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homeschoolscience

Simple and Easy Instant Ice Kids Activity Homeschool Science Experiments

November 3, 2022 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

If you’re looking for homeschool science experiments, you’ll love this easy instant ice activity. Add it to your winter season unit study.

If your kids are like mine, they prefer to get hands-on with their learning rather than just being read to from a book.

Although we love reading, we also love doing.

Simple and Easy Instant Ice Kids Activity Homeschool Science Experiments

Whenever you start a new unit, a new week, or a new concept consider adding something that requires a lot more of their involvement like this instant ice homeschool science experiment.

This homeschool science experiment is easy to set up, perform, and requires very little prep.

Other than a watch and wait for the bottles to almost freeze, it’s simple and fun.

Freeze extra bottles so that it can be repeated.

But don’t stop with this hands-on winter experiment, keep the learning going.

Look at how to turn simple ideas into a fun little unit for you and your curious learners.

Fun Winter Ice Facts

Check out Why Does Water Turn Into Ice and Where do Icicles Come From to learn more about incredible ice.

Read a few interesting ice facts to see what you both can learn and reinforce what they already knew.

Interesting Ice Facts:

  • Fresh water will freeze at 0 ℃.
  • Ocean water will freeze but at a colder temperature of -2 ℃.
  • The Inupiaq of Alaska have 100 names for ice.
  • There are two types of ice on the earth. Land ice consists of fresh water and sea ice is made of salt water.
  • More than ⅔ of the earths fresh water is in the form of glaciers.
  • Ice is not only on earth but it can also be found on some of Saturn’s rings, in comets, the Moon, and on Jupiter.
  • The thickest ice ever recorded was 2.97 miles thick by an Antarctica research aircraft
  • Scientists believe there to have been 5 different ice ages which are the Huronian, Cryogenian, Andean-Saharan, Karoo Ice Age and the Quaternary glaciation.
  • Glaciers do not melt in very cold areas like the arctic but continue to build up and create massive ice sheets.
  • Ice is a mineral and meets all four of the requirements to make it a mineral.

The four requirements are it’s naturally occurring, a solid, has organized crystal structure and is inorganic.

Simple and Easy Instant Ice Kids Activity Homeschool Science Experiments

So, technically, ice is a rock.

Ice Vocabulary Words

Next, add a few science words about ice.

  • Supercool- a liquid that is below its freezing point without solidification or crystallization.
  • Ice- Frozen water, a brittle transparent crystalline solid.
  • Freezing- When the temperature of the air falls below the freezing point of water- 0 ℃.

Then move into learning about the science behind instant ice.

Instant Ice Science

First, purified water can be chilled below its freezing point and remain in a liquid state. This is a supercooled water.

There are not enough impurities in the water for ice crystals to grow on. Hitting it on the counter or pouring it over the ice gives it a kick start.

When a new material phase begins to form that is the water changing to solid ice.

It is called nucleation. 

Nucleation is when there is an imperfection in the substance.

For instant, dust in the water that the state it is changing to (ice) can anchor to and thus create a nucleus.

Just one molecule forms an ice crystal at the nucleus.

And the molecules next to it and on top of it begin to change state due to the icy surface.

This creates a chain reaction of ice until your supercooled water forms a little tower of ice.

We used the ice cubes to help us get that process started.

Take this experiment further and use different types of water in the water bottles.

Try these different waters.

  • tap,
  • salt water,
  • filtered,
  • add coloring, or
  • sugar.

Do you get the same results?

Have your child record it in a science journal and tell them the why of the bottled water working after they have tried their different ones.

Instant Ice Homeschool Science Experiment

This experiment will amaze your kids.

You will need:

  • Ice
  • 5 or 6 water bottles
  • Sheet pan or tray
  • Small bowl or cup
Simple and Easy Instant Ice Kids Activity Homeschool Science Experiments

Open and reclose the caps.

This will help keep it at the supercooled state later without disturbing it too much when you open.

Place bottles in the freezer for an hour (set a timer so you don’t forget) how long it takes to freeze will depend somewhat on your freezer, how full it is and etc.

Check them after one hour, then after 30 minutes, and then every 15 minutes.

