A fun and interactive way to learn about moon phases, using plastic cups! Turn the cup to see the moon change. Learn how to make one here.
What kid doesn't love parachutes? My boys have gotten so many of those parachuting army men as party favors, I've lost count. And forget trying to untangle the strings. (Ain't nobody got time for that!) The weather may not have been on our side, but with so many rainy days this summer, eventually you just throw caution to the wind and do outdoor activities anyway. And so it was the day we made DIY parachutes. Making these was simple. We had all the supplies we needed around the house. What You Need Disposable plastic (or paper) cup Plastic garbage sack String (we used some tightly twisted yarn) Paper punch Scissors Tape Measure or yardstick How to Make It First we punched holes in the top of the plastic cups, just under the rim. You'll need to punch four holes equal distance apart (approximately). Next we cut one plastic kitchen garbage sack into a 14-inch square. Since we made two parachutes, we measured and cut the bag with it flattened (i.e. two plies) so we had two squares with only a few cuts. Now we cut four 14-inch lengths of string for each parachute. Our oldest son gathered a corner of the plastic square and tied one length of string to it, leaving only a small tail. He repeated this with the other four corners. Then we tied each string to a different hole on the cup. (TIP: Try to keep the tails all the same length so you don't get a lopsided parachute.) Now all that was left to do was to go to a high place and drop those puppies. My sons perched on the landing of our deck and later our yard's play set. They LOVED watching them gracefully float to the ground. My oldest son tucked the parachute in the cup and dropped it to see what would happen. It sank to the ground with lightning speed. That's gravity for ya! How Does a Parachute Work The cup glides slowly down thanks to something known as air resistance (or drag). When air gets under it, the plastic parachute fans out for maximum coverage; this air resistance slows the fall of the object tremendously. This great activity came from Patricia A. Staino's wonderful book Magic Moments: Super Science with Your Kids. Check it out!
Try these fun and educational activities for kids. Make a volcano, a tornado, glitter jars (like snow globes), giant bubbles, dry ice bubbles, and more.
This is a really easy way to learn about making paper with kids. And we made our paper glittery, too! First: Get Your Supplies! Next: Get to Work! 'Mommy, how do you make paper?' My five year old asked me this question a few weeks ago. I tried explaining it to him, and he wasn't convinced. I showed him a video of how you can make it at home using a mesh screen and paper pulp, and he was obsessed! I wondered about making a screen so that we could try this at home, but then I noticed a Paper
Provide a hands-on STEAM learning opportunity with the DIY Robot Hand Activity! Children will love making their own robotic hand with straws, string, and paper.
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Right now I’m in the process of creating a series of STEM projects for students who are studying Ancient Civilizations.. Next stop, Ancient India! 🙂 During the summertime in Ancient India (and still to this day), a monsoon would come every year, raining buckets and buckets of water. In Eastern India, a second monsoon would
I'm not sure there exists a more fun and easy science experiment for young kids than a homemade volcano. All you really need for a volcano science activity is baking soda, vinegar, an empty container and maybe some food coloring and your kids will be begging for more. My kids LOVE homemade volcanoes and we've made our fair share over the last few years. This time I decided it would be interesting if we could make the project a little more educational by creating a cutaway view of an erupting volcano. Does your child know the difference between lava and
You don’t have to go far for fun this summer! Entertain your kids and encourage curiosity with these cool, easy science experiments that you can do at home.
Discover how to make an anemometer with cardboard and paper cups. This simple anemometer for kids is a fun weather STEM activity that's perfect for spring.
Many of our children are suddenly spending all their time at home. Keeping them happy and occupied can be a challenge. But, it can be even more challenging to
The activities below are available for free download, and are to be used in educational and/or private settings. They may not be used elsewhere or for other purposes (such as for profit) unless exp…
11 qiuck science experiments can be done in just 5 minutes! Learn hands-on about chemical reactions, density, and more.
It's been hot lately. Like melt your face off hot. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating, but sometimes it's nice to do an indoor activity to at least let the sweat dry. This one is simple and loads of fun. If you're hearing, "I'm sooooooooooo bored" this summer, making indoor origami flying discs might just be the cure. Supplies for 1 disc 8 two-inch square pieces of paper (plain office paper or heavyweight card stock) Tape How to Make It Fold each 2-inch by 2-inch square of paper corner to corner so you now have 8 triangles. Now fold one corner of each triangle down; look at the picture below for guidance. Make sure all the origami pieces are facing up, with the folded flap on top. Slip the pointed corner of one piece into the folded flap of another. Continue doing this until you're able to tuck the last piece in place. Add tape over each triangle tip for added stability. Gently bend the outer edges of the disc down for increased aerodynamics. Fling it like a frisbee and watch it fly and curve in the air. These are remarkably good flyers! This awesome project came from the book Make: Easy 1-2-3 Projects. Check it out!
I think there are so many ways this could be used in therapy and I am excited to try it out! The basic principle is the kids can shake the bottle around to find the different words hidden in the rice. Once they find a word, they can:
This Calming Find It Game is perfect for changing a child's focus from being upset to concentrating on finding fun objects in a find it game. I love
Students will have fun while learning how to cooperate and communicate.
Get fun, free printable worksheets and enjoy cool science activities to do at home
Kids will love making this spooky Blinking Origami Eyeball art project, inspired by Krokotak, a really awesome Bulgarian Kids website!
