Hands-On Activities

Cookie Sheet Activities Make Earth Day Cookies & Fascinating Earth Facts

March 20, 2023 | Leave a Comment
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Add these fun earth day cookies to your cookie sheet activities. Also, grab this fun idea using cookies to build the Eiffel Tower.

When you’re out on Earth Day on April 22 picking up trash, planting gardens and conserving water take a fun break.

Make these Earth Day cookies and add this idea to your cookie sheet activities.

Cookie Sheet Activities Make Earth Day Cookies & Fascinating Earth Facts

Besides, it’s a great time to learn some fascinating facts about earth.

Too, these Earth Day cookies are a great activity for the whole family, and you will get different results from kids of different skill levels.

For example, encourage your older (middle and high school) kids to go for accurate continents.

Let the toddlers go wild with blobs while you teach them that blue is for water and green for land. That’s a fun super easy introduction to geography.

12 Fascinating Facts About Planet Earth

Earth is the 3rd planet closest to the sun at a whopping 92.67 million miles.
The earth rotates at around 1000 miles an hour- wow!
The circumference of Earth is 24,901 miles.
Some scientists believe that the continents were not always separate but existed as one large landmass that broke apart-Pangea.
Earth is the 5th largest planet in the solar system.
Earth is nicknamed the blue planet or ocean planet, because it is covered in so much water.
The inner core of the earth is made of iron.
The earth’s atmosphere is made up of 6 layers. Those layers are called troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, exosphere, and ionosphere.
Did you know that earth is the only planet that is not named after one of the Greek or Roman gods?
Early ancient Greeks, Sumerians, Egyptians, Vikings, and Babylonians believed the earth was flat because of what they could see around them and the belief that the Heavens were above the earth.
The driest place in the world is the Atacama Desert in northern Chile, oddly enough it is right next to the biggest body of water — the Pacific Ocean.
Because the earth is not a perfect sphere its gravitational pull is not the same everywhere. The planet’s surface is bumpy, and water flow, ice drift and the movement of the tectonic plates create different gravity pulls.

Then, look at more ideas below for cookie sheet activities and earth science fun.

More Cookie Sheet Activities

Have you ever considered using a cookie sheet for something other than cookies?

Let’s look at some of my favorite cookie sheet activities that can turn a cheap kitchen item (think Dollar Tree) into a useful learning tool.

Use a cookie sheet to recreate this Edible Rock Cycle for some tasty earth science.
Remember when we did a study on George Washington Carver and made peanut butter cookies as part of our learning? What a great dive into history and science that was.
Use a cookie sheet Cook Ancient Sebetu Rolls and learn about Ancient Mesopotamia.

Next, here are a few that have nothing to do with cooking.

Check out this Cookie Sheet Challenge Sight Words, much more fun than practicing on a worksheet.
Or work on early math skills using the Cookie Ten Frame Matching Game for younger children.
Turn a cookie sheet into a DIY Chore Chart for each child that they help design, a great way to teach them to take ownership of their responsibilities.
A Magnetic Scrabble Board is an amazing way to work on vocabulary and spelling skills with older children.

Additionally, look at a few more activities to include if you’re learning about this beautiful planet we live on.

More Earth Science Ideas and Activities

Finally, let’s get onto the simple tutorial for our Earth Day cookies.

Earth Day Cookies

You will need:

1 package sugar cookie dough (or your favorite recipe)
Green food coloring
Blue food coloring
A map or globe for reference

First, mix up your cookie dough according to package directions.

Remove ¼ of the cookie dough and put it aside in a separate bowl.

To the larger amount of cookie dough add blue food coloring and mix until desired shade is reached. Due to the yellow of the egg yolk your blue is going to be more of an aqua/turquoise color than blue.

Add green food coloring to the smaller bowl of dough and mix well.

Roll cookie dough into balls in your hand and then flatten on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Pinch off small amounts of green dough and form rough continent shapes.

As they bake, they are going to spread and become a bit misshaped anyway so focus on the fun and getting the general idea more than perfection.

If your butter is too softened your cookies will spread and give you a large flatter cookie.

If you prefer a thicker, softer cookie pop the dough into the fridge for 15 minutes to chill it before baking.

