kindergarten

Growing a Seed Activity For Kindergarten Science Kids Activity

December 8, 2022 | 1 Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Growing a seed activity for kindergarten science is one of the easiest and delight science experiments with kids. Also, grab my other tips, ideas, and crafts for kindergarten on my page Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum.

A seed activity for kindergarten is a great way to introduce your child to life science.

For this science experiment, I wanted to keep it simple while also letting the kids fully see the seed as it sprouts.

Too, by not being hampered by soil or being tucked inside a paper towel your kids will be amazed at the growing stages.

Growing a Seed Activity For Kindergarten Science Kids Activity

For this seed experiment we are going to investigate if seeds need darkness to sprout.

Begin by explaining that seeds need the proper temperature, moisture, air, and light conditions to germinate.

But they do not require being covered in soil.

Let’s investigate if the light or dark makes a difference.

You can keep activities simple and still learn so much by investigating life around you with your child.

A Seed is Sleepy Activity

In addition, I based this experiment off the book A Seed is Sleepy.

Aa beautiful picture book that is a great science reference book for preschoolers to middle elementary students.

The illustrations are rich and the snippets of information it provides give a lot of great information for young learners.

Also, below you will see a list of some other books you can use as well

Books About Seeds for Kids Science

Even picture books can be used with older learners.

5 Fun Books About Seeds

Children of all ages love activities about seeds. Add a few of these books to your learning day or use as a unit study.

A Seed Is Sleepy: (Nature Books for Kids)

This gorgeous book from award winning artist Sylvia Long and author Dianna Hutts Aston offers children a beautiful and informative look at the intricate, complex, and often surprising world of seeds. Poetic in voice and elegant in design, the book introduces children to a fascinating array of seed and plant facts, making it perfect reading material at home or in the classroom.

Seeds Move!

Every seed, big or small, needs sunlight, water, and an uncrowded place to put down roots. But how do seeds get to the perfect place to grow?

A Seed is the Start

Meet seeds that pop, hop, creep, and explode in this vividly illustrated introduction to the simplest concepts of botany.

From Seed to Plant

With simple language and bright illustrations, non-fiction master Gail Gibbons introduces young readers to the processes of pollination, seed formation, and germination.

Go Seed, Grow!

Through wind, drought, fire, and water, a seed can be one of the most tenacious miracles on the planet. A seed is life, and life always finds a way. Follow how a seed magically beats the odds time and time again, to transform the world.

Then, look at more seed activities here or choose several and make it a great seed unit study.

Hands-on Seed Activities

Make Wildflower Seed Bombs to plant.
Plant a small container with one or two seeds and track the plant’s growth once it bursts out of the soil.
Learn How to Easily Make Fun Seed Tape With Kids.
Check out this tutorial on How to Make a Fun Kids Root Viewer.
Have a Green Bean Investigation.
Figure out How to Easily Garden Plan With Kids Using LEGO to plot it out.
Look at Easy Seed and Gardening Unit Study for Kids to get some more ideas.
Buy several packages of inexpensive seeds and let your child sort, compare, and investigate them. Research the types by looking in books or online to find out what each seed will become.
Another similar experiment to this one is testing what temperature seeds like best to grow in is found at What Temperature Do Seeds Like Best and
Try out the Do Seeds Need Their Coat Experiment.

You can also use the book to investigate other types of seeds besides fruit and vegetables.

Go on a nature walk and collect pinecones, acorns, seed pods, and flowers to investigate.

More Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum

Look at these other resources.

Then, look below at how to do this easy science activity.

Before you begin the experiment, have your child make a hypothesis as to what they think will happen?

Will both sprout? Which will sprout faster?

If they can, write down their answers so they have the opportunity to see their words in print.

Let your child do as much of this as possible so they have ownership in the experiment.

Help your child create a small booklet by stapling together half sheets of paper.

For example, staple down one side to bind to record the different steps in the experiment with words or just their drawings.

Explain that you want to try and keep everything the same in the experiment except for the one thing which is light and dark so that your results are accurate.

Easy Grow a Seed Activity

You will need:

Seeds (radishes are a quick sprouting seed)
2 containers
Black paper
Paper towels
Water

Directions:

Grab two of the same containers, whatever you have laying around will work, cleaned out yogurt containers, paper cups, etc.

