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Growing a Seed Activity For Kindergarten Science Kids Activity

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

Growing a seed activity for kindergarten science is one of the easiest and delight science experiments with kids. Also, grab my other tips, ideas, and crafts for kindergarten on my page Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum.

A seed activity for kindergarten is a great way to introduce your child to life science.

For this science experiment, I wanted to keep it simple while also letting the kids fully see the seed as it sprouts.

Growing a Seed Activity For Kindergarten Science Kids Activity

Too, by not being hampered by soil or being tucked inside a paper towel your kids will be amazed at the growing stages.

For this seed experiment we are going to investigate if seeds need darkness to sprout.

Begin by explaining that seeds need the proper temperature, moisture, air, and light conditions to germinate.

But they do not require being covered in soil.

Let’s investigate if the light or dark makes a difference. 

You can keep activities simple and still learn so much by investigating life around you with your child.

A Seed is Sleepy Activity

In addition, I based this experiment off the book A Seed is Sleepy.

Aa beautiful picture book that is a great science reference book for preschoolers to middle elementary students.

Growing a Seed Activity For Kindergarten Science Kids Activity

The illustrations are rich and the snippets of information it provides give a lot of great information for young learners.

Growing a Seed Activity For Kindergarten Science Kids Activity

Also, below you will see a list of some other books you can use as well

Books About Seeds for Kids Science

Even picture books can be used with older learners.

5 Fun Books About Seeds

Children of all ages love activities about seeds. Add a few of these books to your learning day or use as a unit study.

Then, look at more seed activities here or choose several and make it a great seed unit study.

Hands-on Seed Activities

You can also use the book to investigate other types of seeds besides fruit and vegetables.

Growing a Seed Activity For Kindergarten Science Kids Activity

Go on a nature walk and collect pinecones, acorns, seed pods, and flowers to investigate.

More Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum

Look at these other resources.

Then, look below at how to do this easy science activity.

Before you begin the experiment, have your child make a hypothesis as to what they think will happen?

Will both sprout? Which will sprout faster? 

If they can, write down their answers so they have the opportunity to see their words in print.

Let your child do as much of this as possible so they have ownership in the experiment.

Help your child create a small booklet by stapling together half sheets of paper.

For example, staple down one side to bind to record the different steps in the experiment with words or just their drawings.

Explain that you want to try and keep everything the same in the experiment except for the one thing which is light and dark so that your results are accurate.

Easy Grow a Seed Activity

You will need:

  • Seeds (radishes are a quick sprouting seed)
  • 2 containers
  • Black paper
  • Paper towels
  • Water

Directions:

Grab two of the same containers, whatever you have laying around will work, cleaned out yogurt containers, paper cups, etc.

Then, fold a paper towel so that it is small enough to fit in the bottom.

Soak the paper towel and place a few seeds on each damp paper towel in your cup. 

Growing a Seed Activity For Kindergarten Science Kids Activity

Cover one cup completely with black construction paper.

Growing a Seed Activity For Kindergarten Science Kids Activity

Next, place both in a sunny window. Explain that you want to keep everything the same except for one.

Check both every 24 hours.

Usually at this time they are completely or almost dried out so you will need to rewet the paper towels. Take care not to disturb the seeds.

Here is what our experiment looked like at the start.

After 24 hours, there was really no difference yet in either cup.

Growing a Seed Activity For Kindergarten Science Kids Activity

At 48 hours we could see a tiny sprout bursting out of the seeds which were covered with the dark paper but nothing on the one exposed to light.

Growing a Seed Activity For Kindergarten Science Kids Activity

After 72 hours there is an obvious sprout from several seeds in the dark cup.

Also, at this point we noticed that one of the seeds in the cup which was covered finally started to germinate but just a tiny bit.

Growing a Seed Activity For Kindergarten Science Kids Activity

Look how much has happened with the covered seeds after just 3 days.

It’s clear that seeds need the darkness to sprout.

Growing a Seed Activity For Kindergarten Science Kids Activity

After the experiment is done you can transplant your seedlings to soil for planting in the garden once they are large enough.

