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Cookie Sheet Activities Make Earth Day Cookies & Fascinating Earth Facts

March 20, 2023 | Leave a Comment
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Add these fun earth day cookies to your cookie sheet activities. Also, grab this fun idea using cookies to build the Eiffel Tower.

When you’re out on Earth Day on April 22 picking up trash, planting gardens and conserving water take a fun break.

Make these Earth Day cookies and add this idea to your cookie sheet activities.

Cookie Sheet Activities Make Earth Day Cookies & Fascinating Earth Facts

Besides, it’s a great time to learn some fascinating facts about earth.

Too, these Earth Day cookies are a great activity for the whole family, and you will get different results from kids of different skill levels.

For example, encourage your older (middle and high school) kids to go for accurate continents.

Let the toddlers go wild with blobs while you teach them that blue is for water and green for land. That’s a fun super easy introduction to geography.

12 Fascinating Facts About Planet Earth

Earth is the 3rd planet closest to the sun at a whopping 92.67 million miles.
The earth rotates at around 1000 miles an hour- wow!
The circumference of Earth is 24,901 miles.
Some scientists believe that the continents were not always separate but existed as one large landmass that broke apart-Pangea.
Earth is the 5th largest planet in the solar system.
Earth is nicknamed the blue planet or ocean planet, because it is covered in so much water.
The inner core of the earth is made of iron.
The earth’s atmosphere is made up of 6 layers. Those layers are called troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, exosphere, and ionosphere.
Did you know that earth is the only planet that is not named after one of the Greek or Roman gods?
Early ancient Greeks, Sumerians, Egyptians, Vikings, and Babylonians believed the earth was flat because of what they could see around them and the belief that the Heavens were above the earth.
The driest place in the world is the Atacama Desert in northern Chile, oddly enough it is right next to the biggest body of water — the Pacific Ocean.
Because the earth is not a perfect sphere its gravitational pull is not the same everywhere. The planet’s surface is bumpy, and water flow, ice drift and the movement of the tectonic plates create different gravity pulls.

Then, look at more ideas below for cookie sheet activities and earth science fun.

More Cookie Sheet Activities

Have you ever considered using a cookie sheet for something other than cookies?

Let’s look at some of my favorite cookie sheet activities that can turn a cheap kitchen item (think Dollar Tree) into a useful learning tool.

Use a cookie sheet to recreate this Edible Rock Cycle for some tasty earth science.
Remember when we did a study on George Washington Carver and made peanut butter cookies as part of our learning? What a great dive into history and science that was.
Use a cookie sheet Cook Ancient Sebetu Rolls and learn about Ancient Mesopotamia.

Next, here are a few that have nothing to do with cooking.

Check out this Cookie Sheet Challenge Sight Words, much more fun than practicing on a worksheet.
Or work on early math skills using the Cookie Ten Frame Matching Game for younger children.
Turn a cookie sheet into a DIY Chore Chart for each child that they help design, a great way to teach them to take ownership of their responsibilities.
A Magnetic Scrabble Board is an amazing way to work on vocabulary and spelling skills with older children.

Additionally, look at a few more activities to include if you’re learning about this beautiful planet we live on.

More Earth Science Ideas and Activities

Finally, let’s get onto the simple tutorial for our Earth Day cookies.

Earth Day Cookies

You will need:

1 package sugar cookie dough (or your favorite recipe)
Green food coloring
Blue food coloring
A map or globe for reference

First, mix up your cookie dough according to package directions.

Remove ¼ of the cookie dough and put it aside in a separate bowl.

To the larger amount of cookie dough add blue food coloring and mix until desired shade is reached. Due to the yellow of the egg yolk your blue is going to be more of an aqua/turquoise color than blue.

Add green food coloring to the smaller bowl of dough and mix well.

Roll cookie dough into balls in your hand and then flatten on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Pinch off small amounts of green dough and form rough continent shapes.

As they bake, they are going to spread and become a bit misshaped anyway so focus on the fun and getting the general idea more than perfection.

If your butter is too softened your cookies will spread and give you a large flatter cookie.

If you prefer a thicker, softer cookie pop the dough into the fridge for 15 minutes to chill it before baking.

Bake to the minimum time on your recipe. Keep in mind something about the coloring seems to make them brown and get crunchy edges faster.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the pan for a few minutes then transfer to a wire cooling rack. Enjoy.

