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Money Management Skills Lapbook for Middle School

Teaching Money Management with a Lapbook

September 8, 2016 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

We’ve been loving our lapbooks recently and I thought I’d share one that is seriously terrific for teaching money management to middle schoolers. It’s called “Money Doesn’t Grow on Trees” and it. is. fantastic.

Kids usually love to learn about money, at least how to count it and pretend to spend it. But they’re often a little less than enthused about learning how finances work and why financial responsibility is important. After all, in their minds, the whole point of growing up is being able to spend money the way you want, right? 🙂

So, I was thrilled to try out this lapbook, because it’s focused on helping middle schoolers understand what it takes to earn and save money, not just blow it on things you want. Read on to see how we’re using this lapbook to teach money management skills to our tween!

Disclosure: I received this product in exchange for this post. All opinions are my own and I was not required to post a positive review.

Money Management Skills Lapbook for Middle School

Teaching Money Management with a Lapbook

This is a tremendous unit from Knowledge Box Central. The file has 130 pages in it. So be prepared to spend some serious time putting the lapbook together.

Here’s the list of supplies you’ll need:

  • Colored file folders
  • Hot glue gun with glue sticks (for gluing the folders together)
  • Colored paper
  • Stapler with staples
  • Metal brad fasteners
  • Tacky glue (for gluing the minibooks into the folders)

money-doesnt-grow-on-trees-lapbook-cover

Most of the lapbooks we’ve made so far use two folders, but this one uses three. And, boy, is it packed.

money-doesnt-grow-on-trees-lapbook-interior

See what I mean? 🙂

money-doesnt-grow-on-trees-lapbook-folder-1

Here’s a look at the first folder.

money-doesnt-grow-on-trees-lapbook-folder-2

And the second…

money-doesnt-grow-on-trees-lapbook-folder-3

And the third.

By the time kids get into the middle grades, it’s time for their learning to take a more independent route. And this lapbook does just that. There are sections in the study guide that are written directly to the student, which I loved.

learning-about-financial-terms

On those sections, I just handed the laptop over to my daughter and had her read aloud. She really liked the content, also. Some of the things that were included in the guide were feelings about finances that she could relate to personally, such as “Why don’t my parents always buy the things I want?” I couldn’t stop nodding at the reasons why….lol.

reading-about-money-terms

Since this lapbook was so extensive, I had her help me assemble some of the smaller books. The Money Terms minibook in the first folder includes definitions for each term, so she matched them up and glued them in. All of the matching definitions are in the study guide as well.

She did a pretty good job of choosing the correct ones on her own, but there were a few she was unfamiliar with. On those, she checked the guide and then went forward.

banking-term-minibooks

We did the same thing with the banking words section in Folder 2. There are several minibooks with matching definitions there also. So it was up to her to find the right definition and glue it in the minibook.

banking-terms-minibook-definitions

Like so. Again, the answers are in the Guide.

learning-to-balance-a-checkbook

Naturally, kids want to do the stuff that looks grown-up, such as writing checks. The checkbook activity in the lapbook is really comprehensive. It has a check register, practice checks, and deposit slips.

Which meant we had to do an exercise on how to balance a checkbook.

learning-about-bills-and-money-management

Then it was time to pay bills. *cue horror music*

learning-to-read-an-energy-bill

Look at that! Isn’t that neat? It’s a sample electric bill and we discussed how to read the statement: why account numbers are important, where to find the due date, and how to write out the check to the correct company name.

learning-how-to-write-checks

Then she wrote her very first check!

I realize, of course, that we don’t really use checks that much anymore, so we will eventually talk about online bill payment. But this was a great introduction to the world of bill paying, AKA, being an adult. And there’s a practice debit card in the lapbook too. 😉

researching-inflation-in-middle-school

Another activity in the lapbook teaches kids the basics of inflation by comparing current prices of basic goods to the prices of those same goods 50 years ago. We researched the price of gas, milk, and housing in 1966 to compare.

researching-prices-from-today-and-the-past

Then we started filling the figures in to note the difference.

comparing-gas-prices-of-today-to-gas-prices-in-the-past

32 cents for a gallon of gas???!!!! Sign me up for that!

learning-about-money-management-in-6th-grade

This was really, very fun to do as a unit and my tween, who typically hates math, loved it. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that we were basically doing a math lesson. 🙂

money-management-skills-for-middle-school

Learn more about the awesome lapbooks available from Knowledge Box Central! And get a closer look at the Money Doesn’t Grow on Trees lapbook on the company website!

Money Management Resources for Middle School:

Use these other resources to round out your money management unit!

  • How to Turn $100 Into $1,000,000: Earn! Save! Invest!
  • Building Real Life Math Skills: 16 Lessons with Reproducible Activity Sheets
  • Real Looking U.S. Play Money Set
  • Arthur Season 15 Episode 4: “Cents-Less”

Knowledge Box Central

See more of Knowledge Box Central’s lapbooks below!

Giant Panda Lapbook for Homeschoolers

Learning to Bake with a Cooking Lapbook

Creatures of the African Savannah Lapbook Review

Get more ideas for your homeschool unit studies, including lapbooks, from my Unit Studies board on Pinterest!


Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Craft Ideas and Activities

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Craft Ideas and Activities

August 31, 2016 by Selena Robinson 2 Comments

Gene Wilder died this week. And, while I didn’t know him personally, I was filled with sadness. I’ve seen Mr. Wilder perform in several films, but he will always be Willy Wonka to me.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was the first movie I watched as a child that really stayed with me throughout adulthood. Even as an eight-year-old, I could sense the film’s message that childhood was fleeting and should be treasured for as long as possible.

Naturally, I wanted to share that message with my kids, so we’ve already read the book and watched the film. But with Mr. Wilder’s passing, I felt like I wanted to revisit the film and its message with the kids while they’re still young.

So here are several Charlie and the Chocolate Factory craft ideas and activities to share with the family! Don’t forget to pick up the classic Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to read with your kids first!

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Craft Ideas and Activities

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Craft Ideas and Activities

1. Turn this book into a unit study with our Charlie and the Chocolate Factory unit!

2. Make a super cute Willy Wonka Pudding Cup Top Hat!

3. Want to make your own chocolate? This recipe for Almond Swirl Chocolate Bark is easy enough for kids to make!

4. Create your own Wonka Play Candy Store complete with playdough candy!

5. Use these Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Notebooking Printables to help kids review what they read in the story!

6. Confession: This isn’t actually for the kids. This Willy Wonka Action Figure is going on my desk at work!

7. Talk about the book around the dinner table with these Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Conversation Starter Ideas!

8. Make your own gooey Chocolate Slime for sensory play!

9. These Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Snacks are fun to snack on during read-aloud time!

10. Serve up a complete Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory dinner with a cabbage soup appetizer and blueberry pie for dessert!

11. Use this Printable Golden Ticket activity to challenge kids to come up with their own Golden Ticket terms!

12. If you’ve never seen Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, please stop the madness and watch it. Immediately.

13. These Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Lesson Plans from the official Roald Dahl website are perfect for extending the story into creative writing activities and more!

14. This Easy Chocolate Play Dough is fun for little hands!

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Crafts and Activities for Kids

15. These DIY Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory Peg People are such a cute idea for reenacting scenes from the film or the story!

16. This Liquid Chocolate Mixed by Waterfall is the next best thing to the Chocolate River!

17. Let your toddlers fingerpaint with this Edible Chocolate Paint!

18. Wrap a standard chocolate bar with this Wonka Bar Wrapper with Golden Ticket for an extra special treat! (This is the one we used in our unit.)

19. These Eatable Pillow Snacks are a fun and simple snack for kids!

20. Remember the Giant Gummy Bears Wonka knocked down with his cane in the Chocolate Room? Make your own!

21. This Willy Wonka Toilet Paper Roll Craft is super fun and easy! (We used this craft in our unit as well.)

22. Charlie Bucket is easily the perfect child. Prin this Charlie Bucket Coloring Page for kids to color!

23. Want to make a slightly healthier chocolate snack? Try these Banana Chocolate Smoothie Pops!

24. Bring the classic story to life with this special Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Pop-Up Book!

25. Learn how to make your own Fizzy Lifting Drinks! And you won’t have to worry about floating up to the ceiling either. 🙂

26. This printable Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Word Search is a fun word activity for kids!

27. Make a batch of this Salted Chocolate and Peanut Butter Popcorn to enjoy as you watch the movie!

28. Use this recipe for Wonka’s Rainbow Drops to make these colorful candies! (Be sure to tell the kids NOT to try to spit in seven colors.)

And just because I want to mourn my lost childhood – my favorite song from the film:

See our Charlie and the Chocolate Factory unit in action!

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Unit

Get more ideas for homeschool units from my Unit Studies board on Pinterest!


Giant Panda Lapbook for Homeschoolers

Giant Panda Lapbook

August 29, 2016 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

We had so much fun learning about the animals of the African Savannah with a lapbook that we decided to learn about a new animal this week: the Giant Panda! And we used another awesome lapbook from Knowledge Box Central to do it!

Giant pandas are probably one of my personal favorite animals. They are the epitome of squishy! If I could, I would pick one up and squeeze it for the rest of my life.

But it turns out that there’s a lot more to pandas than cuteness. Check out some of the amazing panda facts we learned using our Giant Panda lapbook!

Learning about Giant Pandas with Lapbooks

For more on how to use lapbooks for other lessons in your homeschool, see our reviews of other great lapbooks from Knowledge Box Central, including a Cooking lapbook, a Math Mini Office, and a Hurricane lapbook!

Disclosure: I received this product in exchange for this post. All opinions are my own and I was not required to post a positive review.

