly fun and unique badge which any age can enjoy. As we know gaining the attention of a Cadette or 13 year old teenager is difficult at best, so I cranked it up a gear to make this badge exciting. I invited a Dallas Private Investigator to our meeting and asked him to bring some high tech toys. He was a fabulous guest speaker and once he opened the discussion for questions the girls could not wait to talk with him. He hit on the topics of forensic science and talked about blood splatter and luminol. Did you know luminol only allows blood to glow for 30 seconds and every second the blood is exposed to the UV light it degrades, destroying some of the properties of the blood and DNA? Did you know that teeth are just as reliable at identifying a person as the human fingerprint? Did you know that you can determine how often, how recent and what drugs have been used by a person from one strand of hair? Our PI was filled with great and fascinating facts. Did you know every glitter placed in cosmetics, on clothes or crafts are different? Every company that manufactures glitter has to enter their exact dimensions, shape and refractory into a database. Any glitter at a crime scene can be identified. The girls most enjoyed using all his fun, high tech gadgets like the key fob that was actually a camera. A special photography lens that could take accurate pictures over 50 ft away... in the dark! A pen with a special voice recording device. Sunglasses with special lenses so he could see behind him. A water bottle equipped with a hidden camera. The PI gave the girls tips on how he follows a suspect in a car. He explained how you should try and drive in their blind spot, time stoplights and drive an inconspicuous, plain vehicle. He talked about difficult insurance fraud cases where he was staked out in front of houses, sometimes days, waiting for suspects to falter. He talked about interviewing neighbors to get clues about a suspect's reliability or demeanor. Finally he talked about the importance of fingerprints. He revieewed the different patterns that can identify suspects. He even fingerprinted each girl and allowed them to fingerprint their buddy and then we analyzed the prints. Once our amazing guest left, the girls were ready to become spies themselves so we discussed the Morse Code. The girls were given a special Morse Code Cheat Sheet which helped them decipher the code in less than a minute. Using a website designed to teach Morse Code the girls identified each letter of the alphabet. http://www.learnmorsecode.com/www1.mp3 Next I created 2 mystery codes using a fun website. I offered a prize for the girls who could crack the code. They really enjoyed this exercise and we learned a lot about the art of secret communication. http://www.morseresource.com/morse/makemorse.php FYI: I used Quicktime to record the Morse Code alphabet and secret message and then I e-mailed the audio clip to myself so I could play it on my phone for the girls. You could also burn a CD of the audio clips and play on a computer or CD player. If you don't have access to Quick Time, you could record the audio clip using your voice recorder on your phone as well. I use this feature on my phone quite a bit and not just for voice memos. My notes for this discussion cover topics in Forensic Science, Fingerprinting and the Morse Code with the 1 Minute Morse Code Cheat Sheet. I am happy to -email them to you: [email protected]
Public Speaking Classes DC
ROCK IDENTIFICATION KEYS Mineral Identification Links that we used to identify minerals: The Rock Key Table of Contents and Information- Rock Key: A Dichotomous Key- ROCK ID- Follow the arrows and …
This was an after school program that I put on for kids. (See all my kids' programs here!) Basically, I love all things astronomy (here's another kids' craft and a storytime), so it was only a matter of time before I got an actual astronomer in here to talk about constellations. [Insert picture of Astronomer lecturer here...] Yeah, I forgot to take a picture. So you'll just have to believe me. Anyway, I was able to find a willing expert astronomer from our local astronomy club. He talked to the kids for about fifteen minutes on some popular constellations and their history. Here's some visual stimuli: from Wikipedia from Wikipedia And with that introduction, the kids were free to begin our craft: constellation viewers! Super simple, but lots of fun. The kids loved it. Here were the supplies needed: The steps to make them are pretty easy; I got the idea and the instructions from Momma Owl's Lab. Basically, choose which of the constellations you want, cut out the circle and glue it to some black paper. On a piece of cardboard (or something to stop the pin), the kids poked out the holes for the constellation. The we rubber-banded the paper to the toilet paper tube. They could also be decorated with markers and stickers. Here's the view: Pretty cool, right?? They're TOTALLY awesome and I love them. The constellation sheet comes from space.about.com, but they're backwards. Which is to say, they're correct, but since we're looking through the tube at the back, they needed to be inverted. So I went ahead and made a sheet where the constellations are inverted, but their titles are still readable. Click to get larger version to print. So I would say this program was a total success. The kids made a couple of viewers in the time they had at the library, but they also could take home the rest of the constellations and make more there. Also, books were available for check-out! The Stars: A New Way to See ThemWritten by H. A. Rey NightWatch: A Practical Guide to Viewing the UniverseWritten by Terence Dickinson Scholastic Discover More: Night SkyWritten by Giles Sparrow A Child's Introduction to the Night Sky Written by Michael Driscoll, illustrated by Meredith Hamilton
Explore Skunkboy Creatures.'s 9561 photos on Flickr!
Looking for some inspiration for Girl Guide and Girl Scout SWAPS? Check out these 27+ easy and adorable SWAPS ideas and projects that kids can craft!
A caramel version of a classic hedgehog recipe.
Simple kitchen science experiment how to make a cloud in a jar. This is a great experiment to try with the preschool age group.
These STEM projects & activities for kids are perfect for the makerspace. Simple, easy and very cost effective. Make a car from cardboard or a boat from a soda bottle. Maker education is fun for all ages.
Find your motivation at MedalMad. Fun, inclusive and rewarding virtual challenges for all ages. Join a vibrant community and reach your fitness goals.
Learn more about Norway's famous fjords in this Color the World coloring sheet.
Two simple and creative way to help children learn about the night sky constellations during daylight hours - paper tube telescope with printable constellations PLUS free star gazing sewing cards
Get yourself warm, and stay alive with these methods
Free Music Theory Lapbook I wanted to do a lapbook on instruments and their families, which is available already on-line here (LINK), thank goodness. We’re doing that today, as a recap of wh…
