nature study

Fun Outdoor Activities For Middle Schoolers Geocaching and Nature Study

April 16, 2023 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Today, I have some fun outdoor activities for middle schoolers today. Also, look at my page homeschool middle school for more fun tips. Too, look at my page Homeschool Geography for hands-on and simple ideas and tips.

Besides, National Trails Day is April 22nd and that is a great time to start hiking the trails if you have never been or find a new one in your area if you have.

Fun Outdoor Activities For Middle Schoolers Geocaching and Nature Study

I also want to introduce or reacquaint you with another couple of fabulous outdoor activities for middle schoolers that go hand in hand with hiking trails which are geocaching and nature study.

In addition, I have another idea for outdoor activities for middle schoolers which is to teach them what to pack in your hiking pack list.

Too, I highly recommend a good quality comfy pair of shoes for everyone before you head out.

Hiking for Middle Schoolers

Hiking is a wonderful way to get exercise, fresh air, and get in a nature study.

Also, you also don’t usually have to go far to get some hiking in.

Check out this list of state parks by U.S. state that you can visit to get a hike in on the trails.

Or use it to find different trails near you. You can see the links location mark off the trail when you’ve completed it.

Check out local state and national parks in your state here for trails.
The National Parks Service also has an extensive listing of parks for each state.
You can use the All Trails APP to find different trails near you, get reviews for the trail, details like if it’s dog or stroller friendly, and mark off as you complete a trail.

What is Geocaching

Additionally, one fantastic addition to hiking is geocaching. It can also be done on its own.

If you don’t know, geocaching is simply a GPS-based activity.

People create and hide small trinkets or even just a logbook just off trails at parks and other public places for you to find.

They can be official containers or camouflage DIY containers like coffee cans.

Look at this one we found on our last hike.

The app gives you directions to follow and the distance to get you pretty close to the hidden cache.

In addition, we have found them hanging in trees, in hollowed-out logs or stumps, inside a hole cut in a telephone pole, covered by limbs or palm fronds.

Geocaching Container Ideas

There were large caches that contained toys, keychains, and other little things.

And there are small ones like this one where you unscrewed the behind part and there was a little rolled-up paper for you to log the date and a name for the cache owner.

Geocaching etiquette is that if you take something you leave something of equal value.

Then sign the logbook and replace the container just as you found it.

It can become quite addicting as you find small, camouflaged caches with little trinkets, you can’t wait to find the next one.

Moreover, here are some great small items to carry with you to leave behind.

small plastic animals
a yo-yo
fast food toys
keychains
change
iron-on patches
pretty stones or shells
rain poncho
tiny rubber duckies
beads or handmade bead jewelry
and hot wheels.

Nature Study for Homeschool Science

While you are hiking trails and geocaching it is a natural step to do some nature study.

You honestly can’t avoid it.

Surrounded by trees, flowers, birds, and small and large woodland creatures you will be taking in so much of the local flora and fauna you may as well turn it into a lesson.

You can create a fun scavenger hunt ahead of time or simply call out an object, for instance, poison ivy or a woodpecker and see who spots it first.
Observe how many different flower species you can find on your hike.
One of my favorite apps for identifying plants and animals is iNaturalist, it is a good resource for crowdsourcing to identify what you may be unsure of.
Use a camera or a sketchbook for your child to capture and identify what they see as they explore the trail.

5 Peterson First Guides for Nature and Hiking Studies

Add one or two of these nature and hiking resources to your field trip. Getting outdoors is the best way to learn about nature, change of pace, and savor the moments of learning which come naturally.

Peterson First Guide To Trees

Now there is a guidebook to trees--one of the most popular subjects in the Peterson Field Guide series--for the beginning naturalist. The 243 trees are grouped into six categories by leaf type and arrangement, making it easier for the beginner to identify unknown species. 200 color illustrations.

Peterson First Guide To Urban Wildlife

Peterson First Guides are the first books the beginning naturalist needs. Condensed versions of the famous Peterson Field Guides, the First Guides focus on the animals, plants, and other natural things you are most likely to see. They make it fun to get into the field and easy to progress to the full-fledged Peterson Guides.

Peterson First Guide To Reptiles And Amphibians

From mudpuppies to rattlesnakes, this fascinating guide for young nature lovers describes the habits and habitats of these secretive and sometimes bizarre animals, and includes tips on how to catch and care for frogs, snakes, turtles, lizards, salamanders, and toads.

