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Learning about Animal Diets with Kids

January 14, 2019 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

My kids, like almost all kids, love learning about animals. We’ve studied animal habitats, animals who are nocturnal and diurnal, and animals who hibernate already.

With our youngest, though, it was time to learn about animal diets: which animal eats what. And nothing makes that concept more real than a field trip to interact with actual animals.

Oh – and our animal diets lesson from BookShark was a huge help too!

Learning about Animal Diets with BookShark

Read on to see how we learned about herbivores and carnivores with our small students!

And for more hands-on ways to study animal science, don’t miss our Sharks Food Chain Game for kids!

Disclosure: I am a BookShark brand ambassador and am receiving free curriculum as part of my role.

Animal science isn't complete without a lesson on animal diets. See how we learned about herbivores and carnivores with BookShark!

Studying Animal Diets with Kids

We started our lesson with a section in BookShark’s Level 1 animal science curriculum. BookShark uses a book-based approach to learning and science is no different.

BookShark Animal Diets Lesson

In the Usborne Book of Animals, we examined how different animals eat different things. Some eat plants and seeds (herbivores), while some eat other animals (carnivores).

BookShark Animal Diets Printable Lesson

Interestingly, you can usually tell which animal eats what by looking at the shape of their mouths and the shape of their teeth. That is, if you can get close enough to one to actually check that out.

After a bit of reviewing, our first grader learned how to distinguish the carnivores and herbivores.

But, there’s nothing like seeing animals firsthand to help kids remember what they learned!

Learning about Animal Diets

So we took a trip to a nearby wildlife refuge to see some herbivores and carnivores up close!

We saw bison. (herbivores)

Visiting a Wildlife Refuge to Learn about Animal Diets

We met chickens. (herbivores)

Observing Animal Diets

This positively regal turkey was quite a sight. (herbivore)

Studying Animal Diets at a Wildlife Refuge

The tropical birds were gorgeous, but incredibly loud too. (herbivores)

Feeding Animals at a Wildlife Refuge

The kids even got a chance to feed deer by hand. (herbivores)

Learning about Herbivores and Carnivores

From far away, we spotted a white tiger. (carnivore)

As you can see, you can also tell what eats what by how close you’re allowed to get to the animal. 🙂

Studying Animal Diets with Kids

A very friendly zebra came up to the fence to meet us. (herbivore)

Close Encounters with Animals at a Wildlife Refuge

This sweet donkey was docile enough to be petted. (herbivore)

Observing Animals Who are Omnivores

Finally, we met a grizzly bear, which we learned eats both plants and met (primarily fish). So we had a chat about the animals who aren’t really herbivores or carnivores – they’re omnivores.

Which is what most humans identify as too. I think my kids might be dessert-ivores, though.

If you want to get a closer look at how you can learn about animal diets with the kids, take a look at BookShark’s curriculum to see how the program covers animals for early learners!

Stop by to see these other ideas for studying animals!

Help early learners get to know some of the wild creatures who live at the zoo with these printable zoo animal flashcards for kids!

Learn about the fascinating world of sharks with this printable shark food chain game!

Use these printable polar animal notebooking pages to learn about winter animals and the regions where they live!

And get more ideas for learning animal science on my It’s Science Pinterest board!

Filed Under: Homeschool Curriculum, Science Tagged With: animals, bookshark, science

Superhero States of Matter for Second Graders Science Lesson

December 20, 2018 by Selena Robinson 7 Comments

Superhero States of Matter Printable Pack

It’s time for another of our second-grade activities this week and today is all about states of matter for second graders.

Superheroes are all the rage right now and Pooh is a huge fan of them as well. So, when it was time to talk about states of matter in science, I thought I’d add a little “superpower” to our lesson. And I’m sharing it with all of you today!

Superhero States of Matter Printable Science Lesson for Kids

Read on to see how we learned about states of matter with our Superhero States of Matter Printable Pack! By the way, be sure to grab our free Superhero Student Planner Pages as well!

Learn about the states of matter with this fun printable superhero states of matter lesson for elementary students!

Superhero States of Matter for Second Graders Science Lesson

To use this superhero states of matter for second graders activity, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

  • Printer (with ink)
  • Printer paper
  • Pencils

Superhero States of Matter for Second Grade

This printable second grade science lesson includes everything you need to demonstrate the three states of matter with a simple experiment.

