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earth science

10 Sea Shell Activities for Kids and Make Crystal Sea Shells

May 11, 2023 | 2 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have 10 sea shell activities today. And your kids will love making these fun crystal sea shells. Grab more ideas on my Seashore Watching Unit Study and Beach Lapbook.

Sea shell activities are a fun way to explore one of your favorite parts of the beach.

If you find yourself with an abundance of sea shells from your beach visits or you just want to have some seashell-themed fun I have a fun learning activity.

 I have dug up 10 great sea shell activities and put together one of my own for you.

10 Sea Shell Activities for Kids and Make Crystal Sea Shells

You can observe and describe seashells, identify them with a favorite guide or reference book or use them for a multitude of crafts and activities.

I am sharing a tutorial today for how to make crystal seashells.

This is an activity that can be educational as well as pretty.

Your child can place these glittery shells alongside the plainer ones on your science shelf to remember the fun they had watching them grow crystals.

Gather up handfuls of your favorite seashells and let’s see what kind of fun and learning we can do with them.

10 Stupendous Sea Shell Facts

First, look at these facts about sea shells.

  1. A sea shell is a hard, protective outer layer usually created by an animal that lives in the sea.
  2. Mollusks can make their shells become different colors by eating a variety of colorful food. Eating red seaweed gives some sea animals a red shell.
  3. There is more to the pattern of the seashell than just being pretty. Scientists believe that mollusks use the patterns and colors as engineering blueprints. The design of the shells helps the animal know where to place their mantle, ensuring they grow its shell in the right spots.
  4. People used to use sea shells as currency, even as far back as Pompei.
  5. 90% of shells are dextral, meaning their shells open to the right.
  6. There are over 100,000 varieties of mollusks including snails, clams, mussels, scallops, oysters, and more.
  7. The official term for someone who collects shells is a “conchologist”.
  8. You can guess the age of shells, a scallop, for example, produces about a ridge per day. 
  9. The largest sea shell is the Australian Trumpet, weighing up to 40 lbs.
  10. Sea shells are an excellent source of calcium carbonate making them a great choice for adding calcium to your garden beds.
10 Sea Shell Activities for Kids and Make Crystal Sea Shells

10 Sea Shell Activities

Get your shell on with these fun and beachy-themed crafts and activities you can do with your sea shells.

  1. Sea Shell Sand Craft
  2. Sea Shell Necklaces
  3. How to Dye Rainbow Seashells
  4. Seashell Science and Math
  5. Storytelling Seashells
  6. Sea Shell Decorations
  7. Sea Shell Craft Project
  8. Ocean-Themed Playdough Invitation
  9. Glittery Seashells
  10. Sand Clay Handprint Keepsake with Seashells
10 Sea Shell Activities for Kids and Make Crystal Sea Shells

More Sea Shell Activities and Beach Resources

Also, look at more summertime and sea shell fun.

  • How to Dissolve a Seashell – Beach Hands-on Fun Activity
  • Humboldt Who? Hands On to Understand Ocean Currents & Their Effect On The Galapagos Islands
  • Edible Geography – Sea Levels
  • 10 Edible Beach Crafts For Teens and Make Edible Beach Glass
  • Super Easy and Fun Aquarium Jar Craft For Summer Activities
  •  Making Ocean Layers Soap | Summer Activities

In addition, look at these fun books.

4 Seashells Books for Kids

Add one or two of these books or resources to your unit study about sea shells.

What Lives in a Shell?

This clear and appealing book for early elementary age kids, both at home and in the classroom, is a fascinating exploration of the many creatures that make a home in a shell. This picture book features beautifully accurate illustrations of the many types of shells—inside and out! Young readers will love exploring the fascinating homes of creatures like hermit crabs, scallops, and turtles.

Fascinating Shells: An Introduction to 121 of the World’s Most Wonderful Mollusks

Beautiful photographs of stunning shells from London's Natural History Museum, home to one of the most significant and comprehensive collections in the world.Collected and treasured for their beauty, used in religious rituals, or even traded as currency, shells have fascinated humans for millennia. Ancient and enchanting, dazzling in form and variety, these beautiful objects come from mollusks, one of the most diverse groups in the animal kingdom, including snails, oysters, cuttlefish, and chitons. Soft-bodied, these creatures rely on shells for protection from enemies and their environments, from snowy mountains to arid deserts, in deep-sea hydrothermal vents and the jungles of the tropics, on rocky shores, and in coral reefs.