Giant Panda Lapbook for Homeschoolers

Giant Panda Lapbook

As I’ve mentioned before, Knowledge Box Central is a superb lapbook manufacturer. I never have any trouble assembling the lapbooks or teaching the unit because all the minibooks and instructions are in the downloadable file. Super simple!

Giant Panda Bears Lapbook

I was even able to use the cover page of the lapbook file as the lapbook cover!

Here’s the supply list I used to make this lapbook:

  • Colored file folders
  • Hot glue gun with glue sticks (for gluing the folders together)
  • Colored paper
  • Stapler with staples
  • Metal brad fasteners
  • Tacky glue (for gluing the minibooks into the folders)

Giant Panda Lapbook Layout

So fun!

Giant Panda Lapbook Minibooks

There are minibooks about the geographic range of the Giant Panda, how pandas are affected by poaching, the unique structure of panda hand bones, and the general characteristics of this species.

Inside the Giant Panda Lapbook

Plus, a tabbed book about how pandas interact with humans, the environmental impact of pandas, conservation efforts, and a panda word search!

Giant Panda Lapbook Crossword Puzzle

There’s even a fold-out crossword puzzle!

Exploring the Giant Panda Lapbook

My second grader couldn’t wait to get started! I actually had to tell him, “Wait, don’t do that one yet! We have to talk about it first!”

Studying the Range of the Giant Panda

We started by examining the geographic range of the giant panda, which I’m sorry to say is not very wide. Pandas are only found in parts of three Chinese districts these days.

Learning about Where Giant Pandas Live

The minibook even shows how drastically the range of the giant panda has been reduced over the years. The culprit? Bamboo deforestation. As the available amount of bamboo dwindles, pandas have to climb higher and higher to find it, which takes a toll on the population.

And then there’s poaching, which causes more of a direct impact on panda survival. Sad.

Learning about the Makeup of Giant Pandas

We learned something really neat. The Chinese name for the giant panda literally means “Bear cat”. Know why? Pandas’ eyes are shaped like cat eyes, with a slit down the center! We spent some time drawing anatomically correct panda eyes.

Drawing with Panda Coloring Pages

Naturally, there was some time spent coloring the panda coloring pages.

Completing the Panda Word Search

And doing the word search!

Learning with a Giant Panda Lapbook

My second grader really enjoyed this lesson and there were so many minibooks we didn’t even start! We’ll be learning about the giant panda with this lapbook for some time to come!

Check out this lapbook, plus plenty others, by visiting Knowledge Box Central today! There are a LOT of lapbooks to choose from and many are just $5!

Giant Panda Resources

Add these fun and educational resources to your study of Giant Pandas!

  • Giant Pandas by Gail Gibbons – A lovely picture book about this amazing species
  • Melissa & Doug Peek-A-Boo Panda – This sweet wooden toy is perfect for babies and toddlers
  • National Geographic Reader Level 2: Pandas – A good book about pandas for kids who are able to read on their own

Knowledge Box Central

Want to see more Knowledge Box Central lapbooks in action? Check out these posts!

Creatures of the African Savannah Lapbook Review

Learning to Bake with a Cooking Lapbook

Making a Hurricane Lapbook

Build your own unit studies using lapbooks and more with the tips on my Unit Studies Pinterest board!


Creatures of the African Savannah Lapbook Review

Animals of the African Savannah Lapbook

August 18, 2016 by Selena Robinson 1 Comment

My soon-to-be third grader is an absolute fanatic about animals. He loves learning about them, talking about them, reading about them, and watching videos about them.

A lot of his interest in the animal kingdom has come from his diligent watching of Wild Kratts, but there are very few animals I can mention that he doesn’t know at least something about. (Educational TV, FTW!)

So, this year when I had a chance to renew my relationship with the lapbook company, Knowledge Box Central, I jumped at the chance to try the Creatures of the African Savannah lapbook with him. I just knew he’d love it. And he did!

See how we’re learning about the animals of the African Savannah with a lapbook!

Disclosure: I received this product in exchange for this post. All opinions are my own and I was not required to post a positive review.

Studying Animals of the African Savannah with Lapbooks

We’ve gotten to try other lapbooks from Knowledge Box Central in the past, including the Cooking Lapbook, the Hurricane Lapbook, and the Math Mini Office Lapbook. Visit our previous posts to take a look at them all in action!

Creatures of the African Savannah Lapbook Review

Creatures of the African Savannah Lapbook

I love to lapbook with our kids, but when I was first starting out, the directions seemed a bit…overwhelming. I didn’t know how to get started, where to find good resources to supplement my unit, or how to get my kids interested in completing the minibooks.

So I love Knowledge Box Central! Their lapbooks come with clear instructions and diagrams that show how to assemble each minibook and where to place it in the completed lapbook. Plus, there is a printable lesson plan at the back that walks you through the information kids can learn and place in each minibook.

African Savannah Lapbook Cover

The lapbook instructions offer a supply list that describes the kinds of materials you’ll need to complete the project. Here are the supplies I used:

  • Colored file folders
  • Hot glue gun with glue sticks (for gluing the folders together)
  • Colored paper
  • Stapler with staples
  • Metal brad fasteners
  • Tacky glue (for gluing the minibooks into the folders)

African Savannah Lapbook at a Glance

Voila! Look at that beauty!

Whenever I open a lapbook, I get excited. It just looks like there’s so much to do! And since Knowledge Box Central makes it easy to know where to place each minibook, the finished product is always gorgeous.

African Savannah Lapbook Layout

Inside the first lapbook are minibooks about lots of African animals, including leopards, zebras, and wildebeests.

Animals of the African Savannah Lapbook Layout

Plus, kids can learn about the differences between herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores – all of which live on the savannah.

African Savannah Lapbook Layout Ideas

More animal minibooks are located in the second folder!

Animals of the African Savannah Lapbook Layout Ideas

My third grader wanted to learn more about the animals he wasn’t too familiar with, so we focused on jackals.

Exploring African Animals with Lapbooks

When he opened it, he just started to smile. He went through the lapbook, opening each minibook to see how it worked.

To start, we reviewed the differences between herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores.  Since he’s an avid Wild Kratts watcher, he already knew this and proceeded to teach me about it. 🙂 But the information is also located inside the lapbook lesson plan in case you need it.

Studying Carnivores with Lapbooks

As he explained the differences for each one, he filled in his lapbook. Here he’s working on the Carnivores minibook.

Studying Giraffes with a Lapbook

After we read about jackals, he wanted to talk about giraffes. We’ve seen them at the zoo, but he didn’t know that they have an 18-inch long tongue! When we read that from the lapbook lesson plan, he just had to write it down in the Giraffe minibook.

Studying Jackals with a Lapbook

“Can I color the jackal on the cover please, Mom?”

Sure. Why not? 🙂

Using Lapbooks to Study African Animals

We had a blast with this lapbook from Knowledge Box Central! And we still have a lot left to learn with it! You could easily make this a three-week unit.

Animals of the African Savannah Resources

Once you grab your lapbook from Knowledge Box Central, round out your study of the Animals of the African Savannah with these resources!

  • Wild Kratts Season 3 – This season has the episode “Cheetah Racer”, which is based on the African savannah.
  • African Animal Alphabet (National Geographic Little Kids) – A hardcover book for small children, featuring pictures of African animals for each letter of the alphabet.
  • Ravensburg African Animals 3000-Piece Puzzle – This fun puzzle is a way to get the whole family involved in the unit!
  • Here is the African Savanna (Web of Life) – A beautiful picture book that highlights how the various African savannah animal species are connected.

Knowledge Box Central

See other gorgeous lapbooks from Knowledge Box Central on display in these posts!

Learning to Bake with a Cooking Lapbook

Teaching Math with Math Mini Office Lapbooks

Making a Hurricane Lapbook

For more tips on how to create your own unit studies, including lapbooking, follow my Unit Studies board on Pinterest!

How to Study African Animals with a Lapbook


Dolphin Facts for Kids

Dolphin Facts for Kids

July 22, 2016 by Selena Robinson 6 Comments

Remember Flipper? That was the first time I found out that dolphins are super intelligent, which made me want to learn more about them. 🙂

My kids love dolphins too! We’ve gotten to see them up close a few times in the past and they really are smart and sociable. But there’s more to dolphins than that! So I put together a few resources for a dolphin unit study. Use the resources below to learn even more dolphin facts for kids!

Dolphin Facts for Kids

Dolphin Facts for Kids

Watch the YouTube video about dolphins and have your kids answer the following questions.

  1. Are dolphins fish? (Answer: No, dolphins are mammals.)
  2. How do dolphins breathe? (Answer: Through a blowhole on the top of their head)
  3. How many species of dolphin are there? (Answer: Over 40 worldwide)
  4. What do dolphins eat? (Answer: Fish and squid)
  5. What kind of personality do dolphins have? (Answer: They are friendly and extremely playful.)
  6. How long do dolphins live? (Answer: Some have lived for over a hundred years.)

Dolphin Crafts for Kids

Share these fun dolphin crafts and activities with your kids!

  1. Dolphin Coloring Pages – Itsy Bitsy Fun
  2. Diving Dolphin Craft – Activity Village
  3. Felt Dolphin Craft – Wildflower Ramblings
  4. Hand Print Dolphin – School Time Snippets

Dolphin Books for Kids

These dolphin books are fun for kids to read during your dolphin unit!

  1. Island of the Blue Dolphins
  2. Little Dolphin Finger Puppet Book
  3. Dolphin Talk: Whistles, Clicks, and Clapping Jaws
  4. Oceans: Dolphins, Sharks, Penguins, and More

Get to know other marine animals with my free Sea Monster Notebooking Pages!

Free Sea Monster Notebooking Pages

And don’t miss these beach books for kids!

