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homeschoolscience

16 Beautiful Picture Science Books for Kindergarteners

June 16, 2024 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Let’s fill up those bookshelves with quality beautiful picture science books for kindergarteners. Also, grab my other tips, ideas, and crafts for kindergarten on my page Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum.

You want to choose books that will last and be treasured for years to come as reference books, read aloud, and even inspiration for art.

These books should be a combination of nonfiction and fiction, biographies, nature study, and living books.

16 Beautiful Picture Science Books for Kindergarteners

And I also like to make sure some have real life images as well as beautiful illustrations.

But for the most part you want to selectively choose books that follow a few guidelines to make sure that you are getting 3 things.

They are the most bang for your buck-quality and content, books that will last for more than one quick lesson, and most important books that will engage and teach your kids in a fun way.

Gail Gibbons is always a go to, as are Julia Rothmans Anatomy series, The Big Book of series, as well as the Over and Under books. 

They create a lovely library of reference and read aloud books which will give your child more science knowledge than daily worksheets will.

I have 5 tips to help you choose your books and then an expansive list of 16 of my favorite picture science books for Kindergarteners.

5 Tips for Choosing Picture Science Books For Kindergarteners

  1. Choose beautifully illustrated oversized picture books that have small bits of information. Most children of this age only will be able to sit for small amounts of time and this is a great way to present the information by reading a bit while you look at the images. Eye catching illustrations will invite questions, investigation, and interest.
  2. Try to choose books that will have use far beyond the kindergarten years,books like the Nature Anatomy series and The Big Book of series have value that will last in my opinion at least through middle school for some reference and definitely as art inspiration when painting, putting together dioramas and more.
  3. Gather a variety to cover all the sciences in the early years. There are typically 3 types of science covered in kindergarten- physical, earth/space, and life science. Choose interesting books for each topic and theme. Concentrate more heavily on your child’s favorites like dinosaurs or bees.
  4. Select a mix of nonfiction, wordless picture books, read aloud, as well as books your child can read independently. Give them variety and make them accessible to your child, teaching them to care for their books.
  5. There are plenty of books out there now about the people of science-Ada Twist Scientist, Temple Grandin, and Eugenie Clark to name a few, don’t forget to choose some of these as well to inspire your child and highlight the contributions they made.
16 Beautiful Picture Science Books for Kindergarteners

Next, look at some kindergarten science activities to pair with the books.

Kindergarten Science Activities

  • Quick Unit Study & Easy Salt water Density Ocean Science Experiments For Kindergarten
  • Homeschool Kindergarten Life Science – Hands-on Fun Nature Tree Study
  • Rainforest Science Activities For Kindergarten Amazing and Fun Living Terrarium
  • 18 Kindergarten Science Homeschool Curriculum For Active Kids
  • Rock Activities For Kindergarten And Fun Edible Rock Cycle
  • 40 Awesome Earth Science Movies for Kindergarten
  • Growing a Seed Activity For Kindergarten Science Kids Activity
  • Homeschool Science Ideas for K – 2

16 Beautiful Picture Science Books for Kindergarteners

 I have done my best to give you a variety of topics, styles, and prices to help you create a wonderful science library made up of beautiful picture science books. Let’s dig in!

The Big Book of Bugs (The Big Book Series)

The Big Book of  Bugs as well as any others in the series- Big Book of Blooms, Nature Art, Blue, Beasts, and Birds

A beautifully illustrated, informative book for children introducing them to bugs that creep, crawl, bite, fly, and more.

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

See the world in a whole new way! Acclaimed illustrator Julia Rothman combines art and science in this exciting and educational guide to the structure, function, and personality of the natural world. Explore the anatomy of a jellyfish, the inside of a volcano, monarch butterfly migration, how sunsets work, and much more. Rothman’s whimsical illustrations are paired with interactive activities that encourage curiosity and inspire you to look more closely at the world all around you.

Botanicum

Part of: Welcome To The Museum (9 books) The 2016 offering from Big Picture Press's Welcome to the Museum series, Botanicum is a stunningly 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.

Bees: A Honeyed History

One part science, one part cultural history, and countless parts fascination, Bees: A Honeyed History is a picture book that celebrates the important role that these intriguing insects have played in our ecosystem throughout the ages, and today.“Goes beyond the scientific (anatomy, pollination, communication, etc.) to include the bee’s place in history and culture . . . Socha has created what is quite possibly the sweetest resource on honey bees around

Over and Under the Waves

Over the waves, the sea lions bark and seagulls wheel and call. The bay is smooth and bright in the sun. But under the waves, there's a whole hidden forest, full of whales and wolf eels, sardines and sea bass, leopard sharks and luminous jellies, as well as the waving kelp that shelters them all. Discover the magical depths of the kelp forest, and all the fascinating creatures living just a paddle's length away—over and under the waves.

Worm Weather (Penguin Core Concepts)

Join in the rainy-day fun, as kids splash through the puddles, affecting another weather enthusiast, a nearby worm. An imaginative and playful story, readers will love seeing the worm delight in the weather just as much as the kids.

Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt: (Nature Book for Kids, Gardening and Vegetable Planting, Outdoor Nature Book)

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.

Curiositree: Natural World: A Visual Compendium of Wonders from Nature - Jacket unfolds into a huge wall poster!

