Snowman Activities for Preschoolers

These Snowman Activities will fill your Preschooler with Joy

Snow is beautiful, but some never get it and others get far too much! Whether you have none or tons, stay inside with your preschooler and make your own snowman projects. We've linked several snow ideas and activities from our site as well as a few of our favorites from Pinterest. Enjoy being warm while you build a snowman. Enjoy!

• How to make a snowman from a peanut.

Mini Peanut Snowman from Kids Creative Chaos.

• Make ice cream snowballs and build a yummy, cute snowman.

Edible Snowman from Kids Creative Chaos.

• Make your own Snowman Soup Recipe From 3rd Grade Thoughts.

Snowman Soup Recipe from Third Grade Thoughts.

• Make a snowman in a jar and keep him forever - no melting ;)

Snowman in a jar from Kids Creative Chaos.

• Printable Snowman Activity

Snowman Valentine Activity.

• Easy Snowflake Snowman 

Easy Preschool Snowflake Snowman.

Looking for Snowman Ideas for Winter Activities for the classroom? How about a companion snowman story by Mercer Mayer.



Recommended Reading:

Snowman Classroom Door Decoration

The Snowman Children's Book*

The Biggest Snowman Ever story*









ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products.

*We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)

Moon Magic Chapter Four: YA Novel Online

Chapter Four Moon Magic Young Adult Fiction Novel Online

Here's chapter four of my online Young Adult Fiction Novel, Moon Magic. If you haven't read the other chapters, start here: Moon Magic starts here. In Chapter Three, Aurora began to write in her diary. We also got a little taste of how she and her mother get along. It's time for her outing with Lucas, find out how it went in Chapter Four of Moon Magic. Enjoy!

This posts contains Amazon affiliate links.

Get the full novel.

This post may contain 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

Famous Explorers: Lewis and Clark Expedition Led by Sacajawea: Homeschool Social Studies Lesson

Lewis and Clark Expedition: Three Famous Explorers

Most people have heard of the famous explorers, Lewis and Clark. These men led an expedition to uncover the western part of the United States. Like earlier explorers, they befriended Native Americans. A young, Indian woman, named Sacajawea, joined them acting as a guide. 

Learn more with our online homeschool lesson on history. We find games and activities to make your online learning fun and free. Enjoy!

 *Social Studies: Grades 4-12, some sections are suitable for early elementary and preschool.

Famous Explorers: Lewis and Clark Expedition Led by Sacajawea:
Homeschool Social Studies Lesson.

Teacher Resources:

Free Lewis and Clark Lesson Ideas or Teacher Lesson Plans from Brainpop.com

Make your Own Worksheets

A great video to watch as a family is National Geographic's Lewis and Clark, narrated by Jeff Bridges. We found it on Netflix. It runs approx. 45 min.

____________________________________________________

Student Lesson

History:

Let's get started with a Schoolhouse Rock Video on Westward Expansion. This video is from Schooltube.com, so you won't find inappropriate ads.

Schoolhouse Rock on SchoolTube: Westward Expansion.

National Geographic video on Famous Explorers Lewis and Clark.

Early Elementary Interactive Learning Video on Lewis and Clark

For Brainpop Subscribers: 

Famous Historical Figures: Lewis and Clark.

We love Brainpop for the videos, quizzes, Q&A, and activity options. Each video comes with companion activities and free printables. (If you don't subscribe, you can choose the family option and pay monthly.)

Note: Sacajawea- nobody seems to know how to spell her name. You will see it spelled Sacagawea and Sacajawea. There is also a huge discrepancy in her date of death. 

Watch this video to learn more. When you click over, be sure to click the "x" in the upper right corner of the video to remove the ad.  Sacajawea Video Biography for 4th - 12th grade. 

Sacajawea biography on Teachertube.com.

Short Video on Sacajawea for Preschool from Nick Jr.

• Who was Sacajawea? Read this biography about Sacajawea to learn more. Here's another version: Sacajawea bio for early elementary students.
• She was so important that we have postage stamps and currency in her honor.
• Enchanted Learning has some free printables on Sacajawea.
• This online quiz will check what you've learned so far: Online quiz on Sacajawea

When do you think is the true death date of Sacajawea?

What makes you believe this theory? Answer in your daily journal.

 _____________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

Science Component:

There are also trees and plants named after Sacajawea.

