• 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
    • Middle School
    • High School
  • Planner
  • Lapbooks
    • Trioramas
    • History Games
  • Shop
  • GET STARTED NOW!
    • Learning Styles
  • 7 Step Planner
    • DIY Best Student Planner
    • Free & Easy DIY Home Management Binder
  • Unit Studies
    • Creation to Ancients
    • Middle Ages to Reform
    • Exploring to Revolution
    • World Wars to Today
    • Science
    • Free Art Curriculum Grades 1 – 8
  • Curriculum
    • More Unit Studies
    • Geography
    • Writing PreK to 12th
    • Geronimo Stilton
  • BootCamp
    • Resources
      • Dynamic Subscriber Freebies
      • Exclusive Subscribers Library
      • Ultimate Unit Study Planner

life science

Labeling Parts of a Honey Bee LEGO Fun Activity For Kids

June 30, 2020 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Your kids will love labeling the parts of a honey bee lego activity. Also, look at my Fascinating and Fun Honey Bees Unit Study and Lapbook for Kids.

Bees are fascinating little creatures from how they create their honeycombs to maximize space, to how they know to fan the hive to keep it cool.

Bees are used in so many ways than just the delicious honey they produce.

Labeling Parts of a Honey Bee LEGO Fun Activity For Kids

We use beeswax in cosmetics, candles, as a coating, and bee venom is used as a holistic treatment.

Because they are so very important to our world as pollinators I think it is important to educate our children about them from the beginning.

Labeling the Parts of a Honey Bee

If you’ve been homeschooling awhile you know that hands-on activities really drive home information in a fun way that really makes it stick, often better than any worksheet could.

Since most kids love LEGO, I thought that an activity using them would be a hit with the kids and turn an ordinary and possibly boring homeschool lesson into something unique and fun.

Turns out I was right- The kids loved doing this project and I hope you and yours will too!

Grab a big bucket of LEGOS and a handful of bee books and let’s get started.

A LEGO baseplate.

LEGO Classic Green Baseplate 2304 Supplement for Building, Playing, and Displaying LEGO Creations, 10cm x 10cm, Large Building Base Accessory for Kids and Adults (1 Piece)

Assorted LEGO bricks

LEGO Classic Medium Creative Brick Box 10696 Building Toys for Creative Play; Kids Creative Kit (484 Pieces)
  • Cardstock paper
  • A book or printout of parts of a bee
  • Pen or marker

Books for Bee Unit Studies

8 Honey Bees Unit Study Resources & Books

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

Bees: A Honeyed History

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

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

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

Flight of the Honey Bee: Read and Wonder

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

Life Cycle of a Honey Bee

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

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

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

Farm Anatomy: The Curious Parts and Pieces of Country Life

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

The Life and Times of the Honeybee

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

The Magic School Bus Inside a Beehive

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

Hands-on Activity for Honey Bee

You can make this as simple or as involved a LEGO build as you like depending on the age and ability of the child.

Using the larger Duplo blocks to create a simple bee and let your child point out the various parts of a bee as you call them out is another idea.

Provide your child with a book or printout on the parts of a bee to use as a model and a variety of LEGO to build their bee model. 

Give them a large variety of LEGO bricks to build with, I love this starter box for kids just beginning a LEGO collection.

Labeling Parts of a Honey Bee LEGO Fun Activity For Kids

I keep a box for each kid separate from all the other LEGO in the house just for school projects like this.

LEGO Classic Medium Creative Brick Box 10696 Building Toys for Creative Play; Kids Creative Kit (484 Pieces)

Have them start with creating a head, thorax, and abdomen using yellow and black bricks.

Labeling Parts of a Honey Bee LEGO Fun Activity For Kids

Add wings using white bricks.

For older children you can differentiate forewing and hindwing if you like.

Labeling Parts of a Honey Bee LEGO Fun Activity For Kids

Use long single row black bricks to create 3 sets of legs.

Labeling Parts of a Honey Bee LEGO Fun Activity For Kids

Finally add eyes and antennae.

Hands-on Science: Labeling the Parts of a Bee

Labeling Parts of a Honey Bee LEGO Fun Activity For Kids

Cut small strips of cardstock and add the names of whichever bee parts you would like your child to identify.

Labeling Parts of a Honey Bee LEGO Fun Activity For Kids

Give them the strips and let them locate each part on their LEGO bee, with so much interaction while building and then labeling they are sure to retain much of the information they get from this build.