Seashells & Beachcombing for Kids: An Introduction to Beach Life of the Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific Coasts

Ocean beaches capture our attention like few places on Earth—and for good reason. Two vastly different ecosystems merge here, attracting a wide variety of life forms. Become a young oceanographer. Learn all about beaches and the plants and animals found there. East Coast expert Erika Zambello and West Coast naturalist Stephanie Panlasigui present a kids’ introduction to beach life. The children’s book, ideal for early and middle-grade readers, conveys fascinating information for beginners.

Start by learning about beaches and their various habitats, as well as tips on beach safety, collecting etiquette, an

What A Shell Can Tell

Award-winning marine biologist Helen Scales introduces children to the wonders of shells (from seashells to land snails) through the art of observation. Using a friendly question-and-answer format, she explores, through a richly sensory experience, the incredible diversity of shells around the world and showcases the environments molluscs inhabit. From what a shell's shape, color, or texture can reveal about its inhabitant, to where shells are found (from the deepest seas to jungly treetops), with this book, readers can get up close with nature to observe its wonders.

Also, look at some of the science before we make this fun sea shell borax crystal.

Crystal Sea shell Science

Before we soak up the next activity let’s look at some of the science behind it.

First, it is important to know that hot water holds more borax crystals than cold or room temp. 

This is because the hot water molecules move far apart and make room for the borax crystals to dissolve.

You can extend this experiment by trying the same measurements of borax and water with different water temperatures.

As the solution cools down the saturated water molecules come back together and force the particles out of the solution.

They will then land on the nearest surface (sea shells) and then they will keep building up to form crystals.

Once dried you will really be able to see the unique crystal shapes, and how they build on different surfaces like the edges, ridges, cavities, etc/

You can purchase sea shells online or even at dollar tree but how much fun is it to use the ones you found on your last beach vacation?

10 Sea Shell Activities for Kids and Make Crystal Sea Shells

Finally, let’s make crystal sea shells.

How to Make Crystal Seashells

You will need:

  • Seashells
  • 4 cups hot water
  • ¼ to ½ cup borax
  • Shallow glass container
10 Sea Shell Activities for Kids and Make Crystal Sea Shells

Directions:

Heat the water in a microwave-safe container.

You can do it in a shallow glass container or a spouted glass measuring cup is perfect for pouring later in the activity.

The water doesn’t have to be boiling but you want it hot, as it is necessary to melt and absorb the borax crystals.

10 Sea Shell Activities for Kids and Make Crystal Sea Shells

Stir in the borax a few tablespoons at a time, adding more and more until it no longer dissolves.

This means the water is fully saturated.

10 Sea Shell Activities for Kids and Make Crystal Sea Shells

Place seashells in the bottom of a shallow glass dish and give a little space between each of them.

Lay them down upside down and right side up to observe what happens with the crystallization.

10 Sea Shell Activities for Kids and Make Crystal Sea Shells

Place the shallow dish in an area where they will not be disturbed.

Wait at least 24 hours before you check them for crystals.

Moving them around and removing them from the water will disturb the crystallization process.

Once they are done lay on a paper towel to dry.

Investigate your shells with a magnifying glass and a favorite resource book.

You can see here that the crystals started filling in the cavity of this conch.

10 Sea Shell Activities for Kids and Make Crystal Sea Shells

2 CommentsFiled Under: Hands-On Activities Tagged With: beach, crafts, earth science, earthscience, hands-on, hands-on activities, handsonhomeschooling, ocean, science, sea shells, seashore, summer, summer activities, summer crafts, summerideas

How to Make a Simple Wind Vane | Fun Wind Activities Middle School

March 24, 2023 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

If you’re wanting to add fun wind activities middle school, your kids will love this simple wind vane. Also, grab more ideas here Middle School Hands-on Science : Extreme Winds and Free Weather Unit Study for Kids Who Love Hands-on Learning.

Important and valuable science lessons don’t always have to come from books.

You and your student can get a lot out of hands-on experiments, interesting books, and videos.

How to Make a Simple Wind Vane | Fun Wind Activities Middle School

To help you get started on your wind activities middle school journey I have some great resources.

And then let’s put together a very simple but informative hands-on experiment creating a weather vane to determine wind direction.

