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Easy Hands-On Science: Label the Atom Playdough Activity

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

Today, I have an atom playdough activity.

This year, we’ve been learning some introductory physics with our fourth-grader. And you can’t talk about physics without mentioning the atom.

Atoms are all around us.

They’re even inside us!

Easy Hands-On Science: Label the Atom Playdough Activity

When my son learned that everything in the universe is made up of atoms, he was amazed.

But that led to more questions, such as “What are atoms made of?”

Which is how we ended up learning more about the parts of the atom through this fun label the atom playdough activity!

Pick up the free printable diagram and see how to complete this hands-on science lesson with your kids too!

Hands-On Science: Label the Atom Playdough Activity

To complete this label the atom playdough activity, you’ll need the following:

  • Printer
  • Laminator
  • Assorted playdough (at least three colors)
  • Printable Atom Diagram Playdough Mat (Download this image and then print it as is to make it a full-size printable.)
  • Mini sticky notes
Atom Playdough Mat

The playdough mat shows a basic diagram of an atom, complete with three electrons moving around the nucleus.

Inside the nucleus are two protons (designated with the positive sign) and two neutrons.

Of course, this is a very simplified diagram.

Scientists now know that electrons travel around the nucleus so quickly that they actually tiny electron “clouds”!

Making a Playdough Atom Diagram

After printing and laminating the atom diagram, you can start having the kids add small balls of playdough to fill in the picture.

We started by adding three electrons with green playdough.

Learning about Parts of an Atom

Then we added two red neutrons inside the nucleus.

MORE FOURTH GRADE HOMESCHOOL CURRICULUM ACTIVITIES

Making an Atom Diagram Out of Playdough

And, finally, two protons made out of blue playdough.

Labeling Parts of an Atom

Now it’s time to label each part of the atom!

We added mini sticky notes to each item on the mat and then labeled them all.

Playdough Atom Labeling Activity

Electrons were first, then the nucleus.

Then we labeled the protons.

Labeling a Playdough Atom

And the neutrons.

Learning About Atoms with Playdough

And we’re done!

This was a quick activity that really helped the kids visualize what’s inside an atom.

It’s truly incredible to know that the movement of the atom is what makes up matter inside and around us.

It’s also neat to discover that atoms are in constant motion, even inside solid objects!

Items that appear to be stable are only stable because the atoms that make them up move super duper slowly.

Easy hands-on science: Label the Atom Playdough Activity

But they’re still moving. The chairs at your dining room table? Yep, the atoms inside are in motion.

The foundation of your house? Its atoms are moving too!

This year, we've been learning some introductory physics with our fourth-grader. And you can't talk about physics without mentioning the atom.Atoms are all around us. They're even inside us! When my son learned that everything in the universe is made up of atoms, he was amazed. But that led to more questions, such as "What are atoms made of?" Click here to make this fun and easy hands-on activity!

If you want to try this activity without playdough, you can print it out and have the kids color it in with markers and then label each item on their own.

Or you can challenge them to draw a similar design themselves!

Ready to share more hands-on science lessons with your kids? Try these fun activities!

How to Shake Up STEAM With Geography For Middle School

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

Science intimidates me, but I’ve always managed to teach it through one of my other strengths. I had a chance to shake up STEAM with geography. I used a country crate about Poland and used it to teach STEAM with geography, history and hands-on activities as a unit study. I love pick up and go resources that have everything in a crate that makes teaching STEAM and geography easy. Click here to read about it and grab it!

I stalked the mailbox waiting for this country crate. For review purposes, I was given this product for free and I was paid for my time. However, paid for my time does not mean paid off. All opinions are my own and I will always tell you what is on my mind. Not every product gets a positive review. But because I carefully sort through numerous offers for reviews, it usually means that I’m giddy about the product when I do accept it. Read my full disclosure here.

Science intimidates me, but I’ve always managed to teach it through one of my other strengths. So when I had a chance to shake up STEAM with geography by receiving a country crate about Poland from STEAMworld, I jumped at the chance. I can’t wait to tell you about the country crate, tell you what you get in one, and how I used it.

First, though, I don’t want you to miss both the sweet discount and giveaway at the bottom. Don’t forget to enter the giveaway and use the discount code.

After reading recently that STEAM jobs are on the increase, I’ve been looking for easy ways to incorporate science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics in my unit studies, but that takes a lot of time.

Too, nothing takes the steam (corny pun – I couldn’t resist) more out of a hands-on project then missing items to do them with.

Knowing that the crate comes with everything that we need in it to learn about Poland is a huge time savings tip.

Right now 3 countries are available: Poland, Japan, and Morocco with more coming!

(Confession – the paper and template for the rooster are missing in the picture because Tiny couldn’t wait to get started.)