Peterson First Guide To Butterflies And Moths

Peterson First Guide To Insects Of North America

A simplified version of the full-sized field guides makes it easy and fun to get started in the field. Peterson First Guides are the first books the beginning naturalist needs. Condensed versions of the famous Peterson Field Guides, the First Guides focus on the animals, plants, and other natural things you are most likely to see. They make it fun to get into the field and easy to progress to the full-fledged Peterson Guides.

More Activities for Middle Schoolers

Also, here are some more activities for middle schoolers.

Furthermore, here are more ideas for nature study.

Nature Study Activities

What’s more is that nature studies are good to do for multiple ages. You’ll love these other nature study activities.

How to Make a Hiking Bag

Finally, look at these items to prepare you middle schooler for a day outdoors.

Bug spray-Dark and often damp woods are magnets for mosquitos, ticks, and more.
Chapstick- Sun and wind can be hard on your lips, especially if you aren’t staying hydrated enough.
Sunscreen- Even if it is overcast it’s a good idea to protect your skin.
Field guides- depending on where you were going and what’s in your area you might want to pack a long, one or two light field guides. You can grab field guides for common birds, trees, or wildflowers in your area.
First aid kit-You don’t need a large one unless you’re going on a multi-day hike. A few hours or a day-long hike would require a few Band-Aids, an alcohol wipe or two, and some kind of travel-sized antibiotic ointment.
Epi-Pen- If this is something you generally need to keep on hand anyway you do not want to get stuck out on a trail without it.
Water- Take plenty of bottled water along to stay hydrated or rinse off small scrapes, etc.
High-protein snacks- Seeds, nuts, protein bars, and beef jerky are all good high-energy snacks to replenish energy.

Camera-You would hate to miss an amazing shot of a deer crossing the trail or a bird rare to your area.
Cell Phone- I don’t think you will have to tell your teen twice to pack their phone, another great option for photos, and emergencies, and as a GPS for trail apps and geocaching.
Extra battery pack – If you will be out hiking for a long day you will want to grab some kind of backup battery pack.

Optional Hiking Items For Outdoor Activities For Middle Schoolers

Waterproof Binoculars

Flower Press- In many states it is illegal to remove flowers, animals, and any other park property but for fields and other locations that are not protected you may want to have one with you.

Pocket microscope

Notebook/Pen
Hat/Sunglasses

Ready to take your learning outdoors?

Free Bird Journal – Hands-on Nature (Coloring & Identification Pages)

April 11, 2023 | 19 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Last year when spring rolled around, I shared a free Bird Journal along with a Bird Identification page. Also, grab more information about birds on my page Hands-on Bird Unit Study and Lapbook.

Tiny had been coloring birds for a few years before I shared it last year.

Also, I wanted something that could be used both as a coloring journal AND to print a page over and over when we identified birds.

Free Bird Journal - Hands-on Nature (Coloring & Identification Pages)

So this free printable bird journal includes the following pages.

Colorful front page for your journal
owl coloring page
raptor or hawk coloring page
cardinals coloring page
heron coloring page
emeral toucan coloring page
spoonbill coloring page
sulphur crested cockatoo coloring page
cross bill coloring page
bob white coloring page
quetzal coloring page
vulture coloring page
song sparrow coloring page
catbird coloring page and
a beautiful Bird Identification Page which you can print over and over as your children discover new birds

So this year and as all kids do, he has grown up a bit more and wanted the Bird Identification page changed around to allow room for a larger sketch and less coloring.

Moreover, in the download I included a “field guide” page.

Just add the field page into a page protector and add to your notebook.

Using a 3 ring notebook worked best for us so could keep adding to it each year.

Additionally, if you want to delve into more spring learning look at the NaturExplorers.

However because I know you still may have younger sweeties and kids who probably like to color, I have added a few more bird coloring pages to the Bird Journal.

Free Bird Journal

I also updated the Bird Identification page to allow room for a larger sketch and to use for an older child.

We want to get in the habit of bird watching year around so I created this page so that the season could be easily marked when we’re bird watching.

More Fun Learning About Birds Activities

Also, I have so many fun activities for your kids to learn about birds.

But we only seem to do it when we have spring fever.

