Tina Robertson

Free Homeschool Geology Unit Study And Easy DIY Eggshell Geode

July 10, 2023 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have a free homeschool geology unit study. Also, grab more ideas on my best homeschool unit studies page.

Find out how to create your own diy eggshell geode, gather a list of fabulous books, and learn some interesting facts alongside your child.

Geology is the study of the Earth, on and under its surface, and the processes that shape it.

This applies to tectonic plates, the layers of the earth, volcanoes, rocks, and minerals to name a few common studies.

For this homeschool geology unit study, we are going to focus a bit more on the rocks and minerals aspect of geology.

Free Homeschool Geology Unit Study And Easy DIY Eggshell Geode

Petrology is the study of the 3 types of rocks – igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary and the processes that form and transform them.

Mineralogy is the study of the chemistry, crystal structure, and physical properties of the mineral makeup of rocks.

5 Fascinating Facts For Your Homeschool Geology Unit Study

A mineral is a solid, naturally occurring substance made up of one or more elements and a gem is a precious or semi-precious mineral that has been cut and polished.
People who explore caves to enjoy and examine stalactites, stalagmites, and other rock and mineral formations found there are known as spelunkers.
A rock can begin as one type and can change many times. Rocks are always changing; it just takes a very long time for these changes to occur.
Diamonds are the hardest mineral.
Meteorites are rocks from space, and they help scientists learn more about the solar system.

Also, look at more geology activities.

MORE GEOLOGY UNIT STUDY ACTIVITIES

How To Make Crystals | Facts About Crystals For Kids

Too, add some more geology unit study ideas.

Homeschool Geology Unit Study Activity Ideas

This Geology Gem Stone Slime is a fun sensory idea for examining and extracting stones.
Watch Introduction to Geology on YouTube to find out more about what it includes.
Rock Activities For Kindergarten And Fun Edible Rock Cycle
To find out more about rocks and minerals specifically, you might enjoy Rocks for Kids.
Grab this free earth science book.
Edible Rock Cycle Fudge and Hands-on Rock Activities
Watercolor the beautiful layers of an Agate.

This is a great simple experiment to demonstrate stalactites and stalagmites formation.
Learning can also be delicious like this activity that includes making Rock Candy Geodes.

More Best Homeschool Unit Studies

Then, look at this fun list of books to add to your homeschool geology unit study.

5 Geology Unit Study Resources

Add these books and resources for a fun homeschool geology unit study for children of multiple ages.

Great STEM Science Kit - Geology

DISCOVER CRYSTAL TREASURE - Break open these rocks to reveal amazing crystals inside! Geology doesn’t get more exciting than breaking open rocks and finding crystal treasures. Ag great STEM activity that also makes an excellent gift for girls and boys!

Nature Anatomy: The Curious Parts and Pieces of the Natural World

See the world in a whole new way! Acclaimed illustrator Julia Rothman combines art and science in this exciting and educational guide to the structure, function, and personality of the natural world. Explore the anatomy of a jellyfish, the inside of a volcano, monarch butterfly migration, how sunsets work, and much more. Rothman’s whimsical illustrations are paired with interactive activities that encourage curiosity and inspire you to look more closely at the world all around you.

Basher: Rocks & Minerals: A Gem of a Book

Simon Basher is back with another zany primer to science! Following his 3 successful titles on the basics of chemistry, physics, and biology, BASHER SCIENCE: ROCKS AND MINERALS is an in-depth look at the ground beneath our feet. Like his other titles, Basher presents these topics through charming and adorable illustrations and pairs them with basic information told from a first person perspective. He develops a community of characters based on the things that form the foundations of our planet: rocks, gems, crystals, fossils and more. And what's more, he makes it understandable, interesting, and cute. It's not what you expect out of a science primer.

Advanced Professional Rock Tumbler Kit - Turn Rough Rocks into Beautiful Gems

Turn rough rocks into polished gems: Discover and learn the fun process of rock tumbling with the Advanced Rock Tumbler. Pour in the rough stones and grit and let the machine do its job!

Everybody Needs a Rock (An Aladdin Book)

Everybody needs a rock -- at least that's the way this particular rock hound feels about it in presenting her own highly individualistic rules for finding just the right rock for you.

As you can see, studying geology covers a lot of other science topics. For example, there are volcanoes to tectonic plates to learn about.

So, I’m adding some vocabulary words which will help you to round your study.