You want them to be close but not yet frozen.

A good way to test this is to remove one and hit it on the counter.

If you see a bit of slush form at the bottom of the bottle it’s perfect.

Simple and Easy Instant Ice Kids Activity Homeschool Science Experiments

Here is a quick video of me tapping it on a chair to demonstrate that kick start effect of your supercooled water.

Fill your bowl or cup with ice when you are ready.

Learn from our mistake. Put a tray or baking sheet under it to catch overflow.

Simple and Easy Instant Ice Kids Activity Homeschool Science Experiments

Carefully remove your bottles from the freezer and set them down gently.

Quickly remove the cap from your water and slowly pour the water over the ice from just slightly above it.

You should see an ice tower begin to grow.

Simple and Easy Instant Ice Kids Activity Homeschool Science Experiments

You should be able to get at least 2” to 3” before it begins to melt.

You need to be sure to work quickly because the ice will begin to melt within 30 second.

Therefore it’s a good idea to freeze a lot of bottles so you can try it over and over.

Simple and Easy Instant Ice Kids Activity Homeschool Science Experiments

Want to see it in action?

More Winter Homeschool Science Experiments

Also, you’ll love these other winter homeschool science experiments.

  • How Does the Power of Ice Shape Mountains Activity
  • 3 Fun Cocoa Winter Hands on Science Activities
  • Inuit of the Arctic: How Animals Survive Harsh Winters Fun Blubber Activity
  • Easy Hands on Snowflake Winter Craft for Kids Who Don’t Have Snow
  • Colorful Winter Bird: Northern Cardinal Lapbook & Unit Study
  • Winter Nature Craft: How to Make Easy DIY Bird Feeders

What do you think? Ready to give it a try?

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Hands-On Activities Tagged With: crafts, earth science, earthscience, hands-on, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, homeschoolinginwinter, homeschoolscience, ice, science, winter crafts, winter season

Julie of the Wolves Free Hands-on Arctic Unit Study

October 27, 2022 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

If you’re looking for a literature-based unit to do for an Arctic unit study, you’ll love Julie of the Wolves. Be sure to grab more ideas on my page Arctic and Inuit Unit Study Free Lapbook – Hands-On Ideas and also on my page Best Homeschool Unit Studies.

Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George is a wonderful book for reading aloud or it can be an exciting adventure as an independent reading chapter book.

Julie of the Wolves Free Hands-on Arctic Unit Study

It makes the perfect addition to a winter or Arctic unit study.

Too, I’ve pulled together some of my favorite resources to go along with the Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George to help you put together your own unit study.

And I have rounded up vocabulary words, videos, additional books, and of course plenty of great hands-on activities.

About Julie of the Wolves Book

First, Julie goes by two names Miyax to her Eskimo village and as Julie to English speaking friends.

The story tells of the adventures of Julie after she runs away from a forced marriage to live in the wild Arctic fighting for survival, following the way of her people.

But will she choose to continue this way or return to civilization?

There are 3 books in the series, but we are going to focus on the original for this.

In addition, this story is a great base for a unit study as it covers Eskimo life, snow/winter, animal habits and habitats, and the emotions of growing up.

You can go in the direction of studying the book from a literary angle, diving into Inuit life and culture, studying the animals and habitats mentioned in the book, or a combination of all.

Hands-on Ideas for Learning About the Arctic

Always include some fun hands-on ideas in your unit studies to keep the kids interested and make the points really hit home.

  • Arctic and Inuit Unit Study. Free Lapbook – Hands-On Ideas. Be sure to grab my lapbook, ideas for studying animals, making snow goggles, soap carving and making a salt dough map.
  • Inuit of the Arctic: How Animals Survive Harsh Winters Fun Blubber Activity
  • Winter Season Unit Study
  • Arctic Ground Squirrel Lapbook & Unit Study Resources
  • How to build a Milk Jug Igloo– That’s a lot of milk.
  • Arctic Region
  • How to Build an Igloo ( with real snow)
  • Inuit Soap Carvings
  • Wolf Facts & Worksheets
  • More Arctic Wolf information
  • The Inuit Way of Life lesson plan
  • Ideas for a diorama and a Miyax (Julie) doll.
  • Free Gray Wolf lapbook

Too, many birds are mentioned in the book which live in the Artic. For instance, look at this list of ones to learn about.

