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How to Make an Egg Carton Bobblehead Penguin Preschool Craft

January 16, 2024 | 1 Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

We’re making an egg carton bobblehead penguin preschool craft to go along with a penguin unit or just for fun. Also, grab more preschool ideas on my page How to Homeschool Preschool and Winter Season Unit Study Free Lapbook & Hands-On Ideas.

Beyond that you can use little penguin figurines to help teach your child about the different climates penguins live in.

Turning a fun little craft into a science and geography lesson at the same time with an activity that feels more like play.

How to Make an Egg Carton Bobblehead Penguin Preschool Craft

I also have a few more suggestions for hands on activities that your preschooler will enjoy.

From snacks to science lessons there are plenty of ideas to keep them interested in learning about penguins.

Penguins are adorable and can be found in both hot and cold climates.

This is a great time to introduce the concept that not all penguins are found belly-sliding on the ice.

Some even enjoy the hot deserts of South America.

Books About Penguins

Next look at some of the books about penguins.

I lean toward living books first then like to add reference type books when teaching my children.

11 Penguin Books & Resources for Kids Who Love to Read and Be Read To

Add some of these books and resources about penguins to your learning day.

Penguin's Way

With a new children’s book imprint, the Bodleian Library brings beloved classics back into print, beginning with a beautiful storybook about the life of a fascinating Antarctic species. Originally published in 1962, Penguin’s Way by Johanna Johnston tells the surprising story of these creatures, complete with colorful artwork by award-winning illustrator Leonard Weisgard. In Penguin’s Way, a playful colony of emperor penguins lives on the edge of a faraway secret sea. During the summers, the penguins are content to fish and swim in the icy waters. But, when the seasons change, they must travel more than one hundred miles to the snowy lands surrounding the South Pole. All across the snow plain, the penguins sing songs to welcome newly hatched chicks into the world, but how will the fluffy newborns survive the freezing winter? Few things pique children’s curiosity about the world around them better than a good book. Brought back for a new generation of young readers, Penguin’s Way offers a fun and creative introduction to these fascinating animals.

Mr. Popper's Penguins: All-Time Popular Children Book

Charming Characters: Meet the endearing Mr. Popper and his comical penguins, each with their distinct personalities and quirks, creating a delightful and memorable cast of characters.

Whimsical Adventures: Follow Mr. Popper and his penguins on a series of whimsical escapades, as they navigate unexpected challenges and create joyous chaos in their small town.

Heartwarming Message: Experience the heartwarming message of friendship, family, and the importance of embracing the unexpected, as Mr. Popper's life is transformed by the presence of his unusual feathered companions.

Whiteblack the Penguin Sees the World

Whiteblack the Penguin is worried. He has run out of stories for his radio show, a dire situation for the Chief Storyteller of Penguinland. So Whiteblack decides to travel in search of new tales to share. The result is a journey that spans the globe and not only introduces the precocious penguin to a host of colorful characters but teaches him about the power of friendship and what it means to be a hero. Originally created in 1937, while the Reys lived in Paris, this delightful story is being published for the first time, and is sure to enchant readers young and old. From the creators of Curious George, Whiteblack the Penguin Sees The World is a timeless tale with all the hilarity and childlike sense of adventure characteristic of the Reys’ previous work.

The Emperor's Egg: Read and Wonder

Can you imagine spending the winter outdoors in Antarctica without anything to eat? That’s just what the male Emperor penguin does. While his mate is off swimming and catching loads of fish, he stands around in the freezing cold with an egg on his feet for two whole months, keeping it warm and waiting for it to hatch. Welcome to the story of the world’s most devoted dad!

Penguins!: Strange and Wonderful

A new edition to the acclaimed Strange and Wonderful series. The seventeen species of penguins come in all sizes and are fascinating in many other ways. The little blue penguin, the smallest, stands about sixteen inches high, and the emperor penguin, the largest, stands almost four feet tall. Some penguins are named for how they look, such as the black-footed penguin, while others are named for where they live, such as the Galapagos penguin. Laurence Pringle's informative book, with stunning illustrations by Meryl Henderson, introduces young readers to the life and behavior of one of nature's most remarkable birds.

12PCS Realistic Penguin Figurines

This penguin figures set was made by hand painted with high realistically detailed appearance, cute face and childish eyes. Their uniquely molded textures and richly painted details make the animals vivid. And all the animal figures stands up very well, they do not fall over. Children would like to spend more time to observe and play with them.

The Great Penguin Rescue: Saving the African Penguins

African penguins waddle around nesting colonies in lower numbers than ever before. Despite South African government efforts to protect the penguin colonies and their ocean fish supply, young penguins still struggle to survive. Fuzzy chicks waiting for food in open nests may overheat in the sun or become prey. Others simply may not get enough food to survive on their own once their parents leave. But new conservation methods, including rescuing and hand-feeding vulnerable chicks, are giving experts hope. Can volunteers and scientists help save Africa's only penguins before it's too late?

March of the Penguins

This documentary chronicles the heroic and harrowing journey that emperor penguins make amid subfreezing temperatures and violent snowstorms at the South Pole in order to mate.

365 Penguins (Reissue)

A family finds a penguin mysteriously delivered to their door every day for a year. At first they’re cute, but with every passing day, the penguins pile up—along with the family’s problems. Feeding, cleaning, and housing the penguins becomes a monumental task. They’re noisy and smelly, and they always hog the bathroom! And who on earth is sending these kwak-ing critters? Bright, striking illustrations with lots of opportunity for counting (and lots of laughs), 365 Penguins has become a perennial wintertime favorite.