Discover the interconnectedness of the natural world and learn why living things look and behave the way they do in a series of visually compelling information charts, maps, and cutaways, all illustrated in a nostalgic, vintage style. Packed with incredible facts about the natural world and the animals that populate it, the whole family will enjoy the full-page spreads grouped into the categories of habitats, species, and adaptations.

A Seed Is Sleepy: (Nature Books for Kids, Environmental Science for Kids)

Part of the incredible six-book Nature Books series from artist Sylvia Long and author Dianna Hutts Aston, A Seed is Sleepy introduces children to a fascinating array of seed and plant facts. Turn each page to explore the amazing world of these garden wonders through watercolor illustrations that bring to life nature landscapes filled with seeds, flowers, plants, leaves, and trees. A NATURE BOOK TO TREASURE: From tiny redwood seeds to giant coconut seeds, from bright red-orange mountain laurel seeds to pods of fluffy milkweed, curious kids will find a wealth of information and inspiration in this fascinating picture book.

Joan Procter, Dragon Doctor: The Woman Who Loved Reptiles

While other girls played with dolls, Joan preferred the company of reptiles. She carried her favorite lizard with her everywhere--she even brought a crocodile to school!When Joan grew older, she became the Curator of Reptiles at the British Museum. She went on to design the Reptile House at the London Zoo, including a home for the rumored-to-be-vicious komodo dragons. There, just like when she was a little girl, Joan hosted children's tea parties--with her komodo dragon as the guest of honor.

Shark Lady: The True Story of How Eugenie Clark Became the Ocean's Most Fearless Scientist

Eugenie Clark fell in love with sharks from the first moment she saw them at the aquarium. She couldn't imagine anything more exciting than studying these graceful creatures. But Eugenie quickly discovered that many people believed sharks to be ugly and scary―and they didn't think women should be scientists.

The Story of Snow: The Science of Winter's Wonder

How do snow crystals form? What shapes can they take? Are no two snow crystals alike? These questions and more are answered inside this exploration of the science of snow, featuring photos of real snow crystals in all their beautiful diversity. Perfect for reading on winter days, this book by a nature photographer and a snow scientist will inspire wonder and curiosity about the marvels of snow. Snowflake-catching instructions are also included for aspiring young snow scientists!

Gravity Is a Mystery

What goes up must come down. Everybody knows that. But what is it that pulls everything from rocks to rockets toward the center of the earth? It’s gravity.

Nobody can say exactly what it is, but gravity is there, pulling on everything, all the time. With the help of an adventurous scientist and his fun-loving dog, you can read and find out about this mysterious force.

The Street Beneath My Feet

This double-sided foldout book takes you on a fascinating journey deep underground. One side of the foldout shows the ground beneath the city, whilst the reverse side shows the ground beneath the countryside. The underground scenes include tunnels and pipes, creatures' burrows, layers of rock and the planet’s molten core, and run seamlessly into the next. Mixing urban and rural settings, covering subjects such as geology, archaeology and natural history, The Street Beneath My Feet offers children the opportunity to explore their world through a detailed learning experience. This expansive concertina book opens out to an impressive 2.5 metres long, perfect for spreading out on the floor to pore over for hours.

Moon! Earth's Best Friend (Our Universe, 3)

Meet Moon! She's more than just a rock―she’s Earth’s rock, her best friend she can always count on. Moon never turns her back on her friend (literally: she's always facing Earth with the same side!). These two will stick together forever. With characteristic humor and charm, Stacy McAnulty channels the voice of Moon in this next celestial "autobiography" in the Our Universe series. Rich with kid-friendly facts and beautifully brought to life by Stevie Lewis, this is an equally charming and irresistible companion to Earth! My First 4.54 Billion Years and Sun! One in a Billion.

The Mysteries of the Universe: Discover the best-kept secrets of space

Space is so much bigger than young minds can fathom and there is always more to learn. The Mysteries of the Universe is a stunning space encyclopedia for young readers to explore, with
reference pages packed with fascinating information, little learners will be captivated as they journey through the vastness of the Universe. From planets and asteroids to black holes and galaxies, every page of this enthralling space book reveals the secrets behind more than 100 celestial objects, and will inspire  youngsters as they journey through the vastness of the Universe. Each celestial body is shown both photographically and illustrated, and children will love poring over the detailed close-up images.

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Teach Kindergarten Tagged With: books, earth science, elementary science, homeschoolscience, kindergarten, life science, literature, livingbooks, science

Edible Rock Cycle Fudge | Hands-on Rock Activities & Free Notebooking Pages

June 3, 2024 | 4 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

We really love to do rock activities that are easy. Also, look at my Free Earth Science Lapbook & Unit Study Ideas.

There are so many different hands-on activities to do when learning about rocks.

We did a Metamorphic Edible Rocks & Notebooking Pages activity a while back and today we decided to whip out an edible rock cycle fudge. (yum)

Edible Rock Cycle Fudge | Hands-on Rock Activities & Free Notebooking Pages

Your kids will love seeing the different processes of the rock cycle while making rock cycle fudge. This is great for your middle school kids to do.

Your kids will love seeing the different processes of the rock cycle while making rock cycle fudge. This is great for your middle school kids to do.

Make Edible Rock Cycle Fudge

Let the younger ones measure and stir the ingredients when they are not hot.

Edible Rock Cycle Fudge | Hands-on Rock Activities & Free Notebooking Pages

Otherwise, turn this activity over to your kids. Yes, easy activities are my style.