  • lapland longspurs
  • puffins
  • snowy owl
  • siskin
  • sandpipers

Next, add in some other reference books.

Other Arctic Books and Resources

In addition, Nature Anatomy is a go to spine for anything nature related.

Julie of the Wolves Free Hands-on Arctic Unit Study

In this book I found a couple pages on snowflakes, animal life like caribou, seals, fish, snowy owls, and other birds of prey that are found in Arctic regions.

Another book in the series Ocean Anatomy covers polar bears, penguins, seals, Narwhal, and whales.

But also sea ice, life under the ice, glaciers, and Icebergs.

And Safari LTD Animals may be considered for young children, older kids love them too.

Older kids can use them in dioramas, as inspiration for an art project or to create an inviting display.

Additionally, YouTube has wonderful videos.

Videos about Arctic Life

  • 20 Awesome Facts About Arctic Wolves
  • Arctic Wolves Singing
  • How Do Animals Survive in The Arctic
  • Julie of The Wolves Read Aloud
  • Julie of The Wolves Mini Documentary
  • How an Igloo Keeps You Warm
  • Eskimo Hunters in Alaska – The Traditional Inuit Way of Life | 1949 Documentary on Native Americans

Too, you’ll love this list of vocabulary words.

Julie of the Wolves Vocabulary Words

Last, here are 12 vocabulary words for each of the three sections of the book to get you started.

Julie of the Wolves Free Hands-on Arctic Unit Study

First, this list is for Part I.

  • Bleak- unpleasantly cold and damp.
  • Lichen-A slow growing plant that produces leaflike branching growth on trees and rocks.
  • Semaphore- a system of sending messages using arms or two flag poles.
  • Undulate-Increase of decrease of volume or pitch.
  • Carrion- Rotting flesh of dead animals.
  • Ravenous- Extremely hungry.
  • Wean- Gradually accustomed to living on something other than mothers milk.
  • Deference– Tendency to yield to another.
  • Viscera-Internal organs in the main cavities, especially abdomen.
  • Apogee-The farthest point at which the moon or a satellite is from the earth.
  • Forage- To look for and collect, as in food. Further, grab my Foraging and Feasting Unit Study and Lapbook.
  • Permafrost- Permanently frozen ground.

Second, this list is for Part II.

  • Shaman-A person who acts as intermediary between the natural and supernatural worlds.
  • Blubber-The insulating layer of fat underneath the skin of some animals.
  • Prance-Spring forward from the hind legs.
  • Tundra-A treeless plain where the subsoil is permanently frozen.
  • Derisive-Showing contempt or ridicule.
  • Scarce- Insufficient for the demand, food in this case.
  • Mythical-Based or described in stories rather than history.
  • Drone- A monotonous low dull sound.
  • Descent- Downward movement.
  • Foyer- Large entrance waiting area.
  • Piteous- Deserving or evoking sympathy and sorrow.
  • Seize-To grab or take hold of.

Further, here is Part III.

  • Brandish-  Move or swing objects back and forth.
  • Abeyance- State of temporary suspension or disuse.
  • Saunter –Leisurely walk with no evident aim.
  • Deviate- Change or turn away from planned course.
  • Bravado-Bold show of courage to impress or intimidate.
  • Cumbersome-Hard to manage due to size or weight.
  • Desolate- Bleak, depressing, empty, bare.
  • Larder- A storeroom for storing food goods.
  • Plaintive- Showing sorrow.
  • Totem- A person or thing considered to be a symbol of something.
  • Temperate- Mild temperatures, without extremes.
  • Resonant- Evoking powerful memories or emotions

Leave a CommentFiled Under: My Unit Studies {Free Printables & Hands-on Ideas} Tagged With: arctic, earthscience, hands-on, hands-on activities, handsonhomeschooling, homeschoolscience, Julie of the Wolves, life science, science, unit studies, unit study

Pond Life for Kindergarten Activity Build a Fun Beaver Dam

October 26, 2022 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

If you’re studying pond life for kindergarten you’ll love this activity for your kindergartener to build a beaver dam. Grab my other craft ideas for kindergarten homeschool curriculum.

