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elementary science

Fun Homeschool Science Ideas for K – 2

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I love sharing other tips and resources like homeschool science ideas for K – 2 that we used for Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum.

I have some fun and creative ways to keep science fun.

It’s important to adopt a philosophy for how you are going to teach science, not just at this age but throughout your homeschooling journey.

Your method changes of course as your children grow, but some foundational things should never change.

Fun Homeschool Science Ideas for K - 2

For example, during the K – 2 years, I think books should be used as guides and for the littles to poke their nose in them after they have had their delight of hands-on activities.

Next, look at this list of fun things to do with your younger budding scientist.

6 Homeschool Science Ideas for K – 2

Science in the younger years shouldn’t be hard, but should be hands-on, fun, and engaging. Too, play learning is a huge part of the natural development of children at these stages. I think you’ll love using an idea or two I have here.

More Homeschool Science Ideas for K – 2

Look at these other ideas:

  • Check out a hands-on museum.
  • Check out science picture books at the library.
  • Check out your library to see if they loan out educational toys and things like microscopes. Our library back home had all kinds of neat things to rent.
  • Check out science videos/dvds/ at the library. They may be older but still good.
  • Check out the free science coloring pages too .

Science at this age is all about examining a tree, looking under a log, investigating a pond, start a birding journal, growing a bean, going on nature walks, going to the zoo, setting up an aquarium and instead of planting a whole garden, which sounded like too much energy when I was sleep deprived, we grew a few veggies in a pot on the back porch.

Homeschool Science Ideas for K - 2

It had just the same ewwww and awwww factor as a garden when we grew tomatoes and a few other veggies in a pot.

Science at this age doesn’t have to be complicated, it just has to consume their interests and stir their sense of wonder.

More Homeschool Science Ideas for K – 2

Homeschool Science Ideas for K - 2
Homeschool Science Ideas for K - 2 @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Simple and Fun Hands-On Water Cycle Activity For Kids

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have a fun hands-on water cycle activity for kids. Also, look at my page Free Earth Science Lapbook & Unit Study Ideas for more activities.

It can be used from preschool through upper elementary.

Teaching the water cycle should be a very simple process In the early years.

You can go a little more in depth as they grow which means you can customize this plate activity to reflect what they know at various stages.

Simple and Fun Hands-On Water Cycle Activity For Kids

Evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and collection make up the 4 stages of the water cycle.

And they are very important because it provides water to humans, animals, and plants.

Besides providing hydration it redistributes nutrients, pathogens and sediment in and out of aquatic ecosystems.

To teach it simply we are going to use a paper plate.

Next, look at some of these fun books which teach about the water cycle.

Water Cycle Books for Kids

4 Water Cycle Books for Kids Who Love to Read and Be Read To

Add some of these living books and reference books to your learning day about water and the water cycle.

Also, I have a few other basic items to show these 4 steps and create a craft/science project combo for a hands-on water cycle activity.

I have explained the water cycle on a basic level, gathered a few more fun activities, and resources that you can use to create a mini unit to enjoy.

Simple and Fun Hands-On Water Cycle Activity For Kids

4 Stages of The Water Cycle

  • Evaporation– Water evaporates under the sun’s heat and becomes a gas that is found in earth’s atmosphere. Demonstrate evaporation with a pot of simmering water and how it seems to disappear over time, the steam is visible and helps give kids a concrete idea.
  • Condensation– Water condenses in the atmosphere when it becomes cold, forming clouds. You can demonstrate this by showing what happens on the outside of a glass of ice water over time or the condensation on a mirror after a hot shower.
  • Precipitation-When there is too much moisture in a cloud water is released from the clouds in the form of rain, sleet, hail, and snow. For younger children, set out little bowls or cups with examples of each in the form of water, ice, and “snow” (a little cornstarch mixed with oil). Allow your child to explore and examine each form of precipitation.
Simple and Fun Hands-On Water Cycle Activity For Kids
  • Collection – Water is collected and held in different areas. For example, places like oceans, rivers, lakes, ponds, and underground. Water in its solid form, ice, is held in glaciers and snow.