Printable States of Matter for Second Grade Lesson

The supply list tells you what you’ll need and the instructions, which are written to students, explain how to perform each step.

Superhero States of Matter Science Lesson

Printable observation sheets allow students to analyze the experiment’s results.

Superhero States of Matter for Second Graders Lesson

How to Use the Superhero States of Matter for Second Graders Science Lesson

In the second grade, one of the science objectives to cover involves discussing the three states of matter: solid, liquid, and gas. To help Pooh see how matter can change state and to help him grasp the concept, we did a simple science experiment with water.

States of Matter for Second Graders

The prodcut explains exactly how to do the experiment – step by step. It’s written in a way that second-graders should be able to understand the directions on their own.

But a couple of the steps require adult supervision, so this activity should not be done independently.

States of Matter for Second Graders

We started by observing how water changes from a liquid to a solid after freezing.

States of Matter for Second Graders

Then Pooh wrote down his observations.

States of Matter for Second Graders

After the ice melted, we observed how the water had changed (once again) into a liquid.

States of Matter for Second Graders

Then it was time to learn about the third state of matter: gas! (This is where kids need adult supervision.)

States of Matter for Second Graders

As the water slowly boiled away, Pooh was excited to learn that it was evaporating – converting itself to steam (a gas). He wrote down his final observations and reviewed the experiment’s results.

States of Matter for Second Graders

Look! An actual gap-toothed smile!

Pooh had a blast with this and it was a “super” way to learn about the three states of matter in an hands-on manner.

Printable States of Matter for Second Grade Science Experiment

Scroll down to get your copy of our Superhero States of Matter for Second Graders Science Lesson!

Like this post? Stop by and see these other science experiments you can try!

Study the properties of light with this simple light refraction experiment!

Simple Science Experiments: Make an Egg Float

Simple Heat Conduction Experiment

And get more tips for teaching science in your homeschool on my It’s Science Pinterest board!

To get your copy of our Superhero States of Matter for Second Graders Science Lesson, click the image or the link below to visit our Store!

Superhero States of Matter Lesson

>>> Superhero States of Matter Science Lesson <<<

Don’t forget to visit this week’s posts by the rest of the 2nd Grade Blogging Team!

Super Math Skip Counting from Sugar Aunts

Free Math Printable for Inequalities with Addition from Life Over C’s

Superhero Pattern Stones from Rainy Day Mum

Super Hero Reading Logs from 123 Homeschool 4 Me

I am a Super Hero! Writing Prompt from Creative Family Fun

Superhero Contractions Memory Game from School Time Snippets

Superhero Cityscape Art Project with Van Gogh from Preschool Powol Packets

Create your own Superhero Comic-Photo-Strip from Crafty Kids at Home

Super Hero Self Portrait from Still Playing School

Filed Under: Homeschooling Printables, Science Tagged With: homeschool printables, homeschool science, printables, science, second grade, states of matter, superhero states of matter, superheroes

Printable Zoo Animal Flashcards

December 6, 2018 by Selena Robinson 5 Comments

I’m happy to share a brand new pack of printable flashcards with you all today! This time we’re featuring printable Zoo Animal Flashcards!

We go to the zoo often with the kids and they always love spotting new animals or even ones they’ve come to know and love over the years. So I thought that they’d love having some flashcards to learn about new animals and to look out for them when we tour the zoo again.

Printable Zoo Animal Flashcards for Early Learners

These would also be a nice introduction to animal diets or animal habitats, especially since so many creatures that live in the zoo require different environments to feel at home.

Read on to see how to get these animal flashcards for yourself! And if you love these, don’t miss our Alphabet Animal Flashcards for early learners!

Help early learners get to know some of the wild creatures who live at the zoo with these printable zoo animal flashcards for kids!

Printable Zoo Animal Flashcards for Kids

To use these printable zoo animal flashcards, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

  • Printer (with ink)
  • Printer Paper
  • Scissors
  • Laminator (optional)

Printable Zoo Animal Flashcards for Kids

These cards are awesome for introducing kids to wildlife.

Rather than cartoon animals like our A to Z Alphabet Flashcards, these zoo animal flashcards show actual pictures of animals. Kids will get to actually “see” what these animals look like!

Printable Zoo Animal Flashcards

You could use these to help your kids get ready for a trip to zoo!

Try passing out the cards among your kids and challenging them to find as many of these animals as they can during a trip.