Penguin: A Season in the Life of the Adélie Penguin

Beautiful, full-color photographs and an engaging first-person narrative introduce young readers to an Adelie penguin family's first view of the harsh, wild Antarctic environment.

Penguins!

An illustrated introduction to those wonderful waddling water birds!Living only in the southern hemisphere, there are seventeen different kinds of penguins.  With bright watercolor illustrations and kid-friendly language, Gail Gibbons introduces these black and white birds, describing where and how they live, what they eat, and how they hatch their young.   An exploration of the egg-laying and chick-raising habits of the emperor penguin is also included, describing how these large penguins take care of their babies in extremely cold temperatures, working together to look after one large egg at a time. Readers will also learn about threats to penguin populations, and what conservation efforts have been made to help preserve them.  A collection of penguin facts is also included.

Where Do Penguins Live

Grab a set of these plastic penguins and a map and see how many penguin climates you can find with your child.

Help your child locate where each penguin lives on the map.

To take the lesson even deeper run a red string across the equator to help them understand the difference between the Northern and Southern Hemisphere as they place the penguins in their spots.

How to Make an Egg Carton Bobblehead Penguin Preschool Craft

Here are the 18 recognized species of penguins and where you can find them.

  1. Galápagos – Galapagos Islands
  2. Humboldt- Coasts of Chili and Peru
  3. Southern Rockhopper  -Southern Chili and Southern Argentina
  4. Northern Rockhopper-Tristan da Cunha and Gough Island – South Atlantic Ocean
  5. Emperor -Antarctica
  6. Adélie-Antarctica
  7. Chinstrap-Antarctic Peninsula
  8. Fiordland-Southwest coasts of the South Island in New Zealand.
  9. Snares- Snares Islands south of New Zealand
  10. Macaroni-Antarctic Peninsula
  11. Gentoo  -Antarctic Peninsula
  12. Erect-Crested-New Zealand sub-antarctic- mostly Antipodes and Bounty Islands
  13. Royal-Macquarie Island, near Bishop and Clerk Islands in Australia
  14. African-Southwest coast of Africa- Namibia to Port Elizabeth
  15. Little- Australia and New Zealand
  16. Yellow-Eyed-New Zealand
  17. King- Antarctic Peninsula
  18. Magellanic- Southern coasts-Argentina, Chile, and Falkland Islands.

Even if you don’t have replicas of all the different types of penguins you can still enjoy placing them around the map to find their locations.

How to Make an Egg Carton Bobblehead Penguin Preschool Craft

5 More Hands-on Penguin Activities

If you want to continue the fun here are a few more great ideas for hands-on penguin-related projects that will help your child learn more about these unique creatures while feeling like they are just playing.

  1. Follow these steps for How to Make an Easy Antarctica Diorama With Your Kids and highlight the two species that make their home in the Antarctica mainland.
  2. These Quick and Easy Frozen Banana Penguins are just too cute and make a healthy delicious snack to partner with your mini unit.
  3. How fun is this SALT AND ICE EXPERIMENT FOR KIDS: SAVE THE FROZEN PENGUINS for a simple STEM activity.
  4. Create this Easy Penguin Sensory Bin and switch it up from ice to warm climate penguins by using different base materials.
How to Make an Egg Carton Bobblehead Penguin Preschool Craft

Grab this free Printable for the Life Cycle of a Penguin to learn about how an egg turns into a fuzzy chick and then becomes one of the adult penguins we know and recognize.

How to Make an Egg Carton Bobblehead Penguin Preschool Craft

You will need:

  • Cardboard egg carton
  • Black craft paint
  • White craft paint
  • Pipe cleaner
  • Scissors
  • Google eyes
  • yellow craft foam
  • Hot glue.
How to Make an Egg Carton Bobblehead Penguin Preschool Craft

The first thing you want to do is cut out 2 cups from a cardboard egg carton, preserving as much of the material as you can.

You can use scissors or a small straight-edged knife.

How to Make an Egg Carton Bobblehead Penguin Preschool Craft

From the flat or slightly curved portion of the box cut out two small wings.

Paint both cups as well as your small wings black, leaving a small area in the front of both for white. Set aside to dry.

How to Make an Egg Carton Bobblehead Penguin Preschool Craft

When you’re waiting for your paint to dry, you can cut out a beak and two little feet shapes from craft foam or use another scrap of cardboard from the egg carton.

How to Make an Egg Carton Bobblehead Penguin Preschool Craft

Coil ½ of a pipe cleaner around a pen or paintbrush to create a spring.

How to Make an Egg Carton Bobblehead Penguin Preschool Craft

When the paint is dry hot glue the “spring” inside the penguin’s head.

How to Make an Egg Carton Bobblehead Penguin Preschool Craft

Hot glue the other end of the spring onto the top of the other egg carton cup. And press down holding in place until the glue sets.

How to Make an Egg Carton Bobblehead Penguin Preschool Craft

Glue the feet so they are peeking out from the bottom.

How to Make an Egg Carton Bobblehead Penguin Preschool Craft

Then add Googly eyes, beak, and wings to finish off your little penguin.

How fun is that little wobbly head?

How to Make an Egg Carton Bobblehead Penguin Preschool Craft

1 CommentFiled Under: Teach Homeschool Preschool Tagged With: elementary science, hands-on, hands-on activities, handsonhomeschooling, homeschool preschool, homeschoolscience, life science, penguin, preschool, preschool skills, science

How To Make A Pipe Cleaner Monkey | Howler Monkey Fun Facts

December 20, 2023 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have a cute but simple tutorial to show you how to make a pipe cleaner monkey with just a couple of basic craft items. Also, look at my page Rainforest Activities for Kids for more animal crafts and activities.

