• Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Activity, Change, Progress

  • HOME
  • How to
    • Preschool
    • Kindergarten
    • Elementary
      • Geronimo Stilton Books
    • Middle School
    • High School
      • Science 
  • Planner
  • Lapbooks
    • Trioramas
    • History Games
    • LEGO
  • Shop
  • GET STARTED NOW!
    • Learning Styles
  • 7 Step Planner
    • Free Student Planner
    • Free Home Binder
  • Unit Studies
    • Creation to Ancients
      • Mesopotamia
    • Middle Ages to Reform
    • Exploring to Revolution
    • World Wars to Today
    • Science
  • Curriculum
    • More Unit Studies
    • Geography
    • Writing PreK to 12th
    • Free Art Curriculum
  • BootCamp
    • Resources
      • Ultimate Unit Study Planner

life science

Cutest Ever Egg Carton Sea Turtle Craft and Learning Activities for Kids

March 25, 2023 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have a fun egg carton sea turtle craft. Add my fun From Egg to Sea Turtle Nature Unit Study & Lapbook to make it for multiple ages.

I love taking trash and turning it into a treasure. And this was a really fun way to do it.

Create the cutest little sea turtles to put together a lesson that would be perfect for preschool or kindergarten.

Cutest Ever Egg Carton Sea Turtle Craft and Learning Activities for Kids

Pair it with a book and a couple of fun activities and you have a wonderful lesson without a textbook or worksheet in sight.

Grab a copy of Ocean Anatomy to dive into learning a little about sea turtles with your little one while you work together on this sweet egg carton sea turtle craft.

This book in a series by Julia Rothman covers a lot of ocean topics including sea turtles, seaweed, the food chain, ocean currents, and many of the other animals that make their home there.

5 Fun Facts about Sea Turtles

  1. There are 7 different species of marine turtles – Flatback, Green, Hawksbill, Loggerhead, Leatherback, Olive ridley, and Kemp’s ridley.
  2. The record for the largest marine turtle recorded goes to a leatherback that was found ashore measuring 8.2 feet long and 8.2 feet from flipper to flipper and weighing almost 2000 pounds.
  3. Unlike other kinds of turtles, sea turtles cannot retract their flippers and head into their shells.
  4. Nest temperatures determine the sex of sea turtle hatchlings. Warmer temperatures will produce more females while cooler will produce more males.
  5. Sea Turtles can live to be about 100 years old.
Cutest Ever Egg Carton Sea Turtle Craft and Learning Activities for Kids

Next, add some books and resources.

Sea Turtle Books For Fun Egg Carton Sea Turtles

Like I mentioned Ocean Anatomy is a must-have book for studying the wonderous ocean, look at the beautiful illustrations.

While it is not super in-depth it covers so much of the ocean in general and gives a great page on sea turtle Identification, some facts, and labeling of the parts of a sea turtle.

10 Sea Turtle Resources

Add some books about sea turtles and hands-on resources to your lesson or unit study to bring it to life.

Image for Sea Turtles

Sea Turtles

Sea turtles are fascinating. Hatched from eggs smaller than a baseball, some can grow to weigh over a thousand pounds. Once adults, they can live to be around 100 years old. And when it's time to nest, they migrate more than 1,000 miles. With colorful, clear illustrations and straightforward text, Gail Gibbons introduces the eight kinds of sea turtles living in the ocean today. Learn the similarities and differences with labeled diagrams and experience the hatching of the tiny turtle babies with detailed illustrations. This updated edition now includes the most up-to-date information about these beloved reptiles, as reviewed by an expert vetter in the field of herpetology.

Image for I'll Follow the Moon

I'll Follow the Moon

Celebrating the love between mother and child comes an achingly beautiful story that has captured hearts around the world. Written by a new mom, by accident, when she sang a little song to her fussing newborn, I'll Follow the Moon proudly donates proceeds to charity: every book saves a turtle.

Image for Ocean Anatomy: The Curious Parts & Pieces of the World under the Sea

Ocean Anatomy: The Curious Parts & Pieces of the World under the Sea

Follow Rothman’s inquisitive mind and perceptive eye along shorelines, across the open ocean, and below the waves for an artistic exploration of the watery universe. Through her drawings, discover how the world’s oceans formed, why the sea is salty, and the forces behind oceanic phenomena such as rogue waves. Colorful anatomical profiles of sea creatures from crustacean to cetacean, surveys of seafaring vessels and lighthouses, and the impact of plastic and warming water temperatures are just part of this compendium of curiosities that will entertain and educate readers of all ages. 

Image for National Geographic Readers: Sea Turtles

National Geographic Readers: Sea Turtles

Who could resist celebrating sea turtles? They may seem like lazy ocean reptiles drifting with the oceans’ currents, but they are actually long-distance swimmers that spend their entire lives searching for food and a mate. What’s more, they come with their own built-in GPS, returning to the exact beach where they were born to lay their own eggs. Kids will learn all about these tranquil and mysterious animals through brilliant photography and illustrations, plus the trusted and distinctive content you love from NG Kids!

Image for Tammy Turtle: A Tale of Saving Sea Turtles

Tammy Turtle: A Tale of Saving Sea Turtles

A book that tells how turtles survive with the help of protection programs.

