My Unit Studies {Free Printables & Hands-on Ideas}

Hands-On Mixed Media Flower Art Fun Nature Study

May 14, 2018 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

You’ll love this fun mixed media flower art project.

Every spring, my youngest son and I go to the local nursery and pick out a few, inexpensive, flowering plants. He brings them home and plants them in “his pot.”

It’s a springtime routine we have enjoyed together since he was a toddler.

He likes to get his hands in the dirt. I love the look of flowers on my patio. It’s a win-win.

Picking out a few inexpensive flowering plants, adding in some gardening activities and art, and you’ll have a fun hands-on mixed media flower art fun nature study! Check out how easy it is to do this fun hands-on nature activity!

This year, I decided to take this gardening activity and use to it to fuel a quick nature study as well.

Hands-On Mixed Media Spring Nature Study

What you’ll need for this activity:

Flowering plants (either purchased or in your own yard)
Something to draw and color with (we used chalk pastels because they are very forgiving, but color pencils, crayons and even markers will work too)
A large piece of white construction paper (make sure it’s pretty heavy)
Clear glue

Nature Study At Home

The day after my son planted his special spring pot, we completed a basic geology lesson about soil.

I began by asking him what components he thought made up soil. He was easily able to answer broken down pieces of rock, but we decided to do some more research.

Soil is defined by Dictionary.com as the loose top layer of the Earth’s surface, consisting of rock and mineral particles mixed with decayed organic matter (humus), and capable of retaining water, providing nutrients for plants, and supporting a wide range of biotic communities.

We learned that different soils exist in different locations around the globe, based on their environment and weather. This came as a bit of surprise to my son, so we spent some time discussing a the clay soil we saw on our last family trip, verses the rocky silt that exists in our backyard.

Then, we decided it was time to move on to the fun, hands-on part of our learning.

Mixed Media Nature Study

In the past, we have collected items from the beach and from our hikes in the forest, and then used them to create mixed media art as a record of our experience.

Instead of using shells or pine needles, for this activity, we used the soil, leaves and flower petals available in our own flower pot.

He started by drawing his potted flowers with chalk pastels. (Because he dislikes the feeling of chalk on his fingers, he always wears latex gloves, but it works.)

After blurring the chalk lines, we then took some of the leaves and flower petals from our plants (only a few to keep the pot looking pretty!).

You’ll love these nature living books curriculum!

We then glued the leaves and petals to the picture in various locations.

More Ways to Learn about Nature in Your Homeschool

After allowing the glue to dry, he grabbed a handful of our soil and we observed the various bits of rocks and sticks that blended together to create our top layer.

We then spread glue around the bottom of the picture and rubbed the soil into it to create an additional area of interest in his art.

That’s it! The result was a beautiful representation of our hands-on, spring time activity.

I really love this idea for anyone not able to get out into more obvious natural environments like a hike through the woods or a tide pool at the beach.

Nature study can happen anywhere, with the help of a few pants, some soil and an interested learner!

Written by Shawna at Not the Former Things.

Hands-On Middle School Math: The Pythagorean Theorem

April 6, 2018 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

One important mathematical concept kids run into sometime in middle school or high school is the Pythagorean Theorem. Also, look at my page homeschool middle school for more fun tips

Pythagoras, an ancient Greek philosopher and mathematician, who was born around 569 BCE is credited with the discovery.

The Pythagorean Theorem is that theorem you probably remember from your own middle school and high school years: a² + b² = c². Today we’re going to teach our kids the theorem with a hands-on activity!

Hands-On Middle School Math: The Pythagorean Theorem. One important mathematical concept kids run into sometime in middle school or high school is the Pythagorean Theorem. Pythagoras, an ancient Greek philosopher and mathematician, who was born around 569 BCE is credited with the discovery. Click here to do this EASY hands-on activity!

But first let’s take a look at what a mathematical theorem is.