You will only need a few pipe cleaners, a couple of wooden beads, and some paint to make your own.

Besides, you can make any kind of monkey you like using this tutorial, changing up paint colors and features.

How To Make A Pipe Cleaner Monkey | Howler Monkey Fun Facts

We made a howler monkey to go along with the rest of the themed ideas here.

Howler Monkeys are a tropical species of monkeys that live in both lowland and mountain habitats.

For example, they live in the rainforests of Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Columbia, as well as throughout South and Central America.

Their loud howls can be heard up to 3 miles away, so it’s no wonder where they got that name from.

But our little pipe cleaner monkey is quiet and well-behaved.

Howler Monkey Books

Add some of these books and resources to your reading day.

6 Books & Resources for Kids Who love Howler Monkeys

Your kids will love some of these fun resources about howler monkeys.

Howler Monkeys (Monkey Business)

Howler monkeys are named for their distinctive calls, which they let loose at dawn and at dusk. This informative resource doesn’t monkey around in describing what howlers like to eat and where they live. The volume includes an explanation of howler monkey group behavior as well as an examination of efforts being made to preserve their endangered populations.

Howler Monkey Figurine

Our Howler Monkey figurine is designed with remarkable accuracy, showcasing the creature's distinctive features and vibrant coloring.

Photo Credit: www.youtube.com

World's Loudest Animals: Howler Monkeys |

Don't tell these howler monkeys to pipe down — they're considered to be among the loudest animals on Earth. They won't quiet down unless they're sleeping, which they do about 15 hours a day.

Howlers and Other New World Monkeys

Questions and answers explore the world of New World monkeys, with an emphasis on howler monkeys.

Meet the Howlers!

Playful, poetic text and vibrant art introduce young readers to howler monkeys. Extra facts within the text give readers the low-down on these loud, sloppy, and rude rain forest dwellers.

Photo Credit: learncreatelove.com

Howler Monkey Printable Craft

How about this Howler Monkey Craft?

Next, add some of these facts.

Zoology of The Howler Monkey

Next, have your child write out the classifications of the howler monkey, look below.

  • Kingdom: Animalia
  • Phylum: Chordata
  • Class: Mammalia
  • Order: Primates
  • Family: Atelidae
  • Genus: Alouatta
  • Scientific Name: Alouatta

Howler monkeys are made up of 15 different species.

  • Colombian red howler
  • Black howler
  • Yucatán black howler
  • Mantled howler monkey
  • Brown howler
  • Red-handed howler
  • Maranhão red-handed howler
  • Bolivian red howler
  • Guyana red howler
  • Ursine howler
  • Coiba Island howler
  • Amazon black howler
  • Spix’s red-handed howler
  • Purus red howler
  • Juruá red howler
How To Make A Pipe Cleaner Monkey | Howler Monkey Fun Facts

Also, here are some facts about howler monkeys.

6 Facts About Howler Monkeys

  1. Howler Monkeys are both the largest and the most abundant monkeys in the world with the Guatemalan Howler Monkey being the biggest of all the New World monkeys.
  2. They get their name from the howling sound that they make and are known as one of the loudest land mammals due to the special bone, the hyoid, in their throat that helps them make louder calls. Only the males make these sounds, never females. You can listen to those loud sounders here in the World’s Loudest Animals: Howler Monkeys.
  3. Their long, strong prehensile tales can be up to five times the length of their body, anywhere from 20”- to 30” long.
  4. 9 out of 15 species of the Howler Monkey make their home in the Amazon.
  5. Howler monkeys usually live in troupes of up to 15 males and females with a dominant member of each sex.
  6. An unusual thing about them is that both male and female juveniles will leave the group they were born in and join up with a new group, so most spend the adult portion of their life in a group they are not related to. 
How To Make A Pipe Cleaner Monkey | Howler Monkey Fun Facts

This little Howler Monkey Figurine is a great addition to blocks, and sensory bins, and can be used to create a tropical diorama as well.

How To Make A Pipe Cleaner Monkey

What You Will Need:

  • 4 brown pipe cleaners
  • 2 wood beads
  • 2 smaller wooden beads
  • 2 googly eyes
  • Brown craft paint
  • Small paint brushes or fine-tip paint pens
  • Hot glue gun/sticks.
How To Make A Pipe Cleaner Monkey | Howler Monkey Fun Facts

First slip beads over a skewer and paint them brown or whatever color you like). You will probably need a second coat before letting it dry completely.

How To Make A Pipe Cleaner Monkey | Howler Monkey Fun Facts

Lay one pipe cleaner vertically and twist another one across it horizontally about 2” from the top to give your monkey arms.

How To Make A Pipe Cleaner Monkey | Howler Monkey Fun Facts

Slide one painted bead from the bottom.

Twist another pipe cleaner horizontally across just below the bead to hold it in place and make back legs.

How To Make A Pipe Cleaner Monkey | Howler Monkey Fun Facts

Now, double over the tail, arms, and legs, twisting together, and bend the ends into hands and feet.

Cut off all but 1” of the neck, bend it over, then twist.

How To Make A Pipe Cleaner Monkey | Howler Monkey Fun Facts

Cut 4 1” lengths from the 4th pipe cleaner and bend into a v, then twist around the feet and hands. 

How To Make A Pipe Cleaner Monkey | Howler Monkey Fun Facts

Slip the head onto the neck you cut and hold it in place with a dab of hot glue inside.

Once dry, take a tiny brush or paint marker and add features like eyes, a nose and a howling mouth.

