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Teach Homeschool Science

41 Easy Hands-on Faith-Neutral Science Activities for Kids

September 21, 2024 | 2 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

This list of 41 easy hands-on faith-neutral science activities for kids is not only fun, but simple to do at home. These awesome activities for kids can be used in multiple ways.

Look at these 4 ways on how to use these quick hands-on faith-neutral science activities.

  • If you’re homeschooling for faith-based reasons you want to add your own science worldview. Doing faith-neutral science activities doesn’t mean you need to leave your faith checked at the door; it does mean you can add your family’s values to an activity. Whether you homeschool for faith-based reasons or you’re a secular homeschooler, you can use these activities;
  • To respect a multitude of beliefs if you’re teaching a co-op, it’s best to have on hand science activities that all kids can do regardless of belief or lack of it;
  • Because activities don’t have to be complicated, these are ideas you can do at home with little prep; and
  • Last, but not least, the BEST list of ideas always comes from educators like us using what we have in our home or things we can purchase easily at the local store.
41 Easy Hands-on Faith-Neutral Science Activities for Kids

FAITH-NEUTRAL SCIENCE ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS

So these ideas comes from the brilliant and creative homeschool moms in my Facebook Group. (Yes, I’m biased). Hats off to them for being awesome home educators.

1. Check the Accuracy of the 5 Second Rule.

You need three petri dishes and gummy bears. Test the idea that if you pick up food from the floor before 5 seconds would it have bacteria.

One dish is labeled as the bacteria of a gummy bear which didn’t touch the floor, one for a gummy bear which was on the floor for 5 seconds, and one that was on the floor for a minute.

Put the dishes away for a week and check the results.

How to test the results?

After 3 days my son checked it and using a marker he circled areas where bacteria was growing and then checked again after a week.

2. Compare Transparency, Translucency, and Opacity.

Paint mason jars with a mixture of white glue and food coloring (or paint).

When you put a light inside, you can see how opaque or translucent the jar is.

3. Learn about Aerodynamics.

We rolled old socks into balls and threw them around.

Then, we compared the looser sock balls, tighter sock balls, and tried an unrolled sock. We talked about aerodynamics, then threw some more socks! 

4. Make a Fraction Salad.

Science includes math. So when you study fractions make a fraction salad.

Cut grapes in halves, apples in quarters, and bananas in sixths (or eighths, depending on the size of the fruit). Then we ate it!

5. Growing Ivory Soap Science.

Microwave Ivory soap for about a minute or stop every few seconds so your kids see the changes in the soap.

Discuss air pockets. Microwave another bar to compare to see why Ivory soap expands and why it’s lighter.

SCIENCE ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS

6. Investigate Condensation.

Review the terms condensation, precipitation, and evaporation.

Condensation is harder to understand and to see.

So place a pea seed in a jar with lid and moisten cotton balls.

Watch the pea sprout with the condensation built up inside.

7. Build a DIY Easy Bird Feeder.

You can use many things to build feeders, but we loved using left over pumpkin halves to build feeders in the fall.

Look at this other post How to Make Easy DIY Bird Feeders.

8. Science Art – Make Pressed and Painted Leaves.

After leaves fall from trees, press, then paint underside of leaves and make prints on canvas.

9. Sprout a Sweet Potato.

Sprout a sweet potato is easy fun science or just to have some pretty green in your house at the time of the year when all plants seem to die.

10. Learn About Patterns – Perler Beads Creations.

Make easy patterns while learning about them or create themed ones like Minecraft using the Fun-Schooling Book.

Use Perler Beads to make your creations for any science topic or a science fiction creation.

HANDS-ON SCIENCE AT HOME

11. Learn about traction.

You need leftover boxes from your Amazon orders or any box will do, but normally we have plenty of empty Amazon boxes.

Make two easy ramps with your leftover Amazon and run toy cars down them.

41 Easy Hands-on Faith-Neutral Science Activities for Kids

Then, try sticking different things to the surfaces to create traction for the cars, like sandpaper, bubble wrap, whatever you have in the house.

This is a quick and easy quick play to learn about ramps, speed, and different effects the surface provides.

12. What Affect Different Liquids has on Items?

Take gummy bears and put then in different liquids to see how it would effect them.

We used vinegar, salt water, baking soda, coke, water and just plain water.

Compare the fun results.

13. Edible Math Graphing.

Use a bag of skittles (preferable big so you have enough to eat afterwards) and separate by color. Graph the results.

Eat, enjoy and repeat. (oops with another bag)

Also, look at 25 Creative and Tasty Edible Math Activities That Keep Learning Fun.

14. Understand Dissolving.

Put salt in warm water and cold water and determine which ones dissolves more of the salt and why.

FAITH-NEUTRAL SCIENCE IDEAS

15. Learn about Yeast and How It Produces Gas.

Make home made pizza dough and individual pizzas.

