Parts of Plants Worksheet	Plant Life Worksheet
Plant Life Cycle Sequence	Plant Life Mini Book

You might also like these printable worm alphabet letters or these easy tissue paper flowers, too!

Parts of Plants Worksheet	Plant Life Worksheet
Plant Life Cycle Sequence	Plant Life Mini Book

You might also like these printable worm alphabet letters or these easy tissue paper flowers, too!

Teach Your Kids Where Their Food Comes From

When I started writing for Classroom Jr., I asked some of my teacher and homeschooler friends what types of things would be most useful for them.  One of the responses I got was that because budgets are so tight, it’s pretty hard to find science experiments that are both accessible and affordable.  That’s exactly why one of my very first posts was Six Inexpensive Science Experiments for Kids (And Where to Find More).

So, now wherever I travel around the web, I always keep my eyes open for new ideas that fit in with this need.  While surfing Pinterest recently—I’ve also written about possibilities there with 3 Creative Ways Teachers Can Use Pinterest—I came across this super easy idea that I never would have even realized was possible.  Talk about a totally simple science lesson that using things you already have on hand!

Related Pages: Plant Life Worksheets, Toddler Friendly Gardening

Teach Your Kids Where Their Food Comes From

Sprouting various foods in the kitchen has a few practical applications from an educational standpoint.  Obviously, you can teach about the life cycle of the plant as it goes from seed to sprout to plant to bloom and back to seed.  It can be a great additional lesson when studying the seasons, as each aspect of the plant’s cycle is often correlates to the seasons and weather.  Finally, I love the idea of kids learning first-hand where their food comes from, beyond the obvious answer of “the grocery store!”

I was surprised to learn just how many things you can sprout and grow.  I don’t know why it hadn’t occurred to me that you could grow bean plants, for instance, but I just never would have expected they would even sprout!  I found lots of suggestions in this Martha Stewart post, of all things.  In addition to beans, they also recommended trying:

• Lentils
• Root vegetables
• Fruit seeds
• Spices (caraway seeds, mustard, etc.)

You can also use a variety of things you already have around the house for sprouting your seeds.  Some suggestions include discarded jars, clear canisters, egg cartons, pie plates, and even an aquarium.  Some will just need a moist paper towel in order to sprout, while others will do better with soil or perhaps a dish full of moist gravel.

If you want to take things to the next level and augment a lesson about agriculture, why not actually grow and eat food in your kitchen.  Consider different kinds of sprouts to add to sandwiches and salads, for example, such as alfalfa, broccoli, and peas.  Of course, herbs make a great window or even counter-top garden, as well.  You might have to specifically purchase seeds for these projects rather than using dried beans from the cupboard or caraway seeds from the spice rack, but it does make for a great science experiment.

Toddler Friendly Gardening

3 years ago, I never would have believed that I would have a child and that BABY would have her own garden.  Parenting is eye opening in so many ways and this Spring, I learned that my 2.5 year old can handle her own garden!

Related Pages: Make Garden Markers, Bird Feeder Craft, Kids Stick Crafts

Whether you have 10 acres or only a back patio, you easily create a TODDLER GARDEN.

My top choice for a toddler’s first crop:  POTATOES!

Potato Plant in Our Garden

Potatoes are hardy, plentiful and practically foolproof!  They grow quickly and can be harvested early (“new”potatoes) or left in the ground for larger potatoes.  This way, you child can provide food for the family over a longer period of time and let’s face it, potatoes are DELICIOUS!

Kids’ Gardening Materials & Techniques:

• Seed potatoes
• Now a quick note on potato seedlings.  For the simplest & cheapest toddler garden, you can use any ole potato growing a sprout.  HOWEVER, it is best to use disease free, certified seed potatoes bought from a garden supply store.  Using grocery potatoes or saving potatoes from last year’s crop will likely weaken the plants every year through easily transmitted plant diseases.  With that said, a few potatoes in a corner probably won’t hurt anything!  There’s a reason people call  me the “Lazy Green Mama”:)
•  Garden area:  either a small, sunny spot of open ground or a large barrel
• If using a barrel or large bucket: (ask for discarded food-grade buckets from your local bakery/deli!)
• Drill a few holes in the bottom and along bottom sides for drainage
• Place 2”of gravel in the bottom for drainage
• Top with about 6”of dirt
• If planting in the ground, it is recommended to plant potatoes in a long trench and back fill with the dirt as the plants grow.

Adding dirt as the potato grows

• Plant the potatoes with the sprout pointing UP.  Cover with a few inches of dirt and water gently (ahem…maybe your child can handle this…mine, not so much!)!  Place in direct sun and water about every other day.
• Fortunately, potato plants have large green foliage, so it should be easy for your toddler to identify weeds and gently pull them out of the dirt.
• As the plants grow, you can either harvest your small potatoes or keep covering the plant with soil to encourage more growth!
• Once your plant is about 5”tall, add more soil so that only the tip is showing.  Continue this until the plant yellows and wilts… time to harvest!