Geology Vocabulary Words

fossil – the preserved remains of things that lived long ago
ocean trench – a narrow, extremely deep valley formed when the seafloor dips down as one tectonic plate slides under another
continental drift – a process in which continents slowly move over time on the surface of the earth
geologist – a scientist who studies the makeup of the earth and the forces and processes that shape and change it
basalt – heavy, dense rock formed from cooled, hardened lava
magnitude – an earthquake’s strength
plate tectonics – a theory that Earth’s crust and the solid top part of the mantle are broken up into sections that fit together but move against each other
tsunami – a gigantic wave of seawater caused by an earthquake in oceanic crust
fault – a crack in Earth’s crust
crater – a bowl-shaped opening at the top of a volcano or geyser
mineral – a solid, nonliving substance found in the earth that makes up rocks
hot spring – a naturally flowing source of hot water
obsidian – a dark rock or natural glass formed from lava that cooled very quickly
granite – a common igneous rock that forms from magma that cooled within Earth’s crust

Finally, look how to make this fun diy eggshell geode.

Homeschool Geology Unit Study- DIY Eggshell Geode

You will need:

Eggshells
Egg carton
Borax
Epsom salt
School glue
Food coloring

Gather some eggshells from breakfast.

Plan ahead and try to crack them in unique ways rather than just in half.

Wash thoroughly and carefully peel away the thin membrane inside the eggshell.

Turn upside and allow it to dry.

Once dry, pour a generous amount of school glue into your eggshell and roll it around to coat well to the edges.

Pour all the excess glue into the next shell until you need more or are finished coating all the shells you are using.

Fill each shell with Epsom salts, rolling around to get it all in the glue, this serves a few purposes.

DIY Eggshell Geode

First, it gives the borax crystals something to grab onto and helps encourage their growth all over the inside of the shell.

Secondly, it gives a little more “bulk” to your geode, letting your child have the satisfaction of a little bit quicker experience.

Shake out the excess Epsom salts.

Let the Epsom salt and glue dry and harden together.

Heat water to almost boiling on the stove or in the microwave.

I find it easiest to do it in a large heat-safe measuring cup with a pour spout for pouring later.

Stir in a few tablespoons of Borax, mix well, and continue adding until the water no longer absorb any of the powder when thoroughly stirred in.

There should be a bit of powder sitting in the bottom, this is how you know it is supersaturated.

Place the eggshells with the opening at the top wherever it is on the shell, the carton comes in very handy for this step.

It holds it well and safely catches the overflow. Place it where it will be for the next 24 hours, undisturbed because you don’t want to move it around until it’s ready.

Place a drop or two of food coloring inside each egg.

Carefully pour your saturated water into the eggshells right up to the very edge.

Allow to sit undisturbed for 12-24 hours, flip the eggs to drain and dry. The longer you let them sit the larger the crystals.

You can paint the outside of the shells if you like or leave them as they are.

Voila, you have beautiful handmade geodes that open the door for wonderful discussions on how geodes are formed.

Galapagos Islands Animals Fun and Simple Watercolor Flamingo Tutorial

July 9, 2023 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Today I have a fun watercolor flamingo tutorial if you’re learning about the Galapagos Islands animals in South America. Also, you’ll love ideas on my South America Printable Lapbook and Fun Hands-on Unit Study Ideas post.

There are many unique and fascinating animals of the Galapagos Islands.

Some are native or endemic, and others that are plentiful there but might also be found in other exotic spots.

The Galapagos is an archipelago which is a sea or stretch of water containing many islands.

Galapagos Islands Animals Fun and Simple Watercolor Flamingo Tutorial

They are made up of 127 islands to be exact, of which only 4 are inhabited.

Many of which are endemic (native) to the Galapagos Islands from the well-known Galapagos tortoise to the small temperate weather Galapagos penguin.

About Flamingos of the Galapagos Islands

Flamingos are beautiful and graceful creatures that are easily identified.

And while flamingos are not endemic to the Galapagos, the ones that are found there are among the most brilliantly colored.

They are certainly eye-catching and that is why I chose to make them the focus of today’s activity.

The pink coloring of Galapagos flamingos comes from their diet.

These flamingos’ primary food source is crustaceans, which contain carotenoids, a pigment that helps the flamingos to maintain a bright pink color.

Galapagos flamingos live in large colonies, wading in the brackish, shallow waters of the Galapagos off the coast of Ecuador.