Learn about yeast and the gas production that causes it to rise while enjoying the end results and the different flavors of pizza.

Look at my post How to Turn a Pizza Into a Fun Edible Human Cell Model.

16. Dissect Owl Pellets.

41 Easy Hands-on Faith-Neutral Science Activities for Kids

Easy science.

Grab a kit and read a book about food chains to round out the experience.

Grab the book Owl Puke.

And here is an Owl Pellet Dissection Kit.

17. Diorama of the Planets or 18. Diorama of Different Habitats.

Whether you use styrofoam balls, wood. or paper mache this is a fun project.

Another idea is to make a mobile of the planets.

If you do habitats you can easily use what you have in the house and do one for the tundra, rainforest, and a desert.

Look at these fun and free printable planets and here is a printable to create a coral reef diorama , an Arctic polar animals diorama, an Amazon Jungle or Rainforest Animals, and Dinosaur habitat,

19. Grow (attempt) Celery.

Growing celery from the stump butt of one bought from the store can be fun even if it’s a fail.

Science is about attempting a variety of activities. Kids learn about what not to do in science.

BEST HANDS-ON SCIENCE ACTIVITIES

The celery did not grow, but the kids learned why to not over water vegetables.

20. Make an Outline of the Human Body and Add a Few Organs.

41 Easy Hands-on Faith-Neutral Science Activities for Kids
Picture courtesy luv of @loveandlearninghomeed

For younger kids make an outline of the human body and then have your older kids learn where body organs go.

Here is a link for the free printable organs.

21. Why do Leaves Change Color?

We looked at why leaves change color by soaking leaves in methylated spirit (denatured alcohol) which drew out the green (chlorophyll) and left the other colors.

41 Easy Hands-on Faith-Neutral Science Activities for Kids
Picture courtesy luv of @loveandlearninghomeed

22. Practical Math Using the Iditarod.

Make a litter of sled dog puppies (socks filled with rice) to study the Iditarod.

Practice math by weighing your puppies (sometimes adding or removing rice), calculating food amounts, etc.

Also learn how dog sled pups are named.

Make beef stew and serve in (brand new and washed) dog bowls and watch Sled Dog.

And look at my post How to Make a Popsicle Stick Stem Dogsled | Balto Unit Study.

23. Make an easy spinal cord.

Make the spinal cord out of penne pasta and gummi rings, the pasta being the vertebrae and the gummi rings the disks.

41 Easy Hands-on Faith-Neutral Science Activities for Kids
Picture courtesy luv of @loveandlearninghomeed

I have more Build An Edible DNA Model and Fun Edible Spine.

24. Engineering Challenge.

Do an engineering challenge to build a shelter with materials you find.

41 Easy Hands-on Faith-Neutral Science Activities for Kids
Picture courtesy of @loveandlearninghomeed

Also, look at How to Create Swiss Family Treehouse Blueprints With Kids.

25. Nature Observing.

Look for evidence of insects and animals. Read about habitats and trees in your local area, then take a nature hike.

Too, I have this post 26 Fun Nature Unit Studies for Multiple Ages.

26. Experiment with a resister to electricity.

Experiment with an electricity kit.

41 Easy Hands-on Faith-Neutral Science Activities for Kids
Picture courtesy of @loveandlearninghomeed

We determined that the current reduces when you add a resistor so the light bulb will be dimmer.

We also added a fan to a circuit.

HOMESCHOOL SCIENCE ACTIVITIES

27. Glow Germ Experiment.

This is a fun one to do in a co-op or with siblings.

Click here to read about how to do the glo germ activity.

28. Learn about Capillary Action.

We explained capillary action by cutting celery stalks at the bottom and putting them in containers with food dye.

After a few hours if you cut the stalk you could see the food dye had been drawn up.

Then, after a day or so the leaves were showing the food dye.

29. Apple science.

Cut open a few different apples and inspect the seeds. Look at my posts Apple Lapbook and Apple Unit Study.

Learn about how the number of seeds directly correlates with the pollination of the apples which of course will lead us into a study on pollination.

30. Understand about blubber.

Learning about the Arctic and Antarctica are doing a blubber hand.

You insert one hand in ice water with just a glove or ziplock bag and the second hand is immersed in shortening (blubber) before put in cold water.

The kids can compare the difference with the blubber.a

31. Dissect a Shark.

And look at How to Create a Hands-on Fun Shark Vocabulary Anatomy Activity, Shark and Oceans for Kindergarten Fun Sight Word Activity and How to Make A Megalodon Shark Tooth Fun Homeschool Project.

FUN SCIENCE AT HOME

32. Make bouncy eggs.

Make bouncing eggs by soaking eggs in vinegar for three days.

The calcium of the eggshell will dissolve and leave the membrane of the egg which will be bouncy.