As the largest rodents in North America and the second largest rodent in the world, beavers are a fun subject to cover.

They go along perfectly with a pond life unit study. They are a vital part of life in rivers, ponds, and lakes.

Pond Life for Kindergarten Activity Build a Fun Beaver Dam

I have a fun and inexpensive hands- on activity to share that your little one will love.

It’s a simple invitation to create and learn using items gathered from the yard and few items from the house.

Your child will probably spend the day playing in their little “pond” learning and growing their imagination.

Beaver Facts for Kids

  • Beavers don’t actually live in the dams they build; they make them to create a deep pond of water for protection from predators. They live in similar structures called beaver lodges.
  • Beavers build their dams out of trees, limbs, mud, moss, plants, grass, and rocks.
  • When they feel threatened, beavers will slap the water with their tail making a loud noise to warn all creatures in the area.
  • A long time ago beaver fur was commonly used to make hats and clothing. Some people still trap beavers for their fur today.
  • Beaver dams don’t just benefit them, they also help with carbon storage, flood management and drought prevention. They are also helpful in keeping streams cool.
  • Also they create wetlands that house many frogs, fish and invertebrates, and in turn these animals provide food for birds and bats.
  • Beavers can swim underwater for 15 minutes.
  • Some adult beavers can reach up to 55 pounds.
  • Beavers eat the inner bark of trees and woody plants, but they also enjoy soft vegetation like apples, grasses, clover, water lilies, giant ragweed, and cattails.

Pond Life Activities

Before you begin your activity, read about beavers and ponds and choose a video or two to watch together.

If possible visit a local pond or lake that has beavers to observe them in the wild.

This will help give your child a good point of reference for beavers and how and why they build dams.

Also, grab letter tiles you have on hand,

Scrabble tiles are great because you can pick the games up inexpensively at yard sales and thrift stores.

Use them to practice beginning letter sounds or spell out words related to your theme.

For this one you could use:

  • Pond
  • Beaver
  • Fish
  • Turtle
  • Dam
  • Water
  • Frog

Allow your child to build silly words and see if he can pronounce them as well.

Pond Life for Kindergarten Activity Build a Fun Beaver Dam

Too, you’ll love adding some of these books to your activity.

Books About Pond Life

This is one in a little series of picture books that are gems with beautiful illustrations and they teach children about the ecology of the pond. Over and Under the Pond goes perfectly with this activity.

Pond Life for Kindergarten Activity Build a Fun Beaver Dam

Nature Anatomy is another one. If you don’t know by now I just love this series, they are perfect to add to any nature study that you do.

Pond Life for Kindergarten Activity Build a Fun Beaver Dam

This next resources if Natural and Earth Science Educational Flash Cards.

If you enjoy doing earth science with your child this is a great addition. Little cards with everything from beavers to minerals.

Safari LTD North American Wildlife toobs are a great resource for small world play like this, to give children a model to see for art or learning.

Also they can be used in dioramas, or to create an inviting setup for a new unit study.

Pond Life for Kindergarten Activity Build a Fun Beaver Dam

Beaver Videos

Finally, here are a few videos that are interesting and will give you and your child a little more understanding of beavers and ponds.

  • Wild Kratts Beaver Lodge
  • All About Beavers For Children
  • Wild Kratts Build a Beaver Pond

How to Build a Beaver Dam Activity

Gather:

  • Sticks and small branches
  • Grasses
  • Leaves
  • Small rocks and pebbles
  • Mud or clay
  • Moss

First, go on a nature walk into your own backyard to gather the above items.

Set out your invitation to play and learn in an inviting way by placing the items neatly on a tray (or cooking sheet like I did).

This makes it more eye appealing than just throwing everything you gathered in a heap.

Pond Life for Kindergarten Activity Build a Fun Beaver Dam

Add water to a shallow dish or pan to create a pond.

Encourage your child to create a beaver dam in the pond using all the same items that a beaver would use in the wild.