Learn About Daniel Boone Hunting With a Fun Deer Unit Study & Notebooking Pages

March 18, 2023 | 2 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Your child will have fun learning about Daniel Boone hunting with this quick deer unit study. Look at more ideas on my page Daniel Boone – North American Explorer and for my unit studies on best homeschool unit studies.

If you are trailblazing through the woods exploring about Daniel Boone, you may want to head into learning about Daniel Boone hunting.

Back when people were moving westward and setting out on new trails the wild game was plentiful in the woods.

Learn About Daniel Boone Hunting With a Fun Deer Unit Study & Notebooking Pages

Daniel Boone would have no doubt encountered deer, squirrel, bear, fox, raccoon, rabbit, beaver, and wild turkey.

I have gathered up plenty of resources for you to focus on a deer unit study.

Boone was a very gifted hunter and deer were a plentiful and common target for the woodsman.

Ideas for a Deer Unit Study

You will find books, games, and hands-on ideas.

I will walk you through a fun art project focusing on the deer’s antlers.

If your family are hunters your child is no doubt already immersed in the world of the hunt.

But if they are just starting out there are a lot of great resources to introduce them to deer, their habitats, their place in the food chain, and more.

10 Fun Facts About Deer

Next, look at these fun facts about deer.

Deer can reach short distance bursts of speed up to 30mph and jump over 10 feet.
One in 30,000 deer are albino, the absence of pigment, which gives them white fur and pink eyes.
There are more than 40 different species of deer in the world.
A moose is actually a member of the New World deer subfamily.
Male deer shed their antlers once a year. Males grow antlers from March – September. The antlers are shed in late winter.
On rare occasions, a female will grow antlers.
A common deer in North America is the white-tailed deer.
A male white-tailed deer is called a buck, a female is called a doe and the young are called fawns.
White-tailed deer are herbivores. They eat twigs, buds, and leaves of a wide variety of plants.
Deer antlers are the fastest growing bone known and can grow as much as a ½ inch a day.

Then, look at some of these fun resources to learn about deer.

Deer Unit Study Resources

Add these books for a fun deer unit study or to learn about animals encountered along the trails of the Westward Expansion.

The Lost Deer Camp

I found this interesting looking hunting series of chapter books; The Lost Deer Camp (Hometown Hunters) would fit perfectly with a deer unit study.

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

While Nature Anatomy does not have a ton on deer specifically it does have a small section on antlered animals including deer, and it gives a simple illustration of the Lyme Bacteria cycle that often plagues deer and gives another take on deer. There are also other common animals of the forest as well as information on the habitat.

MEROCO Forest Animal Track Game Flash Cards

Animal Track game is a educational game that will teach kids how to match animals with their tracks and where to find them!

Most animals do not want to come in close contact with humans, but if you learn to notice and recognize their tracks, you will be able identify which animals visit your neighborhood or like to walk along the same trails as you do. Animal tracks can become a window into an otherwise hidden world-the presence and habits of wild animals.

Tracks, Scats and Signs (Take Along Guides)

Become a nature detective with this illustrative, engaging and fun Take-Along-Guide. You may not know where to look, or what to look for, but animal signs are everywhere and this guide will help you learn how to read them.

Deer Hunting for Kids (Into the Great Outdoors)

You’re perched in a tree stand when a huge whitetail walks below you. You raise your gun to aim. Do you have what it takes to bag this trophy buck? Now is your chance to learn what you need to know about deer hunting history, gear, techniques, safety, and more.

Late for the Sky Hunting-opoly Board Game

The board game classic with a Hunting twist

Choose traditional play or one hour version

Opoly-style play

Player pieces consist of crossbow, shotgun shell, backpack, boot, shed, binoculars

Tracker

For John Borne’s family, hunting has nothing to do with sport or manliness. It’s a matter of survival. Every fall John and his grandfather go off into the woods to shoot deer and put meat on the
table over the long Minnesota winter. But this year, John’s grandfather is dying, and John must hunt alone. John tracks a doe for two days, but as he closes in on his prey, he realizes he cannot shoot
her. For John, the hunt is no longer about killing, but about life.

About White-Tailed Deer

Deer are ruminant mammals which means it has a four‐chambered stomach.

In addition, deer are browsers which means they eat leaves and buds which are not easily digestible.

Their name white tailed deer comes from the fact that when they are in danger their white tail stands upright like a flag.

Too, antlers are grown by only male deer called bucks. However, both male and female reindeer have antlers.

Antlers are made of bone and is covered by a substance called velvet which is full of blood vessels to supply nutrients to the bone.