What are the classifications? ____________________________

Geography:

Interactive Map of Lewis and Clark Expedition. This map shares excerpts from their journals during each section of the journey. Use the map to answer the questions below. Copy and paste this into a Google Doc to answer the questions.

In what state did the expedition begin?

1.___________________________________________________

In what state did the expedition end?

2.___________________________________________________

What does the heart on the map represent?

3.___________________________________________________

What travelling years are depicted on the map?

4.___________________________________________________

Name 3 Native Peoples they met on their journey.

5.___________________________________________________

Language Arts Component:

Play Women in Social Studies Word Game.

Use this FREE PRINTABLE CHARACTER MAP to compare Meriwether Lewis and Sacajawea. Note their similarities and differences.

Open up a Google Doc or grab your Daily Journal, and define these Vocabulary Words:

Sacajawea; Meriwether Clark; William Clark; expedition; Louisiana Purchase; corps; navigate; encounter; fort; translator; trek; accurate; species; point of view; perspective.

Read more about the Lewis and Clark Expedition as you research to write a bio paper on Lewis and Clark. 

Click each image in the article to learn more. This is a good resource for images to add to your paper. Just right click on the image, copy or save, and then insert or paste into your document. If you are writing in your daily journal, print the images and glue or staple them onto your paper. Be sure to give your paper a clear title. Early elementary students should write 3-4 paragraphs. Older elementary through high school need to write a minimum of 5 paragraphs.


Tips for writing your Lewis and Clark Research Paper:

For the introductory paragraph, start with an opening sentence, define what you will talk about with clear sentences. Use these sentences to write the main body of your paper. Talk about each sentence in detail using descriptive words. If you mention it in your introductory paragraph, be sure to go in depth in your middle paragraphs. Tell about important dates, places they explored, and troubles they faced on their journey. Finally, use the last paragraph (summary) to summarize what you've just talked about. Don't bring up anything new in the last paragraph - just tell us again briefly what you've already told us. You can even start with, "In summary". For example, In summary, I have described how to write a biography paper on Lewis and Clark. Lewis and Clark were famous United States explorers who travelled with an Indian guide named Sacajawea. Without the work of these, brave people, the West could have remained unknown.

Start with this Printable Cause and Effect Graphic Organizer

To continue your research check out the safe search for kidrex.org


Social Studies Just for Fun Online Games

Here is a fun game that will help you with facts on the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Lewis and Clark Game.

Have you completed our United State Capitals Lesson? This week we played a game to review what we've learned. Review the United States Capitals Game.

Recommended Reading:

Home School Activities

What Was the Lewis and Clark Expedition?*

How We Crossed The West: The Adventures Of Lewis And Clark*

Lewis and Clark: A Prairie Dog for the President (Step into Reading, Step 3)*

The Story of Sacajawea (Dover History Coloring Book)*



*These are the weekly lessons I do with my children. We supplement these activities with reading a book of your choice for 30 minutes each day (bedtime counts), Khan Academy and Time4Learning Math Lessons, and taking a break every 30 minutes for exercise time (we run up and down the stairs, walk around our yard, ride bicycles, or jump on an indoor trampoline).




          
Copyright 2014 by Lora Langston, Kids Creative Chaos.











ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products.

*We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)

Things to do in Indiana: Farm Visits and Field Trips for Homeschool: Anderson Orchard Mooresville, Indiana

Visit a Fruit Farm for a Homeschool Field Trip like this Orchard in Mooresville, Indiana

Did you know orchards aren't just for apples? For homeschoolers looking for educational things to do for a field trip in Indiana, farms and orchards are a great way to learn about business, supply and demand, and raising produce.

Anderson Orchard  is a U-pick Fruit Farm tucked in the hillsides of Mooresville, Indiana. Family owned and operated by Paul and Carolyn Anderson since 1969, it offers u-pick on a variety of fruit. Pick your own apples, raspberries, plums, peaches, pears, and pumpkins on the 150-acre farm. Each year, the orchard opens in July.  Early in the season, you can pick cantaloupe, blueberries, and sweet cherries. Soon after, you can pick raspberries and plums! They even invite you to try the apples, right off the trees to find your favorite.

Orchards and Farms make for great Homeschool Field Trips.

