Best Software for Small Business

Need Virtual Assistant Software Tools?

In today's world, if you're a small business owner and you don't have a virtual assistant, you probably should. More than likely, you also have marketable skills you can use to work remotely from home as an online virtual assistant. As a small business owner or independent contract worker, the only thing holding you back, is your knowledge of the many tools available to make the work easier. So, what is the best software for small business? Keep scrolling for our favorite picks for tools to use with a virtual assistant. 

Tip: Use these tools to teach your homeschooler and they'll have the skills necessary to set up shop at UpWork, an online site for freelance work. If you're tech savvy, you may already be using some of these online software options.

This post contains Amazon Affiliate links.

5 Best Online Sites or Apps for Software for Small Businesses

• Google Docs -  Google Docs does everything Microsoft Word does and then some. In the brick and mortar world, Word is king. Most businesses expect their employees to know how to use it. They probably bought it years ago and keep paying for upgrades. However, Google Docs offers many features that make it stand out from similar publishing software programs.

It's all in the cloud. Your documents live in the cloud. When you're working with people who require Microsoft Word Docs, simply convert the Google Docs with a click of a button. You can also save your documents as ePublications, PDFs, and RTF files.

Another great feature of Google Docs, is that you can leave comments and other markup on the    document. If you're working with someone on the other side of the world, they can check in at their convenience, read your notes, and make changes or suggestions any time of the day or night. If you're in the same time zone, schedule a time to work together and you can do a live text chat right inside the document. This feature is also nice when your homeschooler is writing a paper and needs some incentive or a little collaborative help with editing.

• Thermostat -  If you want to create professional User/Customer Surveys, thermostat is your new best friend. You can create one survey per month with their free option, but if you really need to collect data for your small business, upgrade to the paid version. These surveys will help your engagement and marketing teams (ha, you- if you're a really small business) understand how your customers interact with your online products or gather any type of data you may need to collect.

• PicMonkey -  If you're somewhat technically challenged and need to do simple graphic design or overlay your logo or other watermarks onto your image, PicMonkey is your best friend. The free options is more than enough for a casual user, but if you regularly do images for social media, you'll want to upgrade to the paid version which is under $10 per month. There are similar options out there, but they have a bigger learning curve. PicMonkey is extremely user friendly. This online graphic software also works for homeschool digital art projects.

• TeacherSherpa - Continuing with the graphic design theme, if you're a teacher, a retired teacher, a soon to be teacher, or a homeschool parent who creates lesson plans, TeacherSherpa offers an online software tool to help you create lesson plans to sell online. The creation tool feature is free to everyone and includes fun, education related clipart. The best part? You can create lesson plans with TeacherSherpa's online editing software and upload them to sell on their site or similar sites that sell teacher resources. If you were thinking about a small online business to sell lesson plans or similar items, this software is what you want.

• MailChimp - You've got your word documents, your customer surveys, and your digital graphic software, now you're ready to create an email newsletter campaign. There are many subscription newsletter options out there, some are very inexpensive, some are free, and some are way too complicated for the Average Joe to use with out getting frustrated. As a small business owner,  you're an Average Joe. Unless your mailing list has thousands of subscribers, use MailChimp's free option. With MailChimp, you can easily create professionally looking newsletters with their free templates. Add in the graphics that you created with the best free digital design software mentioned above, and no one will ever know that you're tech challenged. Now you can even create free landing pages with their templates.

Hopefully, these recommendations for the best software for small business have motivated you to get started. Don't fear the tech in the cloud; embrace it! You'll be surprised how easy it is to become a virtual assistant or to work with a virtual assistant, once you take a little time to learn some new software.