Pond Life for Kindergarten Activity Build a Fun Beaver Dam

Twist sticks together to make it sturdy. Add moss and clay to the openings between sticks, etc.

Continue building until it is heaped up both above and below the water.

Pond Life for Kindergarten Activity Build a Fun Beaver Dam

Once they have built their dam in the water, add in a fun little plastic beaver as well as other pond animals.

Now they can have fun exploring inside and outside the dam.

Pond Life for Kindergarten Activity Build a Fun Beaver Dam

How cute is this little beaver peeking out from the dam he just built?

Finally, you’ll love these other resources for teaching kindergarten.

Pond Life for Kindergarten Activity Build a Fun Beaver Dam

Other Tips and Crafts for Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum

  • Easy and Fun Pine Cone Snowy Owl Winter Craft for Kindergarten
  • 4 Fun and Engaging Bat Activities for Kindergarten
  • Native American Crafts for Kindergarten How to Make a Kids Pinch Pot
  • 10 Best Homeschool Phonics Curriculum For Kindergarten
  • 15 Fun Resources For History for Kindergarten Homeschool
  • 19 Fun Hands-on Rainforest Activities for Kindergarten
  • Rainforest Crafts for Kindergarten: Make an Easy Paper Plate Monkey
  • How to Create the Best Homeschool Schedule for Kindergarten (free printable)
  • 60 Favorite Top Homeschooling Materials for Kindergarten
  • 10 Affordable and Complete Homeschool Kindergarten Curriculum
  • How to Effortlessly Blend Kindergarten Homeschool Subjects & Life
  • BEST Free Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum With A Gentle Approach (List)
  • Delightful Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum Which Promote a Love of Learning
Pond Life for Kindergarten Activity Build a Fun Beaver Dam

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Teach Kindergarten Tagged With: beavers, hands-on, hands-on activities, handsonhomeschooling, homeschoolscience, kindergarten, life science, ponds, science

27 Amazing Homeschool Lapbook Ideas for Science

October 12, 2022 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have 27 amazing homeschool lapbook ideas for science. You’ll love all my homeschool lapbooks for hands-on fun science.

Using a lapbook is not just for real young children and especially lapbook ideas for science.

I am not sure why that thinking permeates in the homeschool world and I have often wondered why it does.

27 Amazing Homeschool Lapbook Ideas for Science

We might feel that middle school or high school is supposed to be only about serious learning.

My thinking has changed and has been molded by many homeschool experiences but one thing that has not changed is the need to add a bit of fun to our everyday subjects.

Homeschool lapbooks can be as fun or as serious a hands-on tool for any child you’re homeschooling.

Free Printable Lapbooks

Also, quite a few of the lapbooks I have listed can be printed freely.

Too, when I prepare lapbooks, I created some with minibooks filled with facts.

You have the choice to print the blank form or use the prefilled minibook.

As we’ve done lapbooks throughs the years, I’ve realized sometimes we didn’t have as much as wanted to on our lapbooks.

Other times, we stayed much longer on certain topics.

Striking a balance of having some facts for the minibooks versus none is not easy, but you want to.

This encourages research and nurtures self-education.

27 Amazing Homeschool Lapbook Ideas for Science

Too, sometimes my kids preferred a combination of lapbooking and notebooking.

Lapbook Materials

Also, lapbooks are cost effective. Your kids can create one together or create one individually.

Once you’ve printed the minibooks and place them in the lapbook, the lapbooks can last for years.

Of course, using cardstock makes all the difference in how long the minibooks lasts.

And you don’t really need an expensive printer. I’ve use a mobile printer for years. And I use acid free glue.

Lastly, new flaps about different subtopics can be added to your lapbook as your child studies the science topic again.

27 Amazing Homeschool Lapbook Ideas for Science

Finally, look at the 27 amazing lapbook ideas for science below.

Other Homeschool Lapbook Resources

Also, look at some of these other posts for more help.