Hands-On Math: The Pythagorean Theorem

A mathematical theorem is a statement that can be shown to be true by accepted mathematical operations.

This means you can’t just make up a proof and say it works. You have to use logic, reasoning, and accepted mathematical operations to show the theorem is true. Today we’ll be using squares and areas to show the Pythagorean Theorem is true.

So what exactly is the Pythagorean Theorem?

Pythagorean Theorem: The square of a square drawn on the hypotenuse of a right triangle equals the sum of the areas of the squares drawn on the other two sides.

Put another way: a² + b² = c².

In other words. If you have a right angle and measure each side, the square of side a plus the square of side b is equal to the square of the long slope we call the hypotenuse.

What You Need for This Activity:

Graph Paper
Ruler
Scissors
Pen

Directions
According to the Pythagorean Theorem, if I draw a right triangle, the square of the two sides added together will equal the square of the hypotenuse. Let’s see if this actually works!

Step 1: Pull out your graph paper and draw a right triangle on it. I’m going to use sides with the length of 3 boxes and 4 boxes.

Step 2: Measure the hypotenuse.

Step 3: Remember square of a number is the area of a square with that length of side. So I’m now going to draw and cut out my squares. One square will have sides the length of 2 squares on the graph paper. One square will have sides the length of 3 squares, while the third will have the length I measured!

To make the next step more clear I’m going to highlight the squares in different colors. The small one will be yellow. The medium will be green. And the large one will be blue.

Step 4: Let’s see if the area of the two small triangles will equal the area of the large triangle! We’re going to do this by laying the medium square on top of the large square.

Now you have a choice. If you count the squares left over on the large triangle, you’ll notice there are 9 squares. And what’s 3²? 9! Or you can do what I did and cut the square to fit the left over area.

As you can see, the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the sides. The Pythagorean Theorem works!

Now let’s run through all 4 steps again with different numbers. This time I’m going to use sides with lengths of 6 and 8.

Step 1: Again we create the right triangle.

Teaching the Pythagorean Theorem to Kids

Step 2: Now measure the hypotenuse.

Step 3: Create the squares.

Easy Way to Teach the Pythagorean Theorem to Kids

Step 4: Do the squares of the sides equal the square of the hypotenuse? The highlighter caused the sides of my squares to curl, so I used a touch of tape to force the squares to lie flat. Even so, as you can see the answer is yes!

Teaching the Pythagorean Theorem for Homeschoolers

Try the activity yourself using varying lengths for the sides.

No matter what the length of the sides of your right triangle, you’ll discover the squares always equal the square of the hypotenuse or a² + b² = c².

You’ve shown the Pythagorean Theorem works!

Written by Sara at Classically Homeschooling.

So what lengths did you use for your right triangles?

Teach math with these other fun homeschool activities!

Kids Easy Crafts and Activities that Celebrate Snow

February 21, 2018 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Warm weather is almost here, but winter may still have a few blasts of Arctic air left in her. So, if all the snow has got your kids griping about having nothing to do, I have just what you need to get them excited and celebrate snow!

KIDS SNOW ACTIVITIES

This is by no means an exhaustive list of snow-filled fun, but it’ll turn them into huge fans of this time of year. And you just might have a good time, too!

Kids Easy Crafts and Activities that Celebrate Snow

Snowball Wars

You could get the neighbor kids involved in this one and establish teams, or have each of your kids fend for themselves. Set up boundaries and build a snow fort for home bases for each team/child. Give them some time to stock pile a few good snowballs, and establish any necessary ground rules (i.e. no hitting above the shoulders). This can be played like “capture the flag” where each team hides a flag and the goal is to steal the opposing team’s flag and bring it back to home base. If a child is hit with a snowball, he’s sent to an established “jail” until a teammate can come set him free by tagging him.