Bake to the minimum time on your recipe. Keep in mind something about the coloring seems to make them brown and get crunchy edges faster.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the pan for a few minutes then transfer to a wire cooling rack. Enjoy.

Learn About Daniel Boone Hunting With a Fun Deer Unit Study & Notebooking Pages

March 18, 2023 | 2 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Your child will have fun learning about Daniel Boone hunting with this quick deer unit study. Look at more ideas on my page Daniel Boone – North American Explorer and for my unit studies on best homeschool unit studies.

If you are trailblazing through the woods exploring about Daniel Boone, you may want to head into learning about Daniel Boone hunting.

Back when people were moving westward and setting out on new trails the wild game was plentiful in the woods.

Learn About Daniel Boone Hunting With a Fun Deer Unit Study & Notebooking Pages

Daniel Boone would have no doubt encountered deer, squirrel, bear, fox, raccoon, rabbit, beaver, and wild turkey.

I have gathered up plenty of resources for you to focus on a deer unit study.

Boone was a very gifted hunter and deer were a plentiful and common target for the woodsman.

Ideas for a Deer Unit Study

You will find books, games, and hands-on ideas.

I will walk you through a fun art project focusing on the deer’s antlers.

If your family are hunters your child is no doubt already immersed in the world of the hunt.

But if they are just starting out there are a lot of great resources to introduce them to deer, their habitats, their place in the food chain, and more.

10 Fun Facts About Deer

Next, look at these fun facts about deer.

Deer can reach short distance bursts of speed up to 30mph and jump over 10 feet.
One in 30,000 deer are albino, the absence of pigment, which gives them white fur and pink eyes.
There are more than 40 different species of deer in the world.
A moose is actually a member of the New World deer subfamily.
Male deer shed their antlers once a year. Males grow antlers from March – September. The antlers are shed in late winter.
On rare occasions, a female will grow antlers.
A common deer in North America is the white-tailed deer.
A male white-tailed deer is called a buck, a female is called a doe and the young are called fawns.
White-tailed deer are herbivores. They eat twigs, buds, and leaves of a wide variety of plants.
Deer antlers are the fastest growing bone known and can grow as much as a ½ inch a day.

Then, look at some of these fun resources to learn about deer.

Deer Unit Study Resources

Add these books for a fun deer unit study or to learn about animals encountered along the trails of the Westward Expansion.

The Lost Deer Camp

I found this interesting looking hunting series of chapter books; The Lost Deer Camp (Hometown Hunters) would fit perfectly with a deer unit study.

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

While Nature Anatomy does not have a ton on deer specifically it does have a small section on antlered animals including deer, and it gives a simple illustration of the Lyme Bacteria cycle that often plagues deer and gives another take on deer. There are also other common animals of the forest as well as information on the habitat.

MEROCO Forest Animal Track Game Flash Cards

Animal Track game is a educational game that will teach kids how to match animals with their tracks and where to find them!

Most animals do not want to come in close contact with humans, but if you learn to notice and recognize their tracks, you will be able identify which animals visit your neighborhood or like to walk along the same trails as you do. Animal tracks can become a window into an otherwise hidden world-the presence and habits of wild animals.

Tracks, Scats and Signs (Take Along Guides)

Become a nature detective with this illustrative, engaging and fun Take-Along-Guide. You may not know where to look, or what to look for, but animal signs are everywhere and this guide will help you learn how to read them.

Deer Hunting for Kids (Into the Great Outdoors)

You’re perched in a tree stand when a huge whitetail walks below you. You raise your gun to aim. Do you have what it takes to bag this trophy buck? Now is your chance to learn what you need to know about deer hunting history, gear, techniques, safety, and more.

Late for the Sky Hunting-opoly Board Game

The board game classic with a Hunting twist

Choose traditional play or one hour version

Opoly-style play

Player pieces consist of crossbow, shotgun shell, backpack, boot, shed, binoculars

Tracker

For John Borne’s family, hunting has nothing to do with sport or manliness. It’s a matter of survival. Every fall John and his grandfather go off into the woods to shoot deer and put meat on the
table over the long Minnesota winter. But this year, John’s grandfather is dying, and John must hunt alone. John tracks a doe for two days, but as he closes in on his prey, he realizes he cannot shoot
her. For John, the hunt is no longer about killing, but about life.

About White-Tailed Deer

Deer are ruminant mammals which means it has a four‐chambered stomach.

