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elementary science

How to Make an Easy Bird Craft Fun Paper Plate Peacock

April 23, 2023 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

This easy bird craft paper plate peacock is fun to do to celebrate Bird Day. Also, you’ll love my Free Bird Unit Study.

Peacocks are beautiful and easily identifiable.

They make the perfect model for a fun bird craft to include in your studies or just as a stand-alone activity.

How to Make an Easy Bird Craft Fun Paper Plate Peacock

From their long, beautiful train to their unusual cry peacocks are exotic indeed.

Peacocks are also known as peafowls and peahens. The peafowl is a member of the pheasant family.

Facts About Peacocks

Look at some peacock facts.

  • The beautiful brightly colored birds with elegant tails are all males. Further, females (peahens) are a dull brown color, so they blend in with the nest to protect it.
  • The peahen has a weakness for the magnificent display of the males wide fanned train.
  • Peafowl lives between 10 and 25 years in the wild and up to 50 years in captivity.
  • In 1963 peacocks were declared the national bird of India.
  • Peafowls can fly, even with tails that stretch out to 5’ long, but not very far distances.
  • A group of peafowls is called a harem. A male can have up to 5 hens and father as many as 25 chicks.
  • Peacock feathers have microscopic structures that appear like crystals, this is what gives the bright almost fluorescent colors and shimmer.
  • There are only three species of peafowl: Indian, Green, and Congo.
How to Make an Easy Bird Craft Fun Paper Plate Peacock

Also, look at these resources about peacocks.

Books and Resources to Learn About Peacocks

Add one or two of these resources to your study about peacocks.

Unbelievable Pictures and Facts About Peacocks

On average how many years do peacocks live
for? Are peacocks animals which can be kept as pets?

In this book you will explore the wonderful world of peacocks, finding the answers to these questions and so many more. Complete with incredible pictures to keep even the youngest of children captivated, you will all embark on a little journey into the great unknown.

Big Book of Birds (The Big Book Series)

The next Big Book in the series introduces young children to some of the most colorful, magnificent, silly, and surprising feathered creatures from around the world.

Following up the hugely successful The Big Book of Bugs, The Big Book of Beasts, and The Big Book of the Blue, The Big Book of Birds is a fact-filled tour of the world’s most wonderful winged creatures. Yuval Zommer’s distinctive illustrations show off some of the most colorful, flamboyant, impressive, and wacky birds of the sky. Picture-book charm pairs with informative nonfiction to make a beautiful, large-format title for parents to share with young children and for older children to read by themselves.

Natural Peacock Feathers 10"-12" with Eye Peacock Tail Feather

100% Genuine natural peacock feathers.

Approximate Size :10-12 inch

Peafowl

An interesting and informative look into the life and behavior of peafowl for young readers.This book covers the physical characteristics, habitat, family life, behavior, and conservation of peafowl.

Next, look at some facts about peacocks in history.

Peacocks in History

Moreover, the Peacock Throne was a famous jeweled throne that was the seat of the emperors of the Mughal Empire in India.

Too, it was commissioned in the early 17th century by Emperor Shah Jahan and was located in the Diwan-i-Khas (Hall of Private Audiences, or Ministers’ Room) in the Red Fort of Delhi.

It was named after a peacock as two peacocks are shown dancing at its rear.

According to Britannica: “It was ascended by silver steps and stood on golden feet set with jewels, and it was backed by representations of two open peacocks’ tails, gilded, enamelled, and inset with diamonds, rubies, and other stones.”

Additionally, in the gardens of India, Rome, and Ancient Greece live peacocks were kept.

According to the Greek Reporter: “The peacock plays a role in ancient Greek mythology as the symbol of the goddess Hera, the consort of Zeus.“

How to Make an Easy Bird Craft Fun Paper Plate Peacock

Peacocks were featured in the royal courts of India for thousands of years.

Peacock and Bird Craft Ideas

  • Need more peacock art? Here is an Easy How to Draw a Peacock Tutorial Video and Peacock Coloring Page.
  • This little Cute Bird Made of Leftover Yarn is going on my to-make-it list.
  • A simple Yarn Wrapped Cardinal Craft not only makes a pretty craft but a great exercise for fine motor skills.
  • Watch What is it? Peacock to learn a little more about this brilliant bird.
  • Make a Tropical Birds Mobile with brightly colored parrots.
  • Little ones will appreciate the simplicity of the Paper & Sidewalk Chalk Baby Bird craft.
  • Listen to these peafowl sounds to get an idea of what this exotic bird sounds like.
  • Try making this Handprint Bald Eagle.
  • These Peacock Montessori Cards are the perfect companion to today’s peacock bird craft, helping your child label the different parts of the bird.

