I love science and art, so I especially love it when we can find ways to combine the two. Earlier this year we did a unit on the solar system. As we studied each planet we looked at photos and learned about surface features and then made a watercolor painting. It ended up being so much fun, and one of our favorite projects of the year! You can grab free printable planet templates here:  Solar System Coloring/ Watercolor Pack Below I share some fun facts and a couple online resources for each planet, and some more fun solar system activity ideas: Planet Facts The solar system has 8 official planets. 4 terrestrial or rocky planets, 2 gas giants, and 2 ice giants.  Mercury - Mercury is the closest planet to the sun. It is a rocky planet covered with impact craters. It is the smallest planet, just slightly bigger than Earth's moon. A day on Mercury is equal to about 59 Earth days. A year on Mercury is about 88 Earth days. That's a pretty short year! Learn more about Mercury with

Learn all about bird anatomy, nests, avian eggs, the avian lifecycle, bird beaks, migration, feathers, birds of prey, songbirds, and more with this 33-page printable unit study. This unit study includes: 14 informational pages, vocabulary words, 4 diagrams/posters, worksheets, a crossword puzzle, a word search, 2 art activities, a STEM activity, instructions for several hands-on activities, and more! Grab it here:   All About Birds Printable Unit Study And for additional resources and activity ideas for learning about birds with your kids or students, check out my  Learning About Birds  blog series. For more educational resources and activity ideas follow me on: Facebook Instagram Pinterest Teachers Pay Teachers

Butterflies are one of the most well known and appreciated types of insect. Their colorful and beautifully patterned wings make them a favorite of children and insect enthusiasts everywhere. In this post I share some fun facts about butterflies, instructions for a butterfly metamorphosis craft, and lots of resources for learning all about butterflies.  Grab a free butterfly lifecycle coloring sheet here:   https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Butterfly-Lifecycle-Coloring-Sheet-7903680 Fun Facts About Butterflies The largest butterfly in the world is the Queen Alexandra's birdwing. It has a wingspan of nearly 12 inches!  The western pygmy is the world's smallest butterfly, with a wingspan of about 1/2 an inch. There are over 17,000 species of butterflies worldwide and butterflies can be found on every continent except Antarctica. Each fall the North American monarchs travel as far as 3,000 miles from their summer breeding grounds to their overwintering locations in Mexico