How To Make A Pipe Cleaner Monkey | Howler Monkey Fun Facts

Use a tiny bit of hot glue to add google eyes as well.

Finally, your monkey is ready to shape and bend, he can even hang from pretty much anything you want to hang him from with his little prehensile pipe cleaner tail.

Have fun creating a whole troupe of monkeys to hang all around, thankfully these monkeys stay quiet!

How To Make A Pipe Cleaner Monkey | Howler Monkey Fun Facts

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Hands-On Activities Tagged With: crafts, elementary science, hands-on, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, homeschoolscience, life science, monkeys, science

The Colorful Blue Jays Winter Food | Make Fun Seed Slime

December 19, 2023 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

We’re making a fun stretchy batch of seed slime as we learn all about the colorful blue jay and his winter food. Also, look at my Free Bird Unit Study and Lapbook And Fun Edible Bird Nests.

But we won’t just make seed slime, we are going to provide our preschool- elementary learners with an entire themed but still open-ended tray to explore.

This slime is wonderfully stretchy, not too sticky and is a great base for adding seeds and more.

If you live in most of eastern and central North America to the Northwest, chances are you see these colorful birds plentifully in your backyard.

The Colorful Blue Jays Winter Food | Make Fun Seed Slime

They are a very loud bunch, making a loud jeering sound but you will also hear clear whistled notes and gurgling sounds.

Throughout the warm spring and summer months blue jays live and feed their young on a diet of mostly insects but in the cold of winter, they forage for seeds, nuts, fruit, berries, and grain to give them their much-needed energy.

We are using some of the seeds to create our slime and the rest can be put out to help feed backyard birds throughout the winter.

I have some tips for setting up a welcoming yard for Jays and other birds.

You will also find some fun facts and more hands-on ideas to build a lovely winter unit for the Blue Jay.

Books and Activities About Blue Jays

I lean toward living books for independent reading and to read aloud, then I look for reference books.

Books & Resources For Kids Who Love to Learn About Blue Jays

Blue Jays are a fun bird to learn about anytime of the year and turn it into a full unit study with toms of these resources.

The Adventures of Sammy Jay

Sammy Jay thinks he's a very fine gentleman and is proud of his handsome blue coat and high cap. But Sammy often does things he shouldn't do — like stealing. Nobody likes to be told he's a thief — especially Sammy Jay! Much of the time, he just struts around, trying to look important when he thinks someone is looking at him. Filled with pranks and rivalries, this delightful tale — enhanced with Harrison Cady's charming illustrations — combines humorous animal escapades with gentle lessons about wildlife and nature.

The Tale of Jasper Jay

Some of the feathered folk in Pleasant Valley said that old Mr. Crow was the noisiest person in the neighborhood. But they must have forgotten all about Mr. Crow's knavish cousin, Jasper Jay. And it was not only in summer, either, that Jasper's shrieks and laughter woke the echoes. Since it was his habit to spend his winters right there in Farmer Green's young pines, near the foot of Blue Mountain, on many a cold morning Jasper's ear-splitting "Jay! jay!" rang out on the frosty air.

Saving Jemima: Life and Love with a Hard-Luck Jay

When Jemima, a young orphaned blue jay, is brought to wildlife rehabilitator Julie Zickefoose, she is a virtually tailless, palm-sized bundle of gray-blue fluff. But she is starved and very sick. Julie’s constant care brings her around, and as Jemima is raised for eventual release, she takes over the house and the rest of the author's summer.  Shortly after release, Jemima turns up with a deadly disease. But medicating a free-flying wild bird is a challenge. When the PBS show Nature expresses interest in filming Jemima, Julie must train her to behave on camera, as the bird gets ever wilder. Jemima bonds with a wild jay, stretching her ties with the family. Throughout, Julie grapples with the fallout of Jemima’s illness, studies molt and migration, and does her best to keep Jemima strong and wild. She falls hard for this engaging, feisty and funny bird, a creative muse and source of strength through the author’s own heartbreaking changes. Emotional and honest, Saving Jemima is a universal story of the communion between a wild creature and the human chosen to raise it.

The Blue Jay–120 Piece Puzzle Fun

THE HARDEST CHALLENGE - With hints on the back that won't take away from the fun of the game by making it too difficult, the Fruit And Birds series will provide hours of screen-free entertainment and mental relaxation for the whole family, and is sure to become a permanent decoration in your home.

Birds Blue Jay Plush with Authentic Bird Sound

With one squeeze, Audubon birds produce beautifully authentic bird calls provided by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s bird recording archives.

Next, look at some facts about blue jays.

5 Fun Facts about the Colorful Blue Jay

  1. Blue Jays are large songbirds with blue, black, and white feathers.
  1. The pigment that is in Blue Jay feathers is melanin and brown. The blue color is caused by light scattering through the cells on the surface of the feather barbs.
  1. Blue jays are omnivores, which means they consume plants, animals, nuts, and seeds. They eat corn, seeds, fruits, insects, frogs, mice, and sometimes eggs and nestlings of other birds.
  1. The Blue Jay frequently mimics the calls of hawks and does this sometimes when approaching a feeder to scare the other birds away.
  1. Unlike some other species of bird both the male and female Blue Jay look identical so you cannot identify the sex by color. Males are just slightly larger than females.
The Colorful Blue Jays Winter Food | Make Fun Seed Slime

Also, look how to attract blue jays to your yard.

How to Attract Blue Jays and Other Birds To Your Backyard

Blue Jays mostly do well foraging on their own. If you want to enjoy these beauties and other birds in your backyard here is what you can do to bring them in and keep them happy, so they return again and again.