Printable Zoo Animal Flashcards for Preschoolers

You could also have your kids pick one of the cards out of a bag and then do a quick report on it by the end of the week.

Printable Preschool Zoo Animal Flashcards

These would also be a good busy bag activity for little ones.

Since the product includes one set of animal cards with the animal names and one without the names, kids can practice matching up similar pictures.

Zoo Animal Flashcards for Kids

Or you could just use the unlabeled cards to introduce wild creatures to pre-readers!

Zoo Animal Flashcards for Preschoolers

If you’d rather not laminate these, you could just print them on white cardstock like I did. They’ll still hold up to little hands pretty well that way.

Zoo Animal Flashcards

Scroll down to get your set of our printable zoo animal flashcards!

Don’t miss these other printable flashcards for kids!

These printable bird identification flashcards are perfect for a fall or spring unit study! Teach kids how to identify the birds they see in the neighborhood!

Pick up these Arctic Animal printable flashcards to help kids learn about animals that live in the Arctic region!

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

And get more ideas for teaching science on my It’s Science Pinterest board!

To get your set of our printable zoo animal flashcards, click the image or the link below to visit our Store!

Printable Zoo Animal Flashcards

>>> Printable Zoo Animal Flashcards <<<

Filed Under: Homeschooling Printables Tagged With: animals, flashcards, printable flashcards, printables, science, zoo, zoo animal flashcards, zoo animals, zoo flashcards

Homeschool Unit Studies: Animal Homes Unit Study

October 15, 2018 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

Today we’re sharing another one of our homeschool unit studies! We’ve already talked about hibernation and this time I wanted to share some information we’ve found about how animals make their homes in various environments.

Read on to check out our Animal Homes Unit Study!

Animal Homes Unit Study for Homeschoolers

Kids love to learn about where animals live. And, really, it is  fascinating to study how different kinds of animals adapt to their environments and manage to raise their young, no matter the climate in which they live. Personally, I don’t think I could get by without heating and air conditioning, but that’s another story…

Want to see more of our homeschool unit studies for kids? Don’t miss our beach unit study or our penguins unit study!

Disclosure: I am a BookShark brand ambassador and am receiving free curriculum as part of my role.

Learn about the different animal habitats on Earth with this animal homes unit study!

Homeschool Unit Studies: Animal Homes Unit Study

We started by learning about different animal homes in The Usborne World of Animals (part of our BookShark Level 1 curriculum).

Exploring Animal Homes Unit Study with BookShark

As our lesson plan suggested, we went out to explore animal homes in our local area.

Animal Homes Unit Study for Kids

We saw this eight-legged guy living in a tree.

Exploring Insect Animal Homes

We even found insects living under a fallen tree branch on the ground.

Naturally, we couldn’t leave it there. So we went to the zoo to see even more animal habitats.

Learning about Animal Homes with Kids

There were birds living in trees…

Learning about Animal Habitats Unit Study

…in ponds…

Exploring Animal Habitats Unit Study

…and in the Arctic!

Learning about Animal Habitats with Kids

We saw elephants living on the savanna.

Discovering Animal Habitats Unit Study

And alligators living in swamps.

The kids thought it was cool that animal homes look so different from one place to another. And, as we learned, the homes vary by region and by species.

So one animal in the rainforest has a certain kind of home, while a different animal has a different kind of home that suits its needs.

But an animal that lives in the rainforest may have a very different home than a related animal that lives in our area.

As our BookShark lesson pointed out, this is no different than people. Different people have different kinds of homes based on where they live and their specific needs.

Animal Homes Notebooking Pages

As you and the kids learn more about different animal homes and habitats, grab these free notebooking pages to write down your discoveries!

Printable Animal Homes Notebooking Pages

To download your set, sign up for our email newsletter! You’ll get access to these and other exclusive subscriber freebies when you enroll using the widget below.

Animal Homes Unit Study Video

To learn more about animal habitats, check out this video and see if the kids can answer the questions that follow!

1. What is a habitat? (Answer: The area where something lives)

2. What do animals need to live? (Answer: Food, water, shelter, and space to live)

3. What is the food chain? (Answer: The model that describes the flow of energy between living things)

4. What is a food web? (Answer: Tangled system that includes every plant and animal in a habitat)

5. Do food webs and food chains look the same all over the world? (Answer: No, they are different, depending on the conditions in each habitat.)

Animal Homes Books and Activities for Kids

Try the following affiliate animal habitat books and animal habitat activities to add to your Animal Homes unit study!

