Predator vs. Prey: The Food Chain Game

Animals and food chains are popular topics for children to learn during science class. There are many books and crafts available about food chains that make children excited about what they're learning. This post is about The Food Chain Game which children can play outdoors during science, STEM, and even recess. Keep reading to learn more!

Phases of the Moon STEM Activity + FREE Printable

Students in second and third grade are often introduced to the basics of astronomy in science class. They learn about how Earth rotates on its axis every 24 hours causing night and day and how a year is measured by its revolution around the sun. They learn about how the moon revolves around Earth every 29.5 days and its effect on the tides. And, they learn how sunlight reflecting off the moon's surface and Earth's shadow interact to cause the phases of the moon that we see at night. The STEM minilesson below can be used to enrich your science and STEM lessons and activities about the moon. Keep reading to learn more!

Can You Grow Pine Trees From Seeds? STEM Activity

I remember when I was a little girl, I loved going outside and collecting pinecones. Some pinecones I'd paint and decorate with glitter. Others I'd smother with peanut butter and birdseed and give to the squirrels. And, others I'd keep in a basket on my front porch just because they were pretty and I liked how they smelled. It wasn't until I was older that I learned how important pinecones are to a tree's life cycle. 

This is a simple STEM activity that you can use during your science lessons about trees, tree life cycles, habitats, and the environment. It can also be used as an Earth Day activity. Keep reading to learn more!

    

15 Children's Books About Crayons

I just found out that today... March 31st... is National Crayon Day. National Crayon Day is a day in which people celebrate the joy of coloring. It is also the day that Crayola typically retires old crayon colors and introduces its new ones. (As far as I know, no new colors were added this year-- 2023. No colors were retired as well.) Listed below are 10+ children's books about crayons, markers, and other coloring supplies that'd be fun for children to read. Fiction and nonfiction books for all ages are included. Keep reading to rediscover some old classics and possibly find new favorites.

Kattenstoet and Six Books About Cats

Every three years during the month of May, people in Ypres, Belgium participate in a festival specifically dedicated to cats. Yes, to cats! (I love cats.) This festival is called Kattenstoet or Kattenfestival. On this day, people attend Kattenstoet parades, dress up in cat costumes, and toss stuffed toys cats in the air. Sounds like fun, yes? Keep reading to learn more about Kattenstoet and for a quick list of children's books about cats.

Craft Ideas for Making and Decorating Flowerpots

In my most recent blog post, I created a list of easy-to-grow flowers you can grow in your classroom. This blog post contains a round-up of flowerpot crafts that you can make and decorate for those flowers. The flowerpots featured in this round-up were created by moms and teachers from all over the internet. If you see a craft in this post that you'd like to try, click on its link and head to its original website for material lists, directions, photos, etc. There are lots of terrific craft ideas in this post, so let's dive right in!

12 Easy to Grow Flowers for Your Classroom

Spring is coming and now is a good time to plan your upcoming plant and plant life cycle units. Many teachers integrate planting seeds into their science units at this time of year, then use the newly sprouted seedlings as gifts for Mother's Day. Listed below are some photos and basic information about 12 easy-to-grow flowers that'd be perfect for your indoor gardening activities. Enjoy!

Your Life Matters! by Chris Singleton

Multicultural Children’s Book Day (MCBD) is in its 10th year! This non-profit children’s literacy initiative was founded by Valarie Budayr and Mia Wenjen; two diverse book-loving moms who saw a need to shine the spotlight on all of the multicultural books and authors on the market while also working to get those books into the hands of young readers and educators. 

Each year authors and publishing companies provide multicultural children's books for educational bloggers and social media influencers to read and write about online. In previous years, I've written about Hi, My Name is Jenny, A Unicorn Ate My Homework, Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away, and From My Window. This year, I was given a copy of Your Life Matters by Chris Singleton to read. Keep reading to learn more about Your Life Matters and how you can integrate it into your social studies lessons. 

How to Make Jello Outside in the Snow

Children in elementary school start learning about the states of matter, the properties of matter, and how matter changes when heat is added or removed from it. Making this tasty jello snack with your students is a fun way to integrate simple cooking skills into your science and STEM lessons about matter. Keep reading to find out how!

Do Squirrels Eat Pumpkins?

Have you ever looked out of your window to watch the squirrels gather food for the winter? Have you ever wondered what they like to eat? Squirrels aren't picky and will eat almost anything. We know they like to eat acorns, pecans, berries, apples, vegetables from the garden, and seeds just to name a few. Sometimes squirrels will eat food meant for other animals such as birdseed, cat food, and even dog food. But... do squirrels like to eat pumpkins? Check out this science and STEM experiment we conducted to try and answer this question.