Then, fold a paper towel so that it is small enough to fit in the bottom.

Soak the paper towel and place a few seeds on each damp paper towel in your cup.

Cover one cup completely with black construction paper.

Next, place both in a sunny window. Explain that you want to keep everything the same except for one.

Check both every 24 hours.

Usually at this time they are completely or almost dried out so you will need to rewet the paper towels. Take care not to disturb the seeds.

Here is what our experiment looked like at the start.

After 24 hours, there was really no difference yet in either cup.

At 48 hours we could see a tiny sprout bursting out of the seeds which were covered with the dark paper but nothing on the one exposed to light.

After 72 hours there is an obvious sprout from several seeds in the dark cup.

Also, at this point we noticed that one of the seeds in the cup which was covered finally started to germinate but just a tiny bit.

Look how much has happened with the covered seeds after just 3 days.

It’s clear that seeds need the darkness to sprout.

After the experiment is done you can transplant your seedlings to soil for planting in the garden once they are large enough.

Native American Activities For Kindergarten Create A Fun Cradleboard Craft

November 28, 2022 | 1 Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

For Native American activities for kindergarten, I have a cute cradleboard craft. Grab my other tips, ideas, and crafts for kindergarten on my page Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum.

Also, there are many amazing and beautiful inventions that we still use today that originally came from the Native Americans.

For example, rubber, raised bed gardening, snow goggles, cable suspension bridges, baby bottles, hammocks, and countless medicinal things.

Native American Activities For Kindergarten Create A Fun Cradleboard Craft

But long before Columbus set foot on land, Native Americans made and used cradleboards.

Native Americans would carry babies long and short distances.

And they could also be hung from hooks or a tree to keep babies safe and close while mom worked.

Native American Cradleboard

Cradleboards were made of woven fibers or wood, painted, beaded, and braided

Additionally, Northern Plains, Eastern Woodlands, and Southwestern tribes used them.

Too, cradleboards would be decorated to show their love and happiness for the arrival of a new member of their tribe.

Children would spend from birth to up to 2 years being carried in a cradleboard.

Often, they added things to the cradleboard like with fur to keep babies warm in cold climates.

Fabric was hung from the top to shade the babies.

Additionally, dangling items like bead strings and dream catchers would be added as baby toys to keep them busy.

Native American Hands-on Activities

Also, look at some more Native American hands-on activities.

Native American Crafts for Kindergarten How to Make a Kids Pinch Pot
Create and play this Native American Stick Game.
Build a Wigwam with this How to Make a Wigwam Craft for a Fun Native American Unit Study.
Free Native American Plains Indians Fun Lapbook for Kids (& resources)
Fashion a Popsicle Stick Teepee for a cute and simple art project.
“Grow” your own colorful corn –Geronimo Stilton Field Trip to Niagara Falls Summary And Fun Corn Craft.
100 BEST Hands-on Free Native American Resources

Many of these hands-on ideas can be done with multiple ages.

Too, there are enough ideas here that you can create a fun Native American Unit Study.

More Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum

Look at these other resources.

However, you’ll want to add some fun books.

Native American Books

5 Native American Books And Fun Figures

Use these books to add reading to a unit study or to enhance your study for the day.

The Rough-Face Girl

From Algonquin Indian folklore comes a powerful, haunting rendition of Cinderella.

Children of the Longhouse

When Ohkwa'ri overhears a group of older boys planning a raid on a neighboring village, he immediately tells his Mohawk elders. He has done the right thing—but he has also made enemies.

Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story

Told in lively and powerful verse by debut author Kevin Noble Maillard, Fry Bread is an evocative depiction of a modern Native American family.

The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush

In spring, the hills and meadows of Texas and Wyoming are ablaze with the reds, oranges, and yellows of the Indian Paintbrush. How this striking plant received its name is told in an old Indian legend.

Many years ago, when the People traveled the Plains, a young Indian boy had a Dream-Vision in which it was revealed that one day he would create a painting that was as pure as the colors of the evening sky at sunset.