The Best Beach Books for Kids

Plus, get more ideas for unit studies on my Homeschool Unit Studies board on Pinterest!

This post is part of the Dolphin Unit Study roundup! Read more fun dolphin posts below!

Ocean Animals Letter Find Worksheets from 3 Boys and a Dog

10 Awesome Children’s Books about Ocean Animals from Crafty Mama in ME

Dolphin Facts for Kids from Look! We’re Learning!

Ocean Creatures Sight Word Puzzles from Simple Fun for Kids

Jellyfish Discovery Bottle from Schooling a Monkey

Picture Books about Ocean Animals from The Jenny Evolution

Sea Turtle Unit from Bambini Travel

Free Ocean Coloring Pages from Something 2 Offer

Ocean Sticker Art – Erasable Wall Decal from Artsy Momma

Ocean Animals Shadow Matching Cards from Preschool Powol Packets

Meet the Real Ocean Animals in Finding Dory from FrogMom

The Best Ocean Animals Preschool Fun from Natural Beach Living


Learn about outer space with this fun solar system unit for early grades!

Simple Early Solar System Unit for Kids

July 8, 2016 by Selena Robinson 6 Comments

Learning about the Solar System for Kids
Free Printable Flashcards: Solar System - Look! We're Learning!

When I was a kid, I wanted to be an astronaut. Like pretty much every kid in the 80s.

We’re from Florida originally and I really, really, really wanted to go to space camp.

But, alas, it never happened. I did ride one of those anti-gravity swings at Church Street Station in Orlando, though. Not quite the same somehow.

Outer space is still a fun early learning theme for kids, so I thought I’d put together a few resources for learning the solar system.

There are videos, books, and activities below that make learning about the solar system even more fun!

Simple Solar System Craft for Kids

You can use some or all of these solar system unit resources to introduce your students to our neighbor planets.

If you like this unit, take a look at our Spanish and English Solar System Learning Cards too!

Learn about outer space with this fun solar system unit for early grades!

Learning the Solar System for Kids

Watch the following YouTube video and discuss the following questions with your class:

(Note: The last two minutes of this video includes a hypothesis that states the solar system will cease to exist in 500 million years, which might frighten some students. Giving you a heads-up in case you want to skip it. None of the questions below are about that part of the video.)

  1. How old do scientists think the solar system is? Answer: 4.5 billion years old
  2. How often does the solar system circle the galactic center? Answer: Once every 250 million years
  3. Name the four terrestrial planets in our solar system: Answer: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars
  4. Name the four gas giants in our solar system: Answer: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
  5. Why does Mercury experience large temperature fluctuations? Answer: Because a Mercury year is shorter than a Mercury day.
  6. How hot does temperature get on Venus? Answer: Up to 497 degrees Celsius
  7. Why is Earth able to sustain life? Answer: Because temperatures are moderate enough to retain a water supply.
  8. Name the largest mountain on Mars: Answer: Olympus Mons (It’s also the largest mountain on any planet in the solar system.)
  9. What two gases comprise most of Jupiter? Answer: Hydrogen and Helium
  10. How many moons does Saturn have? Answer: 62
  11. What makes Uranus unique? Answer: Its axis of rotation is tilted sideways.
  12. How long is a Neptune year? Answer: 164 Earth years
  13. How much of the solar system’s mass is made up by the sun? Answer: 99.86%
  14. Where is Pluto located? Answer: In the Kuiper Belt at the edge of the solar system

Solar System Outer Space Binoculars Craft

Make a simple solar system craft with this outer space binoculars activity!

Little learners can use them to “stargaze” on their own!

Supplies: (Affiliate links are listed below. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

  • Two empty toilet paper rolls
  • Colored tissue paper
  • Child-safe scissors
  • Glue stick
  • Elastic cord
  • Stretch rubber necklaces
  • Outer space-themed stickers
  • Glue circles
Making a Solar System Binoculars Craft

Wrap the tissue paper around each toilet paper roll. Use scissors to cut off the excess.

Paper Binoculars Solar System Craft

Stick glue circles onto the side of one of the toilet rolls. Press the other roll onto it to stick them together.

Let students decorate the tubes with the outer space stickers.

Easy Solar System Binoculars Craft

Cut the elastic cord and thread it inside both of the paper rolls.

Tie the ends of the cord around the rubber necklace to make a lanyard.

All done!

Solar System Flashcards for Kids

Teach your students about each member of the solar system, including the sun, moon, and stars, with these printable solar system flashcards!

Solar System Flashcards for Early Learners

These cards feature colorful illustrations and vocabulary words for early learners to memorize the planets in our solar system.

A full blackline version is included too.

How to Use Solar System Flashcards with Kids

Best of all – you can get these solar system printables for free!

Click the image or the link below to have these solar system flashcards sent directly to your inbox! You’ll also get our weekly newsletter – coming this Sunday!

Click here to get your printable resource

>>> Solar System Flashcards <<<

25 Books about the Solar System:

There are so many great picture books about the solar system for kids to read. Many of them have beautiful illustrations and, sometimes, even pictures from space.

Solar System Books for Kids to Read

I’ve put together a list of 25 selections that are excellent for early grades.

Take a look at the collection below!

25 Awesome Books about the Solar System

Solar System Crafts and Activities for Kids:

Try some of these hands-on ways to learn about the solar system for kids!

  • Solar System Edible Playdough – Look! We’re Learning!
  • 10 Fun Children’s Books about Space – Crafty Mama in ME
  • Children’s Astronaut Books – The Jenny Evolution
  • Solar System Coloring Pages – Look! We’re Learning!
  • Melted Bead Planet Mobile – Schooling a Monkey
  • Stargazing Apps for Kids – iGameMom
  • Coffee Filter Solar Eclipse Craft – Look! We’re Learning!
  • Space sensory salt tray activities – The Usual Mayhem
  • How to Spot Meteors When Camping – FrogMom

I hope you love using this simple solar system unit with your students! If you have any suggestions, feel free to let me know in the comments!

This simple turtles unit study is a fun way to teach kids about these shelled creatures!

Simple Turtles Unit Study for Kids

June 21, 2016 by Selena Robinson 3 Comments

Tiny Turtles Prewriting Pack

Today, we’re talking turtles!

Turtles are super cute animals, but they are also wonderfully designed. They come in several species, including box turtles, sea turtles, and loggerhead turtles.

There’s a lot more to learn about turtles and we’re sharing plenty of books, crafts, and learning ideas in this simple turtles unit study.

Simple Turtles Unit Study for Kids

If you’re looking for a simple way to turn turtles into a simple unit study for homeschool or for early grades, you’ll love the turtle activities and lessons below.

Plus, there’s a printable collective animal nouns matching activity you can score for free!

Read on to see the full list of turtle learning ideas.

And, for more ways to learn about animals, take a look at our printable Animal Diets and Habitats Sorting Activity!

This simple turtles unit study is a fun way to teach kids about these shelled creatures!

Turtles Unit Study for Kids

Sea Turtle Facts for Kids

Watch this video about sea turtles and ask your kids to answer the following questions.

  1. Where do sea turtles like to live? Answer: In warm, shallow water
  2. What is the only reason female turtles go onto land? Answer: To lay eggs
  3. How do sea turtles use their shells? Answer: As protection
  4. How much do leatherback sea turtles weigh when fully grown? Answer: As much as a small car!
  5. Why do we need to be careful where we throw garbage? Answer: Sea turtles can confuse plastic bags with food

Farm Fun Bundle TPT Quote Box Ad

Fun Kids’ Books about Turtles

Read these books about turtles with kids of all ages! (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

  1. Emma’s Turtle by Eve Bunting
  2. Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories by Dr. Seuss
  3. National Geographic Readers: Sea Turtles by Laura Marsh
  4. One Tiny Turtle: Read and Wonder by Nicola Davies
Turtle Books for Kids to Read

See even more books about turtles for kids to read at the link below!

>>> 10 Children’s Books about Turtles <<<

Fun Turtle Crafts for Kids to Make

These turtle crafts are so adorable and fun to make.

They make a wonderful addition to your turtles unit study, especially if you’re looking to add an arts and crafts project.

  1. Coffee Filter Turtle Craft – Look! We’re Learning!
  2. Paper Bowl Turtle Craft – I Heart Crafty Things
  3. Rock Turtle Craft – Easy Peasy and Fun
  4. Recycled Egg Carton Turtle Craft – Emma Owl
  5. Turtle Wine Cork Craft – Crafty Morning

Collective Animal Nouns Matching Activity

Turtles in a group are called a “bale”. Did you know that?

I sure didn’t.

And that got us curious about other names for groups of animals.

Animal Collective Nouns Sorting Activity

This printable collective animal noun matching activity is an easy way to learn about plural nouns and animals at the same time!

It would make a super addition to this turtles unit study too.

An answer key is also included for easy grading!

Collective Animal Nouns Activity

To get your copy, just click the link or the image below to have it sent directly to your inbox!

You’ll also get our weekly newsletter this Sunday.

Click here to get your free printable

>>> Animal Collective Noun Matching Activity <<<

Don’t miss these other fun ways to learn about animals!

Help early learners recognize animals with these printable zoo animal flashcards!
Use the print or digital version of this nocturnal and diurnal animals sorting activity to teach students about animal sleep habits!
Teach students about animals with this animal diets and habitats sorting activity! Such an easy way to learn about animal science with young learners!

This post is part of the A to Z Animals Blog Hop! Click the image below to see plenty of other animal learning posts!

A-Z of Animals Blog Series

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Unit Study

Homeschool Unit Studies: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Unit Study

May 14, 2016 by Selena Robinson 3 Comments

Springtime is an excellent season to talk about weather. Spring pretty much has it all: cold weather in the beginning, windy days, thunderstorms, light drizzles, rainbows, sunshine, and (down here in the South) high temperatures!