Recommended:

Books for Small Business

Pinterest for Business 

Small Business Ideas for Kids

          

Inspiring Business Stories for Kids

Inspiring Kid Entrepreneurs

Deciding what you are going to do with your life is a daunting task for anyone, formally educated or not. Some homeschoolers are apprehensive about their future. Will they attend college, technical school, apprentice, or jump right into the world of business? Of course, any and all of those are great options. But, imagine if you started a business before you graduated. Imagine if you could use the profits from your business to fund your future endeavors. As entrepreneurs, we're always looking for inspiring business stories for kids. The most important tip is to follow your passion.

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

If you ever watch Shark Tank, you've probably seen the flops and the successes. The most inspiring business stories are always the ones that start with a kid with an idea and a family who rallies behind them with support. After all, a successful entrepreneurship relies upon a team that believes in the project. Mark Cuban offers tips on how to help children with an idea for a business start up.

Inspiring Business Stories for Kids

Most kid entrepreneurs start with a lemonade stand and then move onto something else. Jack Bonneau did that, but expanded on the idea. He operates lemonade stands at farmers' markets and malls. You can get in on the action by starting your own Jack's Stand.

Origami Owl is a direct selling business founded by 14 year old, Bella Weems, with the support of her mother, Chrissy Weems. This is truly an inspiring business story, because as a dba jewelry company, you can earn extra money by becoming a designer (sales associate) or earn products by hosting your own show.

Leanna Archer wanted to share her grandma's recipe for all natural products. She started making the products and giving them away to friends and family. Now, Leanna's Essentials are sold worldwide.

Have these kid business stories inspired you? If you need more inspiration, check out these 50 inspiring business ideas for kids.

Now, that you've been inspired by these business stories, create a plan of action. Whether, you want to use it as a homeschool lesson or as the beginning for your inspired business plan, brainstorming and writing out a plan is a great way to get started. If you aren't' quite ready to write out a business plan, start with a list of things you know how to do best or things you absolutely love (your passion.)

The best small businesses start with something that is unique to you. You may not even see it as something special because it is part of your everyday activities, but to someone else with a different life experience and skill set, your hand knitted daisies, handmade fleece afghans, or grandma's applesauce, could be just the thing they need to enrich their lives.

Here at Kids Creative Chaos, we love birds, birds of all kinds and all sizes. Our entrepreneur list includes lots of ideas for things to do with birds. We started out raising chickens and giving away the eggs. Think about the possibilities! We can sell eggs, raise hatchlings to sell, sell egg based products... the possibilities are endless.


What will you do?


Recommended:

Homeschool Projects

Camp Muddy Socks

Marketing your Business Yourself

 How to Market Your Business without Hiring a Marketer

Marketing is one of the most important aspects of running a successful business. It is the oxygen of the company, as some say, and they’re not wrong. A strong marketing campaign can help your business get noticed, but it can often be difficult to engineer such a campaign on a strict budget. For some budget-friendly ways to market your business without breaking the bank, try one or more of the following suggestions on how to market your business without hiring a marketer.

This blog contains Amazon affiliate links.

Go Back to School

If you are struggling with creating the next marketing campaign, now might be a good time for you to go back to school and try your hand at a business certificate, specifically a marketing one. 

For example, consider enrolling at the Kelley School of Business, one of the most prestigious institutions in the field. The Kelley Online Marketing Strategy Certificate can be yours in less than five months. 

What’s more, you can take the courses online, which is a lot easier to fit into your busy schedule than heading to class. This program can easily fit into a hectic life, and, most importantly, it equips you with the core concepts and skills that make a good marketer.

Trust in Networking

Many people shy away from networking events because they can take up a lot of time and don’t always provide instant results. Not seeing big results after putting in a lot of work can be frustrating, and you might think, “why bother?” 

But, when you do it right, networking can provide a lot of support. Through a strong network, you can find new opportunities naturally for your company. 

Networking generates organic publicity for your company through the people you meet and the opportunities they bring with them. So, free up your calendar and look for some networking events!

Ask Your Customers

Often, businesses shy away from asking their customers to refer others, but that is an excellent way to generate more organic traffic. By offering your existing customers an incentive for every referral, you motivate them to go out there and bring you more customers. 

