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Easy and Fun Pine Cone Snowy Owl Winter Craft for Kindergarten

October 20, 2022 | 2 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

This fun snowy owl winter craft for kindergarten can be used for a winter unit study. Grab more craft ideas on my kindergarten homeschool curriculum page.

Whoooo doesn’t love owls? Sorry, corny pun. If you are working on an owls unit study or talking about winter I have the perfect hands-on winter craft to add

You probably won’t even need a trip to the store to put together this snowy owl winter craft for kindergarten.

Easy and Fun Pine Cone Snowy Owl Winter Craft for Kindergarten

Whether you are learning about winter, owls, or even just looking for an O or W craft for your letter of the week this simple activity is fun and cute to include.

You can find pinecones on your nature walk.

But if not, you can also find them at craft stores in the seasonal section.

Add a few books and additional activities like videos and you have a quick mini snowy owl unit study ready to go.

Snowy Owl Facts

Female owls remain with the babies while the male owl brings food back.
A baby owl is called an owlet.
They have feathers all over their legs and feet to keep them warm.
They are quite large. Their wingspan can reach 4’-5’ wide.
Snowy owls are diurnal, unlike most other owls. Instead of hunting at night they hunt during the day.
Male owls are pretty much solid white. Females have brown markings on their white plumage.
Snowy owl pairs mate for their whole life.
Lemmings make up most of the snowy owls diet.
By the time they are just 6 weeks old, snowy owls can fly well.

Snowy Owl Books

Nature Anatomy is the perfect companion spine for little learners, even if they are not reading yet.

The illustrations are fantastic and the little pieces of info they give are just enough for you to read and keep their attention.

I found a two page spread on owls to go along with the craft.

Gail Gibbons books are also a fantastic choice if you love the idea of Charlotte Mason style living books.

Owls are perfect to go along with this activity too.

The classic Owl Babies would also be a wonderful addition to your book collection.

Look below for more ideas.

Winter Unit Study Ideas

Try these other activities along with your winter craft

Listen to these Snowy Owl Sounds while you craft from YouTube.
Also look at my Inuit of the Arctic: How Animals Survive Harsh Winters Fun Blubber Activity. It is a fun way to demonstrate how Arctic animals keep warm.
How to Make fake snow with 2 ingredients for your owlet to hide in or for your little learner to play with in a sensory bin.
This Owl Babies Craft is absolutely adorable and would make for a great companion activity to this one.

Finally, measure out 5’ with painters tape on the floor to demonstrate to your child how large the snowy owl wingspan can be.

Next, let’s make a pine cone snowy owl craft.

Snowy Owl Winter Craft for Kindergarten

You will need:

A large pine cone
Craft glue
White and yellow craft felt
White feathers, cotton balls, or cotton batting.
Tan or yellow pipe cleaner
Googly eyes

First, prepare small pieces of cotton batting, cotton balls, or white feathers.

Cut wing shapes from white felt. Cut them a little bigger than you think you need.

Try on your pinecone and trim as needed.

Draw w’s with a paint marker or sharpie to create feather definition on the wings.

Cut a small beak and two circles slightly larger than your google eyes from the yellow felt..

Squeeze a generous amount of school glue into the openings between the scales of the pinecone.

Stuff in your cotton pieces to make it fluffy.

I had originally intended on using fiber fill on the owl because I had it on hand but took a run to Hobby Lobby and found this cute little fluffy boa on sale for $1.50.

It looked so soft we couldn’t resist.

I cut it into little pieces to make stuffing all over easier. Encourage your child to fill it in and create a sweet little fluff ball baby owl.

When the pinecone is stuffed and fluffy to their liking, glue the wings, beak, and eyes in place with a generous amount of glue.

We found that laying it on its back to dry helped keep the pieces from sliding off.

Finish off by gluing small v shaped pieces of pipe cleaner/chenille stems to the bottom for his feet.

Other Winter Craft Ideas for Kindergarten

Also, look at a few more craft ideas.

Amazing and Free American Revolution Lapbook for Multiple Ages

October 19, 2022 | 2 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

This free American Revolution lapbook and hands-on unit study for multiple ages is fun to use as spine. Be sure you grab my other lapbooks for hands-on history.

