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!

    

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.

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!

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!

Do You Speak Tree? by Josh Oaktree

In April 2021, Josh Oaktree wrote a graphic novel for children called Do You Speak Tree? Do You Speak Tree? is a wordless children's book with a powerful message to its readers... save our trees! It's about a tree named Oakie who is distraught when he sees his forest being cut down. Oakie seeks out help from his friend Art and together they organize a peaceful protest to halt its destruction. Keep reading to discover what happens next and to learn how you can use Do You Speak Tree? in the classroom.

20+ Spring STEM Experiments and Activities

Spring is a terrific time to conduct STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math) experiments and activities in your classroom. Plant life cycles, types of weather, and the water cycle are popular STEM themes during this time of year. The STEM experiments and activities featured in this round-up were created by moms and teachers from all over the internet. If you see an activity 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 spring activities in this post, so let's dive right in!

Fun Facts About the Platypus

The duck-billed platypus is an unusual-looking animal that has captured the interests of people from all over the world. It has feet like an otter, a tail like a beaver, and a bill like a duck. It lays eggs like a bird and can be venomous like a snake! Read on to find out more about these fascinating creatures.

Disclosure: Affiliate links to Amazon are included in this post.

What Happens If You Don't Brush Your Teeth?

Several months ago I wrote a blog post about a children's book called Dragon's Breath by Michael Gordon. In Dragon's Breath, there is a dragon named Joe who refuses to brush his teeth because he thinks dragons aren't supposed to brush them. By the end of the story, Joe finally brushes his teeth... but what would have happened if he didn't? What would have happened to his teeth? This fun science - STEM experiment shows what happens when dragons... and children... choose not to brush them. Keep reading... the results are gross!

Disclosure: Affiliate links to Amazon are included in this post.

How to Use Skittles to Explore Primary Colors and Secondary Colors

A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog post about the different ways you can use Skittles to teach some basic math skills such as counting, sorting, and graphing. Did you know you can use Skittles to teach some basic art concepts too? Skittles can be used to teach children about primary colors and how to combine them to make secondary colors. Keep reading to learn how!

Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin

Snowflake Bentley is a children's biography about Wilson Bentley... the man who discovered that no two snowflakes are alike. Author Jacqueline Briggs Martin wrote Snowflake Bentley in 1998 and the book has been in constant publication since then. In 1999, illustrator Mary Azarian won the Caldecott Award for her illustrations in the book. Who is Wilson 'Snowflake' Bentley? Why is the book about him so popular? Keep reading to learn more about Snowflake Bentley and how to integrate it into your language arts and STEM activities!

A Dinosaur Made Me Spill: A Water Cycle Adventure by Carla Mae Jansen

The water cycle is one of my favorite science units to teach to my second and third graders. There are lots of fun STEM experiments and children's books to make learning about the water cycle exciting. Carla Mae Jansen is in the process of publishing her new children's book about the water cycle... A Dinosaur Made Me Spill... that would be a fun addition to the unit. Its release is planned for this upcoming summer (2022). In today's guest post, author Carla Mae Jansen writes about A Dinosaur Made Me Spill, how she came up with the idea for the book, and how you can preorder it on Kickstarter. Keep reading to learn more!

This is a guest post written by Carla Mae Jansen, author of A Dinosaur Made Me Spill. To learn more about guest posts, please visit the Authors, Publishers, and Sponsors page. Disclosure: Affiliate links to Amazon are included in this post.

  

Planet Power! Types of Renewable Energy

By the time children reach third and fourth grade, they traditionally start learning about different types of energy. Some of the ones they learn about are:

🍎 kinetic energy

🍎 potential energy

🍎 light energy

🍎 sound energy

🍎 heat energy

🍎 thermal energy

🍎 electrical energy

🍎 mechanical energy

However... times are changing and more and more schools and homeschool families are introducing types of renewable energy. What is renewable energy? How many different types of renewable energy are there? How can renewable energy help us? Keep reading to learn the answers to these questions and more!

The inspiration for this blog post came from the children's book Planet Power by Stacy P. Clark. Planet Power is a nonfiction children's book about six types of renewable energy... hydropower, solar power, wind power, tidal power, geothermal power, and wave power.

 

Disclosure: Affiliate links to Amazon are included in this post. 

Simple Activities for Toddlers: A Practical Play-At-Home Handbook for Parents by Lisa Forsythe

Back in March, I wrote a blog post about Crackle and Pop! Bible Science Experiments by Hanna Holwerda. Crackle and Pop! is a fun collection of STEM and science activities that parents and teachers could use with their students. In today's guest post, author Lisa Forsythe tells us about her new book Simple Activities for Toddlers. Simple Activities for Toddlers is another fun collection of activities parents and teachers need to know about. It is packed full of crafts, games, STEM activities, and other fun ideas. Keep reading to learn about Simple Activities for Toddlers and how it can be a tremendous resource for parents... and teachers... of our littlest learners!

This is a guest post written by Lisa Forsythe, author of Simple Activities for Toddlers. To learn more about guest posts, please visit the Authors, Publishers, and Sponsors page. Disclosure: Affiliate links to Amazon are included in this post.

We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom

We Are Water Protectors... written by Carole Lindstrom and illustrated by Michaela Goade... is a children's book inspired by the Indigenous-led environmental protests that have been held across the United States. In 2021, this book received the Caldecott Medal for its illustrations. We Are Water Protectors is a historically significant book, not only because it shines a light on the environmental protests happening, but also because Michaela Goade is the first Indigenous illustrator to win a Caldecott Medal. Keep reading to learn more about We Are Water Protectors and for three social studies minilessons you can use in your classroom.

Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner

Winter is almost here in the northern hemisphere and many children are learning about animals and animal adaptations such as migration and hibernation. I recently discovered a book that works really well for an integrated science + art + language arts lesson. It’s called Over and Under the Snow and is written by Kate Messner. It’s an excellent book for teaching about hibernation, which animals hibernate, and which ones don't. Keep reading to learn more!

Disclosure: Affiliate links to Amazon are included in this post.

Asha Loves Science: Over in the Meadow by Najla Ahmad

When I was a child, I loved listening to the original Over in the Meadow poem. My kindergarten teacher had a felt storyboard set for the poem and I remember feeling giddy whenever she brought it out. In today's guest post, Najla Ahmad talks about her children's book Asha Loves Science: Over in the Meadow... a fun, multicultural twist of that old poem. In Najla Ahmad's version of Over in the Meadow, children learn fun facts about animals and a little bit of Urdu... the national language of Pakistan and 22 states in India. Keep reading to learn more!

This is a guest post by Najla Ahmad that first appeared on my blog in 2016.

To learn more about guest posts, please visit the Authors, Publishers, and Sponsors page.

Disclosure: Affiliate links to Amazon are included in this post.

Top Five Science Materials in Your Junk Drawer

Once upon a time many moons ago, I posted an article called The Top 5 Science Materials to Keep in Your Kitchen. Science materials don't need to be high-tech or expensive. Check out these top five science materials you probably have in your junk drawer right now.

Disclosure: Affiliate links to Amazon are included in this post.