The Earth under Sky Bear's Feet: Native American Poems of the Land

Native American elders will tell you there is as much to see in the night as in the familiar light of day, and here Abenaki storyteller and American Book Award recipient Joseph Bruchac offers twelve unforgettable stories of the living earth seen from the sky.

Safari Ltd Wild West TOOB

Finally, you should add these Safari Toobs to your collection.

Safari Ltd Powhatan Indians

. They are fun to play with but also make the best addition to sensory bins and dioramas.

Finally, look at how to make this adorable cradleboard craft.

How to Make a Native American Cradleboard

First, you can make this cradleboard small enough for a Barbie doll baby or large enough to carry a bigger doll on a child’s back.

I purposefully kept the instructions general so you could customize the craft to fit any size you like.

You will need:

Corrugated cardboard
Brown packing paper
Brown paint
Crayons or markers
Twine
Small beads
The baby of your choice

To start, measure your intended doll.

Again, you want the cardboard to be slightly taller and wider than the baby.

Cut it flat along the bottom and sides and create a curved top.

Next, cut a square of brown packing paper twice the height and width of the cardboard. In fact, this is going to be “hidden” to create the pocket for the baby.

Native American Activities For Kindergarten

Furthermore, encourage your child to ball it up and crinkle it as much as possible to age it. Then, open it and crinkle it again.

To add a bit more distress to it, you can wipe on some watered down brown paint and then wipe the excess off with a paper towel.

Trim your paper so that it looks roughly like this, matching the curve of the top of the cardboard.

Fold up from the bottom and the sides inward to make it the same size as the cardboard base.

Now it’s time to let your child decorate the hide with crayons or markers with symbols.

The Native Americans often told stories with their artwork. Glue paper to cardboard.

Fold up the bottom and sides and glue them all into place. Let your child do it on their own or use hot glue so it dries much faster.

Flip over the cradleboard and glue on straps using twine for rope.

Add a few beads to a length of twine for decoration and then glue to the cradleboard.

Here is this one on a doll. It’s a little big but would be perfect for a Barbie sized doll.

Rainforest Science Activities For Kindergarten Amazing and Fun Living Terrarium

November 26, 2022 | 1 Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

If you’re looking for rainforest science activities for kindergarten, you’ll love this living terrarium craft. Look for my other kindergarten tips and crafts on my page Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum. Also, look at my pages Rain Forest – Amazon and Rainforest Activities for Kids.

Are you learning all about the beautiful and fascinating rainforest habitat?

You can have your child make a diorama the old-fashioned way or try something new and end up with a beautiful living decor piece.

Rainforest Science Activities For Kindergarten Amazing and Fun Living Terrarium

This living rainforest diorama terrarium can be a great hands-on way to teach your child about the animals and plants of the rainforest and a lesson on self-sustaining environments.

This mini ecosystem becomes a self-sustaining environment with living plants once the lid is closed.

And it is a beautiful addition to your homeschool or living room. Add this idea to your rainforest science activities for kindergarten.

Nature Book

Also, I wanted to share this beautiful resource I found with you that is perfect for adding some botany into your studies.

Botanicum is an oversized book which has gorgeous illustrations that look like vintage museum prints.

There is a good section with information on rainforests including tropical trees and plants

Also, beautiful, detailed pictures that are great for tracing or using as inspiration to draw your own.

Also, here are some rainforest facts.

Rainforest Facts

The Amazon Rainforest is the largest tropical rainforest.
In addition, there are two types of rainforests- tropical and temperate.
The average temperature in the rainforest is 82℉.
6% of the earth is covered by rainforests.
More than ⅔ of the world’s plant and animal species live here.
It can take all the way up to 10 minutes for a raindrop to fall to the ground because of the thick canopy cover of the trees that slows it down.
25% of medicines in production come from the rainforest regions.
The rainforest contains over two million types of insects!
Most animals and plants live in the canopy area of the rainforest.

And the rainforest is made up of 4 different layers:

The dark, damp Forest floor.
The Understory, the part that makes up the shorter tree space between the canopy and the forest floor.
The Canopy, the lush thicker tree filled area where most animals live.
The Emergent Layer, the thick treetops that stretch up into the open air.