For example, you might offer them a discount or a coupon. These new customers are a lot more likely to trust your company if a friend recommends you, rather than if they found you accidentally online.

Experiment with Free Trials

People love a freebie, that’s a given. So, if someone has the chance to try out your service for free for a limited time, they are likely to try it and invest some time in it, to “make the most” out of their trial. 

By the time the trial is done, they will like it so much that they will invest in the full product. This trial could be as short as a week or even extend to a month.

Final Tip: Get Involved with the Local Community

Often, marketers “overshoot it” by trying to cater to a global audience. But thinking small can be infinitely more effective if done right. You can stay involved virtually too. Find local groups on Facebook.

Affirm your presence through various local events (related or not to your field.) The more times people see you and your brand mentioned, the more likely they are to trust you.

If you still need help, we're happy to act as your marketing consultants! With over fourteen years of social media marketing experience, we can direct you to the easiest ways to market your business online.

Easy Preschool Holiday Craft: Recycle Business Cards into Ornaments

Easy Preschool Holiday Craft: Recycle Business Cards and Popsicle Sticks into Santa and Reindeer Holiday Ornament Decorations

Think of the possibilities! These can be refrigerator magnets, tree ornaments, or bookmarks. Recycle business cards or use small squares of cardboard to make holiday decorations and ornaments for your Christmas tree.  Contact a local businesses - many companies have boxes of business cards from employees who have left or perhaps a phone number has changed. Don't let these go to waste!  Enjoy!

Reindeer and Santa popsicle stick craft.

Reindeer paper and popsicle stick craft for toddlers.

Make your own playing cards

Perhaps a game of  'Hearts' or 'Old Maid'. Cut photos from magazines or draw your own. We used business cards, paint, glue, glitter, popsicle sticks, and construction paper.

Step 1

Paint your business card.

Pink for Santa's face, brown for a reindeer. 

Step 2  

Take 5 or 6 sticks of the same color. If you're using plain, recycled, popsicle sticks - don't forget to paint them.

Step 3

Place the sticks as pictured on your business card and glue them in place. Elmer's school glue worked perfectly.

Santa Popsicle Craft for Kids.

Step 4 Cut out Santa's hat and trimmings. Draw his face.

Step 5
Add a magnet from a recycled calendar or business card logo-magnet and glue it to the back or glue a ribbon to the top back to hang on your tree. Add glue, dump on the glitter, shake it off, and when it dries you have a sparkly tree ornament! HAPPY RECYCLING!

Popsicle Stick Santa Craft.

Recommended Reading:


Christmas Crafts For Kids: 50 Step-By-Step Decorations And Gift Ideas For Festive Fun

Christmas Ornaments to Make: 101 Sparkling Holiday Trims (Better Homes and Gardens)

The Best list of Christmas Party Games Ever!

How did Coronavirus affect the Housing Market?

 Has the 2020 Pandemic Changed your Living Situation?

When you work from home as a social media marketing consultant for small business and an online social media influencer, AND homeschool your kids, you can literally work from anywhere.  A few years ago, we took advantage of  that and bought a cottage in the middle of nowhere on a little lake. If I knew then, what I know now, I would've held out for more money when I sold it in 2020. Even so, for owning it just over two years, I made a little money on the deal. So, what's up with the housing situation anyway?

                                    This post contains Amazon affiliate links for your convenience.

Lake house, fixer upper, mid fix stage.

In 2019 the kids decided they wanted to attend public school to pursue building trades and band. As a anxious homeschooling mom, I wanted to feel comfortable with this choice, so we moved back to my hometown and we rented. Lucky for me, it wasn't real renting. My brother had purchased a rental and we moved in while I looked for a more permanent place to call home. Since everyone was out of the house, I decided to go back to working in a brick and mortar environment too and I took a job for Habitat for Humanity.