Wildlife in the Amazon Rainforest – Create Fun Macaw and Toucan Crafts

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

Today is Wildlife Conversation Day. And we’re learning about wildlife in the Amazon Rainforest. Be sure you grab my Amazon Rainforest unit study and free lapbooks.

Two of the most easily identifiable birds are the parrot and the toucan.

Both birds are bright with distinctive colors.

Wildlife in the Amazon Rainforest - Create Fun Macaw and Toucan Crafts

This easy paper plate craft is a great early elementary activity to go along with your rainforest unit study.

Also, I really enjoy including beautiful quality books.

Add in activities not only during a specific science study or project but pull them out during an art project to reference.

Science doesn’t only have to be taught during science.

Fun Bird Resources

A wonderfully illustrated book like The Big Book of Birds can be brought out to investigate.

In this case, look at the colors of the birds, the shape of their beaks and talk about their habitat and habits.

 Naturally, your child will pick up so much information as you read the little snippets aloud as they look at the pictures.

Wildlife in the Amazon Rainforest - Create Fun Macaw and Toucan Crafts

These Exotic Bird Toobs from Safari LTD are also a fantastic addition to your rainforest study.

Too, you get a great variety of birds including a toucan and a blue and gold macaw.

 If you want a little more variety instead of just birds they also have a rainforest one with different animals

Rainforest Activities

Wildlife in the Amazon Rainforest - Create Fun Macaw and Toucan Crafts

This cutie is a Sun Conure which is a small parrot.

Fun Facts About Birds of the Rainforest

  • All macaws are parrots, but not all parrots are macaws.
  • Of the 3,800 species found in the rainforest, 1,300 of them are bird species.
  • Birds of the Amazon Rainforest eat a variety of foods including leaves, fruits, nuts and insects.
  • Of the 18 species of Macaws in the Amazon Rainforest, several are currently on the endangered list and some species may already be extinct.
  • A toucan’s bill has been adapted to crush and saw the food that it eats such as fruits and nuts.
  • The parrot uses its beak as an additional hand to assist in climbing up trees so it can locate harder to reach food.
  • Out of the four layers of the Amazon Rainforest, the majority of birds live in the canopy layer.
  • Rainforest birds range from tiny hummingbirds to large macaws.
  • Screaming and loud vocalization is the way wild parrots and other birds communicate with one other.
  • The loudest bird in the Amazon Rainforest is the male white bellbird.

Other Wildlife in the Amazon Rainforest Resources

Then, add some more activities below.

Wildlife in the Amazon Rainforest - Create Fun Macaw and Toucan Crafts

Finally, look below to make a macaw and toucan bird.

How to Make a Red Macaw Parrot and Toucan Craft

You will need:

  • 3 paper plates
  • Craft paint
  • Craft feathers
  • Google eyes
  • Paintbrushes
  • Glue
  • Scissors

First, for the red macaw parrot, cut 2 paper plates in half.

Wildlife in the Amazon Rainforest - Create Fun Macaw and Toucan Crafts

Paint 3 of the halves entirely red, and for the final half it will be half red and half yellow.

Wildlife in the Amazon Rainforest - Create Fun Macaw and Toucan Crafts

Allow the paint to dry completely.

Cut one of the red halves in half again to create wings.

Glue the red and yellow plate (which is the head and beak) perpendicular to the solid red half that makes up the body.

Wildlife in the Amazon Rainforest - Create Fun Macaw and Toucan Crafts

Add the wings to the sides with glue as well.

Glue some craft feathers together to form a long colorful tail.

Wildlife in the Amazon Rainforest - Create Fun Macaw and Toucan Crafts

Also, attach the tail at the back of the plate to the base with glue.

Wildlife in the Amazon Rainforest - Create Fun Macaw and Toucan Crafts

Finally add a google eye.

For the toucan, it is much the same but with different colors. Cut 1 plate in half and paint it all black.

Wildlife in the Amazon Rainforest - Create Fun Macaw and Toucan Crafts

Cut a beak out of the second plate.