Image for Our Sea Turtles: A Practical Guide for the Atlantic and Gulf, from Canada to Mexico

Our Sea Turtles: A Practical Guide for the Atlantic and Gulf, from Canada to Mexico

The book's pithy, well-organized sections are lavishly illustrated. It is a guide for anyone who is the least bit curious about these fascinating marine animals. Bite-sized installments harmonize with multiple images on each page to make this book a unique and entertaining resource. The story it tells covers understanding, experiencing, and saving our sea turtles, with descriptions of how these endangered animals contribute to our happiness and why they deserve a helping hand.

Image for Sea Turtle Scientist (Scientists in the Field)

Sea Turtle Scientist (Scientists in the Field)

The mother turtle has a vital job to do: dig a nest in which she will lay eggs that will hatch into part of the next generation of leatherbacks. With only one in a thousand of the eggs for this critically endangered species resulting in an adult sea turtle, the odds are stacked against her and her offspring. 

Image for 4 PCS Sea Turtle Life Cycle

4 PCS Sea Turtle Life Cycle

Children can see how animals change and grow. Realistic detail showing a different stage in the development of animals.

Uniquely molded textures and richly painted details bring them to life and help inspire creativity for kids.

It is a great way to expand the growth with children through physical science.

Image for Follow the Moon Home

Follow the Moon Home

A triumphant story of environmental activism, community, and friendship: Acclaimed activist Philippe Cousteau and renowned author Deborah Hopkinson team up to offer a story of the powerful difference young people can make in the world. Meet Viv, who has a new home and a new school by the sea and follow her as she finds her way in a new place and helps bring together a whole community to save the sea turtles of the South Carolina coast.

Image for The Life Cycle of a Sea Turtle

The Life Cycle of a Sea Turtle

Describes the life cycle of sea turtles discussing reproduction, birth, and adult life.

Next, add some fun hands-on sea turtle activities.

Sea Turtle Hands-On Activity Ideas

  • Grab a life cycle set to help your child get a grasp on the various stages of life sea turtles go through. They can be added to a science table or sensory bin or used with a life cycle worksheet.
  • Paint a picture of sea turtles with watercolors, acrylics. Use chalk pastels or some medium you have never tried before using a book or photo from Google for inspiration.
  • Use a mixed collection of land and water turtles to compare their differences and encourage your child to sort and make a pile of each. What is the difference between their feet (or flippers?) What about the difference between sea turtles and aquatic turtles that live in freshwater?
  • Include the whole family with my free From Egg to Sea Turtle Nature Unit Study and Lapbook.
  • Visit a local aquarium if you live near one and spend some time at the sea turtle tank observing their behavior, learning what type they are, and learning about these beautiful creatures.
  • Use play dough to help your child recreate the Sea Turtles Life Cycle Craft.
  • You could also add plastic sea turtles into this Fun Making Ocean Layers Soap activity to cover even more ocean topics.
  • Finally, replace the shark in this Fun Aquarium Jar Craft with a plastic sea turtle to match with the theme.
Cutest Ever Egg Carton Sea Turtle Craft and Learning Activities for Kids

Next, make this fun hands on sea turtle craft.

How to Make an Egg Carton Sea Turtle

You will need:

  • Cardboard egg carton
  • Green pom poms
  • Google eyes
  • Green construction paper or craft foam
  • School glue
  • Green paint
  • Paintbrush
Cutest Ever Egg Carton Sea Turtle Craft and Learning Activities for Kids

Directions:

Cut out individual cups from a cardboard egg carton and cut one for each turtle you want to make.

Cutest Ever Egg Carton Sea Turtle Craft and Learning Activities for Kids

Paint the entire cup green and set aside to dry.

Cutest Ever Egg Carton Sea Turtle Craft and Learning Activities for Kids

Glue googly eyes to a green pom pom and then attach it to the body with glue as well.

Cutest Ever Egg Carton Sea Turtle Craft and Learning Activities for Kids

Cut 4 flippers from green construction paper or craft foam.

It is basically just a long crescent shape.

Cutest Ever Egg Carton Sea Turtle Craft and Learning Activities for Kids

I recommend you draw 1 and let your child cut all 4 out at once by folding the paper into quarters before trimming.

Cutest Ever Egg Carton Sea Turtle Craft and Learning Activities for Kids

Attach flippers to the underside of the egg cup with glue and allow to dry.

Cutest Ever Egg Carton Sea Turtle Craft and Learning Activities for Kids

Add a little sand and you have all the makings for a lesson on how baby sea turtles find their way from the nest to the sea.

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

Facts About Wildflowers And a Fun Felt Texas Bluebonnet Craft

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

I have some facts about wildflowers and a fun felt Texas bluebonnet craft. You’ll also love my Wildflowers Unit Study.

Spring is very nearly here; can you feel it?

It is officially just a few days away and already things are blooming, birds are nesting, days are getting longer, and spring fever is taking hold.

Facts About Wildflowers And a Fun Felt Texas Bluebonnet Craft

One of my favorite things about spring is the beautiful abundance of wildflowers.

You can find them alongside streams, on hillsides, at the edge of the forest, and even on the side of the road.

Spring is the perfect time to learn many fun facts about wildflowers, investigate their uses and benefits to their ecosystems, learn state flowers, and more.

Today we are going to learn some of those facts and create beautiful felt Texas Bluebonnets which is the state flower for Texas.