  • Fun Pharaohs and Queens Ancient Egypt Lapbook and Activities
  • Free Amazing Winter Unit Study and Winter Lapbook for Kids
  • Fun Apple Lapbook and Hands-on Unit Study for Multiple Ages
  • 15 Amazing Lapbook Materials to Use Besides Glue and Paper
  • 20 Free Homeschool Science Lapbooks to Teach Hands-on
  • 3 Free and Amazing Amazon Rainforest Lapbooks for Kids

Science Lapbook Ideas

Hands-on lapbooks goes hand in hand with learning about homeschool science.

The best way to learn science is through engaging activities created by the child.

Famous and Historic Trees

The beauty of unit studies is the ability to combine multiple subjects.

This famous and historic trees fun study combines nature, history, and geography. Add in some art and music and it’s a memorable unit study.

FBI Unit Study Experiment 2 (Invisible Ink)

So the teens gathered some supplies and printed off some of the invisible ink activities from the internet. The one they really wanted to do was the one using cornstarch.

An iodine solution is used to reveal the writing. You make a gravy using cornstarch and write with that

The Inuit & Arctic Circle Lapbook

The emphasis too is not just on the content or material to be researched but on presentation of the lapbook. I guess that is why I say I use my lapbooks for enrichment. We do unit studies, write some each day and like you, do math.

So I am not interested in presenting to my children or anybody else for that matter a bunch of blank uninspiring mini books.

{Pumpkins, Leaves, Corn, & More}

Doing a fall season or fall unit study is a great way to brace the change in the weather.

We love this time of the year! Here in Texas as least we have some leaves that change colors not to mention how wonderful spices and sweet potato pie smell!

Strawberry Lapbook

Strawberries are the very first spring fruit, and one of our field trips was strawberry picking so we used this lapbook to learn about them.

Apple Lapbook

If you’re looking for an apple lapbook and apple unit study, you’ll love the ideas here. Whether you’re looking for Johnny Appleseed ideas, fun crafts about apples or ideas about Isaac Newton and his apple, you’ll find them here.

Free Amazing Winter Lapbook

You’ll love this free winter lapbook for kids. Add to the other lapbooks I have here and you can create your own unit studies. In addition add it to my winter unit study.

And if you have multiple ages of children, this free winter lapbook has several minibooks with various topics.

Add the lapbook to a winter unit study or do it alone as an enhancement to your studies.

3 Free Amazing Amazon Rainforest Lapbooks

 I have three free Amazon rainforest lapbooks which go with our Amazon Rain Forest Unit Study And homeschool lapbooks make great tools for master learning about a unit study topic..

Free Wildflowers Lapbook

When the Texas wildflowers blanket the fields here we’ve never been able to stay indoors. We’re always thinking of ways to get outside.

Sharing this wildflowers unit study and lapbook along with some hands-on ideas, I hope they’ll help your kids get excited about a fun wildflowers unit study

Exploring Space and Astronomy Lapbook

Exploring space and astronomy free unit study for multiple ages is a fascinating study. It’s a glimpse into the sun, moon, stars, galaxy, and structure of the universe.

Why Bats Are Not Birds Lapbook

Why bats are not birds fun homeschool unit study and lapbook is an easy way to do a unit study with multiple ages of children.

Above & Below: Pond Lapbook

Whether you study a pond in winter or summer, a pond unit study makes for a great hands-on science project. You can add in so many different nature topics.

There are just as many things that grow above a pond as there are that live below in a pond.

Free Super Seashore and Beach Lapbook

I can smell the beach from here! Okay, maybe not where I live now, but I feel that way since I grew up with the beach a short 30 minute drive. And we never missed a chance to go to it.

We would cook crab or gumbo, spend hours on the shoreline and build a fire. Seashore watching was an activity I loved as a kid and I made sure my kids knew about it. I think you’ll love these ideas for a seashore watching unit study.

Foraging and Feasting Lapbook

My kids have always loved ways of learning how to live off the land. This foraging and feasting nature unit study is not only a way to teach Tiny some basic survival skills, but a great way to sneak in tips about how to cook.

From Egg to Sea Turtle Lapbook

We made a detour on finishing up high school for a quick nature read about sea turtles. I chose Our Sea Turtles as a spine and we weren’t disappointed. Today, in sharing from egg to sea turtle nature unit study and lapbook, I’ve rounded up some awesome links and ideas for you.