Wind Activities Middle School Ideas

Start off with a really fun activity that kids of all ages love-paper airplanes. Investigating Wind: Paper Airplane Competition.

Build different styles and sizes, investigate the effects of the wind on them, and record the results.

Another fun and simple activity you can do is to learn about Extreme Winds and grab + a free mini book. 

Grab a Build Your Own Wind Turbine Kit for a firsthand look at wind energy.

Or build a model wind turbine completely from scratch with this tutorial.

Have your middle schooler create their own Anemometer with a few simple household items.

Why not challenge your teen to make their own windsocks, windchimes, and kites to incorporate some art into their studies on wind.

These activities are definitely not just for little ones.

Grab this online self-paced literature course for middle school to go along with the book The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.

Also, look at this mini weather station.

Next, look at these videos to learn about weather and wind.

Videos about Wind

  • Air Pressure and Wind-Middle School Science
  • Watch Twister together for an epic fictional look at the power of the wind in tornadoes.
  • What Causes The Wind
  • The Coriolis Effect Explained
  • How a hurricane is formed and grows

Also, grab these useful books.

Learning about Wind

Wind Activities - Middle School Books

Create fun science learning ideas or a quick unit study from some of these resources.

The Secret World of Weather: How to Read Signs in Every Cloud, Breeze, Hill, Street, Plant, Animal, and Dewdrop

In The Secret World of Weather, bestselling author Tristan Gooley turns his gaze up to the sky, bringing his signature brand of close observation and eye-opening deduction to the fascinating world of weather. Every cloud, every change in temperature, every raindrop, every sunbeam, every breeze reveals something about our weather—if you know what to look for. Before you know it, you’ll be able to forecast impending storms, sunny days, and everything in between, all without needing to consult your smartphone.

Science Comics: Wild Weather: Storms, Meteorology, and Climate

As “snowpocalypse” descends once again, one temperamental weatherman is determined to set the record straight on the myths and misconceptions surrounding the elements. What is the difference between weather and climate? How do weather satellites predict the future? Can someone outrun a tornado? Does the rotation of the Earth affect wind currents? And does meteorology have anything to do with meteors? Stormin’ Norman Weatherby is gearing up to answer all your wildest questions!

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

When a terrible drought struck William Kamkwamba's tiny village in Malawi, his family lost all of the season's crops, leaving them with nothing to eat and nothing to sell. William began to explore science books in his village library, looking for a solution. There, he came up with the idea that would change his family's life forever: he could build a windmill. Made out of scrap metal and old bicycle parts, William's windmill brought electricity to his home and helped his family pump the water they needed to farm the land.

Eric Sloane's Weather Book

"Amateur weather forecasters (which includes just about everyone) will find this volume an informative and entertaining account of the why and how of the weather." — The NationIn simple language, Eric Sloane explains the whys and wherefores of weather and weather forecasting — and does it in a style that's universally appealing.

Global Warming and Wind Power - A Workbook for Middle School

This workbook has 84 printable pages for students to explore global warming and wind power. Students learn about wind farms and residential wind turbines, which states are investing money into this renewable resource, how the cost has gone down, the top nations of the world in this industry, noise pollution from turbines, injuries to birds, reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, and offshore wind farms. Students search for information online about global warming, wind power, climate change, wind farms, turbines, offshore wind farms, wind-powered vehicles, the dangers from turbines and the wind, the benefits of harnessing the wind’s power, and the costs of turbines.

Finally, look at this simple wind vane activity for your kids.

How to Make a Simple Wind Vane | Fun Wind Activities Middle School

How to Make a Simple Wind Vane With Kids

You will need:

  • Paper or plastic straw
  • Pencil with eraser
  • Cardstock
  • Stick pin
  • Paper plate
  • Plastic cup
  • Sharpie marker
  • Ruler
  • Razor or sharp knife
How to Make a Simple Wind Vane | Fun Wind Activities Middle School

Directions:

Find the center of your plate.

Then have your student draw intersecting lines for N,S, E, W.

If you are doing this with younger students you may want to stop here.

For middle school kids I suggest further adding NE, NW, SE, and SW.

How to Make a Simple Wind Vane | Fun Wind Activities Middle School

Poke a hole with a straight edge razor or knife in the bottom of the cup to fit your pencil tightly.

