Naturally Educational » All Ages
The Butterfly Life Cycle
We’ve visited our local vivarium and are fascinated by butterflies. To get a closer look at the butterfly life cycle, we ordered the Insect Lore Live Butterfly Garden from Amazon and then went onto Insect Lore’s site to order the caterpillars (an extra $5 handling fee). The kids were thrilled to open the package and check out our five little larvae (i.e.: caterpillars). Our tiny caterpillars got bigger and fatter–just like The Very Hungry Caterpillar. And they spun … Read entire article »
Filed under: All Ages, Ecology, Featured, Science, Smart Summer Challenge, Summer
#SmartSummer Week 2 Government Linky
Show us how you’re having a Smart Summer! I had highlighted posts from the previous week’s linky to but for clarity’s sake, I’ve moved the round-ups to their own posts: Me on the Map Round-Up Government, Patriotism, and Currency Round-Up I’ve been sharing my family’s Smart Summer activities this week for our Government theme: exercising our democratic right to vote for our favorite ice cream flavor, skip counting coins, We’re also planning on making statue of liberty headbands, finding out … Read entire article »
Filed under: All Ages, Featured, Geography, History and Culture, Smart Summer Challenge, Visual-Spacial
Delicious Democracy
How do you communicate the basis of democracy to the under 5 crowd? With ice cream, of course! I checked in with my daughter to see if she knows who is president (she does) and how he got to be president (she did not). I explained that people vote for the president. We skipped over the whole “electoral college” thing but I’ll explain later how you could make that a part of this activity for older kids. Then, … Read entire article »
Filed under: All Ages, Fall, Featured, History and Culture, Interpersonal, Smart Summer Challenge
Mapping a Nature Hike #SmartSummer
Knowledge is supposed to enrich our lives, not just reside in dusty books (or hypnotic bits and bytes). So, we took our map skills on the road and used them to explore a “new to us” nature trail. Check out this map! Ain’t she a beaut? Most of the trail maps we encounter are faded, sad affairs. Not this one. This one has a lovely compass rose for finding directions, words for … Read entire article »
Filed under: All Ages, Bodily-kinesthetic, Ecology, Featured, Geography, Interpersonal, Logical-Mathematical, Mathematics, Smart Summer Challenge, Visual-Spacial
Smart Summer Challenge Linky – Week #1 #SmartSummer
Show us how you’re having a Smart Summer! I’ve been sharing my family’s Smart Summer activities this week: painting life-sized portraits, reading picture books about cartography, mapping our neighborhood, listening to world beats, and using maps to navigate nature walks. [Update: I've highlighted some posts from this week at a Me on the Map Linky Round-Up] We’d love for you to share your ideas–you can add a link to a post on your blog or even a photo … Read entire article »
Filed under: All Ages, Geography, Smart Summer Challenge
Moving and Grooving to Music Around the World #SmartSummer
Music is a big part of our lives. My grandfather was a professional musician and my daughter loves to play piano. And music is a fun way to gain insight into other societies. As part of my study of history, I delved into how music reflects culture. So, as part of our Me on the Map week, we enjoyed traditional music from around the globe! Since this (history and culture through the lens of art) is my … Read entire article »
Filed under: All Ages, Bodily-kinesthetic, Featured, Geography, History and Culture, Music, Musical, Performing Arts and Theater, Smart Summer Challenge, Sound
Me on the Map – Smart Summer Challenge Week 1 #SmartSummer
The first Smart Summer Challenge theme is “Me on the Map”! What is the Smart Summer Challenge? Amy of teachmama.com, MaryLea of Pink and Green Mama, and I are challenging our community to beat the “summer slide” (the learning loss that can happen over the summer). Starting MONDAY, June 27, we’ll be posting our activities daily, loosely following this calendar of educational summer ideas, and hosting a weekly linky (with PRIZES) for other bloggers to share their … Read entire article »
Filed under: All Ages, Geography, History and Culture, Smart Summer Challenge
Is Homework Worthwhile?
My almost five year old daughter is too young for homework–or at least that is what I believe. She’s picked up on the idea somewhere, though, and has introduced it into her play: “My homework today is to dance!” When my son, almost three, mimicked her, “My homework is to throw this ball,” his sister replied, “You’re too young for homework!” But is homework an effective learning tool at any age? Homework’s Effect is Negligible…Except in Math An interesting … Read entire article »
Filed under: Academic Achievement, All Ages, Mathematics
6 Free iPhone Apps to Get Tiny Techies Learning Outdoors
My family and I head outdoors at every possible opportunity. A big part of my educational philosophy is that learning best occurs with a genuine physical connection to the material. And nature is like a giant laboratory where children can use all of their sense to explore, ask questions, and perform experiments. My husband, an Eagle Scout, is a natural outdoorsman. I also love just wandering around a beach or forest path to see … Read entire article »
Filed under: All Ages, Ecology, Featured, Science, Spring, Summer
I Can Eat a Rainbow!
I’m no nutritionist but I know that eating a rainbow of fruits and vegetables is a great way to get a variety of healthy vitamins! While we are studying rainbows, we are also checking out nature’s spectrum of colors. And vivid colors in the flesh of fruits and vegetables signals a high level of nutrients. Getting children to eat healthy is wonderful but teaching them how to make healthy choices is even better. “Eat a Rainbow” is … Read entire article »
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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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