Labeling Parts of a Honey Bee LEGO Fun Activity For Kids

Here are some additional bee activities to try 

  • Create a honey bee lapbook.
  • Create the life cycle of a bee using LEGO again.
  • Pick up some local honey and try it right out of the jar as well as in a recipe or two.
  • Make a honeycomb by cutting down toilet paper tubes and bending each ring into a hexagon, glue each together to create any size you like.
  • Paint a watercolor bee or beehive.
  • Thumb through one of the books listed below and learn some more bee information-make flashcards.
  • Plant flowers in your yard to help support the bees, very important pollinators.
  • Make a mason bee house to put up outdoors.
  • Preschoolers can work on fine motor skills by transferring “pollen” (yellow pom poms) from one flower (colorful bowl) to another with tongs.
  • Research all the products we get from bees.
  • Give your child a bee themed writing prompt for handwriting, creative writing, and grammar practice such as “ What if there were no bees?” or “ The day I turned into a bee…”.
  • Dynamic Honey Bee Lapbook for Multiple Ages

    Dynamic Honey Bee Lapbook for Multiple Ages

    $4.00
    Add to cart

You’ll love these other hands-on science activities.

  • Fascinating and Fun Honey Bees Unit Study and Lapbook for Kids
  • 41 Easy Hands-on Faith-Neutral Science Activities for Kids
  • Hands-On Science: Handprint and Fingerprint Activity
  • Easy Hands-on Science: Animal Camouflage Activity Hunt
  • Easy Hands-On Science: Label the Atom Playdough Activity
  • EASY Hands-on Earth Science: Fun Water Testing Kit
  • Hands-On Science: Label the Skeleton System Activity

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Hands-On Activities, My Unit Studies {Free Printables & Hands-on Ideas}, Nature Based Activities, Science, Science Based Tagged With: bees, hands-on, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, homeschoolscience, life science, science

Fascinating and Fun Honey Bees Unit Study and Lapbook for Kids

June 27, 2020 | 2 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Your kids will love this honey bees unit study and lapbook. Also, grab more unit studies on my page Best Homeschool Unit Studies,

Whether you want to learn about how honey bees are fascinating master pollinators, learn about the interesting social activities in the hive, learn about beeswax, or know what is honey, these honey bee activities and resources will be helpful.

Whether you want to learn about how honey bees are fascinating master pollinators, learn about the interesting social activities in the hive, learn about beeswax, or know what is honey, these honey bee activities and resources will be helpful. You’ll love these fun honey bees lapbook! CLICK HERE to grab it!
#lapbook #honeybees #unitstudy #homeschoolscience #handsonlearning

Next, look at these honey bee resources:

Bees, wasps, and ants are part of one of the large group of insects, the order Hymenoptera mean “membrane-winged.”

It comes from the Greek words hymen (membrane) and pteron (wing.)

BOOKS FOR KIDS ABOUT BEES

Equally important when doing a unit study is to add living books and books to use as the main spine of your study.

8 Honey Bees Unit Study Resources & Books

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

Bees: A Honeyed History

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

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

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

Flight of the Honey Bee: Read and Wonder

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

Life Cycle of a Honey Bee

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

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

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

Farm Anatomy: The Curious Parts and Pieces of Country Life

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

The Life and Times of the Honeybee

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

The Magic School Bus Inside a Beehive

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

First, dive into learning about the life cycle of the honey bee.

Honey Bees Unit Study

After mating, the queen’s ovaries expand. She is fed nutrient-rich food from the worker bees. Within three or four days she begins laying eggs.

By day 3 or 4 eggs hatch. Workers begin feeding larvae. By day 8/9 workers seal cell with wax.

And then the larvae transforms into pupa and from days 16 to 24 queen, workers and drone emerges.

Honey Bee Life Cycles

  • The life cycle of a honey bee worksheet.
  • Diary of an Insect’s Metamorphosis
  • Life Cycle of the Honey Bee
  • Honey Bee Life Cycle
  • YouTube Honey Bees Life Cycle.
  • YouTube The Life Cycle of a Honey Bee | The First 21 Days of Honey Bee’s Life 

Honey Bees Anatomy

Next, learn about honey bees anatomy.

Although each bee in the hive is formed a bit differently because of their occupation, the worker bee has one of the most fascinating jobs.

  • Honey bee Anatomy and Identification
  • Honey bee anatomy ask a biologist. Great visuals explaining the different parts of a honey bee.
  • Honey: Different Flowers, Different Flavors
  • Anatomy of the honey bee
  • How to Identify the Basic Body Parts of Honey Bees
  • The Role of the Worker Bee
  • Grab this free Bees poster.
  • The honey bee body.
  • Honey Bee Anatomy

Chemistry and Science of Honey

In addition, learning about the chemistry and science of honey is a fascinating topic. Sure, it’s been said honey is bee puke so you’re kids will love knowing that.