How to Make a Simple Wind Vane | Fun Wind Activities Middle School

Cut a slit on either end of the straw.

Next, cut cardstock into a 1-11/2” triangle for one end and a trapezoid shape for the other end.

Slide each into a slit and secure with a dab of hot glue.

How to Make a Simple Wind Vane | Fun Wind Activities Middle School

Poke the straight pin down through the middle of the straw and into the eraser.

How to Make a Simple Wind Vane | Fun Wind Activities Middle School

Slide pencil mechanism through the cup and to the plate. Add hot glue as needed to secure any loose pieces.

How to Make a Simple Wind Vane | Fun Wind Activities Middle School

To add weight to your weathervane so it doesn’t fly away outside glue coins or small pebbles to the underside of the plate to anchor it.

Use a compass (you can get an app on your phone if you don’t have one)

Figure out north and point your N indicator on the plate in that direction.

Use your compass to determine the direction the wind is blowing; the arrow indicates the direction the wind is coming from.

 Next, have your child track the wind’s direction throughout the day or week with a simple grid. 

How to Make a Simple Wind Vane | Fun Wind Activities Middle School

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Hands-On Activities Tagged With: earth science, earthscience, elementary science, hands-on, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, homeschoolscience, science, wind

Cookie Sheet Activities Make Earth Day Cookies & Fascinating Earth Facts

March 20, 2023 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

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

  1. Earth is the 3rd planet closest to the sun at a whopping 92.67 million miles.
  2. The earth rotates at around 1000 miles an hour- wow!
  3. The circumference of Earth is 24,901 miles.
  4. Some scientists believe that the continents were not always separate but existed as one large landmass that broke apart-Pangea.
  5. Earth is the 5th largest planet in the solar system.
  6. Earth is nicknamed the blue planet or ocean planet, because it is covered in so much water.
  7. The inner core of the earth is made of iron.
  8. The earth’s atmosphere is made up of 6 layers. Those layers are called troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, exosphere, and ionosphere.
  9. Did you know that earth is the only planet that is not named after one of the Greek or Roman gods?
  10. 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.
  11. 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.
  12. 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.
Cookie Sheet Activities Make Earth Day Cookies & Fascinating Earth Facts

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.
Cookie Sheet Activities Make Earth Day Cookies & Fascinating Earth Facts

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

  • Free Earth Science Lapbook
  • 40 Awesome Earth Science Movies
  • Edible Rock Cycle Fudge and Hands-on Rock Activities
  • Rock Activities For Kindergarten And Fun Edible Rock Cycle
  • EASY Hands-on Earth Science: Fun Water Testing Kit
  • Erosion Hands-on Easy Homeschool Science Activity
  • Edible Geography – Sea Levels
  • Free Ocean Lapbook and Unit Study
  • Easy Salt water Density Ocean Science Experiments
  • Hands-on Fun Nature Tree Study
Cookie Sheet Activities Make Earth Day Cookies & Fascinating Earth Facts

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.

Cookie Sheet Activities Make Earth Day Cookies & Fascinating Earth Facts

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

Cookie Sheet Activities Make Earth Day Cookies & Fascinating Earth Facts

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

Cookie Sheet Activities Make Earth Day Cookies & Fascinating Earth Facts

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.

Cookie Sheet Activities Make Earth Day Cookies & Fascinating Earth Facts

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Hands-On Activities Tagged With: cookies, earth science, earthscience, elementary science, hands-on, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, homeschoolscience, planets, science

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

  1. Wildflowers are important because they support ecosystems and pollinators which is good for us and our food supply.
  2. Texas Bluebonnets are the official state flower of Texas.
  3. Wildflowers have several different meanings like happiness, joy, and remembrance.
  4. A wildflower is called that because it is a flower that grows in the wild, and it was not intentionally seeded or planted.
  5. 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.
  6. Bluebonnets are typically (obviously) blue but occasionally you’ll come across them in light blue, white or pink, due to genetic mutations.
  7. 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.
  8. Many wildflowers, from the petals to the roots, are used for medicines, tinctures, salves, teas, and beauty products.
  9. Most wildflowers contain 4 basic parts – sepals, petals, pistils, and stamens.
  10. 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.

Facts About Wildflowers And a Fun Felt Texas Bluebonnet Craft

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
Facts About Wildflowers And a Fun Felt Texas Bluebonnet Craft

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.