In addition, no doubt when Daniel Boone was hunting, he was familiar with the diet and habitat of the white tailed deer.

For example, they like open woods, old fields and anywhere along water sources. Deer use the wooded areas for cover and food.

And deer feed on nuts, berries, woody shoots and stems, acorns, honeysuckle, and poison ivy.

If food is planted like corn, soybeans and decorative shrubs they’ll eat that food too.

Next, deer normally make three different sounds which are maternal, reproductive and alarm.

Moreover, I have some fun deer notebooking pages to add to this unit study.

Deer Notebooking Pages

Further, your child can do his own research about deer and add his own notes or use some facts off my post here.

Grab the notebooking pages below.

Also, add in some fun hands-on activities.

Hands-on Deer Activities

This Easy Hands-on Science: Animal Camouflage Activity Hunt is a great introduction to understanding animal camouflage for younger children.
Grab this White Tailed Deer Print Out for younger kids to see the different parts of a deer as well as a footprint.
Make a hand craft deer for the littles.
If you have the opportunity to use some you have or borrow some antlers from a hunt or shed, let your child explore them by touching and seeing what they feel like, count the tips, and make other observations.

Fun Learning About Daniel Boone Hunting With a Quick Deer Unit Study

Turn a few fun deer toys into a wonderful activity by adding a little sand, moss, rocks, and sticks to a tray or bin to turn it into a deer themed sensory activity. Use a small piece of paper to give the woodland clearing a pond.

Discuss the differences between antlers and horns and if you have some let your kids explore how they are the same and different. Additionally, measure them and learn about math measurements.
Get outdoors with a field guide to locate wildlife and learn about when is the best time to view deer.
Learn how colonists and early Native American used parts of the deer in everyday life.
Further learn and match animal tracks.

Daniel Boone Hunting and Life Resources

Next, look at these other the life of Daniel Boone hunting and about his life resources.

Finally, I am going to walk you through creating your own multimedia deer art project.

We are going to focus on the antlers.

It makes a good springboard to talk about deer antlers, why they have them, and why they fall off.

This will be the easiest way anyone has brought home a 10 point buck.

Deer Art Project

You will need:

11×14 canvas
Sticks and twigs of various sizes
Hot glue gun/glue sticks
Acrylic paint
pencil

Before you begin, sketch out the top of your deer head onto paper until you are happy with your design.

Retrace the design onto the canvas with a pencil.

Don’t worry about getting it perfect.

We are making our deer just peek over the edge and focusing on those antlers.

Water down blue paint and paint all around the drawing. But do not paint to the edges of your drawing.

Crumple up a rag or paper towel and pat the blue all over to lighten the paint.

Allow the blue paint to dry to the touch, it shouldn’t take long since you removed all the excess paint.

Begin painting to fill in the outline of the deer with brown paint and add details with black and light brown for highlights.

Let the paint dry completely and lay out the sticks until you are satisfied with your antlers.

Lastly, hot glue each piece down

How to Get the Free Deer Notebooking Pages

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That means when you sign up to follow me, you get access to this freebie.

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How to Plan And Start an Easy Gardening Unit Study for Kids

March 17, 2023 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have some fun tips on how to plan an easy gardening unit study. You’ll love more ideas on my best homeschool unit studies and Easy Seeds and Gardening Unit Study for Kids (Middle – Upper Elementary) pages.

My favorite place to start with a unit study is with fun hands-on activities.

Besides, getting their hands dirty, in this case literally, is a wonderful way to make sure that the information sticks.

How to Plan And Start an Easy Gardening Unit Study for Kids

Second, books are also a great learning tool and go hand in hand with more involved activities.

I have gathered up for you plenty of gardening unit study ideas.

From books to manipulatives, and videos to hands- on activities, there is plenty to give you a start.

6 Things Your Kids Learn Through Gardening

Additionally, there is so much that your child learns through gardening.

Look at what your child learns by researching about gardens.

1. Preparing soil

2. Sketching beds

3. Weeding

4. Harvesting

5. Preparing the harvest

6. Eating the harvest

There is science, math, history, reading, and many life lessons bundled into what seems to be an ordinary task.

While I am all for hands-on activities which allow kids to dig into the topic (literally in the case of gardening) sometimes you need a break from the heat.

Whether it’s raining or for a change of pace, games keep your kids learning.

Games About Gardening

Games help teach reading skills, following directions, strategy, cooperation, strengthen working memory, math, and so much more.

Next, look at some fun gardening games I rounded up.