Since one of our family movie night features last year was Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, we made it into a weather unit featuring the story and weather activities! Check out our Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs unit study – one of our fun homeschool unit studies!

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Unit Study

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Unit Study

This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.

Of course, we started by reading the story Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Unit

As you probably know, the book features a tall tale told by a grandpa about a town called Chewandswallow – where food literally rained down from the sky. At first, everything was nice and predictable, but something awful happened and the town became deluged with food that drowned, crushed, and ruined everything. People had to escape on stale pieces of bread. It was pretty rough. 🙂

Since the book centers on the concept of weather, we decided to start our unit with some simple weather charting. I got this simple weather observation chart from the Notebooking Nook. (It’s free!)

Weather Observation for Kids

On the chart, you can note the forecast for each day of the upcoming week.

Tracking Weather with Kids

Then you do a comparison to see if the actual weather is close to the forecast.

Weather Charting with Kids

Ours ended up being pretty close. What I really like about this chart is that you can use actual temperature readings, weather words, or just let the kids draw pictures. It’s easy to adapt it for everyone’s level.

We also started talking about some common weather phenomena. These resources are super handy:

  • What is a tornado?
  • What is a hurricane?
  • What is a flash flood?
  • How do weather forecasters predict the weather?

After our discussion about weather, we watched the movie Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.

And that sparked a lively discussion about how books often differ from their movie versions. The movie was wayyyy different, but still good. Plus, it featured a wonderful message for young girls to be comfortable with themselves, even if they’re “nerdy”. I loved it.

Of course, you can always make spaghetti and meatballs with your kids. 🙂

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Unit Study for Kids

For more weather learning fun, check out these weather lessons for kids!

Printable Spanish Flashcards Weather @ Look! We're Learning!

Learn about extreme weather in this hurricane unit study for kids!

And to learn more about what makes up a town, grab our Spanish community word flashcards!

Printable Spanish Community Words Flashcards @ Look! We're Learning!

Don’t miss all of our other unit study resources on Pinterest!

Fun Weather Resources for Kids

Get more ideas for learning about weather from these great bloggers!

DIY Weather Binoculars – Adventures of Adam

Books about Weather for Kids – Craft Create Calm

Cloud Formations Tracking Log – Teach Beside Me

Free Weather Chart – Kiddy Charts

Traveling to Countries with Tropical Weather with a Toddler – Maria Magdalena Living Ideas

This post is part of the Movie and a Big Idea linkup from iHomeschool Network! Click over to read more movie-themed activities for kids!

Movie and a Big Idea linkup

Notebooking Pages LIFETIME Membership

Fun Frog Books for Preschoolers @ Look! We're Learning!

Fun Frog Books for Preschool

May 13, 2016 by Selena Robinson 13 Comments

Are you planning a frog homeschool unit study for your kids soon? Be sure to add in reading! And this roundup of fun frog books for preschool is awesome for helping little learners practice reading skills, learn about frogs, and have fun at the same time!

I’m also sharing lots of frog unit study resources from my fellow bloggers that are perfect for rounding out a frog unit! Read on to grab them!

Fun Frog Books for Preschoolers @ Look! We're Learning!

Fun Frog Books for Preschool

  1. Frog on a Log by Kes Gray
  2. The Icky Sticky Frog by Dawn Bentley
  3. Leap, Frog, Leap! by Douglas Florian
  4. Frog and Toad are Friends by Arnold Lobel
  5. Growing Frogs: Read and Wonder by Vivian French
  6. Hoppity Frog: A Slide and Seek Book by Emma Parrish
  7. Freddy the Frogcaster by Janice Dean
  8. Five Little Speckled Frogs by Nikki Smith
  9. Frog and Fly by Jeff Mack
  10. Jump, Frog, Jump! by Robert Kalan
  11. Frogs by Gail Gibbons
  12. Frogs and Toads and Tadpoles, Too! by Allan Fowler
  13. A Frog’s Life by Dona Rice
  14. A Frog in the Bog by Karma Wilson
  15. Frogs by Nic Bishop
  16. Frog or Toad: How Do You Know? By Melissa Stewart
  17. From Tadpole to Frog by Wendy Pfeffer
  18. Frog by Susan Cooper

Frog Books for Preschoolers @ Look! We're Learning!

Want more froggy fun? Check out the other frog-themed unit study resources from my fellow bloggers!

Frog Unit Study Resources

Find the Letter F is for Frogs from 3 Boys and a Dog

Frog Life Cycle Free Printables from Natural Beach Living

Frog Books for Preschool from Look! We’re Learning!

Frog Anatomy Worksheets from Living Life and Learning

Frog Hop Activity from CraftCreateCalm

Make a Fun Handprint and Footprint Tissue Paper Frog from Crafty Mama in ME

Free Resources for Frog Life Cycle from Something 2 Offer

5 Easy Frog Exercise Moves for Kids from FrogMom

Children’s Books Featuring Frogs from The Jenny Evolution

Frogs of the Rainforest from Tales of Education at Home

Frog Theme Color Words Book {free printable} from Books and Giggles

Recycled K Cup Frog Craft and Skip Counting Activity from Artsy Momma

Frog Life Cycle for Kids {Printable Set} from The Natural Homeschool

Lots of Learning and Fun with Frogs Sensory Bin from Living Montessori Now

Frog Race Graphing Game from Simple Fun for Kids

Poison Frog activity from Schooling a Monkey

Non-fiction Frog Emergent Readers from Royal Baloo

Interactive Frog Life Cycle App for Kids from iGameMom

Frog Writing Prompts from The Usual Mayhem

Get more unit study study ideas from my Unit Studies board on Pinterest!


Super Easy Farm Shoebox Diorama Craft

Farm Shoebox Diorama Craft

March 17, 2016 by Selena Robinson 7 Comments

A while back, we made a Beach Shoebox Diorama and the kids had so much with it that I thought we should make another one. So for this linkup with the Early Elementary Blogging Team, we decided to make a simple and fun Farm Shoebox Diorama Craft!

If you’re looking for a low-prep, easy craft that will keep your kids entertained, this is it! Roo, my most active child by a mile, actually sat in one spot and played quietly with the diorama after we finished. Talk about miracles!

Easy Farm Shoebox Diorama Craft for Kids - Look! We're Learning!

Read on to see how to make this craft with your kids!

If you love this activity, don’t miss our other farm learning ideas, including our list of Kids’ Books about Farms and our printable Farm Animal Flashcards!

Super Easy Farm Shoebox Diorama Craft

Farm Shoebox Diorama Craft

To make this craft, you’ll need the following:

  • An empty shoebox (a child’s size shoebox is perfect)
  • A copy of our free Farm Shoebox Diorama Printable Pack
  • Printer (with ink)
  • Printer paper
  • Play sand
  • Scissors
  • Glue
  • Markers

Our Farm Shoebox Diorama Printable Pack has a background and farm props such as a barn, a tractor, and some farm animals. But you can also have your child draw his or her own farm pictures if you want to add a bit more art to the project.
Farm Shoebox Diorama Printable Pack - Look! We're Learning!

After we cut out all of the pictures, Roo got to work on the background. We just used a blue marker for the sky, then he glued the farm scenery onto the bottom of the shoebox.

Making a Farm Shoebox Diorama

Then it was time to add the props! You simply fold each prop on the dashed line, then unfold it slightly to make them stand up!

Farm Shoebox Diorama Scenery

Roo placed everything where he thought it should go.

Assembled Farm Shoebox Diorama

Then we poured in about a cup of play sand. (Note: Resting the shoebox in the lid is a HUGE help when it comes to clean up.)

Making a Farm Shoebox Diorama Craft

And we’re done!

Finished Farm Shoebox Diorama

If you look at Roo’s face, it’s basically saying “Hurry up and take the picture so I can play with it, Mom!” 🙂 And that’s what he did. He sat there for over an hour playing with his farm set.

Finished Farm Shoebox Diorama Craft

And it only took 10 minutes to make!

Farm Shoebox Diorama Craft

Round out your farm theme with these other farm resources!

Printable Farm Animal Flashcards - Look! We're Learning!

Farm Do A Dot Mats - Look! We're Learning!

10 Kids Books about Farms

Get even more craft ideas from my Simple Crafts for Kids board on Pinterest!

Check out the other fun farm-themed posts by the Early Elementary Blogging Team!

Early Elementary Farm Theme

Farm Odd Numbers Skip Counting Puzzles at Life Over C’s
Montessori Farm Activities (Free Printables) at Natural Beach Living
Are You My Mother? 13 Baby Farm Animal Puzzles at 123 Homeschool 4 Me
Make a Farm Diorama (Printable Sets Included) at The Natural Homeschool
Farm Animals Worksheets for Kids at Mrs. Karle’s Sight and Sound Reading
Fun {FREE} Farm Writing Prompts! at Preschool Powol Packets
Animal Nutrition: Why Cows Eat Grass and We Can’t at Schooling a Monkey
Farm Books for Kids (Farm Study Unit) at The Jenny Evolution
Beginning Sounds on the Farm at Parenting Chaos
Farm Skip Counting Math Worksheets at Living Life and Learning
Kindergarten Math with Farm Fingerprint Art at Sugar Aunts


How to Make a Unit Study with Magazines for Kids

November 9, 2015 by Selena Robinson 1 Comment

We’ve been using unit studies in our homeschool since the very beginning. I love the idea of “settling in” to a specific topic and tying our school subjects into the topic, instead of the other way around.