Look at what you get in each crate:

  • materials for a math project,
  • materials for a science project,
  • materials for an art project,
  • materials for an engineering project,
  • one student activity book, which includes instructions for all STEAM projects, and
  • one country scrapbook style guide, which includes back ground information, fast facts and landmarks about a country.

What you do not get in a crate are items you normally would have in your homeschool room like rulers, pens, pencils, scissors and glue.

One of the things I like most about the crate and ideas for each subject is that they were uncomplicated and not lengthy.

It has just the right amount of laid out activities without telling you what to do each day.

If you’re new to unit studies, you may want a unit study that is more comprehensive, but that can also be overwhelming.

Right now in this season of my homeschooling, I want the freedom and wiggle room to learn at our pace without day to day lesson plans.

For example, for the first week and half or so we worked on the art project.

Look at my post Polish Paper-Cutting (Wycinanki): Day 10 Hands-on Learning.

The student activity book, or guide, has one or two pages of explanation with a hands-on project.

After reading the art activity, we took our time working on the art project. After learning about the beautiful art of polish paper cutting, we researched art patterns as well as read about the history of Poland.

In addition to the 8-page student activity book, the 4-page scrapbook style country guide has background information and quick facts about Poland.

Then, we took another couple of weeks watching a few YouTube videos and reading books from the library.

Both guides are springboards if you want to research and read longer about a topic like we did.

What I also like is that each project your child can work on independently. While I love teaching my kids at the middle school and high school level, I know it’s important to choose resources that support a child’s natural desire to learn independently.

Having each day’s lesson plans laid out is not exactly the way to do that.

Instead, giving your child guidance, some background information, and bringing the information together under a geography topic gives a middle school or high school student a beginning point.

Having an idea for each subject in a geography unit study also keeps your geography study balanced. Following a unit study approach means that you normally want some starting point for subjects about a topic and it means to introduce it in a balanced way.

I know I’ve been guilty of being unbalanced while covering unit study. While there is nothing wrong with digging deep on a topic you and your kids are excited about, a few subjects could be overlooked.

Using STEAMworld, gave us not only ideas to cover more in-depth, but hands-on projects for each subject.

I’ve confessed that when the boys were little that I took a hands-off approach to teaching because it either intimidated me or sounded like a lot of work for maybe a little return.

After homeschooling longer, you learn that kids retain information better when they are engaged and through hands-on projects. However, the next mistake in learning how to teach unit studies is that you can complicate hands-on projects. It’s almost enough to make you quit unit studies.

That is another reason I’m tickled to use the the country crates. Simple, but meaningful projects while learning about Poland keeps unit studies from being either boring or overly complicated.

However, the best reason I love STEAMworld is the focus on STEAM.

When it comes to geography and history it’s our first love; I can easily add in more content. But my boys have always loved science and want more ideas when we are doing unit studies.

STEAMworld may be a good fit for your family:

►If you love STEAM and want to include a framework for geography and history with it.
►If you love STEAM and want to fold it into your unit studies.
►If you want all the important supplies for hands-on projects at your finger tips and not have to worry about gathering all of them.
►If you love in-depth geography and history and prefer to add it yourself while having ideas for STEAM.
►If you prefer to have a beginning point and an easy hands-on idea for each subject in STEAM.
►If you want to encourage your kids to work more independently in unit studies, the guides are not bulky, but helpful and simple.
►If you prefer to do your own in-depth planning and don’t need to be told what to do day to day.
►If you don’t want to come up with a hands-on idea for Science,Technology, Engineering, Art or Math. An idea is provided for each subject tied to the country you’re studying.
►If you have multiple ages of children and want them to work together on a topic, but not necessarily on the same lesson. There is enough wiggle room in the guides to allow each child to work on a sub-topic that may interest each one.

I think you’ll love these country crates and I can’t wait to see the other country crates that are released.

What I love too is when a company is generous and hosts a sweet giveaway in addition to giving you a discount.

Be sure to enter the giveaway because there will be two winners and you have several chances to win. You never know; you may win. Don’t forget to use the coupon, as well as to share with your friends.

Hope you win!

How to purchase it.

►Product Name: STEAMworld Country Crates. Includes everything needed to do the activities. Materials included for science, math, art and engineering. Basic homeschool supplies like scissors, glue, tape and pencils are not included in the country crate. There is a duo option for extra material to include siblings.
►Website: STEAMworld Learning.
►Suitable for grades: 4th to 8th, but so it’s  so flexible to include all of your children.
►Format: A physical product that will be shipped to you.
►Cost: $39.95. Remember to use the code: steam2017 for a discount.