Also, honey bees collect the sweet nectar from various flowers with their straw like tongues. Then the nectar mixes with enzymes in their stomach and is taken back to the beehive.

The bees fan the cells full of nectar which draws the moisture out and thickening the nectar to make honey.

And there are many different types of honey. The color and flavor is determined by the nectar.

  • How Do Bees Make Honey Video
  • Give Me Some Sugar, Honey lesson plan
  • Why Doesn’t Honey Spoil
  • The best flowers for honeybees
  • How It’s Made Honey YouTube
  • 7 Plants to Help Honey Production
  • Best honey plants to help save bees

More Honey Bees Unit Study Ideas

  • 7 Honey Bee Activities And Explore a Bee Hive With Felt Activity
  • Labeling Parts of a Honey Bee LEGO Fun Activity For Kids
  • Fun Hands-On Bee Activities for Kids Make a Mason Bee Habitat
  • How to Make a Toilet Paper Roll Honeycomb Honey Bee Activity

Honey Bees Pollination

However, the true worth of honey bees is their contribution to the environment through pollination.

Plants don’t just rely on bees, but need other pollinators like butterflies, hummingbirds, bats, and moths.

Moreover, for fertilization to occur, the pollen must get from the anther to the stigma.

Once on the stigma, the pollen grain sends a pollen tube down the style and to the ovary where the pollen’s genetic material combines with the egg’s genetic material.

  • Bees: The Invaluable Master Pollinators lesson plan
  • Pollination power lesson plan
  • Pollination in flowering plants
  • Pollinator Friendly MEAL IDEAS
  • Pollinator Activity Book
  • Pollinator’s Journey 5th to 8th grade.
  • Plant and Animals Partners in Pollen lesson plan
  • Plants and Pollination
  • Nature’s Partners: A Comprehensive Pollinator Curriculum for Grades 3-6
  • Bee Identification Guides

What Happens Inside a Hive

  • Why do bees boogie?
  • Life In a Hive
  • Busy as a bee: A look inside a honey bee hive
  • Inside and Out of the Beehive
  • Bee Roles: Do You Really Know What Happens Inside A Beehive
  •  Silence of the Bees | Inside the Hive YouTube
Bee swarm on a fallen tree

A cloud of bees forming a swarm is spectacular sight. Swarming is the natural means for how new colonies are formed. Beekeepers try to control swarming since it disrupts the hive. When the colony gets to a certain size, the current queen leaves with thousands of workers and creates a new nest elsewhere.

Language Art Ideas for Studying Honey Bees

Too, some of our sayings or idioms comes from bees. How fun. Your student can write some of them down and learn their meaning.

Look at a few expressions or idioms we get from bees.

  • queen bee – Queen bee refers to a dominant female.
  • busy as a bee – Busy as a bee means we’re working hard.
  • bees knees – The bees knees means something or someone who is admired or great and all things are sweet and good.
  • bee in your bonnet – You wouldn’t want a bee trapped in your hat. So bee in your bonnet would mean something or someone that is aggravating you.
  • the birds and the bees – This is a gracious way of saying you’re going to be talking about how babies are made or sex.
  • spelling or quilting bee – We use it today to mean children who come together to compete in spelling, but it’s been thought that it derived from the social interaction in a beehive. Hence, folks gather for social bees of different kinds whether it’s sewing or quilting.
  • Honey Bee Language Arts and Literature for 7 or 8th grade.
  • Teachers’ Guide to the Bee Book
  • Writing prompts.

Vocabulary words for a honey bee unit study.

Additionally, look at these vocabulary words.

  • pollen – powder-like material produced by the anthers of flowering plants
  • apiarist – Beekeeper.
  • apiary – A bee yard.
  • hive – The structure in which bees live and are kept.
  • honeycomb – A sheet of hexagonal wax cells made by honey bees to store honey, pollen, and brood.
  • drone – The male honey bee.
  • swarming – The natural process of how new colonies are formed.
  • worker bee – A female bee. The majority of the honey bees are worker bees. They do all the work in the colony except for laying fertile eggs.
  • pollinator – an animal that moves pollen from the anther to the stigma of a plant
  • colony – The colony is the living unit of tens of thousands of workers, drones, and a queen.
  • brood – Eggs, larvae, and pupae.
  • cell –  the hexagonal comb built by honeybees.
  • royal jelly – It is a honey bee secretion that is used in the nutrition of larvae, as well as adult queens.
  • virgin queen – A queen bee who has not mated.
  • scout bees – Bees who look for new nesting areas in preparation for a swarm and are normally familiar with the area.