More Easy Bird Craft Ideas and Resources

Also, here are some more fun bird crafts and activities.

  • Free Bird Journal – Hands-on Nature (Coloring & Identification Pages)
  • Free North American Robin Bird Lapbook and Fun Homeschool Unit Study Ideas
  • Bird Craft For Kindergarten Make an Adorable Fun American Robin Foot Print
  • Beautiful Bald Eagle Fun Facts And Torn Paper Bird Craft
  • Free Bird Unit Study and Lapbook And Fun Edible Bird Nests
  • Cardinal Birds in Winter and Birch Trees Easy Watercolor Kids Activity
  • Wildlife in the Amazon Rainforest – Create Fun Macaw and Toucan Crafts
  • How to Make a Fun Paper Mache American Robin Bird Craft
  • How to Make a Kid’s Fun and Easy Bird Nest Activity
  • How to Make an Easy Jumbo Stick Bird Feeder with Kids
  • Hands-On Nature Study: Bird Color Bar Graphing Activity
  • Hands-On Nature Study: Make a Fun Bird Nesting Bag
  • Colorful Winter Bird: Northern Cardinal Lapbook & Unit Study
  • Winter Nature Craft: How to Make Easy DIY Bird Feeders
How to Make an Easy Bird Craft Fun Paper Plate Peacock

You can make your paper plate peacock bird craft as simple or as elaborate as you like.

Add glitter, vibrant paints, and even sequins to dress up your fancy bird.

How to Make a Toilet Roll and Paper Plate Peacock

You will need:

  • Paper plate
  • Empty toilet paper roll
  • Bright craft paints-teal, purple, blue, yellow/gold
  • Paintbrushes
  • Craft feathers
  • Yellow construction paper
  • Black permanent marker
  • Hot glue gun/glue sticks
  • Glitter or sequins-optional

Directions:

Cut the bottom 1” of your paper plate off straight across.

How to Make an Easy Bird Craft Fun Paper Plate Peacock

Paint the entire plate a vibrant teal and set it aside to dry completely.

How to Make an Easy Bird Craft Fun Paper Plate Peacock

Pinch together one end of an empty toilet paper roll and secure with hot glue, and hold in place until cooled and hardened.

How to Make an Easy Bird Craft Fun Paper Plate Peacock

Paint the entire outside of the toilet paper roll with a deep blue for contrast.

How to Make an Easy Bird Craft Fun Paper Plate Peacock

Cut feet and a beak shape from yellow cardstock or construction paper.

How to Make an Easy Bird Craft Fun Paper Plate Peacock

Once the body is dry, glue the beak and feet in place and draw on little black eyes.

How to Make an Easy Bird Craft Fun Paper Plate Peacock

Add a small piece of feather to the top of the back of the head to give him a little crest.

Draw 6-8 lines from the bottom center of the dry plate up to the top to create the quill of the tail feathers.

How to Make an Easy Bird Craft Fun Paper Plate Peacock

Add small little lines up and down either side to represent the loose barbs.

To create the beautiful little eyes on the feathers, press your finger into a shallow puddle of yellow paint and make fingerprints across the top of the barbs.

Add smaller prints of purple and blue on top to form the eye, you can either do it carefully while it’s wet or allow each color to dry in between.

How to Make an Easy Bird Craft Fun Paper Plate Peacock

If you want to add a little sparkle to your peacock, sprinkle a bit of glitter on the paint while it is still wet.

Let everything dry completely.

Finally, hot glue the body to the tail feathers, lining up the bottom so it sits nicely.

How to Make an Easy Bird Craft Fun Paper Plate Peacock

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Hands-On Activities Tagged With: birds, crafts, elementary science, life science, peacock, science, spring, spring crafts

How to Create Homeschool Farming Curriculum and Adorable Clothespin Sheep Craft

April 8, 2023 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

If you want to create your own homeschool farming curriculum, I have some great resources. Too, grab more farm ideas on my page Free Charlotte’s Web Homeschool Unit Study and Fun Hands-on Ideas.

If you’re looking for a fun and diverse book to use as a spine or main book for your farming curriculum, look at Farm Anatomy by Julia Rothman.