Over the years, I’ve started creating our own homeschool unit studies. Often, I use a book or a video as the basis for the unit. But, recently, I’ve also found that I can create a unit using kids’ magazines! Here’s how to make a unit study with magazines for kids!

Disclosure: I received this product in exchange for this post and I was compensated for my time. All opinions are my own and I was not required to post a positive review.

How to Make a Unit Study with Magazines for Kids

Choosing a Good Set of Kids’ Magazines

First, you’ll have to find a great set of magazines for kids. Most recently, we used Fun for Kidz magazine as a starting point for some of our units.

How to Make a Unit Study with Kids' Magazines - Look! We're Learning!

If it’s been awhile since you’ve perused a children’s magazine, I can tell you that times have seriously changed since I read them as a kid. Many kids’ magazines nowadays have a LOT of advertisements, and they may be for products or entertainment that you’d rather not show to your children.

Fun for Kidz is different. There are NO advertisements at all. So I can hand the magazine to my children and let them read without having to tear out questionable content in advance.

How to Make a Unit Study with Kids' Magazines - Look! We're Learning!

Fun for Kidz is available in three versions:

Fun for Kidz – the original magazine, which features stories, comics, games, activities, and non-fiction articles

How to Make a Unit Study with Kids' Magazines - Look! We're Learning!

Boys’ Quest – geared toward boys aged 6 to 14 and featuring exploration and discovery

How to Make a Unit Study with Kids' Magazines - Look! We're Learning!

and Hopscotch for Girls – geared toward elementary and middle school-aged girls and featuring articles, stories, craft activities, and puzzles.

As you can see, there is something in Fun for Kidz for everyone. In fact, the content was so good that my kids ended up swapping magazines after they were done! So girls can read Boys’ Quest and boys can read Hopscotch for Girls without feeling weird. 🙂

How to Make a Unit Study with Kids’ Magazines

Okay. So you have your magazines. Now, how do you make them into a unit study? Simple. You find an article that features a broad topic and you build your unit around it.

How to Make a Unit Study with Kids' Magazines - Look! We're Learning!

For example, this edition of Fun for Kidz has an article on China. That’s a super broad topic for a unit study. You can use the information in the article to research additional topics and find matching activities, movies, and books. Since the article mentions Beijing, learning to write and speak Chinese, and Chinese currency, those are excellent areas to focus on in the unit.

Maybe you could read a few books about Beijing (reading), watch a video about what the city looks like and how it was built (geography/history), learn how to calculate the currency exchange rate (math), try to cook an authentic Chinese dish (cooking), and brush up on how to write and pronounce a few words in Chinese (foreign language). That sounds like a pretty good unit to me!

How to Make a Unit Study with Kids' Magazines - Look! We're Learning!

This was a short article about Pi. Why not use it as a starting point for a Pi Day unit?

How to Make a Unit Study with Kids' Magazines - Look! We're Learning!

Piglet loved this poem about exploring outer space. Naturally, this would be a good fit for an outer space unit.

How to Make a Unit Study with Kids' Magazines - Look! We're Learning!

Anne of Green Gables is on our homeschool reading list for fifth grade this year. Tigger started reading this article about Lucy Maud Montgomery, which I think will end up being part of our Anne of Green Gables unit.

How to Make a Unit Study with Kids' Magazines - Look! We're Learning!

We’re talking about forest animals right now in our homeschool, so this article on raccoons would be a great intro to a raccoon unit!

How to Make a Unit Study with Kids' Magazines - Look! We're Learning!

Of course, when the kids are reading the magazine, sound effects are encouraged. 🙂

How to Make a Unit Study with Kids' Magazines - Look! We're Learning!

When Pooh saw the articles on firefighters, though, he was hooked. He’s wanted to be a firefighter for the last several months. So – that was our most recent unit study: a Firefighter Unit Study. And we used the Fun for Kidz articles as our inspiration!

How to Make a Unit Study with Kids' Magazines - Look! We're Learning!

After we read the articles, we watched a video about firefighters and then we were off on our latest learning journey! Get a look at our Firefighters Unit Study to see what we learned!

Firefighter Unit Study - Look! We're Learning!

We loved exploring Fun for Kidz, Hopscotch for Girls, and Boys’ Quest! And with so many great educational articles, we can use these kids’ magazines as the basis for several unit studies in the future!

If you’d like to try Fun for Kidz for yourself, you can get an awesome deal on your subscription through December 15, 2015! Order two subscriptions and get 50 percent off your order, including back issues, with the promo code HOMESCHOOL.

Terms:

  • This deal is only valid through December 15, 2015.
  • Postage for shipping magazines outside the U.S. is not included in the offer.

To learn more about Fun for Kidz, visit the company’s Facebook page and “Like” it to receive updates!

Firefighter Unit Study - Look! We're Learning!

Homeschool Unit Studies: Firefighter Unit Study

November 5, 2015 by Selena Robinson 2 Comments

Pooh has been saying that he wants to be a firefighter for the last few months. We went to a community helper event at our local library over the summer and he got the chance to shoot a fire hose (with help). He’s been on a firefighter kick ever since.

So, it was a good time to really learn about what firefighters do. I got the idea by reading an excellent kids’ magazine with Pooh, which I’ll be sharing next week. After we read an article about firefighters, we used what we learned to springboard into a firefighter unit study! Check out some of these resources below!

Firefighter Unit Study - Look! We're Learning!

Firefighter Unit Study

What Do Firefighters Do?

Learning about firefighters involves getting a look at what they do all day. Watch the video below with your kids and then ask them to answer the questions that follow.

1. Name at least two things firefighters do at the start of each day. ( Possible answers: Check the outriggers to make sure the ladder comes up, start the equipment to make sure it runs properly, check the lights and sirens, clean the kitchens and bathrooms, mop floors.)

2. How high does the fire truck ladder extend? (Answer: 115 feet)

3. How heavy is the rescue dummy used in the fire training exercise? (Answer: 125 pounds)

4. What is the difference between a pumper truck and a ladder truck? (Answer: A pumper truck is used for EMS calls, fire attacks, and car accidents. A ladder truck is used for roof operations.)

5. How long does a firefighter’s air supply last? (Answer: About 30 minutes, depending on how fast he or she breathes)

6. Why do firefighters need to connect to fire hydrants? (Answer: Fire trucks carry 500 gallons of water, which only lasts 2 1/2 minutes. The firefighters need to connect to fire hydrants to get more water.)

7. What color helmet does a battalion chief wear? (Answer: White.)

8. Name at least two pieces of personal protective equipment that firefighters use. (Possible answers: Steel-toed boots, suspenders, Nomex hood, helmet, mask, oxygen pack, heat-safe gloves, heat-safe jacket.)

Firefighter Activities and Crafts for Kids:

Make learning about firefighters into a hands-on activity with these fun firefighter crafts!

1. Fire Ladder Learning Activities – JDaniel4’s Mom: Little ones can learn how fire ladders work with this adorable list of math, reading, and pretend play activities!

2. Fire Safety Smart! Printable Pack – Look! We’re Learning!: Help your kids learn about fire safety and how to plan an escape route for your home with this hands-on printable pack!

3. What Puts Out a Fire? Experiment – I Can Teach My Child: This is a super simple science experiment that demonstrates how firefighters put fires out!

4. Spanish Fire Safety Resources – Discovering the World Through My Son’s Eyes: Great resources here for learning about fire safety and Spanish at the same time!

Kids’ Books about Firefighters:

If you want to learn more about what firefighters do, check out these great kids’ books about firefighters! (P.S.: We’ll be sharing even more great firefighter books in an upcoming post!)

1. A Day in the Life of a Firefighter by Heather Adamson

2. Even Firefighters Hug Their Moms by Christine Kole MacLean

3. Fly Guy Presents: Firefighters by Tedd Arnold

4. Curious George and the Firefighters by H.A. Rey

These fun farm activities for kids are perfect for a farm unit this fall! There are farm crafts, farm printables, and even farm videos to help kids learn about where food comes from here!

Homeschool Unit Studies: Farm Unit Study

October 27, 2015 by Selena Robinson 2 Comments

Share these fun farm activities for kids with your children this fall! There are plenty here to choose from for a fun fall unit!

Learning about farms is one of the most common preschool themes for young children. Which is why I wanted to share a simple farm unit study that you can share with your early learners too!

Farms are great learning themes for spring or fall, since fall is for harvesting and spring is when most baby farm animals are born. The farm activities for kids, farms for kids videos, and farm printables below are awesome for helping kids learn about this important part of our society.

Fun Farm Crafts and Farm Activities for Kids

If you love this farm unit study, don’t miss our animal homes unit study or our hibernation unit study! Both of these are also great for putting together your autumn learning plans!

These fun farm activities for kids are perfect for a farm unit this fall! There are farm crafts, farm printables, and even farm videos to help kids learn about where food comes from here!

Homeschool Unit Studies: Farm Unit Study

Printable Farm Notebooking Pages

Get your farm unit study started with these printable farm notebooking pages! These are good for writing down facts the kids learn from the videos below!

Printable Farm Notebooking Pages

You can pick these farm notebooking pages up for free when you sign up for our Subscriber Library!

Farm Notebooking Pages for Kids

Farms for Kids Videos

Watch the following video about farms and then let the kids try to answer the questions below.

1. Where does food come from? (Answer: Most of it is grown on farms.)

2. Do fruits and vegetables just grow by themselves? (Answer: No. Farmers plant them and help them grow.)

3. How does food to get to markets? (Answer: After fruits and vegetables grow, they are taken to markets where people can buy them.)

4. What kinds of foods are grown on farms? (Answer: Tomatoes, pole beans, sunflower seeds, mustard greens, broccoli, carrots, corn, and peppers)

Watch the following video to learn about common farm animals.