Winter NaturExplorers 1080x1080 (Instagram)

If you don’t have enough players for teams, simply have a great time throwing snowballs at each other! Be sure to establish a safe word in case the play gets a little too rough. You can also set a timer so all the players have a chance to catch their breath, restock on ammunition, and gear up for the next battle!

Fort Building

You can find snow brick makers at just about any store that carries toys. Another option would be to use a small bucket. These things make building a snow fort super simple, and a whole lot of fun! The kids can build up walls or even use their problem-solving skills and create an igloo. You can turn it into a competition based on who makes the largest fort, who makes it the quickest, and who’s is most creative. Once all of the forts are completed, they’d be perfect to use for the snowball wars!

Another way to build a fort is to use a huge pile of snow left by snow plows. Using a shovel, dig a hole from one side of the pile through to the other. Depending on how much snow is piled up, the kids could even create various tunnels and endless fun.

Sledding

This may be an obvious one, but it’s worth mentioning because it’s worth making it happen. Sledding is a blast for all ages! There are all sorts of different types of sleds to choose from. You could go all out and get some pretty fancy sleds that allow for extra speed and are easier to maneuver. They are a lot of fun, but your kids will likely have just as much fun on something as simple as a cheap saucer – a round sled that looks much like a trash can lid. There’s just about anything you can imagine in between the fancy and the plain, so pick what will work best for your family and head to the nearest hill.

Even if you don’t have a quality hill outside your back door, a quick google search will lead you to a nearby hill. You’ll likely be able to find a tubing hill or a tobogganing hill which means you won’t have to bring your own equipment. It also means you could go sledding several times throughout the winter and it’ll feel like an entirely new experience every time!

Hiking

Hiking through a winter wonderland is a completely different experience than any other time of the year, even if it’s a trail you’ve traversed many times before. The snow changes up the scenery in a unique way, making it both beautiful and peacefully quiet. Without all of the greenery, you and your kids will be able to see deep into the woods, and spot things, like sleeping bee hives or deer nests, that would otherwise be hidden.

As you trudge through the snow, keep an eye out for fresh animals tracks. The snow is a perfect canvas for displaying the trails of all sorts of creatures. Your kids will also enjoy noting the different plants and wildlife that grow and thrive in the frigid temps.

KIDS SNOW CRAFTS

Symmetrical Snow Globe

This super simple craft allows for both the not-so-talented artist and the gifted artist to shine. Fold a plain piece of paper in half. Cut out the shape of half a snow globe from the side without the seam. Open the paper and draw half of a scene (notice a trend?) on just one side, using the fold line as the center line. Next, draw the exact same scene on the other side of the globe but making it the mirror image of the original side. You now have a perfectly symmetrical snow globe. Laminate it, if you’d like, to hang in a window.

The beauty of this craft is the scene your child draws can be as simple or as intricate as they desire to make it. The gifted artist can enjoy his gift, while the struggling artist can still be successful and produce an exceptional piece of art.

Snow Ice Cream

Why not put that snow to good use and turn it into a delicious treat? All it takes is three ingredients: snow, vanilla, and condensed milk. It couldn’t be easier! And you could whip it up inside the warm house or right out in the snow.

Send the kids out with a large bowl or bucket to fill with a good ten cups of snow. Take roughly half of the collected snow to work with first, adding about a teaspoon of vanilla and half of a can of condensed milk. Using a wooden spoon, mix the ingredients into the snow until well blended, then add more snow and more condensed milk until it reaches the desired consistency and taste. Store leftovers in a storage container in the freezer.

And if you want to do the cheat version, look at my Hands-on History: Make Maple Snow Candy – Pioneer Activity.

Tin Can Snowman

You could recycle your empty condensed milk cans for this one, but any three empty cans will do. If you can get your hands on 3 varying sizes, your kids will be able to make a snowman a little more true to size. With this craft, though, it isn’t as important because the cans won’t be right on top of each other. This tin can snowman is also going to be a wind chime!