Other Kindergarten Resources

Too, be sure to not miss these other homeschool kindergarten resources.

Additionally, you love some more rainforest activities.

You’ll love all the Amazon Rainforest resources.

More Amazon Rainforest Activities

19 Fun Hands-on Rainforest Activities for Kindergarten
Rainforest Crafts for Kindergarten: Make an Easy Paper Plate Monkey
3 Free and Amazing Amazon Rainforest Lapbooks for Kids
These slithering Paper Chain Pythons.
The Ultimate Guide to the Flora and Fauna of the Amazon Rain Forest
An adorable Paper plate Sloth.
Plants and Animals in the Tropical Rainforest cards make a great resource.
Fun Pineapple Candle
100+ Best and Free Tropical Amazon Rainforest Educators Resources

Now, let’s dive into making this amazing living terrarium.

How to Make a Rainforest Living Terrarium

First, you will need the following items.

Potting soil
A large sealing glass jar, a gallon size is perfect.

Small succulents-real or faux
Other small tropical plants
Small rocks or pebbles
Rainforest animals

Moss. I used dried moss from Dollar Tree and you can include live moss on the forest floor if you have some.
Sticks or small limbs from the yard
Hot glue gun/glue sticks
White labels

Then, here are the directions.

Add a 1” -2” layer of small rocks or pebbles carefully to the bottom of the jar, this will help with drainage.

Next, place 2” of potting soil on top of the rocks.

Before planting the succulents spritz them well with water or give them a good dunk under water.

Now you can use real or fake succulents if you don’t want to keep up with watering but the care for succulents is minimal.

And once established, they need little care.

Plant your succulents and spread around the jar. We used a mix of real and fake succulents to fill the space.

Now to create the tall full lush trees we used some sticks we gathered from the yard.

Break them down to size so that they fit a couple inches below the lid once pressed into the dirt.

Make your trees by putting hot glue all around on the top of the stick.

Then, roll it around and press it into the moss.

Rainforest Science Activities For Kindergarten

You may repeat this step to fill in your tree as full as you would like.

Don’t forget to add some to your lower branches if your tree has them.

Once the glue has hardened you can press them down into the soil and rocks.

Finally, add in some rainforest creatures to live in your habitat.

Additionally, these toob animals come in handy for so many projects. Try to spread them out among the 4 different layers.

Spritz everything well and close up the lid.

Now your habitat is also a fantastic demonstration on the water cycle as moisture will form on the inside and on the plants.

That moisture will drip down and water the soil.

The cycle will repeat itself over and over. It is good to open the lid once a month for a few minutes and allow the plants to get fresh air.

Now, to learn a bit about the 4 layers -use a white label to write the 4 layers that make up the rainforest- The Emergent Layer, Canopy, Understory and Forest floor.

Have your child place them in the correct place on the side of the jar to label each one.

Your terrarium just needs indirect sunlight and do not place directly in the sun.

Egypt Crafts For Kindergarten Create a Fun Kid Sized Mummy

November 17, 2022 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

If you’re looking for Egypt crafts for kindergarten, you’ll love this kid sized mummy. Grab my other craft ideas on my kindergarten homeschool curriculum page.

Here is a fun hands-on way to teach younger children about Egyptian mummies.

This activity literally puts them in the middle of it and they are able to complete it mostly on their own from start to finish.

Egypt Crafts For Kindergarten Create a Fun Kid Sized Mummy

Those types of activities have a lot of value for learning as well as enjoyment.

Also, add in a few Ancient Egypt activities to make your day a fun learning day.

More Egyptian Crafts for Kindergarten

Apple Mummies teach the drying process of mummification.
Learn about another step in the mummification process and make Canopic Jars
Make a beautiful Cleopatra Collar and Cuffs to wear.
Continue learning about mummies with these adorable Mummy Rocks.
These Pipe Cleaner Wrapped Mummies would also make great pointers for new readers.
Ancient Egypt for Kids from Homeschool Pop is about 7 minutes long.

Make a fun mini sensory bin to explore more.

I have some great figures below that would go perfectly with this activity.

Then, below are some facts for you to share with your eager learner.