Grab this free and fun Bird Journal which includes high quality coloring pages and bird identification page which allows plenty of room for sketching and noting birding details. CLICK HERE to grab it!

More Coloring Pages

20 Fun Home School Education Coloring Books to Pair With Unit Studies

In addition, add some fun bird books to use as referenced for the bird journal.

11 Fun Resources and Books to Learn About North American Robin Birds

Studying about North American Robin birds is fun to do anytime of the year with all ages. You'll love adding one ore more of these resources to your study.

1. All About Robins

A robin is one of the most familiar and beloved of all birds that are found throughout North America. You may see robins running across lawns or going after earthworms in your yard or a park. You can also find robins by listening for their clear, melodic singing.There are many facts about robins that most people don’t know. If your children have ever wondered about robins and how they grow from chicks to adult birds, this book is for them. The book contains dozens of beautiful photos of robins from the time they first hatch, to when their mother feeds them, until they take their first flight. It also includes many little-known facts that are sure to captivate young naturalists.

2. Model Backyard Birds Toys

Set of bird figurine toys, which contains 7 different small plastic birds. The weight of bird figure toy is 96G / 0.2LB. The set of small plastic bird contains 7 pieces of toy birds, such as robin, bluebird, oriole, woodpecker, etc. Please refer to the picture for the actual size and color.

3. Big Book of Birds

The book draws in children and parents alike with captivating information about and charming illustrations of hummingbirds, peacocks, flamingos, bald eagles, secretary birds, puffins, red-crowned cranes, and more. The book also invites young bird-watchers to protect birds where they live and make their gardens bird-friendly. The text is chatty, funny, and full of remarkable facts.

4. A Nest Full of Eggs (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science 1)

Named a Best Children's Science Book of the Year by Science Books & Films, this picture book shows how the birds develop inside their eggs during the spring; how they mature into fledglings in the summer; how they learn to fly in the fall; and how they leave for warmer climates in winter—only to return when spring comes around again.

5. BACKYARD BIRDSONG GUIDE EASTERN AND CENT (cl) (Cornell Lab of Ornithology)

Suitable for beginning bird watchers, Backyard Birdsongs is an interactive handbook of birds and their songs. With a touch-button electronic module that contains common vocalizations of seventy-five species from across eastern and central North America, this volume offers a truly sensory way to identify and get to know local birds. Crisply detailed, scientifically accurate illustrations accompany each entry, and up-to-date range maps provide clear geographical reference points. With an introduction that will inspire readers to look out their windows and venture into the field, this unique book gives people of all ages an exciting entryway into the subtle art of using birdsong to identify birds.

6. A Nest for Celeste: A Story About Art, Inspiration, and the Meaning of Home (Nest for Celeste, 1)

Beautifully illustrated with hundreds of black-and-white drawings, A Nest for Celeste is a short novel that tells the story a mouse living in the 1800s and his friendship with John James Audubon’s young apprentice. While enjoying this sweet amd appealing story, young readers will also learn about nineteenth-century plantation life and the famous naturalist who was known for his paintings of birds and American wildlife.

7. An Egg Is Quiet: (Picture Book, Kids Book about Eggs)

This stunningly beautiful and wonderfully informative book from award-winning artist Sylvia Long and author Dianna Hutts Aston makes for a fascinating introduction to the vast and amazing world of eggs. Featuring poetic text and an elegant design, this acclaimed book teaches children countless interesting facts about eggs. Full of wit and charm, An Egg Is Quiet will at once spark the imagination and cultivate a love of science.

8. Robins!: How They Grow Up

Robins are the most familiar and beloved of all birds, found throughout North America and celebrated as one of the first signs of spring. But there's a lot about them that most people don’t know! In this visually stunning picture book that features comic-book panels combined with painterly illustrations, Eileen Christelow tells the story of two young robins’ first year, and reveals plenty of little-known facts that are sure to captivate young naturalists. Narrated with humor and filled with kid-pleasing details, this fascinating account of how robins grow up includes an Author’s Note, Glossary, More About Robins, and Sources.

9. Rob the Robin: A Tale of a Feathered Friend

Join Rob the Robin on his adventure as he discovers first the difficulty of surviving a long winter and then the wonders of spring. Written as an early reader, this tale is sure to delight children with captivating photography and pictures that visually tell the story in such a way that will interest both readers and non-readers alike.