In addition, deer are browsers which means they eat leaves and buds which are not easily digestible.

Their name white tailed deer comes from the fact that when they are in danger their white tail stands upright like a flag.

Too, antlers are grown by only male deer called bucks. However, both male and female reindeer have antlers.

Antlers are made of bone and is covered by a substance called velvet which is full of blood vessels to supply nutrients to the bone.

In addition, no doubt when Daniel Boone was hunting, he was familiar with the diet and habitat of the white tailed deer.

For example, they like open woods, old fields and anywhere along water sources. Deer use the wooded areas for cover and food.

And deer feed on nuts, berries, woody shoots and stems, acorns, honeysuckle, and poison ivy.

If food is planted like corn, soybeans and decorative shrubs they’ll eat that food too.

Next, deer normally make three different sounds which are maternal, reproductive and alarm.

Moreover, I have some fun deer notebooking pages to add to this unit study.

Deer Notebooking Pages

Further, your child can do his own research about deer and add his own notes or use some facts off my post here.

Grab the notebooking pages below.

Also, add in some fun hands-on activities.

Hands-on Deer Activities

This Easy Hands-on Science: Animal Camouflage Activity Hunt is a great introduction to understanding animal camouflage for younger children.
Grab this White Tailed Deer Print Out for younger kids to see the different parts of a deer as well as a footprint.
Make a hand craft deer for the littles.
If you have the opportunity to use some you have or borrow some antlers from a hunt or shed, let your child explore them by touching and seeing what they feel like, count the tips, and make other observations.

Fun Learning About Daniel Boone Hunting With a Quick Deer Unit Study

Turn a few fun deer toys into a wonderful activity by adding a little sand, moss, rocks, and sticks to a tray or bin to turn it into a deer themed sensory activity. Use a small piece of paper to give the woodland clearing a pond.

Discuss the differences between antlers and horns and if you have some let your kids explore how they are the same and different. Additionally, measure them and learn about math measurements.
Get outdoors with a field guide to locate wildlife and learn about when is the best time to view deer.
Learn how colonists and early Native American used parts of the deer in everyday life.
Further learn and match animal tracks.

Daniel Boone Hunting and Life Resources

Next, look at these other the life of Daniel Boone hunting and about his life resources.

Finally, I am going to walk you through creating your own multimedia deer art project.

We are going to focus on the antlers.

It makes a good springboard to talk about deer antlers, why they have them, and why they fall off.

This will be the easiest way anyone has brought home a 10 point buck.

Deer Art Project

You will need:

11×14 canvas
Sticks and twigs of various sizes
Hot glue gun/glue sticks
Acrylic paint
pencil

Before you begin, sketch out the top of your deer head onto paper until you are happy with your design.

Retrace the design onto the canvas with a pencil.

Don’t worry about getting it perfect.

We are making our deer just peek over the edge and focusing on those antlers.

Water down blue paint and paint all around the drawing. But do not paint to the edges of your drawing.

Crumple up a rag or paper towel and pat the blue all over to lighten the paint.

Allow the blue paint to dry to the touch, it shouldn’t take long since you removed all the excess paint.

Begin painting to fill in the outline of the deer with brown paint and add details with black and light brown for highlights.

Let the paint dry completely and lay out the sticks until you are satisfied with your antlers.

Lastly, hot glue each piece down

How to Get the Free Deer Notebooking Pages

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That means when you sign up to follow me, you get access to this freebie.

1) Sign up on my list.

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Facts About Wildflowers And a Fun Felt Texas Bluebonnet Craft

March 14, 2023 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have some facts about wildflowers and a fun felt Texas bluebonnet craft. You’ll also love my Wildflowers Unit Study.

Spring is very nearly here; can you feel it?

It is officially just a few days away and already things are blooming, birds are nesting, days are getting longer, and spring fever is taking hold.

Facts About Wildflowers And a Fun Felt Texas Bluebonnet Craft

One of my favorite things about spring is the beautiful abundance of wildflowers.

You can find them alongside streams, on hillsides, at the edge of the forest, and even on the side of the road.

Spring is the perfect time to learn many fun facts about wildflowers, investigate their uses and benefits to their ecosystems, learn state flowers, and more.

Today we are going to learn some of those facts and create beautiful felt Texas Bluebonnets which is the state flower for Texas.