Free Books
Hear a Librivox recording of The Children’s Life of the Bee by Maurice Maeterlinck.
The Behavior of the Honey Bee in Pollen Collection by Dana Brackenridge Casteel

Honey Bee Teachers Guides & Activity Guides

Finally, you’ll love a roundup of some fantastic honey bee teaching guides.

  • Honey Bees Identification, Biology, and Life cycle
  • Busy as a Bee Activity Guide
  • Understanding the Honey Bee
  • A Bee’s Life
  • BEES! Classroom Activity Pack
  • Bees and Forests 

Honey Bee Lapbook

You can purchase my honey bee lapbook below, but look at how I created it.

Too, the resource I used is The Beekeeper’s Bible.

I used this because it’s the book I had. It was very thorough in explaining about honey bees. This lapbook is focused on honey bees, and not so much beekeeping.

Awesome features of my honey bees lapbook:

  • You are paying for the printables, the lapbook.
  • My lapbooks are created for multiple ages and geared toward older children unless I specifically state that it’ is’ for a certain age.
  • Most of the minibooks have facts which accompany the minibook and a lot of the minibook are offered two ways. One way where your child uses the facts provided and another way where your child can add his own research and not use the inside pages.
  • You do not need to use The Beekeeper’s Bible: Bees, Honey, Recipes & Other Home Uses. It’s the book I had and the one we liked.
  • You can use any reference materials, books, or online resources to complete the lapbook.
  • I don’t provide links in the lapbooks for filling out the information. This keeps my prices low for my products, but I do try to provide free links on my site as I can.
  • Dynamic Honey Bee Lapbook for Multiple Ages

    Dynamic Honey Bee Lapbook for Multiple Ages

    $4.00
    Add to cart
  • Because I do use a combination of cursive or script and print, I aim my lapbooks toward upper elementary up to high school.
  • Another way which I aim my lapbooks toward older children is that I avoid using baby-ish or goofy looking clip art. I spend many hours culling through images and purchasing ones that are correct and highest quality.
  • Because I have been a working homeschool mom for more of my journey than not, I need flexibility for using lapbooks. Proving a few facts from the main resource I use is one way I have of saving you time and giving you flexibility in how to use the minibooks.
  • Too, some of your kids may be older and you want them to do more research and some of your kids may be reluctant writers so you may want to mix and match pre-filled minibooks with blank minibooks. Flexibility is the key to my lapbooks.

Other nature unit studies you’ll love.

  • Above & Below: Pond Unit Study, Hands-on Ideas, & Lapbook.
  • Super Seashore Watching Unit Study and Beach Lapbook.
  • Foraging and Feasting Nature Unit Study and Lapbook.
  • Wildflowers Unit Study & Lapbook.
  • From Egg to Sea Turtle Nature Unit Study & Lapbook.
  • Colorful Winter Bird: Northern Cardinal Lapbook & Unit Study.

2 CommentsFiled Under: Lapbooks, My Unit Studies {Free Printables & Hands-on Ideas}, Nature Based Activities, Science, Science Based Tagged With: bees, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, lapbook, life science, nature, nature study, science

7 Super Easy and Free Nature Lapbooks Guaranteed to Beat Boredom

December 11, 2018 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Nature studies revive the most listless learner and teacher. Today, I have 7 super easy free nature studies and lapbooks guaranteed to beat boredom.

Free Nature Studies

Hands-on learning is best because it actively engages the brain. And getting outside is always a way to ground my kids (ha ha corny pun intended.)

I know it’s not always easy to get outside, but whether you live in a snow covered or snow bare area like I do here in Texas, one or two of these nature lapbooks will work.

7 Super Easy and Free Nature Lapbooks Guaranteed to Beat Boredom

With boys it can be hard to separate the feeling of being refreshed and letting off energy while being outdoors and the same positive feeling they get with exercise. They’re synonymous right?

3 Benefits of Studying Nature

I don’t try to separate the two anymore because being outside or studying nature has a way to revive and renew you and your child’s sluggish feelings.

Look at these three benefits of studying nature and why I was focused on adding more to our year

1. Nature-based learning reduces over stimulation.

It’s easy to fall into a rut of being inside and doing book work. It’s simple. Kids can be over stimulated by being contained indoors.

2. Nature-based learning increases motivation, curiosity, and creativity.

As educators we also can fall int our own rut. We may think that unless we can put a letter grade beside a skill, it may not be important.

Nature has a way of shifting focus and increasing creativity.

When a kid can study the patterns in nature, not to mention see the colors and sights it gives them a natural shift in focus. A shift in focus spurs creativity.

Creativity spills over into academic skills that we can put a letter grade to like writing and math.

Also, be sure to check out a lot of the activities at Ellen McHenry’s Basement Workshop. We love a lot of their fun ways to keep learning engaging and fun.

