Naturally Educational » 9-11 (Elementary)
Shark Week Kids Craft: Duct Tape Paper Cup Shark
We’re kicking off shark week around here with a fun shark craft for kids. Sharks are the largest fish and are at the top of the oceanic food chain. These prehistoric predators have fascinated and frightened humans throughout the centuries. Sharks are largely misunderstood and misrepresented in the media. Only four species of shark regularly attack humans. Compared with other animal attacks or water-related accidents, shark attacks are a very small risk. We put together a paper … Read entire article »
Filed under: 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 9-11 (Elementary), 9-11 (Elementary), Ecology, Featured, Science
To the Victor Goes the Olive Wreath
One of the joys of having children is that I get to learn along with them! I had always thought that Olympic champions received laurel wreaths. Not so! The victors of the Apollo’s Pan-Hellenic Pythian Games at Delphi received the laurel but Olympians earned olive wreaths for their efforts. This makes sense given the importance of the olive to the Ancient Greeks. The olive tree was a gift from Athena to her city of Athens. Olive … Read entire article »
Filed under: 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 9-11 (Elementary), 9-11 (Elementary), Featured, History and Culture
Pasta Pasta- homemade pasta making
I absolutely love when I find the opportunity to turn a chore or fun activity into a science lesson. I was making some homemade pasta at a cooking class when I the light bulb in my head went off. This is the perfect lesson for the kids! We had a cooking class, math lesson and science lesson rolled into one. My two older children ages 3 and 6 eagerly went to work on this cooking … Read entire article »
Filed under: 3-5 (Preschool), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 9-11 (Elementary), Featured, Home Arts, Mathematics, Science, Taste, Touch
Glue Batik Father’s Day Banner Craft
We’ve been eager to try out this kid-friendly glue batik craft technique that I saw a few years ago at That Artist Woman. Essentially, you create a glue-resist on fabric with the blue glue gel (we used Elmer’s) and then paint over with acrylic paints or fabric paint. We decided to make Father’s Day garden banners to celebrate Daddy and Papa. Materials: fabric (we used canvas bags from Michael’s but almost any white fabric would work) glue gel (we … Read entire article »
Filed under: 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 9-11 (Elementary), 9-11 (Elementary), Art, Featured, Home Arts
How to Grow Grass Caterpillars
We actually made our grass caterpillars in April as part of our Earth Day explorations but our “quick grow” grass seed was not quite quick enough. Our little caterpillars did eventually become big fuzzy grass caterpillars, however, and I wanted to share them with you. Our live caterpillars from Insect Lore just arrived and we are excited to see their metamorphosis into butterflies! In the meantime, we enjoy caring for these grass caterpillars. Materials: nylon stockings/knee socks (the … Read entire article »
Filed under: 3-5 (Preschool), 3-5 (Preschool), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 9-11 (Elementary), 9-11 (Elementary), Ecology, Featured
Weave In the Sun: How to Make a “God’s Eye” Sun
June is here and summer is on its way! We are welcoming the reign of the sun with this modified “God’s Eye” or Ojo de Dios. A “God’s Eye”, as former summer-campers know, is a weaving done with yarn on sticks. Thought to have originated with the Huichol Indians of Jalisco, Mexico, who call it Sikuli, the traditional God’s Eye represents “the power to see and understand things unknown”. Instead of four branches, which represent the four … Read entire article »
Filed under: 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 9-11 (Elementary), 9-11 (Elementary), Featured, History and Culture, Science
Books, Videos, and Websites About Vikings for Elementary Kids
It’s a Viking raid here on Naturally Educational! My friend, Athena, is always exploring the most exciting topics with her three kids. Last year they delved into American pre-history and found themselves spending a bit of time on Vikings. Here are some of their favorite picture and chapter books about Vikings, primarily for elementary school-aged children. The Vikings were always a favorite with my classes when I taught high school history, too. I cannot wait to … Read entire article »
Filed under: 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergartners), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 9-11 (Elementary), 9-12 (Middle Grades), Featured, History and Culture
Stained Glass Fairy Suncatcher
We’re all about fairies here! We like to dance like fairies, eat like fairies, play like fairies, and decorate like fairies. My daughter wanted to make a fairy suncatcher for our window and so we used the simplest “stained glass” suncatcher technique. Materials: clear plastic (you can use toy packaging, sweater bags, just about anything will do) tissue paper permanent marker (“Sharpie”) stencil (unless you are an artist!) glue and water mixture paintbrush scissors Directions: 1. Using a black permanent marker, draw or trace your … Read entire article »
Filed under: 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 9-11 (Elementary), 9-11 (Elementary), Art, Featured
Leprechaun St. Patrick’s Day Craft
Top o’ the morning to ye! Here’s a wee fellow you can make out of a cardboard (toilet paper) tube, some construction paper, yarn, and googly eyes…and a bit of the blarney! Materials: cardboard tube construction paper (green, light pink or peach, and black; optional: yellow and a second color of green) red marker googly eyes scissors glue orange yarn Directions: 1. Cut the pink or peach paper and wrap around the cardboard tube, approximately 3/4 of the way up the tube. 2. Cut a length … Read entire article »
Filed under: 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 9-11 (Elementary), 9-11 (Elementary), Featured, History and Culture, Spring
Our Favorite St. Patrick’s Day Crafts for Kids
Some of our favorite kids’ crafts for St. Patrick’s Day: Beaded Shamrock Ornament (Naturally Educational) Cardboard Tube Leprechaun (Naturally Educational) Cardboard Tube Shamrock Sun Catcher (Naturally Educational) Shrinky-Dink Shamrock “Lucky Charms” (No Time for Flashcards) Styrofoam Cup Leprechaun Hats (Crafts By Amanda) I know what you are thinking…just shamrocks and leprechauns? no rainbows? Patience lassies and laddies…rainbows are up next! … Read entire article »
Filed under: 3-5 (Preschool), 3-5 (Preschool), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 9-11 (Elementary), 9-11 (Elementary), Featured, History and Culture, Spring
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About the Author
Candace Lindemann is a published children’s writer and educational consultant. She holds a B.A. from Yale University and an M.Ed. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Working with school districts around the country and some of the most well-known companies in the education industry, Candace creates custom strategies, textbooks, and lesson plans. Her articles have appeared in print and online.
While Candace’s degrees prepared her for a career in education, she’s found that the best preparation for parenting is on the job training.
Contact Candace via e-mail, read her full biography, or connect with her using the social media icons below or on Google.
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