This project is easy, pretty inexpensive and free if you have these basic supplies on hand.

It makes adorable addition to your spring decor.

They would also be a great craft to go along with a unit study about Texas.

10 Wonderful And Fun Facts About Wildflowers

Wildflowers are important because they support ecosystems and pollinators which is good for us and our food supply.
Texas Bluebonnets are the official state flower of Texas.
Wildflowers have several different meanings like happiness, joy, and remembrance.
A wildflower is called that because it is a flower that grows in the wild, and it was not intentionally seeded or planted.
A group of wildflowers is called a bloom. A super bloom is a rare desert botanical phenomenon where an unusually high amount of wildflowers whose seeds have lain dormant in desert soil blossom at about the same time.
Bluebonnets are typically (obviously) blue but occasionally you’ll come across them in light blue, white or pink, due to genetic mutations.
The name dandelion comes from the French- dent de lion (tooth of the lion ) for its jagged toothed shaped leaves. A coffee substitute can be made from the roasted and ground roots of dandelions.
Many wildflowers, from the petals to the roots, are used for medicines, tinctures, salves, teas, and beauty products.
Most wildflowers contain 4 basic parts – sepals, petals, pistils, and stamens.
The two most common wildflowers are the common sunflower, Helianthus annuus, and the Black-eyed Susan, Rudbeckia hirta).

Next, add some of these books for your wildflower unit study.

10 Wildflower Books & Resources For Kids Who Love to Read and Be Read To

Spring is especially a good time to learn about wildflowers but you can learn about them anytime. Add a few of these hands-on resources and books and you'll have a fun multiple ages unit study for your homeschooled kids.

Botanicum: Welcome to the Museum

Botanicum, is a brilliantly curated guide to plant life. With artwork from Katie Scott of Animalium fame, Botanicum gives readers the experience of a fascinating exhibition from the pages of a beautiful book. From perennials to bulbs to tropical exotica, Botanicum is a wonderful feast of botanical knowledge complete with superb cross sections of how plants work.

National Geographic Pocket Guide to Wildflowers of North America

With this basic beginner's field guide to North American wildflowers, all who enjoy nature and the outdoors can identify common wildflowers, from backyard weeds to dainty forest blossoms. In a logical, user-friendly, highly visual format, this new title offers key facts about 160 of the most common wildflowers and weeds, coast to coast, including Canada and Alaska.

Wildcraft! an Herbal Adventure Game for Kids

Unlike many kids games 4 and up that turn out to be too confusing for children, Wildcraft! An Herbal Adventure Game, is a fun, strategic challenge that’s also easy to follow– NO READING REQUIRED. Because our learning board games feature clear illustrations and matching icons, even younger kids will learn what the different plants look like and can be used for. It’s the perfect fun game for family game night with kids, and ideal for beginners – no prior plant knowledge necessary!

Wildflower Seeds: Bulk Mix of 21 Varieties

Wide Variety Of Flower Seeds: Our wildflower seeds will provide you with a vibrant selection of flowers in your garden. You will get 21 different varieties of annual seeds including Black Eyed Susans, California Bluebells, African Daisies and more.

Wildflower Bingo Game

Do you know which flower got its name from its resemblance to the sombrero? What is the species of the bluebonnet? Lot of facts about North American wildflowers in this game.

Wildflowers, Blooms & Blossoms (Take Along Guides)

An introduction to the world of insects, caterpillars, and butterflies including identification information, educational activities, and fun facts.Invites young naturalists to spot wildlife. Safety tips are provided and interesting activities are suggested.

Ultimate Explorer Field Guide: Wildflowers

What do you call a garden filled with lots of flowers? A polli-nation! Nat Geo Kids is back with the newest fact- and photo-filled Ultimate Explorer Field Guide, and this one packs some real flower power! This guide to wildflowers will make kids stop and look for all kinds of blossoms blooming right under their noses. From buttercups to bladderworts, primroses to pitcher plants, kids will learn how, where, and when to spot these wildflowers in their backyard, down the street, or all over town! Jam-packed with tons of info, interactive prompts, tips for budding botanists, super stats, and jokes--it's the perfect companion for exploring the backyard or field trips, camping, or vacation. Durable and portable, it's just right for your pocket or backpack!