This project is easy, pretty inexpensive and free if you have these basic supplies on hand.

It makes adorable addition to your spring decor.

They would also be a great craft to go along with a unit study about Texas.

10 Wonderful And Fun Facts About Wildflowers

  1. Wildflowers are important because they support ecosystems and pollinators which is good for us and our food supply.
  2. Texas Bluebonnets are the official state flower of Texas.
  3. Wildflowers have several different meanings like happiness, joy, and remembrance.
  4. A wildflower is called that because it is a flower that grows in the wild, and it was not intentionally seeded or planted.
  5. A group of wildflowers is called a bloom. A super bloom is a rare desert botanical phenomenon where an unusually high amount of wildflowers whose seeds have lain dormant in desert soil blossom at about the same time.
  6. Bluebonnets are typically (obviously) blue but occasionally you’ll come across them in light blue, white or pink, due to genetic mutations.
  7. The name dandelion comes from the French- dent de lion (tooth of the lion ) for its  jagged toothed shaped leaves.  A coffee substitute can be made from the roasted and ground roots of dandelions.
  8. Many wildflowers, from the petals to the roots, are used for medicines, tinctures, salves, teas, and beauty products.
  9. Most wildflowers contain 4 basic parts – sepals, petals, pistils, and stamens.
  10. The two most common wildflowers are the common sunflower, Helianthus annuus, and the Black-eyed Susan, Rudbeckia hirta).

Next, add some of these books for your wildflower unit study.

10 Wildflower Books & Resources For Kids Who Love to Read and Be Read To

Spring is especially a good time to learn about wildflowers but you can learn about them anytime. Add a few of these hands-on resources and books and you'll have a fun multiple ages unit study for your homeschooled kids.

Image for Botanicum: Welcome to the Museum

Botanicum: Welcome to the Museum

Botanicum, is a brilliantly 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.

Image for National Geographic Pocket Guide to Wildflowers of North America

National Geographic Pocket Guide to Wildflowers of North America

With this basic beginner's field guide to North American wildflowers, all who enjoy nature and the outdoors can identify common wildflowers, from backyard weeds to dainty forest blossoms. In a logical, user-friendly, highly visual format, this new title offers key facts about 160 of the most common wildflowers and weeds, coast to coast, including Canada and Alaska.

Image for Wildcraft! an Herbal Adventure Game for Kids

Wildcraft! an Herbal Adventure Game for Kids

Unlike many kids games 4 and up that turn out to be too confusing for children, Wildcraft! An Herbal Adventure Game, is a fun, strategic challenge that’s also easy to follow– NO READING REQUIRED. Because our learning board games feature clear illustrations and matching icons, even younger kids will learn what the different plants look like and can be used for. It’s the perfect fun game for family game night with kids, and ideal for beginners – no prior plant knowledge necessary!

Image for Wildflower Seeds: Bulk Mix of 21 Varieties

Wildflower Seeds: Bulk Mix of 21 Varieties

Wide Variety Of Flower Seeds: Our wildflower seeds will provide you with a vibrant selection of flowers in your garden. You will get 21 different varieties of annual seeds including Black Eyed Susans, California Bluebells, African Daisies and more.

Image for Wildflower Bingo Game

Wildflower Bingo Game

Do you know which flower got its name from its resemblance to the sombrero? What is the species of the bluebonnet? Lot of facts about North American wildflowers in this game.

Image for Wildflowers, Blooms & Blossoms (Take Along Guides)

Wildflowers, Blooms & Blossoms (Take Along Guides)

An introduction to the world of insects, caterpillars, and butterflies including identification information, educational activities, and fun facts.Invites young naturalists to spot wildlife. Safety tips are provided and interesting activities are suggested. 

Image for Ultimate Explorer Field Guide: Wildflowers

Ultimate Explorer Field Guide: Wildflowers

What do you call a garden filled with lots of flowers? A polli-nation! Nat Geo Kids is back with the newest fact- and photo-filled Ultimate Explorer Field Guide, and this one packs some real flower power! This guide to wildflowers will make kids stop and look for all kinds of blossoms blooming right under their noses. From buttercups to bladderworts, primroses to pitcher plants, kids will learn how, where, and when to spot these wildflowers in their backyard, down the street, or all over town! Jam-packed with tons of info, interactive prompts, tips for budding botanists, super stats, and jokes--it's the perfect companion for exploring the backyard or field trips, camping, or vacation. Durable and portable, it's just right for your pocket or backpack!

Image for Wild Flowers of North America (Science Nature Guides)

Wild Flowers of North America (Science Nature Guides)

Did you know that wild plants are still used for food, for medicines, and as dyes? Many of the plants growing in urban areas, in woods and by the side of roads are useful as well as being pretty. Other plants have small and less obvious how many have you seen and not realized that they were flowers? This book will show you the most common wild flowers and where you are most likely to find them. A nature guide designed for elementary grades 2-3, the book includes more than 20 easy-to-do science projects.

Image for Miss Lady Bird's Wildflowers: How a First Lady Changed America

Miss Lady Bird's Wildflowers: How a First Lady Changed America

In this warm, engaging look at the life of a great First Lady, Kathi Appelt tells the story behind Lady Bird Johnson's environmental vision. Joy Fisher Hein's colorful wildflowers burst from every page, inviting us to share in Lady Bird's love for natural beauty. 