You may also love reading 5 BEST Books to Create an Around the World Unit Study (and Hands-on Activities), Geoscavenge – A Rock and Mineral Hunt: Day 6 Hands-on Learning and 11 AWESOME Ways to Learn Geography (Other Than Labeling a Map).

Hugs and love ya,

Signature T

Don’t forget to follow BOTH of my Pinterest accounts for AWESOME pins.

Visit Tina Robertson’s profile on Pinterest.


Visit Tinas Dynamic Homeschool ‘s profile on Pinterest.

Make Zopf (Swiss Style Bread): Day 3 Hands-on Learning

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

Make Zoph. Swiss style bread. Day 3 of Hands-on Learning Activities @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool PlusFor another switch in our routine, we read Cuckoo Clock Secrets in Switzerland (Case of Adventure Travel Series Book 1) and have been working our way through a fun and interactive Unit Study called Destination Switzerland by CASE OF ADVENTURE. Today, we made  Zopf (Swiss Style Bread) and you talk about delicious!

We basically followed the recipe suggested by Case Adventure, which is Zopf Bread. It required just a few ingredients and a slow morning while we did school.

Though the recipe suggested white flour, I had more whole wheat. And even though we didn’t get the combination right of white to wheat so that it didn’t become too crumbly without the gluten, it still was so delicious and a fun project.

After Tiny mixed it, we let double in size for about an hour. I think it was longer because he was doing math and we forgot about it. So I think it was closer to two hours.

Then he decided to go ahead and try the four braids instead of two and talk about challenging.

I’m not much help to Tiny because the poor kid has a spatially challenged mom (you know I have to turn the map sideways or the direction I’m facing to get it right), but he found a site that showed him how to braid 4 pieces.

Actually the Step 2 on the Instructables website was what he used because it was more helpful. So much fun for him as he loved the challenge.

The important part was to try to make the pieces even, but so not perfect is perfectly acceptable.

As you can see, he was pretty proud of himself and he should be because it was so delicious and the smell in the kitchen just permeated.

Again, it was crumbly because of the lack of white flour, but it didn’t affect the taste any.

Besides having a hot piece of buttered bread while reading the novel Cuckoo Clock Secrets in Switzerland (Case of Adventure Travel Series Book 1) and putting together our new lapbook and unit study about Switzerland was more fun this way.

I have a review and pictures about it coming up soon on our newest Switzerland unit study. But you can grab it now if you’re wanting to follow along.

Destination Switzerland CASE OF ADVENTUREAlso, grab these other hands-on ideas from Day 1: Make a Hair Hygrometer, Day 2: Desert Sand Art: Hands-on Learning (Colors of the Desert) and 365 Days Hands-On Homeschool Activities – One for EVERY Day of the Year for more ideas and look at my category for hands-on ideas for your unit studies

Hugs and love ya,

Signature T

Don’t forget to follow BOTH of my Pinterest accounts for AWESOME pins.

Visit Tina Robertson’s profile on Pinterest.


Visit Tinas Dynamic Homeschool ‘s profile on Pinterest.

Make a Hygrometer: Day 1 Hands-on Learning (Humidity in the Desert)

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Make a Hygrometer. Day 1 of Hands-on Learning Activities. Learn how humidity in the desert is measured @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool PlusTaking a break from the books because we need a variation in our routine with everything going on right now, we are doing several days of hands-on learning with some upcoming unit studies. Today, we are learning about how humidity is measured in a desert, so we made an easy diy hair hygrometer.

Look at this list of supplies that you probably have on hand too at your house.

►Cardboard about a foot long and 9 inches wide
►A piece of thin cardboard. Ours was a bit too thick, you really want it thin here to make the pointer.
►A pair of scissors
►A strand of hair that’s one foot long
►A hot glue gun
►push pin
►dime
►pen for marking
►small cloth tape measure or regular tape measure

Make an Easy DIY Hair Hygrometer

Hygro comes from a Greek word that means moisture or wet and a hygrometer is a way to measure the humidity in the air.

An easy diy hair hygrometer is a great way to see a visual and learn how the humidity is measured in a desert because everybody understands a bad hair day. And hair behaves differently when the humidity is high or low.

This is the objective of this activity; when it’s humid, hair increases in length and when the air is dry, hair will shorten.

Look at this site where we got this idea from. It says:

Hair is made from keratin, a protein that is wound into a coil. The turns of the coil are held together by a type of chemical bond called a hydrogen bond. Hydrogen bonds break in the presence of water, allowing the coil to stretch and the hair to lengthen. The bonds re-form when the hair dries, which allows people to style their hair simply by wetting it, shaping it, then drying it.

Here is what we did.

