Naturally Educational » Summer
How to Make a Flower Fairy
We made these Flower Fairies in early summer but I am just getting around to posting them. In the fall, we will make them with leaves. We had been wanting to make Flower Fairies for some time and I was inspired to finally give it a go when I saw these forest fairies at A New Bohemia during the Smart Summer Challenge. Materials: 1 wooden bead artificial flowers 2 chenille stems 1 metallic chenille stem embroidery floss or yarn glue dots or hot … Read entire article »
Filed under: 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergartners), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 9-11 (Elementary), 9-11 (Elementary), 9-12 (Middle Grades), Featured, Home Arts, Literacy, Spring, Summer
Mathematics Beach Party!
Beaches, water tables, sprinklers, the sink, the bath–if it involves water and getting soaking wet, it is sure to be a hit with young children…especially during the hottest days of summer! We were off to the beach yesterday and while the kids built sandcastles, waded in the water, and floated in an inflatable raft our friends brought along, I threw in a little math and science. Which molds better? Wet sand or dry sand? Interesting! The water helps … Read entire article »
Filed under: All Ages, Bodily-kinesthetic, Featured, Logical-Mathematical, Mathematics, Science, Summer, Touch
Butterfly Coffee Filter Craft
After we released our butterfly friends it just seemed like there was something missing from our home. So, we made one of our favorite crafts: coffee filter butterflies. This is such a simple little craft and the children love both the process and the results! (I’ve joked that my next book should be titled, “101 Crafts with Coffee Filters,” because I love this strong, versatile material!) Materials: two coffee filters markers (including dried-out markers that you were about to … Read entire article »
Filed under: 1-2 (Toddler), 1-2 (Toddlers), 3-5 (Preschool), 3-5 (Preschool), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 6-8 (Early Elementary), Ecology, Featured, Science, Smart Summer Challenge, Summer
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
Apple Blossom to Zinnia: 3 Flower Alphabet Picture Books
Flowers are such a lovely part of spring and summer. We’ve planted, pressed, dissected, drawn, and studied these beautiful blossoms and are ready, soon, to move onto pollinators. To enrich our knowledge base of flower types, we borrowed some alphabet books featuring flowers. Flower Alphabet Picture Books The Flower Alphabet Book (Jerry Pallotta’s Alphabet Books): We own a number of Pallotta’s alphabet books and this one does not disappoint. The marginalia illustrate interesting facts about each … Read entire article »
Filed under: 3-5 (Preschool), 5-6 (Kindergartners), Ecology, Featured, Literacy, Smart Summer Challenge, Spring, Summer
F is for Flowers
Earlier in the spring, we learned about rain and the water cycle and about the plant life cycle. Then, once our flowers bloomed, we explored our garden. We dissected flowers, pressed flowers, made daffodil flower crafts out of cardboard toilet paper tubes, and we also practiced writing using flower petals. As with most of our “letter of the week” crafts, I modify it to include writing the whole word for my daughter, who is in … 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), Ecology, Featured, Literacy, Science, Smart Summer Challenge, Smell, Spring, Summer, Taste
Backyard Science – #SmartSummer Challenge Week 3
It is Backyard Science week here for the Smart Summer Challenge*. I have been so excited for Week 3 of the Smart Summer Challenge! Science and art are just such natural parts of a young child’s play that it is just so easy to point out these opportunities for learning…right in our own backyard! I could have filled the entire summer with experiments, crafts and art projects, book lists, games, and more for this theme. Here … Read entire article »
Filed under: Ecology, Science, Smart Summer Challenge, Spring, Summer
5 Picture Books About Summer
Summer Beat, by Betsy Franco, explores the rhythms of summer in onomatopoeic verse. The kids really related to the breezy feeling of summer freedom. The sound words are fun for my beginning reader and my son loves the fireworks display at the end! Summer Is Summer, by Phillis and David Gershator, follows a group of multicultural friends as they enjoy the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and sensations of summer. The simple, spare text paired with … Read entire article »
Filed under: 0-3 (Babies and Toddlers), 1-2 (Toddlers), 3-5 (Preschool), 3-5 (Preschool), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergartners), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 6-8 (Early Elementary), Featured, Science, Summer, Weather
Let the Sun Shine In!
The solstice was yesterday but traditionally Midsummer was celebrated on June 24 and we’re spending the whole week welcoming the summer. We made a hand print sun for our window. I have this great paper that is thicker than tissue paper but more translucent than construction paper. We love it because it is thin enough to glow in our windows but sturdy enough to survive toddler and preschooler handling. This is a simple way to welcome the … Read entire article »
Filed under: 3-5 (Preschool), 3-5 (Preschool), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergarten), Featured, Science, Summer, Weather
Weaving the Sun
Today is the summer solstice, the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. We have the most hours of sunlight and the fewest of darkness. Today marks the first day of summer for the Western calendar. For ancient people, this was midsummer (as in A Midsummer Night’s Dream) and St. John’s Day and was celebrated on June 24th. Summer began on May Day. Today we welcome the sun as our hemisphere tilts … Read entire article »
Filed under: 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 6-8 (Early Elementary), Featured, History and Culture, Home Arts, Science, Summer, Visual-Spacial, Weather
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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.
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