Adding even more dirt as the plant grows

• Small watering can
• We like to give our toddler a large bucket filled with water so that she can fill her watering can by herself.  Remember to never leave your child unattended around water!

Potato watering and trampling (Editor's note: Dogs are good at trampling, too!!)

• Small hand shovel (however our child prefers to use her hands for planting and weeding!)
• We prefer to give our toddler REAL tools whenever possible.  There are a lot of great resources for child sized real tools (check any montessori supply company)
• Sandbox shovels also work great

 Other great FIRST crops that are easy for toddlers and kids to grow in their garden:

• Strawberries
• Cherry tomatoes
• Lettuce

Please leave a comment sharing your toddler garden plans, triumphs and mishaps!  We’re in this together :)

Disney / Pixar's Brave Coming Soon in June 2012

I have yet to take my four-year-old to a movie in a theatre, but this may very well be the one that makes it happen.  Disney/Pixar is releasing Brave at the end of June, and it looks like it’s going to be a good one.  Just the visuals alone have been enough to suck me in, and I’m pretty much smitten with the red-haired heroine of this female-centered story.  I hear it’s supposed to be a bit dark—more in line with old-school fairy tales, though—so I’ll probably have to see it first to determine if it’s suitable for my little one.

Related Page: Brave Coloring Pages

The main character, Merida, is a princess by birth, but is much more interested in archery and being outdoors than she is in courtly customs.  Unlike your typical Disney princess, Merida seems pretty darn human, with a temper that gets her into trouble and courage that (we can pretty safely assume) gets her back out.  She ends up unleashing a curse on the kingdom, and it is up to her to be brave enough to do what she needs to do in order to stop it.

The movie is set in Scotland and is based on the fairy tale The Bear and the Bow.  Judging by the cast list and previews, we should be treated to some fun accents and great voice acting.  Merida was originally supposed to be voiced by U.S. actress Reese Witherspoon, but when she had to turn it down, the role was filled by Scottish Kelly Macdonald.  This is Pixar’s first movie with a female protagonist, which is enough of a buzz in and of itself.  If it lives up to amazing Pixar predecessors like Finding Nemo; Monsters, Inc; or Wall-E (all of which are massive favorites around our house), it has the potential to become one of those “instant classics” that every movie hopes to be.

The screenplay was written by Branda Chapman and Irene Mecchi, and Chapman was the original director until being replaced by Mark Andrews.  It was executive produced by Pixar staple John Lasseter.  The cast includes:

Kelly Macdonald as Princess Merida

Emma Thompson and Queen Elinor

Kevin McKidd as Lord MacGuffin/Young MacGuffin

Robbie Coltrane as Lord Dingwall

Billy Connolly as King Fergus

Craig Ferguson as Lord Macintosh

Julie Walters as Wise Woman

A beach theme is just one approach to take with your nature observation basket.

I loved this nature basket idea from Pink and Green Mama so much that not only did we set one up at our house, but we even expounded on it.  This is a great way to bring some nature into the classroom, as well as to practice those observation skills that are so important for science fundamentals.

Related Pages: Kids Beach Crafts, Fall Leaf Crafts, Stick Crafts

The basic idea is to have a specific basket into which you put a variety of nature-related items, along with a magnifying glass.  There’s pretty much no limit to what you might want to include.

• Leaves
• Pine cones
• Acrons
• Rocks
• Sand
• Feathers
• Etc.

The idea originally captured my attention because of her inclusion of seashells.  We recently returned from a trip to Florida, and our kitchen window is now lined with shells.  How great would it be to put them all in the basket and then encourage my daughter to really check them out?  She was able to get a close-up view of the tube feet on one starfish, as well as to compare the totally different appearances of two different species.

Comparing and contrasting seashells.

We’ve been working a lot on observing what is “similar” and what is “different” about objects, so this really reinforced that idea.  If you are teaching older kids, this is the perfect opportunity to introduce them to keeping observation journals to practice for upcoming science experiments.

To take the whole idea to the next level, we’ve decided to make the “nature basket” a permanent fixture, and I occasionally swap out the items during the night and refill it with new objects that revolve around a particular theme.  For example, we’ve just started some seeds for a small garden, so I filled the basket with a variety of items that teach about the growth cycle of plants.

Soil, seeds, roots, and flowers in our nature observation basket.

Checking out root systems and comparing lupine and coriander seeds.

This would be a great center to add to the classroom, giving students a chance to quietly explore while honing their observation skills.

Oh, and along the same lines, that same blog also has a great suggestion for a bird watching basket.

The Potential Role of Ebooks in the Classroom

The Digital Classroom Infographic

I will admit that I’m kind of a sucker for a well-put-together info graphic, and when I came across this one on the digital classroom, I just knew it should be shared on Classroom Jr.  I love my Kindle for many reasons, not the least of which is that it makes it a lot easier to read a book one-handed while nursing a baby.  Once I got the Kindle app for my phone, I found that I read even more books because I never forgot to bring my phone, even if I did forget to throw a book in my purse.