Paint each can in white and add some sparkles or snowflake confetti while the paint is still wet. Glue on eyes, a nose, and buttons using pom poms or felt. Glue on a ribbon for a scarf. Using a hammer and a nail, poke a hole in the top of each can and use twine or yarn to string through each hole, tying a washer at the hole to hold the cans up and keep them separate. Add in additional washers throughout the yarn to clink against the cans in the wind.

Kids Easy Crafts and Activities that Celebrate Snow. If all the snow has got your kids griping about having nothing to do, I have just what you need to get them excited and celebrate snow! Click here to see these kids easy crafts and activities that celebrate snow.

You’ll also love these other ideas:

There is all sorts of fun to be had in the snowy winter! Enjoy!

Hugs and love ya,

Hands-On Nature Study: Make a Fun Bird Nesting Bag

February 9, 2018 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

The first signs of spring are still a few weeks away, but we are starting to see a few more birds in our neighborhood. So I thought it would be a good time to try one of the fun hands-on nature study activities suggested in NaturExplorers: Beautiful Birds, which is to make a bird nesting bag!

I had no idea that birds could use a little help making nests. I always thought they just used twigs.

But birds can use lots of materials to construct their nests, including some of the things we might throw away.

This was a great project to share with the kids, because it showed them that we can actually help animals to build their homes.

Hands-On Nature Study: Make a Fun Bird Nesting Bag

See how to make this simple nature craft and try it to see if your kids like it for a spring project!

Hands-On Nature Study: Make a Bird Nesting Bag

Here’s what you’ll need to make a bird nesting bag:

Mesh bag (I used the one that came with our onions)
Twigs and grass leaves
Yarn
Brown paper bags
Paper napkins
Scissors

Just a tip: If you’re going to use an onion bag (like we did), be sure to leave the bottom end sealed. It usually has a metal clip on the end for keeping the bag closed. If you keep that intact, then you’ll only have to close the nesting bag at one end.

I let the kids run out in the backyard to gather the twigs and weeds. (We don’t have grass in our yard, but I don’t think the birds are that picky.)

Next, we used scissors to cut the paper bags into thin strips. We did the same with the paper napkins.

Make a Bird Nesting Bag

Then we just mixed them into a pile with the weeds, twigs, and yarn clippings.

After we removed the tag from the mesh onion bag, we just stuffed all of our materials into the bag opening.

We cut a long piece of yarn (about two feet in length) and used one end to cinch the mesh bag closed.

It’s finished! Now we just need to hang it up.

We used the yarn to hang it from a low tree branch.

And now it’s ready! Since the mesh bag has plenty of holes, birds can just fly up to it and grab some things for constructing their nests.

It’ll be interesting to check in a few weeks to see what’s been used already.

You’ll love all of these easy nature study books.

I loved this project. It was so simple and it was a nice way to get outside with the kids and start thinking about the signs of spring that we’ll see soon. Plus, it was cool to extend a little “invitation” to the birds in our neighborhood to stop by and pick up a few building supplies.

Try some of these other nature study activities with your children!

Hands-On Middle School Math: Everyday Math Scavenger Hunt (Printable)

January 31, 2018 | 2 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have a hands-on middle school everyday math scavenger hunt free printable.

My children learn best through hands-on activities.

So far, I have managed to easily incorporate experiential learning into our history, science, and language arts studies.

Math, however, has been a different story. Finding age appropriate and relevant hands-on math for my middle schooler has been a challenge.

Add to this the fact that he doesn’t see the point in doing his math work at all, and it becomes clear that I need to find an out-of-the-box approach to this subject.

Hands-on Middle School Math and printable scavenger math hunt

I knew that the first thing I wanted to incorporate was an activity that would take math out of the textbook and into everyday life.

Too often, I find myself trying to simply tell him all the ways we use math everyday.

Hands-on Math for Older Learners: Everyday Math Scavenger Hunt

I am pretty sure he hears about 10% of what I say and then I become one of the adults in the Charlie Brown movies.