Wild Flowers of North America (Science Nature Guides)

Did you know that wild plants are still used for food, for medicines, and as dyes? Many of the plants growing in urban areas, in woods and by the side of roads are useful as well as being pretty. Other plants have small and less obvious how many have you seen and not realized that they were flowers? This book will show you the most common wild flowers and where you are most likely to find them. A nature guide designed for elementary grades 2-3, the book includes more than 20 easy-to-do science projects.

Miss Lady Bird's Wildflowers: How a First Lady Changed America

In this warm, engaging look at the life of a great First Lady, Kathi Appelt tells the story behind Lady Bird Johnson's environmental vision. Joy Fisher Hein's colorful wildflowers burst from every page, inviting us to share in Lady Bird's love for natural beauty.

From a lonely childhood in the Piney Woods of East Texas to an exciting life in the White House, Lady Bird Johnson loved wildflowers with all her heart. They were her companions in her youth, greeting her everywhere as she explored wild forests, bayous, and hills.

Wild Flowers of North America: Botanical Illustrations by Mary Vaux Walcott

Published in association with the Smithsonian Institution. What does it take to paint a wildflower that blooms for a single day in a deep forest? For Mary Vaux Walcott, it involved spending up to seventeen hours a day out of doors with her paintbox to capture the shape, movement, and colors of delicate petals and leaves.

Hands on Ideas for Facts About Wildflowers

Be sure to grab my Free Wildflowers Unit Study and Lapbook.
Learn How to Make Wildflower Seed Bombs
Learn How to Easily Make a Simple and Fun Kids DIY Flower Press
Younger children will love this Nature Walk Cardboard Vase Activity for collecting wildflowers as they find them.
Plant a massive bed of wildflowers and learn about them in your own backyard.
Hands-On Mixed Media Flower Art Fun Nature Study

Then, add a fun felt wildflower like a Texas Bluebonnet to your list of activities.

You probably have most of these items at your house already.

How to Make a Texas Bluebonnet Wildflower Craft

You will need:

White craft felt
Blue craft felt
Hot glue gun/Glue sticks
Wooden Skewers
Green markers/paint
Scissors

Directions:

Paint or color skewers green and set aside to dry.

You could also use craft sticks or even pick skinny sticks out of the yard to use.

Cut the white felt on the short end into approximately 1” strips and cut the blue felt into 1 ¼” to 1 ½” strips.

Fold the white in half lengthwise and cut notches every ⅛” to ¼” from the fold to almost the edge but not quite cutting through.

Add a bit of hot glue to the end of your green colored skewer and begin wrapping the folded white felt around the tip, maybe 3 or 4 times moving down as you go.

We used about 3” of the white piece and cut the rest off for another bluebonnet.

Secure the end with hot glue.

Fold the long length of blue in half lengthwise and repeat the process of cutting lines from the fold to the other side but not quite all the way across.

Slightly overlap the white and wrap the blue (still folded in half) around the stem continuing down adding hot glue to secure every so often. Be sure to pull and twist tightly as you go.

Repeat for as many flowers as you wish to make.

For each flower we used a 3” piece of white felt strip and the entire blue strip.

Happy Spring!

Life Cycle Of a Strawberry Facts and Fun Hand Sewn Felt Strawberry

March 12, 2023 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have some facts about the life cycle of a strawberry and how to make a felt hand sewn strawberry. And you’ll love my Strawberry Unit Study page.

This is a great activity not only to use while learning about the life cycle of a strawberry plant but also to work in a simple handiwork skill.

I have simplified this so even if you are not a sewer yourself it is easy for you and your child to learn together.

Life Cycle Of a Strawberry Facts and Fun Hand Sewn Felt Strawberry

The life cycle of a strawberry plant starts with seeds and germination.

Then the plants are produced and mature.

Next comes flowering, fruiting, and finally dormancy before it starts all over again in the new season.

Even if you can’t grow them on your own there are a lot of great easy to learn about strawberries and their life cycle.

Resources to Learn The Life Cycle of a Strawberry

Use these great Strawberry Notebooking Pages for Language Arts

Enjoy a fun Strawberry Unit Study.

Plant your own strawberries from seed.

There is a great illustration of the life cycle of a strawberry plant in Nature Anatomy among all the other wonderful nature study info it contains.