I found a beautiful two-page spread on flamingos in the Wildlife Anatomy from Julia Rothman.

This beautiful book not only served as inspiration for our watercolor painting but also covers the anatomy of a flamingo and a few fun facts.

Fantastic Facts About 8 Endemic Animals of The Galapagos Islands

Galapagos Penguin- The only one of its kind that makes its home north of the equator, they are the second smallest penguins and are the rarest penguin species in the world.
Galapagos Land Iguanas have a symbiotic relationship with the islands’ birds, who find a food source in the parasites that live on the iguanas’ skin.
Blue-Footed Booby, The name “booby” actually comes from a mispronunciation of the Spanish bobo, which means “clown” or “fool.”
Galapagos Tortoises inhabit most of the islands in the Galápagos.
Marine Iguana can live on both lands and in the water, diving to depths of up to 30 feet.
Flightless Cormorant is endemic to the Galápagos, yet flightless. They inhabit 2 different islands that are miles from any other shore.
Frigatebird birds have tiny bodies with enormous wingspans, and because they cannot take off from water, they will simply soar around for days, weeks, and sometimes even as long as two months without touching down.
Darwin’s Finches were discovered by Charles Darwin and belong to the Tanager family. Thirteen of the fourteen types are endemic to the Galapagos.

Also, look at these books and resources about the Galapagos Islands.

11 Books & Resources About the Animals of the Galapagos

Add one or two of these fun resources about the animals of the Galapagos Islands in South America.

Where Are the Galapagos Islands? (Where Is?)

The Galapagos Islands are a chain of volcanic islands located on either side of the equator in the Pacific Ocean. The isolated location of the islands has allowed a vast number of species to develop that are original to each island, such as the marine iguana, the blue-footed booby, the magnificent frigatebird and of course the giant Galapagos tortoise, which may live to be over one hundred years old.

Galapagos Wildlife TOOB

This Galapagos Island Toob is a must have item for sensory bins and dioramas, but they really give your child a better understanding of what creatures they may never get to see in person. They make great models for art projects as well from sketching to painting.

Galapagos (Earth's Extraordinary Places)

This is the ultimate book about the Galápagos for kids, covering the formation of the islands, the fascinating animals that live there, the evolutionary traits of the flora, the diverse climates, the brilliant conservation efforts and much more!This beautifully illustrated and photographic book provides a fascinating tour of the flora, fauna, and geology of the Galapágos islands. Children can learn about the unique and incredible wildlife, volcanoes, climate and Darwin’s theory of evolution from his visit to the Galápagos.

Karl, Get Out of the Garden!: Carolus Linnaeus and the Naming of Everything

Carolus (Karl) Linnaeus started off as a curious child who loved exploring the garden. Despite his intelligence—and his mother's scoldings—he was a poor student, preferring to be outdoors with his beloved plants and bugs. As he grew up, Karl's love of nature led him to take on a seemingly impossible task: to give a scientific name to every living thing on earth.

Exotic Birds TOOB

11 EXOTIC BIRDS: This Toob brings you some of the most amazing exotic winged friends from around the world. It includes a Parakeet, Quetzal, Yellow Macaw, Humming Bird, Hibiscus Flower, Keel-Billed Toucan, Cockatoo, Flamingo, White Ibis, Snowy Owl, and a Greet Parrot.

My Father's Island (Guinness World Records Little Books)

A true story that incorporates biography, adventure and the elements of armchair travel. Angermeyer, who grew up in Nebraska, embarks on a search to discover what happened to her father, a refugee from Hitler, on the Galapagos Islands where he and her mother had lived before his death.

Marcel McDuby the Blue-Footed Booby

For ages 3-9... The strange little bird with turquoise blue feet spent all his time imagining being someone else. Follow him on a journey that leads to self-acceptance and a life-changing discovery: It's our differences that make us special and set us apart. What's really important comes from our heart.

Galapagos Wildlife (Bradt Wildlife Guides)

This new, thoroughly updated and lavishly illustrated fourth edition of Bradt's Galápagos Wildlife is packed with information and magnificent pictures to aid in identifying key species, all in an easy-to-carry format that covers everything from the wildlife that you're likely to encounter, whether flying in the air, running along the ground or swimming underwater, to a succinct history of the islands, their habitats and volcanic origins.