Let’s go. Here is what you need.

  • Microwave | two bowls (one needs to be microwave safe)
  • spatula
  • wax paper
  • thin cookie sheet
  • liquid and dry measuring cups
  • 1/2 cup silt (sweetened condensed milk)
  • 1/2 cup quartz crystals (sugar)
  • 1 T. sediment (softened butter)
  • 1 cup limestone pieces (marshmallows)
  • 1/4 cup or more sandstone pieces (we used walnuts because we love them, but pecans are fine too)
  • | 3/4 cup basalt pieces (chocolate chips)
  • 1/2 t. vanilla extract

Add the milk, sugar and softened butter in microwave safe mixing bowl and stir to mix. Set aside.

Edible Rock Cycle Fudge

In the second bowl combine the one cup of marshmallows, 1/4 cup of walnuts or pecan pieces, 3/4 cup of chocolate chips, and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract.

Edible Rock Cycle Fudge | Hands-on Rock Activities & Free Notebooking Pages

Place the mixing bowl with the milk, sugar, and butter in the microwave.

Microwave it three times for 45 seconds each.

After each time, take it out, stir, and microwave again.

Edible Rock Cycle Fudge | Hands-on Rock Activities & Free Notebooking Pages

After the third time, pour the marshmallows, walnuts and chocolate chips into the bowl.

Everything should start melting.

(By the way since the mixing bowl has been microwaved 3 times, it’s hot. So your kids may want to use an oven mitten.)

If it’s not hot enough and melting, stick it in the microwave again and give it a few more seconds.

Edible Rock Cycle Fudge | Hands-on Rock Activities & Free Notebooking Pages

Pour out onto wax paper which is placed on a cookie sheet and refrigerate overnight.

Or, if you’re like us and can’t wait that long, stick it in the freezer for a while and cheat.

Here are some questions to ask about the rock cycle.

  1. What is the rock cycle? It’s how rocks are formed, it’s how rocks breakdown, and it’s how rocks form into other rocks.
  2. How is the fudge similar to the rock cycle? (Magma is chocolate, different pieces are sediment and when it cools, it’s igneous rock.)
  3. What is sediment? (Metamorphic rocks can break down and turn into sediment).
  4. What happens when we apply heat to a sedimentary rock?
  5. What is magma?

Look at some other hands-on rock activities I’ve rounded up and love.

 Rocks Unit Studies

  • Free Grand Canyon Unit Study.
  • Geology Leader Notebook 92 pages.
  • Free Homeschool Geology Unit Study And Easy DIY Eggshell Geode
  • Hands-on Science: Rocks & Minerals Unit.
  • Rocking the Cycle Unit Study 45 pages.
  • 4th Grade What are Minerals? 61 pages.

 Rock Printables, Lesson Plans and Activities

Now, look at some rock printables, lesson plans and activities.

  • Sedimentary Rocks Notebooking Pages.
  • Hands-On Rock Cycle: Crayons & Cookies.
    Metamorphic Rocks.
  • Rocks and Minerals: Scratch Test.
  • Geoscavenge – A Rock and Mineral Hunt & Printable
  • How Sedimentary Rocks are Formed.
  • 40+ Rocks and Stones Learning Activities for Kids.

Living Books About Rocks

And my favorite rock living book with hands-on activities.

6 Rock Unit Study Books & Fun Resources

Whatever grade you're teaching, you'll love adding one of these books or resources to your day.

1. A Rock Is Lively (Family Treasure Nature Encylopedias)

From dazzling blue lapis lazuli to volcanic snowflake obsidian, an incredible variety of rocks are showcased in all their splendor. Poetic in voice and elegant in design, this book introduces an array of facts, making it equally perfect for classroom sharing and family reading.

2. LED Lighted Pocket Microscope

 A pocket microscope is a great addition to a science shelf or to add to your bag for nature walks.

3. Rock Cycle Kit, 12 Pieces - Includes Metamorphic, Igneous & Sedimentary Rocks

You can grab a set like this one to start your collection, it contains rocks from each of the 3 types- Sedimentary, Metamorphic, and Igneous.

4. My Book of Rocks and Minerals: Things to Find, Collect, and Treasure

Identify colorful gemstones, sparkly crystals, the toughest rocks, and ancient fossils. Packed with fun facts, information, and extensive photos all about the rocks and minerals that make up the world around us.

Basher: Rocks & Minerals: A Gem of a Book

Simon Basher is back with another zany primer to science! Following his 3 successful titles on the basics of chemistry, physics, and biology, BASHER SCIENCE: ROCKS AND MINERALS is an in-depth look at the ground beneath our feet. Like his other titles, Basher presents these topics through charming and adorable illustrations and pairs them with basic information told from a first person perspective. He develops a community of characters based on the things that form the foundations
of our planet: rocks, gems, crystals, fossils and more. And what's more, he makes it understandable, interesting, and cute. It's not what you expect out of a science primer.

Everybody Needs a Rock (An Aladdin Book)

Everybody needs a rock -- at least that's the way this particular rock hound feels about it in presenting her own highly individualistic rules for finding just the right rock for you.

Edible Rock Cycle Fudge | Hands-on Rock Activities & Free Notebooking Pages

Media About Rocks

  • Be a Rock Detective.
  • Fun – Sing Karaoka.
  • The Rock Cycle
  • The World Under a Rock
  • Our World – The Rock Cycle.

