"When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe." —John Muir
Seeing the natural world through the eyes of a child is an enlightening experience. Their innate appreciation for and fascination by all living things is a quality that can lead to many fulfilling learning experiences. Our science program builds on the inherent interests of your children as we teach them how to hypothesize, investigate, and report their findings through authentic real-world experiences.
Volcano!
Description Volcanos are one of those universal topics that captivate children young and old… These lessons guide you and your child through th...MORE
What Lives in the Ocean?
Description Children are fascinated by sea life… Our oceans and bays are full of fascinating creatures that can captivate young minds. One way...MORE
Parts of a Flower
Description Have you ever slowed down enough to notice a flower? To really examine and admire each tiny little part of these wild and beautifu...MORE
My Seed Journal
Though I do not believe that a plant will spring up where no seed has been, I have great faith in a seed… Convince me that you have a seed ther...MORE
Sewing Snowflakes
Description ‘Tis the season to celebrate snow! This hands-on activity encourages children to slow down and look at the details in snowfl...MORE
Dinosaur Investigations
Description Learning about dinosaurs can be very exciting for children, and often times they end up knowing more about dinosaurs than the adul...MORE
The Human Body
Description Identify beginning letter sounds while learning about the human body. Children cut apart a letter strip and match each sound to th...MORE
All About Leaves
‘Tis the season for appreciating leaves as they change color and gracefully fall from the branches… What better way to join in on...MORE
Phases of the Moon
There are few things in life as constant as seeing the Moon at night, yet what seems most predictable about the Moon, is the cycle of change that it...MORE
Backyard Science: the Colors of Nature
When we slow down and and take the time to focus on simply noticing, the natural world comes alive with inspiration. The Colors Of Nature activity en...MORE
Science Lab: Dissecting Flowers
I will never forget the unexpected delight I felt when my college botany professor announced that we would be dissecting flowers in class. The fact t...MORE
Favorite Flower Finds
1. / 2. / 3. / 4. / 5. / 6. / 7. / 8. / 9. When the crocuses makes their first appearance in early spring it opens our senses to all of the potential...MORE
Look Closely: The Art of Observation
Now that spring is here, it’s time to start exploring the great outdoors! Developing the art of observation is an essential skill for our young...MORE
Life Cycle of a Seed
Watching a simple bean seed sprout offers children the opportunity to observe and document change over time. As the bean goes through its changes, ch...MORE
Simple Keys for Identifying Conifers: The Pine Family
Have you ever given much consideration to the various pine trees around you? My children and I have been slowly identifying the deciduous trees in...MORE
Mystery Bags for Older Children
Mystery bags (bags in which you put items for a child to identify by sense of touch only) are commonly used with children in the three to eight year...MORE
Universal Lessons: The Solar System
Wow! What an amazing summer… As many of you know we opened the Playful Learning Studio in June and I’m happy to report that our new space...MORE
Nature Study: Getting Up Close
Nature is all around us, from the grass that grows between the paving stones near our house to a nearby wooded copse, ripe for exploring. But how of...MORE
Water is Water: 3 Experiments for Kids
Confession number one, I am a sucker for the water cycle. I’m not sure what exactly entices me about this scientific phenomenon, perhaps because it...MORE
The Power of Here: Discover Your Local Watershed
Place-based education has been around for quite some time. However, it is gaining momentum in the public education sector as educators have discovered...MORE
Outdoor Adventure Kit
Is it getting warmer in your neck of the woods? It is here and we are so eager to embark on the great outdoors! I thought it would be fun to share th...MORE
Author Focus: Keri Smith
For the past three weeks, my daughters have been asking me “How many more days until spring?” The Midwest winter was long this year, so my girls k...MORE
Nurturing a Sense of Wonder
Caterpillars turning into butterflies, bean seeds sprouting and growing into nourishing food, the constant, yet ever changing phases of the moon, the...MORE
An Invitation to Learn About Seeds
Despite the deep snow all around us, there is a stirring of spring under our feet. The temperatures are not bitter cold as they were, we can stay out...MORE
Investigating Spring: Resources for Young Scientists
Springtime sun and rain puddles naturally raise our children’s desire to explore outdoors. Often, we do not need anything but the time and desire to...MORE
Winter Nature Science: What’s Warmer?