Galapagos animal adventure with 26 coloring pages for all ages

Immerse yourself in the natural beauty of the Galapagos Islands with this endemic animal coloring book. With 26 pages filled with detailed and realistic drawings, this coloring book will take you on a journey through the unique landscapes of the islands as you immerse yourself in the wild nature of the región.

Take Your Time: A Tale of Harriet, the Galapagos Tortoise

Harriet the tortoise likes to do things slowly. She explores her home on the Galápagos Islands―slowly. She eats―slowly. And when the sun goes down, she slumbers deeply all night long.

When Harriet’s friends tell her to pick up the pace, Harriet decides to journey to a neighboring island to see what there is to see. She parades with penguins and rides with dolphins, encountering adventure at every turn. But is life in the fast lane right for a tortoise who loves to take her time?

Marine Iguanas - Tails of the Galapagos Islands Series

Marine Iguanas. Discover the unique Galapagos Island critter called the Marine Iguana. Designed for Young Readers (Ages 5-7) in mind, your little adventurist can immerse themselves within the colorful pages that take them on a journey to better understand the Life of the Marine Iguana. Fun facts and vibrant photos make this book an enjoyable read now and for years to come.

Before you begin, have your child identify the Galapagos Islands on a map, globe, or atlas.

Also, have them locate Ecuador and the equator as well.

More South America Activities

Finally, look how to make this diy watercolor flamingo tutorial.

I do not claim to be an artist or an art teacher.

Also, I have a fun printable flamingo unit study that you can read about here.

Dynamic and Beautiful Flamingo Printable Themed Informational Packet Study for Young Learners
$4.00 Add to cart

Galapagos Islands Animals – Watercolor Flamingo Tutorial

But as long as I have been homeschooling, I’ve picked up some tips and tricks that helped me teach things like watercolor in a simple way that helps kids “get it”

If you feel confident, freehand your flamingo with watercolor.

But this simple tutorial is meant for kids (or adults) who like art but aren’t yet confident to jump in fully,

Supplies:

Watercolor paper
Flamingo picture
2-3 small watercolor paintbrushes
Pencil with eraser
Cup of water

Start by lightly tracing the curving neck and body of a flamingo.

It’s okay if it’s not perfect. You can erase and re-sketch as many times as you need to.

Now add some jointed legs, you can draw feet or let them disappear into the water line.

Next, erase your drawing leaving just the lightest pencil marks to give a basic guide.

Use a clean brush and “paint” the neck and body using only water, get it nice and wet.

Now, pick up a light shade of pink watercolor and begin to fill in the flamingo.

Do some wet-on-wet watercolor by adding a little bit of detail and shading with a darker pink while it is still wet.

You will be able to see how nicely it moves when you add wet paint to wet paint. This is a great time to start shaping the tale a bit.

Allow the watercolor to dry, it shouldn’t take long.

Once dry or most of the way dry add details like the leg color, as well as adding more details to the wing and tail.

Let the final layer of watercolor dry and add a black eye and a large, curved beak.

How to Find A Well Laid Out Homeschool High School Geography Curriculum

July 8, 2023 | 15 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Today, I’m showing you how to find a well laid out homeschool high school geography curriculum. Also, look at more ideas on my how to homeschool high school page.Too, look at my page Homeschool Geography for hands-on and simple ideas and tips.

The anatomy of a well laid out homeschool high school geography curriculum is not an easy find because so many programs want to stay focused only on a text-bookish style which I have a problem with.

If you have been homeschooling for any length of time then you know that after you get out of the preschool grades that homeschool geography curriculum options are slim to none.

How to Find A Well Laid Out Homeschool High School Geography Curriculum

Okay, that might be a slight exaggeration, but it sure feels like it when you homeschool the middle school/junior high and high school years.

So we have not wasted any time starting on our new North Star Geography curriculum by Tyler Hogan at Bright Ideas Press.

I have to show you some of the highlights of our new homeschool geography program.

High School Geography Curriculum Planning a Cinch

Because we have just started using it, you know I have to organize as much as I can first.

So if you missed Homeschool Geography Go To Resources that you can use alongside this curriculum, be sure to check them out.

Next, I just set up some quick go to temporary binders (you know I love them and especially in hot pink). Until I get the sweet curriculum in my little hands in final form, it’s hard to decide on an organizational system.

So just giving you a heads up now that no, the curriculum is not hot pink, though it would be a great color for it.