Her entire series is incredible and full of beautiful illustrations and a wealth of information tucked into each page.

How to Create Homeschool Farming Curriculum and Adorable Clothespin Sheep Craft

I love to just flip through the pages and admire them, learning much myself at the same time.

They are easily adaptable as a main spine to your DIY curriculum without any textbooks or worksheets.

Too, I’ll not only share some fun ideas about farming, but your kids will love making this adorable clothespin sheep.

Even your older kids will love it.

7 Topics Study for Homeschool Farming Curriculum

Using just the Farm Anatomy Book you can create a homeschooling farming curriculum that covers all these seven topics and more.

1. How to Break Ground

In this section cover farm terminology, topsoil, nutrients, composting and acreage.

2. Raised in a Barn

Learn about barns and other structures, styles, features, uses, chicken coops, brooders, fencing, sheep sheds, and feeders.

How to Create Homeschool Farming Curriculum and Adorable Clothespin Sheep Craft

3. Tools of the Trade

Additionally, understand farm tools. Include big equipment like tractors and plows and hand tools and wood splitting as well.

How to Create Homeschool Farming Curriculum and Adorable Clothespin Sheep Craft

4. Plant a Seed

Learn about everything from seeds to frost dates, and vegetable varieties to good and bad bugs.

5. Separating the Sheep from the Goats

Next, learn livestock terminology, types and labeling of their parts, anatomy of a beehive, comb styles, breeds, harnesses, and shearing sheep.

6. Country Dining

Delve into dairy, breadmaking, cuts of meat, root cellars, old fashioned country kitchens, how to cut up a chicken, build a smokehouse, canning, and making cheese.

7. Spinning a Yarn

In the final chapter you will learn about shearing, natural dyes, making rag rugs, candles, and other farm tasks.

How to Create Homeschool Farming Curriculum and Adorable Clothespin Sheep Craft

Farm Themed Read Aloud Books

The only other book I might suggest is a farm-themed read-aloud to enjoy together.

You could also assign your older students the reading independently.

Resources and Books for a Study about Farming

Add some of these fun books and resources to create your own curriculum about farming or for a homeschool unit study topic about farming.

Farm Anatomy: The Curious Parts and Pieces of Country Life

Learn the difference between a farrow and a barrow, and what distinguishes a weanling from a yearling. Country and city mice alike will delight in Julia Rothman’s charming illustrated guide to the curious parts and pieces of rural living. Dissecting everything from the shapes of squash varieties to how a barn is constructed and what makes up a beehive to crop rotation patterns, Rothman gives a richly entertaining tour of the quirky details of country life.

Charlotte's Web: A Newbery Honor Award Winner

Some Pig. Humble. Radiant. These are the words in Charlotte's Web, high up in Zuckerman's barn. Charlotte's spiderweb tells of her feelings for a little pig named Wilbur, who simply wants a friend. They also express the love of a girl named Fern, who saved Wilbur's life when he was born the runt of his litter.

Farmer Boy (Little House, 2)

While Laura Ingalls grows up on the prairie, Almanzo Wilder is living on a big farm in New York State. Here Almanzo and his brother and sisters help with the summer planting and fall harvest. In winter there is wood to be chopped and great slabs of ice to be cut from the river and stored. Time for fun comes when the jolly tin peddler visits, or best of all, when the fair comes to town.

Almanzo wishes for just one thing—his very own horse—and he must prove that he is ready for such a big responsibility.

Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer

Twelve-year-old Sophie Brown feels like a fish out of water when she and her parents move from Los Angeles to the farm they’ve inherited from a great-uncle. But farm life gets more interesting when a cranky chicken appears and Sophie discovers the hen can move objects with the power of her little chicken brain: jam jars, the latch to her henhouse, the entire henhouse.... And then more of her great-uncle’s unusual chickens come home to roost. Determined, resourceful Sophie learns to care for her flock, earning money for chicken feed, collecting eggs. But when a respected local farmer tries to steal them, Sophie must find a way to keep them (and their superpowers) safe.

Strawberry Girl

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

Making the new farm prosper is not easy. There is heat to suffer through, and droughts, and cold snaps. And, perhaps most worrisome of all for the Boyers, there are rowdy neighbors, just itching to start a feud. The land was theirs, but so were its hardships.