In the midst of winter, staying inside by the fire with a blanket certainly seems ideal. People bundle up in layers to brave the cold and blustery te...MORE
Harvest Learning: Pumpkins, Gourds, and Squash
One of my favorite fall activities is venturing with my daughter to the local farmer’s market to select natural autumn decorations for our porch. Ea...MORE
Tinkering with TinkerLab: DIY Lava Lamp
I am so happy to be a part of TinkerLab’s Blog Tour for Rachelle’s new book, Tinkerlab: A Hands-On Guide for Little Inventors. I have bee...MORE
An Invitation to Learn About Birds
Today Emma from 95 Acres of Sky is with us to share some great resources and ideas for learning about birds with the little naturalists in our lives....MORE
Dandelions: A Playful Activity For Bringing Them To Life
Monique of Green Acorns is with us today with to share some dandelion inspiration on this lovely spring day! Dandelions – they seem to spring u...MORE
A Booklist for Young Scientists
At the moment my eldest son (aged 6) is so enthusiastically engaged in Science. He wants to read and watch and explore anything and everything scie...MORE
Raising Little Inventors
“Mummy, what do you think is inside this?” Simple questions like these happen everyday. Questions which present us with opportunities to learn an...MORE
Studying Phenology with Time-Lapse
Last spring I wrote about introducing phenology to children and how to incorporate it into their nature journaling practice. It is such an effectiv...MORE
Dinosaur Books and Apps for Little Ones
Rebecca from Thirteen Red Shoes is with us today to share some great app and book recommendations for the little dinosaur lovers in our lives…...MORE
Moon Spotting
Monique of Green Acorns is with us today to share some great tips and for moon watching with the budding young scientists in our lives… The tim...MORE
11 Picture Books that Inspire Children to Explore Outside
Seeing the natural world through the eyes of a child is an enlightening experience. Their innate appreciation and fascination for all living things i...MORE
Sensorial Education: My Five Senses (+ printable)
I love exploring the aesthetics of education… Simply by being thoughtful about what children touch, hear, see, and smell during a learning exper...MORE
‘Dem Bones Skeleton Yoga
Monique of Green Acorns is with us today to share a great yoga sequence for the little ones in our lives who are getting geared up for Halloween. The...MORE
Gardening for Kids: Germinating Seeds
I love seeing all of the signs of spring popping up around the web from our friends in Australia! Kate from An Everyday Story is here to share some g...MORE
Backyard Science: The Colors of Nature (video activity + printable)
When we slow down and and take the time to focus on simply noticing, the natural world comes alive with inspiration. The Colors Of Nature activity enc...MORE
Patterns in Nature Scavenger Hunt (+ printable)
“Come forth into the light of things, let nature be your teacher.” – William Wordsworth As humans, we tend to look for similarities...MORE
Summer Science: Alka-Seltzer Rockets
Originally published as a part of the first annual Alphabet Glue Summer Science Special, this project has gotten great feedback from families looking...MORE
Anatomy for Kids: Teaching From the Inside Out
Becky from a Sweet Hot Mess is with us today to share all of her favorite resources for teaching children anatomy... While we are a Homeschooling fam...MORE
Printable Blank Birder’s Cards
Annie from Alphabet Glue is with us today to share some wonderful printables to enhance our bird-watching expeditions… When I wrote my last Pla...MORE
Fairy Garden in a Box
Have you heard about the lovely little fairy gardens people are making lately? The concept is for children to make a little garden space where fairie...MORE
Helpful Hints for Successful Birdwatching with Kids
We have been dedicated bird watchers this winter! Needless to say I was thrilled to hear that Annie, from Alphabet Glue, and her daughter share the sa...MORE
Holiday Crafts with Kids: Frosted Windows
We have Randi from Swoon with us today to share a fun project that families can enjoy together during the holiday season. You may have heard of proje...MORE
Simple Terrariums
Randi from Swoon! is here with us today to share a simple and beautiful way to introduce children to the concept of caring for the environment—and...MORE