Animal Habitat Investigation Box

This box is an independent student exploration of animal habitats.  The goal is to match all of the animal cards to their correct animals, and then matching all of the animals to the correct habitat based on the clues on the back of all the cards. 

1.  Match all the Animals to their clue cards, then all the animals to the habitat they belong in.

2.  Once all the animals are matched students can check their work on the answer key. (the directions are also pictured in this photo)

3. After students check their work they will have to choose their favorite habitat and create an illustration of that habitat.  You will then three whole punch them and put them together in a class book. These are the materials I put in the box for students to use.

Here are some examples of what students may create. I'm no artist so some of my animals look a little funky.

Fourth Grade

Science Activities 

Make Gram Cracker Mountains

  
     Explore how earth's movements create new land forms by making your own edible mountains!  All you need is gram crackers and whipped cream.  Try it out at home and see how tall your mountains will grow.

Why do I need Sunscreen?

     Kids hate putting on sunscreen but we all know its a necessary inconvenience.  Show your kiddos the benefits of using sunscreen by doing this activity at home.

Good Reads

Geography from A to Z: A Picture Glossary for Kids by Jack Knowlton

     This glossary has all kinds of land forms to explore.  Did the gram cracker mountains spark some curiosity about other land forms, well this book can help.  It has over 64 different land forms with pictures of each one.

The Sun by Seymour Simon

  
     This book is fantastic! This book is full of facts about the sun, like how it works, and what it's made of.  Use this book to extend the sunscreen lesson all the way to Space!

Resources

4th Grade Frolics 

    This blog is teacher made and has some fantastic activities for all subjects.  She has several science tags that you can follow.  My favorite tag was the snow play-dough!  It is a super cool snow day idea!

Fabulous in Fourth!

     This blog is also teacher made and she also has some great activities.  I really liked the circuit activity that she has under the electricity tag.

Third Grade

Science Activities

What Causes Thunderstorms

    This activity is super easy to do.  All you need is some food coloring, some warm water, and a blue ice cube.  Watch as the two weather fronts meet each other and cause their own little thunderstorm pattern.  Kids are always curious about the weather, especially thunderstorms.

Make Your Own Fossils

     Kids love fossils, and getting a little messy.  Give your curious kiddos a lesson in how fossils are formed by making your own with a coffee grounds dough.  Take it a step further and cast your dried fossils with glue!

Good Reads

How the Dinosaur Got to the Museum by Jessie Hartland

    
     This non-fiction text is a great book for the fossil or dinosaur lover in your house.  Read this book, then introduce the fossil activity from above.  It'll be a great way to engage your child with a very educational read.

 Storms a Weather Book for Kids by Jacob Smith

     This book is great to use with the thunderstorm activity.  It may even spark more questions about weather from your child.  Maybe it will inspire them to make a tornado in a bottle.

Resources

3rd Grade Thoughts

     This teacher created blog is a great resources for all kinds of activites to work through at home.  Check out her activities!

Third Grade Thinkers

     This teacher created blog has some great activities for kids to work through at home.  She has a variety of subjects, not just science.  She does include a great moon cycle lesson!

Second Grade

Science Activities

Oobleck!

   
     Oobleck is one of my all time favorite science activities!  Let children get a little messy and explore all the strange things oobleck does.  This is a great lesson to discuss the states of matter.  Ask kids if oobleck is a solid, a liquid, or both?!  Follow the link for an easy oobleck recipe and some other ideas for activities with oobleck.

Cheetos Pollination 

     I found this activity on a Kindergarten blog, but the activity is totally appropriate for Second Grade as well.  The Next Generation Science Standard that this addresses is a Second Grade standard.  I love this activity.  You create flower bags full of Cheetos, or some other kind of cheesy snack.  Students then go from bag to bag and reach inside and grab some of the cheesy things.  The cheese sticks to their hands and then it will stick to the bag.  The top the sides, where ever a child touches they'll leave some cheesy powder.  This really helps kids see how bees pollinate different plants. 