Then the entire process starts all over again.

Watch The Water Cycle For Kids on YouTube for a wonderful short explanation of the process from start to finish.

4 More Engaging Hands-On Water Cycle Activities 

Here are a few more ways besides our craft/science activity below to teach the water cycle.

Simple and Fun Hands-On Water Cycle Activity For Kids

Paper Plate Water Cycle

For preschoolers we will keep this hands-on water cycle activity very simple with minimal labels but you can challenge older children to put in a bit more detail or even use a wider variety of materials to put it together.

You will need:

  • Paper plate
  • Blue paint
  • paintbrush
  • Blue craft foam/paper
  • Yellow craft foam/paper
  • Markers/paint pens
  • Cotton ball/cotton stuffing
  • Glue stick
  • Scissors
Simple and Fun Hands-On Water Cycle Activity For Kids

First, let your child paint the entire plate a light medium shade of blue and then set aside to dry, explaining that this is the sky and ground water.

Simple and Fun Hands-On Water Cycle Activity For Kids

While it is drying, cut a wave of blue craft foam out slightly shorter than the width of the plate.

This represents an ocean or where water is held. Cut a few raindrops for precipitation, and a yellow sun.

Simple and Fun Hands-On Water Cycle Activity For Kids

Once the plate is dry, they can glue the sun in place on one side of the sky and the wave across the bottom with the glue stick.

Use a bit of cotton ball, cotton stuffing, or even a little ball of white tissue paper to create a cloud opposite the sun.

Simple and Fun Hands-On Water Cycle Activity For Kids

Glue on the raindrops underneath the cloud you made.

Simple and Fun Hands-On Water Cycle Activity For Kids

Use a marker to draw directional arrows and label the plate as the water cycle.

If your child is older, they can do the entire plate from start to finish and even label each part of the water cycle themself.

Simple and Fun Hands-On Water Cycle Activity For Kids

Embrace Island Life: How To Eat A Coconut Like Swiss Family Robinson

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One of the ways that the Swiss Family Robinson survived besides the provisions they gathered from the boat was by gathering what they could from the land. Also, you’ll love more ideas on my post Swiss Family Robinson Unit Study.

They were able to find lobster, strawberries, mulberries, pomegranates, pistachio nuts, sugar cane, palm cabbage, as well as many kinds of fish, birds, and animals to eat.

One of the first things they were able to gather by tricking the monkeys into helping was coconuts.

Embrace Island Life: How To Eat A Coconut Like Swiss Family Robinson

Not only did they enjoy the liquid inside but were able to eat the meat inside and even use the emptied out half shell as a bowl.  

If you have never tried a fresh whole coconut with your kids, this is a great opportunity to examine and try one straight from the shell.

 I’m showing you how to open a coconut carefully and properly, harvesting both the water and the meat of the coconut. Use all 5 senses to explore the coconut. Research where they are native to and find the locations on a map.

 Find other uses for coconut shells, learn how to properly open and eat a coconut from the grocery store. 

You could also use this as a chance to introduce more exotic fruits like papaya, mango, dragon fruit, kiwi, pomegranates and figs, many of which were foods that were also consumed by the Swiss Family Robinson.   

More The Swiss Family Robinson Activities

Embrace Island Life: How To Eat A Coconut Like Swiss Family Robinson

Next, add some living books to your activity today.

Books Like Swiss Family Robinson

After adding living books, I add reference books to our unit study.

8 Books & Resources for Learning About The Swiss Family Robinson

Add some of these books to your unit study of The Swiss Family Robinson and their adventures on a deserted island.

I also have 7 more fun ways that you can use tropical foods for learning besides eating, like making mini explosions and a tropical fruit sensory bin.