But, I’ve often wondered what ebooks mean for education.  How does it work when you can’t flip back through the pages to find what you’re looking for or if you can’t take notes in the margins?  I suspect, though, that my reservations are just a result of the fact that I grew up doing it a different way, and kids who were accustomed to ebooks wouldn’t find it strange at all.

Print Textbooks vs E-Textbooks

This infographic points out a lot of advantages of the electronic versions over their print counterparts.  For example:

• Ebooks cost considerably less (this could be huge for school districts, homeschoolers, and college students alike)
• Ebooks don’t take up physical space and aren’t heavy to carry
• Ebooks don’t use the same environmental resources that print books do

The infographic goes on to compare two of the most popular e-readers: the iPad and the Kindle Fire.  The Kindle seems to come out ahead as an e-reader, but you might want to take into consideration the fact that the iPad might have other functions that could also serve the student well in educational endeavors.  iBooks2 and Ibooks Author from Apple also offer some pretty interesting options for making the electronic testbook far more interactive than the traditional style.  It also allows professors to make far more affordable copies of their own textbooks than was previously possible with photocopying their own copyrighted works.

The final section of the infographic provides a really interesting look into “how classrooms are changing” in the digital age.  It mentions things like the use of projectors and tablets by the teachers, but also looks at how students can access information digitally and work collaboratively.

While this is certainly a basic overview of how ebooks can play a role in the modern classroom, it most definitely provides some food for thought for educators.  Technology continues to advance, we will watch as more and more of the things that we now consider novel or cutting age simply become integrated necessities in the typical classroom.

Easy, healthy, and fun snack that kids can help make.

In case you haven’t noticed yet, I’m pretty much addicted to Pinterest, and if you’re into crafting, you probably already know why.  A friend recently pinned a version of frozen yogurt dots from One Good Thing By Jillee.  I thought they looked awesome, and decided to make it a bit more of a “craft” rather than just a recipe; and this is what we ended up with.

Related Pages: Fruit and Cheese Kebabs, 20 Easy Summer Recipes Kids Will Love, Watermelon Recipes

What You Need to Make Yogurt “Dippin’ Dots” In the Freezer

• Yogurt
• Bananas
• Food coloring (optional, especially if you use fruit or berry yogurt)
• Plastic zip bags
• Cookie sheet
• Freezer

Ingredients for the yogurt dot freezer recipe.

Put about one half cup of yogurt, one half a sliced banana, and three drops of food coloring in a zip bag.

Let your little ones have fun squishing it all together. It's fun to see how different colors mix together and to get the bananas nice and squished.

Use your scissors to cut a small corner off the bag and use it to "pipe" the mixture onto the cookie sheet in quarter-sized blobs.

Put the cookies sheet into the freezer and let the yogurt dots set up for a couple of hours before removing them with a spatula.

Store them in an airtight container in the freezer. They melt pretty quickly in little fingers, so I just take out enough for a snack and leave the rest of the container in the freezer. Super yummy and fun to eat!

What I Learned the Hard Way:

#1. You really, really have to squish the bananas or else the chunks will be too big to fit through the hole when you’re piping the mixture onto the cookies sheet.

#2. If you used cheap plastic bags, they will probably leak.

But cleanup is so tasty!

Julia Roberts and Lily Collins in Mirror, Mirror

Mirror, Mirror stars Julia Roberts as the Evil Queen and Lily Collins as Snow White.

The Queen keeps Snow White captive in the castle after Snow White’s father has disappeared and is assumed to be dead. She is, of course, jealous of Snow White’s beauty and she has driven the kingdom into poverty proving she is the fairies of them all. Snow White discovers that the people of the kingdom don’t have enough food to eat because the Queen keeps taxing them to pay for her elaborate beauty treatments. She decides it’s time to take back the castle.

Enter the charming prince, played by Armie Hammer. He arrives at the castle and the Evil Queen has decided he is the one she is going to marry. He is rich after all and can pay for her lavish parties. The Prince only has eyes for Snow White, naturally. When the Evil Queen discovers the Prince is in love with Snow White she takes drastic measures to get rid of the beautiful princess.

As Snow White tries to escape certain death in the woods, she comes across the seven dwarves, who in this version, are thieving bandits. The dwarves teach Snow White how to fight and plan to take back the kingdom from the Evil Queen.

What Parents Need to Know About Mirror, Mirror

I was worried about taking my 5 year old daughter to see this movie, which is rated PG. She has seen PG movies in the past with mixed results. I worry about violence and scary scenes. There is some violence, but it wasn’t too graphic and almost silly. I sort of liked Snow White as a tougher girl character and not the usually princess that needs to be saved by the handsome Prince. There is one scary scene that my daughter hid her eyes during but all in all she loved this movie. She loves a good story and this was a good story, with fun characters and a happy ending. My 14 year old cousin also enjoyed it. I enjoyed it too. Julia Roberts is always fantastic and she was great in the role of the Evil Queen. I found the seven dwarves endearing and the Prince, well, charming.

Here’s the Mirror, Mirror Movie Trailer

Related Pages: Mother’s Day Kids Poems, Mother’s Day Kids Crafts

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