Run, Run, Run UPDATE Gingerbread Fun!

Hey Science Friends,

Run, run, run as fast as you can! Just had to tell you that if you previously purchased the My five Senses Reports... It has been updated to include THE Gingerbread Man Report! So run, run, run and re download the update and get to investigating Science friends! So excited that I had a request for this today and I couldn't have been happier to make this addition because it gives us yet another opportunity to investigate, write and communicate like scientists. He should have been there all along but now he is in place and ready to go!

Now I am all ready to run out and grab some Little Debbie Gingerbread Men and have a little bit of Science fun of my own. I am sure this will give us a good reason to get out those hand lenses and investigate like the true Scientists that we have come to be!

And another reason to read a few more gingerbread books because we need the proper tools to investigate, right?

For more information just click on the first two images.

This download includes four investigations using objects-popcorn, bubble gum, apples and pumpkins. All investigations are based on the same format and designed to promote independent investigations for young children. The first investigation is completed as a class and the other investigations may be used independently. This is a print and go science resource that is easy to prepare and appropriate for kindergarten or first grade students. The objectives come from National Science Standards and help to develop children using their senses as tools to investigate and describe the properties of objects. Children will describe objects by shape, size, mass, texture and color. Each investigation reviews safety for investigating with the senses. Once the activities are complete you will have a report that children can share as they learn to communicate like scientists!

UPDATE: Gingerbread Report Added!

Run, run, run as fast as you can.



Magnet Mania!



Hey Science Friends,

Let's just say we have had fun with magnets and our unit on Force and Motion. I guess by the looks of it we had just tons of fun and little time to put things away...properly! And before I got upset I realized that at least we were investigating and learning along the way.

We have investigated here and there but it was tons of fun on the playground just as we had expected. This year the children had a lot of prior knowledge about things that are magnetic so predictions were fun for this investigation. So we headed outside for some real field investigations and we were on the hunt for things that nobody had predicted.

We were all able to participate at the same time because we all had Magnet Investigation Tools that I made last year. With a lot of use these have been the best tools for Kindergarten Scientists. I love these because we all can participate at the same time and they are affordable to make. I got my supplies at WalMart and glued them with hot glue in no time at all.

We were up, under and all around.

Investigating with magnets on the playground!

YIKES!

And we finally found a lunchbox that was magnetic because someone left it behind...

Being a Scientist is way too much fun! This sure brought a smile to her face on a rainy day... After all of the lessons have been taught we leave the materials out so that independent investigations can take place.

Because sometimes we need or want to test our own predictions again and again. And then with a little time...

As she set up her own independent investigation she discovered that some magnets are stronger than others and that they can move objects even if the magnet is under the table. And wouldn't you know that everyone thought that was amazing! And then we all wanted to set up our own investigations too!

And before all the excitement was over our Investigation Box was all put back into place. There it is all tidy and cleaned up by five year olds who always knew how to do it! At least it is organized...until next time!

 



I Am Thankful Sale!

Hey Science Friends,

Wanted to wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving break. It is nice to have some time to gather and gab with family and friends and take a break from the day to day rush of all things related to school. Honestly, I feel like I am free! I am the turkey that got away on Thanksgiving Day! I just might look like a turkey running around trying to get those last minute things accomplished so that I can enjoy the holiday season. I have already participated in Black Friday sales online and gobbled up some great savings for Christmas!

And as you know the early bird catches the worm! I finally know how that feels to be the early bird and it feels great to check just another thing off my ever expanding list! So if you are like me and want to get a jump on the shopping rush and catch that little worm I have a deal for you. This Friday I am having a sale in my Teachers pay Teachers store so that if you have a little extra time you can gobble up some savings to just to get you on your way to being prepped and perky and all ready for Monday morning. And just to let you know... Teachers pay Teachers will be having a sale on Monday and Tuesday of next week as well and I will join in that fun too! With the TpT code you can save up to 28%!

Happy Thanksgiving Science Friends!



WIN IT iPAD!



 

Have you heard? Freebielicious turned ONE this month! This last year has been amazing and we are so happy with our Freebielicious family.  This little blog has twenty-five amazing authors…teachers with hearts of gold! Our only goal is to be a blessing to primary teachers.

Welcome to our party! Everyone is invited. We are SO excited to host a birthday party like no other. Don’t worry, we won’t ask you to buy us a present (we do love chocolate though). Instead, we want to help tech up your classroom with a pretty sweet giveaway. Follow our blog, FB, and pinterest to enter to win. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy. You can win a prize package valued at over $500, which includes an iPad mini! Sweet deal, right?!

Fill out the rafflecopter to enter. You have three chances to win. Follow Freebielicoius on Pinterest, Follow Freebielicious on Facebook, and Follow Freebielicious Blog by email. Enter to win by October 30, 2013 at midnight. Winner will be drawn on October 31^st, 2013 and announced on Freebielicous. One entry per person and entries will be verified. 

