science
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Volcano Books for the Classroom
On Wednesday I shared some activities to use when exploring volcanos – and how to decide if this is a relevant topic for your class. Today it’s all about the volcano books that will support this exploration. There are so many volcano books for children that are truly not written at a level young children can understand. The vocabulary, depth, and assumed prior knowledge is too much, especially for preschoolers. I was able to find some winners though! Here are the books that I recommend (all are affiliate links):
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Preschool Volcano Theme
I’m a huge proponent of exploring themes that are relevant to the children you teach, but I also strongly believe that doesn’t always mean that they HAVE to be themes that children interact with in their everyday life in order to be relevant. If children are especially fascinated with a topic, to the point that it has become a regular topic of conversation in their classroom, then it is relevant in my eyes. This is where topics like dinosaurs, space, make-believe, wild animals, far away landscapes, etc. begin to become appropriate classroom themes. This week we’re tackling one of those topics; volcanos! There are so many ways to explore volcanos…
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Airplane Activities for Preschool
Mondays have been tough around here – these summer weekends are busy and we’re feeling it by Monday! I hope that you’ll forgive me for not always getting a Monday post up throughout the summer, I’m really leaning into Mom life and sometimes that just doesn’t leave the time. That doesn’t mean that I’m totally leaving you hanging though! I’ve got so much to share. We’re prepping for a vacation, and it’s a big one because it’ll be my daughter’s first airplane experience. This felt like the perfect time to dig in and explore airplanes. It’s relevant for my family at the moment, but it can be an excellent theme…
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Frog Books for Preschool
Did you know that toads are actually a type of frog? We’re learning so much during frog week! The highlight so far has been folding origami jumping frogs – we used this video from Art for Kids Hub to guide us. We’ve also been reading a lot. Here are the books that have been in wide rotation (all are affiliate links. Frogs – National Geographic Kids How Does a Tadpole Grow – Eric Carle Fanatical About Frogs (About Animals) – Owen Davey The Toad (Disgusting Critters) – Elise Gravel Tell Me The Difference Between a Frog and a Toad – Leigh Rockwood Frog and Toad are Friends – Arnold Lobel…
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Frog Activities for Preschool
This is our first official week of summer! This year we’re exploring a different topic every week, inspired by our love of animals and science, and guided by our favorite National Geographic Kids books – You can read more about our summer plans in this post. Keeping with these weekly themes, I thought it would be fun to share some of the activities and learning experiences that we’re using to understand each topic better. Here are our plans for frog week: Exploring a local pond – whether you take your group to a pond or bring elements of the pond to the classroom, this is a hands-on opportunity to really…
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Understanding an Eclipse for Preschoolers
I’m on vacation – but I had to pop in and share this incredible resource before next week’s big eclipse! This social story is a simple way to explain to the very youngest students what an eclipse is, and what it might be light to experience one. Toddlers and preschoolers are so observant, they notice absolutely everything. This means that they know adults in their lives are talking about something pretty major, but they don’t necessarily understand the words that they’re using, because vocabulary words like “eclipse” and “path of totality” aren’t something that they have a frame of reference for. A social story like this one can open up…
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Eclipse Supplies for Teachers
March is going to fly by – with St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, and spring break – so the eclipse on April 8th will be here before we know it! I’m already getting excited, and planning for the big day is definitely building that anticipation. Our area is in the path of totality, so all of our local schools are closed the day of the eclipse because we’re anticipating travel and communication challenges due to the large influx of eclipse tourists. That means that the week before the eclipse is the prime time for talking about it in the classroom. I’m also gearing up to keep my daughter busy with eclipse…
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Preschool Eclipse Activities
I’m so happy to have these eclipse activities ready for you! Little ones can struggle with these kinds of special events because they just don’t have the frame of reference to understand why they’re a big deal to the adults in their lives AND what is actually happening. The eclipse activities that I’ve put together will help work through both of those challenges in a way that is developmentally appropriate, while also supporting the other work that they’ve been doing throughout the year. I firmly believe that none of us can truly understand any topic if we don’t have the vocabulary to discuss it with others. Vocabulary cards like these…
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Eclipse Clipart!
I mentioned that I’ve been working on an eclipse clipart set so I wanted to let you know that it’s available! My community is in the path of totality for the upcoming total solar eclipse on April 8th, so we’ve be getting really excited for the event. I wanted to commemorate it with some special clipart – and of course use these for other materials too. Make sure to check back for updates on those products!
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Thanksgiving Pie Experiment
I know that there are very strong opinions about using food for preschool activities, and I understand both sides of the argument. Personally, I believe that food is something that brings us together. It is a powerful way to open children’s minds to new experiences, and to introduce them to cultural experiences. I am especially partial to taste-tests as science and social studies activities because it gives me the opportunity to expose children to something that they may not ever encounter at home. I’ve been known to taste test fruits and vegetables, in order to introduce new foods and encourage children to be open to trying new things. This particular…