Gardening Unit Study Games

Grab one or more of these fun gardening games to change the pace or to reinforce the concepts your kids are learning.

Buffalo Games - Planted

Test your green thumb in this great plant growing game

Use resource cards to ensure your plants are given the proper food

Who's home will be best deocrated with houseplants?

Strawberry Sunset: A Sweet & Simple Card Game

Easy to carry; Ideal for spontaneous game sessions
Light strategy game for 2 to 4 people
You will have until sunset to grow as many strawberry plants as you can before the sunset

Veggie Farm Sorting Set

HELP kids grow color recognition, matching, and early counting skills with this garden themed sorting set.

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

Playmat with farm signs includes images of essential colors and shapes

Garden Game

Cottage Garden is based on the game Patchwork, but adds much additional game play and a wider range of player count.

16 Pairs Garden Harvest Memory Games for Kids

The illustrations are identical and beautifully colored with bright colour and cute animals. This memory matching game can help children develop early cognitive ability, attention, observation, problem solving skills, hand-eye-brain coordination & logical thinking.

Outset Media Guacamole Game

EASY TO PLAY: Players must use critical thinking to collect the ingredients for their guacamole recipes.

FAMILY FUN: This lively family card game is perfect for kids to spice up their day or for contemplative adults.

Gathering a Garden Board Game

SCREEN-FREE FUN: For over 25 years, eeBoo has created wholesome, educational games and activities that cultivate conversation, socialization, and skill-building while introducing our world.

Books and Curriculum for Garden Unit Study

Moreover, you can totally create your own unit study about gardens from scratch using a few books l list below.

But if you want a little help and maybe you also want to learn alongside your child, I can’t recommend the Do-It-Yourself Garden Research Handbook by The Thinking Tree enough.

The Garden Research Handbook is full of graphs for your child to plan their own garden, terms to research and words to define, good bugs vs. bad bugs, garden types, soil quality.

It is meant to be used as a workbook textbook.

However, while it does offer some structure and specific assignments it is still very open ended.

It leaves plenty of room for creative outlet through drawing and coloring as well.

I think that the Garden Research Handbook would be fantastic for unschoolers or those that love unit studies.

Why?

Because it puts the responsibility in your child’s hands and that gives you a break as well as helping your child retain more information.

My favorite part about the book is that it covers so much information and makes a fantastic keepsake.

You can turn your book in as part of your portfolio if you have to use one at the end of each year for your homeschooler.

Next, look at some of these other books to add to your unit study which I found helpful.

11 Gardening With Kids Books & Fun Resources

As a true bibliophile no unit study would be complete without a strong list of books to support a topic. Here is a great list for everyone in the family.

Farm Anatomy: The Curious Parts and Pieces of Country Life

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

The Garden Classroom: Hands-On Activities in Math, Science, Literacy, and Art

Packed with garden-based activities that promote science, math, reading, writing, imaginative play, and arts and crafts, The Garden Classroom offers a whole year of outdoor play and learning ideas—however big or small your garden.

Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt:

Explore the secret realm beneath the dirt that brings the world of nature to life: Follow a young girl and her grandmother on a journey through the year planning, planting, and harvesting their garden—and learn about what's happening in the dirt to help make it all happen.Up in the garden, the world is full of green—leaves and sprouts, growing vegetables, ripening fruit. But down in the dirt exists a busy world—earthworms dig, snakes hunt, skunks burrow—populated by all the creatures that make a garden their home

Gardening Lab for Kids: 52 Fun Experiments to Learn, Grow, Harvest, Make, Play, and Enjoy Your Garden

A refreshing source of ideas to help your children learn to grow their own patch of earth, Gardening Lab for Kids encourages children to get outside and enjoy nature. This fun and creative book features 52 plant-related activities set into weekly lessons, beginning with learning to read maps to find your heat zone, moving through seeds, soil, composting, and then creating garden art and appreciating your natural surroundings.

The Ultimate Guide to Gardening: Grow Your Own Indoor, Vegetable, Fairy, and Other Great Gardens

Whether inside or outside, decorative or edible, this book is full of gardening projects large and small. Easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions are accompanied by photographs that guide the aspiring gardening through planting all kinds of gardens.

Kids Gardening Set

MONTESSORI FOR TODDLERS: Our gardening tool set encourages kids to play outside & learn about plants, nature & sustainability. Perfect for the yard and sand box.

OUTDOOR LEARNING ACTIVITIES: Our Kids Garden Set is great for Occupational Therapy & Developing Fine Motor Skills. Suitable for Boys and girls.