After watching, see if your kids can name some animals that usually live on farms.

Fall Playdough Mats

Farm Crafts and Activities for Kids

Try some of these fun farm activities for kids and affiliate farm products to help kids learn!

1. Printable Farm Animal Flashcards – Look! We’re Learning!

2. Farm Animal Ten Frame Cards – Preschool Inspirations

3. Coffee Filter Pig Craft – Look! We’re Learning!

4. Kidcraft Farm Train Set

5. Farm Sensory Play Activity – Frugal Fun 4 Boys

6. Farm Shoebox Diorama Craft – Look! We’re Learning!

7. Farm Themed Number Sense Activity Pages – Homeschool Preschool

8. Melissa & Doug Fold and Go Wooden Barn with 7 Animal Play Figures

9. Farm Paper Bag Puppets – Look! We’re Learning!

10. Farm Animal Sticker Craft – I Heart Crafty Things

11. Farm Animal Windsocks – Buggy and Buddy

12. ALEX Toys Little Hands String A Farm

13. Farm Counting Worksheets – Look! We’re Learning!

14. Peek-A-Boo Farm Animal Activity – A Little Pinch of Perfect

15. Melissa & Doug Puffy Sticker Play Set – On the Farm

Farm Unit Study - Look! We're Learning!

Want to see more ways to make learning about farms fun during your farm unit study?

Get to know the animals on the farm with these printable farm animal flashcards!

These fun farm books for kids are perfect for reading about farms, learning about farm animals, or doing a farm unit study!

Build fine motor skills and shape awareness with these fun printable farm shape playdough mats!

Discover more fall learning ideas on my Fall Activities for Kids Pinterest board!

Study hurricanes with this awesome hands-on hurricane lapbook for kids!

Hurricane Lapbook Review

July 22, 2015 by Selena Robinson 1 Comment

Making a Hurricane Lapbook

Having lived in the southern U.S. for all of my life, summer is just not summer until you talk about hurricanes. 🙂

When I was a child, I lived closer to the coast and we evacuated a couple of times during the 80s and 90s. Hurricanes Hugo, Andrew, and Floyd are the ones I remember the most. As a kid, those experiences are exciting. As an adult? Not so much.

Now that we live farther inland, we don’t worry about hurricanes to the extent people on the coast do, but they’re still fascinating weather patterns to study. So I was excited when I got the chance to try a hurricane lapbook from Knowledge Box Central!

Using a Hurricanes Lapbook from Knowledge Box Central for Homeschool

Take a look at how you can use this lapbook in your homeschool! And, for more hurricane learning, don’t miss our Hurricane Unit Study!

Disclosure: I received a copy of this resource in exchange for this post. All opinions are my own and I was not required to post a positive review.

Study hurricanes with this awesome hands-on hurricane lapbook for kids!

Hurricane Lapbook Review

After getting the hang of the Math Mini Office Lapbook, this one wasn’t much more work. It’s more involved, but I thought it was pretty fun to assemble. Maybe I’m just a nerd. 🙂

Hurricane Lapbook

I added a hurricane graphic that I got from Wikimedia Commons to the front. Otherwise, I’ll probably forget what it is…lol.

Hurricane Lapbook

Look at that beauty!

When you get a lapbook from Knowledge Box Central, the assembly instructions show you a completed picture of the inside so you can see where everything goes.

Plus, the instructions explain how to put each book together and even suggest when to use colored paper. A huge help for people who tend to get overwhelmed easily (like yours truly).

Hurricane Lapbook

Here’s the inside of the first folder. There are three in all.

Hurricane Lapbook

And the inside of the second folder…

Hurricane Lapbook

And the third!

Hurricane Lapbook

Two of the books in the last folder fold down – including the Pet Plan…

Hurricane Lapbook

…and the Hurricane History book.

Hurricane Lapbook

I usually start a lapbook activity by just giving the kids a chance to explore all of the minibooks. These are all blank inside, so if they want to use them, they’ve got to learn something to write inside!

Knowledge Box Central
Hurricane Lapbook

What makes this lapbook even better is that the PDF includes most of the information you’ll need to teach about hurricanes. So it’s not just a hurricane lapbook – it’s really a mini hurricane unit study.

I just sent the file to my Kindle Fire and let Tigger read from certain sections. Then we’d discuss them together.

Hurricane Lapbook

After learning about some of the most destructive hurricanes in U.S. history, Tigger started filling in the “Hurricane History” minibook at the back of the lapbook. She made notes of the year, the name of the storm, the location it affected, and the level of damage. Some of those storms that struck before the invention of modern radar were truly terrible.

Hurricane Lapbook

Then we flipped back to the beginning of the book and started discussing how meteorologists determine when a storm qualifies to be called a hurricane. We learned about the wind speed requirements for tropical depressions, tropical storms, and hurricanes. Tigger used the information to fill in a minibook.

Hurricane Lapbook

And, of course, she wanted to learn about tornadoes. What child doesn’t? 🙂

The “Tornadoes” minibook is a flip book that has space for kids to record what they learn about each aspect of these destructive storms. One of the supposed “positive” aspects about hurricanes when I was young was that you generally had plenty of time to evacuate. But tornadoes are, of course, another story. Just another reason to take those hurricane watches seriously.

Hurricane Lapbook

The Fujita scale has been revised and it is now called the EF scale. We looked up the wind speed classifications online and Tigger filled in her Tornadoes minibook with what we learned. She couldn’t believe that tornadoes could ever have winds of 200 mph or higher. I think we may do a unit study about tornadoes this year as well. 😉

We loved the Hurricane Lapbook from Knowledge Box Central! We’ll be using it throughout the school year and we’re excited about all the things we’ll be learning!

To get a look at the Hurricane Lapbook and all of the other lapbooks available, visit Knowledge Box Central today!

Want to learn more about weather with kids? Try these other learning ideas!

Learn about extreme summer weather with these amazing hurricane books for kids!

Weather ASL Fingerspelling Practice

Learn about extreme weather in this hurricane unit study for kids!

And see more ideas for homeschool units on my Unit Studies Pinterest board!

Knowledge Box Central

Free Butterfly Unit Study

May 26, 2015 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

Do you have butterflies fluttering around your neighborhood? This is a great time of year to study them with your kids!

Recently, I got to share a free butterfly unit study over at Year Round Homeschooling that’s got videos, books, printables, and butterfly crafts for all ages!

Today is also Tuesday, which means it’s time for another Laugh and Learn linkup! Read on to see our favorites from last week’s party and get some new parenting and homeschooling inspiration!

Butterfly Unit Study

Free Butterfly Unit Study

I’m not a fan of caterpillars, but I love butterflies. They’re so fragile and graceful and pretty. One of the things I didn’t know, though, was that butterflies cannot fly immediately after emerging from their cocoons.

It takes about 30 minutes for their wings to fully extend upon release. Their bodies pump fluid into the wing membranes to make them stand up. Then, they’re ready to fly! Cool, right?

Learn even more fascinating details about butterflies along with your kids with the free butterfly unit study over at Year Round Homeschooling!

Free Butterfly Unit Study – Year Round Homeschooling

Linky time! 🙂

homeschool-and-parenting-linkup

Welcome to our 34th week of Laugh and Learn – Homeschool and Parenting Linkup!

Laugh and Learn – Homeschool and Parenting Linkup will be open by 6 am every Tuesday morning. We will pick our five favorite posts and feature them on the following weeks linkup. Be sure to link your best content and maybe we will pick you! When you link your post with us it will be featured on five blogs.

We pin our favorites to a special Pinterest board for #laughlearnlinkup – homeschool and parenting posts. Check the board out here: #LaughLearnLinkup {Featured Favorites}. It’s added exposure for your awesome content!

Your Fabulous Hosts 😉

Tina

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Tina lives abroad in Latin America with her husband and four children. Currently in Mexico, Tina is active in homeschool, travel, and her Bible ministry. She blogs about all of their adventures and more at Los Gringos Locos.

Find Tina at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
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Tsu

Selena
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Selena is a writer and a homeschooling mom to four kids, including three with ADHD/SPD. Selena and her husband, Jay, are committed to teaching their children at home and loving every minute of it! You can read about the family’s homeschooling experiences at Look! We’re Learning, written by Selena!

Find Selena at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
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Sarah

FamilyNYcolor

Dedicated Homeschooler

 

 

 

 

 

Sarah lives in Kentucky, USA, where she and her husband homeschool three children. Sarah writes for and about, families with special needs. She hopes to provide support and encouragement to all special needs parents in the homeschool community. Visit Sarah at Dedicated Homeschooler.

Find Sarah at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Instagram

Haley

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Haley hopes to encourage stay at home moms. She wants to help moms learn how to make an extra income, to stretch a budget, to make crafts, and other useful information. Haley always has updates on the kids and funny things that happen. Visit Haley at Haley’s Vintage Finds & Deals.

Find Haley at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Pinterest
Instagram
Facebook
Twitter

Lindsey

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Lindsey is a joyful mother, happy homeschooler, scatterbrained housewife, and passionate blogger. She writes about the joys and challenges of home educating, conscientious parenting, and “loving the simple life”. Get inspired with Lindsey at Simply LindseyLoo.

Find Lindsey at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook

Twitter
Google+
Instagram
Pinterest

 

Our Favorite Posts for the Week of May 25th:

dads-with-daughters

Written by Emily at Mom on the Move

homeschool-curriculum

Written by Tina at Tina’s Dynamic Homeschool Plus

pencil-grasp

Written by Heather on Learning 2 Walk

motivate-kids-in-school

Written by Yanique at Kiddie Matters

balancing-homeschool-and-life

Written by Tara at Embark on the Journey

Thanks to everyone who submitted a post. Please check out the posts above by clicking on the image.