7 Ways to Play With Your Tropical Food

  1. Dive deeper into learning about  tropical foods with my 20 Tropical Rainforest Foods and Make an Acai Bowl that is delicious and easy to make.
  2. This simple tutorial will show you How to Eat a Starfruit, another delicious exotic treat..
  3. Set up a fun science experiment inside of a pineapple (after you harvest the fruit to eat first of course) with the Pineapple Volcano and a few basic household supplies.
  4. You can also Learn About Fruits Around the World Fun With Food Activities and make a tasty Mango Smoothie too.
  5. Here is a recipe you can make with the meat of the coconut you harvest that sounds so tasty- Coconut Banana Smoothie.
  6. For your younger learners here is an adorable Sensory Activities for Kids : Tropical Fruits sensory rice recipe that goes along great with this read aloud and learn about more tropical fruits with this multi-sensory experience.
  7. If you live in a warmer climate zone (5 and above)  try your hand at growing Passion Fruit with these 5 tips that will have you enjoying this tropical treat anytime you want it.

Finally, look how to open and eat a fresh coconut.

How to Open and Eat a Fresh Coconut

You will need:

  • A coconut
  • Wooden cutting board
  • Corkscrew
  • Large sturdy kitchen knife
  • Large bowl
  • Cup to collect coconut water
  • Small sieve
Embrace Island Life: How To Eat A Coconut Like Swiss Family Robinson

First, to choose a coconut you want one that feels heavy for the size it is.

It should be dark brown with hairy fibers all over it.

It should make a nice sloshing noise when you shake it around to show it’s got water inside and is fresh.

Soak the coconut in a bowl of water for about 5 minutes to help soften the shell a bit.

Embrace Island Life: How To Eat A Coconut Like Swiss Family Robinson

Turn the coconut so that the 3 eyes are facing up and poke each until you find the one that is soft.

Embrace Island Life: How To Eat A Coconut Like Swiss Family Robinson

 Then use the corkscrew to open the hole up.

If you do not have a corkscrew, you can push through with a screwdriver and a little hammer.

Embrace Island Life: How To Eat A Coconut Like Swiss Family Robinson

Work the hole open a little larger if you need to.

Drain the coconut water into the cup, going through a sieve to collect bits of shell and set aside while you open the coconut.

Embrace Island Life: How To Eat A Coconut Like Swiss Family Robinson

We got a whole cup of coconut water out of our small coconut.

Embrace Island Life: How To Eat A Coconut Like Swiss Family Robinson

You can see three ridges very well that mark weak spots on the coconut.

With the back of the knife, tap very firmly on them and then all around the “equator: ” of the coconut until you see a crack form.

Alternatively, you can use a kitchen mallet if you have one on hand.

Embrace Island Life: How To Eat A Coconut Like Swiss Family Robinson

Continue tapping with force until it cracks all the way around.

Embrace Island Life: How To Eat A Coconut Like Swiss Family Robinson

To remove the meat from the coconut you can use thin sharp knives to cut it out or a vegetable peeler (great for little hands).

Break the pieces of coconut up into smaller pieces and then use a vegetable peeler to scrape off the shell.

Try the small bits of coconut and talk about the taste and texture.

Embrace Island Life: How To Eat A Coconut Like Swiss Family Robinson

Free Titanic Activity | Unlocking The Mystery Of Iceberg Science

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I have some fantastic free Titanic activity ideas. Also, look at my page RMS Titanic Unit Study and Free Lapbook.

We are unlocking the mystery of iceberg science by making a mini iceberg model.

The Titanic was sunk because it collided with an iceberg on the 14th of April 1912 in the North Atlantic Ocean.

Free Titanic Activity | Unlocking The Mystery Of Iceberg Science

This supposedly unsinkable ship was taken out by a piece of ice floating above the water, or was it?

We will dig a little deeper into icebergs and how one managed to do the impossible.

The truth is that only about 10% of an iceberg is visible above the surface of the water, with the rest being below the waterline.

Here is where the phrase ”the tip of the iceberg” came from.

The Titanic took most of its damage in the lower decks which was a result of the massive portion of the iceberg below the water surface.