The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America.

Amazing and Free American Revolution Lapbook for Multiple Ages

And using a history lapbook to contain all the subtopics which interests your children is a fun way to not only learn, but memorize important parts.

American Revolution Facts for Kids

Here is some information about the colonies which will help you to start your lapbook and unit study.

New England Colonies

Connecticut
New Hampshire
Massachusetts
Rhode Island

Middle Colonies

Delaware
New Jersey
New York
Pennsylvania

Southern Colonies

Maryland
Georgia
North Carolina
South Carolina
Virginia

Also, look at this book The American Revolution for Kids: A History with 21 Activities.

There are many ways you can arrange the lapbook and it’s necessary to use all my minibooks.

Mix and match my lapbook with other topics that interest your children.

Minibooks for an American Revolution Unit Study

Also, look at the minibooks included in this free lapbook.

There are 6 cover pages
Battles of the American Revolution
Boston Massacre
Boston Tea Party and the Sugar Act
Can You Answer
Causes of the War
England’s Reason for Taxing the Colonist
Join or Die political cartoon
Map of the 13 colonies
Patriots
Road to Liberty timeline
The Stamp Act
Paul Revere
Taxation Without Representation
Who was King George and Who Were the Colonist

Too, you’ll love these ideas for a fun co-op or just to do at home.

Besides, it’s the hands-on fun which make history come alive.

American Revolution Hands-on Ideas

First, we made a trip to Goodwill and picked up teacups (mismatched is perfect), some fall foliage from Hobby Lobby. and we picked up a lot of clothes.

As you can see in the picture above, our table decorations for the Early American co-op rocked.

We had different tables or stations set up for the following activities.

Because silhouette photos were popular, we had a station for pictures. Bring a lamp, and a chair, and tape paper to the wall for your little artist to trace their sibling or friend.
Of course we had to try different flavored teas.

In addition, we had other activities.

One table we had corn husk doll making and another table the kids made bead decorating or flint corn.
Additionally, we had a guest speak from the Daughters of the American Revolution who was “George Washington’s” mom and told us stories about him.
We learned George Washington’s favorite dance, the Minuet. He was supposed to be quite the dancer.

Also, one of the activities the kids loved the most was the Minute Man race.

Our co-op bought tons of oversized clothes and just like the Minute Man, the kids had a minute to change into them.

Remember to buy the clothes oversized so the kids can leave their clothes on. (lol). Then have them race for their teams.

How to Get the American Revolution Lapbook

Finally, how to Grab the Free 33 page lapbook. It’s a subscriber freebie.

1) CLICK HERE ON THIS LINK TO SIGN UP ON MY EMAIL LIST & TO GET THIS FREEBIE

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

Easy Hands-on Fun Ancient Greek Games for Kids DIY Knucklebones

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

If you’re doing hands-on history and want to add ancient Greek games for kids, you’ll love this knucklebones game and the other games on my page Kids History Games Boosts Learning & Promotes Critical Thinking.

I am sharing with you how to make and play Knucklebones.

It’s one of the oldest discovered ancient games.

Easy Hands-on Fun Ancient Greek Games for Kids DIY Knucklebones

Knucklebones is an ancient Greek game typically played with 5 small objects.

They were initially made from the knuckles of sheep or goats.

It was also called Tali, 5 stones, Jacks, scatter jacks, dibs, jackstones, or astragalus.

It is a primitive form of the modern game of jacks that is played with little metal pieces and a rubber ball.

The game of Knucklebones is 2,000 years old.

How Knucklebones Was Invented

The official rules are not known as it is such an ancient game.

But several versions have been guessed at through paintings and sculptures.

We are making the version that is like the more modern jacks game.

According to Sophocles, the mythical figure Palamedes invented te game of Knucklebones.

And taught it to Greek soldiers during the Trojan War.

Here is an image of a sculpture depicting two Greek girls playing Knucklebones.

They look so much like two little modern girls playing on the sidewalk, don’t they?

