Vertebrates & Invertebrates (Freebie!)

Both of my boys are exploring life science this year, which means that their curriculum overlaps at least some of the time (thank goodness!).  Right now Colby is learning some basic comparative anatomy: vertebrates vs. invertebrates. 

Our classroom laptop is playing a larger role this year than it previously has.  Carefully chosen online games and videos can keep one child engaged and learning while I work one-on-one with the other.  I got a pair of good headphones with volume control (Kidz Gear Wired Headphones For Kids), so that the computer sounds aren't a distraction.

This video on vertebrates and invertebrates was great for Colby.  It's less than six minutes long, but it's well done and there's lots of good information!



Bobbie Kalman is a fantastic author of science books for children; we rely on her often.  Her name is one of the first searches I try when I'm trying to find the right book.  The books above are perfect for first graders studying vertebrates and invertebrates!

We completed this cut-and-paste sorting activity and added it to Colby's Interactive Science Notebook.  There are 18 creatures to sort; it can be a bit tricky!

 

Vertebrates included are: shark, frog, wolf, bat, walrus, chameleon, bird, snake, and penguin.
Invertebrates are: crab, jellyfish, butterfly, earthworm, scorpion, clams, spider, fly, and starfish.

If you'd like a free copy of the sorting activity, click here!

Another great book to try is Bone by Bone: Comparing Animal Skeletons by Sara Levine.

Both of the boys read through it more it than once; it's a pretty cool book!

For more ideas and activities, check out our Pinterest boards!  Almost everything on our 168 (and counting!) boards is either free or DIY.

Do you have an awesome idea or activity for learning about animal classification or comparative anatomy?  Share it in the comments!

December Catch-Up Post: Seven Summits, Christmas, & More

December was a whirlwind and I'm not gonna lie, blogging was last on my epic to-do list!  No excuses, folks, just trying to catch up . . . 

Here are some of Hunter's December highlights:

This free Christmas-themed alphabetizing activity from Hilary Lewis was a great way to warm up Hunter's mental muscles!  He practiced "ABC order" to the third letter, and recorded the list in the correct order.  There are 40 words included, and you can make the activity more or less challenging based on the words you choose.  We did this twice, with two different lists of words.  It was fun, and great practice!  Get a free copy here!

How cute is this reindeer?!  Poor Hunter hates it when I make him pose with his work, but he did such a great job that I just had to.  There are many ways to complete this writing craftivity, depending on the writing level of the student.  Hunter wrote about what it would be like if he were one of Santa's reindeer, and illustrated it.  Grab the template and printables (23 pages worth) right here.  It's inexpensive and oh so worth it!

I just love this "elf application" that Hunter filled out!  He chose to apply for a job in Santa's bakery.

He listed his huge appetite and his interest in creating new recipes as qualifications.  For a copy of this application for your own little elf, click here.  It's free!

Hunter loved this Math Mystery Picture activity!  It was a great way to practice his multiplication facts. Discovering one of his favorite video game characters dressed as Santa was a fun surprise for him!  For a copy of this freebie from Mr. Peterson, click here!  For the addition and subtraction version (also free), click here.

This simile/metaphor sort is one of a few activities we did to accompany our annual reading of "The Polar Express", by Chris Van Allsburg.  

It's from "Polar Express Centers and Fun For Bigger Kids", a packet of activities for 3rd-5th graders by Fourth and Ten.  I didn't get pictures of everything we did (and the ones I did get were all blurry!), so I can't show you how much fun we had, but I do recommend checking out the product!  You can find it here.

This fun gingerbread house coloring/fractions activity is a freebie from More Time 2 Teach.  Click here to get a copy of Fraction Winter Wonderland!

This is the poster Hunter made to show what he's learned about the Seven Summits.  (This project was inspired by a photo we found on Pinterest, but I haven't been able to track down its origins.)

Each of the colored mountain peaks is to scale, with 1 cm = 1,000 ft.  

He colored the continents to correspond with the paper mountain peaks . . .

 . . . , and drew triangles to show the locations of the mountains.

He worked hard on it, and it looks fantastic up on the wall!

In addition to reading about the mountains and watching documentaries on YouTube and Netflix streaming, we visited each of the peaks on Google Earth.  Viewing the satellite imagery and being able to zoom in from any angle was fascinating for him; he's addicted!  He spent hours looking at mountains and rivers all over the planet, and regularly gets lost in foreign cities thanks to Street View.

And in no particular order, here are the TpT shops mentioned in this post:

Hilary Lewis

A Cupcake for the Teacher

More Time 2 Teach

Kindergarten Squared

Mr. Peterson

Fourth and Ten

Kindergarten Apple Mania Part 2

The apple fun continues!  I was aiming for two weeks worth of apple activities to supplement our regular curriculum, but I ended up with three!  I wasn't able to get pictures of everything as we did it, but I did my best!  Here's a peek at our second week of apples:

Colban predicted that an apple would float if he put it in the water.  We tested his prediction, and recorded the results on this worksheet:

He drew a picture of his apple,

and then we measured it with a piece of ribbon. As you can see, he really enjoyed this activity!

He measured the length of the ribbon with unifix cubes,

and recorded his findings on the worksheet.