Facts About Wildflowers And a Fun Felt Texas Bluebonnet Craft

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

Facts About Wildflowers And a Fun Felt Texas Bluebonnet Craft

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.

Facts About Wildflowers And a Fun Felt Texas Bluebonnet Craft

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.

Facts About Wildflowers And a Fun Felt Texas Bluebonnet Craft

Secure the end with hot glue.

Facts About Wildflowers And a Fun Felt Texas Bluebonnet Craft

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!

Facts About Wildflowers And a Fun Felt Texas Bluebonnet Craft

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Free Weather Unit Study for Kids Who Love Hands-on Learning

February 5, 2023 | 1 Comment
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I have a fun weather unit study for kids who love hands-on learning. Also, grab my other tips and ideas on my Free Earth Science Lapbook and Best Homeschool Unit Studies pages.

Too, February 5th happens to be National Weatherperson Day.

So, I thought this was the perfect time to put together a fun weather unit study full of hands-on resources, books, and videos.

Free Weather Unit Study for Kids Who Love Hands-on Learning

 I also have a simple activity that is very low prep and easy to set up.

You’ll probably have the three things you need on hand.

We’re make a rain cloud in a jar to allow the kids to explore and understand how clouds and rain work.

Weather is the way the air around us changes. Weather is made up of these different things:

  • Temperature
  • The Sun
  • Precipitation (rain and snow)
  • Clouds
  • Wind
  • Humidity

It can be hot, cold, wet, dry, still, or moving.

Weather is a constant meaning that it is something that we can observe and measure around us every day.

And it can really mess up our plans like ruining a park trip with a stormy day but it is very important to us.

MORE WEATHER RESOURCES

  • Fun Felt Weather Chart & Free The Magic School Bus Kicks Up A Storm Worksheet
  • Meteorology For Kids Made Fun: Amazing Potato Straw Experiment | Free Printable

Hurricane Weather Resources

Even as devastating as they can be, even hurricanes have a purpose.

They provide a global heat balance, build new islands, bring rainfall to places that need it, break up bacteria and red tides.

Look at these hurricane weather resources:

  • How Does a Hurricane Form YouTube
  • Hurricane and Tornadoes Cryptogram Worksheet
  • Atlantic basin tracking chart
  • Hurricanes Lesson
  • The Magic School Bus Inside a Hurricane. Lesson Plan
  • What Are Hurricanes?

You can make your weather unit study as quick as a day or an ongoing constantly learning and growing topic.

There is no shortage of resources, or weather changes for that matter so the length of your study is totally up to you and your child’s interest in the topic.

For example, look at the weather books and resources.

10 Weather Unit Study Resources & Books

Add a few of these resources to your weather unit study for hands-on learning.

Eric Sloane's Weather Book

"Amateur weather forecasters (which includes just about everyone) will find this volume an informative and entertaining account of the why and how of the weather." — The Nation. In simple language, Eric Sloane explains the whys and wherefores of weather and weather forecasting — and does it in a style that's universally appealing.With humor and common sense shining through in a book that's also lively and informative, Sloane shows readers how to predict the weather by "reading" such natural phenomena as winds, skies, and animal sounds. This beautifully illustrated and practical treasure trove of climate lore will enlighten outdoorsmen, farmers, sailors, and anyone else who has ever wondered what a large halo around the moon means, why birds "sit it out" before a storm, and whether or not to take an umbrella when leaving the house.

You Wouldn't Want to Live Without Extreme Weather!

This series takes readers (Ages 8-12) on a historical journey, examining how people coped in the past and how they developed ingenious ways to make life safer and less unpleasant. Each book features full-color cartoon-style illustrations and hilarious speech bubbles to heighten interest, making the series attractive even to reluctant readers.It's a nuisance when it rains on a picnic. It's a tragedy when a tornado destroys a neighborhood. Some plants can grow only in hot, dry conditions; others require cold temperatures at certain times of year. And if the Arctic and Antarctic were less cold, melting ice would raise sea levels around the world and cause widespread flooding.

If You Were a Kid Surviving a Hurricane

If a hurricane was heading toward your home town, what would you do?

Readers (Ages 7-9) will enjoy the thrilling story of Carrie and Dan, two friends who find themselves caught in the path of a major hurricane. Along the way, they will learn how hurricanes form, how weather scientists track and study these storms, what people do to protect themselves from wind and flooding, and much more.