Then, I looked and I looked, and I looked. Rentals were few and far between and most of them were either outside of my price range or beneath my standards. Let me tell you, I had pretty low expectations, but I wanted my kids to feel safe. I tried to purchase my own home, but every time a place went on the market it sold before I even got a chance to look at it. What was left were the homes that no one wanted. The homes that couldn't get  loans due to major issues or the homes that were priced well over their appraised value. Though, I considered making the leap and purchasing one of these houses, I held out for a home that wasn't a fixer upper.  

However, the home we bought, would've sold for considerably less in 2019, before the pandemic. In fact, the flipper had purchased the house at a 2017 auction for only $25,000. After looking at several houses that were priced outside of my comfort zone and not really what I wanted, I jumped on the opportunity to buy my home at $131,900. Sure, in most communities, that's a great price, but in my hometown the median home price is $85,000 and the houses in the neighborhood were going for considerably less. I needed to love this house for the purchase to make any sense. It was a risky move, will it retain it's value?

However,  despite the housing market situation, I decided to take a risk and make an offer below asking price. The homeowner countered, and I accepted. It was oddly easy, as most houses were selling over the asking price and this house had everything I wanted. Just before I closed, I found out that the house had been the place of a brutal murder. Probably should've countered the counter offer. I was the only one bidding. I'm not mad. I'm thankful to finally have an affordable, safe place to call home.

After the pandemic, the prices of homes in rural areas like New Castle, Indiana have skyrocketed. For those who are looking for 3+ bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, there's a housing shortage. Since Covid hit, more people are realizing they too can work from home. And they can live anywhere. So, they're abandoning high cost urban areas and retreating to rural communities where the cost of living is easier on the wallet and life is simpler. This means, rural areas can raise home prices and because rentals are in high demand with millennials, they can also raise the rent, pricing out low-income families. In turn, many affluent urban areas are actually seeing a decrease in rent as people flock to small towns. You can learn more about that in this article on how 2020 changed the housing market.

After reviewing the article, I took special note of what this is doing to low income families. Working at Habitat for Humanity, it is my job to help low income families find affordable housing and help remove some of the barriers to home ownership. With increasing cost of building materials and virus constraints, many area Habitat affiliates have had to put building new homes on the back burner. Families have had to wait for over two years for their homes to be completed, and Habitat affiliates are losing money and need to raise more funds just to complete the houses. 

The chart below lists several counties neighboring the one where I live. If you aren't from around here, the data may not tell the whole story. However, Hamilton and Hendricks counties have some of Indiana's most affluent neighborhoods. Marion county is the home to Indianapolis, which has seen a slight increase, but compared to cities like Chicago and New York, Indianapolis is an escape to a more rural life. It appears the Coronavirus has changed the housing market. More and more people are realizing they can work from home, and that means that home can be anywhere they want it to be. There truly is no place like home, so why live in a house in a place that you don't love?

Affordable rentals in New Castle, Indiana.

We want to hear your thoughts! Have you moved or considered purchasing a new home in the pandemic? Tell us about it in the comments.

2/1/2021

Delaware County

Indiana

$600

3.30%

$45,065

114,135

Small metro

2/1/2021

Hancock County

Indiana

$790

9.00%

$69,392

78,168

Large fringe metro

2/1/2021

Hamilton County

Indiana

$1,116

-0.90%

$105,062

338,011

Large fringe metro

2/1/2021 Marion County Indiana $996 21.70% $50,458 964,582 Large central metro

2/1/2021

Madison County

Indiana

$792

20.20%

$55,142

129,569

Large fringe metro

This chart from Zumper tells the story with data.

Recommended Reading:

Ultimate Home Repair Guide

How to Create a Safe Family Home

How to Fix Common Home Repair Issues 

How to Get Pinterest Followers Fast for your Business or Personal Profile

How to Increase Pinterest Following

Are you looking to increase your Pinterest following? You know, for free, with no fake accounts, and no paying for "real" followers? This free printable PDF eBook shares how we increased our Pinterest following. Since the publication of this eBook, Pinterest has changed the way they do some things. So, let's be clear this is not a guarantee. However, the best way to increase your following on any social media platform is to use it diligently, daily, and truthfully.