From a lonely childhood in the Piney Woods of East Texas to an exciting life in the White House, Lady Bird Johnson loved wildflowers with all her heart. They were her companions in her youth, greeting her everywhere as she explored wild forests, bayous, and hills. 

Image for Wild Flowers of North America: Botanical Illustrations by Mary Vaux Walcott

Wild Flowers of North America: Botanical Illustrations by Mary Vaux Walcott

Published in association with the Smithsonian Institution. What does it take to paint a wildflower that blooms for a single day in a deep forest? For Mary Vaux Walcott, it involved spending up to seventeen hours a day out of doors with her paintbox to capture the shape, movement, and colors of delicate petals and leaves.

Hands on Ideas for Facts About Wildflowers

  •  Be sure to grab my Free Wildflowers Unit Study and Lapbook.
  • Learn How to Make Wildflower Seed Bombs
  •  Learn How to Easily Make a Simple and Fun Kids DIY Flower Press
  • Younger children will love this Nature Walk Cardboard Vase Activity for collecting wildflowers as they find them.
  • Plant a massive bed of wildflowers and learn about them in your own backyard.
  • Hands-On Mixed Media Flower Art Fun Nature Study

Then, add a fun felt wildflower like a Texas Bluebonnet to your list of activities.

Facts About Wildflowers And a Fun Felt Texas Bluebonnet Craft

You probably have most of these items at your house already.

How to Make a Texas Bluebonnet Wildflower Craft

You will need:

  • White craft felt
  • Blue craft felt
  • Hot glue gun/Glue sticks
  • Wooden Skewers
  • Green markers/paint
  • Scissors
Facts About Wildflowers And a Fun Felt Texas Bluebonnet Craft

Directions:

Paint or color skewers green and set aside to dry.

You could also use craft sticks or even pick skinny sticks out of the yard to use.

Facts About Wildflowers And a Fun Felt Texas Bluebonnet Craft

Cut the white felt on the short end into approximately 1” strips and cut the blue felt into 1 ¼” to 1 ½” strips.

Facts About Wildflowers And a Fun Felt Texas Bluebonnet Craft

Fold the white in half lengthwise and cut notches every ⅛” to ¼” from the fold to almost the edge but not quite cutting through.

Facts About Wildflowers And a Fun Felt Texas Bluebonnet Craft

Add a bit of hot glue to the end of your green colored skewer and begin wrapping the folded white felt around the tip, maybe 3 or 4 times moving down as you go.

We used about 3” of the white piece and cut the rest off for another bluebonnet.

Facts About Wildflowers And a Fun Felt Texas Bluebonnet Craft

Secure the end with hot glue.

Facts About Wildflowers And a Fun Felt Texas Bluebonnet Craft

Fold the long length of blue in half lengthwise and repeat the process of cutting lines from the fold to the other side but not quite all the way across.

Slightly overlap the white and wrap the blue (still folded in half) around the stem continuing down adding hot glue to secure every so often. Be sure to pull and twist tightly as you go.

Repeat for as many flowers as you wish to make.

For each flower we used a 3” piece of white felt strip and the entire blue strip.

Happy Spring!

Facts About Wildflowers And a Fun Felt Texas Bluebonnet Craft

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Hands-On Activities Tagged With: bluebonnet, earth science, elementary science, felt, hands-on, hands-on activities, handsonhomeschooling, homeschoolscience, life science, science, Texas, texasunit, wildflowers

Life Cycle Of a Strawberry Facts and Fun Hand Sewn Felt Strawberry

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

I have some facts about the life cycle of a strawberry and how to make a felt hand sewn strawberry. And you’ll love my Strawberry Unit Study page.

This is a great activity not only to use while learning about the life cycle of a strawberry plant but also to work in a simple handiwork skill.

I have simplified this so even if you are not a sewer yourself it is easy for you and your child to learn together.

Life Cycle Of a Strawberry Facts and Fun Hand Sewn Felt Strawberry

The life cycle of a strawberry plant starts with seeds and germination.

Then the plants are produced and mature.

Next comes flowering, fruiting, and finally dormancy before it starts all over again in the new season.

Even if you can’t grow them on your own there are a lot of great easy to learn about strawberries and their life cycle.

Resources to Learn The Life Cycle of a Strawberry

Use these great Strawberry Notebooking Pages for Language Arts

Enjoy a fun Strawberry Unit Study.

Plant your own strawberries from seed.

There is a great illustration of the life cycle of a strawberry plant in Nature Anatomy among all the other wonderful nature study info it contains.

Taste strawberries and other berries to compare.

Ask your child to describe it with all their senses, what does it smell like, taste like, look like?

Try strawberries in other forms as well like jams or jellies, in salad dressings, etc.

Slice a strawberry in half and encourage your child to examine it, where are the seeds located? How does the center look different?

Extract Strawberry DNA for another fun hands-on science activity.

Watch this video to see a strawberry go from flower to fruit.

Life Cycle Of a Strawberry Facts and Fun Hand Sewn Felt Strawberry

Also, look at some strawberry life cycle facts.

