hands-on activities

Pregnancy Belly Female Study of Human Anatomy Kids Fun Craft

September 19, 2022 | 2 Comments
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The human body is a fascinating study and so is the pregnancy belly. Today, in my female study of human anatomy I’m sharing a fun craft. Also I have this Human Body Crafts page for more fun ideas.

Coming soon is a Human Reproduction and Development Free Unit Study for Big Kids homeschool lapbook that I know you’ll love.

To begin any study of human anatomy, it can be easier to talk to your kids by letting them make a hands-on craft.

Whether you want to cover a full anatomy unit study, or it is time to talk deeper about sex and reproduction you’ll want a relaxed approach.

Pregnancy Belly Female Study of Human Anatomy Kids Fun Craft

Plus, I never shy away here from important topics for our kids.

So, if you’re teaching about puberty, pregnancy, conception, reproduction or similar topics, this hands-on activity makes it incredibly easy to understand.

And makes it a bit more real for your kids.

This project gently introduces the beauty of babies and female development.

It can easily be adjusted to your comfort level, your child’s maturity, and what you want to cover.

How a Baby Grows Resources

To give your middle schooler a little better idea of where and how a baby grows during pregnancy and how the body changes you can provide them with a fun activity.

It takes a little of the pressure off you both.

Even a too cool for school middle schooler will enjoy the relaxing and fun break from worksheets to dig into playdough.

Here are a few books you can add to this activity to round out the reproduction unit study.

If you don’t already have some of your own that you like, these books can be used for more than just a reproduction topic.

So, your kids will get a lot of use out of them.

Basher Science Human Body book has a small section in the beginning on several good terms such as man and woman, baby, sperm, egg, cell, stem cell, and DNA.

The series is a good reference tool for covering the topic. While the books are a little silly they are recommended for ages 10 and up and make a great addition to a middle school bookshelf.

The Fascinating Human Body Book may be a little young for your middle schooler.

However, depending on the maturity level it may be just right.

It covers small chunks of many different topics and has great illustrations.

Finally, the Anatomicum book is great anytime you are doing a study of any part of anatomy.

It is a handy reference book to add to your shelf permanently because it has beautifully illustrated diagrams on male and female.

Human Body Crafts

Reproduction Female Study of Anatomy

Next, look at this easy hands-on pregnancy belly craft. It requires a few easy ingredients.

Playdough in several colors
A Paper and pen
Plastic mini baby or tiny doll.

We got a bag of these adorable lifelike babies to use in our unit study. They were a little pricey, but we plan to use many of them in different ways.

Start by looking up photos of the female reproductive system and recreate the female reproductive organs with playdough.

You could then have your child label the various parts like fallopian tubes and uterus. Be as detailed or as general as you like.

Use this opportunity to demonstrate the path of the egg with a pointer (or pencil) and how a period is your body’s response to an egg not being fertilized.

Next research Google photos or a book of a cross section for a basic outline of the female body.

Have your child draw a basic outline of a pregnant female body. This gives them a rough shape to work on and helps to create a visual of where organs and systems are in relation to each other.

I found it easy to start by making the outline of the uterus and making sure our little baby fit inside it first then worked my way out with the other organs.

Roll playdough into snakes and coil to make the small and large intestines. Then bunch them up.

Too, you’ll want to add these other human body or anatomy resources.

Other Anatomy and Human Body Resources

Then continuing with the craft. Your child can make each system a different color if he or she likes. That makes for a great visual overall for all the systems of the body.

If your focus is just on reproduction, just make those organs a particular color and all others something else.

Be sure to show how as the baby grows and the uterus expands organs are shifted and pressed affecting everything.

Everything doesn’t have to be in proportion.

You just want them to understand the general makeup of the body and where it is in relation to each other as well as how and where the baby grows.

You might also have them recreate a sperm and egg with playdough as you talk about the job of each.

In addition, understanding X and Y chromosomes are a very important part of reproduction.

If you are at the point of teaching it, you could also demonstrate how the baby’s head eventually turns downward.

And explain the path it takes as it is delivered demonstrating how the body opens and adjusts naturally to allow this to happen.

Human reproduction and development are not easy subject to talk about with kids of any age.

It’s an amazing and complex process which leads to the birth of a human being.

And I hope having this easy hands-on lesson will help you to make this topic a little easier to teach to your kids.

What do you think?

Fun Apple Lapbook and Hands-on Unit Study for Multiple Ages

September 18, 2022 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

This fun apple lapbook and hands-on unit study for multiple ages is another one to add to your lineup of lapbooks for the fall season. Don’t forge to look at my apple unit study and lapbook here too.