Rather than lecturing him about everyday math, I decided it was time to save my breath and create an activity that would allow him to explore it on his own!

What you will need for this activity:

Everyday Math Scavenger Hunt Printable
A Pen or Pencil
Time to Explore and Think

It’s super simple, to be sure, but I found it to be super effective as well!

After printing the scavenger hunt, I reviewed the different types of everyday math listed with my son.

The hunt requires the learner to look for examples of:

Temperature
A Recipe with Fractions
A Decimal
Numbers Written in Word Form
A Number Greater than 200,000,000
Height and Weight
Percentage
A Price
Volume Measurement
A Repeating Pattern
A Graph
Date and Time
An Angle

It also asks the learner as a bonus, to find three examples of everyday math on their own.

The only rule for this activity is that no textbooks or typical “school materials” can be used. The learner must find examples of math in everyday places.

In order to make it a little more challenging and also a bit more fun, I asked my son to first try to find as many of the items as possible outdoors.

Hands-On Middle School Math

My son did really well, and he really had to think a bit to find some of the items.

(Let’s just say percentages are not all over the place in our home – an old grocery receipt, with savings listed, did the trick, but it took a while to find.)

Overall, this was a great way to help my son understand why we learn math in the first place.

It also allowed to him to see first hand, how critical basic math skills are for his success in life.

More Every Day Math Activities

Having to critically think of how these math examples are present all around us, combined with having to come up with three of his own examples made for a math filled afternoon (with zero complaints!).

Hands-On Middle School Math: Everyday Math Scavenger Hunt. Making homeschool math of your everyday life by doing this fun hands-on middle school math activity of a scavenger hunt. Download a free printable everyday math scavenger hunt. CLICK HERE to grab the free printable and teach your kids out of the box middle school math!

How to Get the Free Printable

Now, how to grab the free printable. It’s a subscriber freebie.

When you sign up to follow me, you get access to this freebie.

1) Sign up on my email list to follow me and get this freebie and many others.
2) Grab the printable.
3) Last, look for my emails in your inbox as a follower. Glad to have you.

If you’re looking for a way to bring math to life, you’ll love the book, Loving Living Math for homeschoolers. This how-to guide for parents will help you understand and implement living math principles at any grade level.

We gave this activity an A+.

Written by Shawna at Not the Former Things.

My Unit Studies {Free Printables & Hands-on Ideas}

Hands-On Mixed Media Flower Art Fun Nature Study

Hands-On Mixed Media Spring Nature Study

Nature Study At Home

Mixed Media Nature Study

More Ways to Learn about Nature in Your Homeschool

Hands-On Middle School Math: The Pythagorean Theorem

Hands-On Math: The Pythagorean Theorem

Kids Easy Crafts and Activities that Celebrate Snow

KIDS SNOW ACTIVITIES

KIDS SNOW CRAFTS

Hands-On Nature Study: Make a Fun Bird Nesting Bag

Hands-On Nature Study: Make a Bird Nesting Bag

Make a Bird Nesting Bag

Hands-On Middle School Math: Everyday Math Scavenger Hunt (Printable)

Hands-on Math for Older Learners: Everyday Math Scavenger Hunt

Hands-On Middle School Math

More Every Day Math Activities

How to Get the Free Printable

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My Unit Studies {Free Printables & Hands-on Ideas}

Hands-On Mixed Media Spring Nature Study

Nature Study At Home

Mixed Media Nature Study

More Ways to Learn about Nature in Your Homeschool

Hands-On Math: The Pythagorean Theorem

KIDS SNOW ACTIVITIES

KIDS SNOW CRAFTS

Hands-On Nature Study: Make a Bird Nesting Bag

Make a Bird Nesting Bag

Hands-on Math for Older Learners: Everyday Math Scavenger Hunt

Hands-On Middle School Math

More Every Day Math Activities

How to Get the Free Printable

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