Provide shade and shelter- If you already have bushes and trees, you have a natural attractant for birds. Birds need trees for shade, to rest in, for protection, and to build their nests. Trees can also be a great source of food for birds, providing insects, fruits, nuts, and berries.

Provide food- Add a bird feeder or a few to your yard to provide a variety of seeds. The more variety the more bird species you will attract. Blue Jays in particular prefer open-platform feeders. Suet blocks are a great option in the winter as well for seeds as they offer healthy easy-to-digest fat that hungry birds need for energy.

Provide clean water- Add a bird bath to your yard, in the shade where they are protected, and watch how many feathered friends show up to drink and bathe.  Be sure to keep the water clean by adding fresh daily and scrubbing out the bowl often to prevent them from getting sick from bacteria.

The more you can offer to birds that they need the more frequently they will return and give you a colorful show.

The Colorful Blue Jays Winter Food | Make Fun Seed Slime

Additionally, here are more slime seed ideas.

More Slime and Seed Slime Ideas

  • How to Make Fun Watermelon Seed Slime For Summer Learning
  • Bird Seed Slime
  • Chia Seed Slime

More Backyard Birds Activities

  • Beautiful Winter Bird: Northern Cardinal Lapbook & Fun Unit Study
  • How to Make DIY Hummingbird Nectar And Favorite Amazon Rainforest Hummingbirds Facts
  • How to Make a Chalk Pastel Bird Nest Easy Drawing
  • Galapagos Islands Animals Fun and Simple Watercolor Flamingo Tutorial
  • Free Homeschool Chicken Unit Study and Anatomy of an Egg Felt Activity & Worksheet
  • Free Bird Journal – Hands-on Nature (Coloring & Identification Pages)
  • Free North American Robin Bird Lapbook and Fun Homeschool Unit Study Ideas
  • How to Make an Easy Jumbo Stick Bird Feeder with Kids

Finally, look how to make fun seed slime.

Fun Seed Slime

You will need:

  • Bird seed
  • 1 cup white or clear school glue
  • 1 Tablespoon baking soda
  • 2-3 Tablespoons contact lens solution
  • Tray for set up
  • Bird figurines
  • Brown pipe cleaners
The Colorful Blue Jays Winter Food | Make Fun Seed Slime

First, in a large bowl combine white or clear glue and baking soda, and mix well before moving on to the next step.

The Colorful Blue Jays Winter Food | Make Fun Seed Slime

Slowly add in the contact lens solution ½ a teaspoon at a time, stirring to mix well between every addition.

As you mix it will become less sticky, if you add too much too fast once mixed it will be too hard and lose its stretch.

The Colorful Blue Jays Winter Food | Make Fun Seed Slime

You will know it is ready when it pulls away from the sides of the bowl and does not stick to your hands.

The Colorful Blue Jays Winter Food | Make Fun Seed Slime

Mix in your seeds, as much or as little as you like.

I wound up using about ¾ of a cup.

The Colorful Blue Jays Winter Food | Make Fun Seed Slime

Now, to create a fun invitation to play with your slime.

You can use a divided round tray from Dollar Tree or just grab whatever tray and bowls you have on hand.

Place the slime in a larger bowl and fill smaller bowls with additional seeds so they can mix them in themself, bird figurines, and small pieces of brown pipe cleaner.

The Colorful Blue Jays Winter Food | Make Fun Seed Slime

Look at this fantastic stretch!

The Colorful Blue Jays Winter Food | Make Fun Seed Slime

Little pieces of pipe cleaners can be poked into the slime to create little nests for the birds.

The Colorful Blue Jays Winter Food | Make Fun Seed Slime

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Hands-On Activities Tagged With: birds, blue jay, crafts, elementary science, hands-on, hands-on activities, handsonhomeschooling, homeschoolscience, life science, science

How To Make A Blue-Footed Booby Bird Craft

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

We are creating a bird craft that is so easy, inexpensive, and adorable that you might find the kids and you wanting to create different species to fill up your house. Also, you’ll love this Free Bird Unit Study and Lapbook And Fun Edible Bird Nests.

Too, be sure you look at my South America Unit Study and Lapbook.

All we needed was a quick trip to Dollar Tree for a fresh pair of socks.

The other simple items you will most likely have on hand to create this craft which is a fantastic supplement to a bird unit.

How To Make A Blue-Footed Booby Bird Craft

One of the most unusual and recognizable birds is the blue-footed booby.

With their bright aquamarine blue feet and legs and rather funny-looking faces.

Blue-footed boobies are one of the three different booby species found on the Galapagos Islands.

There are also red and Nazca boobies.

Books about the Galapagos

Next, add some of these books about the blue-footed booby and other animals of the Galapagos to your unit study.

11 Books & Resources About the Animals of the Galapagos

Add one or two of these fun resources about the animals of the Galapagos Islands in South America.

Where Are the Galapagos Islands? (Where Is?)

The Galapagos Islands are a chain of volcanic islands located on either side of the equator in the Pacific Ocean. The isolated location of the islands has allowed a vast number of species to develop that are original to each island, such as the marine iguana, the blue-footed booby, the magnificent frigatebird and of course the giant Galapagos tortoise, which may live to be over one hundred years old. 

Galapagos Wildlife TOOB

This Galapagos Island Toob is a must have item for sensory bins and dioramas, but they really give your child a better understanding of what creatures they may never get to see in person. They make great models for art projects as well from sketching to painting.