1. Take the bigger piece of cardboard (called base) and cut two slits in the top about one inch from the left and separate the two slits about 1/4 inch.

2. Take the thin piece of cardboard and make a triangle pointer about 6 inches long. Then measure about half way down the base and over from the left about one inch. Attach the pointer there with a pushpin.

3. Take the hair strand, (I put some hot glue on one end at the top to keep it from coming out of the slit, slippery little sucker) and string it through both the top and bottom slits. Glue a dab of hot glue in place on top to hold the strand and a dab at the bottom to hold it.

And if all this sound like blah, blah, blah. Look at this picture.

How to make an easy diy hygrometer to learn about moisture

Attach the pointer to the base with a pushpin 1/2 inch from the left edge in the center. Take your time so your hair doesn’t break. Too, this works with healthy hair. If it is brittle, you won’t be able to pull it carefully taunt.
4. Hot glue the hair in place in both sets of slits, then hot glue a dime 1 -1/2 inches from the left edge of the pointer base.

Next, Tiny took it to the shower.

While he was showering, as you can see in the picture above, the hair lengthened because of the humidity and the pointer went down. That was humid or 100% humidity if you want to calibrate and use it to make other measurements for the day.

Your kid can take this outside during different parts of the day to see what it does and measure the pointer by marking it on the base for different times of the day. Record the time to see how humidity changes during the day.

Just remember, use a THIN piece of cardboard for the pointer because Tiny had to take an extra long shower because our pointer was heavy. He didn’t mind doing that this morning though.

Anyway, if your child takes it out during different parts of the day, he can calibrate where it points and learn how much moisture is in the air.

To hurry the process on along though, we got a blow dryer after it and the hair coiled and the pointer came back up to dry. This helps to understand humidity in the morning versus humidity in the afternoon.

Humidity is one way to describe how much water vapor is in the air and the hair hygrometer was such an accurate way to measure water vapor that it was used for many years.

Relating this to the Sonoran Desert, we learned that during the hottest, driest parts of the year in the Sonoran Desert the humidity may be around 15%. In other non-desert locations the humidity may be 80% or more.

Though we know deserts are very dry places, this really helped us to see why they are.

Also, look at my blog post, 365 Days Hands-On Homeschool Activities – One for EVERY Day of the Year for more ideas and look at my category for hands-on ideas for your unit studies.


Hugs and love ya,

Signature T

Don’t forget to follow BOTH of my Pinterest accounts for AWESOME pins.

Visit Tina Robertson’s profile on Pinterest.


Visit Tinas Dynamic Homeschool ‘s profile on Pinterest.

3 Less-Known and Irresistible Homeschool Hands-on Science Books

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If you’re looking for some homeschool fun science books for a change of a pace or if you’re like us and have moved away from boring science text books, check out some of these resources for homeschooling multiple ages.

3 Less-Known and Irresistible Homeschool Hands-on Science Books for teaching multiple ages @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Easy Hands-on Homeschool Science for Multiple Ages

Too, I think you can include your older kids with a lot of these activities.

One/ Check out Draw Plus Science.

If you have a kid that would prefer to draw or do art than science, then you’ll love Draw Plus Science.

Wishing that my boys were still little, this would make a great addition to any science or unit study. What I love about the book is that it’s more than a drawing curriculum, it has plenty of scientific background.

Especially if you have a science hater, this would win him over because it covers science in broad strokes. Do some art, do some science and have fun at the same time.

Now, it does mention Darwin but it only talks about the beaks being different on finches. But it mentions other scientists too.

If you want to cover art and homeschool science, this book is a tiny treasure.

Two/ Check out Science Experiments – Biology, General Science and Nature, Volume 1: Activities Made at Home (Science Experiments in a Bag)

This book is more my style of science, little to no mess.

All 20- 25 activities are done in a bag and require common items found at home.

Activities like how do seeds grow and why is the sky is blue to where to mountains come from makes for engaging science exploration.

Too, it says the experiments are for ages 3 to 10 so the best part of all of these resources are that they can be done with multiple ages of children.

Three/ Check out Candy Experiments 2.

One advantage we have over public school when we do science is that we can do science activities that include food or better yet candy.

Though the book is all about using candy for science and making it disappear, I’m sure it wouldn’t hurt if your kids had a bite or two as they learned.

This book is for ages 7 to 10 though older kids will love it too.

Get out of a science rut and try something fun and engaging. Besides science is always suppose to be hands-on and I love sharing newer gems with you when I find them.

Also, grab the free

Hugs and love ya,

Signature T

Don’t forget to follow BOTH of my Pinterest accounts for AWESOME pins.

Visit Tina Robertson’s profile on Pinterest.


Visit Tinas Dynamic Homeschool ‘s profile on Pinterest.