The Basement Workshop Store

3. Nature-based learning can reduce anxiety and stress.

Let’s face it. Homeschooling can be just as stressful for our kids as it can be for us as the educator.

We know it shouldn’t be like and in our anxiousness we can over push.

Studying nature allows our kids to step back and focus on the natural wonders of the world.  There is something calm about watching the waves whip up onto the shore. It can reduce stress and clear your kids’ mind.

There are more benefits to nature-based learning or being outside so I know you’ll love these free nature-based unit studies to add to your curriculum.

Too, don’t forget that if you have a backyard, you have a place for nature study.

Backyard Science ebook

7 Free Nature Studies and Lapbooks.

Additionally, I know you’ll love the nature studies and lapbooks below to help your kids beat the boredom.

Above & Below: Pond Unit Study, Hands-on Ideas, & Lapbook

One/ Above & Below: Pond Unit Study, Hands-on Ideas, & Lapbook.

Super Seashore Watching Unit Study and Beach Lapbook.

Two/ Super Seashore Watching Unit Study and Beach Lapbook.

Foraging and Feasting Nature Unit Study and Lapbook.

Three/ Foraging and Feasting Nature Unit Study and Lapbook.

Wildflowers Unit Study & Lapbook.

Four/ Wildflowers Unit Study & Lapbook.

From Egg to Sea Turtle Nature Unit Study & Lapbook.

Five/ From Egg to Sea Turtle Nature Unit Study & Lapbook.

Colorful Winter Bird: Northern Cardinal Lapbook & Unit Study.

Six/ Colorful Winter Bird: Northern Cardinal Lapbook & Unit Study.

Free Arctic Ground Squirrel Lapbook & Unit Study Resources

Seven/ Free Arctic Ground Squirrel Lapbook & Unit Study Resources

Lastly, the unit study resources have been linked above, but the free printable nature lapbooks are a subscriber freebie.

How to Download the Lapbooks.
They are Subscriber Only Gifts.

From time to time, I do Subscriber Freebies only. This lapbook is a subscriber freebie. I do this to show my appreciation and because I want you to follow me and give me a chance to make a difference in your homeschool.

Too, when you join my email list, you get access to my Subscriber’s Only Exclusive Library of Freebies.

This is how you get access to this form quickly.
1) Sign up on my list.
2) Go to to your inbox and confirm your email.
3) Look for the automatic reply giving you the password to the private subscriber’s area. You should have it soon.

IF you are already a follower/subscriber, PLEASE do NOT email me asking how to find it. You may not want to wait on me replying since I get bombarded with emails.

IF you’ll find the MOST RECENT email from me, the password and link to the Subscribers Area are ALWAYS at the bottom of every email. Look for the most current email since I change the password frequently.

How do you add nature-based learning to your every day?

7 Super Easy and Free Nature Lapbooks Guaranteed to Beat Boredom. Nature studies revive the most listless learner and teacher. Grab these beautiful printable lapbooks and hands-on unit study nature study ideas at Tina’s Dynamic Homeschool Plus!

You’ll love these other articles and fun tips:

  • How to Make an Easy Nature Paint Brush With Kids
  • 20 Nature-Inspired Kids’ Novels to Nurture Interest In the Outdoors
  • Kinder Gardening to Celebrate Nature and Science
  • Electricity Hands-On Homeschool Science Activity
  • Free Carnivorous Plants Notebooking Pages & Easy Hands-on Science Activity
  • Hands-On Nature Study: Bird Color Bar Graphing Activity
  • Middle School Hands-on Science : Extreme Winds + Free Minibook
  • How to Grade Hands-on Homeschool Activities and Projects (Free Rubric for Grading)

Hugs and love you,

Whether your kids are having winter doldrums or you feel like your kids learning has become stagnant, nature studies can revive the love of learning. CLICK HERE to grab these 6 Free Nature Study Unit Studies and Lapbooks!

.Whether your kids are having winter doldrums or you feel like your kids learning has become stagnant, nature studies can revive the love of learning. CLICK HERE to grab these 6 Free Nature Study Unit Studies and Lapbooks!

Leave a CommentFiled Under: 1. My FREE Learning Printables {Any Topic}, Hands-On Activities, Lapbook, Lapbooks, My Unit Studies {Free Printables & Hands-on Ideas}, Science, Science Based Tagged With: earthscience, hands-on, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, homeschoolscience, lapbook, lapbookresources, life science, nature study, science, sciencecurriculum

100 Brilliant STEM Activities Using Everyday Items

October 15, 2018 | 2 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Hands-on STEM learning makes learning come alive, but I’ve always been science-phobic. My kids not so much. So, STEM learning has to be easy in my home and nothing is easier than using everyday items.