Fun Egyptian Facts

What is a mummy? The body of a person that has been preserved after death.
Why did Egyptians make mummies? They believed that preserved bodies could be used in the afterlife.
Was everyone made into a mummy? No, just those who were rich and could afford it.
Who did Egyptians believe was the god of mummification? Anubis with a human body and the head of a jackal was the god of mummification.
Were mummies buried with anything else? Yes. Often they were often buried with personal items, games, food, and more so they could use them in the afterlife.
Where were the mummies placed? In a Sarcophagus, which is an elaborate stone coffin.
Do people still make mummies today? Mummification is not very common but there are a few places that still practice it like Papua New Guinea.

Also, add in more kindergarten learning ideas below.

Other Tips and Crafts for Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum

Finally, look at these hands-on ideas.

Ancient Egypt Toobs are perfect for sensory bins.
And how fun is this excavation dig for finding ancient treasures?
Who Was King Tut from the Who Was Series can make for great reading aloud for a younger child instead of a textbook.
Unwrap a mummy with the Inside out Egyptian Mummy book.
Excavation Dig Kit for Kids Egyptian Mummy
Who Was King Tut?
Inside Out Egyptian Mummy: Unwrap an Egyptian mummy layer by layer!

In addition, you can grab a roll of shipping paper at Dollar Tree (well the $1.25 Tree now) as well as a 4 pack of toilet paper and the paper plates to complete this project with plenty left over to spare for other crafts.

All three come in handy for many things so it is totally worth the few dollars investment to have them on hand.

How to Make a Kid Sized Mummy

You will need:

An excited little learner
Brown roll of paper
Toilet paper, crepe paper, or torn copy paper
2 paper plates
Gold paint
Scissors
Markers

Roll out your brown paper as long as your child and trace around them with pencil.

If you have more than one child you might let them take turns tracing one another.

Darken the lines with a black sharpie marker so that it is easier to cut around the lines later on.

Have your child brush glue all over one section of the outline.

It’s okay if they go over the lines, this will be cut out later.

Have them press pieces of toilet paper all over the glue, pressing in well.

Tear off different lengths of squares from 1 piece to longer strings of 5 or 6 with your child to cover different areas.

Again don’t worry if it overlaps the outline.

Repeat the glue and papering process until it is completely covered.

They can put on one layer or more, just keep adding glue.

Allow your “wrapped” mummy to dry.

While you are waiting for it to dry completely, cut the center out of one paper plate and cut out the curved strips of the ruffled edges.

Paint one paper plate gold all over as well as the two strips you made.

Let the gold paint dry.

When dry, have your child draw on the death mask details with a marker or paint pen.

Add the two strips underneath the sides of the full plate and let them hang down, glue in place.

Cut out your completely dried mummy or let your child cut it out on their own.

Apply a mask over mummy’s face.

Your child’s mummy is all ready to go on display.

Pond Life for Kindergarten Activity Build a Fun Beaver Dam

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

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

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

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

Pond Life for Kindergarten Activity Build a Fun Beaver Dam

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

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

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

Beaver Facts for Kids

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

Pond Life Activities

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

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

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

Also, grab letter tiles you have on hand,

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

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

For this one you could use:

Pond
Beaver
Fish
Turtle
Dam
Water
Frog

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

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

Books About Pond Life

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

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

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

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

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

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

Beaver Videos

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

How to Build a Beaver Dam Activity

Gather:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

kindergarten

A Seed is Sleepy Activity

Books About Seeds for Kids Science

Hands-on Seed Activities

More Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum

Easy Grow a Seed Activity

Native American Cradleboard

Native American Hands-on Activities

More Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum

Native American Books

How to Make a Native American Cradleboard

You will need:

Native American Activities For Kindergarten

Nature Book

Rainforest Facts

Other Kindergarten Resources

More Amazon Rainforest Activities

How to Make a Rainforest Living Terrarium

Rainforest Science Activities For Kindergarten

More Egyptian Crafts for Kindergarten

Fun Egyptian Facts

Other Tips and Crafts for Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum

How to Make a Kid Sized Mummy

Beaver Facts for Kids

Pond Life Activities

Books About Pond Life

Beaver Videos

How to Build a Beaver Dam Activity

Other Tips and Crafts for Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum

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