1. Sea Monster Notebooking Pages – Look! We’re Learning!

2. National Geographic Wild Animal Atlas: Earth’s Astonishing Animals and Where They Live

3. Habitat Sensory Bins – Mama’s Happy Hive

4. Welcome Home, Bear: A Book of Animal Habitats by Il Sung Na

5. Animal Habitat Mural – True Aim Education

6. I See a Kookaburra!: Discovering Animal Habitats Around the World by Steve Jenkins

7. Farm Shoebox Diorama – Look! We’re Learning!

8. Scholastic: Matching Animals & Habitats Lace-Up Cards by Maria Chang

Homeschool Unit Studies: Animal Homes Unit Study

Don’t miss these other science-based unit studies for kids!

Learn about the science of beaches, plus get fun math, language, and geography practice, in this printable beach unit study!

This hibernation unit study is full of fun hibernation crafts and activities for kids!

This fun bears unit study for kids features printables, activities, and videos for learning about these furry friends!

To get even more ideas for your homeschool unit studies, follow my Unit Studies board on Pinterest!

Filed Under: Unit Studies Tagged With: animals, homeschool unit studies, science, unit studies

20 Easy and Fun Shark Crafts for Kids

July 5, 2018 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

Kids are just totally fascinated with sharks. (I can’t lie. Many of us adults are too.)

They’re incredible sea creatures and they’re near the top of the food chain, so they’re basically the bosses of the ocean. Unless an orca whale comes along, that is.

Every year, Shark Week is a big event for lots of kids and that’s why I wanted to share some fun and easy shark crafts for kids that will be a great way to spend the week learning about all things shark!

20 Fun Shark Crafts for Kids to Make

Take a look at the 20 different shark activities for kids listed below to find some science fun to share this summer!

And for more about sharks, don’t miss our cool shark food chain file folder game for kids to play!

Get ready for Shark Week with these fun and easy shark crafts for kids!

20 Easy and Fun Shark Crafts for Kids

1. This Juice Box Shark Craft from Natural Beach Living is perfect for a shark-themed afternoon.

2. Here is a fun Shark Sensory Bottle from Sarah Halstead.

3. Have some Shark Science Fun with this buoyancy activity from Little Bins for Little Hands.

4. These fun DIY Shark Cups from Mom Endeavors are perfect for an afternoon snack attack.

5. Here is a really cool DIY Shark Slime from A Night Owl Blog.

6. This Toilet Paper Shark Craft from Glue Sticks & Gum Drops is a quick and easy idea.

7. Your kids will love playing with these DIY Felt Shark Finger Puppets from Repeat Crafter Me.

8. These Shark Fin Bookmarks from Simplistically Living are perfect for Summer reading!

9. This Shark Fin Soap is a fun kid-friendly DIY from Totally The Bomb.

10. Your shark tooth lovers will love this Paper Plate Shark Jaw Craft from Dollar Store Crafts.

11. This Pool Noodle Shark Craft from JDaniel4’s Mom will look awesome floating in your pool!

12. These DIY Shark Suckers from Natural Beach Living will make a fun addition to your sharky fun.

13. Get learning with this S is for Shark Craft from Artsy Craftsy Mom.

14. Next, whip up these fun Shark Masks from B-Inspired Mama.

15. Here’s an inexpensive Newspaper Shark Craft from I Heart Crafty Things.

16. You’ll have lots of fun with this Paper Plate Shark Puppet Craft from Kids Craft Room.

17. This Shark Cootie Catcher Craft from Easy Peasy and Fun comes with a free template to make your own origami!

18. These DIY Shark Mittens from A Night Owl Blog are so cute & creative.

19. Make a cool DIY LEGO Shark with the instructions from Frugal Fun 4 Boys!

20. Finally, your little ones will enjoy making and eating this Shark Sushi from Momma Lew.

Check out these other fun learning activities for summer!

Learn about the fascinating world of sharks with this printable shark food chain game!

The Best Beach Books for Kids

Pick up these printable sea monster notebooking pages to learn more about incredible creatures of the deep!

See more fun summer educational ideas on my Summer Activities for Kids Pinterest board!

Filed Under: Crafts, Fun Activities for Kids Tagged With: crafts for kids, science, shark crafts

How to Choose a Secular Science Curriculum

May 10, 2018 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

When you think of a “secular” homeschooler, what comes to mind? You might think of a parent who supports evolution, practices atheism, or chooses not to follow religious beliefs. There are secular homeschoolers who fit this description. In fact, I personally know some who do.

