Welcome to our collection of 10 easy science fair experiments for kids! These hands-on activities are perfect for sparking curiosity and making learning fun. Whether you're a parent, teacher, or young scientist, these experiments—from erupting volcanoes to DIY lava lamps—are designed to be simple, engaging, and educational. With a little help from an adult, you can dive into the world of science and discover how exciting it can be. 1. Erupting Volcano Experiment Introduction: Welcome to our exciting science fair project—creating your very own erupting volcano! This experiment is perfect for first and second graders to learn about chemical reactions in a fun and spectacular way. You'll need an adult to help with some steps, so make sure to have a grown-up nearby! Objective: To observe and understand the chemical reaction between baking soda and vinegar that causes a volcanic eruption. Materials: 1 small plastic bottle (500 ml) Baking soda (60 grams) Vinegar (200 ml) Dish soap (5 ml) Red food coloring (a few drops) Modeling clay or playdough (enough to cover the bottle and form a mountain) A tray or shallow container (to catch the overflow) … [Read more...]
Nonstandard Units of Measurement
Welcome to the Breaking Down the Standards Series. In this post, we will cover the teaching of Nonstandard Units of Measurement in first grade. This can mean using units such as Unifix cubes or paper clips to measure an object. Linear measurement is the measurement of length. Length is one of the 3 dimensions of three-dimensional figures. Since basically everything is three-dimensional, this is an important lesson and can later be tied to 3-d shapes. Linear Measurement in the First Grade Classroom Teaching kids to measure with a ruler or nonstandard units is very hands on and fun for kids. You'll need some supplies to help your students be successful. Nonstandard Linear Measurement Unifix Cubes or Snap Cubes Paper Clips Base Ten Units Beans Counting Bears Legos Feet Hands Standard Linear Measurement Ruler Tape Measure Yard/Meter Stick 1 inch tiles First Grade Linear Measurement Standards: First Grade Common Core Express the length of an object as a whole number of length units, by laying multiple copies of a shorter object (the length unit) end to end; understand that the length measurement of an object is the … [Read more...]
Community Helpers
Community helpers are important people whose job is to help others. Everyone who lives in a community can be a community helper. Some examples of community helpers are mail carriers, teachers, firefighters, paramedics, police officers, and bakers. Community workers are so much fun to learn about in Kindergarten & First Grade! Kids start thinking about what they want to be when they grow up and about the jobs of the people around them! When we teach our kids about the workers in the community, they learn jobs and responsibilities. This is also a great time to talk about the entire community including Map Skills. Let's look at some resources that can help your students learn more about their community and the workers that live there and help others. Community Helpers Paper Bag Puppets - Kids Love These There are two different sets available. So many teachers requested puppets with a boy and girl for each, I just had to get my friend Amy at Clip Art Corral to create some boys and girls for each job. Jobs included for the Community Helpers: Astronaut Construction Worker Dentist Doctor Fire Fighter Mail Carrier Military Personnel Plumber Police … [Read more...]
“Complete and Earn” Craft Activities for 1st Grade Math & Literacy
Have you introduced your first graders to "Complete and Earn" Craft Activities for 1st Grade Math & Literacy? They are a WIN, WIN for both teachers and students! Quite motivating and fun! Read on to find out all about them and why you'll want to get started right away! What are "Complete and Earn" Paper Craft Activities for 1st Grade Math & Literacy? "Complete and Earn" Activities are an assigned set of activities in which children complete a task and earn a piece of a paper craft. For instance, if it's a Fall Math Complete and Earn project, students might be completing an addition worksheet and earning the scarecrow's hat when complete. If there are 8 pieces of the scarecrow, there will be 8 engaging assignments to be completed. Additionally, these assignments should be skills that have been covered and need to be practiced. Once all of the activities are complete, the child can then cut out the pieces and put the scarecrow together. I like for my students to color the piece as soon as they've completed the assignment. (and had it checked over by a teacher or peer) Then, at the end, all they must do is cut it out and put it together. Another … [Read more...]
Mastering Vocabulary with Crossword Puzzles
Did you know that kids can practice and master vocabulary with crossword puzzles? They can also develop problem-solving skills and understand complex concepts. Students become more interested in learning and have a better chance of succeeding. Try using crossword puzzles to make learning more exciting in your classroom! Do you want to help your students master academic vocabulary in a fun way? Crossword puzzles can do the trick! These fun games can give kids bigger vocabularies and help them learn independently. Crossword puzzles can also encourage students to think creatively and critically. Imagine a classroom full of excited students as they solve puzzles and broaden their knowledge. Get ready to make learning more exciting with crossword puzzles! Benefits of Crossword Puzzles for Mastering Academic Vocabulary Crossword puzzles can be great for kids, helping them better their academic vocabulary. As they do the puzzles, they will come across many new words and become familiar with them. This allows them to learn new words and use more words when speaking and writing. It can also boost their confidence when they can say things with the right words. Doing puzzles is a fun and easy way to … [Read more...]
First Grade Map Skills
Will you be teaching cardinal directions and map skill to first graders this year? Do you have a sense of direction? My husband is one of those people who uses North and South when giving directions. I'm a right and left girl so that makes no sense to me! 😆 Probably because I was never taught map skills or cardinal directions in first grade. So... let's not let that happen to our first graders today. Let's teach them map skills and cardinal directions so they don't get lost. Also, so they can talk intelligently when it comes to directions. Cardinal Directions Whole Group Activity To read a map, students first need to know cardinal directions. So let's start by labeling the classroom with the cardinal directions. First, using a compass, find the "North" wall of your classroom and place the "N" label there. Continue until you have all of the walls labeled. (Don't have labels, you can make them quickly your self, or sign up for the resource below.) Now that the walls are labeled, you'll need to do a variety of activities to practice using the cardinal directions. Sign up to get the free resource that's load with fun activities for teaching cardinal directions. There's even an … [Read more...]
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