Besides, studying about apples doesn’t have to be a lapbook just for young children.

When we studied apples the first time, I included my middle and high school kids.

So when deciding what to include in your multiple ages apple lapbook, you can decide if it is one lapbook for multiple ages or one lapbook per child.

Fun Apple Lapbook and Hands-on Unit Study for Multiple Ages

And include a fun field trip like apple picking or do apple activities like baking applesauce, make apple pie or make apple butter.

It makes for such a fun and memorable time.

Add in a few apple books too like Farm Anatomy and Food Anatomy which have a couple of pages on apples to learn from.

Apple Unit Study Ideas

Next, add some topics to make this apple unit come alive for multiple ages.

Look at these ideas for a science apple unit study.

Science about Apples

For ideas on science cover these topics.

Cultivating, Harvesting and Storage of Apples
Is it a Deciduous or Conifer Tree
Important to the Apple Tree label page
Isaac Newton and His Apple
3 Laws of Motion
Life cycle of an apple
Sir Isaac Newton – Father Of Modern Physics Notebooking Page
Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation

History and Geography Apple Themed

Also, include some geography and history ideas.

Learn about Johnny Appleseed and the states he toured.

John Chapman American Pioneer Notebooking Page
John Chapman Orchardist Notebooking Page
Johnny Appleseed Minibook

Too, include some fun language arts.

Language Arts Apple Themed

I have some gorgeous pages for your Prek kids to learn the alphabet on how to make an apple pie
Do acrostic for older kids
Write about Jonny Chapman’s life and contribution as a nurseryman and define what it means to be an American Pioneer.
Understand what it means an Apple a Day Minibook
Read and do copywork for Proverbs 25:11 Quote Minibook

Also, I created some notebooking pages for writing prompts

Signs of Autumn Coloring/Notebooking Pages
Signs of Autumn Textbox Notebooking Page
Spectacular Recycling Process Notebooking Page

Lastly, besides crafts add in learning about apple themed art and artists.

Art about Apples

Here are some art ideas and artists

Apples and Oranges {Paul Cézanne}
Apple Tree {Gustav Klimt}
Portrait of young man with apple or Portrait of Maria della Rovere – {Raphael}
Virgin and Child under an Apple Tree {Lucas Cranach the Elder}

For math ideas, cooking is a great life skill to do here.

In addition, notebook pages can be used by older children.

Notebooking Pages About Apples

In addition, not all kids love lapbooks.

For your older kids, use my free notebooking pages which I include in this one free huge download.

Remember that any worksheet can be turned into a fun minibook printable.

So if you find a worksheet your child wants to include in this apple lapbook or apple unit study, look at how to do it below.

Easily turn any minibook into a treasured keepsake by following the 4 steps above and glue the back of the minibook anywhere on your file folder.

Other Apple Resources

Adding more hands-on ideas will round out your apple unit study and lapbook.

Too, gardening ideas can be added if you make this lapbook more science based.

Lastly, ALL of the above topics have been turned into ONE 48 page download with the following minibooks and notebooking pages.

Cultivating, Harvesting and Storage of Apples Minibooks
An Apple a Day Minibook
Proverbs 25:11 Quote Minibook
Apple Art/Artists W/Pocket
Apple Pie Alphabet Sheets
Deciduous or Conifer Tree minbook
Important to the Apple Tree label
Isaac Newton and His Apple/3 Laws of Motion Minibook
John Chapman American Pioneer Notebooking Page
John Chapman Orchardist Notebooking Page
Johnny Appleseed Minibook
Life Cycle of Apple Tree Minibooks
Sir Isaac Newton – Father Of Modern Physics Notebooking Page
Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation
Signs of Autumn Coloring/Notebooking Pages
Signs of Autumn Textbox Notebooking Page
Spectacular Recycling Process Notebooking Page

Free Apple Lapbook and Notebooking Pages

This free printable is a subscriber freebie.

This is how you get access quickly.

1) Sign up on my list.

2) Grab the freebie now.

3) Last, look for all my emails in your inbox. Glad to have you following me!

Exploring Space and Astronomy Free Unit Study for Multiple Ages

Apples Unit How to Make a Fall Kids Garland Apple Craft

September 16, 2022 | 1 Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

If you’re doing an apples unit, your kids will love making this fall garland craft. Add this hands-on craft to my fall unit apple study for a study for multiple ages.

Bring some nature into your learning space or for home decor while your child works on fine motor skills.