Taste strawberries and other berries to compare.

Ask your child to describe it with all their senses, what does it smell like, taste like, look like?

Try strawberries in other forms as well like jams or jellies, in salad dressings, etc.

Slice a strawberry in half and encourage your child to examine it, where are the seeds located? How does the center look different?

Extract Strawberry DNA for another fun hands-on science activity.

Watch this video to see a strawberry go from flower to fruit.

Also, look at some strawberry life cycle facts.

6 Facts about The Life Cycle of a Strawberry

You can harvest the seeds from strawberries by pulling them off individually with tweezers and laying them on a paper towel to dry completely. Store in a labeled envelope or baggie.
Planted from seed, strawberries take around 110 days from sprouting until they start to flower.
The ever-bearing types of strawberries will produce two crops, one in early summer and the second in the early fall.
Strawberries have the shortest life cycle of any of the berries, taking just 60-90 days.
The average strawberry has about 200 seeds on it.
Strawberry plants can return year after year for about 5 to 6 years, but the berry harvest begins to decrease after 2 or 3 years.

Too, grab some of these fun resources for your strawberry unit study.

More Strawberry Resources

11 Strawberry Unit Study Resources & Books

Add one or two of these strawberry unit study resources to make your fun spring unit study come to life.

1000+ Red Strawberry Seeds for Planting

Big pack: 1000+ Non-GMO red strawberry seeds by Monique939-002..

Interesting: Whether they are spotted in your yard or as part of a tasty treat, strawberries are sure to spark attention! Liven up a fruit salad, muesli or trifle.

From Seed to Strawberry

How does a tiny seed grow into a sweet, juicy strawberry? Follow each step in the cycle from planting seeds to eating yummy strawberries in this fascinating book!

Strawberry Girl

Strawberries—big, ripe, and juicy. Ten-year-old Birdie Boyer can hardly wait to start picking them. But her family has just moved to the Florida backwoods, and they haven't even begun their planting. "Don't count your biddies 'fore they're hatched, gal young un!" her father tells her.

Strawberry Night Light

How fun.. What an adorable gift or to use in your school area.

Strawberry Shortcake

Your child will quickly fall in love with this Strawberry Shortcake pillow and be excited to jump into bed. Great for playtime, naptime, or bedtime this will make the perfect gift for your loved one.

Saving Strawberry Farm

One penny.

In the hot, mean summer of 1933, a penny is enough to buy caramels or red hots or peppermint sticks or licorice strings. Is it enough to buy Miss Elsie's Strawberry Farm?

There's only one way to find out. Davey takes a deep breath and shouts, "One penny for trawberry Farm!"

Set during the Great Depression, and illustrated by Caldecott Honor artist Rachel Isadora, Saving Strawberry Farm brings Davey's Midwestern town to life as friends and neighbors plan to
save the farm the only way they can -- with a secret penny auction!

Strawberry Shortcake Coloring Book Super Set/ Over 100 Stickers

Delight your Strawberry Shortcake fan with this Strawberry Shortcake Giant Coloring Book Bundle with 144 coloring pages and 50 stickers.

This giant Strawberry Shortcake sticker activity book set features Strawberry Shortcake and her friends.

Includes two premium Strawberry Shortcake coloring books filled with coloring activities and games. Includes 50 stickers!

National Geographic Readers: Plants (Level 1 Co-reader)

Adult and child readers will learn all about plants together in this new Co-reader from National Geographic Kids. Find out how plants grow as well as the different parts of plants, seeds, and flowers.

The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear

Little Mouse loves strawberries, but so does the big hungry bear . . .

How will Little Mouse stop the bear from eating his freshly picked, red ripe strawberry?

This classic story is beloved for its humor, expressive illustrations, and surprise ending—pure read-aloud fun!

Watch a Strawberry Grow (Bullfrog Books: Watch It Grow)

In Watch a Strawberry Grow, early fluent readers learn how strawberries grow. Vibrant, full-color photos and carefully leveled text will engage young readers as they learn about how this delicious berry is grown and harvested. An infographic illustrates the life cycle of a strawberry. Children can learn more about how strawberries grow using our safe search engine that provides relevant, age-appropriate websites

The Strawberry Garden

Grandfather Ethan planted strawberry seedlings in the garden bed, and when they grew big strawberries that were all shiny and red - everybody wanted to taste them: the cow, the crow, and even the cat. It's a good thing that the scarecrow was there to scare them away! But what happens when little Nora, the granddaughter, wants to collect the shiny red strawberries?