First, look at some of these books and resources about the Titanic.

Books for Kids About the Titanic

10 Resources and Books to Learn About the Titanic

Add a few of these unit study resources to bring your unit study to life about the Titanic.

About Icebergs

We will dig a little deeper into icebergs and how one managed to do the impossible.

The truth is that only about 10% of an iceberg is visible above the surface of the water, with the rest being below the waterline.

Here is where the phrase” The tip of the iceberg” came from.

The Titanic took most of its damage in the lower decks which was a result of the massive portion of the iceberg below the water surface.

If an iceberg is formed in salt water (the Titanic was in freshwater) the seawater is more dense than fresh and this means that the ice floats a little higher.

Icebergs are chunks of freshwater ice that are larger than 16 feet across that form on land and float in an ocean or lake.

They come in all sizes and shapes, as small as an ice cube to massive ones that are the size of a small country.

Currently the world’s largest iceberg is named A23a and it is roughly three times the size of New York at 1,312 feet thick, and almost 1,544 square miles in area.

Wow that is an impressive piece of ice floating near Antarctica.

You can learn more about the difference between icebergs and glaciers in Julia Rothmans Ocean Anatomy.

Free Titanic Activity | Unlocking The Mystery Of Iceberg Science

This is the kind of reference book that will last throughout years of your homeschooling journey and be a fantastic resource for lots of ocean themed topics.

Moreover, add these fun Titanic activities to our unit study.

5 Free Titanic Activity Ideas

  1. Grab my Free Titanic Lapbook and Fun Homeschool Unit Study Ideas to dive deep into a Titanic unit that won’t be forgotten.
  2. How fun does this Titanic Diorama Project with Lego Cast & Crew look? What a great way to extend the learning about this event.
  3. Learn How to Draw The RMS Titanic with a few simple step by step instructions in this video.
  4. I love when you can incorporate multiple subjects in a topic like with this TITANIC MATH GAME: COOPERATIVE BOARD GAME FOR CHILDREN 4-12.
  5. Watch Titanic For Kids: Bedtime History is less than 10 minutes long and full of information, photographs and more.
Free Titanic Activity | Unlocking The Mystery Of Iceberg Science

Finally, look at this iceberg science activity.

Unlocking The Mystery Of Iceberg Science

Supplies:

  • Gallon freezer bag
  • Water
  • Clear glass bowl or container
  • ruler
  • LEGO

First, fill the bag ½ to ¾ of the way full with water.

Free Titanic Activity | Unlocking The Mystery Of Iceberg Science

Place in the freezer, rather than laying mine flat I built it up into an unusual shape by propping it on and around frozen vegetables etc.

You will need to freeze it overnight or longer to make sure it is solid all the way through.

Free Titanic Activity | Unlocking The Mystery Of Iceberg Science

While you are waiting for your ice block to freeze your child can build a replica Titanic using LEGO or any other items you like to add to your experiment.

Free Titanic Activity | Unlocking The Mystery Of Iceberg Science

Use a large deep glass bowl or container that allows you ice block to float.

Fill ¾ full with cold water.

Lower the ice block in.

Free Titanic Activity | Unlocking The Mystery Of Iceberg Science

Notice that a portion of the ice is above the water and the majority beneath.

To extend the learning a bit:

  • Let your child use a ruler to measure just how much is on either side.
  • If there is space add your LEGO created titanic.
  • Research the makeup of icebergs, the largest, smallest, and oldest.
Free Titanic Activity | Unlocking The Mystery Of Iceberg Science

How to Make a Toilet Paper Roll Honeycomb Honey Bee Activity

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This simple honey bee activity is not only a fun dramatic play idea for young learners but also can be used to build fine motor, math, science, and language arts skills. Also, look at my post Fascinating and Fun Honey Bees Unit Study and Lapbook for Kids.

Who knew a couple empty toilet paper rolls could do so much?

Homeschooling never needs to be expensive or complicated.