The Farm That Feeds Us: A year in the life of an organic farm

Explore the workings of a small-scale, organic family farm and experience the rhythm of farm life. In the spring, visit the chicken coop, till the fields, and tour the farm machinery. When summer comes, plant corn, meet the pollinators, and head to the county fair. In the fall, make pies and preserves, harvest pumpkins, and put the fields to sleep. Winter activities include trimming and pruning the orchard, seed shopping, and baking bread.

In Grandma's Attic

A young girl delights in her grandmother’s stories of days gone by, sparked by keepsakes and simple questions, Grandma shares marvelous stories of mischief , discovery, and laughter, such as the time she accidentally lost the family buggy. Part of the bestselling Grandma’s Attic series, these charming tales—updated with delightful new illustrations—will whisk you away to another time and place.

Caddie Woodlawn

Caddie Woodlawn is a real adventurer. She'd rather hunt than sew and plow than bake, and tries to beat her brother's dares every chance she gets. Caddie is friends with Indians, who scare most of the neighbors—neighbors who, like her mother and sisters, don't understand her at all.

Veggie Farm Sorting Set

Fill bushel baskets with figures representing veggies, from corn and broccoli to onions and pumpkins

Playmat with farm signs includes images of essential colors and shapes

However, hands-on activities make for the best part of any curriculum which you put together.

Hands-on activities makes learning stick and stirs your child’s imagination.

Homeschool Farming Curriculum Hands-on Activities

  • Grab some farm animals for use as counters for math, dramatic play with blocks, as a themed sensory bin, art inspiration, farm animal sorting, or a close-up look at farm animals they might not otherwise get to see.
  • Easy Seeds and Gardening Unit Study for Kids (Middle – Upper Elementary)
  • Even if you don’t have the space to plant, you can plant several types of vegetables in containers, if not you can still grab seeds to check out the size and information on the packet. Dollar Tree is a great resource for seeds.
  • How to Easily Garden Plan With Kids Using LEGO
  • Visit a local farm store and check out the different types of feed, tools, and other items that farmers might need.
  • How to Plan And Start an Easy Gardening Unit Study for Kids
  • Plan a garden or large farm plot on graph paper to plant, or just pretend.
  • Gardening Projects For Homeschool Easy Composting With the Amazing Dr. George Carver (Free Printable About Composting)
  • Check into visiting local farms, dairies, and farmers’ markets to study farm life up close.
  • Play a fun farm-themed game to learn math, and encourage taking turns, reading, and following directions.
  • Free Printable Strawberries Lapbook and Fun Homeschool Unit Study Ideas
  • 7 Honey Bee Activities And Explore a Bee Hive With Felt Activity.
  • Practice milking a cow with a simple rubber glove in this fun activity.
  • Does your child love horses? Weave this Horse Unit Study into the farming study.
  • Learn about cloth dyeing.

Finally, look at how to make this adorable sheep craft, but first here are a few fun facts about sheep.

How to Make a Clothespin Sheep Craft

Next, look at a few facts about sheep.

Quick Facts about Sheep

  • Lamb is the name for a baby sheep up to one year.
  • The ram is the male sheep.
  • Ewe (pronounced, you) is the female sheep.
  • Hair on a sheep is called wool and all the wool on sheep is called the fleece.
  • Sheep are used for more than just their wool.
  • Some by products of sheep are used in buttons, cosmetics, hand soap and medicine.
How to Create Homeschool Farming Curriculum and Adorable Clothespin Sheep Craft

Now, grab these supplies for this fun sheep craft.

You will need:

  • 2 wooden clothespins
  • Wool roving or yarn
  • Black paint
  • Scrap cardboard
  • Black felt
  • Hot glue

Cut cardboard, a leftover Amazon box works great, into roughly the shape of a bean like this.

How to Create Homeschool Farming Curriculum and Adorable Clothespin Sheep Craft

Paint the “head” and slightly into the body black.

Paint both clothespins all the way around approximately ¾ of the way up from the end that you squeeze.

Allow all the paint to dry completely.

How to Create Homeschool Farming Curriculum and Adorable Clothespin Sheep Craft

Place clothespins on cardboard cutout, push up to the spring, and adjust until it can stand.

To wrap with the wool roving pull long thin lengths off and wrap all around, covering the cardboard up to the head completely and secure the end with a dot of hot glue.

How to Create Homeschool Farming Curriculum and Adorable Clothespin Sheep Craft

To cover with yarn, follow the same process but with one long string of yarn, wrapping and changing directions until fully covered, and glue the end down.

How to Create Homeschool Farming Curriculum and Adorable Clothespin Sheep Craft

Cut small ear shapes out of black felt and hot glue to the sides of the head.