Finally, how to make this hand sewn felt strawberry for a fun hands-on activity.

Simple Hand Sewn Strawberry

You will need:

Embroidery Floss- Yellow, red, green
Blunt sewing needle
Felt- Red and green
Scissors
Cotton stuffing or scrap fabric for stuffing

Directions:

Cut a half circle from the red felt.

It should be about 5” wide on the flat side is a good size for most kids to work with.

Thread a long piece of yellow embroidery thread on the blunt needle and tie a knot in the end.

Pierce the felt and draw the thread all the way through until it is tight.

Pierce the needle back through the other side very close to the first one. This will create tiny little seeds on your strawberry, repeat all over the piece

The back is going to end up looking like this but that’s okay it’s going on the inside and it won’t be seen.

Once you have enough seeds tie a knot in the yellow thread and cut off the excess.

Thread a long string of red embroidery floss onto your blunt needle.

Fold the semi-circle in half and sew along the straight edge with a very basic stitch. Tie a knot in the end and cut off the excess.

If you have a lot of string leftover, you can reknot it and use it to close the top.

To do this you want to run the needle in and out along the top with a straight stitch but leave these stitches loose until you have sewn all the way around.

Stuff with cotton filler or even scraps of felt.

Pull the end of the thread tightly like a drawstring to close the top, run a few stitches through to secure.

Cut a 4-point leaf out of the green felt.

And enjoy all that strawberry deliciousness this spring with this fun craft.

Fun Hands-On Bee Activities for Kids Make a Mason Bee Habitat

March 11, 2023 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have some fun hands-on bee activities like an easy bee habitat. Also, grab more ideas on my Honey Bees Unit Study page.

Spring brings to mind many wonderful things like flowers, butterflies, birds, and of course those wonderful little pollinators bees.

You can’t let spring go by without at least a little unit study on bees.

Fun Hands-On Bee Activities for Kids Make a Mason Bee Habitat

I have some fantastic hands-on bee activities to try like this mason bee habitat you can make with your child to help support them and encourage pollination.

With the bee decline due to insecticides, pesticides, climate change and other harmful changes it is more important than ever that we give these important little pollinators a hand.

One way we can do this is by helping to create habitats for them to make a nest out of.

Mason bees like to lay their eggs in small openings and use mud or other resources to plug up the hole until the new bees are ready to emerge.

5 Mason Bee Facts

Unlike other types of bees every female mason bee is a solitary queen and lays eggs, raising them without worker bees or drones.
Mason bees lay their eggs in natural or manmade “tunnels” with the females toward the back to protect them from predators and males up front, who emerge first.
The average lifespan for a Mason Bee is just four to six weeks.
There are 140 species of mason bees in North America, and they are found in orchards and gardens.
Mason Bees do not produce honey and they also lack the venom found in the stinger of honeybees.

Then, add some hands-on activities.

Hands-On Bee Activities and Books

Work on this Fascinating and Fun Honey Bees Unit Study and Lapbook for Kids.

Demonstrate the life cycle of a bee with this Safari Ltd Life cycle set and then have your child recreate it with LEGO, clay, in Minecraft or by drawing it out.

Make something with beeswax like this Fun Hands-on Apothecary Salve

Further, add Labeling Parts of a Honey Bee LEGO Fun Activity For Kids.

Dynamic Honey Bee Lapbook for Multiple Ages
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Have a taste test with a few local and/or specialty honey items.

Print and go over these Fun Bee Facts for Kids.

Watch this video on beekeeping and follow up with some fun dramatic play from Dream big Little One.

Also, add some books about bees.

8 Honey Bees Unit Study Resources & Books

Add some of these fun resources to your bees unit study or spring unit study.

Bees: A Honeyed History

One part science, one part cultural history, and countless parts fascination, Bees: A Honeyed History celebrates the important role that these intriguing insects have played in our ecosystem throughout the ages, and today.