These human body for kids activities allow children to learn about the heart, muscles, lungs, 5 senses, bones organs, cells, and so much more!
Do your kids like engineering and science? We’re not surprised: its super cool to make stuff that actually “does stuff!” Here are 35 fun DIY engineering projects just for kids that you and your family will enjoy. Notice that some are perfect for tiny tots and other projects are terrific for older kids and teens. Use your best judgement and provide adult supervision and guidance when needed. One of the great things about doing these DIY projects is that kids actually learn how things work – from gravity, physics and other science concepts. It’s not just about creating the DIY
Les exercices de motricité fine permettent aux enfants d'apprendre à maîtriser leurs gestes afin de réaliser des exercices qui demandent de la précision.
This set of printable geometry cards has both 2 dimensional and 3 dimensional shapes to use for building shapes. They show right on the cards how many toothpicks and marshmallows you will need to build the shape. Then there is a graphic to help you see what it will look like. The printable set comes with 10 2D cards and 12 3D cards.
How high can you build? Your kids will love this STEM challenge and it requires little to no prep from parents/teachers. Start building today!
Create your own DIY spectroscope from a few simple supplies and make a rainbow from visible light for fun physics for kids.
The kids and I have been talking about words with ing added on the end. My youngest has just started coming across these words in his reading and his big sister was showing him how to break the wo…
Puzzle-solving genius kids form a pint-size crime-fighting Mod Squad in this month's Backseat Book Club pick. Trenton Lee Stewart, author of The Mysterious Benedict Society, takes questions from young readers about the book's twists, turns and creative conundrums.
Make a homemade spectroscope with a few simple materials and explore the spectrum of different light sources. You’ll see all kinds of rainbows! This science activity for kids makes a great addition to a unit on light or weather and is perfect for St. Patrick’s Day too! Follow our Science for Kids Pinterest board! Light …
Engage your students in hands-on science fun with this Kids Dental Health Science Unit! Perfect for Dental Health Month or any time of the year.
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Learn about the phases of the moon with a favorite cookie. Here's how to make Oreo moon phases for fun edible astronomy.
Digestion experiment for kids! An easy science experiment from at-home materials about how the stomach breaks down food. Anatomy science for kids.
My 9-year-old son's first science unit this year is electricity. While it's usually a struggle to get him to tell me about his school day, the reports about what he's learning in science roll off his tongue easily. No nagging required. In summary, he's loving it. To take his school lessons further at home, I snagged an amazing book by Laurie Carlson. Thomas Edison for Kids: His Life and Ideas has everything from a timeline to detailed biographical info and my favorite - 21 activities. Making an electromagnet is one of them. Here's what we used and how we did it. 2-3 feet of ball wire (copper wire with a plastic insulated sheathing) Large nail Tape (optional) C or D battery small metal objects (paper clips, thumbtacks, etc.) Scissors (or a wire stripping tool) Wrap the wire around the nail making a coil, leaving four to six inches of wire extending from each end. Do your best to wrap it as tightly as you can. Trim about 1/2 inch of the plastic covering from each end of the wire. If you have a wire stripping tool, use it (we did) or score with a pair of scissors and using your fingernails pull the plastic coating from the wire. Now, if you've got tape handy, cut a long strip and use it to secure the battery to the table. Hold the nail wrapped wire and pinch the ends of the wire so they touch both metal ends of the battery. DON'T TOUCH THE EXPOSED WIRE; as electric current passes through it, these ends will become hot. Now take your small metal objects (we used safety pins) and see if the electricity in the battery has made the ends of the nail magnetic. What happens if the wire's connection with the battery is broken? Is the nail still a magnet? (Nope.) Electromagnets played a significant role in Thomas Edison's inventions. He used them to separate premium iron from low-grade unusable iron ore, that was collected from the New Jersey mines he owned. His discovery of the electromagnetic wave lead to the invention of the radio in the 1890s. Today, electromagnets are still at work in coin-operated vending machines! Want another great book to read? We liked National Geographic Kids Level 2 reader Thomas Edison by Barbara Kramer.
Do you want to work on life skills in your classroom? Are you looking for hands-on special education life skills activities that your students will love? If so, you've come to the right place. Because today, I'm sharing my top 10 life skills activities that you can do in your classroom. 1. Washing Hands One
Amp up the fun and have the kids learn about electricity with this experiment! Use homemade electric play dough - conductive and insulating - to create circuits that light an LED.
Practice words of feelings with your students with this fun cut out worksheet!
Today I wanted to stop by and share some strategies for teaching vowel teams and diphthongs in our classroom! It’s always challenging to teach spelling patterns that aren’t easily decodable! […]
These Destination Dig VBS Craft Ideas are a roundup of ideas that fit the theme for Lifeway's VBS for 2021 and are sure to make your VBS a blast!
28 engaging hands-on STEM activities that use recylced and craft materials for a home, library, or classroom makerspace
This crushing cans science experiment is an exciting way to demonstrate the power of air pressure. Make soda cans instantly collapse.
This walking water science experiment is so much fun and super easy to do! My kids absolutely loved it! It even comes with free printable recording sheets for kids as young as preschool! Check out the video to see how easy this walking water experiment really is. This rainbow activity is perfect for spring science!
To make beautiful geodes in your own kitchen you need more patience and time than anything else! Here is the basic recipe to start you off in the world of beautiful geodes.