How to Create Homeschool Farming Curriculum and Adorable Clothespin Sheep Craft

You can make a whole herd of sheep from different colors and textures of yarn and wool as you learn all about breeds, shearing, and more.

How to Create Homeschool Farming Curriculum and Adorable Clothespin Sheep Craft

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Hands-On Activities Tagged With: crafts, elementary science, farm, hands-on, hands-on activities, handsonhomeschooling, life science, sheep

7 Honey Bee Activities And Explore a Bee Hive With Felt Activity

April 4, 2023 | 5 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

This time of year is perfect for fun hands-on honey bee activities to buzz deeper into their lives and learn more about them. Also, grab more ideas on my Honey Bees Unit Study page.

Bees are fascinating little creatures that fly even though they should not be able to,

They spend their days gathering pollen, making honey, and building amazing little worlds to store it in.

7 Honey Bee Activities And Explore a Bee Hive With Felt Activity

Today we are going to create and explore the various cells in a hive.

It is a great activity for all ages.

Some of your kids might need a little more help than others creating it but even toddlers as you can see here will enjoy exploring and building the hive.

Honey Bee Facts

First, look at some honey bee facts.

  • Each beehive is made up of thousands of hexagonal thin-walled fragile cells.
  • Bees create hexagonal shapes for their cells because the six-sided cells fit perfectly without leaving any space in between, circles would leave wasted gaps.
  • The queen honey bee is about twice the length of a worker.
  • Each hardworking little honey bee only makes about 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey in its lifetime.
  • The tiny tips of the antennae of a honey bee have more than 300 taste sensors.
  • The ancient Egyptians and other civilizations used honey as food, medicine, and as a beauty treatment.

Next, add some of these fun books about bees to your nature study.

8 Honey Bees Unit Study Resources & Books

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

Bees: A Honeyed History

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

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

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

Flight of the Honey Bee: Read and Wonder

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

Life Cycle of a Honey Bee

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

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

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

Farm Anatomy: The Curious Parts and Pieces of Country Life

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

The Life and Times of the Honeybee

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

The Magic School Bus Inside a Beehive

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

Third, look at these 7 honey bee activities.

7 Honey Bee Activities

Besides, hands-on is the best way for learning to stick.

1. Make a Bee Sensory Bin.

Take a bee life cycle set and use it as a base for a sensory bin or put it out on your bee themed science shelf.

7 Honey Bee Activities And Explore a Bee Hive With Felt Activity

2. Learn about the different types of cells in a comb.

Visit BeeManiacs to learn a little more about the different cells of a honey beehive.

3. Taste honey straight from the comb.

You can grab honey from your local produce stand if you can’t taste it straight from the comb.

If you have a friendly beekeeper locally, consider planning a field trip to see how the process works firsthand.

4. Make honey slime.

DIY Honey Slime is a great sensory activity for your little beekeepers.

5. Honey bee play activity.

Littles will love this Beekeeper Dramatic Play.

6. Create a bee lapbook.

7 Honey Bee Activities And Explore a Bee Hive With Felt Activity
  • Dynamic Honey Bee Lapbook for Multiple Ages

    Dynamic Honey Bee Lapbook for Multiple Ages

    $4.00
    Add to cart

Look at the fun felt craft below.

7. Make a fun felt beehive.

Also, you’ll love these other bee activities.

Fun Bee Activities for Kids

  • Make a Mason Bee Habitat
  • Labeling Parts of a Honey Bee LEGO Fun Activity For Kids
  • Fascinating and Fun Honey Bees Unit Study and Lapbook for Kids

Finally, look at this fun hand-on honey bee felt comb.

7 Honey Bee Activities And Explore a Bee Hive With Felt Activity

How to Make a Felt Honey Bee Comb

You will need:

  • White felt
  • 2 shades of yellow felt
  • 3 shades of brown/tan felt
  • Yellow and gold paint-optional
  • Scissors
  • Pencil
  • Printout of a hexagon shape on cardstock
7 Honey Bee Activities And Explore a Bee Hive With Felt Activity

I found a hexagon on Google and reduced it to 20%.

You can make your hive cells any size that you would like larger or smaller. Print on cardstock so it’s a bit sturdier to use as a template.

Use a pencil to trace the hexagon for as many cells as you would like on the yellows and the two lighter browns.