Your kids will love these 100 brilliant STEM activities using everyday items. I know you’ll find one or two STEM activities you can use.

STEM learning has to be easy in my home and nothing is easier than using everyday items. Your kids will love these 100 brilliant STEM activities using everyday items.

6 Engaging STEM Activities from Teachers are Terrific
10+ Awesome Homemade Marble Runs from Buggy and Buddy
BioFilm Experiment from The Homeschool Scientist

Build a Drinking Straw Roller Coaster from Frugal Fun 4 Boys
Build a Lemon Battery from Inspirational Laboratories
Build an Area and Perimeter City from Teach Beside Me
Building Structures with Candy Gumdrops from Lemon Lime Adventures
Candy Cane Science from Inspirational Laboratories

Homeschool STEM Activities

Candy Corn Catapults from 123 Homeschool 4 Me
Charcoal Water Purifying Experiment – The Homeschool Scientist
Chemical Reactions: Make a Penny Turn Green from Buggy and Buddy

Circuit Maze Stem Activity from The Homeschool Scientist
Cleaning Pennies Experiment from Teach Beside Me
Collect Iron Bits from Cereal from Scientific Americanl
Constellations Geoboard from School Time Snippets

DIY Geodes From Egg Shells from Planning Playtime
DIY Magnetic Slime from Frugal Fun 4 Boys

DIY Oobleck from Babble Dabble Do
DIY Rock Candy from Growing a Jeweled Rose
Easy Bird Feeders at The Homeschool Scientist
Electricity STEM: Lighting Up a Shoebox Tiny House

Homeschool Science

Edible Earth’s Layers from Left Brain Craft Brain
Edible Science for Kids from Little Bins for Little Hearts
Elephant Toothpaste Experiment at From ABCs to ACTs
Engino Discovering Stem: Levers, Linkages & Structures Building Kit

Gingerbread House Building STEM from Science Kiddo
Glow In The Dark DIY Play Dough from DIY Candy
Grow a Potato Indoors at What We Do All Day
Grow Your Name in Grass from iFamily

Homemade Glow in the Dark Slime from A Pumpkin and A Princess
Homemade Glow-in-the-Dark Bouncy Balls from Growing a Jeweled Rose
How Many Ways Can You Stop a Pipeline Leak? at Teachers are Terrific
How to Grow Bacteria from No Time for Flashcards

How to Make a Rainbow at Inspirational Laboratories
How to Make a Sinkhole – Education Possible
How to Make a Solar Oven at Education.com
How to Make a Worm Observatory from 123 Homeschool 4 Me
How to Make Edible Glass from Go Science Girls

How to Make Ice cream in a Bag from 2 Little Hooligans
How to Make Lightning from Learn, Play, Imagine
How to Open and Close a Pinecone from Lemon Lime Adventures
How to Shrink an Egg from Science Sparks
How to Turn Milk into Plastic from How Wee Learn

STEM Activities Using Everyday Items

How to Use Squishy Circuits: The Technical Side of STEM from Schooling a Monkey
Invisible Ink with Baking Soda and Juice from Share it Science
Invisible Messages with Wax and Watercolors from Share it Science
Juice Box Balloon Car from Raising Whasians
Keva Planks – Structures, 200 Plank Set

STEM learning has to be easy in my home and nothing is easier than using everyday items. Your kids will love these 100 brilliant STEM activities using everyday items. CLICK HERE!

LEGO Brick Plant Cell from LEGO Ideas
Magic Bending Water at Frugal Fun 4 Boys
Make a Mold Terrarium at The Homeschool Scientist

Make a Simple Solar Still to Distill Water at Teach Beside Me
Make an Electroscope from The Homeschool Scientist
Make Your Own Compass from Gift of Curiosity
Make your own Electromagnet from The Naked Scientists

Make Your Own Tinker Box Robot from KC Edventures
Medieval China STEM Activity from Student Savvy
Morse code with beads at Mama Smiles
Pencil Catapult STEM Activity from Little Bins for Little Hands
Pitsco Heavy Density Balsa Wood Strips

Plastic cups in love – experimental demonstration of Bernoulli’s principle from Reeko’s Science
Playdoh Layers of the Earth from Playdough to Plato
Poolside Stem using Pool Noodles from My Little Poppies
Pop Rocks Science Exploring Viscosity at Little Bins for Little Hands

Rubber Band Helicopters – Instructables by LanceMakes in Education
Simulate a Cloud Experiment from Adventures in Mommydom
Skoolzy Straws and Connectors Building Kit
Snow Ice Simple Science from STEAM Powered Family