More Ideas for Edible Rock Activities

  • Rock Stacking.
  • Rock Activities For Kindergarten And Fun Edible Rock Cycle
  • Edible Rocks, Munching Meteorites
  • Metamorphic Edible Rocks & Notebooking Pages
  • Edible Sedimentary Rocks.
  • How to Identify Rocks Using a Nature Guide
  • Rock Candy Crystals.
  • DIY Agate Candy Slices.

Free 3 Notebooking Pages

Next, use my pages below to add your child’s thoughts about rocks.

  1. 3 Types of Rock Definition Page
  2. How Are Rocks Formed, Define Weathering, & Describe the Rock Cycle
  3. The ABCs of Rocks.

How to Get the Free Notebooking Pages

Now, how to grab the freebies. They are subscriber freebies.

That means when you sign up to follow me, you get my emails in your inbox and you get this freebie.

1) Sign up on my email list.
2) Grab the freebie now.
3) Last, look for all my emails in your inbox. Glad to have you following me!

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.

Your kids will love seeing the different processes of the rock cycle while making rock cycle fudge. This is great for your middle school kids to do. And grab some free hands-on homeschool ideas for studying about the fascinating topic of rocks. Click here to make this delicious and fun activity!

4 CommentsFiled Under: 1. My FREE Learning Printables {Any Topic}, Geography, Hands-On Activities, Middle School Homeschool, My Unit Studies {Free Printables & Hands-on Ideas}, Science, Science Based Tagged With: earthscience, freeprintables, hands-on, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, homeschool, homeschoolscience, rocks, science, sciencecurriculum

How To Make A Fun Periodic Table Notes Game With Kids

May 10, 2024 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

We’re making a fun periodic table notes game with kids using a seemingly simple office supply in a great new way-sticky notes. Also, look at my post Homeschool High School Chemistry & Free Reference Sheet and Resources for more ideas.

If you are like me, you’re always trying to find fun ways to turn learning into a game.

Besides, your kids will have great memories of being piled on the couch, or around the kitchen table playing rather than hunched over textbooks.

How To Make A Fun Periodic Table Notes Game With Kids

We are going to take sticky notes and make a fun game that can be played over and over in a few different ways to help your children learn the periodic table.

Do you remember the Jeopardy game board we made from sticky notes?

I just flipped it over to the other side and boom we have a double duty game.

And if you keep it very neutral, you’ll be able to use this for Bingo as well as Jeopardy for any topic you like.

First, look at some of these living books about chemistry for kids.

Living Books About Chemistry for Kids

12 Chemistry Books & Resources for Kids of All Ages

But first here are some resources that are a great introduction and more to chemistry for kids.

Superstars of Science

Discover fun facts about the greatest scientists from history through Basher's fresh and unique illustration style.

Did you know that Marie Curie used to keep radioactive materials in her pockets? Or that Mendeleyev literally dreamed up his famous periodic table? Superstars of Science tells the stories behind the big ideas in the fields of physics, chemistry, medicine, mathematics, cosmology, earth sciences, and engineering. Read about 40 great scientists including Newton and Einstein who produced theories that explained the way in which the Universe works, Crick and Watson who uncovered the structure of DNA, and Alexander Graham Bell who had the big idea that became the telephone. Each one of these greats of science has had some vital flash of insight that has changed the way we see the world and the way we live. Come meet the superstars of science!

Basher Science: Chemistry: Getting a Big Reaction

Discover the secrets of chemistry, and learn about the properties of matter and the ways in which they interact, combine and change. Chemistry is a compelling guide to a community of characters who make up everything around us.

Crucibles: The Story of Chemistry from Ancient Alchemy to Nuclear Fission

This book is a classic in the field of popular science. Standard reading since the 1930s, it is one of the few histories of chemistry to concentrate on the lives of the great chemists. Through these dramatic and human stories, it gives an authoritative and entertaining account of the great discoveries and advances in this scientific field. After many printings in three previous editions, this book has been newly revised by the author for this fourth edition. Beginning with Trevisan and his lifelong search for the "philosopher's stone," the author narrates the lives and discoveries of such towering figures as Paracelsus and his chemical treatment of disease; Priestley looking for phlogiston and finding oxygen and carbon dioxide, Lavoisier creating a new language of chemistry; Dalton and his Atomic Theory; Avogadro and the idea of molecules, Mendeleeff arranging the table of elements under his Periodic Law; the Curies isolating radium; Thomson discovering the electron; Moseley and his Law of Atomic Numbers; Lawrence and the construction of the cyclotron; and more. Probably the most dramatic chapter in the book, the account of the development of nuclear fission, ends the story of chemistry at its most monumental achievement.

The Chemistry of Cola

You’ll be amazed at all you can learn from this favorite drink – what’s in it, why it fizzes, what you can do with it, the containers it’s in, and more!

Napoleon's Buttons: How 17 Molecules Changed History

Napoleon's Buttons is the fascinating account of seventeen groups of molecules that have greatly influenced the course of history. These molecules provided the impetus for early exploration, and made possible the voyages of discovery that ensued. The molecules resulted in grand feats of engineering and spurred advances in medicine and law; they determined what we now eat, drink, and wear. A change as small as the position of an atom can lead to enormous alterations in the properties of a substance-which, in turn, can result in great historical shifts.