Galapagos (Earth's Extraordinary Places)

This is the ultimate book about the Galápagos for kids, covering the formation of the islands, the fascinating animals that live there, the evolutionary traits of the flora, the diverse climates, the brilliant conservation efforts and much more!This beautifully illustrated and photographic book provides a fascinating tour of the flora, fauna, and geology of the Galapágos islands. Children can learn about the unique and incredible wildlife, volcanoes, climate and Darwin’s theory of evolution from his visit to the Galápagos.  

Karl, Get Out of the Garden!: Carolus Linnaeus and the Naming of Everything

Carolus (Karl) Linnaeus started off as a curious child who loved exploring the garden. Despite his intelligence—and his mother's scoldings—he was a poor student, preferring to be outdoors with his beloved plants and bugs. As he grew up, Karl's love of nature led him to take on a seemingly impossible task: to give a scientific name to every living thing on earth. 

Exotic Birds TOOB

11 EXOTIC BIRDS: This Toob brings you some of the most amazing exotic winged friends from around the world. It includes a Parakeet, Quetzal, Yellow Macaw, Humming Bird, Hibiscus Flower, Keel-Billed Toucan, Cockatoo, Flamingo, White Ibis, Snowy Owl, and a Greet Parrot.

My Father's Island (Guinness World Records Little Books)

A true story that incorporates biography, adventure and the elements of armchair travel. Angermeyer, who grew up in Nebraska, embarks on a search to discover what happened to her father, a refugee from Hitler, on the Galapagos Islands where he and her mother had lived before his death.

Marcel McDuby the Blue-Footed Booby

For ages 3-9... The strange little bird with turquoise blue feet spent all his time imagining being someone else. Follow him on a journey that leads to self-acceptance and a life-changing discovery: It's our differences that make us special and set us apart. What's really important comes from our heart.

Galapagos Wildlife (Bradt Wildlife Guides)

This new, thoroughly updated and lavishly illustrated fourth edition of Bradt's Galápagos Wildlife is packed with information and magnificent pictures to aid in identifying key species, all in an easy-to-carry format that covers everything from the wildlife that you're likely to encounter, whether flying in the air, running along the ground or swimming underwater, to a succinct history of the islands, their habitats and volcanic origins. 

Galapagos animal adventure with 26 coloring pages for all ages

Immerse yourself in the natural beauty of the Galapagos Islands with this endemic animal coloring book. With 26 pages filled with detailed and realistic drawings, this coloring book will take you on a journey through the unique landscapes of the islands as you immerse yourself in the wild nature of the región.

Take Your Time: A Tale of Harriet, the Galapagos Tortoise

Harriet the tortoise likes to do things slowly. She explores her home on the Galápagos Islands―slowly. She eats―slowly. And when the sun goes down, she slumbers deeply all night long.

When Harriet’s friends tell her to pick up the pace, Harriet decides to journey to a neighboring island to see what there is to see. She parades with penguins and rides with dolphins, encountering adventure at every turn. But is life in the fast lane right for a tortoise who loves to take her time?

Marine Iguanas - Tails of the Galapagos Islands Series

Marine Iguanas. Discover the unique Galapagos Island critter called the Marine Iguana. Designed for Young Readers (Ages 5-7) in mind, your little adventurist can immerse themselves within the colorful pages that take them on a journey to better understand the Life of the Marine Iguana. Fun facts and vibrant photos make this book an enjoyable read now and for years to come.

Facts About Blue-Footed Booby

The boobies got their name from the Spanish word bobo.

Bobo means “fool” or “clown” because they seemed so silly and foolish to explorers with their colorful feet, funny walk, and what they felt was an unnatural fear of man.

Just like how flamingos are pink due to their eating habits, the color of their webbed feet comes from the collagens in the skin that are changed because of their diet of fresh fish.

The brighter blue feet that a male has the more interesting he is to females.

While boobies seem to move clumsily on land, their almost 5-foot wingspan lets them fly powerfully.

How To Make A Blue-Footed Booby Bird Craft

Also, they can fly for a long time, long distances, and are amazing plunge divers on the hunt for food, maneuvering well even in shallow water.

Blue-footed boobies as marine birds only need land to lay eggs and raise their young.

And they keep those eggs warm with their feet which are well supplied with blood and make a great little heater for the eggs to keep them toasty.

More Bird Crafts

  • How to Make DIY Hummingbird Nectar And Favorite Amazon Rainforest Hummingbirds Facts
  • How to Make a Chalk Pastel Bird Nest Easy Drawing
  • Galapagos Islands Animals Fun and Simple Watercolor Flamingo Tutorial
  • Free Peregrine Falcon Lapbook And Fun Unit Study Ideas
  • Free Homeschool Chicken Unit Study and Anatomy of an Egg Felt Activity & Worksheet
  • How to Make an Easy Bird Craft Fun Paper Plate Peacock
  • Free Bird Journal – Hands-on Nature (Coloring & Identification Pages)
  • Free North American Robin Bird Lapbook and Fun Homeschool Unit Study Ideas
How To Make A Blue-Footed Booby Bird Craft

Finally, look at how to make a blue-footed booby sock bird craft.

How to Make A Blue-Footed Booby Sock Bird Craft

You will need:

  • White tube sock
  • Black felt
  • Blue felt
  • Blue pipe cleaner
  • Google eyes
  • Brown paint
  • paintbrush
  • Uncooked white rice/beans
  • Hot glue gun/glue
How To Make A Blue-Footed Booby Bird Craft

First, decide what size you would like to make your bird craft and fill that size halfway with either the other sock in the pack or some cotton stuffing. I made mine about ⅓ of the sock length.