How to Make an Apple Mummy (Part Two)

Several months ago, I wrote a blog post about a STEM activity that uses apples to make mummies. It was a popular post with more than 5,000 views and 700+ shares. Since then, I received numerous requests for part two of the experiment... the part in which we take the apple mummies out of the salt mixture and complete the hydration process in an oven. Keep reading to find out how it's done!

What is Saint Nicholas Day?

December is here and children all over the world are getting excited about their favorite holidays!  Christmas will take place on the 25th... Boxing Day will take place on the 26th... Kwanzaa will begin on the 26th and will last until January 1st... and... Hanukkah often falls during this month. But... there is another holiday in December that takes place on the 6th... Saint Nicholas Day!  Have you ever heard of Saint Nicholas Day?  Who is Saint Nicholas?  What did Saint Nicholas do to deserve his own special day?  What are some of the traditions associated with Saint Nicholas Day? Keep reading to learn more!

Native American - Indigenous Fingerweaving

Every culture around the world has its own special form of weaving. For example, Scotland is known for its tartans. China is known for its silks. And, Guatemala is known for its huipils. Each of these is unique and beautiful in its own way. In today's post, I'm going to introduce you to a type of fingerweaving by Haudenosaunee artist and weaver Marilyn Isaacs. Keep reading to learn about Marilyn Isaacs and her beautiful creations! 

How to Make Homemade Scratch Art

When I was a child, I participated in lots of arts-n-crafts activities at summer camp. (It was one of my favorite parts of going to camp!) While I was there, I learned how to do scratch art and how to make colorful drawings with it. I drew pictures of people, flowers, animals, and places I wanted to see. What is scratch art? How do you do scratch art? How can you use it in the classroom? Keep reading to learn the answers to these questions!

Fun Facts About Axolotls

In the game Minecraft, there are cute little axolotls that children love to collect. They come in a variety of colors... gold, brown, pink (leucistic), cyan, and blue... and can be found swimming in the clay pools found in lush caves. Many children are surprised when they find out that axolotls are animals that exist in real life and not just in the Minecraft realm. What are axolotls like in real life? Keep reading to find out!

A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park

In 2015, I participated in a Read Around the World Summer blog series and put together this collection of videos about A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park. A Long Walk to Water is a historical fiction children's novel based on real people and actual events. It follows the lives of two people (Salva and Nya) during different periods of time. Salva Dut’s story takes place in the mid-1980s during the Second Sudanese Civil War. Nya’s story takes place in the 2000s, shortly before South Sudan gained its independence. Keep reading to learn about the history and events behind the story!

The Big Marshmallow Tower STEM Challenge

A couple of years ago, I had the opportunity to go into a local private school and work with some pretty amazing kids. I spent most of the afternoon with a class of fourth and fifth-grade girls and a class of eighth-grade boys. Both classes had fun putting their geometry and engineering skills to the test. Their mission-- to build structurally sound towers out of nothing but marshmallows and spaghetti noodles!

10 Tasty Children's Books for Taco Tuesday

Taco Tuesdays are a fun and popular tradition for many people in the United States. On Taco Tuesday, people will often make tacos for dinner or go out to eat them at a restaurant. Some school cafeterias even offer tacos as one of their lunch options on Tuesdays. If you are looking for some tasty children's books to read on Taco Tuesday, check out the children's books in this post!

Fun Fact: Did you know that the first Taco Tuesday dates back to 1989 when a restaurant called Taco Joe's offered a special promo for... you guessed it... tacos on Tuesdays?

25 A+ Quotes for Back-to-School

In a few short weeks, teachers will be heading back to school to prepare their classrooms for the upcoming school year. Are you one of them? Listed below are 25 motivational and inspirational quotes that would be terrific for bulletin board displays, murals, banners, etc. There are lots of good quotes in this post, so let's dive right in!

Minecraft Math: Star Ways Day Pixel Art

Star Wars Day is here again and it’s a terrific time to integrate Star Wars activities into your STEM and other technology lessons. Many teachers think of science experiments when it comes to STEM, however, STEM is not just about science. It includes the integration of math and technology as well.

Today's post is about a pixel art STEM activity that integrates students’ love for Minecraft with their love for Star Wars. It can be a challenging activity and can take anywhere from several hours to several days to complete. There is a potential for students to get frustrated with this activity, so I recommend this activity for students in the middle elementary grades and above.