52 Extreme Kids Chemistry Experiments Set - STEM Activities & Science Kits

If you want your child to be able to explore and complete some simple chemistry experiments without running around grabbing all the items an all in on kit is just the thing to add to your chemistry studies.

The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements

Why did Gandhi hate iodine (I, 53)? How did radium (Ra, 88) nearly ruin Marie Curie's reputation? And why is gallium (Ga, 31) the go-to element for laboratory pranksters? The Periodic Table is a crowning scientific achievement, but it's also a treasure trove of adventure, betrayal, and obsession. These fascinating tales follow every element on the table as they play out their parts in human history, and in the lives of the (frequently) mad scientists who discovered them. The Disappearing Spoon masterfully fuses science with the classic lore of invention, investigation, and discovery -- from the Big Bang through the end of time.

Chemistry Fluxx Card Game - Science Games Card Games for Kids

 Chemistry EditionChemistry Fluxx is the perfect compound of chance, skill and strategy-use atoms and laboratory tools to match the current goal of the game and win! The rules are always changing in Fluxx. The Keepers, Goals, Rules and Action cards determine how the game will be played.

Illustrated Guide to Home Chemistry Experiments: All Lab, No Lecture (DIY Science)

For students, DIY hobbyists, and science buffs, who can no longer get real chemistry sets, this one-of-a-kind guide explains how to set up and use a home chemistry lab, with step-by-step instructions for conducting experiments in basic chemistry -- not just to make pretty colors and stinky smells, but to learn how to do real lab work:

  • Purify alcohol by distillation
  • Produce hydrogen and oxygen gas by electrolysis
  • Smelt metallic copper from copper ore you make yourself
  • Analyze the makeup of seawater, bone, and other common substances
  • Synthesize oil of wintergreen from aspirin and rayon fiber from paper
  • Perform forensics tests for fingerprints, blood, drugs, and poisons
  • and much more

The Joy of Chemistry: The Amazing Science of Familiar Things

Written for lay readers, provides an introduction to the principles of chemistry and includes quotations from popular literature to show how chemistry and everyday life intertwine.

The Cartoon Guide to Chemistry (Cartoon Guide Series)

If you have ever suspected that "heavy water" is the title of a bootleg Pink Floyd album, believed that surface tension is an anxiety disorder, or imagined that a noble gas is the result of a heavy meal at Buckingham Palace, then you need The Cartoon Guide to Chemistry to set you on the road to chemical literacy.

You don't need to be a scientist to grasp these and many other complex ideas, because The Cartoon Guide to Chemistry explains them all: the history and basics of chemistry, atomic theory, combustion, solubility, reaction stoichiometry, the mole, entropy, and much more—all explained in simple, clear, and yes, funny illustrations. Chemistry will never be the same!

Air Is Not Oxygen: Essential Science You Should Have Learned ... But Probably Didn't!

AIR IS NOT OXYGEN is a fun way to brush up on essential science concepts you missed in school. (Admit it. You probably thought you had better things to do than study!) Clear, short chapters focus on mastering key concepts instead of memorizing facts. Dozens of optional hands-on activities make science come alive! In a style described as “Dave Barry meets Bill Nye with a touch of the Mythbusters,” award-winning author, Bill Morelan, debunks common misconceptions about basic science. Reflecting both the National Science Content Standards and the Next Generation Science Standards, AIR IS NOT OXYGEN covers Life Science, Earth Science, Physical Science, and Science Methods.A fun, informative read, AIR IS NOT OXYGEN helps fill the gaps in your science education. (Never be humiliated by science geeks again!) Perfect for sharing, or as a handy basic reference tool. Makes a great book for kids, too.

Next, look at some facts about chemistry.

Periodic Table Notes Groups and Facts

There are 118 elements on the periodic table listed by symbols rather than names. Sodium for example is NA. Elements are further arranged vertically and horizontally.

The elements arranged vertically in columns are called “groups,” and elements arranged horizontally in rows are called “periods.”

There are 18 groups and 7 periods. Finally, they are arranged in the increasing order of atomic numbers. 

We are focusing on the main 8 families of elements.

  1. Alkali metals
  2. Alkaline earth metals
  3. Rare earth metals
  4. Crystallogens.
  5. Pnictogens
  6. Chalcogens
  7. Halogens
  8. Noble gasses
How To Make A Fun Periodic Table Notes Game With Kids

Too, look at these hands-on chemistry activities.

11 More Fun Ways to Teach The Periodic Table

  1. Another really great game variation is this Periodic Table Game for Kids: Periodic Table Battleship.
  2. Use fun and colorful books especially for upper elementary through middle school to catch their attention and make learning a breeze like this Basher Science Periodic Table.
  3. Easy Hands-On Science: Label the Atom Playdough Activity
  4. Combine art and science in this incredible The Periodic Table: Fun Activities For Kids From You Are an Artist.
  5. 10 Popular High School Chemistry Homeschool Curriculum
  6. These Periodic Table Flashcards are free from Thrifty Homeschoolers and make a great tool for visual learners.
  7. Learn The Periodic Table Song | SCIENCE SONGS for kids that are auditory learners.
  8. Medieval Chemistry and Homeschool History – Fun Hands-On Activity
  9. Atomidoodle Chemistry Game App
  10. 21 Fun Chemistry Homeschool Ideas for Kids
  11. 2 Fun Chemistry for Kids Experiments & John Dalton Notebooking Pages
How To Make A Fun Periodic Table Notes Game With Kids

A variation on the periodic table notes game is below.