Do-It-Yourself Garden Research Handbook - The Thinking Tree: How to Design, Plant, & Care for Your Own Garden! Homeschooling Science, Nature & Home Economics

A Gardening Research Workbook & Planning Guide for Teens, Kids and Families! Perfect for Homeschooling Science, Nature Study, Botany and Home Economics!

Designed for teens, but perfect for Ages 9+ (Younger students will need some extra help).

Raised Garden Bed Wood Planter Boxes Outdoor for Kids with Legs

{Raised Garden Bed for Kids} We designed the children raised garden bed carefully, so that your children can feel the happiness of plant growth and the magic of natural life. Our raised garden bed deep enough to provide your plants and vegetables with ample room to breathe and grow healthy.

From Seed to Plant

Flowers, trees, fruits—plants are all around us, but where do they come from? With simple language and bright illustrations, non-fiction master Gail Gibbons introduces young readers to the processes of pollination, seed formation, and germination. Important vocabulary is reinforced with accessible explanation and colorful, clear diagrams showing the parts of plants, the wide variety of seeds, and how they grow. The book includes instructions for a seed-growing project, and a page of interesting facts about plants, seeds, and flowers. A nonfiction classic, and a perfect companion for early science lessons and curious young gardeners.

National Geographic Readers: Seed to Plant

Kids see plants, flowers, and trees around them every day. In this lively and educational reader, they'll learn how those plants grow. Kids will take this magical journey from seed pollination to plant growth, learning about what plants need to thrive and grow with the same careful text, brilliant photographs, and the fun approach National Geographic Readers are known for.

Oh Say Can You Seed? All About Flowering Plants

An easy and fun introduction to plant biology! With the able assistance of Thing 1 and Thing 2 - the Cat in the Hat explores the world of plants. Kids will learn about the various parts of plants, seeds, and flowers; basic photosynthesis and pollination; and seed dispersal.

Hands-on Gardening Activities

Now to get our hands dirty.

Besides the obvious, starting seeds and planting a garden there are so many wonderful activities that can reinforce and teach all things gardening.

You can Plan A Garden With LEGO.
Include my Seed and Gardening Unit Study along with the book
Gardening Projects For Homeschool Easy Composting With the Amazing Dr. George Carver (Free Printable About Compost
Kinder Gardening to Celebrate Nature and Science
Hands-on Ancient Babylon: Hanging Gardens Fun Activity

Also, add this graph paper gardening planning.

Graph Paper Garden Planning

One activity I like to start with in gardening is drawing the bed.

Whether you are planting directly in the soil, in a raised bed, or container it’s a good idea to know what is going where.

Too, research what plants work well next to each other, which ones don’t, and how much space each bed needs.

I also use the graph paper to help them create pages to put together a logbook for watering and other garden details.

With these simple activities your child is already working on math, planning, research, and basic life skills of gardening.

You need:

Graph paper
Colored pencils

The first thing you want to do is decide how large your space is and outline that on your graph paper.

An 1×1” graph paper is perfect for this. Use each square to represent 1 square foot of space in your garden.

Let them go crazy drawing the items they intend to plant in each box.

In addition, extend this activity by also have your kids log the dates that seeds were started, plants, planted, the first harvested item, etc.

Also, another way to use graph paper is to create a calendar for watering to help your child remember to water every day.

They can color in the square completely or draw in a raindrop to log watering days.

How to Plan an Easy Garden for Kids

Now you are ready to gather up some supplies to start things that you will start from seeds.

You can find seeds, gardening tools. soil, and seed starting trays at Dollar Tree to keep your costs way down.

I have had great success with their gardening items

If this is your first-time gardening, you might want to start with some easier things to grow.

Finally, use those that mature quickly so your child does not become discouraged (which can also be a valuable lesson).

Here are some tried and true favorites.

Radishes
Sunflowers
Snap peas
Carrots
Potatoes
Pumpkins
Parsley
Watermelon
Cantaloupe
Squash

Actually, some libraries also have a free seed library for patrons to get packets of different seeds.

What a great low-cost option. Look at the some of the packets we have picked up.

Facts About Wildflowers And a Fun Felt Texas Bluebonnet Craft

March 14, 2023 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have some facts about wildflowers and a fun felt Texas bluebonnet craft. You’ll also love my Wildflowers Unit Study.

Spring is very nearly here; can you feel it?

It is officially just a few days away and already things are blooming, birds are nesting, days are getting longer, and spring fever is taking hold.