Wildlife in the Amazon Rainforest - Create Fun Macaw and Toucan Crafts

Use a piece of scrap leftover from the beak to make his tail, cutting it into a little wedge and painting it black as well.

We left his “wings” tucked in but you can create flapping wings like on the parrot if you want to add that step.

Paint beak beautiful bright colors and let your child look at them online or in a book for reference.

Let the paint dry and then add a little bright yellow to the throat area.

Wildlife in the Amazon Rainforest - Create Fun Macaw and Toucan Crafts

Once all the pieces are dry, glue the beak to the body across the top and glue the tail piece to the bottom.

Add a google eye to finish him up.

Wildlife in the Amazon Rainforest - Create Fun Macaw and Toucan Crafts

Free Awesome Ancient Greece Lapbook and Fun Hands-on Activities

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

You’ll love my first free Ancient Greece Lapbook. I have many more on my Homeschool Lapbooks page.

But why study Ancient Greece?

Greece has often been called the birthplace of Western civilization.

Many of their thoughts about science, man, and politics are studied today and respected.

Free Awesome Ancient Greece Lapbook and Fun Hands-on Activities

About 2,400 years ago ancient buildings in Greece were shining marble temples dedicated to the gods of Mount Olympus.

And myths were part of the every day of Greeks.

We know about these stories because they have been passed down to us. 

Objectives for Ancient Greece Unit Study

Look at some of these ideas for objectives if you’re preparing a unit study.

  • Compare and contrast features of the Greek city states.
  • Analyze the Spartan way of life.
  • Summarize how democracy worked in ancient Athens.
  • Evaluate cultural ties the Greek people had with one another.

The highest point of this civilization was during the fourth and fifth centuries B.C.E.

It was during this time that the Greeks really flourished.

And they had many great ideas which make it easy to see why they are so important to history.

Many words in the English language today come from the Greeks.

Free Awesome Ancient Greece Lapbook and Fun Hands-on Activities

Besides language, many other discoveries and ideas came from the Greeks including: democracy,
earth science, music, math, sports, and poetry.

More Hands-on History Lapbooks

Also, you’ll love these other history homeschool lapbooks.

Free Awesome Ancient Greece Lapbook and Fun Hands-on Activities

And you can your next history homeschool lapbook with my free ones.

Finally, look below at the minibooks included in the 46 page download.

Free Awesome Ancient Greece Lapbook and Fun Hands-on Activities

More Hands-on Greece Activities for Kids

Ancient Greece Lapbook Minibooks

Also, look at these minibooks and notebooking pages which come in the free download.

  • Severn Wonder of the Ancient World 2 notebooking pages
  • Minibook for Seven Wonders of the World
  • Three beautiful Ancient Greece covers for the outside of your file folder
  • Two Ancient Greece Notebooking Pages
  • Daily Life minibook
  • Geography of Greece
  • Thinkers
  • Vocabulary words
  • Latitude and Longitude
  • Parthenon
  • Tortoise and Hare Notebooking Page
  • Vase Painting
  • 20 page PreK Unit Study about Greece to keep your littles ones learning alongside your big kids.
Free Awesome Ancient Greece Lapbook and Fun Hands-on Activities

How to Get the Free Lapbook 46 page download

Finally, how to grab the free page lapbook and notebooking pages. It’s a subscriber freebie.

 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!

Geronimo Stilton The Race Against Time Build a Fun Greek Water Clock

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

We are time traveling to Ancient Greece in Geronimo Stilton The Race Against Time The Third Journey Through Time. And we’re building a fun Greek water clock. Be sure to grab more Geronimo Stilton Books ideas and crafts on my page.

Our favorite adventuring mouse gets to wander through Athens in 434 BCE. He meets Xanthippe, the wife of famous philosopher Socrates, and Socrates too.

After exploring the Greek alphabet, he visits The Symposium.

Geronimo Stilton The Race Against Time Build a Fun Greek Water Clock

He is really living his best life, isn’t he?

These books give amazing vocabular and detailed descriptions of clothing for the period.