You know I tend to be pretty candid brutal on curriculum providers about giving tips for scheduling and planning when it comes to teacher’s manuals. It is one of the things I always mention when I review curriculum.

Maybe it comes from helping so many struggling homeschoolers. Please, I don’t want to guess how to make this curriculum work with multiple children.

Give me some options for scheduling and North Star Geography delivers.

Options include a one year intense schedule, a two year schedule and a one semester course when you need the bare bones.

Hands-on or Hands-off High School Geography

After the younger years, some curriculum really lags in the junior high and high school years for hands-on ideas too.

Mr. Awesome is the reason that I had to push myself outside of my comfortable teaching zone because he learns best by hands-on.

So right away I printed our first lesson so that he could get started. But also where possible, I will be including Tiny in this curriculum too.

High School Geography Curriculum Resources

It definitely can be used with multiple children though you may need to do some tweaking for your younger children or leave some parts out altogether.

Look at how North Star Geography is set up.

16 Lessons total. Each lesson is about 10 –15 pages and then you decide which activities to include. At least 3 hands-on activities to choose from for each lesson. This doesn’t mean you have to do all 3 of them or any of them. Lots of options here.	Note Taking Pages for those that like their geography a little less hands-on. I love the fact they are not called worksheets, because taking notes is a vital skill needed in high school so it’s modeled here.
World Research Questions. Again, research is the back bone of a well laid out high school program that uses higher critical thinking skills. You can make the program as rigorous as you need.	Quizzes, Quiz Answers and Final Exam. Depending on how your teen learns best, you have plenty of choices or ways to review. And especially if you are like me and are using this for high school credit, you will need to choose some of them. Grading Rubric, glossary, graphic organizers, reference maps and outline maps.
Build an atlas. I think this has to be the heart of the program and we are so excited about this feature.	Memorization Lists. We have always enjoyed memorizing lists and the boys felt no different about the memorization lists in this curriculum.

More High School Geography Resources

Homeschool High School Geography Resources and Books

Geography for high school should still be fun and hands-on. It can take years to find the right resources. However, I’ve gathered up some of my favorite books and resources.

North Star Geography

North Star Geography covers basic geography skills (maps, navigation) as well as physical geography (topography, biosphere, structure of the earth) and human geography (environmental stewardship, agriculture, culture, heritage & more)—all from a Christian perspective. Each lesson in the Reader is approximately 10-15 pages and geared toward junior high-high school students, though it may be adapted for younger students; the text features full-color maps, illustrations, and interesting sidebars. Accompanying each lesson on the Companion Guide, hands-on project options, as well as an “atlas building” section where students label outline maps, are provided. Note-taking pages feature ten questions taken from the text that can be used for review or comprehension questions, as well as for a study guide for the exam

Welcome to the Wonderful World of Geography

Brenda Runkle’s World Physical Geography makes an often-boring topic come to life!

With our world seeming to shrink with each passing week, knowing about virtually all peoples and nations is more important than ever.

World Physical Geography

It focuses on physical geography, providing the basis for learning the fundamentals of geography.

Geography Challenge

Challenges students to remember important facts and encourages them to enjoy themselves in the process.Deals with facts and principles related to the study of life science, physical science, and earth and space science.

Around the World in 180 Days, 2nd Edition (two-volume set)

Around the World in 180 Days is a geography and history program covering the history, geography, and culture of each continent. And yet this is not a textbook. It is a series of questions that the student must research in order to answer. Plenty of resources are suggested to help students conduct their research, and the teacher's edition provides all the answers. This revised and updated curriculum is written with a multilevel approach with study questions for students of all grade levels, making this a curriculum your whole family can do together! This two-volume set includes an illustrated teacher's edition and a student workbook.

Eat Your Way Around the World

Get out the sombrero for your Mexican fiesta! Chinese egg rolls! Corn pancakes from Venezuela! Fried plantains form Nigeria! All this and more is yours when you take your family on a whirlwind tour of over thirty countries in this unique international cookbook. Jam-packed with delicious dinners, divine drinks, and delectable desserts, this book is sure to please.

Lifepac History & Geography & Geography 11th Grade

Student worktexts include daily instruction and review as well as ample opportunity for assessment of student performance using self tests and unit tests. To encourage individualized instruction, we have included a teacher's guide designed to help you guide your student's learning experience according to his specific interests and needs. This essential teaching resource includes teaching notes for each unit, a complete answer key, and information about additional resources and learning activities.