7 Honey Bee Activities And Explore a Bee Hive With Felt Activity

Cut them out and trim them if needed by holding the template over the felt to make sure they will line up nicely.

Make a Felt Honey Bee Comb

You are going to assign one color for each cell- eggs and larvae, pollen, honey, and brood cells.

7 Honey Bee Activities And Explore a Bee Hive With Felt Activity

If you want to add a bit more detail to your hive use paint to add details.

Make “dripping” honey on some of your uncapped cells and paint other solids to represent the capped honey cells.

I did this with a mixture of yellow and gold paint.

For pollen cells, simply make yellow “pollen” dots by dipping the handle end of your paintbrush into paint and dotting the cells.

7 Honey Bee Activities And Explore a Bee Hive With Felt Activity

Allow the paint to dry fully.

Use the white felt to cut small eggs and a few small larvae.

7 Honey Bee Activities And Explore a Bee Hive With Felt Activity

While the paint is drying, cut out your beehive.

I did a beehive shape like you would see hanging from the limbs with Winnie the Pooh dipping his hand in.

7 Honey Bee Activities And Explore a Bee Hive With Felt Activity

You could make a man-made beehive frame or any other type you like.

I found a lot of great examples of different beehives in Bees a Honeyed History.

7 Honey Bee Activities And Explore a Bee Hive With Felt Activity

Finally, assemble the cells in your beehive.

In a real beehive honey cells are at the top with pollen cells below.

Then the pupae and egg cells, brood cells further down, and a peanut-shaped queen cell at the bottom which we made by using two hexagons together.

You can glue them down if you like but if you have younger children, I recommend leaving them loose so they can take them apart and rebuild it over and over.

Using bee figurines to play with and explore the hive.

The bee life cycle set from Safari Ltd. is perfect to demonstrate the different stages of bees you would find in the hive.

You can also create a little honey bee by twisting yellow and black pipe cleaners together and cutting them off at about 1” long, twist on a small piece of white pipe cleaner for wings.

Another great extension for this activity is heading outside to find flowers either in the garden or growing wild to investigate pollen firsthand.

7 Honey Bee Activities And Explore a Bee Hive With Felt Activity

5 CommentsFiled Under: Hands-On Activities Tagged With: bees, crafts, elementary science, hands-on, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, life science, science, spring, spring crafts

Fun Hands-on Free Mushroom Unit Study and Kids Learning Activities

March 27, 2023 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

This mushroom unit study is a fun topic to study any time of the year. Also, grab more ideas on my best homeschool unit studies page.

While you can find many species of mushrooms year-round the very best time to get out and study them in nature is in the fall and in spring.

Fun Hands-on Free Mushroom Unit Study and Kids Learning Activities

Besides, even if you are not able to find any mushrooms in your backyard, fields, or woodland areas there are still plenty of fun hands-on free mushroom unit study and kid’s learning activities to be found.

You can gather resources from the library or Amazon to put together a wonderful nature study on mushrooms so easily.

But first, let’s learn a few fun and fungi facts.

5 Funky Mushroom Facts

  1. Mushrooms grow in all 50 States.
  2. Mushrooms are like plants, but they lack chlorophyll and must take their nutrients from other materials.
  3. Just one Portabella mushroom can have more potassium than a banana.
  4. There are over 30 species of mushrooms that glow in the dark.
  5. The name for those who collect and eat mushrooms from the wild is a Mycophagist. 

Next, add some fun books.

Mushroom Unit Study Books

Grab some of these fun books to learn about mushrooms, the part of a mushroom and the life cycle.

Mushrooms: How to Identify and Gather Wild Mushrooms and Other Fungi

This mushroom foraging book is packed with vital information that will help you identify the exact types of mushrooms you are looking for when you’re out foraging. You’ll learn how to identify the caps, stems and gills, which all have different physical characteristics like shape and texture, and color.From the Neobulgaria pura and the Mitrula paludosa, discover newly-found fungi species and complex ones which can only be viewed microscopically. The detailed illustrations and identification charts will help you name the mushrooms you find or hope to search for. 