How to Make a Toilet Paper Roll Honeycomb Honey Bee Activity

Let me show you some ideas, share a few facts, and teach you how to make a toilet paper roll honeycomb.

Honey bees are important to our food supply and even very young children can learn about their life cycles, the contributions they make to our food (including their delicious honey).

And they can learn about other products they produce like wax, pollen, and propolis.

As you build your honeycomb, talk about why bees build the cells in hexagons.

Did you know that this is because the hexagon shape uses the least amount of material to hold the most weight?

Bees know what they are doing and are great at geometry.

Fill your honeycomb cells with different things to represent honey, pollen, eggs, and larvae, explore what they might keep in each cell with books and videos.

Honey Bees Books for Kids

Next, look at some of these living books to use to learn about bees.

8 Honey Bees Unit Study Resources & Books

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

Also, look at more hands-on activities to learn about bees.

5 More Honey Bee Activities

  1. Make Gold Glitter Honey Bee Slime for a memorable sensory experience while you read aloud about the amazing bee.
  2. Try this unique activity, Labeling Parts of a Honey Bee LEGO Fun Activity For Kids, for a new way to play with LEGO.
  3. Use this Bee Pollination STEAM Activity to demonstrate how bees gather and carry pollen back to the hive.
  4. Another fresh way to examine the parts of a bee hive are my 7 Honey Bee Activities And Explore a BeeHive With Felt Activity.
  5. Watch Busy Bees! | Bumblebees and Honeybees to learn more, this is a great opportunity to grab a cup of coffee while your little one watches.
How to Make a Toilet Paper Roll Honeycomb Honey Bee Activity

In addition, add letter tiles into some of the hexagons and have your child make the sound and identify it as they pull them out or you call out the letter and have them find it in the beehive.

How to Make a Toilet Paper Roll Honeycomb Honey Bee Activity

You can have your child remove the pompom pollen with tweezers to work on fine motor skills.

Add dice, let them roll a number and take out that many pompoms to practice a basic math skill.

How to Make a Toilet Paper Roll Honeycomb Honey Bee Activity

Toddlers can even sort the different materials to practice one of the most basic math skills.

Finally, look at how to make how to make a toilet paper roll honeycomb.

How to Make a Toilet Paper Roll Honeycomb

You can make your honeycomb as large as you like, letting your child create a small or gigantic hive full of hexagons to fill.

Supplies:

  • Empty toilet paper rolls
  • yellow/gold craft paint
  • Paintbrush
  • Scissors
  • Yellow pom poms
How to Make a Toilet Paper Roll Honeycomb Honey Bee Activity

First, paint the outside of empty toilet paper or paper towel rolls a bright golden yellow, each tp roll makes about 5 honeycomb cells.

Set aside to dry.

How to Make a Toilet Paper Roll Honeycomb Honey Bee Activity

Once dry, press roll flat and pinch edges firmly, open and repeat in half in the opposite direction.

Finally make a third fold pressing the edges well.

How to Make a Toilet Paper Roll Honeycomb Honey Bee Activity

This will give the cells a hexagon shape.

I don’t worry about making it perfect for younger children.

For older kids you may want to have them measure 6 lines spaced evenly around the tube to get better dimensions.

Open roll and cut ¼” strips across.

How to Make a Toilet Paper Roll Honeycomb Honey Bee Activity

You will need to work your creases again to move your shapes back into a hexagon.

But once you have already creased it well it should go back to shape easily.

How to Make a Toilet Paper Roll Honeycomb Honey Bee Activity

Now you can glue the pieces together side by side to create a large hive.

Too, I like to leave them loose so that the child can build and rebuild it, changing the shape and moving things around.

This way they can be used to count as well.

Now add small balled up pieces of yellow tissue paper and yellow and white pom poms so your child can build their hive with eggs, honey, and pollen.

Include a book, magnifying glass, tweezers, and plastic bee toys to finish it off.

How to Make a Toilet Paper Roll Honeycomb Honey Bee Activity