This will be to demonstrate the effect of acid on minerals like calcium.

33. Learn about weight and floating.

Make boats out of tin foil and weigh them. Make a note.

Then find things around the house and weigh them before putting them in the boat, again taking note.

Find things like pennies, paper clips and small toys.

Make it a challenge by the winner being whoever gets the most things in their boat without it sinking. They can draw pictures in their science journals too.

34. Chemical reactions.

Use silly putty to show chemical reactions. Click here to learn about the chemical reactions.

35. Color of Leaves.

Pick up leaves and examine them with a magnifying glass.

36. Make balloon operated cars.

Here is a fun video lesson to watch on how to make an easy balloon operated car.

SCIENCE TO DO AT HOME

41 Easy Hands-on Faith-Neutral Science Activities for Kids

37. Study Arthropods.

Finish your unit with an Arthropod scavenger hunt!

Kids use a scavenger hunt to find certain arthropods, take pictures of them, and then create a beautiful power point presentation as their final assessment.

38. Make a Tree Book.

Put together a book on trees.

This is a great activity if you have a ton of trees around. Go on a leaf hunt.

Then iron them in wax paper and look up each leaf and write facts about them.

Put the wax paper in plastic sleeves and put them in a notebook and keep it as a keepsake to look at all year round to remind us of the different and beautiful trees we have around us.

39. Composting.

You get short term and long term benefits from this hands-on idea.

Composting is quick to set up, but you do have to wait a few years to eventually get new dirt.

Too, i have Gardening Projects For Homeschool Easy Composting With the Amazing Dr. George Carver (Free Printable About Compost).

40. How Does Drag Work?

Make paper airplanes. Here is a link on how to make a paper airplane.

41. Make Crystals.

You can make crystals out of a solution and measured the temperature to start with, in the middle, and at the end.

Make different colors, discuss about geodes and how they form as well as other crystals like ice, salt, and sugar.

The best way to teach is hands-on and having these faith-neutral science kid’s activities at your finger tips allows you to plan quickly with just a few things on hand.

For example, look at How To Make Crystals | Facts About Crystals For Kids.

What easy science ideas have you done?

Look at these other fun ideas you’ll love:

  • Kinder Gardening to Celebrate Nature and Science
  • How to Easily Make Fun Seed Tape With Kids
  • How to Make a Fun Kids Root Viewer
  • Easy Seed and Gardening Unit Study for Kids (Middle – Upper Elementary)
  • 18 Amazing Kids Subscription Boxes to Try Right Now
  • 6 Fun and Free Nature Studies to Beat the Doldrums
  • 100 Brilliant STEM Activities Using Everyday Items

Hugs and love ya,

2 CommentsFiled Under: Hands-On Activities, How To - - -, Science, Science Based, Teach Homeschool Science Tagged With: hands-on, hands-on activities, handsonhomeschooling, homeschoolscience, life science, physical science, science

6 Resources for Making Homeschool High School Science Easy

June 19, 2024 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have 6 resources for making homeschool high school science easy. Also, look at my page How to Homeschool High School.

Science has been a subject that we have always tried to add naturally into our day.

Too, I folded it into our unit studies even at the high school level.

However, we do love spending our time reading about history and geography.

So, I wanted to be sure as the boys entered high school that they received more formal training in science.

6 Resources for Making Homeschool High School Science Easy

It didn’t mean we had to give up our hands-on things we were doing with our unit studies, but I wanted to be sure our activities were high school level because I wanted our transcript to reflect that.

Like history, science is a subject that you and your teen need to determine how in depth to cover it.

Though my boys loved science, like me, they had a bent toward history and geography so that did affect their choice as to curriculum.

If you’re a science minded family, its important which science track your teens takes.

Even if your teen is not choosing a career in science, the advantages of covering science at the high school level go far beyond just college or career.

5 Questions Before Purchasing A High School Science Program

Before I mention those advantages for us, look at these things to mull over before you pull the trigger on a high school science program.

  • Do you want to only cover the  major sciences like biology, chemistry and physics?
  • Do you want to cover subjects outside the traditional subjects, like astronomy or botany? Having homeschooled from the beginning, this is what appealed to my sons. They could feed their minds on subjects they were passionate about. So not only does science stir up a deep appreciation for creation, but the logical thought process that science teaches sticks with your child lifelong.
  • Does a Christian or secular view matter?
  • Is any teacher prep involved?
  • What kind of costs are involved for hands-on and lab? We stuck to curriculum that just used items we could find around the house and purchased a few other things like microscopes and lab things, but for the most part, we just used what we had.

Mr. Senior 2013, enjoyed the textbook approach of Apologia during his junior years but when it came to high school, he wanted a change.

He was pursuing some electives like public speaking that he wanted to focus on and writing.

But first, look at some of these how to homeschool high school books.

