Naturally Educational » Seasonal
Yarn Art Pumpkin Halloween Craft
We have some favorite Halloween crafts we do almost every year and we also try to add some new ones in. In the past, we made a a yarn pumpkin molded around a balloon. This year, we tried a flatter version of the craft, a Yarn Jack O’ Lantern you can hang on a wall or window. Materials orange yarn black paper glue green chenille stem (pipe cleaner) wax paper permanent marker Directions: 1. Trace a pumpkin on a piece of wax paper. 2. Soak … 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), Fall, Featured, History and Culture
5 Pumpkin Books for Your Story Patch
Pumpkins are popping up all over the place here! I love how the pumpkin theme lasts the whole fall season, from harvest to Halloween to Thanksgiving–we study pumpkins, make Jack O’ Lanterns, pumpkin pies, roasted pumpkin seeds, and, of course, pumpkin crafts. We also enjoy reading picture books about pumpkins. Here are some of our favorite pumpkin books for kids: Plumply, Dumply Pumpkin, by Mary Serfozo: Toddlers will love the language play and the adorable cartoon-ish … Read entire article »
Filed under: 0-3 (Babies and Toddlers), 3-5 (Preschool), 5-6 (Kindergartners), 6-8 (Early Elementary), Fall, Featured
Halloween Science
Did you know that Halloween can be a perfect learning opportunity for your kids?! Yes that’s right, grab your kids and head to the nearest pumpkin patch! Materials 3 pumpkins of varying sizes knife bowl carving kit (just to make it fun!) Let your children pick out pumpkins. The bigger the pumpkin the longer this project will take, so in this case smaller is better. The one shown here with my son is way too big. Start by letting your children observe … Read entire article »
Picture Books for Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot
We enjoy exploring traditions from a number of cultures. Although we are a Christian family, I try to introduce my family’s Jewish heritage to my children, as well. We made a Sephardic apple compote, Mansanada, with our orchard-picked apples. And we have also been enjoying these picture books about Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot. Each of these books explore ethical questions in the spirit of Jewish self-reflection and questioning. They are perfect springboards for discussions … Read entire article »
Filed under: 3-5 (Preschool), 3-5 (Preschool), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergartners), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 6-8 (Early Elementary), Fall, Featured, History and Culture
Blackberry Jammin’
Have you been enjoying the summer? I cannot believe it is almost fall! We were able to join the tot cooking classes at Garden of Eve this summer and made blackberry jam. I love the whole fields-to-table experience as it gives the kids an idea of where we get our food. It is also a wonderful insight into the how people lived in a time before supermarkets–or refrigeration. The kids were able to: 1. Pick the blackberries. The kids … Read entire article »
Filed under: 3-5 (Preschool), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 9-11 (Elementary), All Ages, Ecology, Featured, Home Arts, Summer, Taste
Grow A Seed
My kids and I love looking through and doing my old lessons which I had used when I taught. Here is one of my favorite lessons, both in school and out. I actually had more fun with it at home since there were no time constraints. The purpose of this lesson is to demonstrate the stages of plants life cycle and to explain where our food comes from. (when I taught I did this along with … Read entire article »
Filed under: 5-6 (Kindergarten), 6-8 (Early Elementary), Ecology, Fall, Featured, Home Arts, Science, Subject Matter
Patriotic Ice Pops
Nothing quite cools during hot summer days like an ice pop. We love our Tovolo Star Ice Pop Molds and wanted to try to make red, white, and blue patriotic Popsicles. The challenge is a natural, non-toxic blue food dye and, after much experimenting, came up with this recipe: Ingredients one ripe banana 6-8 large strawberries a quarter cup of blueberries (optional) chilled lemonade 4 oz cup of banana or vanilla yogurt honey or sugar (just for the blue layer) red cabbage Directions: 1. Red … Read entire article »
Fireworks!
Each year we try to paint fireworks with a different technique and this is my favorite effect, yet. Materials: wax paper black or dark blue paper red, white, and blue paint glitter Directions: 1. Cut circles of various sizes from the wax paper. Fold the circles in half, then fold in half again, and fold once more. Snip the tip in a V-shape and make cuts at the outer edge. You can also cut triangles along the side. This is just like … Read entire article »
Filed under: 3-5 (Preschool), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 6-8 (Early Elementary), Featured, History and Culture, Summer
8 Picture Books to Enjoy in the Summer Sun
Last year we shared five of our favorite picture books about summer and here are three more summer children’s books to add to our list: Summer’s Vacation, by Lynn Plourde: Summer is personified as a carefree young girl in this modern legend. In the illustrations, she has the tan, breezy-barefoot look of a girl enjoying summer to its fullest. However, there is a lesson about responsibility entwined in the story. When Summer plays too long, the … Read entire article »
Filed under: 0-3 (Babies and Toddlers), 3-5 (Preschool), 5-6 (Kindergartners), 6-8 (Early Elementary), Featured, Summer
DIY Microwave Pressed Flowers: For Your Flower Pressing Emergencies
Did you know you could press flowers in the microwave when you have a pressed flower emergency? What? You do not have pressed flower emergencies? It is only me? Most of us know how to press flowers for crafts and studying and preserving memories. You place the flowers in between two sheets of newsprint and then place that in between two pieces of cardboard. Then you stick the entire cardboard, newsprint, flower sandwich under a pile … 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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