[bctt tweet=”Come join the #laughlearnlinkup and share your favorite #parenting or #homeschooling post!”]

Now, let’s see your best posts for this week so we can share them as next week’s favorites!

An InLinkz Link-up


Spring Flowers Unit Study

April 14, 2015 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

Looking for a fun way to teach kids about spring flowers? Today, we’re sharing a free spring flowers unit study that’s got videos, books, and activities perfect for spring!

Today is also another edition of the Laugh and Learn linky, so be sure to check out our features from last week and read all the new parenting and homeschooling posts below!

Spring Flowers Unit Study

Free Spring Flowers Unit Study

This month, I got to share a free spring flowers unit study over at Year Round Homeschooling. Naturally, this is the perfect time of year to study flowers (and bees), so I hope you all love the unit! It’s got YouTube videos about the parts of a flower, as well as a great booklist, and a few crafts and printables that you can use to teach kids about flowers and how they grow.

Visit Year Round Homeschooling to use this unit study with your kids!

Spring Flowers Unit Study – Year Round Homeschooling

Linky time! 🙂

LL Badge

Welcome to our 28th week of Laugh and Learn – Homeschool and Parenting Linkup.

Laugh and Learn – Homeschool and Parenting Linkup will be open by 6 am every Tuesday morning. We will pick our three favorite posts and feature them on the following weeks linkup. Be sure to link your best content and maybe we will pick you! When you link your post with us it will be featured on three blogs.

We pin our favorites to a special Pinterest board for #laughlearnlinkup – homeschool and parenting posts. Check the board out here: #LaughLearnLinkup {Featured Favorites}. It’s added exposure for your awesome content!

Your Fabulous Hosts 😉

Tina

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Tina lives abroad in Latin America with her husband and four children. Currently in Mexico, Tina is active in homeschool, travel, and her Bible ministry. She blogs about all of their adventures and more at Los Gringos Locos.

Find Tina at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Google +
Linkedin
Tsu

Selena
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Selena is a writer and a homeschooling mom to four kids, including three with ADHD/SPD. Selena and her husband, Jay, are committed to teaching their children at home and loving every minute of it! You can read about the family’s homeschooling experiences at Look! We’re Learning, written by Selena!

Find Selena at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Pinterest
Twitter
Google +
Instagram

Sarah

SarahDedicated Blogger
Sarah
lives in Kentucky, USA, where she and her husband homeschool three children. Sarah writes for and about, families with special needs. She hopes to provide support and encouragement to all special needs parents in the homeschool community. Visit Sarah at Dedicated Homeschooler.

Find Sarah at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Instagram

Our Favorite Posts for the Week of April 13th:

insomnia-with-kids

Written by Jen at The Mad House

history-for-kids

Written by Tonia at The Sunny Patch

lesson-planning

Written by Samantha at Stir The Wonder

Thanks to everyone who submitted a post. Please check out the posts above by clicking on the image.

[bctt tweet=”Come join the #laughlearnlinkup and share your favorite #parenting or #homeschooling post!”]

Now, let’s see your best posts for this week so we can share them as next week’s favorites!

An InLinkz Link-up


Bee Unit Study Ideas

March 17, 2015 by Selena Robinson 2 Comments

The sun is shining outside and I’ve started sniffling, which means that pollen is in the air. And as we all know, pollen means BEES!

I’m not exactly afraid of bees, but I have what I like to refer to as “respect borne of fright”. I do NOT want to get stung, so I leave them alone. 🙂 Outside of a few basic facts, though, I really didn’t know much about bees, so I thought it would be good to compile some bee unit study ideas!

Today also marks another edition of the Laugh and Learn Linky! Be sure to check our features from last week and read even more parenting and homeschooling posts!

Bees Unit Study

Bee Unit Study Ideas

Prior to this unit, the only things I knew about bees were that they made honey and that the females were in charge. 😉 But it turns out that the hive is almost exclusively female. The worker bees are females too!

Bees (aside from being terrifying on occasion) are actually pretty fascinating. So check out these free bee unit study ideas at Year Round Homeschooling, including videos, books, and crafts, to make your bee lesson super fun!

Bees Unit Study – Year Round Homeschooling

Linky time! 🙂

LL Badge
Welcome to our 24th week of Laugh and Learn – Homeschool and Parenting Linkup.
Laugh and Learn – Homeschool and Parenting Linkup will be open by 6 am every Tuesday morning. We will pick our three favorite posts and feature them on the following weeks linkup. Be sure to link your best content and maybe we will pick you! When you link your post with us it will be featured on three blogs.
We pin our favorites to a special Pinterest board for #laughlearnlinkup – homeschool and parenting posts. Check the board out here: #LaughLearnLinkup {Featured Favorites}. It’s added exposure for your awesome content!

Your Fabulous Hosts 😉

Tina
Me and SawyerBadge
Tina lives abroad in Latin America with her husband and four children. Currently in Mexico, Tina is active in homeschool, travel, and her Bible ministry. She blogs about all of their adventures and more at Los Gringos Locos.
Find Tina at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Google +
Linkedin
Tsu

Selena
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Selena is a writer and a homeschooling mom to four kids, including three with ADHD/SPD. Selena and her husband, Jay, are committed to teaching their children at home and loving every minute of it! You can read about the family’s homeschooling experiences at Look! We’re Learning, written by Selena!
Find Selena at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Pinterest
Twitter
Google +
Instagram
Sarah
SarahDedicated Blogger
Sarah
lives in Kentucky, USA, where she and her husband homeschool three children. Sarah writes for and about, families with special needs. She hopes to provide support and encouragement to all special needs parents in the homeschool community. Visit Sarah at Dedicated Homeschooler.
Find Sarah at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Instagram

Our Favorite Posts for the Week of March 16th:

Written by Tina at Kidz Activities

Written by Elizabeth at The End in Mind

Written by Tonia at The Sunny Patch

Thanks to everyone who submitted a post. Please check out the posts above by clicking on the image.
[bctt tweet=”Come join the #laughlearnlinkup and share your favorite #parenting or #homeschooling post!”]

Now, let’s see your best posts for this week so we can share them as next week’s favorites!

An InLinkz Link-up


These Grand Canyon books for kids provide a beautiful look at this natural wonder!

Homeschool Unit Studies: Grand Canyon Unit Study

February 17, 2015 by Selena Robinson 1 Comment

Recently, the kids and I got to go to the Grand Canyon! Well, it was on YouTube, but still… 🙂

Actually, I’d love to take them one day, but for now we’ll have to “see” it by learning about it! Since I’ve never visited this natural wonder myself, I was amazed to learn more about it: how large it is, how it was formed, and what kinds of animals live there.

We collected some of the best resources we’ve found into this Grand Canyon unit study! I hope you and your kids love it as much as we did!

If you enjoy this, check out some of our other homeschool unit studies!

Grand Canyon Unit Study for Homeschoolers

Grand Canyon Unit Study

The kids first started getting interested in the Grand Canyon as we read the book “Geronimo Stilton: The Race Across America“. The book talked a bit about the canyon, but the picture didn’t really do the canyon justice. So I had to look up some great resources to share with them. Here are some of the learning ideas we’ve found:

These Grand Canyon books for kids provide a beautiful look at this natural wonder!

Books about the Grand Canyon:

Read about the Grand Canyon with these lovely children’s books!

  1. Where is the Grand Canyon? by Jim O’Connor
  2. Grand Canyon National Park by David Petersen
  3. Whose Tail on the Trail at the Grand Canyon? by Midji Stephenson
  4. The Grand Canyon (Wonders of America) by Marion Dane Bauer
  5. Good Night, Grand Canyon by Adam Gamble
  6. In the Canyon by Liz Garton Scanlon
  7. Zachary Z. Packrat Backpacks the Grand Canyon by Brooke Bessesen
  8. G is for Grand Canyon: An Arizona Alphabet by Barbara Gowan
  9. Brighty of the Grand Canyon by Marguerite Henry
  10. Puzzler’s Guide to the Grand Canyon by Kristy McGowan
  11. Grand Canyon: A Trail Through Time by Linda Vieira
  12. Grand Canyon National Park (Road Trip) by Santana Hunt
  13. Grand Canyon National Park: Tail of the Scorpion by Mike Graf
  14. The Grand Adventure: A True Story of Survival and Determination by Mark A. Hicks
  15. Amazing Pictures and Facts About the Grand Canyon by Mina Kelly

Grand Canyon Crafts and Printables:

Try these printables and activities to turn this Grand Canyon unit study into a hands-on lesson!

  1. Grand Canyon Coloring Page – Education.com
  2. USA National Parks Notebooking Pages (incl. Grand Canyon) – Notebooking Pages
  3. Over the Canyon Craft – Crayola
  4. Grand Canyon Painting Lesson – Deep Space Sparkle
  5. Grand Canyon Rocks Lesson – National Park Service

Did you love these resources? We’ve put more together at Year Round Homeschooling, which is perfect if you’re planning a Grand Canyon unit soon!

Stop over at Year Round Homeschooling to read our Grand Canyon Unit Study!

Grand Canyon Unit Study

Grand Canyon Unit Study – Year Round Homeschooling

Don’t miss these other geography learning ideas!

Hands On Geography Activities

10 Amazing Geography Books for Home School

5 Ways to Make Geography Fun

Get more tips for teaching geography on my Geography for Homeschoolers Pinterest board!

Introduce children to the Big Apple with these beautiful New York City books for kids!

Homeschool Unit Studies: New York City Unit Study

January 27, 2015 by Selena Robinson 1 Comment

Based on the news, the Northeast is currently getting slammed by a massive blizzard. (Stay safe and warm if you’re up there!) If you’re studying the Northeast or the city of New York, you might like this New York City Unit Study!