The Kids' Book of Weather Forecasting

With experiments, observations and activities children ages seven to thirteen will learn to predict the weather by understanding the science behind it. From foggy mornings to sunny afternoons to our changing seasons, weather forecasting is a year-round, practical science that children will have fun learning about.

Weather: Explore Nature with Fun Facts and Activities

How is a forecast predicted? What makes a rainbow? Packed with facts and activities, this book has these answers and more, and is a perfect introduction to the world of sun, snow, and rain for kids who are curious about nature.

With amazing facts about fun topics like thunder and lightning, Weather lets kids have fun and be innovative as they learn through simple activities like cloudspotting and making a barometer. It includes information on weather found in every season of the year, so kids can discover how weather works no matter what it's doing outside.

What Makes a Tornado Twist?: And Other Questions About Weather

Is each snowflake unique? What comes first: thunder or lightning? What causes the seasons? Charming illustrations, clever charts, and fun text help kids learn whatever they want to know about wild weather. No matter their question, the fascinating answers are right here!

Pet Tornado-Spin and Watch

Nature's most destructive force can be observed and enjoyed in the palm of your hand Hold Pet Tornado from top or bottom and rotate wrist form amazing funnel clouds Includes educational information aboutEF-0 to EF-5 tornados and is a perfect addition to a weather science curriculum or for your future meteorologist Great Stress reliever and the perfect desk toy.

Weather Science Lab 20 All Season Projects

Discover The Wonderful World Of Weather Science With This Scientific Weather Science Lab Kit Designed To Educate The Budding Meteorologist On The Mysteries Of The Climate And Teach Your Young Scientist How To Chart And Predict It.

Spark Your Kid'S Curiosity & Imagination: Including 20 All-Season Activities For All Climates, This Weather Project Kit Covers A Wide Range Of Weather-Related Subjects And Boosts Children'S Cognitive Skills.

Make A Cloud In The Bottle: Measure Temperature With A Real-Life Thermometer, Atmospheric Pressure With A Barometer, Keep Your Head In The Sky To Identify Clouds And Create Fluffy Snow Without Freezing Temps

Keep Children Busy Come Rain Or Shine: Let Your Kids Set Up Their Weather Station Indoors Or Pick The Right Spot For Their Experiments Outdoors. Encourage Them To Take Notes, For The Most Accurate Forecasts

Peaceable Kingdom Sunny and Stormy Day Game

LEARNING AND GROWING: Nourish your child’s social-emotional well-being through this matching-and-sharing game from Peaceable Kingdom that has three difficulty levels adaptable to your child’s age.

HOW TO PLAY: Read the book together, then use your memory skills to find the “sunny” and “stormy” matches from the book before the moon comes up. Use the sun, cloud and rainbow tokens to share the highs and lows of your own day as a family.

WE WIN TOGETHER: Talking about feelings in an age-appropriate way can nurture emotional health and encourage confidence, compassion and kindness. Sunny Stormy game and book help kick-off important conversations between kids and parents.

3 PART, 3 LEVELS: The game’s storybook, memory game and sharing activity can be done all together, or separately, and have three levels of experience to adapt to older and younger children.

INCLUDES: Full-color Picture Book, 24 Game Tiles, 1 Game Puzzle, Heart Pouch with 3 Sharing Tokens, Instructions (For ages 3 and up)

Board Game to Learn About Seasons and Weather

SMART GAMES FOR LEARNING ABOUT THE SEASONS: Easter in spring, Halloween in fall, Christmas in winter. You go sailing in summer and see butterflies in spring. Children love playing and learning about the seasons, holidays, activities, and events with our educational board game.

EASY GAMEPLAY FOR BOARD GAMES: Win the season card by matching different props with the correct season card. The first player to collect the 5 season cards wins the game. This game can be played in multiple ways. Watch the video to know more!

LEARNING OUTCOMES FOR KIDS GAMES: Review each picture card, have discussions, and guide kids to sort cards across categories. Gain knowledge about fruits, animals, activities, holidays across the different seasons. Build language, reasoning skills, season identification and categorizing, logical, creative, and critical thinking. "

In addition, add some tornado weather resources.