How to Homeschool High School Books & Resources

How to homeschool high school can be daunting at first. With a little help and these great resources, you’ll be a homeschool pro in no time.

Homeschooling 31 Day Boot Camp for New Homeschoolers: When You Don't Know Where to Begin

Homeschooling 31 Day Boot Camp for New Homeschoolers is a real eye-opener on homeschooling. It will alleviate a lot of the anxieties about getting started homeschooling. Reading each chapter’s highlights will give you encouragement, knowledge, guidance, and peace of mind to homeschool with confidence. The best part is that you’ll be educating the person who loves your kids the most in this world--YOU! Armed with the knowledge to make better choices in curriculum will empower you to continue the path of home education. Unlike many books based on one family’s experience, Homeschooling 31 Day Boot Camp for New Homeschoolers is also based on Tina’s many years of mentoring hundreds and hundreds of new homeschoolers at live workshops. When you don’t know where to begin Homeschooling 31 Day Boot Camp for New Homeschoolers equips you to successfully homeschool your children.

Cure the Fear of Homeschooling High School: A Step-by-Step Handbook for Research & Planning

Are you afraid of homeschooling high school? Do you think you’ll ruin your teen’s life? Are you afraid you’ll miss an important requirement for getting into college? Are you confused about credits and coursework? Or are you just downright overwhelmed and don’t even know where to start?

This book will take you step-by-step through the process of planning your child’s high school coursework all the way through to graduation, in such a way that you will KNOW that you are not missing anything! You truly can feel absolutely confident that you are doing the best thing for your child and your family. You can make informed decisions knowing you have done the correct research to do so. You can be FEARLESS!

Planning High School Courses: Charting the Course Toward Homeschool Graduation

Experienced hikers know to never begin a demanding journey without a good map and a strong plan. For homeschooling parents, it’s even more important to establish a solid homeschool plans toward high school graduation.

So, What Are Your Homeschool Plans?

  • Do you know how to homeschool high school?
  • Do you know how to prepare for college?
  • Do you know the high school courses essential to preparing for graduation, college and career?

Essential Electives for Homeschooling High School: How to Craft Courses That Exceed College Expectations

Homeschool Electives are the Secret Sauce for College Admission and Scholarships!

Learn How Homeschool Electives Can Make Teens, Parents, and Colleges Happy!

Homeschool electives are fun! Teens love them because electives involve a lot of what they want to do anyway. Parents love them because a happy teen makes for a happy family! Colleges love them because it helps them understand your teen so they can make good admission and scholarship decisions.

Lee Binz, The HomeScholar, shares the joy of homeschool electives. You will learn strategies to help you choose elective homeschool high school curriculum and document electives colleges will value. Don't put your homeschool in a box. Use electives and let your homeschool soar!

Graduate Your Homeschooler in Style: Make Your Homeschool Graduation Memorable

You’ve worked hard homeschooling your child, and now you’re near the goal line... homeschool graduation. Your plan your graduation takes forethought, not just for the culminating graduation ceremony, but also to ensure your child has accomplished everything you want them to before
leaving the nest.

Too, Apologia had advanced courses like Advanced Physics that I knew we could come back to later if he wanted to pursue science in more depth.

So after reading about the interactive content Switched-on Schoolhouse used, he decided to use SOS Integrated Physics & Chemistry.He enjoyed the video clips, animations and games.

He ended up really liking their courses because they had courses that were outside of the traditional approach and kept science fun for him.

That program was discontinued but I find that 1) Glencoe Science Integrated Physics and Chemistry was similar and used with my second son.

Too, courses like 2) family consumer science are offered. Such practical courses in preparation for adulthood are sometimes not easy to find.

So, my next son didn’t follow a traditional approach either.

Random Efforts Can Pay Off

He liked more of a simplified approach to science and wanted to study only subjects that interested him like the stars.

So we used 3) Lift Up Your Eyes On High: Understanding the Stars (Christian Liberty Press High School Curriculum) .

And he also liked 4) Biology: A Search For Order in Complexity, 2nd Edition.

Too, Christian Liberty Press borrows some of their books from A Beka and Bob Jones.

Then for Mr. Awesome 2015 we also used part of 5) Biology by Bob Jones and then back to Christian Liberty Press for part of Chemistry or it was really by Bob Jones.

Lastly, we loved the straightforward approach of 6) Lifepacs. They are like worktexts which are good for independent learners. We loved Lifepac Biology.

Mr. Senior 2015 stayed on just one or two science providers.

Mr. Awesome 2015 was all over the place on subjects but liked the combinations.

Too, the process of scientific investigation is critical to higher thinking skills and logical thinking ability is a lost art not just among teens, but among adults too.

These are skill sets my boys should have.

So we didn’t follow a traditional approach by a family that would be pursuing a science career.

But we enjoyed having the variety of topics that fed my sons’ curiosity at the high school level,

However, it kept their passion for science.