Geronimo Stilton The Race Against Time The Third Journey Through Time

In addition, they show architecture and important people of the time to give the young reader a fun glimpse into whatever historical era he ends up in.

Geronimo Stilton The Race Against Time Build a Fun Greek Water Clock

Before we make the water clock, look at some of these resources.

Geronimo Stilton The Race Against Time Build a Fun Greek Water Clock

I have many resources to make this wonderful book a full literature unit study.

Ancient Greece Resources

Add these resources to your day to make learning come alive or do a full unit study.

Geronimo Stilton The Race Against Time Build a Fun Greek Water Clock

In addition, I have many crafts to go with some of the books in the Geronimo Stilton series.

Other Geronimo Stilton Chapter Book Activities

Next, look at these other crafts to go with the books.

Then, here are a few more facts about The Greeks.

Geronimo Stilton The Race Against Time Build a Fun Greek Water Clock

Amazing Ancient Greek Facts

  • Roughly one third of Ancient Greeks were slaves.
  • Greeks called themselves Hellenes.
  • The Ancient Greeks invented the Yo-Yo.
  • The Greek alphabet came into being around about 1000 BC.
  • Many Ancient Greeks wore a chito which is a long shirt made from a single large piece of cotton.
  • The Greeks really loved to learn. They felt that learning was one of the best ways you could spend your time.
  • The basic crops that were grown in Ancient Greece were wheat, barley, olives, and grapes.
  • Romans were considered big copycats of the Greeks. They copied a lot of the Greek culture.  Everything from their gods, to architecture, language, and even what and how they ate.

Finally, look below at how to make this fun water clock.

We are going to create our own version of a Greek water clock.

A water clock or clepsydra was used in Ancient Greece to measure time by regulating the flow of water.

As water moved from one vessel to another in a certain period, they measured it.

Water would drip through a hole in the bottom of a filled container into the bottom one.

Often, the bottom container was marked with the hours of the day so that they could tell time by how full the vessel became.

Basically it is an hourglass with water instead of sand to simplify it.

It also happens to be one of the oldest ways to tell time from the ancients.

How to Make an Ancient Greek Water Clock

You will need:

  • Two 16-20 oz. bottles with lids
  • Water
  • A sharpie marker
  • Hot glue or e6000
  • A timer
  • Drill/small drill bit.
Geronimo Stilton The Race Against Time Build a Fun Greek Water Clock

Pull the label off both bottles and wash the bottles well (especially if they were soda bottles).

Remove the caps and drill a small hotel through both caps, in the center, and line them up as close as you can.

Geronimo Stilton The Race Against Time Build a Fun Greek Water Clock

Glue the two caps together, flat top to flat top, take care not to get glue in your holes and plug it up. You can reverse this order if it’s easier to line up the holes after gluing.

Start with 1 cup of water and pour it into one of your bottles, mark the line where the water stops. 

You may want to open the bottle backup and add more later if you want the timer to go longer.

Geronimo Stilton The Race Against Time Build a Fun Greek Water Clock

Screw the glued tops onto the empty bottle and then flip it and screw it onto the bottle with water.

Geronimo Stilton The Race Against Time Build a Fun Greek Water Clock

Get your timer ready, as soon as you flip the bottle and the drops begin to go through, start the timer.

Mark the water line in the bottom bottle at 1 minute, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, etc.

Reverse the bottles and do the same on the other side.

Geronimo Stilton The Race Against Time Build a Fun Greek Water Clock

You now have an awesome low tech timer for games, quizzes, or cooking and a little better understanding of how time was kept in Ancient Greece.

What do you think? Ready to make this?

Cute and Simple Snowman Story Stones Winter Art Activities For Preschoolers

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Today, you’ll love these cute and simple snowman story stones for winter art activities for preschoolers. Grab my other ideas for a winter unit study.

I am all about learning through play as much as possible, especially when it comes to younger children.

Story stones are fantastic tools that can be used to teach your children so many early literacy skills and more.

Cute and Simple Snowman Story Stones Winter Art Activities For Preschoolers

They are inexpensive, easy to store and easy to use.