6 Facts about The Life Cycle of a Strawberry

  1. You can harvest the seeds from strawberries by pulling them off individually with tweezers and laying them on a paper towel to dry completely. Store in a labeled envelope or baggie.
  2. Planted from seed, strawberries take around 110 days from sprouting until they start to flower.
  3. The ever-bearing types of strawberries will produce two crops, one in early summer and the second in the early fall.
  4. Strawberries have the shortest life cycle of any of the berries, taking just 60-90 days.
  5. The average strawberry has about 200 seeds on it.
  6. Strawberry plants can return year after year for about 5 to 6 years, but the berry harvest begins to decrease after 2 or 3 years.

Too, grab some of these fun resources for your strawberry unit study.

More Strawberry Resources

11 Strawberry Unit Study Resources & Books

Add one or two of these strawberry unit study resources to make your fun spring unit study come to life.

Image for 1000+ Red Strawberry Seeds for Planting

1000+ Red Strawberry Seeds for Planting

Big pack: 1000+ Non-GMO red strawberry seeds by Monique939-002..

Interesting: Whether they are spotted in your yard or as part of a tasty treat, strawberries are sure to spark attention! Liven up a fruit salad, muesli or trifle.

Image for From Seed to Strawberry

From Seed to Strawberry

How does a tiny seed grow into a sweet, juicy strawberry? Follow each step in the cycle from planting seeds to eating yummy strawberries in this fascinating book!

Image for Strawberry Girl

Strawberry Girl

Strawberries—big, ripe, and juicy. Ten-year-old Birdie Boyer can hardly wait to start picking them. But her family has just moved to the Florida backwoods, and they haven't even begun their planting. "Don't count your biddies 'fore they're hatched, gal young un!" her father tells her.

Image for Strawberry Night Light

Strawberry Night Light

How fun.. What an adorable gift or to use in your school area.

Image for Strawberry Shortcake

Strawberry Shortcake

Your child will quickly fall in love with this Strawberry Shortcake pillow and be excited to jump into bed. Great for playtime, naptime, or bedtime this will make the perfect gift for your loved one. 

Image for Saving Strawberry Farm

Saving Strawberry Farm

One penny.

In the hot, mean summer of 1933, a penny is enough to buy caramels or red hots or peppermint sticks or licorice strings. Is it enough to buy Miss Elsie's Strawberry Farm?

There's only one way to find out. Davey takes a deep breath and shouts, "One penny for trawberry Farm!"

Set during the Great Depression, and illustrated by Caldecott Honor artist Rachel Isadora, Saving Strawberry Farm brings Davey's Midwestern town to life as friends and neighbors plan to
save the farm the only way they can -- with a secret penny auction!

Image for Strawberry Shortcake Coloring Book Super Set/ Over 100 Stickers

Strawberry Shortcake Coloring Book Super Set/ Over 100 Stickers

Delight your Strawberry Shortcake fan with this Strawberry Shortcake Giant Coloring Book Bundle with 144 coloring pages and 50 stickers.

This giant Strawberry Shortcake sticker activity book set features Strawberry Shortcake and her friends.

Includes two premium Strawberry Shortcake coloring books filled with coloring activities and games. Includes 50 stickers!

Image for National Geographic Readers: Plants (Level 1 Co-reader)

National Geographic Readers: Plants (Level 1 Co-reader)

Adult and child readers will learn all about plants together in this new Co-reader from National Geographic Kids. Find out how plants grow as well as the different parts of plants, seeds, and flowers.

Image for The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear

The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear

Little Mouse loves strawberries, but so does the big hungry bear . . .

How will Little Mouse stop the bear from eating his freshly picked, red ripe strawberry?

This classic story is beloved for its humor, expressive illustrations, and surprise ending—pure read-aloud fun!

Image for Watch a Strawberry Grow (Bullfrog Books: Watch It Grow)

Watch a Strawberry Grow (Bullfrog Books: Watch It Grow)

In Watch a Strawberry Grow, early fluent readers learn how strawberries grow. Vibrant, full-color photos and carefully leveled text will engage young readers as they learn about how this delicious berry is grown and harvested. An infographic illustrates the life cycle of a strawberry. Children can learn more about how strawberries grow using our safe search engine that provides relevant, age-appropriate websites

Image for The Strawberry Garden

The Strawberry Garden

Grandfather Ethan planted strawberry seedlings in the garden bed, and when they grew big strawberries that were all shiny and red - everybody wanted to taste them: the cow, the crow, and even the cat. It's a good thing that the scarecrow was there to scare them away! But what happens when little Nora, the granddaughter, wants to collect the shiny red strawberries?

Life Cycle Of a Strawberry Facts and Fun Hand Sewn Felt Strawberry

Finally, how to make this hand sewn felt strawberry for a fun hands-on activity.

Simple Hand Sewn Strawberry

You will need:

  • Embroidery Floss- Yellow, red, green
  • Blunt sewing needle
  • Felt- Red and green 
  • Scissors
  • Cotton stuffing or scrap fabric for stuffing
Life Cycle Of a Strawberry Facts and Fun Hand Sewn Felt Strawberry

Directions:

Cut a half circle from the red felt.

It should be about 5” wide on the flat side is a good size for most kids to work with.

Life Cycle Of a Strawberry Facts and Fun Hand Sewn Felt Strawberry

Thread a long piece of yellow embroidery thread on the blunt needle and tie a knot in the end.

Life Cycle Of a Strawberry Facts and Fun Hand Sewn Felt Strawberry

Pierce the felt and draw the thread all the way through until it is tight.

