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Science and art combine in this amazing and simple rainbow experiment. The kids will love to make, explore and paint rainbows,
Are you looking for a simple yet effective tool for your child’s early literacy development? Our alphabet flashcards are just what you’ll need to help your little one take their first steps into the world of learning. Each alphabet flashcard depicts a letter, steps to write it, and examples
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.
Simple paper bag lung project for kids helps explain how do lungs work for kids with an easy human body project for kids of all ages.
***Updated August 2020 to include a Google Slides™ version, images for Seesaw™ and a Microsoft™ version.*** How do you begin your guided reading groups? One of my favorite ways to ease into our small group time is to quickly review the phonics sounds we are working on. That's why I created these charts! I wanted something simple, quick and effective for my students to review during guided reading and to use during their writing time. I have updated this product over and over to make sure it includes all the sounds you need! These posters come fit to standard printer paper but can easily be blown up at your local print shop or on a poster machine. Each page is included in colors and black/white. You can find each pattern, sound and corresponding word below. Alphabet: apple, band-aid, cow, dog, elephant, fish, goat, house, igloo, jelly, key, lips, mouse, nest, octopus, pig, quilt, rainbow, soap, turtle, umbrella, volcano, web, x-ray, yarn, zebra Short Vowels: cat, jet, fin, box, bus Long Vowels: date, bee, vine, rose, tissue Beginning Blends: blimp, cloud, fly, glasses, play, broccoli, crab, drill, frog, graph, pretzel, scale, skunk, slug, snack, spill, star, swan, tractor, twig Ending Blends: insect, gift, mold, elf, pulp, built, hump, hand, wing, tank, ant, bird, shark, gasp, whisk, vest Digraphs: chair, duck, gnome, knife, photo, sheep, thorn, whale, wreath Trigraph: catch Vowel Teams & Diphthongs: train, sauce, straw, tray, tea, bread, bee, jewel, key, pie, light, goat, shoe, coin, boot, pool, couch, brow, row, boy, glue, fruit R-Controlled Vowels: barn, flower, shirt, core, fur Silent E: cake, Pete and Steve, bike, note, cube Tricky Sounds: hard c-car soft c-circle hard g-gorilla soft g-giraffe long e spelled as y-baby long i spelled as y-sky
Hi everyone, Have you tried out my Fluency & Comprehension FREEBIE yet?? It is jam packed with fun activities to try out with your students! Everything is
Hi everyone, My little learners have been working SO hard on their reading these past few months and I am VERY excited to show what what they have been up to!
Children will learn about some of the most well-recognized artists with these 13 books.
Brain breaks are exactly what their name tells us. They are breaks for our brains.Have you ever worked on something for so long thatyou just couldn't take
50 books about summer to read with your kids.
Simple craft about Abraham in his tent designed for young children. The tent has flaps that open and close to hide and reveal Abraham
Deuteronomy 6:6-7 urges us to teach God’s commandments diligently to our children—at home, on the way, when we lie down, and when we rise up—and homeschooling is our family’s answer to that calling.
Hi everyone, My little learners have been working SO hard on their reading these past few months and I am VERY excited to show what what they have been up to!
In a world of darkness, what does it mean to be the light-Matthew 5:16. Practical tips, scriptures, songs, & resources linked to teach our children.
Are you looking to teach your young children in a fun way? Worry not! we have made an amazing Reception
Every elementary teacher deserves their very own toolbox of printables, lessons, and hands-on games, don't you think?
One of the two little sisters of the renowned Lola set, containing 36 pieces in our 6 complementary colors. Open-ended and cheerful by nature, La is the perfect companion for any playtime. Also perfect for activities that stimulate divergent thinking, eye-manual and logical-mathematical development. This 36 piece La set can be used in so many different types of play. 6 Different colors with 6 (3 lolas & 3 tubes) different pieces in each color. Stack them, sort them, build with them, create games, use in small world play, use to understand math concepts. Includes: 36 pieces total (Complementary Colors) 6 Small Lola 6 Medium Lola 6 Big Lola 6 Open Tubes 6 Solid Tubes 6 Half Tubes Size: Lola – measure .5” – 2.5” Tubes – measure 2.75” Age/Safety: 3 years+ Contains Small Parts, CHOKING HAZARD (not for children under 3) Meets or Exceeds EN-71 & ASTM Standards, CE Certified About The Brand: Grapat is a small family project that materialized from leaving the city to live in a natural environment. Their toys come without instructions allowing free play and maximized use of imagination. They are handmade in their small family-owned workshop in the hills of the Pyrenean mountains of Catalunya Grapat creates open-ended toys that favor free and autonomous play. Their only premise is to let children play slowly without time limits. They utilize materials that encourage, invite, and stimulate creativity. Their products are made following traditional processes in the old way using natural dyes that let the wood veins be seen and vibrant colored waxes and oils that slightly shine. The wood used for Grapat toys (primarily beech and birch) comes from sustainable forests. Wood is the source that inspires the workshop daily. It is robust, soft and hard, it is warm, it sounds good and it smells good. The dyes are based on water and non-toxic: they allow the grain of the wood to show through, bringing children into closer contact with nature. The finishes are made with waxes and oils of vegetable origin. The oils can have a strong aroma at first, but it loses it within a few days. Each piece is unique, each one is painted by hand. And natural imperfections are recognized as being part of the natural wood: it is beautiful and makes the material even more valuable. For care or cleaning of the parts, wipe with a damp cloth and dry immediately.
Each year, when I teach place value, this is always my students' favorite game {my teammate gave it to me, she got it from uen.org}! I have modified it so that k-2 can play it! It's called Bull's Eye The students will play in groups of 3 (or in pairs). Each group needs a bull's eye (included in the download) and 6 paper clips. Each student needs their own recording sheet (included in the download). Player one throw each of their 5 paper clips on the bull's eye, one at a time, trying to get a bull's eye. {I had one of our school aides make me a set of bull's eye posters, but you don't have to do that because I've included a download for you} Player one then records their points on their recording sheet by counting how many paper clips landed on the 1's and 10's (there is also an expanded form and 100's recording sheet).
Hi everyone, My little learners have been working SO hard on their reading these past few months and I am VERY excited to show what what they have been up to!
Hi everyone, My little learners have been working SO hard on their reading these past few months and I am VERY excited to show what what they have been up to!
Teaching your child times tables at home can be easy with games, tips and tricks. Follow our guide to successfully teaching your children their times tables in a fun and constructive way.
Learn what makes up blood in this zany blood for kids activity for learning about the human body. Hands-on, EASY blood model!
Hi everyone, My little learners have been working SO hard on their reading these past few months and I am VERY excited to show what what they have been up to!
Color mixing with light is a fun activity for kids to learn about what happens when you mix different colors. The thing is, light does not always react the same way as mixing colored paints.
Early education can prove to be extremely significant in the shaping of a child, and with the fast-developing educational sector in the country, starting a franchise is a feasible idea to realise for ...
The Prodigal Son Story from Luke 15 for toddlers. There is a paper plate craft idea and storytelling outline.
