Preschool Powol Packets

These dry ice rockets are an incredibly fun science experiment and perfectly safe for young children!  Today I'm over at FSPDT sharing a complete how-to and explanation of how this science project works ! Click here for all the details! And while you're over at FSPDT, be sure to check out her sensory play posts , science experiments , and book crafts ! Be sure to check out our other  dry ice experiments !  And if you want more rocket activities and science projects, check out our DIY stomp rockets , straw rockets , and pumpkin rockets (that work great any time of the year!).  Also be sure to stop by our science collection with over 100 science experiments and activities ! Happy educating, Carla I may share at any of  these parties ! Never miss another post again!   Sign up for our weekly updates newsletter and get links to all our posts once a week in your inbox!  Sign up here !!

One of my favorite Back-to-School supplies to get each year are a few new science books for our preschoolers and other children!  These science books need to be informative, accurate, exciting, have great pictures, and be accessible to kids.  That doesn't mean that young children need to be able to read every word, but what they can't read needs to be illustrated well enough to capture their attention...and make them want me to read it to them! We still visit the library all the time and frequently buy books in the middle of the year, but the new set of science books at the start of each year makes the upcoming school time feel a little like Christmas in July! This year, I am happy to recommend these Back-to-School Science Books!  They are all fantastic for young kids...preschoolers included!  Even my toddler grabbed the First Animal Encyclopedia today and asked to read about the elephants!  They also work great for elementary kids--my 8-year old can easily read

Sound science is SO  fun!  Today we're sharing activities, science experiments, and a book to talk about how vibrations create the sound in violins, guitars, and other stringed instruments! Your kids are going to love these science projects. This month's theme for Poppins Book Nook is Composers.  My daughter has a favorite composer.  This composer is pretty young, and incredibly fun to watch perform because she creates captivating videos where she plays the violin while dancing.  Each video tells its own kind of story and many of them are a collaborative effort with other musicians.  She also studied filmography in college.  And, we've used her as an example of someone who keeps trying: when she first proposed her violin and dance ideas, she was told there was no market for it.  A few short years later, she is an amazingly successful composer and performer!  Do you know her?  Her name is Lindsey Stirling.   Click here for one of our favorite videos from her (with a

Ladybugs are a year-round favorite here--we see them all spring, summer, fall, and even during warm weeks in the winter!  Most children are familiar with butterfly life cycles, so teaching them about ladybugs reinforces the life cycle concept and lets them expand their definitions of words like larva  and chrysalis  to more general, appropriate meanings! You can download a ladybug life cycle packet for your own family or classroom here !  Make as many copies as you need, but please do not host or share the file.  Encourage other teachers and parents to download their own file by linking to this blog post, so I can continue creating {FREE} resources!  Thank you!!   Inside the packet, you will find life 4 life cycle cards showing eggs, larva, pupa, and an adult.  You will also find matching label cards.  These are great for learning about the life cycle, labeling, and matching.  You can even play memory- or go fish- style games!  You will also find a life cycle chart with

Our Nature Club theme this week was bugs, so we decided to make some cute Rock Bugs as part of our activities! You can make your own rock bugs just for fun, as part of an insect theme, or a letter theme (B is for Bugs, I is for Insect, etc.)! I invited the kids to make their bugs based on real bugs or insects (like bees, butterflies, ladybugs, or any other insect of their choice) or based on an imaginary critter they felt like creating. Simple Supplies: * rocks * paint and paintbrushes * pipe cleaners (chenille sticks, fuzzy sticks, or whatever you call them!) * hot glue (I prefer a "low heat" hot glue gun... the kids love it!) * scissors * wiggly eyes * jumbo craft sticks (ours were provided by Craft Project Ideas ) * any other supplies you want Easy How To: My favorite art and craft projects are the ones that let the children create on their own without a pre-conceived idea of what their project should look like when it is done.  To that end, I l

Yay!!  The new {FREE} My Little Animal Alphabet Book is here!!!!  Every week or two I am sharing a new little alphabet book!  You can use them in any order, but I am posting them in alphabetical order.  Today's little book is all about animals that start with the letter "e!" Click  here  to download the  Letter E: My Little Animal Alphabet Book !! Click  here  to learn more about  My Little Animal Alphabet Books , get the other letters, see their features, and get teaching ideas! I may share at any of  these parties ! Never miss another post again!   Sign up for our weekly updates newsletter  and get links to all our posts once a week in your inbox!  Sign up  here !!

We used this Bug Scavenger Hunt as part of our Nature Club, but you can use it for a bug theme, an insect theme, or just for fun! Click HERE to grab a {FREE} copy of this Bug Scavenger Hunt !! We had a blast on our Bug Scavenger Hunt...it took a while, but we had several kiddos find all the bugs!  It's a wonderful outdoors activity, though it's hot enough that when they were done finding bugs outside, they were happy to come inside and get a drink!   If you're not into scavenger hunts that involve bugs and other little critters, you can print two copies of the page, cut out the "cards," and use it to play memory-style games.  Or, if you're using it with an insect theme, you can sort the cards into "insects" and "not insects" piles!  There are loads of possibilities with these little guys! Random Sidenote: I will admit that it was difficult for me to call this a "bug" scavenger hunt because there is an order o