Too for an apple unit your child can work on artistic expression and just have fun learning about apples and all of fall’s wonderful aromas.

Apples, cinnamon, and pinecones are some of the warmest and coziest symbols of fall.

They make you immediately think of cooler temperatures, crunchy leaves, and nature walks.

The natures colors are a perfect way to usher in fall.

Apples Unit How to Make a Fall Kids Garland Apple Craft

Incorporate the fall garland apple craft into a simple fall unit study or create it as a stand-alone fall craft with your kids.

Middle schoolers will easily be able to do the entire craft on their own.

Younger kids will need a bit more help with the oven, knife, and hot glue gun.

Add other fall items like leaves, acorns, twigs, or similar items from your fall nature walks if you like.

12 Things to Make From Apples

While making your fall garland apple craft, talk about all the various things that you can make from apples.

Here are 12 things to make from apples. You can easily stretch this unit study to a full cooking unit.

Apple cider vinegar
Apple pie
Apple dumplings
Candied apples
Dried apple rings
Apple crisp
Apple turnovers
Apple Sauce
Apple Butter
Apple juice
Apple cider
Apple muffins

Expand learning by having a taste test and try as many of the above apple forms as you can.

Have your child rate the flavor of each one, take a poll of the family, friends, and neighbors to see what is their favorite apple treat.

Then, create an apple graph for a bit of math.

Also use both Farm Anatomy and Nature Anatomy have a couple of pages on apples and make great books to keep in your home library for many topics.

They are known for their pretty illustrations and fantastic information on a wide variety of themes within a topic.

How to Make a Fall Garland

Next, make a fun fall garland. Here are some supplies:

Apples. Gala and Granny Smiths are a favorite for baking.
Pinecones. If you aren’t able to harvest them locally you can get a bag at the craft store.
Unfinished wood beads.
Cinnamon Sticks- in the grocery or seasonal aisle at craft stores.
Twine.
Lemon juice.
Salt.

Even using some fall colorful wooden beads would be pretty to add to it.

First, dry your apples.

Preheat your oven to 200℉.

First, you are going to want to slice your apples.

Instead of cutting them horizontally across the apple the way we did in our dried apple slice recipe we are going to cut these vertically down through the top.

Start on either side of the stem so you get a good cross section view.

Fill a bowl with cold water, add 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon of table salt.

And soak your slices for 10 minutes.

Lay the apple slices on a metal rack then place it on a baking sheet.

Bake for 2-4 hours or longer until completely dried.

Once your apples are dried you can begin to create a pattern on your twine.

Decide how long you want it to be.

Place your first piece all the way to the end of this length by sliding it over the twine through a hole, hot glue in place, or tie a knot around it.

Continue the pattern all the way to the end until your garland is as long as you like it to be.

Other Fall and Apple Unit Study Crafts

Then, add some more fun fall and apple unit study crafts.

What do you think? Add a few of them to your learning area and you’ll have the smell of fall year long.

Dried Apple Crafts: Hands-on Fun Shrunken Head Apple Craft for Kids

September 15, 2022 | Leave a Comment
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If your kids love dried apple crafts, they’ll love this fun fall shrunken head apple activity. Add this hands-on craft to my fall unit apple study or to my BEST Westward Ho Unit Study and Lapbook.

Fall immediately turns my mind to cooler temps, pumpkins, and of course apples.

It is a great time of year to talk about harvest.

Dried Apple Crafts: Hands-on Fun Shrunken Head Apple Craft for Kids

You can ask your kids what fruit is in season during the fall season, where it’s grown and even gather a list of uses for it.

Today it’s apples. They’re yummy to eat but also great for a wide variety of crafts like this fun shrunken apple head.

Do you remember making shrunken heads as a child? It’s such a fun activity to do and you don’t have to necessarily set aside a few weeks to do one.

Also, you can use this dried apple craft to supplement a Johnny Appleseed, Pioneer study or a Colonial study.

In addition, you can turn it into a cute mini scarecrow.

Provide your child some yarn, fur, fabric, and other craft items.

Then encourage them to make period appropriate clothes for whatever topic you choose. Give them total free rein to create.

Other Ways to Use the Dried Shrunken Apple Head

Our shrunken apple head is a replica of Johnny Appleseed wearing the tin pot hat.

He is often depicted as wearing a tin pot hat.

We made a quick hat with some tin foil out of the pantry.

Here is one fun fact about Johnny Appleseed.

He didn’t wear a pot on his head. Look at the book Who Was Johnny Appleseed?