Also, I created a fun lapbook for about upper elementary to middle school for your kids.

Beautiful Human Body Lapbook

The completed human body lapbook. Have you been following along as we did our huge human body lapbook and unit study?

We have had a ton of fun with our unit study and today, I want to give you one more minibook about the eye and some clip art to go on the

Free Earth Science Lapbook

 I have the rest of the minibooks to go with the free earth science lapbook, which is Earth’s Structures. Too, I have a cover which can be used as a lapbook cover or for clip art to decorate notebooking pages.

Remember, for this lapbook, I am using the free middle science book that I shared with you earlier as a quick science spine.

Arctic Region

The Arctic is literally the end of the world. It takes its name from the Greek word for bear, arktos, because the land is under the constellation of the Great Bear.

The Arctic region is at the top of the Northern Hemisphere. The Arctic Ocean is about 5.5 million square miles of water. The Arctic is really a giant sheet of sea ice that floats on top of the Arctic Ocean.

Amber - Freezing Gold Lapbook

In ancient times it was called the gold of the North. Amber has been called freezing gold, a window to the past, a time capsule, captured sunshine and a golden tear. It is all of these things.

Carnivorous Plants Lapbook

The term carnivorous plant may conjure up in your mind  a scene like this one where the unsuspecting victim in a swamp is being snatched up by a flesh-eating plant.  But carnivorous plants are a very interesting group of  plants that aren’t near as big as they are shown in this picture.

Coral Reef Lapbook

Coral reefs swarm with brilliant colored fish, starfish, giant clams and sea slugs. They are not only beautiful to look at; but they are home to thousands of other species. Coral reefs can be large or small and are some of the oldest ecosystems on the planet.

Peregrine Falcon Lapbook

The Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus), also known as the Peregrine, and historically as the “Duck Hawk” in North America, is a bird of prey in the family Falconidae.

Toads - Amphibians Lapbook

In many ways amphibians are unique with changes that are either rare or nonexistent elsewhere in the animal kingdom. Compared with other vertebrates, amphibians tend to be overlooked.

Honey Bees Lapbook

Your kids will love this honey bees unit study and lapbook.

Whether you want to learn about how honey bees are fascinating master pollinators, learn about the interesting social activities in the hive, learn about beeswax, or know what is honey, these honey bee activities and resources will be helpful

Free Arctic Ground Squirrel Lapbook

Nature study in the winter can be fun and it doesn’t have to be complicated. We decided to add to our Arctic and Inuit Unit Study by doing an Arctic ground squirrel lapbook.

Oceans Lapbook

The oceans cover more than two-thirds of the earth’s surface. Though the waters on the earth are really one world ocean, they are referred to by many names: Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic, and Southern.

Colorful Winter Bird: Northern Cardinal Lapbook

It’s such a beautiful and bright bird during winter and because it doesn’t migrate, it’s a great bird to study really at anytime.

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4 Fun and Engaging Bat Activities for Kindergarten

October 10, 2022 | Leave a Comment
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Today, I have some engaging bat activities for kindergarten. Find some other fun kindergarten crafts on my kindergarten homeschool curriculum page.

October is the perfect time of year to swoop into a mini unit on bats. These adorable and often misunderstood creatures are a great way to introduce concepts like echolocation and nocturnal.

I have a few do it yourself ideas and a fun sensory bin bat activities for kindergarten. This sensory bin is so easy and inexpensive you can make it with just items in your pantry.

4 Fun and Engaging Bat Activities for Kindergarten

The benefits of sensory bins are many for preschoolers and kindergarten aged children.

They can explore and build their imaginations.

Also, they are good for self regulation, promote fine motor skills, and simple life skills.

That is all before adding in some extra educational activities.

Bat Unit Study Resources

First, include a few of these books to begin your study.

Nature Anatomy is a great living science book that has so many applications.

There is a beautiful two page spread on bats that is perfect to go along with the sensory bin.

You can also go with Bats by Gail Gibbons if you want something to reference during your play and learning in the sensory bin.

I also found this fantastic bat skeleton at Dollar Tree.