Facts About Wildflowers And a Fun Felt Texas Bluebonnet Craft

One of my favorite things about spring is the beautiful abundance of wildflowers.

You can find them alongside streams, on hillsides, at the edge of the forest, and even on the side of the road.

Spring is the perfect time to learn many fun facts about wildflowers, investigate their uses and benefits to their ecosystems, learn state flowers, and more.

Today we are going to learn some of those facts and create beautiful felt Texas Bluebonnets which is the state flower for Texas.

This project is easy, pretty inexpensive and free if you have these basic supplies on hand.

It makes adorable addition to your spring decor.

They would also be a great craft to go along with a unit study about Texas.

10 Wonderful And Fun Facts About Wildflowers

Wildflowers are important because they support ecosystems and pollinators which is good for us and our food supply.
Texas Bluebonnets are the official state flower of Texas.
Wildflowers have several different meanings like happiness, joy, and remembrance.
A wildflower is called that because it is a flower that grows in the wild, and it was not intentionally seeded or planted.
A group of wildflowers is called a bloom. A super bloom is a rare desert botanical phenomenon where an unusually high amount of wildflowers whose seeds have lain dormant in desert soil blossom at about the same time.
Bluebonnets are typically (obviously) blue but occasionally you’ll come across them in light blue, white or pink, due to genetic mutations.
The name dandelion comes from the French- dent de lion (tooth of the lion ) for its jagged toothed shaped leaves. A coffee substitute can be made from the roasted and ground roots of dandelions.
Many wildflowers, from the petals to the roots, are used for medicines, tinctures, salves, teas, and beauty products.
Most wildflowers contain 4 basic parts – sepals, petals, pistils, and stamens.
The two most common wildflowers are the common sunflower, Helianthus annuus, and the Black-eyed Susan, Rudbeckia hirta).

Next, add some of these books for your wildflower unit study.

10 Wildflower Books & Resources For Kids Who Love to Read and Be Read To

Spring is especially a good time to learn about wildflowers but you can learn about them anytime. Add a few of these hands-on resources and books and you'll have a fun multiple ages unit study for your homeschooled kids.

Botanicum: Welcome to the Museum

Botanicum, is a brilliantly curated guide to plant life. With artwork from Katie Scott of Animalium fame, Botanicum gives readers the experience of a fascinating exhibition from the pages of a beautiful book. From perennials to bulbs to tropical exotica, Botanicum is a wonderful feast of botanical knowledge complete with superb cross sections of how plants work.

National Geographic Pocket Guide to Wildflowers of North America

With this basic beginner's field guide to North American wildflowers, all who enjoy nature and the outdoors can identify common wildflowers, from backyard weeds to dainty forest blossoms. In a logical, user-friendly, highly visual format, this new title offers key facts about 160 of the most common wildflowers and weeds, coast to coast, including Canada and Alaska.

Wildcraft! an Herbal Adventure Game for Kids

Unlike many kids games 4 and up that turn out to be too confusing for children, Wildcraft! An Herbal Adventure Game, is a fun, strategic challenge that’s also easy to follow– NO READING REQUIRED. Because our learning board games feature clear illustrations and matching icons, even younger kids will learn what the different plants look like and can be used for. It’s the perfect fun game for family game night with kids, and ideal for beginners – no prior plant knowledge necessary!

Wildflower Seeds: Bulk Mix of 21 Varieties

Wide Variety Of Flower Seeds: Our wildflower seeds will provide you with a vibrant selection of flowers in your garden. You will get 21 different varieties of annual seeds including Black Eyed Susans, California Bluebells, African Daisies and more.

Wildflower Bingo Game

Do you know which flower got its name from its resemblance to the sombrero? What is the species of the bluebonnet? Lot of facts about North American wildflowers in this game.

Wildflowers, Blooms & Blossoms (Take Along Guides)

An introduction to the world of insects, caterpillars, and butterflies including identification information, educational activities, and fun facts.Invites young naturalists to spot wildlife. Safety tips are provided and interesting activities are suggested.

Ultimate Explorer Field Guide: Wildflowers

What do you call a garden filled with lots of flowers? A polli-nation! Nat Geo Kids is back with the newest fact- and photo-filled Ultimate Explorer Field Guide, and this one packs some real flower power! This guide to wildflowers will make kids stop and look for all kinds of blossoms blooming right under their noses. From buttercups to bladderworts, primroses to pitcher plants, kids will learn how, where, and when to spot these wildflowers in their backyard, down the street, or all over town! Jam-packed with tons of info, interactive prompts, tips for budding botanists, super stats, and jokes--it's the perfect companion for exploring the backyard or field trips, camping, or vacation. Durable and portable, it's just right for your pocket or backpack!