Pierce the needle back through the other side very close to the first one. This will create tiny little seeds on your strawberry, repeat all over the piece

Life Cycle Of a Strawberry Facts and Fun Hand Sewn Felt Strawberry

The back is going to end up looking like this but that’s okay it’s going on the inside and it won’t be seen.

Life Cycle Of a Strawberry Facts and Fun Hand Sewn Felt Strawberry

Once you have enough seeds tie a knot in the yellow thread and cut off the excess.

Thread a long string of red embroidery floss onto your blunt needle.

Fold the semi-circle in half and sew along the straight edge with a  very basic stitch. Tie a knot in the end and cut off the excess.

Life Cycle Of a Strawberry Facts and Fun Hand Sewn Felt Strawberry

If you have a lot of string leftover, you can reknot it and use it to close the top.

To do this you want to run the needle in and out along the top with a straight stitch but leave these stitches loose until you have sewn all the way around.

Stuff with cotton filler or even scraps of felt.

Life Cycle Of a Strawberry Facts and Fun Hand Sewn Felt Strawberry

Pull the end of the thread tightly like a drawstring to close the top, run a few stitches through to secure.

Life Cycle Of a Strawberry Facts and Fun Hand Sewn Felt Strawberry

Cut a 4-point leaf out of the green felt.

Life Cycle Of a Strawberry Facts and Fun Hand Sewn Felt Strawberry

And enjoy all that strawberry deliciousness this spring with this fun craft.

Life Cycle Of a Strawberry Facts and Fun Hand Sewn Felt Strawberry

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

Fun Hands-On Bee Activities for Kids Make a Mason Bee Habitat

March 11, 2023 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have some fun hands-on bee activities like an easy bee habitat. Also, grab more ideas on my Honey Bees Unit Study page.

Spring brings to mind many wonderful things like flowers, butterflies, birds, and of course those wonderful little pollinators bees.

You can’t let spring go by without at least a little unit study on bees.

Fun Hands-On Bee Activities for Kids Make a Mason Bee Habitat

 I have some fantastic hands-on bee activities to try like this mason bee habitat you can make with your child to help support them and encourage pollination.

With the bee decline due to insecticides, pesticides, climate change and other harmful changes it is more important than ever that we give these important little pollinators a hand.

One way we can do this is by helping to create habitats for them to make a nest out of.

Mason bees like to lay their eggs in small openings and use mud or other resources to plug up the hole until the new bees  are ready to emerge.

5 Mason Bee Facts

  1. Unlike other types of bees every female mason bee is a solitary queen and lays eggs, raising them without worker bees or drones.
  2. Mason bees lay their eggs in natural or manmade “tunnels” with the females toward the back to protect them from predators and males up front, who emerge first.
  3. The average lifespan for a Mason Bee is just four to six weeks.
  4. There are 140 species of mason bees in North America, and they are found in orchards and gardens.
  5. Mason Bees do not produce honey and they also lack the venom found in the stinger of honeybees.
Fun Hands-On Bee Activities for Kids Make a Mason Bee Habitat

Then, add some hands-on activities.

Hands-On Bee Activities and Books

Work on this Fascinating and Fun Honey Bees Unit Study and Lapbook for Kids.

Demonstrate the life cycle of a bee with this Safari Ltd Life cycle set and then have your child recreate it with LEGO, clay, in Minecraft or by drawing it out.

Fun Hands-On Bee Activities for Kids Make a Mason Bee Habitat

Make something with beeswax like this Fun Hands-on Apothecary Salve

Further, add Labeling Parts of a Honey Bee LEGO Fun Activity For Kids.

Fun Hands-On Bee Activities for Kids Make a Mason Bee Habitat
  • Dynamic Honey Bee Lapbook for Multiple Ages

    Dynamic Honey Bee Lapbook for Multiple Ages

    $4.00
    Add to cart

Have a taste test with a few local and/or specialty honey items.

Print and go over these Fun Bee Facts for Kids.

Watch this video on beekeeping and follow up with some fun dramatic play from Dream big Little One.

Also, add some books about bees.

8 Honey Bees Unit Study Resources & Books

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

Image for Bees: A Honeyed History

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.

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

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.

Image for Flight of the Honey Bee: Read and Wonder

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.

Image for Life Cycle 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.

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

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.

Image for Farm Anatomy: The Curious Parts and Pieces of Country Life

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.

Image for The Life and Times of the Honeybee

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.

Image for The Magic School Bus Inside a Beehive

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.

How to Make a Mason Bee Habitat

Fun Hands-On Bee Activities for Kids Make a Mason Bee Habitat

You will need:

  • Clean metal can
  • Lots of paper straws
  • Scissors
  • Sandpaper
  • Paint
  • Twine
Fun Hands-On Bee Activities for Kids Make a Mason Bee Habitat

Directions:

Wash and dry a can well, we used a green bean can from last night’s dinner.

You can leave your can as is or paint it to look like a bee, a colorful flower, or also add some color with patterned duct tape.  We chose to give ours a bee-like paint job.

Before painting, rough up your can a bit by rubbing all over the outside with sandpaper this will help your paint adhere better.

Fun Hands-On Bee Activities for Kids Make a Mason Bee Habitat

Paint and allow your can to dry completely.