What does that mean? Be yourself; don't look for shortcuts. It works, if you work it... just like anything else. Shortly after publication of this book, we stopped working it. In fact, now we only use Pinterest once or twice per week to share our most recent posts.

How to increase your Pinterest following fast.

What happened? Our followers have stayed steady at around 186,500. We suffered some consequences for being an account with a large following. Many fake accounts followed us, as well as, those intending to use Pinterest actively. Every so often, Pinterest does a sweep and removes fake accounts and accounts that are not active. With each sweep, we suffer a great loss. Generally around 2500 followers. That's the bad news. The good news is the referral traffic to our website has not waned. Though, somewhat seasonal, Pinterest is always the number 1 referrer to this website. When we work it, the referral numbers dramatically increase.

We dare not say what those numbers are. We act as a social media managers and when others hear our numbers, they expect the same results. Perhaps, over time this would be possible. However, a new (er) Pinterest profile will not achieve the same results as this one. We have thousands of pins (maybe millions) out there in Pinterest land. They have a life of their own. We can help you get started. We can tell you how we did it. We can even get you set in the right direction.

Though a few things have changed, overall the information in this FREE eBook will work... if you work it. The main changes to note are highlighted below.

• Use fewer hashtags. Pinterest prefers it if you only use your brand as a hashtag. For example, #kidscreativechaos. Since the pins are often shared across other social media, we still use hashtags with relevant keywords for the website, #freeonlinehomeschool.  So, it is up to you - choose what you think is best, but never use more than two.
• Don't go crazy and pin the same pin to several boards at once. This is still true as printed in the book. However, Pinterest warns of repinning the same pin to many different boards. We suggest pinning to your main website board (you should have one front and center) and then a few days later, pick the most relevant board with a lot of followers to repin it.
• In the book, we talk about following new accounts. In theory, this is a great idea that works. However, in practice this may come back to bite you in the hand. Be careful who you follow. Make sure they are legitimate, active accounts. The concept was to follow people with a  small following. Ideally, they will be more likely to notice you and follow back. Great concept. It only works if they are active users.

So, that's it! Are you ready to download your totally FREE PRINTABLE PDF of the best selling book, How to Get Pinterest Followers Fast? Go for it! 

*We host all of our free printables on MediaFire.

How to Get Pinterest Followers Fast


Recommended Reading:


Pinterest Savvy: Strategies, Plans, and Tips to Grow Your Business with Pinterest

Pinterest Marketing for Brands and Bloggers

What is Influencer Marketing?

Influencer Marketing is a form of Word of Mouth Advertising

Did you ever have a homepage with Microsoft or are you even old enough to remember those? There's been a steady progression in the world of blogging and I've been along for the entire ride. Now, I'm considered a social media influencer. Influencer marketing is the latest trend on the world wide web, remember that term? Ha. It's been a wild ride. What is Influencer Marketing? 

This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.

Influencer marketing is online word of mouth advertising. It goes like this. I went to a new ice cream shop, I loved the pineapple flavor, I took a picture and shared it all over my social media pages. It's true. I do love pineapple ice cream. If I tell you how much I love it, maybe you'll try it and love it too. Generally, influencers are trusted or are recognized as a celebrity or specialist in their area of influence.

Me? The influencer progression went like this: 

• Microsoft Homepage - I shared my page with my family members to update them on the status of my new baby. (He's 17.)
• MySpace page for my family - like a scrapbook.
• Blog - Here's what we've been doing, doesn't it look fun?
• Facebook page - So, you want how to instructions for the kids activities we've been doing?
• Twitter profile - Because someone told me I had to have at least 5k followers to be of any value. (Twitter doesn't really fit my niche.)
• Pinterest profile - Picture this and save it to make later! My stats skyrocketed quickly, so I wrote a how to book which ended up on Amazon's Best Seller's list and that boosted my influencer status.
• Instagram profile - Everyone's doing it, it's the place to be. So, I did it too.