Trail Guide To World Geography *OP

If you would like a geography course that includes mapping activities, atlas usage, research, notebooking and culture with very little teacher preparation, look no further. The Trail Guide to World Geography is a week one, day one kind of teacher s manual with daily geography drills (answers included) and numerous weekly assignment choices. <P> Multi-level geography course for 36 week school year for elementary through high school. <P> Assign as much or as little as YOU decide.

Of course memorizing lists in our home is a competitive thing so they got to memorizing the first list from Lesson 1.

Does anybody fight in your house over who is going to be the first one to call out the list?

Other Homeschool Geography Activities

And they started on the beginning touches of their atlases by designing their unique covers.

What do you think? Does it sound like a good fit so far for your crew?

How to Make an Easy Wetlands Paper Plate Habitat Diorama

July 7, 2023 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have an easy wetlands paper plate habitat diorama. You’ll also love my post Above & Below: Pond Unit Study, Hands-on Ideas, & Lapbook

Creating a paper plate habitat diorama is a great way to incorporate a project that is super inexpensive and less work.

One thing I love about a diorama is that it can be done by everyone from preschool through high school and showcases each child’s imagination.

How to Make an Easy Wetlands Paper Plate Habitat Diorama

Not every project has to be a huge display.

Creating something small like creating a paper plate habitat diorama allows for a quicker project.

Some topics you don’t need a super deep dive into, and it is also very inexpensive.

We always have a pack of paper plates on hand for craft projects, quick lunches, or to use as a disposable paint palette.

Since we were gathering items from outside and drawing our own animals, we were able to complete this project for free.

5 Facts About Wetlands

The wetlands are defined as areas where water covers the soil or is near the surface of the soil all year.

This includes swamps, marshes, estuaries, mangroves, mudflats, ponds, deltas, coral reefs, billabongs, lagoons, shallow seas, bogs, lakes, and floodplains.

Look at these 5 facts about wetlands.

About 30% of the Earth’s wetlands are in North America and are found on every continent except Antarctica.
One of the largest wetlands in the world is the Pantanal which covers over 93,000 miles over Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay in South America.
The Florida Everglades are sitting on a bed of limestone, which helps produce clean water for the state.
Many of the plants that are found in the wetland either grow under the water or float on top of it. But some grow out of the ground like trees. The 3 main types of plants found here are emergent, floating, and submerged.
Wetlands can be made of saltwater or freshwater and sometimes they are a combination of both.

I referenced Wildlife Anatomy for ecosystems like wetlands.

It is also a great reference for animals that live within the wetlands like alligators, along with Nature Anatomy which also includes many plants and animals.

More Paper Plate Habitat Diorama Inspiration

Here are some more wonderful and creative ideas for using paper plates to create mini ecosystems.

Preschoolers will love making and playing with the Paper Plate Magnetic Duck Pond
How fun is this Paper Plate Aquarium Fish diorama?
Create a Mini Beach Scene, add in crabs and other animals you would see along the shoreline.
Here is an even smaller idea, How to Make a Paper Plate Mini-Diorama
This Fancy Mushroom Diorama could be made using paper platters or plates.

Now you can take this paper plate habitat diorama and use it for anything- desert, ocean, woodland, arctic, etc.. but for this one, I want to focus on giving you information and activities for the wetlands.

Decide for yourselves which wetland you want to create for your project, this will determine the type of flora and fauna you add to it.

Next, add some of these activities for studying about wetlands.

Activities for Learning About the Wetlands

Wetlands Paper Plate Habitat Diorama

Typically, in dioramas, we often use small plastic animals.

But because our paper plate habitat diorama is so much smaller we decided to draw our little animals to keep it lightweight and to keep the scale small.

If you would still like to include the plastic animals for your diorama or to use in sensory bins, etc.

This Safari Ltd River set has a lot of animals found in wetlands.

You will need:

A paper plate
Small pebbles
Small sticks
moss
Plastic animals- optional
Cardstock
Paints
Markers

First, fold the paper plate in half, creasing it sharply.

Open the paper plate and paint half of it green and half blue.

Squeeze a generous amount of blue, green, and tan onto your plate where you would like your water, and brush it out, leaving it thick so it has some dimension.

Water in wetlands is generally kind of murky and muddled so wanted it to look natural.

While your plate is drying, have your child research and draw several wetlands animals for the habitat onto white cardstock.