Fun Hands-On Bee Activities for Kids Make a Mason Bee Habitat

Grab a straw and measure the height of your can.

Then, cut one straw just under the top edge of the can. Use this as a guide and cut a bunch more straws of the same height.

Fun Hands-On Bee Activities for Kids Make a Mason Bee Habitat

Use only paper straws as plastic cannot breathe and won’t attract the bees. You can include straws of different diameters to attract a variety of bees and other insects.

Stuff the can full of paper straws so they fit tightly and completely fill the can.

Fun Hands-On Bee Activities for Kids Make a Mason Bee Habitat

Wrap twine around the top and bottom of the can and knot it tightly. Run a long piece of twine through both and leave a loop to create a hanger for your mason bee home.

Hang the bee habitat outside in a tree.

Fun Hands-On Bee Activities for Kids Make a Mason Bee Habitat

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

Fun DIY Felt Frog Dissection With Frog Insides Labeled Mess Free (Free Printables)

March 9, 2023 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

This diy felt frog dissection with frog insides labeled is tons of fun without the mess. Grab the other ideas on my Frog and Toad Amphibians page.

If you want to cover dissection with your kids but they (or you) are just too squeamish to do the real thing this felt frog is a fun change.

We are creating a frog from the inside out.

Fun DIY Felt Frog Dissection With Frog Insides Labeled Mess Free (Free Printables)

And we’re getting those frog insides labeled and sorted out a little easier with a fun and adorable diy felt dissection frog.

By performing this makeshift dissection, your child will be able to identify the major organs, tissues, and systems of the frog.

This can be a total diy.

For example, we literally googled dozens of photos and frog dissections and quickly sketched out body parts.

Also, you can add more frog body parts like ovaries, cloaca, esophagus, gullet, voice box, spine, and even a skeleton made from pipe cleaners if you’d like to go more in depth.

I love that this project is reusable over and over for lessons, quizzes, and it would even make a great activity for a co-op as well.

More Frog Study and Frog Insides Labeled Resources

 Of course, you want to include books, printouts from online, and a pair of tongs for removing and placing all the pieces.

 I think our frog looks so fun and inviting on a nice tray and appreciates the lack of mess that a real dissection makes.

11 Frog & Toad Unit Study Resources

Add a book or two or some fun hands-on resources to your unit study.

Image for The Frog (Animal Lives)

The Frog (Animal Lives)

Superbly detailed drawings capture the elusive frog in its watery realm, as it captures its prey with a sticky tongue, feeds its young, and leaps from place to place to escape from predators.

Image for Frogs and toads;

Frogs and toads;

Frogs and toads;

Image for Tale of a tadpole

Tale of a tadpole

The natural world doesn't work the way fairy tales do, but it still has its fair share of enchantments. With text and pictures that are both scientifically accurate and totally true to the comedies of family life, this is a happily-ever-after tale of unexpected transformations

Image for A Toad for Tuesday 50th Anniversary Edition

A Toad for Tuesday 50th Anniversary Edition

Just in time for its 50th anniversary, this beloved classic tale of adventure, compassion, and friendship has been remade for a new generation of young readers, including text revisions and fully colorized original illustration on the cover. A favorite chapter book is back, for read aloud or read alone.

While on a journey to visit his aunt, Warton the Toad is captured by a surly owl who announces plans to eat Warton for his birthday dinner on the upcoming Tuesday. As he awaits his fate, Warton works gamely to make his remaining days as pleasant as possible while he also seeks some way to escape and tries to convince the owl to let him go.

Naturally, Warton and Owl talk. But what the pair don't realize is how quickly even the oddest of friendships may form.

Image for Rainforest Frogs

Rainforest Frogs

Rainforest Frogs Haiku by Caley Vickerman Illustrated by Mark Lerer Foreword by Franco Andreone Designed and Edited by Susan Newman Frogs Are Green, Inc is proud to announce… Rainforest Frogs Order your copy now! Free shipping in the USA if you order directly from us! $11.95 | 52 pages softcover | Full color Rainforest Frogs profiles ten exotic and endangered amphibian species. Table of Contents Foreword by Franco Andreone Blue Poison Dart frog Amazon Milk frog Yellow-Banded Poison Dart frog Northern Glass frog Tiger’s Tree frog Golden Mantella Red-Eyed Tree frog Flat-Head Bromeliad Tree frog Tiger-Leg Monkey Tree frog Rabbs Fringe-Limbed Tree frog (Toughie)

Image for Frog (Life Cycle of a . . .)

Frog (Life Cycle of a . . .)

Do tadpoles have legs? Why do frogs live in water? How do frogs catch food? Explaining concepts through stunning photographs and simple text, 'Life Cycle of a Frog' takes an in-depth look at this familiar but fascinating animal.

Image for Climbing Tree Frogs (Pull Ahead Books)

Climbing Tree Frogs (Pull Ahead Books)

Introduces the physical characteristics, behavior, and habitats of North American tree frogs

Image for Frogs

Frogs

How far can frogs jump? Why do their eggs look slimy? Answer these questions and many more in this illustrated introduction to amphibians, and learn about the unique role frogs play in the environment. With her signature bright, well-labeled diagrams and simple text, Gail Gibbons introduces the habitat and life cycles of frogs, and gives a brief overview of common frog behaviors. Important vocabulary is introduced, defined, and reinforced with kid-friendly language and clear illustrations—plus a page of intriguing frog trivia. 