Ancient Greek Games for Kids

Look at some other toys ancient Greek children played with or spent their day being entertained with. And learn the Greek name for them.

Spinning Top-Stromvos
Rattles- Platagi
Animal Figurines- Athyrma
Marbles- Spheria
Piggyback game- Ephedrismos
Ourania- Game with a ball
Passe-boule- Similar to basketball

Here are some images of Ancient Gr e ek Toys to get an idea of what they looked like.

Ancient Greece Game Knucklebones Rules

You can play this game with 1 to 4 players. Cast (or toss) the knucklebones the same way you would dice.

Toss one knucklebone up into the air and try to grab one off the ground. Catch the falling one before it hits the ground.

Repeat but grab 2, then 3, then 4 to complete a sequence.

The winner is the first person to complete all the required sequences.

You can also play by tossing up all into the air and trying to catch as many as you can on the back of the hand or in your palm.

If you are going to play this version make your knucklebones smaller so they are easier to catch and don’t hurt.

Yet another variation is to try to toss one up and grab as many as you can in your hand before it falls.

You will want to practice.

Don’t scatter them to much or throw them too high. This will give you more control over catching them or grabbing them up.

Also, a completely different take on knucklebones assigns a points system to each side of the die.

And the winner is the one with the highest point value after tossing the knucklebones and counting up where they land. This is where the numbers or symbols you added come into the game.

Encourage your children to make up their own game with the Knucklebones. See what their imagination comes up with.

Next, look how to make your own DIY Knucklebones.

How to Make DIY Knucklebones Game

I found this terra cotta air dry clay at dollar tree and thought it looked pretty ancient so it was perfect.

You will need:

Then, create a rustic dice shape by first rolling 4 to 5 similar sized balls of clay out.

Next, pinch to create a bowed shape on the top and bottom of one face. But don’t invert too much if you plan on writing/drawing on them.

Rotate and repeat this step all the way around, this will give us a basic shape similar to real knucklebones.

Allow the clay to dry completely. This is what your final shape should look like.

Decorate your sides with numbers or symbols if you like using a small paintbrush and paint or a paint pen.

We researched ancient Greek numbers and used those. This will give your child some math practice too. You could also make up your own symbols for your family if you want.

Make a key like I did here to keep track of what each Greek number represents.

What do you think? What other Ancient Greek games for kids will you add to your Ancient Greece Unit study?

Other History Games for Kids

And finally, here are some other Ancient Greece activities.

Other Ancient Greece Activities

3 Fun Cocoa Winter Hands on Science Activities

October 6, 2022 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Your kids will love doing three different cocoa winter hands-on science activities to go with my winter season unit study.

And we’re taking one of our favorite winter treats and turning it into science.

Using a simple packet of cocoa, we’re going to do three fun winter hands on science activities that your kids will love.

3 Fun Cocoa Winter Hands on Science Activities

These activities will appeal to multiple senses and can be used to teach some basic science principles.

Adding a new sensory experience to some science activities that might be ordinary and basic can give them new life.

Too, it makes them interesting, stirs your child to ponder about science, and helps your child retain what he has learned in an exciting new way.

3 Fun Cocoa Science Activities for Kids

Grab some of your favorite chemistry books like Basher Chemistry to reference while exploring these cocoa winter science activities.

And learn some of the vocabulary and scientific terms that go with them.

Don’t forget to enjoy a delicious cup of cocoa with your little scientist while you have fun with these activities.

Don’t confuse it with one of science mixtures.

1. Hydrophobic Hot Cocoa Science Activity

First, begin with this hydrophobic hot cocoa activity.

You’ll need:

A clear container
Spoon
Hot cocoa mix
Water- hot and cold

Directions:

Grab a glass of cold water and a heaping tablespoon of hot cocoa powder.

Slowly lower the spoon into the glass.

Twist and move the spoon a bit.

Raise the spoon out of the glass. What happened? The liquid that was wrapped around the powder rolls right off.

Now heat up a cup of water. It doesn’t have to be boiling just nice and hot.

Stir another tablespoon of cocoa into the water and see how fast it dissolves.