10. The American Robin

In this book, Roland Wauer offers a complete natural history of the American Robin for a popular audience. Combining his own observations as a field naturalist with data gleaned from the scientific literature, he described the American Robin from every angle - appearance and biology, distribution, behavior, life cycle, and enemies and threats. In addition, he explores the legends and lore surrounding robins ("Whoever kills a robin redbreast will never have good luck were they to live a thousand years") and offers suggestions for attracting robins to your yard with favorite food, water, landscape plantings, and nesting places.

11. American Robin Plush Authentic Bird Sound

Kids and adults love this bird stuffed animal and are captivated by its realistic sound. They are also great baby toys and used as sensory toys. With one squeeze, Audubon birds produce beautifully authentic bird calls provided by the Cornell lab of Ornithology’s bird recording archives.

Are y’all planning any special project for spring?

How to Get the Free Bird Journal

Now, how to grab the free bird journal. This is a subscriber freebie.

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

Fun Hands-on Free Mushroom Unit Study and Kids Learning Activities

March 27, 2023 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

This mushroom unit study is a fun topic to study any time of the year. Also, grab more ideas on my best homeschool unit studies page.

While you can find many species of mushrooms year-round the very best time to get out and study them in nature is in the fall and in spring.

Fun Hands-on Free Mushroom Unit Study and Kids Learning Activities

Besides, even if you are not able to find any mushrooms in your backyard, fields, or woodland areas there are still plenty of fun hands-on free mushroom unit study and kid’s learning activities to be found.

You can gather resources from the library or Amazon to put together a wonderful nature study on mushrooms so easily.

But first, let’s learn a few fun and fungi facts.

5 Funky Mushroom Facts

Mushrooms grow in all 50 States.
Mushrooms are like plants, but they lack chlorophyll and must take their nutrients from other materials.
Just one Portabella mushroom can have more potassium than a banana.
There are over 30 species of mushrooms that glow in the dark.
The name for those who collect and eat mushrooms from the wild is a Mycophagist.

Next, add some fun books.

Mushroom Unit Study Books

Grab some of these fun books to learn about mushrooms, the part of a mushroom and the life cycle.

Mushrooms: How to Identify and Gather Wild Mushrooms and Other Fungi

This mushroom foraging book is packed with vital information that will help you identify the exact types of mushrooms you are looking for when you’re out foraging. You’ll learn how to identify the caps, stems and gills, which all have different physical characteristics like shape and texture, and color.From the Neobulgaria pura and the Mitrula paludosa, discover newly-found fungi species and complex ones which can only be viewed microscopically. The detailed illustrations and identification charts will help you name the mushrooms you find or hope to search for.

Back to the Roots Organic Mini Mushroom Grow Kit

GROW YOUR PLANT ALL YEAR-ROUND: This organic mushroom indoor kit allows you to grow your own crop all-year round; Just place the box near a window with indirect light, mist twice a day, and you'll see delicious, beautiful mushrooms growing within a week; Included in this kit is an organic plant-based soil infused with mushroom spawn and a booklet with instructions

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

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

National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms (National Audubon Society Field Guides)

Featuring a durable vinyl binding and over 700 full-color identification photographs organized visually by color and shape, the National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms is the perfect companion for any mushroom hunting expedition. Each species is accompanied by a detailed physical description, information on edibility, season, habitat, range, look-alikes, alternative names, and facts on edible and poisonous species, uses, and folklore. A supplementary section on cooking and eating wild mushrooms, and illustrations identifying the parts of a mushroom, round out this essential guide.

The Mushroom Fan Club

Elise Gravel is back with a whimsical look at one of her family’s most beloved pastimes: mushroom hunting! Combining her love of exploring nature with her talent for anthropomorphizing everything, she takes us on a magical tour of the forest floor and examines a handful of her favorite alien specimens up close. While the beautiful coral mushroom looks like it belongs under the sea, the peculiar Lactarius indigo may be better suited for outer space. From the fun-to-stomp puffballs to the prince of the stinkers―the stinkhorn mushroom―and the musically inclined chanterelles, Gravel shares her knowledge of this fascinating kingdom by bringing each species to life in full felt-tip-marker glory.

Botanicum: Welcome to the Museum

The 2017 offering from Big Picture Press's Welcome to the Museum series, 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.