Tornado Weather Resources

  • How Tornadoes Work
  • Tornado Alley
  • Build your own tornado simulation chamber! 
  • Tornado Lapbook
  • Tornadoes violently rotating columns of air
  • Characteristics of a tornado
  • What is a tornado?
Free Weather Unit Study for Kids Who Love Hands-on Learning

Also, look at some of these vocabulary words.

Weather Related Vocabulary Words

  • equator – an imaginary line drawn around the earth equally distant from both poles, dividing the earth into northern and southern hemispheres
  • meteorologist – an expert in or student of meteorology or studying the atmosphere, especially as a means of forecasting the weather.
  • evacuate – remove (someone) or leave from a place of danger to a safer place.
  • lightning – the occurrence of a natural electrical discharge of very short duration and high voltage between a cloud and the ground or within a cloud, accompanied by a bright flash and typically also thunder.
  • typhoon – a tropical storm in the region of the Indian or western Pacific oceans.
  • low pressure –  condition of the atmosphere in which the pressure is below average 
  • high pressure – a condition of the atmosphere in which the pressure is above average
  • precipitation – is the release of water from the atmosphere to the earth’s surface as a solid or liquid. It includes rain, snow, hail, sleet and dew.
  • humidity – is how much water vapor is in the atmosphere.

Moreover add these fun ideas for a hands-on weather unit study.

Hands-on Weather Unit Study Ideas

  • Make lightning
  • This pet tornado is fun and gives your child a close up but safe look at how the wind moves during a tornado.
  • Create a weather-based art project like this rainbow Tissue Paper Craft.
  • Make a Tornado in a Bottle from Fun Learning For Kids.
  • Grab a Weather Science Lab kit and you will have all the supplies you need on hand to perform 20 all season weather related activities and experiments.
  • Watch the weather forecast on TV together for a week, talk about how you should dress and if there are any preparations or changes in your schedule that you should make due to the weather.
  • Make a DIY Weather Vane, challenge your older kids to take it to the next level.
  • If you have a budding meteorologist on your hands, you might consider investing in a Weather Station, this guy shows indoor and outdoor temps and humidity, barometric pressure, moon phases, and the forecast. This would be a great tool for tracking and recording weather patterns.
  • Erosion Hands-on Easy Homeschool Science Activity
  • Simple and Easy Instant Ice Kids Activity Homeschool Science Experiments

Additionally, look at a weather disaster timeline.

Weather Disaster Timeline

  • 1900 Massive hurricane hits Galveston, Texas
  • 1906 Massive earthquake on April 18 hits San Francisco.
  • 1906 Typhoon with tsunami kills 10,000 people after hitting Hong Kong
  • 1915 Earthquake in Avezzano, Italy kills 29,980.
  • 1940 The Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapses due to a wind-induced vibrations.
  • 1946 A 40-foot tsunami in Hawaii kills more than 170 people.
  • 1957 Hurricane Audrey kills more than 500 people in Louisiana and Texas.

More Weather Unit Study Hands-On

  • 9 Hands on Weather Activities for Kids and Awesome Weather Sensory Tray
  • 5 Simple Wind Energy Activities For Kids & Fun DIY Anemometer
  • Weather In A Bottle | How To Make An Amazing Tornado In A Jar
  • How to Make a Simple Wind Vane | Fun Wind Activities Middle School

How to Make a Rain Cloud In A Jar

You will need:

  • A clear glass jar
  • Water
  • Unscented shaving cream
  • Blue food coloring
Free Weather Unit Study for Kids Who Love Hands-on Learning

Directions:

Fill the jar ¾ of the way full with water, the water represents our air.

Free Weather Unit Study for Kids Who Love Hands-on Learning

Top with a couple inches of shaving cream, this represents clouds.

Free Weather Unit Study for Kids Who Love Hands-on Learning

Give your child a squeeze bottle of blue food coloring or a pipette to add it a drop at a time. This will be our rain.

Free Weather Unit Study for Kids Who Love Hands-on Learning

Explain to your child as the cloud fills up with the water (food coloring) it can no longer hold it, so it drops rain into the air and it falls to the ground just like in a real cloud.

You can repeat this experiment over and over.

Free Weather Unit Study for Kids Who Love Hands-on Learning

1 CommentFiled Under: Hands-On Activities Tagged With: clouds, earth science, earthscience, elementary science, hands-on, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, rain, science, sciencecurriculum, weather

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