What is the Science of Hydrophobic Hot Cocoa

Cocoa is a substance that is known as hydrophobic. This means that it repels water.

The fat in the cocoa makes it hydrophobic. Oil is also hydrophobic. Have you heard the old saying oil and water don’t mix? It’s true.

So why does it dissolve in hot water so much better than cold water? Simply put, hot water has more energy in it than cold water.

This means that the molecules move faster and break down the cocoa powder faster than cold water does.

You can also try this experiment with cold and hot milk. It will work the same due to the amount of water in the milk.

2. Hot Cocoa Slime Science Activity

Second, slime is not just a fun sensory activity.

It can be used to learn some basic chemistry terms like

molecules
polymers
chemical reactions
and nonnewtonian fluid ( neither a solid or a liquid).

And slime is also calming. It helps with focus and builds fine motor skills. This slime smells amazing and is a great winter themed experiment.

You’ll need:

1 packet of hot cocoa
1 cup of school glue
2 Tablespoons of contact solution
3 teaspoons baking soda

Directions:

Place glue, baking soda, and contact solution in a large bowl.

Stir in an entire packet of hot cocoa.

Remove from bowl and knead with your hands for a few minutes until desired texture is reached.

What is the Science of Cocoa Slime

When you mix baking soda with contact lens solution the main ingredients polyvinyl alcohol and borate ion undergo a chemical reaction called an endothermic reaction

Together, these two ingredients create a non-Newtonian fluid which is a substance that is neither liquid nor solid.

Slime is a polymer.

And polymers are made up of long chains of molecules.

Too, the glue contains polymers which can bend and slide past each other. This allows the slime to flow and to take the shape of the container it is in.

Last, this activity is the hot cocoa volcano.

3. Hot Cocoa Volcano Science Activity

This is a fantastic multi-sensory science experiment. It smells great and creates an exciting chemical reaction that kids love.

You can continue to add baking soda and vinegar to keep the reaction going indefinitely.

You’ll need:

Small plastic cup
1 Tablespoon Hot Cocoa
2 Tablespoons baking soda
Vinegar

Directions:

Mix baking soda and hot cocoa in a small cup.

Place your cup outside or on a surface that is easy to clean, this ~~could~~ WILL get messy.

Slowly pour vinegar into the cup and watch it bubble over.

Add more baking soda and vinegar to continue with the cocoa lava flow.

if you really want to get a bubbly foaming concoction that resembles lava add a bit of dish soap to your mixture.

What is the Science of the Hot Cocoa Volcano

Baking soda and vinegar react to neutralize each other.

Vinegar is an acid and baking soda is an alkali.

And the resulting reaction releases carbon dioxide which is the bubbles of gas that make it look like a bubbling volcano.

More Winter Season Unit Study Resources

Then, here are some other winter unit study resources you’ll love.

And add my other unit study Arctic Region.

What do you think? Are you ready for a bit of winter fun and science?

How To Study Human Anatomy For Science:Build An Edible DNA Model

September 28, 2022 | 1 Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

How to study human anatomy begins with the basics which is DNA. Today, for a human body unit study, we’re making an easy edible DNA model.Also I have this Human Body Crafts page for more fun ideas.

An anatomy unit study begins with the smallest building blocks of a cell and works its way up to DNA, genes, and so on.

DNA is usually a big part of a study of human anatomy so that is where we will focus for this activity.

How To Study Human Anatomy For Science:Build An Edible DNA Model

This hands-on project turns a simple lesson on DNA into a tasty edible treat.

But the best part is that teaches your kid’s what DNA is made of, how it works, what changes it, and more.

Whether you’re using a boxed or all-in-one curriculum or piecing together your own study, this activity is a fun way to teach your kids about the structure of DNA.

Add in a couple great books, some videos and you have a mini DNA unit study.

If you are studying anatomy and physiology with an older child, there is no reason it needs to be dry and boring.

As a matter of fact, hands-on is proven time and again to make a bigger impact on what a child retains.

DNA Resources for Kids

So, look at a few videos to get your children learning about what is DNA.

In addition, here are a few simple books that provide great reference for DNA material.