In between all of those social media platforms, I tried Snap Chat, Periscope, Blog Frog, Google+, and a host of other platforms that you've never heard about. My influencer status grew by leaps and bounds on Blog Frog. Once I caught on to how they got paid when I wrote an article or allowed ads on the page, it was a game changer.

Suddenly,  I realized that I could do that on my own website. I solicited brands, got free product, and a small payment for my articles. This method later became known as the sponsored post. The more sponsored posts I did, the more I was hooked. Next thing you know, I'm a huge (one of the first) Pinterest influencer. It happened while I was looking the other way. 

Over the last several years, my influencer status has grown to include Instagram. People like to see what other people do behind the scenes. That's why these unboxing YouTube videos are all the rage. While I do love to receive free product, as an influencer, it is important that I am compensated for my time. It's how I make my living. Never heard of me? Just Google it.

These days, I like to focus on educational kids' activities and budget friendly family travel. However, my blog is considered a lifestyle/parenting website so I get offered all sorts of influencer marketing proposals. I can afford to be choosy. 

Back in the day, Paris Hilton was one of the first social media influencers. Now, anyone can be an influencer, celebrity not required. You just have to be patient and persistent. There are many bloggers who became influencers by accident. I particularly like this story about the Barefoot Marathoner in the Influencer Spotlight. Like me, she was just doing her own thing, minding her own business when people began to take notice. Surprise, you're an influencer! 

Some Influencers make their money with YouTube advertising. I haven't found the time to focus on YouTube. Notice, I forgot to even mention it my progression list, it fits in somewhere after Facebook. I've helped other websites market themselves with YouTube, but my own profile falls flat. Maybe someday.

We don't have to all love the same things! There are some platforms I just don't love, and they obviously don't love me back. If you want to start building your own influencer marketing business, pick a social media platform that you love. Build it, love it, and they will come. Don't be fake. Just be yourself.

So, how do I use Influencer Marketing?

I get offered products to try. I do a lot of kids' recipes and snacks. So, influencer marketing platforms pair me up with food brands and retail stores who send the product and offer a small payment - they call it a fee. That can be confusing to newbies. It's a fee that I require to publish the article on my website. It's a payment to me.

I also get free tickets to events in exchange to promote the event on my social media pages and write about my experience on my blog.

I get pitched various things to post on my Instagram. I try to curate these to include only things that my followers (largely teachers and homeschoolers) will appreciate learning more about. I charge a fee per post or story.

When I do a sponsored post on my blog, I almost always share it to Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. I charge an additional fee to share it to Instagram because it seems to be a premium service. If sponsors just want me to pin something on my Pinterest profile, I'm happy to do it for a fee. Time is money. Even adding a link to an existing blog post takes time, so I charge a fee for that too. 

What should you know? There are regulations on sponsored posts. Sponsored posts should be noted as such. On my social media pages, I am required to add #ad or #sponsored. Amazon affiliate links require a disclaimer at the top of the blog post. I always say, "This post contains Amazon affiliate links for your convenience." For other sponsored posts, I use different language, 'This is a sponsored post, all opinions are my own." or "Post sponsored by INSERT BRAND." 

What's the biggest rage in influencer marketing these days? I'd say it's tiktok. Notice I don't have that listed above? I'm still thinking about it. Still. I've never been an early adopter, but I do okay. Juggling all of those different social media platforms is very time consuming. Many times, by the time I get around to thinking about signing up for a platform, it's already obsolete. 

Now, how do I find these influencer marketing gigs? Well, these days most of them find me. However,  if you're just starting out, just do a search for 'influencer marketing,' 'sponsored posts,' or 'become an influencer.' There are a ton of sites that help pair influencers with sponsors.

Good Luck! If you have any questions on your journey, feel free to reach out to me.