But he did prefer a tin hat believed to look like a baseball cap with a very long front brim to protect his eyes while working which likely doubled as his cookpot.

Also, we made a Daniel Boone apple head complete with a fur hat made with some scrap craft fur we had.

And here is a fun fact about Daniel Boone. He is also often pictured wearing a hat which he didn’t actually wear.

Although Daniel Boone is shown in a furry raccoon hat, he preferred a wide brimmed beaver hat Quaker-style.

How to Make a Shrunken Apple Head

Now, make your own fun apple head craft.

Look at these materials you’ll need:

Apples
Apple peeler
Paring or other small knife
Assorted craft items for decorating

First, fill a bowl with cold water, add several tablespoons of lemon juice and a tablespoon of salt. Stir well.

Peel your apples right up to the stem and then cut out the stem.

Pop the apples into the water mixture and let them sit until you are ready to carve.

Take a small knife and carve out your features.

I found it easier to outline everything with a shallow groove.

And then begin in the middle at the nose and work my way outward to get a face shape, thinning out cheeks, forehead, etc. as I went.

You don’t have to spend too much time on the details as the shrinking will take most of the detail away.

Just give it a noticeable nose, eyes, and mouth.

For younger children you can give them a plastic knife or even a spoon to carve safely

You may even outline the features for them and let them scoop it out.

Once you are done place your apple head back in the water bath and allow it to sit for 10 minutes.

There are a couple of ways you can dry your apple head.

First, let it air dry by placing them in a dry area.

Too much humidity will cause them to mold. This method takes the longest- 3 to 4 weeks to fully dry out.

Second, the oven dry method is easier. This method is much quicker and lessens the chances of mold if dried all the way through.

But it requires you to run the oven all day, it may take a full 24 hours to dry it out.

Preheat oven to 200℉. Place your apples on a shallow baking pan with a rack.

This allows the air to circulate all the way around, drying it faster and more evenly.

Other Fall and Apple Unit Study Ideas

Next, look at these other resources and crafts for a fall unit study or apple unit study.

Continue on with your craft.

Once fully dry, it will have shrunk to less than half its original size.

You can add a bit more character with paint, markers, fabric, yarn, or other craft items.

Set out a bunch of craft items and let your child go crazy with their imagination.

You can decorate just the head or add some sticks and wire to form a body. I love the character that the shriveled little faces have.

To make a tin foil hat I just wrapped a piece around the end of the roll to form it and then adjusted it when I added it to the apple, twisting one corner into a handle.

We also made a redheaded lady with a little bit of yarn. Who do you think she is? Lucille Ball? Queen Elizabeth?

What will you use your shrunken apple head craft to create? A famous hero from history? A scary scarecrow?

Share yours with me. I’d love to see what your kids create.

Geronimo Stilton Theme Mouse in Space Fun Puffy Moon Craft (Glow in the Dark)

September 13, 2022 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Today, for book Number 52 the Geronimo Stilton theme is Mouse in Space and we’re making a fun puffy paint moon craft. The Geronimo Stilton books were written by Elisabetta Dami an Italian children’s book writer.

The Geronimo Stilton series is an absolute delight for children ages 7 to 10 years old and are full of mouse fun and adventure.

Today, Geronimo Stilton theme is about space.

Geronimo Stilton Theme Mouse in Space Fun Puffy Moon Craft (Glow in the Dark)

So instead of going back in time like his adventures take him, Geronimo Stilton is headed to space.

Geronimo blasts off on a top-secret mission full of space training, interaction with Dr. Wicked Whiskers, satellites, and a spacewalk.

This book is perfect for diving into some fun science.

Space Unit Study Craft

And today we are going to learn about and create a puffy paint moon that glows in the dark.

This spacecraft has a lot of texture, is fun to make and the fun continues when you turn out the light.

Once charged a bit in the light it will glow brightly, and you have a fun moon to hang up in your bedroom or classroom.

Choose a few activities, crafts, and other books and you have yourself the makings of a space unit study.

I have some ideas to get you started below.

Don’t forget to use the words in different colors, font sizes, and types in the Geronimo Stilton books for spelling and vocabulary.

They make it easy to turn a simple book into a mini unit study.

There are many topics they cover and the layout of the words on the pages makes it fun.

The Space themed Safari Ltd. Toob is a great place to start and can be used in dioramas, sensory bins, or just fun dramatic play situations.

You could also use them to tell a story about space or they can be used as inspiration for a drawing.

Then Basher Space Exploration and Basher Astronomy take big topics and break them down with silly pictures.