So, call out a material. Then have your child cover the symbol that the item is made from.

For example: table salt would be an example of sodium (Na). Gold bricks would be gold (Au).

Finding 18 different colored sticky notes for the game is going to be difficult and can get rather expensive.

So, in the interest of time and money we are going to use the older version of the periodic table of 8 to make our game.

Before you play your game let your child become familiar with the periodic table by looking it up in a fun reference book and typing out each element and the symbol on the computer (you can use this later for the game.

Periodic Table Notes Game

You will need:

  • 8 colors of sticky notes
  • Permanent Marker
  • A list of 118 elements & symbols
  • Large ruler
  • White pen or crayon
  • Marker to cover, crackers, cookies, plastic lids etc..
  • A bowl or other container
How To Make A Fun Periodic Table Notes Game With Kids

It can be a little tricky finding many distinct colors of sticky notes, ours were a combination of Walmart, Dollar Tree, and Amazon. 

You could also just use construction paper cut into 3×3 squares or you can not worry about assigning each type its own color and just use a few fun colors.

How To Make A Fun Periodic Table Notes Game With Kids

First, start by finding the center of your board and draw a line across the middle to divide the board in half for each of your two players.

Find the center of the board at either end and make a small mark using a ruler to create a 4×4 grid of 16 squares.

Make them just slightly larger than 3 in square so that your posted notes will fit inside.

How To Make A Fun Periodic Table Notes Game With Kids

Once you’ve written or printed out each of the elements and the symbol to draw from, cut them out, fold or crumple them, and place them into a bowl or other container.

How To Make A Fun Periodic Table Notes Game With Kids

Use a book or some other periodic table for reference and determine which color of sticky notes will go for which elements if you’re going to divide them up by color.

How To Make A Fun Periodic Table Notes Game With Kids

Have your child write the element symbol for each of the 118 elements on the sticky notes or just for the section of the periodic table that you’re working on.

How to Make a Bingo Periodic Table Game

Once done they can choose their 16 elements and place them on to the “Bingo” board.

Pull elements out of the bowl one by one calling out the name of the element and have your child find the symbol on their bingo board and cover it with whatever marker they’ve chosen.

 I highly recommend crackers or cookies to combine snack time with science.

When they have 4 in a row in any direction of course they call out “BINGO!”.

And the game can be started new again. Just move the sticky notes around and use new ones.

How To Make A Fun Periodic Table Notes Game With Kids

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Hands-On Activities Tagged With: chemistry, hands-on, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, homeschool, homeschoolscience, periodic table of elements, science

Simple and Fun Hands-On Water Cycle Activity For Kids

April 20, 2024 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have a fun hands-on water cycle activity for kids. Also, look at my page Free Earth Science Lapbook & Unit Study Ideas for more activities.

It can be used from preschool through upper elementary.

Teaching the water cycle should be a very simple process In the early years.

You can go a little more in depth as they grow which means you can customize this plate activity to reflect what they know at various stages.

Simple and Fun Hands-On Water Cycle Activity For Kids

Evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and collection make up the 4 stages of the water cycle.

And they are very important because it provides water to humans, animals, and plants.

Besides providing hydration it redistributes nutrients, pathogens and sediment in and out of aquatic ecosystems.

To teach it simply we are going to use a paper plate.

Next, look at some of these fun books which teach about the water cycle.

Water Cycle Books for Kids

4 Water Cycle Books for Kids Who Love to Read and Be Read To

Add some of these living books and reference books to your learning day about water and the water cycle.

A Drop of Water

A child crouches beside a meadow brook, and a drop of water collects and falls from the child’s fingertip to continue on its journey. Where does that journey begin? High in the sky, rain clouds are parting. Water trickles and flows down the mountain, collecting in an upland bog, seeping through a beaver’s dam, rushing over rocks, passing many plants and animals along its winding way—each dependent on water and the different environments it shapes to live.

A Drop of Water: A Book of Science and Wonder

The most spectacular photographs ever created on the subject of water appear in this unique science book by Walter Wick. The camera stops the action and magnifies it so that all the amazing states of water can be observed — water as ice, rainbow, steam, frost, dew. Readers can examine a drop of water as it falls from a faucet, see a drop of water as it splashes on a hard surface, count the points of an actual snowflake, and contemplate how drops of water form clouds. Evaporation, condensation, capillary, attraction, and surface tension are explained through simple text and illustrated by pictures that reveal water in its many awesome transformations.

The Snowflake : A Water Cycle Story

With a double-page spread for each month, this book describes the journey of a single drop of water throughout the year.

Drop: An Adventure through the Water Cycle

Meet Drop. She's water! And she's seen a thing or two--even dinosaurs. Everywhere Drop flows--and she flows everywhere--she makes life on Earth possible, and has a great time doing it. Have you ever plummeted from a rain cloud? Or taken a thousand-year nap in a glacier? Drop has! She'll tell you all about it

Also, I have a few other basic items to show these 4 steps and create a craft/science project combo for a hands-on water cycle activity.

I have explained the water cycle on a basic level, gathered a few more fun activities, and resources that you can use to create a mini unit to enjoy.