Ridley's Funky Fungi

FUN FAMILY GAME: See if you have what it takes to be the mushroom master in Funky Fungi from Ridley's Games! In this card-collecting game that will definitely grow on you, forage for the best fungi to be the first player to reach ten points and win the game.

Let's learn about mushrooms

Introduces the characteristics and uses of a variety of mushrooms and discusses some of the beliefs and customs connected with this plant family.

Katya's Book of Mushrooms

Mushrooms are exciting to find, beautiful to look at, fascinating to identify, and delicious to eat. When you know what to look for, a mushroom hunt is as safe and enjoyable as a treasure hunt. Katya Arnold ranges through the world to find hundreds of varieties of mushrooms, as well as fascinating anecdotes and fun facts that make these wonders of nature exciting and immediate. A walk in the woods will never be the same!

Mushroom Unit Study Lesson Plans and Resources

Lesson Plan for Teaching about Fungi
Fungus Files K to 6 Educator’s Guide
More awesome mushroom activities here.

Vocabulary words about mushrooms

cap – The cap or the top of the mushroom protects the gills.
gills – The gills are the structure that produce the spores, and the spores are similar to seeds.
mycelium – The spores germinate into mycelia which are root-like threads that usually grow underground, similar to a root.
fungus – any of numerous plants lacking in chlorophyll, including yeasts, molds and mushrooms.
asexual – Showing no sexual differentiation (no male or female forms)

Hands-on Activities for Mushroom Unit Study

Get out and explore your own backyard, woodland area, or local state or national park and see what you can find to study firsthand.

We found this growing in a flowerpot that was in the shade and stayed very damp.

This was growing on the side of a picnic table, which we think might be Turkey Tail.

And several different types of lichen growing on trees.

MORE MUSHROOM ACTIVITIES

Fungi Fun: 11 Unconventional Mushroom Gift Ideas for the Adventurous Spirit

Free Life Cycle of a Mushroom Worksheet & Fun Meringue Mushrooms

The app iNatrualist is great for helping to identify individual mushroom species, just capture an image of any you find with your phone and plug it in, search for suggestions and you can figure out what you have found.

Make these super fun mushrooms for snack time while you study all about them.
Try growing your own small batch of oyster mushrooms in just 10 days with this kit.
Make a mushroom spore print to get a reverse detail look at the underside of a mushroom, the gills.
There is a wealth of great mushroom activities at Treehouse Magazine for middle to upper elementary ages, including printable pdfs with math, crosswords, puzzles, spore prints and more.
Make a Felt Mushroom to label. It’s such a fun craft. You will find the directions below.
Print these Mushroom worksheets like labeling the parts of a mushroom, coloring pages, life cycles, etc.
Play Mushroom themed games like Morels or Funky Fungi.
Take the kids to the grocery store or farmers market and check out the different types of mushrooms. Bring some home and try a new recipe together.

Then here is a cute and simple dot to dot mushroom print for the wee little ones.

In addition, look at more best homeschool unit study ideas.

Best Homeschool Unit Study Ideas

I have many different themes.

Finally, look at this fun hands-on mushroom activity.

Parts of a Mushroom Labeling Activity

You will need:

Red, tan, and white felt
Black permanent fine-tip marker
Scissors
Craft/school glue or hot glue
Cardstock

Directions:

Cut out a red slightly oblong piece of red felt for the cap whatever size you like for your labeling activity.

Cut tiny white pieces for the “spots” on your mushroom.

Next, cut longer skinny white strips for the “root” or mycelium.

Further, trace the red mushroom cap onto tan felt but only cut out the bottom third.

This will be the underside of the mushroom to show the gills.

Draw the gills as curved lines with a fine permanent marker.

Cut a curve along the bottom of the red cap to show more of the gills.

Also, from the tan color, you will also cut your rectangular stem as well as the volva and ring as seen here in the book we used for reference.

Too, the ring wraps around near the center of the stem and the volva is the cuplike structure at the base with natural edges and shapes rather than straight across.

We went back and added a little brown marker to the edges of our tan pieces to help differentiate the parts on the stem after we glued it together.

However, learn from us and make it easy on yourself. Do this step right after cutting.

Begin assembling your mushroom by gluing the tan gills to the red cap with the stem in between.

Next, wrap the ring around the stem and glue it in place as well as the volva.

Moreover, add your little bits of white with glue to the cap.

