Kids seem to always be asking questions — How many stars are in the sky? Why is the weather so hot? How do animals know what to do when it gets cold outside?
Science Experiments
Wow has summer just flown by or what?! The kids only have a few more weeks before they start classes here (they are NOT ready to go back) and this is the last topic in our Summer Science series.
If you’ve missed the previous science projects and booklists, please check out the links at the bottom of the post — Trisha (Inspiration Laboratories) and I have had such a fun time pulling together hands-ons science and many of the activities can be used year round!
We always seem to have great animal encounters on our outings & vacations. And not just ONE animal. Nope — we seem to see large groups of animals. A few years ago, we saw moose and big horn sheep on a trip to the Rockies. Then we got an close-up look at bison & elk …
Have you ever visited the zoo with the kids — they look at the animals, play around, you talk to them about various things — and then you’re home for a hour or so and the questions begin… Why do the monkeys comb each other? How many stripes does a zebra have? Did you notice …
Sometimes the weather makes it difficult to connect with nature. And the winter months present several challenges — nature is no longer in ‘full bloom’ and cold weather has set in which usually means less time outside. But I love a good challenge 😉 Whatever the weather, I think it’s important to encourage the kids …
If you have blocks, legos or anything that stacks in the house, I’m sure your child has tried to build something. Playing around with engineering ideas and principles helps kids to better understand the world around them and how things work (it’s an early introduction to the world of physics!)
This week’s Discover & Explore linky is featuring Build It: Ideas for Little Engineers to encourage kids to create, play and explore the concepts of engineering.
Our theme for this week is Owls!
Owls are amazing creatures and kids will enjoy learning about these beautiful birds. There are many different kinds of owls — snowy owl, burrowing, owl, great horned owl — it’s interesting to learn about what they have in common and how they differ.
My kids are not big on going for a walk unless there’s a cool reason for being outside. For example, a walk to the playground is acceptable but a walk around the block is met with some whining at our house. So in an effort to get them some additional outdoor time AND include something …
Welcome to our End of Summer Keep the Kids Reading giveaway!
Our wonderful hosts – Mother Daughter Book Reviews and Youth Literature Reviews – have coordinated more than 60+ blogs that love reading & kids lit for an awesome way to win great books for your home library!
This week’s linky will Discover & Explore Boats, Water Fun & Things that Float!
Kids can explore a number of science and engineering ideas by trying to build their own boat and playing around with the concept of sink and float.
How heavy is an item before it sinks? And what type of materials can be used to make a boat that floats?