Wild Flowers of North America (Science Nature Guides)

Did you know that wild plants are still used for food, for medicines, and as dyes? Many of the plants growing in urban areas, in woods and by the side of roads are useful as well as being pretty. Other plants have small and less obvious how many have you seen and not realized that they were flowers? This book will show you the most common wild flowers and where you are most likely to find them. A nature guide designed for elementary grades 2-3, the book includes more than 20 easy-to-do science projects.

Miss Lady Bird's Wildflowers: How a First Lady Changed America

In this warm, engaging look at the life of a great First Lady, Kathi Appelt tells the story behind Lady Bird Johnson's environmental vision. Joy Fisher Hein's colorful wildflowers burst from every page, inviting us to share in Lady Bird's love for natural beauty.

From a lonely childhood in the Piney Woods of East Texas to an exciting life in the White House, Lady Bird Johnson loved wildflowers with all her heart. They were her companions in her youth, greeting her everywhere as she explored wild forests, bayous, and hills.

Wild Flowers of North America: Botanical Illustrations by Mary Vaux Walcott

Published in association with the Smithsonian Institution. What does it take to paint a wildflower that blooms for a single day in a deep forest? For Mary Vaux Walcott, it involved spending up to seventeen hours a day out of doors with her paintbox to capture the shape, movement, and colors of delicate petals and leaves.

Hands on Ideas for Facts About Wildflowers

Be sure to grab my Free Wildflowers Unit Study and Lapbook.
Learn How to Make Wildflower Seed Bombs
Learn How to Easily Make a Simple and Fun Kids DIY Flower Press
Younger children will love this Nature Walk Cardboard Vase Activity for collecting wildflowers as they find them.
Plant a massive bed of wildflowers and learn about them in your own backyard.
Hands-On Mixed Media Flower Art Fun Nature Study

Then, add a fun felt wildflower like a Texas Bluebonnet to your list of activities.

You probably have most of these items at your house already.

How to Make a Texas Bluebonnet Wildflower Craft

You will need:

White craft felt
Blue craft felt
Hot glue gun/Glue sticks
Wooden Skewers
Green markers/paint
Scissors

Directions:

Paint or color skewers green and set aside to dry.

You could also use craft sticks or even pick skinny sticks out of the yard to use.

Cut the white felt on the short end into approximately 1” strips and cut the blue felt into 1 ¼” to 1 ½” strips.

Fold the white in half lengthwise and cut notches every ⅛” to ¼” from the fold to almost the edge but not quite cutting through.

Add a bit of hot glue to the end of your green colored skewer and begin wrapping the folded white felt around the tip, maybe 3 or 4 times moving down as you go.

We used about 3” of the white piece and cut the rest off for another bluebonnet.

Secure the end with hot glue.

Fold the long length of blue in half lengthwise and repeat the process of cutting lines from the fold to the other side but not quite all the way across.

Slightly overlap the white and wrap the blue (still folded in half) around the stem continuing down adding hot glue to secure every so often. Be sure to pull and twist tightly as you go.

Repeat for as many flowers as you wish to make.

For each flower we used a 3” piece of white felt strip and the entire blue strip.

Happy Spring!

Free Texas Homeschool Lapbook and Fun Homeschool Unit Study Ideas

March 13, 2023 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

You’ll love this free Texas homeschool lapbook. Grab more lapbooks on my lapbook ideas page. Also grab more ideas on my best homeschool unit studies page.

This lapbook was created to introduce you briefly to my native land of Texas, a little history, some famous Texans, and a few fun facts.

Free Texas Homeschool Lapbook and Fun Homeschool Unit Study Ideas

Moreover, this unit will be expanded on in the future by covering other parts of Texas including the Republic of Texas

While the Alamo and how Texas became a Republic were much more significant topics to be learning as a little girl growing up in southern Texas, I was often fascinated by hearing such names as Ima Hogg and Ura Hogg.

But some things I learned where tall tales. For example, there was no Ura Hogg but there was an Ima Hogg.

Beyond the fun tidbits I learned growing up, I’m excited to share a starting point about the history of Texas.

Texas In Its Infancy

Besides the attack of the Alamo in March 1836 in San Antonio, Texas, other events contributed to the history of Texas.