Transfer your mushroom to a tray and add a layer of grass and dirt beneath with brown and green felt.

Add your mycelium to the soil.

Write -mycelium, ring, cap, gills, volva, and stem on cardstock and use them to label each of the parts.

Additionally, you can also use felt to create other mushroom species like Honey Mushrooms.

Or Hen of The Woods. Finally, we had so much fun creating our mushrooms. Going to give them a try?

Fun Homeschool Unit Study Egg to Sea Turtle Lesson Plans & Lapbook

March 26, 2023 | 10 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have some sea turtle lesson plans and sea turtle lapbook today. Grab more ideas on my lapbook ideas page. Also grab more ideas on my best homeschool unit studies page.

We made a detour on finishing up high school for a quick nature read about sea turtles.

From Egg to Sea Turtle Nature Unit Study & Lapbook

I chose Our Sea Turtles as a spine and we weren’t disappointed.

Today, in sharing from egg to sea turtle nature unit study and lapbook, I’ve rounded up some awesome links and ideas for you.

Also, I created a fun lapbook for about upper elementary to middle school for your kids.

Of course, you can decide what ages to use the lapbook for because I never make my lapbooks baby-ish.

Using cursive font and avoiding baby-ish or goofy looking clip art the best I can, I create my lapbooks for all ages.

Sea Turtle Unit Study & Lapbook

First, let me show you how much we loved the book Our Sea Turtles.

It is a 282 page reference book with beautiful color pictures on each page.

It has several sections, including:

The Species, Sea Turtle Form and Function,
Life Cycle and History, Ecology,
Our Sea Turtles on Land,
Sea Turtles in Water and
Saving our Sea Turtles.

One thing we learned right away that we did not know was that not all turtles in salty waters are sea turtles.

They are truly marine animals and one of the things that makes them different is their shell.

Moreover, sea turtles don’t really have the ability to pull in their head and limbs inside although they can still withdraw their neck.

Although we know that sea turtles are mostly herbivores, we did learn that they won’t pass up some easily captured prey.

From Egg to Sea Turtle Nature Unit

Additioally, we learned about some of the predators of the sea turtle.

The Northern raccoon, ghost crab, fire ants, laughing sea gull, bobcat, fish crow, dolphinfish, crevalle jack, tiger shark and bull shark are a few of the sea turtle predators.

What was really interesting was learning what was inside an egg. Sea turtles have an amniotic egg.

The features of a sea turtle egg include a papery eggshell that protects but is porous (to air and water vapor), and an allantois (fetal membrane) which facilitates respiration and helps with waste.

The yolk sac supplies nutrients for the embryo and it shrinks as the turtle grows.

What we didn’t know was that the amniotic sac is like the equivalent to the placenta in mammals.

Sea Turtle Lesson Plans, Guides, and Background Information.

Along with reading the book Our Sea Turtles I really loved a lot of these resources. Too, look at some sea turtle lesson plans.

Journey of Survival educators guide I found super helpful and used a lot of the information from here to do the lapbook. You can read it online.
22 page pdf educator’s guide has a great roundup of vocabulary words.
Grab this fun coloring page with crossword puzzle activity.
You love this Sea Turtle Inc. site for great hands-on ideas like make a sea turtle habitat, make a magnet sea turtle for older kids (cool), and a template to create your own hatchling for younger kids. So cute.

Then here is a free discussing and activity guide to use with the book Sea Turtle Science which is also good to add to your sea turtle lesson plans.

9 page elementary school guide has some great question and answers or facts about sea turtles.
A super nice 180 page educator’s guide with printable lab cards and hands-on ideas. Nice!
You’ll love this massive 160 educator’s guide One Ocean from National Geographic on who lives in the ocean which includes background information on sea turtles.

Grab these free and beautiful sea turtle posters in pdf.
Use these free maps to add in some geography to your unit study as you learn about tracking the sea turtles.

Grenada Fun website has a wonderful graphic for teaching the parts of a sea turtle along with background information. It’s the one I used for making the minibook in my lapbook.
Here is an ultimate sea turtle guide.
Look at this fun prek sea turtle unit study over at Homeschool Preschool.