What has worked for your family or what are you mulling over?

More High School Science Tips

  • 25 Great High School Science Curriculum
  • How to Easily Meet the Lab Component of High School Science
  • 10 Popular High School Chemistry Curriculum
  • How to Teach Science Through A Story – Middle & High School
6 Resources for Making Homeschool High School Science Easy @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Homeschool Teens _ From Teen to Graduation, Teach Homeschool Science Tagged With: high school, high school science, homeschool, homeschool curriculum, homeschoolhighschool, science, sciencecurriculum

7 John Muir Environmentalist Facts and Fun Teaching Ideas

August 18, 2023 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have 7 John Muir environmentalist facts and some fun teaching ideas. You’ll also love the John Muir Spring Unit Study (and Hands-on Geography Ideas).

The national park system’s development is largely due to John Muir environmentalist, naturalist, author, mountaineer, and political activist.

It is widely agreed that he is the “Founding Father of National Parks”.

And his contributions are celebrated through many landmarks named after him like hiking trails, glaciers, highways, and monuments.

7 John Muir Environmentalist Facts and Fun Teaching Ideas

National Park Service Founders Day is August 25th and I can’t think of a better way to learn about the National Parks than through the man who helped found and educate people about them.

John Muir helped create several of our national parks like Sequoia National Park in California, Mount Rainier in Washington, and The Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona.

John Muir Environmentalist Books, Resources, and Teaching Ideas

Too, these are some of the books we’ve used and love to help teach about him or create your own unit study.

11 John Muir Resources

The mountains are calling, and I must go -John Muir

In observance of National Park Service Founders Day and the care and work John Muir put into helping it become a reality, put together a unit study with a book or two, a video, a game, and a few hands-on activities like visiting the closest national park to you. There is plenty to choose from below.

John Muir Wilderness Box Set

A collection of John Muir’s best-selling writings and essays collected in 1 set.

Part of John Muir's appeal to modern readers is that he not only explored the American West and wrote about its beauties but also fought for their preservation. His successes dot the landscape and are evident in all the natural features that bear his name: forests, lakes, trails, and glaciers. Collected here in 1 set are some of Muir's finest wilderness essays, national park observations, travels throughout Alaska, and writings about working in the Yosemite Valley. 

A Thousand Mile Walk to the Gulf

John Muir, one of America’s great environmentalists, has inspired nature lovers for generations with his writings.

A Thousand Mile Walk to the Gulf by John Muir is the adventure that started it all.

Walk with John from Indiana through Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. A story that is sure to inspire your own adventures and love for nature and the off beaten path.

John Muir: Candlewick Biographies: America's First Environmentalist

John Muir loved the land. Born in 1838, he was a writer, a scholar, an inventor, a shepherd, a farmer, and an explorer. But above all, he was a naturalist. John Muir was particularly devoted to the high cliffs, waterfalls, and ancient giant sequoia trees that, through his careful influence, were set aside as Yosemite, one of the first national parks in America. Here is the life story of the man who, moved by a commitment to wilderness everywhere, founded the Sierra Club in 1892, a conservation group that carries on his crucial work to this day. Back matter includes an epilogue, a bibliography, and information about the Sierra Club.

A Passion for Nature: The Life of John Muir

"I am hopelessly and forever a mountaineer," John Muir wrote. "Civilization and fever and all the morbidness that has been hooted at me has not dimmed my glacial eye, and I care to live only to entice people to look at Nature's loveliness. My own special self is nothing."In Donald Worster's magisterial biography, John Muir's "special self" is fully explored as is his extraordinary ability, then and now, to get others to see the sacred beauty of the natural world. A Passion for Nature is the most complete account of the great conservationist and founder of the Sierra Club ever written. It is the first to be based on Muir's full private correspondence and to meet modern scholarly standards. Yet it is also full of rich detail and personal anecdote, uncovering the complex inner life behind the legend of the solitary mountain man. It traces Muir from his boyhood in Scotland and frontier Wisconsin to his adult life in California right after the Civil War up to his death on the eve of World War I. It explores his marriage and family life, his relationship with his abusive father, his many friendships with the humble and famous (including Theodore Roosevelt and Ralph Waldo Emerson), and his role in founding the modern American conservation movement.

National Geographic Complete National Parks of the United States, 400+ Parks, Monuments, Battlefields, Historic Sites, Scenic Trails, Recreation Areas, and Seashores

National Geographic’s wide-ranging travel guide to recreation areas, trails, historic sites, nature hikes, seashores, camping, and campgrounds is geared to everyone who loves outdoor recreation. This 544-page reference is the ultimate travel planner for all things national parks, filled with full-color photos, detailed maps, historical background, and practical facts on the location of the park system properties, as well as the best times to visit and top-rated activities.