This makes topics easy to understand for any grade.

Four Space Hands-on Craft Ideas

Next, add in more hands-on ideas to make this unit study longer.

Create 4 different puffy paintings to show all 4 phases of the moon.
Try astronaut ice cream or other freeze-dried food for the true astronaut experience.
Enjoy Homeschool Pop’s Planets of Our Solar System video on YouTube.

And this last one is my HUGE Exploring Space and Astronomy Free Unit Study for Multiple Ages.

Don’t forget to grab Mouse in Space! (Geronimo Stilton #52).

Then grab the free unit study.

Also, add more Geronimo Stilton book resources for a fun literature slant to space.

Other Geronimo Stilton

Most of the hands-on activities below can be done with multiple ages.

Finally, let’s make this fun glow in the dark moon craft.

Now off to the moon!

You can trace a plate or bowl to create the outline of your moon.

But this makes for a great opportunity to introduce your child to a compass to create circles.

How to Make A Glow in the Dark Puffy Paint Moon Craft

You will need:

Glow in the dark paint
Shaving cream
White school glue
Artist canvas or thick paper
A couple small plastic caps, different sizes
Geometry compass
watercolors
Paintbrush

You can make your glow in the dark puffy paint moon craft on paper.

However, we had some flat canvases already and I wanted to create something a little more permanent.

So we used our canvases. Trace your moon either with a round plate or demonstrate how to use a compass to draw a circle as large as your canvas.

Next, combine 1 part glue to 3 parts shaving cream.
How much you mix will depend on how large of a moon you are going to make or if you want extra for more than one.

For a 8 1/2 x12 canvas I used about 1 cup shaving cream, ¼ cup of glue, and 1 heaping Tablespoon glow in the dark paint.

Once mixed, paint in your moon with very thick blobs of paint. Cover the entire circle well.

While the paint is still wet, stamp in it a few times with different size caps to create craters.

Your kids can also use their fingers. Add a few blobs of your glow in the dark paint here and there around the canvas to be stars or asteroids.

Allow paint to dry overnight so it is completely dry throughout.

Once it is dry your child can add very wet watercolor around your moon.

Add watercolor right up to the edges of your puffy paint. Then, sprinkle with a bit of salt to create some texture.

Once dry brush away your salt and it will take some of the watercolor with it leaving a unique texture to the night sky.

You can grab a flat canvas at Dollar Tree to keep it very low cost. Look how great it looks at night!

What do you think? Are you ready for this fun science activity go with your literature study?

hands-on activities

Pregnancy Belly Female Study of Human Anatomy Kids Fun Craft

How a Baby Grows Resources

Human Body Crafts

Reproduction Female Study of Anatomy

Other Anatomy and Human Body Resources

Fun Apple Lapbook and Hands-on Unit Study for Multiple Ages

Apple Unit Study Ideas

Science about Apples

History and Geography Apple Themed

Language Arts Apple Themed

Art about Apples

Notebooking Pages About Apples

Other Apple Resources

Free Apple Lapbook and Notebooking Pages

Apples Unit How to Make a Fall Kids Garland Apple Craft

12 Things to Make From Apples

How to Make a Fall Garland

Other Fall and Apple Unit Study Crafts

Dried Apple Crafts: Hands-on Fun Shrunken Head Apple Craft for Kids

Other Ways to Use the Dried Shrunken Apple Head

How to Make a Shrunken Apple Head

Other Fall and Apple Unit Study Ideas

Geronimo Stilton Theme Mouse in Space Fun Puffy Moon Craft (Glow in the Dark)

Space Unit Study Craft

Four Space Hands-on Craft Ideas

Other Geronimo Stilton

How to Make A Glow in the Dark Puffy Paint Moon Craft

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hands-on activities

How a Baby Grows Resources

Human Body Crafts

Reproduction Female Study of Anatomy

Other Anatomy and Human Body Resources

Apple Unit Study Ideas

Science about Apples

History and Geography Apple Themed

Language Arts Apple Themed

Art about Apples

Notebooking Pages About Apples

Other Apple Resources

Free Apple Lapbook and Notebooking Pages

12 Things to Make From Apples

How to Make a Fall Garland

Other Fall and Apple Unit Study Crafts

Other Ways to Use the Dried Shrunken Apple Head

How to Make a Shrunken Apple Head

Other Fall and Apple Unit Study Ideas

Space Unit Study Craft

Four Space Hands-on Craft Ideas

Other Geronimo Stilton

How to Make A Glow in the Dark Puffy Paint Moon Craft

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