Companion Math Book Resource for 4th - 8th grade lessons: Ad* Jumpstarters for Math, Grades 4 - 8

Picking Plums at "U-Pick", Anderson Orchard in Mooresville
 on a Homeschool Field Trip. The trees are beautiful!

Anderson Orchard Play Area.

Anderson Orchard  is a U-pick Fruit Farm
tucked in the hillsides of Mooresville, Indiana.

Spend an inexpensive summer or fall afternoon with family. Grab a bag or box, then hike or drive through the various variety of apples. Kid's will enjoy the beautiful plum trees that look as if they popped right out of a Dr. Seuss story. Stop back at the scale to pay for your goodies and then it is off to the market where you can enjoy a fantastic apple slush for only $1.00 while perusing produce. A playground beckons, so don't forget to relax and let the kiddos have some fun while you slurp your slushie.

Apple Slushie at Anderson's Orchard in Mooresville, Indiana.

September is the Apple Festival and Craft Fair. Enjoy fresh apple cider and apple butter made from Anderson Orchard apples. Visit the concession stand for caramel apples, cider slush, and more. Most items are try before you buy with samples available for your tasting pleasure.

Amazing view of the hills of Mooresville, Indiana from Anderson's Orchard.

Field Trips and Tours are available with advanced registration.

Anderson Orchard is located 2 miles west of Mooresville on Main Street. Approximately one mile west of town, Main Street turns into Greencastle Road, immediately after White Lick Road. Directions

Orcharding seems to be a popular past-time with the Anderson surname in Indiana.

Bud and Gloria Hopkins are the owners of Anderson Orchard at Pleasant View. The orchard has been in operation since the 1930’s. The Hopkins’ purchased the orchard in 1994. They offer U-Pick Pumpkins and a Corn Maze.

Jacob's Orchard in New Castle, Indiana was previously owned by Rex and Patti Anderson. The farm has been an orchard for about eighty years. In the past, it has been the Anderson Orchard, Summit View, and Bowers Orchard. They offer field trips and fresh, doughnuts that go perfect with apple cider. In mid-September be sure to visit for their pumpkins and fall fun including a ginormous haystack.

Recommended Reading:

Fall Fun in Indiana

Apples by Gail Gibbons

Homeschool Lessons

Make your own Slushie

Ad* Bushel of Veggies for Classroom Pretend Play

Bushel of Veggies for Classroom Pretend Play.

How to Make a Bottle Bloom into a Flower: Recycled Projects

Use your old plastic bottles to create a fun flower project for kids:  Bottle Bloom

Things to do with a Plastic Bottle. This is a special guest post written by my very creative brother, Jamie. Watch how he makes a plastic bottle into a flower  in this fun, recyled activity project. We'll be unveiling many cute coloring sheets for kids and lots of fun projects little boys will love. Welcome Jamie in the comments below the post. Enjoy!

Wondering what to do with all those empty plastic bottles? 
Make them bloom into something new.

Looking for things to do with plastic bottles? Have you ever seen an old plastic water bottle bloom into a beautiful flower? Take your recycled items to a new level, and give them new life with our fun, recycled project ideas for kids. Use this as a companion project for a science lesson on naming the parts of a plant.

Supplies Needed to make your bottle bloom.

This is a fun way to turn those constantly piling up plastic bottles into a cute craft that anyone can make. All you need is a pair of scissors, a glue gun, and a straw. Well, of course, you will need a bottle.

Cut the bottom off of  the bottle.

How to make a flower from a plastic water bottle:

• Cut the bottom of the bottle off near the end.
• Carefully space and then cut out leaves from the remaining bottle.
• Use a cap full of glue to secure the straw in the bottle's cap. You need to use a lot of glue to anchor the finished flower. 
• Now, glue the bottom of the bottle to the top of the straw.
• Finish with your choice of paint. We chose water colors- not the best coverage but an interesting look. If you want your paint finish to last use an acrylic or even spray paint made for plastics.    

Cut the leaves from the bottle.

Be careful not to cut them all way off, leave the sides (leaves attached near the lid).

Attach the straw with lots of glue.

Glue bottom of the bottle to the other end of the straw.

Make an entire flower patch in minutes!

Make a whole flower patch in just minutes!


Recommended Reading:

Sand Art Bottles with Rice

The Everything Kids' Science Experiments Book*

The Adventures of a Plastic Bottle: A Story About Recycling (Little Green Books)*










ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products.

*We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)