Our National Parks

ohn Muir (1838–1914) ranks among America's most important and influential environmentalists and nature writers. Devoted to the preservation of wilderness areas, Muir founded the Sierra Club and was active in the establishment of Yosemite National Park. Our National Parks, originally published in 1901, includes ten articles that previously appeared in The Atlantic Monthly. Muir wrote them in hopes of exciting interest in the parks, certain that visitors would fall in love with the scenic grandeur as he had—and that their enthusiasm would ensure the parks' preservation.

National Parks Scratch Off Map of United States Poster, ALL 63 Parks

UNIQUE DESIGN…ARROWHEAD SHAPES: Scratch off each beautifully designed US National Park as you visit them, like Acadia, Zion, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Olympic, Grand Canyon, Arches and others!

National Parks Trivia: A Card Game: 400 Questions

Get to know America's 63 national parks with 390 wide-ranging trivia questions that cover their iconic geography, ecology, geology, history, wildlife, and botany—from the authors of Scenic Science of the National Parks.

Professor Noggin's Wildlife of North America Trivia Card Game

  • PLAY & LEARN: Professor Noggin’s series of educational card games encourages kids to learn interesting facts about their favorite subjects.
  • FUN FACTS: Journey through the Wildlife of North America discovering facts about our continent’s most interesting animals. From Polar Bears to Pronghorns, from Alligators to Bald Eagles, this game is perfect for young nature lovers.

Our National Treasures Matching Game USA National Parks Memory Game for Kids. Yosemite, Yellowstone, Arches, Denali and More

What you get – Our National Treasures Matching Card Game comes with 52 tiles (26 pairs) and instructions

Clear instructions – Easy to learn memory card game. Learn to play in less than five minutes!

Develops critical skills – card games for kids help preschoolers practice their focus, memory, & matching skills.

Trekking The National Parks -The Perfect Board Game for National Park Lovers

Wildly Popular National Parks Game - Winner Of The Mensa And Parent's Choice Award

Created By National Parks Enthusiasts - This couple traveled to every single national park and then worked with their son to make the game.

Fun + Educational - It’s the perfect recipe for a family game night! Appeals to a wide range of people: outdoor lovers, board game players, and gift givers. A great board games for kids!

Next, look at some facts about the life of John Muir.

7 John Muir Environmentalist Facts

  1. John Muir traveled to every continent except Antarctica.
  2. John founded the Sierra Club, an acclaimed American conservation organization.
  3. Muir temporarily lost his sight due to an accident at 29 due to a factory incident that pushed him to make a  change and be a wilderness explorer.
  4. A 211-mile-long hiking trail in the Sierra Nevada was named John Muir Trail in his honor. 
  5. In September of 1867, John walked 1000 miles from Indiana to Florida, this journey is retold in his book- A Thousand-Mile Walk to the Gulf. 
  6. Throughout his life, John Muir wrote 300 essays and 12 books.
  7. Because of Muir’s vision and work, you can now visit almost 400 National Park Service sites. What a legacy he left behind for so many generations to appreciate and enjoy.
7 John Muir Environmentalist Facts and Fun Teaching Ideas

Also, look at some videos..

Videos about John Muir

  • John Muir- Father of National Parks
  •  For a quick birds eye view of 25 Best National Parks at once check out this YouTube video.
  • Biography of John Muir   
  • John Muir Father of The National Parks- 1 Minute History
  • How The National Park Service Got Started

More John Muir Activity Ideas

Finally, here are some more fun ideas when learning about the life of John Muir.

  • Learn what an environmentalist is. An environmentalist is defined as one who is concerned with or advocates for the protection of the environment.
  • Grab ideas from John Muir Spring Unit Study (and Hands-on Geography Ideas).
  • Try using the John Muir Laws How to Teach Nature Journaling to improve sketching and watercolor skills combined with your nature walk. While this is not the same John Muir nor is he related to him, his appreciation for nature and its beauty reflects the same mindset. His mother was a lawyer for the Sierra Club, which the original John Muir was the founder of, and she insisted her sons middle name be Muir. Use the beautiful pictures for ideas for water coloring or nature journaling.
7 John Muir Environmentalist Facts and Fun Teaching Ideas
  • Learn the 7 principles of Leave No Trace, especially if you enjoy camping and hiking. Writing them down would make for an excellent copy work assignment.
  • Find ways that you can volunteer in your area to help the environment, beach clean-ups, park clean-up days, recycling, ways to reduce and reuse items, conserve water, etc.
  • Play nature-themed games to focus on the flora and fauna that he studied.
7 John Muir Environmentalist Facts and Fun Teaching Ideas

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Science, Teach Homeschool Science Tagged With: homeschoolscience, life science, nature, nature journaling, nature study, science

National STEM Day – Popsicle Sticks for Creative DIY STEM Projects

November 8, 2022 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

If you’re looking for DIY stem projects, you’ll love these ideas for National Stem Day.