Simple and Fun Hands-On Water Cycle Activity For Kids

4 Stages of The Water Cycle

  • Evaporation– Water evaporates under the sun’s heat and becomes a gas that is found in earth’s atmosphere. Demonstrate evaporation with a pot of simmering water and how it seems to disappear over time, the steam is visible and helps give kids a concrete idea.
  • Condensation– Water condenses in the atmosphere when it becomes cold, forming clouds. You can demonstrate this by showing what happens on the outside of a glass of ice water over time or the condensation on a mirror after a hot shower.
  • Precipitation-When there is too much moisture in a cloud water is released from the clouds in the form of rain, sleet, hail, and snow. For younger children, set out little bowls or cups with examples of each in the form of water, ice, and “snow” (a little cornstarch mixed with oil). Allow your child to explore and examine each form of precipitation.
Simple and Fun Hands-On Water Cycle Activity For Kids
  • Collection – Water is collected and held in different areas. For example, places like oceans, rivers, lakes, ponds, and underground. Water in its solid form, ice, is held in glaciers and snow.

Then the entire process starts all over again.

Watch The Water Cycle For Kids on YouTube for a wonderful short explanation of the process from start to finish.

4 More Engaging Hands-On Water Cycle Activities 

Here are a few more ways besides our craft/science activity below to teach the water cycle.

  • Watch the precipitation stage of  the water cycle with a hands on Water Cycle Unit Study: Rain Cloud Experiment.
  • Learning About the Exciting Water Cycle with Salt demonstrates evaporation with colored salt to give your child physical proof of the process.
  • I love the creative take on The Water Cycle+Ice Paints here.
  • The simple experiment of The Water Cycle In a Bag is a great way to demonstrate the process up close.
Simple and Fun Hands-On Water Cycle Activity For Kids

Paper Plate Water Cycle

For preschoolers we will keep this hands-on water cycle activity very simple with minimal labels but you can challenge older children to put in a bit more detail or even use a wider variety of materials to put it together.

You will need:

  • Paper plate
  • Blue paint
  • paintbrush
  • Blue craft foam/paper
  • Yellow craft foam/paper
  • Markers/paint pens
  • Cotton ball/cotton stuffing
  • Glue stick
  • Scissors
Simple and Fun Hands-On Water Cycle Activity For Kids

First, let your child paint the entire plate a light medium shade of blue and then set aside to dry, explaining that this is the sky and ground water.

Simple and Fun Hands-On Water Cycle Activity For Kids

While it is drying, cut a wave of blue craft foam out slightly shorter than the width of the plate.

This represents an ocean or where water is held. Cut a few raindrops for precipitation, and a yellow sun.

Simple and Fun Hands-On Water Cycle Activity For Kids

Once the plate is dry, they can glue the sun in place on one side of the sky and the wave across the bottom with the glue stick.

Use a bit of cotton ball, cotton stuffing, or even a little ball of white tissue paper to create a cloud opposite the sun.

Simple and Fun Hands-On Water Cycle Activity For Kids

Glue on the raindrops underneath the cloud you made.

Simple and Fun Hands-On Water Cycle Activity For Kids

Use a marker to draw directional arrows and label the plate as the water cycle.

If your child is older, they can do the entire plate from start to finish and even label each part of the water cycle themself.

Simple and Fun Hands-On Water Cycle Activity For Kids

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Hands-On Activities Tagged With: earth science, earthscience, elementary science, hands-on, hands-on activities, homeschoolscience, science, water

How to Make a Toilet Paper Roll Honeycomb Honey Bee Activity

March 20, 2024 | 1 Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

This simple honey bee activity is not only a fun dramatic play idea for young learners but also can be used to build fine motor, math, science, and language arts skills. Also, look at my post Fascinating and Fun Honey Bees Unit Study and Lapbook for Kids.

Who knew a couple empty toilet paper rolls could do so much?

Homeschooling never needs to be expensive or complicated.

How to Make a Toilet Paper Roll Honeycomb Honey Bee Activity

Let me show you some ideas, share a few facts, and teach you how to make a toilet paper roll honeycomb.

Honey bees are important to our food supply and even very young children can learn about their life cycles, the contributions they make to our food (including their delicious honey).

And they can learn about other products they produce like wax, pollen, and propolis.

As you build your honeycomb, talk about why bees build the cells in hexagons.

Did you know that this is because the hexagon shape uses the least amount of material to hold the most weight?

Bees know what they are doing and are great at geometry.

Fill your honeycomb cells with different things to represent honey, pollen, eggs, and larvae, explore what they might keep in each cell with books and videos.

Honey Bees Books for Kids

Next, look at some of these living books to use to learn about bees.

8 Honey Bees Unit Study Resources & Books

Add some of these fun resources to your bees unit study or spring unit study.

Bees: A Honeyed History

One part science, one part cultural history, and countless parts fascination, Bees: A Honeyed History celebrates the important role that these intriguing insects have played in our ecosystem throughout the ages, and today.

The Beekeeper's Bible: Bees, Honey, Recipes & Other Home Uses

Part history book, part handbook, and part cookbook, this illustrated tome covers every facet of the ancient hobby of beekeeping, from how to manage hives safely to harvesting one’s own honey, and ideas for how to use honey and beeswax. Detailed instructions for making candles, furniture polish, beauty products, and nearly 100 honey-themed recipes are included. Honeybees, which are critical in the pollination of popular US produce such as almonds, apples, and blueberries, are actually not native to the Americas. The honeybee that you see dancing from flower to flower in farms and gardens originated in Europe. The introduction of the honeybee began with European colonization of the Americas; before that, wild native bees, other insects, and some birds and mammals pollinated the native flowers of the continent. The honeybee’s ability to pollinate crops, produce honey, and be easily domesticated precipitated the growth in beekeeping all over America.