But, this doesn’t describe our family. We’re deeply religious, but we still choose to use a secular science curriculum. Why?

It’s because many faith-based homeschooling programs include tenets that we do not personally subscribe to – particularly when it comes to science. So, we’ve always preferred a secular science curriculum that we can teach, while including our religious point of view.

Still, that’s made choosing a science curriculum somewhat difficult, because many secular programs don’t line up with what we want to teach our kids either. Fortunately, we’ve found one we like. Through our search this year, I discovered a few tips that helped us choose a secular science program.

Disclosure: I am a BookShark brand ambassador and am receiving free curriculum as part of my role.

Is choosing a secular science curriculum for your homeschool a challenge? Try these pointers to find the program that will work for your family!

Images c/o: StockUnlimited

How to Choose a Secular Science Curriculum

1. Consider your educational goals.

First, think about what you want your children to learn this year:

  • Do you want them to get an introduction to the universe, to the science of Earth, or a look at the wide world of wildlife?
  • Are you ready for them to tackle basic chemistry or physics?
  • Do you want the kids to try lots of experiments themselves?

Science programs vary greatly. Some feature hands-on experiments and activities, while others are more lecture-heavy. Take your children’s readiness into account when deciding which program to try.

2. Decide which scientific principles are important to you at this age.

In the homeschool world, kids may learn at different grade levels, depending on the subject. A child who’s reading several grade levels ahead may need to stay at their current grade level or even *gasp* take a step back to get a good foundation in science.

That’s fine! Think about the age of your child. What scientific principles do you want your child to learn now? Look for a program that will cover those topics.

For our rising first-grader, we wanted to get an overview of all scientific branches: geology, biology, physics, and chemistry. So when we selected our first grade science program, we chose one that would give her an introduction to all of these.

3. Browse the program to look for possible areas of contention.

Once you narrow down your selections to a few programs, take a look at the scope and sequence, as well as the learning objectives, to see if there are any topics that may be a problem for your family.

Personally, I didn’t want to go through the trouble of finding (and purchasing!) a secular science curriculum only to skip several chapters of it. So I carefully read the program overviews to see if what was taught would suit us, or at least be easy to adapt for our family.

How to Choose a Secular Science Curriculum for Homeschoolers

This year, we’ve decided on BookShark for our youngest child. She’s entering first grade this fall and BookShark’s science curriculum is an excellent fit for what we want her to learn this year.

While BookShark isn’t strictly secular, it’s faith-free. It doesn’t promote evolution, but it also doesn’t promote the “young earth” viewpoint. We can simply discuss what scientists have come to know and we’re excited to see what we can learn.

I’ll be sharing more of our journey with BookShark throughout this upcoming school year!

Read these other tips for choosing homeschool curriculum for your family!

Are you overloaded with homeschooling materials? Here's what to do when you have too much homeschool curriculum.

Think you're behind on homeschool planning You're not. You don't need a lot to homeschool, even if you're a newbie!

See more tips for teaching science on my It’s Science! Pinterest board!

Filed Under: Homeschool Curriculum, Science Tagged With: homeschool curriculum, homeschool curriculum reviews, science

40 Simple Water Science Experiments for Kids

April 16, 2018 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

Add some easy science fun to your learning day with these simple water science experiments for kids!

Warmer weather means lots of water play and, for us, that means plenty of simple water science experiments to try with the kids!

Since we’ve been homeschooling, I’ve learned that science doesn’t have to be a complicated subject to teach.

Many scientific concepts sound complicated (and really are amazingly intricate), but showing kids how they work doesn’t have to be complex.

Fun and Simple Water Science Experiments for Kids to Try

Turns out that you can use a few household supplies and demonstrate how scientific principles work in a kid-friendly way!

And that’s why I’ve rounded up 40 easy water science experiments that would be great to share with kids – either indoors or outdoors!

Don’t miss our list of science experiments that you can do in just 15 minutes too!

These simple water science experiments for kids are easy to set up and fun for learning about science!

