Naturally Educational » Archive
Why do teeth stain? A Science Experiment for Kids!
When i saw this experiment in the September 2012 issue of Parents magazine I just couldn’t wait to try it. With just a few modifications it made a perfect and fun learning experience for my kids. First make a few hard boiled eggs. I used five. Tip: to hard boil eggs easily place eggs in muffin pan in preheated oven at 325 for 25-30 minutes. They will peel much more easily! While the eggs are cooking … Read entire article »
Filed under: 3-5 (Preschool), 5-6 (Kindergarten), Featured, Health, Science, Subject Matter
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
Just Make Art: Oil Pastel Resist
Despite how it might appear from my blog, most of our time at home is spent playing. And most of our art-making is very open-ended. I might put out certain materials, demonstrate a technique, but from there it is all up to the kids and their own inspiration and creativity. One of my kids favorite things to do is to paint with watercolors. And they love making crayon resists. When the nice people at CraftProjectIdeas.com sent … Read entire article »
Filed under: All Ages, Art, Featured, Science, Visual-Spacial
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
Cloudy Days
Today was a great mix of weather. Some rain, thunder and lightening, as well as periods of sunshine. We used the wonderful array of clouds in the sky to do a fun lesson on the types of clouds. (excuse the power lines in the pic) Materials: blue construction paper cotton glue Procedure: 1. First I sat down at the computer with the kids to show my kids a very short video on how clouds are formed. We liked this one as … Read entire article »
Filed under: 3-5 (Preschool), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 6-8 (Early Elementary), Art, Featured, Literacy, Science, Subject Matter
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
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
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
Gone to BlogHer
I’m heading off to BlogHer this week but I do have a few scheduled posts going up while I’m off. If you will be at BlogHer, please find me and say, “hello”! Drop me a line on this post so I will be on the lookout for you! Because I want to enjoy the conference without obligations, I am sponsoring myself, this time. I would like to encourage everyone to stop by the Bloganthropy session at … Read entire article »
Filed under: Me
Olympic Rings Flag Stamp Craft for Kids
One of the enduring symbols of the Modern Olympics is the five interlocking rings. I showed my children the flag and my daughter guessed that the rings represented countries. I asked her if she could name more than five countries. Once she did, I told her she was close but since there are more than five countries, it had to be something else. What could it be? She responded “maybe continents?” We named the continents and … Read entire article »
Filed under: Featured, History and Culture
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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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