Place rice in a cup and dump it into the sock by wrapping the sock opening around the cup and flipping it over until the other half is full.

This will give your blue-footed booby some weight and help him sit upright nicely.

How To Make A Blue-Footed Booby Bird Craft

Cut off the excess from the open end, leaving just enough to fold over.

How To Make A Blue-Footed Booby Bird Craft

Fold the end in and glue it like you would gift wrap on the end of a box and secure it with glue.

How To Make A Blue-Footed Booby Bird Craft

On the same end attach two halves of blue pipe cleaner sticking out for legs.

Once the glue is dry it ends downward and uses brown paint to speckle the head like a blue-footed booby.

How To Make A Blue-Footed Booby Bird Craft

Then, paint on wing shapes on either side. Allow paint to dry completely, you can save this step for last if you prefer.

How To Make A Blue-Footed Booby Bird Craft

Cut a long black triangle twice as wide as you would like the beak to be.

How To Make A Blue-Footed Booby Bird Craft

Fold it over with a piece of pipe cleaner in the middle to give the felt some stiffness and glue the sides together. Trim off the excess pipe cleaner sticking out.

How To Make A Blue-Footed Booby Bird Craft

Hot glue the beak into place on the front and arrange two googly eyes close on either side.

How To Make A Blue-Footed Booby Bird Craft

Cut two webbed feet out of the blue felt.

How To Make A Blue-Footed Booby Bird Craft

Hot glue to the end of the blue pipe cleaners.

How To Make A Blue-Footed Booby Bird Craft

Finally, attach a small piece of the sock scrap to the back for a tail.

How To Make A Blue-Footed Booby Bird Craft

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Hands-On Activities Tagged With: birds, crafts, hands-on, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, homeschoolscience, life science, south america

How To Make A Newton’s Cradle With Popsicle Sticks | 5 Sir Isaac Newton Facts

December 12, 2023 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I’m showing you how to make a Newton’s cradle with popsicle sticks for a fun and educational homeschool project.

You have likely seen the contraption with spheres clacking back and forth on desktops.

This is called Newton’s cradle which demonstrates his third law.

It is a device that shows the conservation of momentum and the conservation of energy with swinging spheres.

How To Make A Newton's Cradle With Popsicle Sticks | 5 Sir Isaac Newton Facts

Newton made amazing contributions to science and math and was considered the father of modern science, and the first physicist.

He was the epitome of STEM long before it ever became a catchphrase.

While STEM/STEAM is an important part of everyday homeschooling, National STEM/STEAM Day is celebrated annually on November 8th.

And I think learning how to make a Newton’s cradle with popsicle sticks is a fantastic way to observe it.

5 Isaac Newton Facts

If you are looking for a great reference book to have on hand that covers scientists from early times to modern Superstars of Science is a fantastic entertaining book.

It is a book for elementary through middle school students to enjoy and learn the people behind the inventions, laws, and more including Newton.

How To Make A Newton's Cradle With Popsicle Sticks | 5 Sir Isaac Newton Facts

Then, look at these facts about Sir Isaac Newton.

  1. Sir Isaac Newton was an English polymath (someone whose knowledge covers a wide range of subjects in particular arts and sciences) He was a mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, theologian, and author.
  2. Newton has 2 birthdays. He was born on January 4th, 1643 on the Gregorian calendar, which we use today. Back in the 17th century at the time of his birth the Julian calendar was used and according to that, he was born on December 25 1642.
  3. The story of the apple falling on his head is only partly true, he did witness an apple fall from the tree and it gave him the idea of gravity, but it didn’t hit him on the head.
  4. Newton founded the branch of math called Calculus, mechanics, and optics and was key in the advancement of early modern chemistry.
  5. While he is most famous for his 3 laws, he had many other contributions like being one of the first to make a reflecting telescope.

Books About Sir Isaac Newton for Kids

Next, add some of these books about this famous scientist.

7 Books For Kids Who Love Learning About Sir Isaac Newton

He was one of the most important scientists of his times. Your children will love adding some of these books to their reading day.

Newton's Rainbow: The Revolutionary Discoveries of a Young Scientist

Famed for his supposed encounter with a falling apple that inspired his theory of gravity, Isaac Newton (1642–1727) grew from a quiet and curious boy into one of the most influential scientists of all time. Newton's Rainbow tells the story of young Isaac―always reading, questioning, observing, and inventing―and how he eventually made his way to Cambridge University, where he studied the work of earlier scientists and began building on their accomplishments. This colorful picture book biography celebrates Newton's discoveries that illuminated the mysteries of gravity, motion, and even rainbows, discoveries that gave mankind a new understanding of the natural world, discoveries that changed science forever.

Isaac Newton

A biography of Isaac Newton.

Isaac Newton: Greatest Genius of Science (Genius Scientists and Their Genius Ideas)

A biography of the seventeenth-century English scientist who formulated the theory of gravity.

World History Biographies: Isaac Newton: The Scientist Who Changed Everything

Born in England in 1643, Isaac Newton grew up in the age when Renaissance thinkers were challenging accepted ideas throughout Europe. Fascinated by all earthly science, Newton developed laws of motion and universal gravitation which also furthered our understanding of the movement of celestial bodies. This vibrant biography profiles the famed physicist as an acclaimed mathematician, astronomer, alchemist, philosopher, and inventor as well. Readers will discover the genius who inspired Alexander Pope to write.

The Ocean Of Truth: The Story Of Sir Isaac Newton

Sir Isaac Newton is one of history's most renowned scientists. He independently developed the mathematical technique known as Calculus, wrote a treatise on the properties of light and color that is still consulted by scientists, and worked out the mathematical details of the law of gravity. What is less well known is the depth of his Christian faith, and the amount of writing, speaking, and research he devoted to defenses of the tenets of Biblical belief. This book makes Newton come alive for readers.