Too, they offer an open-ended learning experience that has many benefits for young budding readers.

First, in creating the story stones your child gets a chance to express themselves artistically.

In addition, they can work on fine motor skills and hand eye coordination.

Benefits of Storytelling Through Hands On

Then, in the storytelling there is so much that the story stones help build and improve.

For example, communication skills, language skills, listening, vocabulary, memorization, recall, imagination, creativity, and critical thinking.

Story stones also help children express their feelings, thoughts, and ideas.

These open-ended winter themed story stones are sure to spark some fun and interesting tales that will entertain both you and your little one for hours.

You can use these story stones in so many ways to change up the learning.

14 Ways to Use Your Snowman Story Stones Creatively

  • Have your child blindly draw 4 or 5 stones from a bag and tell a story using the prompts on the stone.
  • Ask your child to choose 3 stones for first, next, last and tell you about it.
  • Use the stones for young children to work on positional words. For example, put the hat ON the snowman and put the snowman NEXT to the tree.
  • Draw a simple winter scene on a large piece of construction paper and encourage your child to place some stones around the scene and tell you about it.
  • Place them in their small world or sensory bin play and let creativity take over.
  • Start a story with “once upon a time”, pull a stone and give a couple sentences, the next player pulls a stone and continues the story, repeat.
  • Use in co-op in small group settings, take turns telling a piece of a larger story.
  • Tell a story using the picture prompts, present some sticky situations to your child, like the sun coming out, and ask your child to finish the story with solutions.
  • Use the stones to sort living and nonliving items.
  • Show the pictures on your stone and have your child tell you the beginning letter, sound, how many syllables, etc.

  • In the reverse call out a letter and have your child find a stone that starts with the letter.
  • Choose one stone and ask your child to describe it.
  • Practice writing the words for the pictures on the stones on paper, a chalk or led board.
  • Have your child practice stacking the stones as high as they can to work on fine motor skills and they can tell a story about the objects as they stack as well.
Cute and Simple Snowman Story Stones Winter Art Activities For Preschoolers

Next, look at some more winter unit study activities.

More Winter Unit Study Resources

Look at these other winter unit study resources and more winter art activities for preschoolers.

Too, here are some fun ideas of what to paint on your stones.

Cute and Simple Snowman Story Stones Winter Art Activities For Preschoolers

Of course the best pictures are ones your little ones love, but here are some ideas too.

Winter Art Activities For Preschoolers Storytelling Stones Ideas

  • A frozen pond
  • Snowmen
  • Hats
  • Trees
  • The sun
  • Spring flowers.
  • Animals
  • Childs favorite items like football, doll, bike, etc..
  • Snowflakes
  • A road
  • Letters or numbers
  • Your child’s name

How to Make Snowman Story Stones

You will need:

  • I use acrylic paint /paint pens and sometimes both. Acrylic paint is easy to use, durable, and inexpensive. It is a great choice for this project.
  • Paintbrushes
  • Any matte clear sealing spray or you can brush on a couple coats of modge podge.
Cute and Simple Snowman Story Stones Winter Art Activities For Preschoolers

First, wash and dry your stones well to remove dust and dirt.

I got mine at a local landscape company but you can also find them on Amazon or at craft stores if not in your area.

Draw on your designs with a pencil until you are satisfied with them.

Cute and Simple Snowman Story Stones Winter Art Activities For Preschoolers

Then, use small paint brushes or paint pens to fill in your designs and allow them to dry completely and keep wet q tips on hand to tidy up your lines as needed.

Cute and Simple Snowman Story Stones Winter Art Activities For Preschoolers

You can also use a paint pen.

Cute and Simple Snowman Story Stones Winter Art Activities For Preschoolers

Or fabric paint, these have a great small tip for little hands but do come out thick.

Once the designs are dry spray well with a coat or two of clear sealer to preserve them or alternatively you can use paint on modge podge to seal.

Cute and Simple Snowman Story Stones Winter Art Activities For Preschoolers

Let dry according to directions on the can.

Store the story stones in a pretty basket on a low shelf to invite your curious creative little ones to use them.