Happy Birthday Freebielicous!!!
CLICK HERE TO ENTER!

Shake It Up! Freebie

Hey Science Friends,

Let's get ready to shake those bones with a little Halloween inspired freebie! Even though Halloween is just around the corner it does not mean that we throw all sense and sensibility out the window and forget the standards! Heck no, we keep moving on and just shake it up a little! Who in the world said we can't have some holiday spirit and learn along the way? 

With these simple resources you can have a little fun and cover some health too! As I was searching my files I found my healthy bones printable and it inspired me to look for some new books to help with the discussion we will have in class. I was super excited to see Me And My Amazing Body! Considering I love Me On The Map I knew I had to have this new to me book. Just a perfect addition to add to my collection!

And who can forget these old bone shaking classics? You know we have to dust these off and read them a time or two.

So come on friends and have a little fun and shake them bones! Just click on the image to get your freebie!

 

 If I can do it, I sure know you can!



Observing The Night Sky Freebie!

Hey Science Friends,

This was one of my favorite book finds from last year and it always makes me think of the night sky and this time of year it is especially fun to observe the night sky. Who said covering our objectives had to be a drag? All you need is a little inspiration to get you going.

With just a few books on hand you can get them curious about what they will observe in the night sky. And why not send them home with some Science Homework?

All you have to do is print off this little freebie and staple your pages together and send them home for some fun observations! If you need a copy just click on the image above to take you to the download! Now you are ready to get out there in the deep dark night and observe and record your findings!

Why not grab all these books and make a week of it?

 



Describing Properties!

Hey Science Friends,

Lots of things are going on in Science! And I finally got a good picture of our Science Gnome so I had to share it with you. I bet you are wondering what in the world we are going to use it for. Our Science Gnome is used as one of our objects of comparison when determining the mass of an object. Is it heavier or lighter than the gnome? Your object could be just about anything and you could have more than one object. We started by passing him around and just getting a good feel for him in the beginning. But I bet you are wondering how we are going to use him.

Learning how to describe properties in Kindergarten Science can be challenging. And my experience has taught me that teaching children to describe properties can be challenging at times. Developing this skill in Kindergarten is a foundational Science skill and it deserves time to develop. This one isn't a three week focus and never discussed again. Developing this skill takes time and the children in my classroom over the last 14 years have taught me this.

Books are a great way to get the discussion going and it gives us an opportunity to introduce and use new vocabulary. Tana Hoban has wonderful books that can be used when learning how to describe the properties of objects.

What are the ways we describe objects?

Shape

Size

Mass

Texture

Color



So, what is our objective here?

The student is expected to observe and record properties of objects, including relative size and mass, such as bigger or smaller and heavier or lighter, shape, color, and texture.

 So, what does this look like in Kindergarten?

This can help while observing and describing an object by it's properties because it reminds us of the possibilities and this can be used when children write about their observations. This can also be used as a tool for a writing choice in Science.  

What does it look like in the classroom?

After reading books and discussing properties as a class we have to get to investigating! You know we all want to get our hands on it and really investigate and eventually we want to be independent in this task.

A simple investigation box is set up to allow for some independent investigation. Just a few simple materials to observe and describe that can be found around any classroom is all you will need. If you swap out the materials on a regular basis you will have an investigation box that will help you keep this investigation going all year long! Simple set up, simple upkeep and simple investigations that keep the objective alive all year long as we develop observation skills and develop communicating like a Scientist. What is not to love here? If you would like to investigate with us just click on the investigation card and grab your copy. Have fun investigating Science friends!

 



YoWindow App!



Hey Science Friends,

What is the weather like today? In my neighborhood we have had the most beautiful beginning of the fall season day. And because of this nice shift of weather it had me thinking about reporting the weather in Science class this week. But first I have to tell you about a nifty little science app called YoWindow! I was given this tip by a teacher friend who was searching on Apps Gone Free! It has been free for several days so you might have to act fast but if you miss it I swear this is a great app to use when reporting the weather and I would actually pay for it!

You get actual live weather for your area. This would be perfect for young scientists that are just starting out because you can focus on finding the icon and just reporting the weather in the beginning.

Later you can investigate weather at different locations.

And with just a click of a button you can preview the weather for the rest of the week and at different times of the day. With a little swipe of your finger you can see the sun set and objects in the night sky appear. It seems like a great app for your budding meteorologists. And a super easy way to squeeze a little technology into a daily weather watching routine.

Right now we are still learning our weather routine and learning how to record the information independently. As we learn and ease into this routine I model the recording of the weather and the children follow along and we focus on building a Science community and learning how to communicate like Scientists do. I am excited about taking this app into the classroom and using it with our weather reports!