Sea Turtle EASY Hands-on Ideas and Activities

Easy Hands-on Math Build a Geometric Turtle @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

There is a fun and easy build a geometric turtle activity that is in the Sea Turtle, a Journey of Survival guide I shared above.
Build an origami turtle.
More hands-on idea for the littles over at Munchkins and Beans to learn about sea turtle life cycles.
Make this clay sea turtle over at Buggy and Buddy.

I love this tin foil turtle for some art.
Nice coloring pages and make great covers for your lapbook although I have created some for you too.

What a fun keepsake – do a hand print turtle craft.
Make a 3d turtle craft.
Cutest Ever Egg Carton Sea Turtle Craft and Learning Activities for Kids

In addition, look at some of these books.

Fun Sea Turtle Resources

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

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.

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.

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.

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!

Tammy Turtle: A Tale of Saving Sea Turtles

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

The Life Cycle of a Sea Turtle

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

Sea Turtle Media

How Baby Sea Turtles Find their Way Home.
This is a great graphic for Sea Turtle Facts.

Fun Homeschool Unit Study Egg to Sea Turtle Lesson Plans & Lapbook

Then also, our unit study reminded us of the co-op we had where my sister brought a turtle shell Native American craft made by one of her Native American friends.

I love when we have a tie in to what we learned before in one of our co-ops.

Then of course a family visit to the ocean is a great field trip.

The Galveston coast near us had these new and beautiful benches that are part art and part bench.

Local schools got to decorate them with facts about the marine life that live in the ocean.

It not only makes for a beautiful enhancement to seawall, but a fun way to learn facts.

I think doing a mosaic like this would make a great art project too.

Next, here is my lapbook.

Grab this FREE Sea Turtle Lapbook | Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

The minibooks include:

What Makes a Turtle a Sea Turtle?
7 Species of Sea Turtles layered book.
What Are the Sea Turtle Parts?
The Anatomy of a Sea Turtle.
Sea Turtle Tagalongs trifold book.
From Egg to Sea Turtle Life Cycle Circle book.
The Struggle to Survive.
Predators petal book.

If you’re looking to do any spring nature studies, you’ll want to get a few of the NaturExplorers. I love those studies for multiple ages.

How to Get the Free Sea Turtle Lapbook

Now, how to grab the free lapbook. The lapbook is a subscriber freebie.

1) Sign up on my list to get my emails.
2) Download your freebie.
3) Glad to have you following.

Look at these other links:

Clay Eggs Project from Table Life Blog
An Online Book Club choice from Hide the Chocolate
A Mermaid’s Purse: A Surprise Discovery Within from Eva Varga
Citizen Science – Nest Watch from Eva Varga
Egg Identification Nature Bingo {Free Printable} from Freshly Planted

From Egg to Sea Turtle Nature Unit Study & Lapbook. Grab this fun sea turtle lapbook for your middle school kids and these easy hands-on activities and ideas to bring your homeschool science to life! CLICK HERE to grab it!

You’ll also love these other nature studies:

An InLinkz Link-up

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.

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

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

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

There are 7 different species of marine turtles – Flatback, Green, Hawksbill, Loggerhead, Leatherback, Olive ridley, and Kemp’s ridley.
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.
Unlike other kinds of turtles, sea turtles cannot retract their flippers and head into their shells.
Nest temperatures determine the sex of sea turtle hatchlings. Warmer temperatures will produce more females while cooler will produce more males.
Sea Turtles can live to be about 100 years old.

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.

Fun Sea Turtle Resources

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

Sea Turtles

I'll Follow the Moon

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

National Geographic Readers: Sea Turtles

Tammy Turtle: A Tale of Saving Sea Turtles

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

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

Sea Turtle Scientist (Scientists in the Field)

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.

Follow the Moon Home

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.

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

Directions:

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

Paint the entire cup green and set aside to dry.

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

Cut 4 flippers from green construction paper or craft foam.

It is basically just a long crescent shape.

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

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

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.

nature study

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Sea Turtle Unit Study & Lapbook

From Egg to Sea Turtle Nature Unit

Sea Turtle Lesson Plans, Guides, and Background Information.

Sea Turtle EASY Hands-on Ideas and Activities

Sea Turtle Media

How to Get the Free Sea Turtle Lapbook

5 Fun Facts about Sea Turtles

Sea Turtle Books For Fun Egg Carton Sea Turtles

Sea Turtle Hands-On Activity Ideas

How to Make an Egg Carton Sea Turtle

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