Good Reads

 Bartholomew and the Oobleck by Dr. Seuss 

     This book should be used with the Oobleck experiment.  In this book Bartholomew has a very sticky experience with some very unusual weather.  This stick substance that falls like rain causes a lot of problems in his kingdom.  This is a great way to get students excited about exploring the oobleck, and the states of matter.

Brilliant Bees by Linda Glaser

     

     This book is written from the perspective of a little girl who is observing bees.   She talks about how they communicate, and how they pollinate flowers.  Read this book with the Cheesy Pollination activity to help kids become more engaged with the subject.  The book may answer or spark more questions that could take your exploration a little bit further.

Resources

Second Grade Shenanigans

   This teacher created blog is a fantastic resource for parents and teachers alike.  Get to know the teacher in the about me section.  She did a wonderful research project on severe weather, that you could easily do at home.  Check out her other science activities under the science tab.

Second Grade Science Experiments

     This website is full of fun activities that could easily be done at home!  Explore all of the topics and try your favorites. 

First Grade

Science Activities

Magnetic Scavenger Hunt

     This blog introduces this activity for a student in Pre-K, however it is easily adapted for children in first grade. Use more items that are a mix of magnet metal and non-magnetic materials to make it a little more engaging for students.  Ask students what they notice about the material that is magnetic, what do they have in common?  Also use more sand/rice/beans to hide the scavenger items.

String Telephone

     Use this experiment to introduce sound waves.  It's a really fun and simple experiment to show kids that sound travels through vibration.  If you watch closely you can see the string move when you speak into your end of the telephone.

Good Reads

What is Sound? (Sounds All Around Us) by Charlotte Guillain

     Use this book along with the String Telephone activity to show children that sound is made by vibrations.  They'll see in this book that a lot of different and unexpected things create vibrations that we can hear.

What Makes a Magnet? by Franklyn M. Branley

   
     Use this book before doing the Magnetic Scavenger Hunt.  In the book she tires to do different things with her magnet, like fishing.  She also creates her own magnetic scavenger hunt! What a great way to get children excited about exploring magnets!

Resources

Check out these links for more fun and interesting activities to do at home with your student!

The First Grade Parade

This blog is created by a first grade teacher, get to know her in her Meet the Teacher Section.  She has some great activities not only in science but in other subjects as well.  My favorite science one is on Insects!

Fun In First Grade

This blog is also teacher created, get to know a little about her in her Meet the Teacher Section.  She has all kinds of fun and interesting activities that you could easily do at home.  I really enjoy her unit on rocks!

Kindergarten

Science Activities

Water Play

       Help children build an understanding of  the conservation of water by explore how much water different containers can hold.  Do any containers that look different hold the same amount. Which ones hold the most? Which containers hold the least.

Cotton Ball Clouds

      Have fun identifying different kinds of clouds with your student.  Help them understand the differences in clouds by creating their own with cotton balls and glue.  Have fun and create neat shapes like a kitten or a dragon.

     

Good Reads

It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles Shaw 

     
      This book would work well to introduce clouds and how clouds can look different, and take different shapes.  Use this book before doing the cotton ball cloud activity, or going on a cloud hunt. 

Oh Say Can You Say What's the Weather Today?: All About Weather by Tish Rabe

 
      This is a great book to introduce the weather, and different types of weather that exists.  Who doesn't love exploring new things with the crazy Cat in the Hat!

Resources 

Click the links below to check out some other blogs with great science activities for Kindergarten students! 
  

Chalk Talk

This blog is made by a teacher for teachers.  If you're not a teacher don't be put off!  This blog is full of great lessons and activities that you could easily be done at home with out a teaching certificate!  

Kindergarten Crayons

This blog is made by a group of Kindergarten teachers.  There are a ton of activities for science, math, and literature.  Check them out and see if you want to try any at home!