I wasn’t sure at first because of the scary teeth but realized that it offered a great learning opportunity to talk to your child about the myths surrounding bats.

And the fact that while yes there are vampire bats, the majority of bats are peaceful bug and fruit eating creatures.

4 Fun and Engaging Bat Activities for Kindergarten

If you look at the plastic skeleton you will see that anatomically it is pretty close to a real bat skeleton.

You can use it as a tool to label the different parts of a bat and talk about how they use their ears for echolocation.

Share a fact about what is echolocation. Bats emit high frequency sound through their mouth or nose and listen for the echo.

From the echo, the bat can determine the size, shape and texture of objects in its environment.

Too, add in my free Bat Unit Study.

4 Fun and Engaging Bat Activities for Kindergarten
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Learning About Bat Activities

Too, once you create your sensory bin for kindergarten, add some other ideas for learning.

  • Add letter tiles to work on beginning sounds or even spelling out simple words like bat, night, wing, or fly.
  • Hide the letter tiles in the rice and have your little bat swoop in and grab one then tell you the name of and sound that the letter makes.
4 Fun and Engaging Bat Activities for Kindergarten
  • Roll a die and have your child count out the appropriate number of bats to match the number.
4 Fun and Engaging Bat Activities for Kindergarten

Let your child play and develop their imagination in the sensory bin while you read aloud from Stellaluna.

Busy hands mean the brain is free to take in and hold onto information.

  • Add spoons and cups for scooping, measuring, pouring, and investigating the sensory bin.
  • Talk about the fact that bats hang upside down rather than resting on top of the branch the way birds do. Demonstrate with the pasta bats and sticks in the sensory bin. Introduce the concept of nocturnal animals if your child is not already familiar with it.
  • Bats are most active from dusk to dawn. Make your bin a deep purple that makes it look like dusk, just after the sun sets but before it is completely dark, the time that many bats begin to feed. This is a great way to open up the topic for conversation. They are sure to remember these things taught during play.

And add pincers or tongs for picking up the bats to build fine motor skills.

How to Make a Bat Sensory Bin

Now, look how to make an easy bat sensory bin from things you already have in your home.

Here is a list.

  • Food coloring or liquid watercolors
  • Uncooked white rice
  • farfalle(bowtie) pasta
  • White beans
  • Sticks from the yard.
  • And a container or bin
4 Fun and Engaging Bat Activities for Kindergarten

First, I had liquid watercolor on hand so I used that to color my rice and pasta but you could also use food coloring or watered down craft paint as well.

Place your rice in a large bowl or ziploc bag and add coloring. Shake and knead the bag or stir until it is completely covered.

4 Fun and Engaging Bat Activities for Kindergarten

Next take a small handful of bowtie pasta and toss in a bag with black and/or brown coloring until coated well.

If you do brown, black, and even gray it gives you the opportunity to talk about the different colors of bats. 

4 Fun and Engaging Bat Activities for Kindergarten

You could also just use black beans if you have them on hand for your night sky.

Spread rice and pasta out on a baking sheet in the sun to dry. The liquid watercolors dried up in less than 20 minutes.

4 Fun and Engaging Bat Activities for Kindergarten

Once your materials are dry, add the rice to a large baking dish or other shallow container to create a dusk colored sky.

4 Fun and Engaging Bat Activities for Kindergarten

Next, add some sticks gathered from the yard to give your bats somewhere to fly around and hang from.

4 Fun and Engaging Bat Activities for Kindergarten

Sprinkle a few great northern beans (or beads or pom poms) for stars.

4 Fun and Engaging Bat Activities for Kindergarten

Finally, add your bats.

4 Fun and Engaging Bat Activities for Kindergarten

Finally, add these other science fun activities.

Other Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum Activities

  • Native American Crafts for Kindergarten How to Make a Kids Pinch Pot
  • 15 Fun Resources For History for Kindergarten Homeschool.
  • 19 Fun Hands-on Rainforest Activities for Kindergarten
4 Fun and Engaging Bat Activities for Kindergarten

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Teach Kindergarten Tagged With: bats, hands-on, hands-on activities, handsonhomeschooling, homeschoolscience, kindergarten, life science, science

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