Back to the Roots Organic Mini Mushroom Grow Kit

GROW YOUR PLANT ALL YEAR-ROUND: This organic mushroom indoor kit allows you to grow your own crop all-year round; Just place the box near a window with indirect light, mist twice a day, and you'll see delicious, beautiful mushrooms growing within a week; Included in this kit is an organic plant-based soil infused with mushroom spawn and a booklet with instructions

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

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

National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms (National Audubon Society Field Guides)

Featuring a durable vinyl binding and over 700 full-color identification photographs organized visually by color and shape, the National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms is the perfect companion for any mushroom hunting expedition. Each species is accompanied by a detailed physical description, information on edibility, season, habitat, range, look-alikes, alternative names, and facts on edible and poisonous species, uses, and folklore. A supplementary section on cooking and eating wild mushrooms, and illustrations identifying the parts of a mushroom, round out this essential guide.

The Mushroom Fan Club

Elise Gravel is back with a whimsical look at one of her family’s most beloved pastimes: mushroom hunting! Combining her love of exploring nature with her talent for anthropomorphizing everything, she takes us on a magical tour of the forest floor and examines a handful of her favorite alien specimens up close. While the beautiful coral mushroom looks like it belongs under the sea, the peculiar Lactarius indigo may be better suited for outer space. From the fun-to-stomp puffballs to the prince of the stinkers―the stinkhorn mushroom―and the musically inclined chanterelles, Gravel shares her knowledge of this fascinating kingdom by bringing each species to life in full felt-tip-marker glory.

Botanicum: Welcome to the Museum

The 2017 offering from Big Picture Press's Welcome to the Museum series, 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.

Ridley's Funky Fungi

FUN FAMILY GAME: See if you have what it takes to be the mushroom master in Funky Fungi from Ridley's Games! In this card-collecting game that will definitely grow on you, forage for the best fungi to be the first player to reach ten points and win the game.

Let's learn about mushrooms

Introduces the characteristics and uses of a variety of mushrooms and discusses some of the beliefs and customs connected with this plant family.

Katya's Book of Mushrooms

Mushrooms are exciting to find, beautiful to look at, fascinating to identify, and delicious to eat. When you know what to look for, a mushroom hunt is as safe and enjoyable as a treasure hunt. Katya Arnold ranges through the world to find hundreds of varieties of mushrooms, as well as fascinating anecdotes and fun facts that make these wonders of nature exciting and immediate. A walk in the woods will never be the same!

Mushroom Unit Study Lesson Plans and Resources

  • Lesson Plan for Teaching about Fungi
  • Fungus Files K to 6 Educator’s Guide
  • More awesome mushroom activities here.
  • Yeasts, Molds and Mushrooms Teachers Guide
  • Guide about morel mushrooms

Vocabulary words about mushrooms

  • cap – The cap or the top of the mushroom protects the gills.
  • gills – The gills are the structure that produce the spores, and the spores are similar to seeds.
  • mycelium – The spores germinate into mycelia which are root-like threads that usually grow underground, similar to a root.
  • fungus – any of numerous plants lacking in chlorophyll, including yeasts, molds and mushrooms.
  • asexual – Showing no sexual differentiation (no male or female forms)

Hands-on Activities for Mushroom Unit Study

Get out and explore your own backyard, woodland area, or local state or national park and see what you can find to study firsthand.

We found this growing in a flowerpot that was in the shade and stayed very damp.

Fun Hands-on Free Mushroom Unit Study and Kids Learning Activities

This was growing on the side of a picnic table, which we think might be Turkey Tail.

Fun Hands-on Free Mushroom Unit Study and Kids Learning Activities

And several different types of lichen growing on trees.

Fun Hands-on Free Mushroom Unit Study and Kids Learning Activities

MORE MUSHROOM ACTIVITIES

  • Fungi Fun: 11 Unconventional Mushroom Gift Ideas for the Adventurous Spirit
  • Free Life Cycle of a Mushroom Worksheet & Fun Meringue Mushrooms
  • The app iNatrualist is great for helping to identify individual mushroom species, just capture an image of any you find with your phone and plug it in, search for suggestions and you can figure out what you have found.
  • Make these super fun mushrooms for snack time while you study all about them.
  • Try growing your own small batch of oyster mushrooms in just 10 days with this kit.
  • Make a mushroom spore print to get a reverse detail look at the underside of a mushroom, the gills.
  • There is a wealth of great mushroom activities at Treehouse Magazine for middle to upper elementary ages, including printable pdfs with math, crosswords, puzzles, spore prints and more.
  • Make a Felt Mushroom to label. It’s such a fun craft. You will find the directions below.
  • Print these Mushroom worksheets like labeling the parts of a mushroom, coloring pages, life cycles, etc.
  • Play Mushroom themed games like Morels or Funky Fungi.
  • Take the kids to the grocery store or farmers market and check out the different types of mushrooms. Bring some home and try a new recipe together.

