Earth's water is always in movement through a cycle known as the water cycle (aka the hydrologic cycle). Learn all about this fascinating cycle with this printable, 10-page mini study. This pack includes a water cycle diagram, a cloud type diagram, an interactive water cycle wheel activity, a crossword puzzle, vocabulary words, two informational reading sheets, instructions for hands-on activities, and a list of additional resources to check out. For more resources about weather and the water cycle, check out this blog post:  Weather Science: Activities and Resources for Kids If you liked this post, be sure to check out: Printable Mushroom Mini Study Follow me on Facebook Instagram Pinterest Teachers Pay Teachers

Fibonacci Day is celebrated on November 23rd because when the date is written in mm/dd format (11/23), it forms a section of the Fibonacci sequence. In this post I share several Fibonacci inspired activities to try with your kids! What is the Fibonacci sequence? The Fibonacci sequence is a sequence of numbers in which each new number is the sum of the previous two numbers. 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34... and so on. (1+1=2), (1+2=3), (2+3=5).... Fibonacci numbers are often found in nature. Some examples are the number of petals on a flower (typically 3, 5, or 8), the arrangement of scales on a pinecone, the number of digits on a human hand or foot, the number of legs an octopus has, the number of legs a starfish has, and the number of eyes on a human face. The Golden Ratio The Golden Ratio is a ratio between two numbers that equals approximately 1.618. If you divide a Fibonacci number by the previous number in the sequence, you get approximately 1.618. This ratio is important because it...

  What is STEM? STEM stands for s cience, t echnology, e ngineering, and m athematics. A STEM activity is any hands-on activity that incorporates two or more of these distinct but related fields of study. A STEM challenge is an activity that encourages kids to explore, design, problem solve, and test within the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.  STEM activities and challenges are a great way to add more hands-on learning to your school days. STEM education strengthens problem solving and critical thinking skills and makes learning fun! In this post I share instructions for three STEM activities that require nothing more than paper, tape, scissors, and a little creativity! Test Paper Airplanes Challenge your kids to make and test different types of paper airplanes. Encourage them to try some common types (look up instructions online or in a library book) and try some designs of their own. Use a measuring tape to measure the distance each airplane flew...

My family happens to live in the path of totality for next month's solar eclipse, so to make sure my kids understand what an eclipse is and how they happen, I put together this fun eclipse activity pack. I hope you all enjoy it as much as my girls did! Printable Eclipse Activity Pack Learn all about solar and lunar eclipses with this 15-page printable activity and learning pack. This pack includes two reading sheets, two diagrams/posters, vocabulary words, a crossword puzzle, two flip books, a cut and paste paper solar eclipse model activity, an art activity, instructions for making a pinhole viewer, an eclipse journaling sheet, and a list of additional resources to check out. Grab it here:  Printable Eclipse Activity Pack Follow me on Teachers Pay Teachers Facebook Instagram Pinterest

STEM activities and challenges are a great way to keep your kids busy, learning, and having fun this summer. Below I share a few of my favorite summer themed STEM activities to try with your family. Make a Sundial Before the invention of clocks, people used the sun to tell time. You can make your own simple backyard sundial with a stick, a piece of chalk, and some rocks.  Find a sunny space in your yard, preferably some place that gets consistent sun throughout a large portion of the day. Stick a stick into the ground so that it stands upright. Your stick should be about a foot to a foot and a half tall. At the next new hour place a rock where the shadow of the stick ends. Mark the hour on the rock with the chalk. Set a timer for the next hour and repeat the process for as many hours as the sun allows. Leave your sundial in place and use it the next day to tell time! *This is just a simple version of a sundial so it will only be accurate for a short time. As the seasons change and ...

What is Chromatography? Chromatography is a laboratory technique used to separate the components of a mixture. Typically the mixture is moved along a stationary material like gelatin or paper by a liquid or gas carrier. The different components of the mixture are deposited back on the material at different rates, thus seperating them for analysis. It sounds complicated, but you can do some simple paper chromatography easily at home with coffee filters and markers. Basic Paper Chromatography Experiment  For this activity you will need: -A coffee filter -Scissors -Washable markers of several different colors. Black and brown markers tend to work best. Try several different brands. -A few small cups -Tape -A few pencils Marker ink is often made up of several different pigments, especially the darker colors like blacks and browns. Using a simple paper chromatography technique you can separate these pigments so that you can actually see them individually. Start by cutting the coffee fil...

In my experience kids often are more willing to practice academic skills when they can do it outside, interacting with nature at the same time. You can turn math practice into an outdoor multisensory experience by using nature items as math manipulatives. Here are some fun, hands on math activities that can be done while out exploring in nature. Counting   Collect some small nature items like pebbles, acorns, or leaves and help your kids count how many of each there are. You can even lay them out on paper and give them space to write their totals. Sorting   Send your kids on a hunt in the backyard or around your neighborhood to collect small nature items like pebbles, acorns, small pinecones, shells, and leaves. Then have your kids sort them by type of item and count up the total of each. You can even add some plant science into this activity by hunting for various types of leaves or pinecones. When your done collecting, sort them by variety, and try to identify what type of t...