40 Simple Water Science Experiments for Kids

1. Simple Light In Water Refraction Experiment – Look! We’re Learning!

2. Milk Jug Water Wheel Experiment – J Daniel 4’s Mom

3. Float Vs Sink Experiment – Teach Me Mommy

4. Leak-Proof Bag Science Experiment – Fun Learning for Kids

5. How to Make a Lava Lamp – Coffee Cups and Crayons

6. Measuring Water Beads – Blue Bear Wood

7. Water Balloon Parachute – Fantastic Fun and Learning

8. Food Coloring Fluid Mechanics Experiment – Mama Smiles

9. Measuring Buoyancy Experiment – KC Edventures

10. Color Mixing Experiment – Science Sparks

11. Tide Pool Science Experiment – Buggy and Buddy

12. Floating Peep Boats – Sixth Bloom

13. Traveling Water Experiment – The Wise Owl Factory

14. Simple Water Displacement Experiment – Life with Moore Babies

15. Ripple Water Experiment – J Daniel 4’s Mom

16. Why Does Water Rise STEM Experiment – STEAM Powered Family

17. Make a Rain Cloud In a Jar – Coffee Cups and Crayons

18. Water Xylophone Sound Experiment – Little Bins for Little Hands

19. Growing Mint in Water – Sloely

20. Sticky Ice Experiment – Capri Plus 3

See more of these awesome simple water science experiments on page 2!

Pages: 1 2

Filed Under: Science Tagged With: science, science experiments, simple science experiments

45 Easy STEM Activities for Kids

April 2, 2018 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

These easy STEM activities for kids are great for adding some hands-on fun to learning science, technology, engineering, and math!

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) activities are a staple in our homeschool lessons. It allows my kids to have fun and learn at the same time. One minute they might be mixing potions for a science project and the next working on a math activity.

But, of course, STEM learning isn’t just for homeschoolers. And that’s why I’ve rounded up 45 awesome and easy STEM activities that work great for classroom activities or after-school activities if you don’t homeschool.

Take a look at the list below to find some cool hands-on learning activities for teaching STEM subjects! And, for more science fun, check out our list of 40 spring science ideas for kids!

These easy STEM activities for kids are great for building enthusiasm to learn science, technology, engineering, and math!

45 Easy STEM Activities for Kids

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

1. Floating Egg Experiment – Look! We’re Learning!

2. Expanding and Bouncing Egg Experiment – Blue Bear Wood

3. Simple Skittles Science Experiment – East Coast Mommy

4. Bottle Rockets – STEAM Powered Family

5. Nature Engineering Challenge – Share It Science

6. Build a Catapult – Science Sparks

7. Newspaper Trees – The Wise Owl Factory

8. Fidget Spinner Inertia Experiment – From Engineer to SAHM

9. 3D Phases of the Moon Activity – KC Edventures

10. Felt Circle Fractions – In Our Pond

11. DIY Inventor’s Box – Little Worlds Big Adventures

12. DIY Lego Launcher – Thriving STEM

13. Pipe and Water Play – Moms and Crafters

14. DIY Anemometer – Capri + 3

15. Compare Biodegradable and Non-Biodegradable Materials – Mother Natured

16. Wheels On the Bus Motion Experiment – J Daniel 4’s Mom

17. Shark Coding Game – Life with Moore Babies

18. Build a Straw Hexbug Maze – Buggy and Buddy

19. Straw and Circle Glider – Red Ted Art

20. Weather Vs. Erosion Experiment – The Natural Homeschool

21. Building Block STEM Challenge Cards – Life Over C’s

22. Foaming Dragon Science Experiment – The Joys of Boys

23. STEM Paper Columns – Creekside Learning

Visit the next page for more easy STEM activities kids can do!

Pages: 1 2

Filed Under: Science, STEM for Homeschoolers Tagged With: easy stem activities, science, stem, stem activities

40 Fun Spring Science Ideas for Kids

March 8, 2018 by Selena Robinson 4 Comments

Learn about science with the little ones with these fun spring science ideas for kids!

Springtime is a great time of year to explore science with little ones! The weather is warming, the bugs are coming back above ground, and there are flowers growing everywhere!

If you’re looking for a way to make science fun this spring, these awesome spring science ideas are just what you need! There are so many great activities for exploring plant science, water, animals, and even hands-on experiments you and the kids will love this spring!

By the way, if you’re looking for even more fun spring activities, take a look at our rainbow playdough mats for fine motor practice!

These spring science ideas are wonderful for teaching science to the kids this year!