Then here is a cute and simple dot to dot mushroom print for the wee little ones.

Fun Hands-on Free Mushroom Unit Study and Kids Learning Activities

In addition, look at more best homeschool unit study ideas.

Best Homeschool Unit Study Ideas

I have many different themes.

  •  Unit Study Egg to Sea Turtle Lesson Plans & Lapbook
  • Little House on The Prairie Unit Study and Fun Punched Tin Lantern
  • Learn About Daniel Boone Hunting With a Fun Deer Unit Study & Notebooking Pages
  • How to Plan And Start an Easy Gardening Unit Study for Kids
  • Pirate Unit Study Ideas and Free Pirates Lapbook
  • Texas Homeschool Lapbook and Fun Homeschool Unit Study Ideas
  • Volcano Unit Study and Fun Apple Volcano
  • Solar System Unit Study and Hands-on Planets Activity
  • Charlotte’s Web Homeschool Unit Study and Fun Hands-on Ideas
  • Homeschool Unit Study Ideas | Lewis and Clark Exploration Lapbook
  • Mushroom Unit Study and Kids Learning Activities

Finally, look at this fun hands-on mushroom activity.

Parts of a Mushroom Labeling Activity

You will need:

  • Red, tan, and white felt
  • Black permanent fine-tip marker
  • Scissors
  • Craft/school glue or hot glue
  • Cardstock
Fun Hands-on Free Mushroom Unit Study and Kids Learning Activities

Directions:

Cut out a red slightly oblong piece of red felt for the cap whatever size you like for your labeling activity.

Fun Hands-on Free Mushroom Unit Study and Kids Learning Activities

Cut tiny white pieces for the “spots” on your mushroom.

Fun Hands-on Free Mushroom Unit Study and Kids Learning Activities

Next, cut longer skinny white strips for the “root” or mycelium.

Fun Hands-on Free Mushroom Unit Study and Kids Learning Activities

Further, trace the red mushroom cap onto tan felt but only cut out the bottom third.

Fun Hands-on Free Mushroom Unit Study and Kids Learning Activities

This will be the underside of the mushroom to show the gills.

Draw the gills as curved lines with a fine permanent marker.

Fun Hands-on Free Mushroom Unit Study and Kids Learning Activities

Cut a curve along the bottom of the red cap to show more of the gills.

Also, from the tan color, you will also cut your rectangular stem as well as the volva and ring as seen here in the book we used for reference.

Fun Hands-on Free Mushroom Unit Study and Kids Learning Activities

Too, the ring wraps around near the center of the stem and the volva is the cuplike structure at the base with natural edges and shapes rather than straight across.

Fun Hands-on Free Mushroom Unit Study and Kids Learning Activities

We went back and added a little brown marker to the edges of our tan pieces to help differentiate the parts on the stem after we glued it together.

However, learn from us and make it easy on yourself. Do this step right after cutting.

Fun Hands-on Free Mushroom Unit Study and Kids Learning Activities

Begin assembling your mushroom by gluing the tan gills to the red cap with the stem in between.

Fun Hands-on Free Mushroom Unit Study and Kids Learning Activities

Next, wrap the ring around the stem and glue it in place as well as the volva.

Fun Hands-on Free Mushroom Unit Study and Kids Learning Activities

Moreover, add your little bits of white with glue to the cap.

Fun Hands-on Free Mushroom Unit Study and Kids Learning Activities

Transfer your mushroom to a tray and add a layer of grass and dirt beneath with brown and green felt.

Fun Hands-on Free Mushroom Unit Study and Kids Learning Activities

Add your mycelium to the soil.

Write -mycelium, ring, cap, gills, volva, and stem on cardstock and use them to label each of the parts.

Additionally, you can also use felt to create other mushroom species like Honey Mushrooms.

Fun Hands-on Free Mushroom Unit Study and Kids Learning Activities

Or Hen of The Woods. Finally, we had so much fun creating our mushrooms. Going to give them a try?

Fun Hands-on Free Mushroom Unit Study and Kids Learning Activities

Leave a CommentFiled Under: My Unit Studies {Free Printables & Hands-on Ideas} Tagged With: earthscience, elementary science, hands-on, hands-on activities, handsonhomeschooling, homeschoolscience, life science, mushroom, nature, nature study, science, unit studies, unit study

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

March 24, 2023 | Leave a Comment
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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

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