Solid to Liquid to Gas Experiment With Ice Cubes from Gift of Curiosity
Spaghetti Tower STEM Challenge with a Twist from Mama Smiles

STEM Activities

STEM: Build a Da Vinci Parachute Activity

Sticky Water, Surface Tension – Reeko’s Mad Science Lab
Sunshine and Solar Panels from The Educator’s Spin On It
Testing the Strength of Aluminum Foil from Schooling a Monkey
Tangrams from This Reading Mama

The Science of Condensation and Frost from Schooling a Monke
The Science of Yogurt from Science Buddies
Tornado in a Bottle Experiment from Edventures with Kids
Water Cycle Discovery Project from Little Bins for Little Hands

Keep this list handy because it’s great to add to any unit study! Did you find one or two you can do now?

This blog hop is organized by iHomeschool Network, a collaboration of outstanding homeschool bloggers who connect with each other and with family-friendly companies in mutual beneficial projects.

Click the image below to visit all the other blog articles from the homeschool moms of the iHomeschool Network.Hugs and love ya,

2 CommentsFiled Under: Hands-On Activities, Science Tagged With: 100, 100 Lists, chemistry, earthscience, hands-on, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, life science, physical science, science, STEM

BEST Curriculum by Homeschoolers for Homeschoolers

August 1, 2018 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Homeschooling today is different than it was when I started. Today, it seems all types of educational companies are wanting to make a buck off of homeschoolers. Don’t get me wrong. I love all the choices, but when it comes to teaching our kids at home some homeschool curriculum is superior to others. One area of curriculum that I’m thrilled to see an explosion in is curriculum by homeschoolers for homeschoolers.

3 Reasons to Love Curriculum by Homeschoolers For Homeschoolers

If you don’t already appreciate why that is important, look at these three reasons why you’ll love curriculum by homeschoolers.

I love all the choices, but when it comes to teaching our kids at home some homeschool curriculum is superior to others. One area of curriculum that I'm thrilled to see an explosion in is curriculum by homeschoolers for homeschoolers. CLICK HERE!Then, you’ll love the round up of homeschool curriculum which makes our job of teaching at home a delight.

One/ Curriculum written by a homeschooler assumes we don’t have a teacher’s background in a subject. You have to love that part.

When I started teaching my first son at home, I remember that the math book which was written for a public school was hard for me to understand.

Like most of you, I’m fairly capable of teaching any subject or at least tackling it if I knew a bit of the background information.

Curriculum written by homeschoolers can take more time to explain the foundation or background of a subject. Giving me a foundation or direction as to what I’m teaching educates me too alongside my kids. It gives me the bigger picture of what I’m aiming for when I teach.

Two/Curriculum written by a homeschooler understands our need to teach multiple ages of children at one time.

I always respect copyright on curriculum; I follow the direction of whether or not I can use it to teach more than one child. Most curriculum I’ve used understands our need to have a teaching tip for a grade up or below the level of the just purchased curriculum. This is a great time-savings tip when teaching our kids together.

Public school curriculum is set out to teach a classroom and the tips are to use for teaching the masses.

Three/Curriculum written by a homeschooler is normally priced better.

Budget is something we have to talk about. I’m not always about free because it’s true you get what you pay for. Again, though, curriculum written by a homeschooler understands our need to stretch our curriculum budget. They try to give us not only great options for purchasing, but deliver it in different formats to save costs.

Curriculum that is unique and hard to find suited for our purpose at home is easier with all the unique finds we have available today.

My reasons for loving special and unique curriculum by homeschoolers could be more expansive, but I wanted to give you a few treasures I’ve enjoyed through the years.

Look at a few of the homeschooling families I’ve come to treasure because of how much they have helped to give my kids an excellent education.

Homeschool Curriculum from the Pak Homeschooling Family

I remember the first time I saw something created by Amy Pak because I absolutely knew her way of teaching history, hands-on and engaging fit my idea of how I thought history should be taught.

Not only have I used their beautiful curriculum with my kids, but I’ve used it in a co-op setting.

After all, hands-on history is so much more fun when you have somebody to make a mess with.

Look here at Amazing Hands-on History Activities for 14 Ancient Empires (free notebook cover too) to see how we had fun with the Great Empires Activity Study,

You’ll love ALL of their hands-on projects and will have a hard time choosing which ones to do this year and which ones to do next year.

Homeschool Curriculum from the Bauer Homeschooling Family

I’ve used a lot of resources by Susan Wise Bauer because they’re timely, rigorous, and easy to use. Did I mention she is a lovely person in person too?

The Ordinary Parent’s Guide to Teaching Reading, Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind, Writing with Ease and Writing with Skill are just a few of the really helpful and rigorous language arts program.