Isaac the Alchemist: Secrets of Isaac Newton, Reveal'd

A surprising true story of Isaac Newton’s boyhood suggests an intellectual development owing as much to magic as science. Before Isaac Newton became the father of physics, an accomplished mathematician, or a leader of the scientific revolution, he was a boy living in an apothecary’s house, observing and experimenting, recording his observations of the world in a tiny notebook. As a young genius living in a time before science as we know it existed, Isaac studied the few books he could get his hands on, built handmade machines, and experimented with alchemy—a process of chemical reactions that seemed, at the time, to be magical. Mary Losure’s riveting narrative nonfiction account of Isaac’s early life traces his development as a thinker from his childhood, in friendly prose that will capture the attention of today’s budding scientists—as if by magic. Back matter includes an afterword, an author’s note, source notes, a bibliography, and an index.

Isaac Newton and Physics for Kids: His Life and Ideas with 21 Activities (30) (For Kids series)

Isaac Newton and Physics for Kids paints a rich portrait of this brilliant and complex man, including 21 hands-on projects that explore the scientific concepts Newton developed and the times in which he lived. Readers will build a simple waterwheel, create a 17thcentury plague mask, track the phases of the moon, and test Newton’s Three Laws of Motion using coins, a skateboard, and a
model boat they construct themselves. The text includes a time line, online resources, and reading list for further study. And through it all, readers will learn how the son of a Woolsthorpe sheep farmer grew to become the most influential physicist in history.

Additionally, look at Newton’s laws.

Newton’s 3 Laws of Motion

Newton’s First Law – “Law of Inertia” – Every object moves in a straight line unless acted upon by a force. Example- a ball will roll down a hill unless something stops it-friction or another object for example.

Newton’s Second Law – “Law of Acceleration” -The acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force exerted and inversely proportional to the object’s mass.

Example- In karate, breaking a board or slab of bricks.

Newton’s Third Law – “Law of Interaction” (also “Law of Action and Reaction”)– For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Example- Firing a bullet, when shot from a gun, the gun puts a force on the bullet and propels it forward.

How To Make A Newton's Cradle With Popsicle Sticks | 5 Sir Isaac Newton Facts

Also, look at more ideas to learn about Sir Isaac Newton.

More Ideas for Learning About Sir Isaac Newton

  • Isaac Newton’s Quotes & Copywork
  • Gravity and Isaac Newton Experiments
  • Isaac Newton Study And Science Lessons
  • Making Newton’s Laws Easy
  • Then grab some minibooks About Sir Isaac Newton and His Apple on my Apple Unit Study and Lapbook page.

How To Make A Newton’s Cradle With Popsicle Sticks

You will need:

  • 12 jumbo craft sticks
  • String
  • 6 marbles
  • Hot glue gun/glue sticks
  • Scrap wood (old Jenga blocks)
How To Make A Newton's Cradle With Popsicle Sticks | 5 Sir Isaac Newton Facts

First, use hot glue to create a square out of 4 craft sticks.

How To Make A Newton's Cradle With Popsicle Sticks | 5 Sir Isaac Newton Facts

Take 2 craft sticks and mark every half inch along the stick starting 1 ½” in on each end.

How To Make A Newton's Cradle With Popsicle Sticks | 5 Sir Isaac Newton Facts

Glue one to the top of another craft stick to form a T, be sure the marks are facing outward.

How To Make A Newton’s Cradle

Add another stick to the bottom of the T to create a capital i.

Make two of these.

How To Make A Newton's Cradle With Popsicle Sticks | 5 Sir Isaac Newton Facts

Attach one of the capital i’s to the square base with a generous amount of hot glue and use a small piece of scrap wood like the old Jenga block I used here.

How To Make A Newton's Cradle With Popsicle Sticks | 5 Sir Isaac Newton Facts

You want to be sure the marks you made on the top stick face in toward the square base center.

Cut 8 six-inch pieces of string.

How To Make A Newton's Cradle With Popsicle Sticks | 5 Sir Isaac Newton Facts

Fold each string exactly in half.

How To Make A Newton's Cradle With Popsicle Sticks | 5 Sir Isaac Newton Facts

Hot glue a marble to the very center of each string.

How To Make A Newton's Cradle With Popsicle Sticks | 5 Sir Isaac Newton Facts

On the opposite capital i piece that you have not attached to the base yet hot glue each string right over the top of the marks you made.

Line up the tips of the strings with the edge of the top, then cover with another craft stick.

This tidies it up a bit and helps keep the strings more secure.

How To Make A Newton's Cradle With Popsicle Sticks | 5 Sir Isaac Newton Facts

Attach the second capital i to the opposite side, affixing again with a scrap of wood to stabilize and strengthen it.

When the glue is dry lay down the frame and hot glue the other end of the string over the other marks on the cross piece lining it up with the top.

Place upright and check to make sure that the marbles line up at the same height, once you are satisfied with that, glue another stick over the strings.

To use, pull back on one marble and release, as it hits the second one the kinetic energy is transferred, and it stops while the next one moves to hit the 3rd and it repeats over and over until the energy dies out.

How To Make A Newton's Cradle With Popsicle Sticks | 5 Sir Isaac Newton Facts

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Hands-On Activities Tagged With: elementary science, hands-on, hands-on activities, handsonhomeschooling, high school science, homeschoolscience, physics, science, Sir Isaac Newton

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