Flight of the Honey Bee: Read and Wonder

Follow the flight of a honey bee as she searches for nectar to sustain her hive and, along the way, pollinates flowers to produce seeds and fruits. Nature lovers and scientists-to-be are invited to explore the fascinating life of a honey bee.

Life Cycle of a Honey Bee

Honey Bees are fascinating creatures which have been kept by humans for centuries. Now you can explore the life cycle of the honey bee without being stung. Watch as it grows from an egg, to a larva, and to a pupa before finally emerging as a mature adult.

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

Always a favorite when doing any kind of nature study, there are a few pages that cover different types of bees, common nectar sources, and bee anatomy. If you don't have this set already I cannot recommend it enough for nature studies.

Farm Anatomy: The Curious Parts and Pieces of Country Life

One of the companion books to Nature Anatomy, the farm version covers all parts of farming, machinery, and crops but it also caught my eye because it even covers Beekeeping for aspiring beekeepers. It goes over bee terminology, parts of a bee, the parts of a hive, types of bees, flower parts, and beekeeper essentials. These books really put a lot of info into compact parts.

The Life and Times of the Honeybee

Why do beekeepers use smoke machines when collecting honey? Can a bee really sting only once? Why do bees "dance"? In concise, detailed text and abundant illustrations that range from the humorous to the scientific, Charles Micucci offers a wide-ranging and spirited introduction to the life cycle, social organization, and history of one of the world's most useful insects.

The Magic School Bus Inside a Beehive

When the Magic School Bus turns into a beehive, Ms. Frizzle's class learns firsthand about how workers, drones, and the queen bees live together. Readers will be abuzz with knowledge as they discover how honeybees find food; make a comb, honey, and beeswax; and care for their young, all from the bee's perspective.

Also, look at more hands-on activities to learn about bees.

5 More Honey Bee Activities

  1. Make Gold Glitter Honey Bee Slime for a memorable sensory experience while you read aloud about the amazing bee.
  2. Try this unique activity, Labeling Parts of a Honey Bee LEGO Fun Activity For Kids, for a new way to play with LEGO.
  3. Use this Bee Pollination STEAM Activity to demonstrate how bees gather and carry pollen back to the hive.
  4. Another fresh way to examine the parts of a bee hive are my 7 Honey Bee Activities And Explore a BeeHive With Felt Activity.
  5. Watch Busy Bees! | Bumblebees and Honeybees to learn more, this is a great opportunity to grab a cup of coffee while your little one watches.
How to Make a Toilet Paper Roll Honeycomb Honey Bee Activity

In addition, add letter tiles into some of the hexagons and have your child make the sound and identify it as they pull them out or you call out the letter and have them find it in the beehive.

How to Make a Toilet Paper Roll Honeycomb Honey Bee Activity

You can have your child remove the pompom pollen with tweezers to work on fine motor skills.

Add dice, let them roll a number and take out that many pompoms to practice a basic math skill.

How to Make a Toilet Paper Roll Honeycomb Honey Bee Activity

Toddlers can even sort the different materials to practice one of the most basic math skills.

Finally, look at how to make how to make a toilet paper roll honeycomb.

How to Make a Toilet Paper Roll Honeycomb

You can make your honeycomb as large as you like, letting your child create a small or gigantic hive full of hexagons to fill.

Supplies:

  • Empty toilet paper rolls
  • yellow/gold craft paint
  • Paintbrush
  • Scissors
  • Yellow pom poms
How to Make a Toilet Paper Roll Honeycomb Honey Bee Activity

First, paint the outside of empty toilet paper or paper towel rolls a bright golden yellow, each tp roll makes about 5 honeycomb cells.

Set aside to dry.

How to Make a Toilet Paper Roll Honeycomb Honey Bee Activity

Once dry, press roll flat and pinch edges firmly, open and repeat in half in the opposite direction.

Finally make a third fold pressing the edges well.

How to Make a Toilet Paper Roll Honeycomb Honey Bee Activity

This will give the cells a hexagon shape.

I don’t worry about making it perfect for younger children.

For older kids you may want to have them measure 6 lines spaced evenly around the tube to get better dimensions.

Open roll and cut ¼” strips across.

How to Make a Toilet Paper Roll Honeycomb Honey Bee Activity

You will need to work your creases again to move your shapes back into a hexagon.

But once you have already creased it well it should go back to shape easily.

How to Make a Toilet Paper Roll Honeycomb Honey Bee Activity

Now you can glue the pieces together side by side to create a large hive.

Too, I like to leave them loose so that the child can build and rebuild it, changing the shape and moving things around.

This way they can be used to count as well.

Now add small balled up pieces of yellow tissue paper and yellow and white pom poms so your child can build their hive with eggs, honey, and pollen.

Include a book, magnifying glass, tweezers, and plastic bee toys to finish it off.

How to Make a Toilet Paper Roll Honeycomb Honey Bee Activity

1 CommentFiled Under: Hands-On Activities Tagged With: bees, elementary science, hands-on, hands-on activities, handsonhomeschooling, homeschoolscience, life science, science

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