Image for Frog & Toad The Complete Collection

Frog & Toad The Complete Collection

This collection brings together all of Arnold Lobel’s engaging, warm and funny stories about Frog and Toad, and features a special foreword by Julia Donaldson. A collectable classic treasury that every child should read and own. Julia Donaldson says “I hugely admire and envy Arnold Lobel; he is my hero”. Once upon a time there were two good friends, a frog and a toad… From writing letters to going swimming, telling stories to finding lost buttons, Frog and Toad are always there for each other – just as best friends should be.

Image for Frog Growth Cycle

Frog Growth Cycle

This Forg life cycle set is a fun for children with an interest in insects and nature explore. And also it is a great teaching and learning tool for homeschoolers and preschoolers teaching.

Image for Anatomy Lab Soft Cover Frog Dissection Guide Book

Anatomy Lab Soft Cover Frog Dissection Guide Book

Fully Illustrated Guide: Each study guide is fully illustrated and conveys the complete dissection through illustration.

Visualize the Steps: the dissection guides depict anatomically correct step-by-step procedural illustrations helping the student visualize key organs and anatomy aiding in the overall dissection process.

You can either put your felt frog together and then have your child “dissect” the frog and label the parts as they come to them.

Or let them create it, put it together and take it apart, and then label it, etc.

Let your kid decide the setup of this felt frog from start to finish.

This will help the information stick better.

If your child is in middle school, they prefer some independence in their studies.

Younger children might need you to do more of the upfront work or at least more assistance.

5 Fascinating Frog Facts

  • The largest frog is the Goliath Frog that can weigh up to 7 pounds.
  • The smallest frog is Paedophryne amauensis, this little guy is less than ⅓ of an inch long.
  • Frogs don’t drink water directly but rather they absorb it through their skin.
  • The North American Bullfrog is the type of frog used most often for dissections.
  • Frogs in captivity have been known to have a lifespan of over 20 years; it is unknown how long in the wild.
Fun DIY Felt Frog Dissection With Frog Insides Labeled Mess Free (Free Printables)

In addition, be sure you add my free lapbook to your study.

More Frog Resources

  • Grab my frog lapbook.
  • Look how to raise tadpoles
  • Frog Activities for Preschoolers
  • Hand Print Art: F is for Frog
Fun DIY Felt Frog Dissection With Frog Insides Labeled Mess Free (Free Printables)

Finally, look how to make this fun frog craft.

How to Make a DIY Felt Frog Dissection

Here is what you will need:

Fun DIY Felt Frog Dissection With Frog Insides Labeled Mess Free (Free Printables)
  • 2 sheets green felt
  • Red felt
  • Pink felt
  • Blue felt
  • Purple felt
  • Tan felt
  • Red string/yarn
  • Scissors
Fun DIY Felt Frog Dissection With Frog Insides Labeled Mess Free (Free Printables)

You can either trace the crude frog outline I made for you or have your child draw it out on paper.

To make the felt model easier to work with you want to have them draw it fairly large, using the majority of the paper.

Fun DIY Felt Frog Dissection With Frog Insides Labeled Mess Free (Free Printables)

Cut out the paper outline and use it to trace onto the green felt.

Fold the felt in half and cut the outline out of two layers.

That is one layer of green felt and one layer of pink.

The pink will help us create the muscle tissue layer.

Fun DIY Felt Frog Dissection With Frog Insides Labeled Mess Free (Free Printables)

Next, cut out the internal organs from paper to use as a template to cut out of various felt colors.

Again, here is a crude sketch but you can free hand the general shapes as well.

You can keep all the organs from one system the same color if you like, such as all digestive organs pink, respiratory purple, etc.

Fun DIY Felt Frog Dissection With Frog Insides Labeled Mess Free (Free Printables)

To assemble the frog lay out one of your green body shapes and then run red thread from the “heart” to each of the 4 limbs creating the arteries.

Fun DIY Felt Frog Dissection With Frog Insides Labeled Mess Free (Free Printables)

Assemble the organs in roughly the correct spot, cover with the pink frog layer and then the second green one.

Fun DIY Felt Frog Dissection With Frog Insides Labeled Mess Free (Free Printables)

You can leave it uncut and just simply remove the top layers.

Fun DIY Felt Frog Dissection With Frog Insides Labeled Mess Free (Free Printables)

Also, you can have your child create a dissection then cut and fold the pieces back and hold the flaps in place with tacks or stick pins.

Finally, create labels for each of the parts on cardstock.

Fun DIY Felt Frog Dissection With Frog Insides Labeled Mess Free (Free Printables)

How to Get the Free Frog Body and Body Parts Outline

Finally, how to grab the free frog body and body parts outline for the felt. It’s a subscriber freebie.

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

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Hands-On Activities Tagged With: biology, earthscience, frogs, hands-on, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, life science, science, sciencecurriculum

  • « Go to Previous Page
  • Page 1
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Page 39
  • Page 40
  • Page 41
  • Page 42
  • Page 43
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Page 53
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Footer

Privacy Policy | About Me | Reviews | Contact | Advertise

Categories

Archives

Tina Robertson is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2026 · 5 TNT LLC · Log in · Privacy Policy