Finally, we weighed the apple using a pan balance and bear counters:

It ended up taking 48 bears to match the weight of the apple.  We only had 50 bears to work with; I was starting to worry that we wouldn't have enough!  Colban recorded his results:

All of the above activity sheets (and a whole lot more!) are from Sarah Paul's awesome, FREE Apple-licious Activities Pack.

We read Ten Apples Up On Top!

Then we did this great, FREE Ten Frame Apples Up On Top activity from Amber Monroe!

Colby used Q-tips and poster paint to complete the accompanying worksheet.  He had a blast!  Click the link above to grab a copy of this activity.

These cut-and-paste patterning pages are from First Grade Parade.  They're part of an AMAZING 35-page freebie pack.  To see more of the activities and download a copy, check out her blog post here!

A peek at a couple of the patterns Colby has completed thus far.

We did this super cute apple-themed Count the Room activity from Differentiation Station.  Can you believe it's free?!

These beautiful ten frame math mats are from the Applelicious Ten Frame Activities pack from Teaching With Nancy.  

I'm so happy with this purchase!  There are so many activities in the (very inexpensive) packet, and Colby has enjoyed all of them.

Check out Kindergarten Apple Mania Part 1!

Check out Kindergarten Apple Mania Part 3!

For more free apple-themed activities and printables, try my Pinterest board:

Free Autumn Printables {Educational}

Blogs and TpT stores included in this post:

Teaching With Nancy

Differentiation Station

Sarah Paul

The First Grade Parade

Amber Monroe

For the bear counters we used:

50 Counting Bears with 5 Cups

Kindergarten Apple Mania Part 1

It's that time of year!  We love apple season.  Here are a few of the ways we've brought apples into our classroom:

These super-cute ten frame clip cards are one of the activities from Applelicious Ten Frame Activities.  I love this packet! It's exactly what I was looking for, and so inexpensive.  We'll be doing a lot more with it next week.

This apple patterning activity is a freebie from Made in 1st Grade.  Click the link to check out their blog and grab a copy, along with some other great apple freebies!  The free download includes another sheet with the apples already drawn for the student to color, or you could have your child draw their own apples.  I used an apple-shaped punch to make red, yellow, and green apples for Colby to pattern with.

These FREE apple counting mats are from Kindergarten Lifestyle.  What a fun activity!  Apple counters in three colors are included; the counting mats are for numbers 1-10.

This cut-n-paste apple order activity is a two-page freebie from Nicole at Rowdy in Room 300.  The first page covers numbers 1-5, and the second page is 6-10.  Colban was really proud of himself for completing both pages correctly without any help!

And of course my little nugget is on board for anything involving bingo markers!  This "A is for Apple" Do-A-Dot/Tracing page is from the FREE A is for Apple Tot & Preschool Pack by All Our Days.  

Another great freebie from Kindergarten Lifestyle!  This Apple Five Senses activity was lots of fun!  Colby examined an apple using his five senses, and recorded his observations (with a little help) on the corresponding worksheets.  As you can see, the "Taste" worksheet was his favorite!

Okay, this one has nothing to do with apples!  Colby also completed his project for the Letter M last week.  Isn't it cute?  He wanted a "big, fat mouse!", so I made the fattest "M" that I could!  

And of course, we read some apple books!  

Ten Red Apples, by Pat Hutchins.
This one is great for kiddos that are learning to count, add, or subtract numbers 1-10!

Apples, Apples Everywhere!: Learning About Apple Harvests, by Robin Koontz.
 I love the illustrations in this book!  It's a great introduction to apple harvesting, and how apples are used.

The Apple Pie Tree, by Zoe Hall.
A cute story with fun illustrations, and a great way to learn about the seasonal cycle of an apple tree!

More apple links and activities on the way!

(Kindergarten Apple Mania Part 2 is now up - check out our 2nd week of apple fun!)

(And finally, Kindergarten Apple Mania Part 3!)

Blogs and TpT stores included in this post:

Teaching With Nancy

Made For 1st Grade

Kindergarten Lifestyle

Rowdy in Room 300

All Our Days

Interactive Geography Notebook

In addition to many, many, many other things, Hunter worked on his interactive geography notebook this week.  The results were pretty cool!

This activity was inspired by this post at layers-of-learning.com.  I adapted the idea to meet our needs and the topics we were covering.  We learned about latitude, longitude, the Equator, and the Prime Meridian. 

•  First, I had Hunter draw a star on the map to mark where we live.  
• Then he traced the lines of latitude with a fine-point marker (only every other line so the map wouldn't look too cluttered).  
• Next, he traced the lines of longitude in another color (again, only every other line).  
• Finally, we cut two lengths of sparkly leftover Christmas ribbon, in gold and silver, to glue over the Equator and Prime Meridian.

Here's a closer look:

To download the free world map from Layers of Learning, click here.

During our next geography class, we discussed how the Equator divides the Earth into two hemispheres, the Northern and Southern.  Likewise, the Prime Meridian and its opposite, the 180th meridian, divide the Earth into Eastern and Western hemispheres.  After studying the hemispheres, we completed this notebook page:

Hunter wrote a simple definition underneath each flap.  For example, under "Northern Hemisphere" he wrote: 'The half of the Earth that lies north of the Equator'.

If you'd like a copy of the flaps, click HERE.

I hope you find them useful!

More resources and links:

A YouTube video on the Earth's hemispheres

Free online latitude/longitude game for kids

Educational YouTube video on latitude/longitude

Another YouTube video on latitude/longitude