Once the plate is dry, paint or use a marker to add trees in the background on the top half of the plate, against the sky.

Then, add moss, sticks, and small pebbles to the base. You can glue them down or leave them loose for additional play.

You can also create trees by hot gluing moss to small sticks, then secure them to the base with a little puddle of glue.

Add plastic animals or the paper ones your child drew to the scene.

Geronimo Stilton Race Against Time And Make Pottery Like Ancient Greeks

July 6, 2023 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

In Geronimo Stilton Race Against Time, our favorite mouse finds himself smack dab in the middle of the Ice Age, Ancient Greece, and The Renaissance with the help of The Paw Pro Portal. Be sure to grab more Geronimo Stilton Books ideas and crafts on my page.

Geronimo shares a fun tale (or is it tail) which takes us through a very important period of ancient history.

Geronimo Stilton Race Against Time And Make Pottery Like Ancient Greeks

One thing I always enjoyed about the Geronimo Stilton books is that they introduce famous historical figures and places in a somewhat silly way, in graphic novel format.

We will focus on the second tale about Ancient Greece in the book The Race Against Time (Geronimo Stilton Journey Through Time #3.

The Race Against Time (Geronimo Stilton Journey Through Time #3

Kids really love the series. This story even gives an illustration of the Greek alphabet.

Your child will be introduced to Phidias the Greek Sculptor, playwright Sophocles, and historian Thucydides.

Too, they’ll learn about symposiums, Agora, the main square, and “visit” the Parthenon.

Ancient Greece was a period of massive growth in the arts, wars, fashion and had busy ports, architecture, and astronomy.

The Ancient Greeks made their pots from clay.

Their pots were used for cooking, storing food to eat and drink from, as decoration, for perfumes and oils, and even urns to store the ashes of those cremated.

Sure, they were very useful, but they were also works of art.

Over time they went from simple decorations on their pottery to more intricate artwork.

For example, they used zig-zag patterns, gods and goddesses, chariots, buildings, people, and animals.

Pottery was a dark orange with black designs and later became reversed.

We are going to recreate our Greek pottery using a terra cotta pot and turn it into something that might be found as archaeologists dig through the sites of Ancient Greece.

Then I have more Geronimo Stilton book activities for kids.

Geronimo Stilton Book Activities

Next, look at these other crafts to go with the books.

Also, add these other activities to your learning day.

Activities to Learn About Ancient Greece

Too, after reading about Geronimo’s adventures, here are more fun hands-on ideas.

Finally, look how to make this fun Ancient Greek pottery designs.

This art project is a great learning activity because first they are researching Greek designs and pottery, and then it leads neatly into a discussion about archeology.

You can even add a third component by having them attempt to put the pieces back together like a 3D puzzle at the end.

The broken pieces of pottery look great lying in a basket or loose on a shelf to create a fun-themed vignette in your homeschool space.

Before starting your project, examine pictures of Greek pottery that archeologists have uncovered to get an idea of the types of designs they used. Here is a great video on YouTube about Ancient Greek Pottery.

Geronimo Stilton Race Against Time – Recreate Greek Pottery Craft

You can purchase inexpensive terra cotta pots at home improvement stores, Walmart, or Dollar Tree even.

We found this one abandoned in the garden and loved the aging of it so we gave it a good cleaning and used it rather than a new one.

You will need:

Terra Cotta pot
Permanent marker
Pillowcase
Hammer

First, let your child decorate their pot using a black permanent.

You can also paint it, but I find that a permanent marker flows so nicely on the pots and makes a lot less mess.

You can draw on famous Greek landmarks.

Add some Greek men and women.

Or whatever you like. Let them take their time adding whatever they want, you can even make it comic style with large individual cells around it to tell a story.

Now at this point, you can leave your pot as it is or move on to the next step which is to create broken pot shards like archeologists often find.

Place the pot in an old pillowcase or wrap it in a towel.

Give it a few good hits with a hammer, you may prefer to take this part outside. I like to try and leave some larger pieces, so the art is still identifiable.

Carefully, remove the pieces from the pillowcase, the edges may be sharp.

Use them to decorate a shelf or move onto another step and challenge your child to put the pieces back together if they can.

I would recommend only doing this with older children as any glue, but hot glue is going to take too long to dry.

Here we assembled a few of our pot shards back together with glue and tape.

Tina Robertson

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