The Beekeeper's Bible: Bees, Honey, Recipes & Other Home Uses

Part history book, part handbook, and part cookbook, this illustrated tome covers every facet of the ancient hobby of beekeeping, from how to manage hives safely to harvesting one’s own honey, and ideas for how to use honey and beeswax. Detailed instructions for making candles, furniture polish, beauty products, and nearly 100 honey-themed recipes are included. Honeybees, which are critical in the pollination of popular US produce such as almonds, apples, and blueberries, are actually not native to the Americas. The honeybee that you see dancing from flower to flower in farms and gardens originated in Europe. The introduction of the honeybee began with European colonization of the Americas; before that, wild native bees, other insects, and some birds and mammals pollinated the native flowers of the continent. The honeybee’s ability to pollinate crops, produce honey, and be easily domesticated precipitated the growth in beekeeping all over America.

Flight of the Honey Bee: Read and Wonder

Follow the flight of a honey bee as she searches for nectar to sustain her hive and, along the way, pollinates flowers to produce seeds and fruits. Nature lovers and scientists-to-be are invited to explore the fascinating life of a honey bee.

Life Cycle of a Honey Bee

Honey Bees are fascinating creatures which have been kept by humans for centuries. Now you can explore the life cycle of the honey bee without being stung. Watch as it grows from an egg, to a larva, and to a pupa before finally emerging as a mature adult.

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

Always a favorite when doing any kind of nature study, there are a few pages that cover different types of bees, common nectar sources, and bee anatomy. If you don't have this set already I cannot recommend it enough for nature studies.

Farm Anatomy: The Curious Parts and Pieces of Country Life

One of the companion books to Nature Anatomy, the farm version covers all parts of farming, machinery, and crops but it also caught my eye because it even covers Beekeeping for aspiring beekeepers. It goes over bee terminology, parts of a bee, the parts of a hive, types of bees, flower parts, and beekeeper essentials. These books really put a lot of info into compact parts.

The Life and Times of the Honeybee

Why do beekeepers use smoke machines when collecting honey? Can a bee really sting only once? Why do bees "dance"? In concise, detailed text and abundant illustrations that range from the humorous to the scientific, Charles Micucci offers a wide-ranging and spirited introduction to the life cycle, social organization, and history of one of the world's most useful insects.

The Magic School Bus Inside a Beehive

When the Magic School Bus turns into a beehive, Ms. Frizzle's class learns firsthand about how workers, drones, and the queen bees live together. Readers will be abuzz with knowledge as they discover how honeybees find food; make a comb, honey, and beeswax; and care for their young, all from the bee's perspective.

How to Make a Mason Bee Habitat

You will need:

Clean metal can
Lots of paper straws
Scissors
Sandpaper
Paint
Twine

Directions:

Wash and dry a can well, we used a green bean can from last night’s dinner.

You can leave your can as is or paint it to look like a bee, a colorful flower, or also add some color with patterned duct tape. We chose to give ours a bee-like paint job.

Before painting, rough up your can a bit by rubbing all over the outside with sandpaper this will help your paint adhere better.

Paint and allow your can to dry completely.

Grab a straw and measure the height of your can.

Then, cut one straw just under the top edge of the can. Use this as a guide and cut a bunch more straws of the same height.

Use only paper straws as plastic cannot breathe and won’t attract the bees. You can include straws of different diameters to attract a variety of bees and other insects.

Stuff the can full of paper straws so they fit tightly and completely fill the can.

Wrap twine around the top and bottom of the can and knot it tightly. Run a long piece of twine through both and leave a loop to create a hanger for your mason bee home.

Hang the bee habitat outside in a tree.

Hands-On Activities

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More Cookie Sheet Activities

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10 Fun Facts About Deer

About White-Tailed Deer

Deer Notebooking Pages

Hands-on Deer Activities

Daniel Boone Hunting and Life Resources

Deer Art Project

How to Get the Free Deer Notebooking Pages

10 Wonderful And Fun Facts About Wildflowers

Hands on Ideas for Facts About Wildflowers

How to Make a Texas Bluebonnet Wildflower Craft

Resources to Learn The Life Cycle of a Strawberry

6 Facts about The Life Cycle of a Strawberry

More Strawberry Resources

Simple Hand Sewn Strawberry

5 Mason Bee Facts

Hands-On Bee Activities and Books

Dynamic Honey Bee Lapbook for Multiple Ages

How to Make a Mason Bee Habitat

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