Winter weather or not, New York City is a fascinating place. And most kids love the idea of the Big City, so you can use this homeschool unit study to introduce your kids to the Big Apple!

If you enjoy this unit, check out some of our other studies, including our Firefighters Unit Study and our Grand Canyon Unit Study!

New York City Unit Study for Homeschoolers - Look! We're Learning!

New York City Unit Study

Since there are so many famous landmarks and geographical features in NYC, it can be tough to narrow them all down for a unit study!

We took a trip up there earlier this year and while we drove through the city, my conversation was basically “Oh, there’s the Brooklyn Bridge! Wait, there’s the Empire State Building! Kids, look! It’s the Hudson River!” Not the best way to learn about the city.

So I’m excited to share these activities and books that can help kids get a better understanding of what makes the city so special!

New York City Video Tour

Watch the following video about New York City and ask your kids to answer the questions below.

1. How many pizzerias are in New York City?

Answer: 9000

2. Name one special feature of the Empire State Building.

Answer: The top 30 floors change colors to represent seasons and events of the year.

3. How does the Whispering Gallery at Grand Central Station work?

Answer: A person can stand in one corner and hear what a person standing diagonally whispers into the wall.

4. When was the Atlantic Avenue subway tunnel built?

Answer: 1844

5. How many trees are in Central Park?

Answer: 25,000

6. How many sculptures are in Central Park?

Answer: 29

7. How many floors does a building need to be considered as a skyscraper?

Answer: 40 or more

Activities about New York City:

These kids’ activities about New York City can help kids learn more!

1. 3rd Grade: New York City History Worksheet – MacMillan Young Learners

2. 3rd Grade: NYC History Quiz – Education.com

3. Elementary: New York City Boroughs Activity – PBS

4. Elementary: Statue of Liberty Coloring Page – Super Coloring

5. K-12: Printable Map of Five Boroughs – Britannica Kids

Introduce children to the Big Apple with these beautiful New York City books for kids!

Books about New York City:

These children’s books about New York City feature gorgeous illustrations and stories that will get kids excited about taking a trip to the Big Apple for themselves!

1. Pop-Up New York by Lonely Planet Kids

2. A Walk in New York by Salvatore Rubbino

3. Good Night, New York (Good Night, Our World) by Adam Gamble

4. This is New York by Miroslav Sasek

5. New York, New York: The Big Apple from A to Z by Laura Krauss Melmed

6. New York: A Book of Colors (Hello, World) by Ashley Evanson

7. New York City by Paula Hannigan

8. Larry Gets Lost in New York City by John Skewes

9. City Trails: New York by Lonely Planet Kids

10. ABC NYC: A Book About Seeing New York by Joanne Dugan

11. All Aboard! New York: A City Primer by Haily Meyers

12. New York City History for Kids: From New Amsterdam to the Big Apple with 21 Activities by Richard Panchyk

13. The Mystery in New York City (Real Kids, Real Places) by Carole Marsh

14. New York, Baby! by Ward Jenkins

15. New York for Kids: 25 Big Apple Sites to Color (Dover Coloring Books) by Patricia J. Wynne

New York City Unit Study

If you want to see even more teaching ideas for your New York City unit, I shared a simple New York City Unit Study that features videos, books, and articles about NYC. Click on over to Year Round Homeschooling to get the details and use the unit with your kids!

New York City Unit Study – Year Round Homeschooling

Did you love this post? Check out these other ways to teach geography to your homeschoolers!

These Grand Canyon books for kids provide a beautiful look at this natural wonder!

Hands On Geography Activities

10 Amazing Geography Books for Home School

Plus, get more ideas on my Geography for Homeschoolers Pinterest board!

Homeschool Unit Studies: Snowflake Unit

December 9, 2014 by Selena Robinson 2 Comments

Have you guys gotten any snow yet? We don’t usually see snow here in Georgia during winter, except a few tiny flurries around February or so. But even if you don’t live in a cold climate, you can teach your kids about snowflakes with this free snowflake unit I wrote for Year Round Homeschooling!

And, by the way, it’s time for another edition of the Laugh and Learn linkup! Be sure to read our favorites from last week below!

Snowflake Unit - Look! We're Learning!

This snowflake unit features YouTube videos that explain how snowflakes form, as well as questions you can use to review the concepts with your kids afterward. There is a booklist with great kids’ books about snowflakes, and even a couple of snowflake crafts that will let you make your own winter “snow”!

Stop over at Year Round Homeschooling to get a few ideas for your snowflake unit study!

Snowflake Unit – Year Round Homeschooling

And now…on to the linky!

LL Badge

Welcome to our eleventh week of Laugh and Learn – Homeschool and Parenting Linkup. Join us in the fun and help us spread the word! Laugh and Learn – Homeschool and Parenting Linkup will be open by 6 am every Tuesday morning.

We will pick our four favorite posts and feature them on the following weeks linkup. Be sure to link your best content and maybe we will pick you! When you link your post with us it will be featured on three blogs.

We pin our favorites to a special Pinterest board for #laughlearnlinkup homeschool and parenting posts. Check the board out here: #LaughLearnLinkup {Featured Favorites}. It’s added exposure for your awesome content!

Your Fabulous Hosts 😉

Tina Ernspiker
Me and Sawyer Badge 01
Tina lives abroad in Latin America with her husband and four children. Currently in Mexico, Tina is active in homeschool, travel, and her Bible ministry. She blogs about all of their adventures and more at Los Gringos Locos.

Find Tina at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Google +
Linkedin
Tsu

Selena
Selena - head shot selena badge
Selena is a writer and a homeschooling mom to four kids, including three with ADHD/SPD. Selena and her husband, Jay, are committed to teaching their children at home and loving every minute of it! You can read about the family’s homeschooling experiences at Look! We’re Learning, written by Selena!

Find Selena at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Pinterest
Twitter
Google +
Instagram

Sarah Thornton

Sarah Dedicated Blogger
Sarah
lives in Kentucky, USA, where she and her husband homeschool three children. Sarah writes for and about, families with special needs. She hopes to provide support and encouragement to all special needs parents in the homeschool community. Visit Sarah at Dedicated Homeschooler.

Find Sarah at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Instagram

Our Favorite Posts for the Week of December 8th:

Written by Melanie at Tree Valley Academy

Written by Jennifer at Royal Little Lambs

Written by Gude at Hodge Podge Craft

 

Thanks to everyone who submitted a post. Please check out the posts above by clicking on the image, if you have a minute for some good reading. Thank you Melanie, Jennifer, and Gude for your great homeschool and parenting posts!

Now, let’s see your best posts for this week so we can share them as next week’s favorites!

An InLinkz Link-up


STEM for Homeschoolers: Decomposition Lesson Ideas for Kids

September 23, 2014 by Selena Robinson 3 Comments

As I mentioned earlier this year, we’ve made a bit of a homeschooling U-turn in our family and started focusing more on STEM subjects and foreign language.

So – we’ll be sharing more science lessons and experiments on the blog, along with resources we find online that we love for learning STEM concepts. Today we’re sharing a recent activity using decomposition lesson ideas for kids!

This decomposition unit study gets into the dirty truth about living things!

Decomposition Lesson Ideas for Kids

This was NOT one of our planned lessons. A banana in our fruit bowl began to rot and the kids were fascinated by it. So I decided to let it rot so we could examine decomposition up close.

Decomposition Lesson Ideas - Look! We're Learning!

The amazing thing about kids is that they are fascinated by gross stuff. They wanted to see the rotting banana up close. So we got out a plastic fork and poked around.

Decomposition Lesson Ideas - Look! We're Learning!

That gave us a really close look at the bacteria growing inside the fruit.

Decomposition Lesson Ideas - Look! We're Learning!

Yuck.

Decomposition Lesson Ideas - Look! We're Learning!

That face says it all. But then we learned about the process of decomposition and how amazing it is! First, we watched a clip from Sid the Science Kid showing a lab experiment about decomposition.

All living things decay after dying, which is called decomposition. From plants to people.

Michigan Tech University has a great explanation of what happens during the process of decomposition. Basically, bacteria, fungi, and worms perform the work of decomposition by breaking down living organisms after death. This is a GOOD thing, because the broken down organisms become part of the soil and provide a natural fertilizer so that new things can grow. It’s the ultimate recycling!

To get an even closer look at decomposition, check out this video of a watermelon slowly decomposing over 35 days.

Gross! But also kind of cool, right? For more decomposition lesson ideas, check out these great resources!

Activities about Decomposition:

  1. Free Decomposing Worksheets for Grades 5-6: Great Schools
  2. Decomposing Experiment – Education.com
  3. Biology for Kids: An Overview of Fungi – Ducksters
  4. Easy Decomposition Experiment – Science Sparks

Books about Decomposition for Kids

Books about Decomposition for Kids:

  1. Insects as Decomposers by Lyn Sirota
  2. Composting: Nature’s Recyclers by Robin Koontz
  3. Compost Stew: An A to Z Recipe for the Earth by Mary McKenna Siddals
  4. What’s Sprouting in My Trash? A Book about Composting by Esther Porter
  5. The Magic School Bus Meets the Rot Squad: A Book about Decomposition by Joanna Cole
  6. Decomposers (Science Kaleidoscope) by Greg Roza

Decomposition Unit Study Lesson Ideas for Kids

If you enjoyed these decomposition lesson ideas, stop by and see some of our other unit studies!

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Unit Study

Turtles Unit Study

Firefighter Unit Study - Look! We're Learning!

Plus, follow my It’s Science Pinterest board for more hands-on science fun!

Decomposition Lesson Ideas - Look! We're Learning!

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