What is so great about STEM?

A STEM activity is one that incorporates one or more of its components.

  • Science,
  • technology,
  • engineering, and math in a learning activity.

Stem is hands-on which is always a great method for learning.

National STEM Day - Popsicle Sticks for Creative DIY STEM Projects

It teaches children about science and technology, problem solving, critical thinking, curiosity, accepting failure, initiative, flexibility, creativity, innovation, and so much more.

It has its place in your homeschool whether you are an unschooler, Charlotte Mason, classical, or eclectic family.

Careers in STEM

There are many fascinating careers in STEM that your child might be interested in-

  • Computer Sciences
  • Software Developer
  • Web Developer
  • Mechanical Engineer
  • Statistician
  • Mathematician
  • Actuary
  • Accountant
  • Cartographer
  • Aeronautics-aviation, aerospace, and astronautics
  • Biology
  • Biotechnology
  • Chemistry
  • Civil Engineering
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Environmental Science
National STEM Day - Popsicle Sticks for Creative DIY STEM Projects

This isn’t even an exhaustive list just some that jumped out at me.

Popsicle sticks are an amazing homeschool tool.

And you have probably used them for art projects but have you ever considered their many uses as a STEM tool?

They open an amazing world of possibilities for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

In addition, they are inexpensive, very versatile and easy to get your hands on.

It’s a great idea to keep a bunch on hand in different sizes for all sorts of projects. 

Jumbo ones are fun and oversized.

    And Rainbow popsicle sticks add a little flair and color to your projects.

    Too, standard popsicle sticks the backbone of most diy stem projects.

    More STEM Resources

    If you want to put together a STEM kit for your young scientists, mathematicians, or  engineers to tinker with these are a few more great items you might want  to add to your supplies.

    First, look at these LED lights.

    Next, add copper tape.

    Too, rubber bands are important.

    Binder clips, rulers, pipe cleaners and lithium batteries.

    National STEM Day - Popsicle Sticks for Creative DIY STEM Projects

    Finally, look at these STEM ideas.

    13 Fantastic Popsicle Stick STEM Activities

    1. Medieval Catapult. Try this Medieval catapult using the oversized jumbo craft sticks, catapults are a great lesson in force, mass, and acceleration.
    2. 100 Brilliant STEM Activities Using Everyday Items.
    3. STEM: Build a Da Vinci Parachute Activity
    4. Popsicle Stick Chain Reaction. Teach your child about potential energy turning into kinetic energy and chain reactions by giving them the tools they need to create an exploding chain reaction.
    5. Popsicle Stick Gears. These are a great way to learn about mechanical concepts, simple machines, motion and force. This is a great basic project to use as a springboard for more advanced activities.
    6. Craft Stick Crossbow. Not only is this tiny crossbow fun but it teaches physics lessons in force, energy, motion, trajectory and projectiles.
    7. Rubber Band Powered Boat. Launch this lesson on potential energy on the water. Popsicle sticks and rubber bands are all you need.
    8. STEM and Geography: How to Build an Ancient Viking Ship
    9. Rubber Band Powered Car. Same concept but on firm ground rather than the water. Use the stored potential energy in the tightly round rubber band to launch a car
    10. LED Flashlight. Explore circuits, positive and negative charges,
    11. Newton’s Cradle. What a fun way to learn about kinetic energy with Newton’s Third Law of Motion. “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” Kids love that clickety clack perpetual motion
    12. Truss Bridge With Craft Sticks, The STEM activity of building bridges gives your child a hands-on opportunity to learn about engineering through weight distribution, gravity, changing loads, and tension.
    13. STEM Ferris Wheel. Enjoy a turn on a popsicle stick ferris wheel that introduces axles, problem solving, creating symmetrical sides, and engineering with a fun activity.

    Leave a CommentFiled Under: Teach Homeschool Science Tagged With: elementary science, hands-on, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, homeschoolscience, science, STEM

    Kids Fun Pumpkin Catapult STEM Challenge for Medieval Unit Study

    August 23, 2022 | 1 Comment
    This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

    Your kids will love making this fun pumpkin catapult stem challenge where you’re doing a fall unit study or medieval unit study.

    This pumpkin catapult stem challenge will incorporate science, technology, engineering, math, and history into one fun activity.

    This is a cool activity that will definitely earn you a lot of cool mom points.

    A medieval times unit study is the perfect time to try out this hands-on activity to teach weaponry that was used during the period as well as those STEM skills.

    Kids Fun Pumpkin Catapult Stem Challenge for Medieval Unit Study

    You don’t have to make yours as large as this one, but I found this pack of huge craft sticks at Hobby Lobby.

    So, I thought they would put a fun twist to it.

    Instead of using little marshmallow pumpkins, we were able to launch larger decor pumpkins (they are just inexpensive stuffed ones from Dollar Tree).