40 Fun Spring Science Ideas for Kids

1. Floating Egg Experiment – Look! We’re Learning!

2. Seed Jar Science Experiment – Little Bins for Little Hands

3. Make a Rainbow – Life with Moore Babies

4. Parts of a Flower Learning Center – The Preschool Toolbox Blog

5. Dyeing Carnations Science Experiment – Kitchen Counter Chronicles

6. Make a Snail Habitat – Preschool Powol Packets

7. Chicken Life Cycle Printables – Natural Beach Living

8. Nature Scavenger Hunt – Crystal & Co.

9. Eggshell Seed Growing Science Experiment – Little Bins for Little Hands

10. Grass Caterpillars – Red Ted Art

11. Insect Investigation – Share It Science

12. DIY Butterfly Garden – Mosswood Connections

13. Egg Drop STEM Project – Buggy and Buddy

14. Kid-Made Nesting Supply Station – Thriving STEM

15. Butterfly Life Cycle Craft – The Preschool Toolbox Blog

16. Dissect a Seed Lab – Preschool Powol Packets

17. Planting Seeds with Kids – Buggy and Buddy

18. Make a Roly-Poly Habitat – Fantastic Fun and Learning

19. Grow a Pizza Garden – Share It Science

20. Simple Bug Hotel – Red Ted Art

Pages: 1 2

Filed Under: Science Tagged With: science, spring

Simple Science Experiments: Simple Light Refraction Experiment

December 28, 2017 by Selena Robinson 9 Comments

This simple light refraction experiment for kids is an awesome way to learn about the properties of light!
Simple Light Refraction Experiment - Look! We're Learning!

We’re continuing with our simple science experiments this week by taking a look at light refraction. I found a great light refraction experiment video on YouTube and decided to try it with Tigger.

Full disclosure: I didn’t know that refraction was what this experiment demonstrated. I actually had to look it up first. But the experiment is super easy and quick, so that’s a big plus!

Simple Refraction of Light Experiment

Check out this easy way to teach kids about light with this simple light refraction experiment!

And, if you like this one, try some of our other science activities, including how to make an egg float and our easy heat conduction experiment!

Study the properties of light with this simple light refraction experiment!

Simple Light Refraction Experiment

Watching the original light refraction experiment on YouTube will give you a great look at what’s involved in this activity. But you really only need four things:

  • A sticky note (I used a Post-It)
  • A marker
  • An empty transparent bottle
  • Water

Experiment on Refraction of Light

Draw two arrows on a sticky note. Make sure that each arrow points in a different direction. Stick the note to a blank wall.

Next, fill up the water bottle. Oh – put the lid on before you do this too! You don’t want water spilling out when you move the bottle around…lol.

Simple Refraction Experiment

The alternating arrows on the note point to the left and the right. Let the kids gradually move the water-filled bottle in front of the sticky note. As the bottle moves in front of the sticky note, something amazing happens.

Investigating Light Refraction

The arrows appear to change direction! The top arrow, which points to the left, appears to point to the right. And the bottom arrow, which points to the right, appears to point to the left!

Simple Light Experiment

Move the bottle back to see the arrows return to their original directions.

So what exactly is going on? We learned that refraction occurs because light bends when it passes through substances, such as water and plastic.

As the light travels through a substance, it becomes concentrated into a focal point, usually near the center. After light passes through the focal point, the rays cross over each other and cause images to appear reversed.

Turns out you can’t believe your eyes after all! 🙂

Books with Simple Science Experiments:

If you liked this simple science experiment, take a look at these books with even more easy activities! (Affiliate links provided here for convenience. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

  1. Science is Simple: Over 250 Activities for Preschoolers
  2. 365 Simple Science Experiments with Everyday Materials
  3. The Everything Kids’ Science Experiments Book
  4. Safe and Simple Electrical Experiments

Don’t miss the rest of our Simple Science Experiments!

Simple Science Experiments - Colorful Celery

Simple Science Experiments: Make an Egg Float

Simple Heat Conduction Experiment

For more science homeschooling ideas, follow my It’s Science board on Pinterest!

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Filed Under: Science Tagged With: homeschool science, homeschool science experiments, light experiment, light refraction, light refraction experiments, refraction, refraction experiment, science, science experiments, science experiments for kids, science for kids, simple light refraction experiment, simple science experiments

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Hi! I'm Selena, an A.D.D. mom married to an A.D.D. husband. We're parenting two kids with A.D.D., one with A.D.H.D., and an energetic elementary learner.
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