Basher Human Body
My First Book About Genetics Coloring Book
The DNA Book

Then, here are a few DNA facts.

DNA Facts for Kids

DNA is short for -deoxyribonucleic acid.
DNA is made from just 4 substances-Adenine, Thymine, Cytosine, and Guanine.
There are 46 chromosomes in the human body, arranged in 23 pairs.
DNA can be used to identify someone, just the way a fingerprint does.
No one has the exact same DNA, except twins.
Siblings share about 50% of similar genes.
You have about 25% similarity with grandparents, aunts, and uncles.
It is found in almost every cell of your body.
Friedrich Miescher discovered DNA in 1869.
DNA from a single cell if stretched out would be 6 feet long.
Mitochondrial DNA comes from your maternal (mothers) line.
A single gram of DNA can hold up to 700 terabytes’ worth of data. Cool!
After a cell divides, it makes and exact copy of itself, all cells carry the same code.

Human Body Lapbook

In addition, you’ll love my human body lapbook.

Dynamic and Fun Human Body Lapbook for Multiple Ages
$5.00 Add to cart

And start out by introducing the candy and what each part represents as well as what it’s made of.

Color code everything. Give it as separate color to avoid confusion.

Make paper labels to identify each part. Also, identify which two bases can be combined for reference.

The gummy rope is the backbone. It is comprised of sugar, deoxyribose, and bonded with phosphate.

It does not contain any genetic information, but it is important because it binds everything together.

Then the small gummies are the 4 chemical bases that make up the two types of nucleotide bonds.

These building blocks are hooked together to form a chain of DNA.

A nucleotide is composed of 3 parts:

five-sided sugar,
phosphate group,
and a nitrogenous base.

Bases store information and give the DNA the ability to code the phenotype – a persons visible traits.

This is called a complementary base paring.

And they are bonded together via hydrogen bonds, which are broken apart when the DNA needs to unzip and duplicate itself.

Human Body Crafts

How to Study Human Anatomy Resources

Also, look at these other human anatomy resources:

Finally, let’s make this hand-on edible DNA model for our fun study of human anatomy.

How to Make an Edible DNA Model

You will need:

Sour Straws, Twizzlers, or other long gummy rope shape
4 colors of gummy dots, bears, marshmallows, sour bites, etc
Toothpicks

Directions:

Separate 4 colors of gummies or marshmallows out of your package and label each Adenine, Thymine, Cytosine, and Guanine.

Make four different piles of nucleotides.

Create base pairs by pressing two candies onto a toothpick.

You can only combine Guanine with Cytosine, Adenine and Thymine to create proper chemical bonds.

The colors can go on either the left or the right side.

However, the colors must be paired correctly to create a proper chemical bond

Once you have enough pairs you can then create the backbone pieces by pressing a long length of chewy rope to each side.

Press each toothpick through until secure.

This double helix is what holds everything together.

Here is what your completed model looks like.

Finally, you will want to twist in one direction from the top and the opposite direction from the bottom to demonstrate what the 3d double helix looks like.

Now you can deconstruct your DNA and enjoy tasting it.

Create more than one to compare or compare siblings to see the different versions of DNA

handson

Easy and Fun Pine Cone Snowy Owl Winter Craft for Kindergarten

Snowy Owl Facts

Snowy Owl Books

Winter Unit Study Ideas

Snowy Owl Winter Craft for Kindergarten

Other Winter Craft Ideas for Kindergarten

Amazing and Free American Revolution Lapbook for Multiple Ages

American Revolution Facts for Kids

Minibooks for an American Revolution Unit Study

American Revolution Hands-on Ideas

How to Get the American Revolution Lapbook

Easy Hands-on Fun Ancient Greek Games for Kids DIY Knucklebones

How Knucklebones Was Invented

Ancient Greek Games for Kids

Ancient Greece Game Knucklebones Rules

How to Make DIY Knucklebones Game

Other History Games for Kids

Other Ancient Greece Activities

3 Fun Cocoa Winter Hands on Science Activities

3 Fun Cocoa Science Activities for Kids

1. Hydrophobic Hot Cocoa Science Activity