From elementary to high school, you’ll love how the Bauer family at Peacehill Press lays out their curriculum in a friendly way for the homeschool educator.

Look at her curriculum here on my elementary age language arts Amazon board here, my middle school language arts Amazon board here, and my high school language arts Amazon board here.

Homeschool Curriculum from the Berg Homeschooling Family

Also, from the Russel and Rea Berg homeschool family, you’ll fall in love with all of their products.

I’ve used many of them for years. Be sure you start early collecting their products because I feel at times there are not enough years to homeschool to use them all. I’ve sure tried.

Beautiful feet books is about combining living history with history, geography, or even science to make it meaningful. Look at a few of their beautiful products that you’ll go crazy over.

BEST Curriculum by Homeschoolers

You’ll want to browse all of them from K to High School.

Medieval History Adv. Int. & Jr. High Pack

Early American History Primary

History of Science.

Geography through Literature

Homeschool Curriculum From the Kautzer Homeschooling Family

I remember the first time I used WriteShop, I thought I was in cupcake heaven. Oh, maybe saying that was corny, but I felt like that teaching writing. It was as easy as baking cupcakes.

Many years, we used WriteShop because of all the teacher empowerment tips they give along with planning ideas. I attribute WriteShop with my first son’s love for writing.

WriteShopAdventure Builder StoryBuilders

Homeschool Curriculum From the Hogan Homeschooling Family

The Hogan family has created many helpful programs like their science programs and geography programs. You’ll want to look over the curriculum which just like the others is created to open and easily use.

I love their curriculum because I could get several of it in digital format so that as my sons got older they could keep it on their device.Geography BundleThen, I’ve really been excited about these next two homeschool families because they have filled a void I’ve had for a while when it comes to making literature studies interactive and finding electives.

Homeschool Curriculum From the McVey Homeschooling Family

Literary Adventures for Kids helps parents and students to dig deeper, go on rabbit trails, and add a little adventure all while enjoying great literature.

Facebook and Twitter

And I especially love the high school help.
Poetry and a Movie PIN

Oh I’m not finished yet.

Don’t you love knowing that there is curriculum written by homeschool families with an expert background in just about every subject?

Talking about every subject, we don’t want to leave out enrichment.

Homeschoool Curriculum From the Mayo Homeschooling Family

Anything Gena puts her hand to for enrichment only adds beauty to your homeschool.

You’ll love all of her programs. Below are just a few of them.

Be sure to look over all the courses.

https://learn.musicinourhomeschool.com/courses?affcode=50562_c5avrhro

A lot of easy formatted books like ebooks for science have been a life saver for me too both when we moved overseas and just when I was limited on storage. You’ll love some of these easy science finds too.

Did I mention it’s usually affordable when it’s in a digital format?

Homeschool Curriculum From the Goodwin Homeschooling Family

Not having a science background, I appreciate these families who have a strong science background. They make it easy for me to teach.

Not only do they appreciate I’m a homeschool mom who wants to be involved, but I like things easy for me too.

Hands-On Science Bundle

Homeschool Curriculum From the West Homeschooling Family

I’ve used Cindy’s science living books for multiple ages to save my mind. Easily downloadable and with activities for any season, you’re ready to go with minimal preparation.Look at a few links of how I used her curriculum:

Hands-On Nature Study: Bird Color Bar Graphing Activity, Hands-On Nature Study: Make a Fun Bird Nesting Bag, and Easy and Fun Nature Study: Beautiful Birds.

I love all the choices, but when it comes to teaching our kids at home some homeschool curriculum is superior to others. One area of curriculum that I'm thrilled to see an explosion in is curriculum by homeschoolers for homeschoolers. CLICK HERE!

Too, I want you to know that I believe in supporting families that support our homeschool lifestyle and always look to them first when choosing curriculum.

Not only is their homeschool curriculum easy to use, but it’s superior at times. Now you know the secret of how to easily homeschool.

You’ll love these other resources:

  • How to Build Middle School Curriculum Directly From Amazon
  • Digital Homeschool Curriculum – Big Ol’ List 
  • Big Ol’ List of All-In-One Homeschool Curriculum (a.k.a Boxed)

Hugs and love ya,

 

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Choose Curriculum Tagged With: boxedcurriculum, composition, curriculum, earthscience, grammar, history, homeschool grammar, homeschoolcurriculum, language arts, life science, multiple children, science, sciencecurriculum, teachingmultiplechildren

  • « Go to Previous Page
  • Page 1
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Page 41
  • Page 42
  • Page 43
  • Page 44
  • Page 45
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Page 47
  • 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 © 2025 · 5 TNT LLC · Log in · Privacy Policy