Recommended:

More on Social Media Marketing from Adventures of Kids Creative Chaos

Moon Magic: Online YA Fiction Chapter Three

Chapter Three Young Adult Fiction Novel Moon Magic

Are you reading the YA Fiction Novel, Moon Magic? If not, start here: Moon Magic starts here. This is Chapter Three of Moon Magic online. In Chapter Two, Aurora attended a football game. It wasn't a pleasant experience. That weird guy followed her to the band room. She thinks he's a weirdo, but there is something about him that she finds intriguing. What is it? Find out in Chapter Three of Moon Magic. Enjoy!

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.

Earth's Water Supply Lesson Plans for Elementary

Elementary Lesson Plan on Earth's Water Supply for World Water Day

Where do we get water? How does it get to our faucet or in our water bottles? This lesson and curriculum on the water supply and water cycle will answer these questions. Scroll down for quizzes, science experiments, companion art projects, and more Earth's Water Supply Lesson Plans for Elementary students. When is World Water Day? When is Earth Day? Keep reading!

This post contains Amazon affiliate links, if you click and make a purchase, I get a small commission. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on!

Where do you get your water?

World Water Day is March 22. Earth Day is April 22. 

Arbor Day is often also April 22 or the last Friday in April, depending on the state. 

First things first,  watch this short video on clean water. We recommend "Flow" and "Tapped." Here is a very good, free excerpt from Tapped. "The Story of Bottled Water" is also good and free to watch. Netflix has a similar film about the Nestle Corporation Water. 

The Story of Bottled Water.

Now, watch this video on how water is cleaned and used via the sewage treatment plant. This excerpt from, "Big River" teaches how water is filtered for nitrates. 

Water Treatment Interactive from the EPA.

The Nitrogen Cycle from PBS is an interactive learning chart. Also, print and read this downloadable Nitrogen Cycle brochure from Stem Sims. It has quizzes and articles to help you learn more indepth about the cycle of Nitrogen!

If you want to learn more about big business watch GMO vs. NON-GMO. This is a full length documentary.

We have a Brainpop subscription, if you go in as an individual you can pay monthly, but you have to commit to a full year. You can also get a Brainpop Jr. subscription for children in K-3. No affiliate here, we just love Brainpop.

There are free lesson plans and activities on Brainpop.

If you subscribe to Brainpop, you can watch a video on the Water Cycle and this video on Water Supply. Brainpop has a daily free video, so click over either way and learn something new. While you are there, read the info about the Water Cycle in the left sidebar. For younger kids (K-3), watch this version of the water cycle.

Lesson Plans for Earth's Water Supply

Read these Facts about Water Pollution.

The Water Cycle infographic.

Review the Water Cycle infographic above. Grab some paper and markers and draw your own version of the Water Cycle. When completed, share it with classmates or family and hang it for display. To show what you have learned, draw a Water Supply infographic without the help of a cheat sheet! :)

After all you've learned, visit this water supply quiz from the EPA or this (Brainpop) quiz on the water supply. If you have a Brainpop subscription, also do the activities and fyi for water supply.

Free Water Cycle Worksheet Printable PDF.

Learn about the Scientific Method (from Brainpop) so you can start an experiment about Science Projects.

Water Science Experiments:

Clean the Water 

Salt Water vs. Fresh Water Egg Experiment (Easy)

Just for Fun:

Need a break from all of this school work? 

Play a free online game about Water or do a Water Word Scramble. 

Related Activity: Free online Game about Fish and free video about Fish.

Arts and Crafts Component:

Make a Water Cycle Bead Bracelet (Preschool, K-6)

Water bottle recycling craft.

Recycle Water Bottles into Art (All ages)

Recommended Reading:

Celery Science Experiment

Bread Science Experiment

The Water Cycle: Evaporation, Condensation & Erosion (Earth's Processes)

The Magic School Bus on the Ocean Floor

The Magic School Bus Wet All Over: A Book About The Water Cycle