    Also, if your child enjoys history, consider adding the Kingfisher History Encyclopedia and Usborne Encyclopedia of World History.

    They both contain wonderful illustrations and information that is easy for children to understand.

    And they are a great addition to round out any unit study. 

    Medieval Catapult Facts

    Before, after, or during your activity give your child some of the research questions below to find in books or online.

    • What are the 4 Types of catapults? trebuchet, mangonel, onager, and ballista.
    • What were catapults used for in Medieval Times? Siege, vaulting things over castle walls
    • What time period is considered Medieval/Middle ages? 500 to 1400-1500 CE
    • What event marked the beginning of the Middle Ages?  The fall of Rome 476 AD
    • What is the hierarchy of feudal society during this time? Monarchs, Lords/Ladies (Nobles), Knights, and Peasants/Serfs

    Vocabulary Words for Medieval Unit Study

    Then, here are a few vocabulary words for this unit.

    Kids Fun Pumpkin Catapult Stem Challenge for Medieval Unit Study
    • Projectile
    • Force 
    • Fulcrum 
    • Lever
    • Peasant
    • Vassal
    • Furlong
    • Squire
    • Clergy
    • Plunder
    • Troubadour
    • Guild

    Catapult Science

    Next, learn about some of the science of the catapult.

    When you draw back the craft/popsicle stick, potential(resting) energy is being built up.

    After you release it, it becomes kinetic (moving) energy.

    Finally, gravity pulls the launched object back down.

    This stem activity shows Newton’s three laws of motion.

    Newtons 3 Laws of Motion

    1. Newton’s law of inertia– An object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an external force.  
    2. Newton’s law of force and acceleration– When an external force acts on an object, it produces an acceleration (change in velocity) in the object in the direction of the force.
    3. Newton’s third law- The law of action and reaction states that every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

    You can try using different objects with different sizes and weights.

    Change the thickness of the fulcrum to achieve different results.

    And add a measuring tape or yard stick to figure out the various distance. Then, record your information.  

    Here is how to put together your own pumpkin catapult stem challenge. You will need:

    • Jumbo craft sticks
    • Rubber bands
    • A large metal or plastic lid 
    • E6000 or hot glue
    • Pumpkins
    Kids Fun Pumpkin Catapult Stem Challenge for Medieval Unit Study

    If you want to add these fun knights and horses you can grab these Safari Toobs.

    They are also great to use in diorama, sensory bins, as models for drawing, and in dramatic small world play.

    How to Make a Medieval Catapult

    You can paint or use markers to color your popsicle sticks if you like as your first step or keep them natural like this one.

    Just be sure to let them dry thoroughly before putting it together.

    Starting by making a stack of craft sticks.

    I ended up using 14 of the jumbo sticks to create more leverage for the catapult, placing rubber bands securely on each end about 1 ½” from the end.

    Kids Fun Pumpkin Catapult Stem Challenge for Medieval Unit Study

    Stack two jumbo craft sticks and place a rubber band only over one end, 1 – ½” away from the end.

    Kids Fun Pumpkin Catapult Stem Challenge for Medieval Unit Study

    Open the two craft sticks that are banded at one end and slip the large stack of sticks through, pushing them about ¾ of the way up close to the rubber band.

    Kids Fun Pumpkin Catapult Stem Challenge for Medieval Unit Study

    Next, take a larger rubber band and crisscross it over a few times where your two stacks of sticks intersect.

    Kids Fun Pumpkin Catapult Stem Challenge for Medieval Unit Study

    Use hot glue or something like e6000 (which will take longer to set) to affix your lid to the end of the top craft stick. 

    Kids Fun Pumpkin Catapult Stem Challenge for Medieval Unit Study

    Press it in place firmly and let it dry all the way. Be sure that you use plenty of glue so that it is very secure to the craft stick.

    Kids Fun Pumpkin Catapult Stem Challenge for Medieval Unit Study

    To launch you just need to press down on the back and release, 

    Let the launching fun begin!

    Kids Fun Pumpkin Catapult Stem Challenge for Medieval Unit Study

    You are ready to lay siege and launch objects over castle walls ( or at least over the ottoman) in a battle for riches and power.

    Add a few more items to your study to really give it some hands-on fun like this 3d Puzzle Castle or these knight decorations to kick off a new Medieval unit study.

    Other Fall Unit Study Resources

    • Fall Homeschool Learning Resources For Middle School
    • Fall Y’all:Pumpkin Pie in a Bag (Easy Homeschool Co-op Idea)
    • Fall Unit Study (Includes Apples, Sir Isaac Newton, Art, and Appleseed)

    1 CommentFiled Under: Teach Homeschool Science Tagged With: fall, hands on history, hands-on, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, history, history resources, homeschool, medieval homeschool history, middle ages history, science

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