Texas was a Mexican province and both U.S. and Mexico recognized the abundant land and fertile land.

However, the location of Texas was closer to the expanding United States.

Too through the years I’ve read in some places that Tejanos made up only about 4000 people in 1821.

Tejanos are persons of Mexican descent living in Texas. Today we call them Mexican American.

At the time there were not very many settlers to defend Texas against Mexico.

And Americans were allowed to settle in Texas.

So, in return for the cheap land grants Americans had to become Mexican citizens, accept the Mexican constitution and the religion of Roman Catholic.

As I learned in Texas history growing up this was a strategy Mexico used to try to convert American settlers as an asset by Mexico.

I guess that far back a rebellion was already in the works.

Books about Texas

In addition, here are some fun books about Texas.

10 Resources for Learning About the Lone Star State & Texas Cattle Drives

Add a few of these resources to learn about the great state of Texas.

The Chisholm Trail: A History of the World's Greatest Cattle Trail

The Chisholm Trail was the original "Cowboy Highway" stretching hundreds of miles from the ranches of Texas to the Cattle markets in Kansas. This classic work chronicles in vivid detail the entire journey of the trail and is complete with descriptions of actual incidents and events that occurred along the trail as well as stories of famous and infamous cowboys, outlaws, rustlers, Indians, and lawmen who made the journey.

A Gentle Tour Through Texas History

A guide for teaching Texas History through literature. It is based on a 34-week timeframe and is useful for students in grades K-6/7.

Texas History for Kids with 21 Activities

Encapsulating the 500-year saga of the one-of-a-kind state of Texas, this interactive book takes readers from the founding of the Spanish Missions and the victory at San Jacinto to the Great Storm that destroyed Galveston and the establishment of NASA’s Mission Control in Houston while covering everything in between. Texas History for Kids includes 21 informative and fun activities to help readers better understand the state’s culture, politics, and geography. Kids will recreate one of the six national flags that have flown over the state, make castings of local wildlife tracks, design a ranch’s branding iron, celebrate Juneteenth by reciting General Order Number 3, build a miniature Battle of Flowers float, and more. This valuable resource also includes a timeline of significant events, a list of historic sites to visit or explore online, and web resources for further study.

Texas Activity Book (Color and Learn)

A New Way to Enjoy Texas with Your Family

For hours of excitement, give your kids the Texas Activity Book by Paula Ellis! They'll enjoy learning about the Lone Star State through pictures and puzzles. It's also perfect for keeping kids entertained on the car ride to your next destination.

Texas Longhorn Bull Cow Toy Figure

DETAILED & REALISTIC. Crafted with precision and authentic detail to create a lifelike toy that teaches and inspires toddlers and kids; helps introduce children to animals. From the first sketch to the intricate finishing touches, we see value in every detail.

Susanna of the Alamo: A True Story

“Remember the Alamo!” is one of the most familiar battle cries in American history, yet few know about the brave woman who inspired it. Susanna Dickinson’s story reveals the crucial role she played during that turbulent period in Texas-American history.

The Boy in the Alamo

The classic story of the siege of the Alamo, as told for young readers. Originally published in 1958, thousands of children each year enjoy this story from the unique point of view of twelve-year old Billy Campbell.

Plains Warrior: Chief Quanah Parker and the Comanches

A biography of the legendary Comanche leader profiles the son of a white woman, who fiercely defended tribal lands against those who tried to seize them and who, after being moved with his people to a reservation, fought for the recognition and decent treatment of his tribe.

Make Way for Sam Houston

Colorful Sam Houston leaps to life in the pages of this fresh and funny biography, set against the story of Texas's fight for independence from Mexico.

Trail Fever: The Life of a Texas Cowboy

The story of one of Texas's most famous cowboys is filled with cattle drives, stampedes, floods, droughts, freezing desert nights, raiders and bandits, and one man's endurance and love of life on the plains.

Below are some hands-on resources.

MORE RESOURCES FOR LEARNING ABOUT THE STATE OF TEXAS

Grab these other Texas unit study resources below.

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

Minibooks about Texas

Next, look at some of the topics covered in the lapbook with the minibooks.

Map of the geography of Texas
Trivia and Natural Regions
Founding Fathers of Texas
Fun Facts
Famous Texans
XIT Ranch
And a fun book Texas “Ainglish”

How to Get the Free Texas Lapbook

Now, how to grab the free lapbook. It’s a subscriber freebie. And I have a list of links for this unit study included in the download.

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!

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