Do you remember coating pine cones in peanut butter and bird seed, hanging them outside, and then pressing your nose against the back window waiting for the birds to come?

1. Here’s another article with lots of easy bird feeder ideas and what birds eat what.
2. A couple of years ago, we filled a few bird feeders, perched them on the railing of our deck and had a great time watching the birds come and go.  I was at a loss to figure out which birds were which until we checked out this great bird guide from the library that is perfect for beginners.  I love that it is organized by color, so when the kids saw a yellow bird, they would flip to that section in the book and then search for ‘our’ bird.

Here are the ‘Eastern’ and ‘Western’ versions of the bird guide:


3. Another amazing resource I just discovered is What Bird.com.  This site has so much bird information it can be overwhelming.  For a start, check out some of these links:

• Video on how to use their search feature to identify a bird.
• Demo of their bird sounds course.  (My one-year-old LOVED sitting on my lap as I cycled through the bird calls)
• Short course on all the parts and terms used to identify birds – Great lapbook or unit study material!
• Browse through birds sorted by everything from location and color to bill shape and what they eat.
• Build your own custom bird guide – free to include 5 birds of any family per book.  What a great final report for your unit study!  You can even add a custom cover and bind it.  (A $25/yr  subscription offers unlimited birds and books. )

Enjoy!

Do you have any fun bird-schooling stories or favorite bird study resources?  I’d love more ideas.  Thanks!

If you haven’t checked out National Geographic Kids’ Site, you’re missing out.

Do you know what the record is for number of spiders on a human body in 30 seconds?  It was 75, until the 11-year-old ”Spider Boy” broke the record with 125 orb spiders!  Check out the video.

I don’t know how they come up with these records, but they’re pretty fun to watch, unless you’re arachnophobic )

Check out the other website sections for TONS of great content:

• Animals
• Games
• Videos
• Stories
• Activities
• People and Places
• Photos
• And design your own “My Page”

Do you need a break from doing science in your kitchen?  My son loves to watch the fun Robert Krampf’s science videos.  He does great science experiment videos and posts them online.  Some are free, and you can get access to the entire collection for $20 a year, which is very reasonable if you have a curious middle schooler who will enjoy clicking through the videos on his/her own.

You can also sign up for his free “Experiment of the Week” newletter here.

Enjoy!

Need some ideas to make science fun?  Or ideas for a science project?

Check out Ology, a science website done by the American Museum of Natural History (get it? -ology as in bi-ology, arche-ology?)

There are tons of catagory pages including:

• Archeology
• Astronomy
• Biodiversity
• Earth
• Einstein
• Genetics
• Marine Biology
• Paleontology
• Water

Plus for each topic, there are activities in fun categories including:

• Scientist at Work
• Inside Story – “Ask a Scientist”
• Quiz Games
• Make It – fun activities with supply lists and instructions
• Interviews with Scientists
• Explore the Evidence

Enjoy!

Here is some of what Chem4Kids has:

• All about Matter
• Atoms
• Studying the Periodic Table
• Chemical Reactions
• An Introduction to Biochemistry
• Elements 1 through 36

Enjoy browsing their site!

As always, though, I think science for kids is best experienced first hand with experiments.  Do you have any good ‘kitchen table’ chemistry ideas?

Check out Exploring Nature, a great natural science website with:

• animal databases
• how to draw animals
• science activities
• lesson plans on plants
• coloring pages
• a glossary
• and much more 

Much of the site is free, but there is also a nominal $25/yr to access some of their member only resources.  Enjoy!

Looking for fun science experiments?

Check out Weird Science, a website that offers a nice list of science experiments you can try at home, along with videos you can watch before you try the experiment yourself.  The videos are great, too, if you just want to avoid another messy science kitchen day.  Now if I could just find a science experiment that magically cleaned the kitchen table, counter, and sink full of dirty dishes

Have you found a fun science site for homeschooling?  You’re welcome to post a link in the comment section to share with us!

Do you have kids interested in space ships, rockets, airplanes, or the solar system?  Would you like some detailed, well-organized teaching guides for free?  Well, you might as well go to the experts:  check out NASA’s For Educators Website.

Here are some of my favorite resources they offer:

• Great teaching resources you can filter by grade or topic.  We really like the ‘Educator Guides’ when doing a unit study on a topic.  They are very complete, grade level appropriate, and outline fun learning activities like building a working model of a hot air balloon using plastic bags in this guide about flight for grades 2 – 4.
• Interactive Resources:  Lots of information, pictures, and fun for kids to explore including a ‘Buzz Lightyear Travels to Space’ feature.
• You can watch NASA’s TV online which includes educational programs with titles like Mars: What Would You Wear (3-12) and Frogs in Space (5-12).  Check out the TV Schedule here.
• NASA’s Kids’ Club has educational games, links, and pictures, along with the ability to choose games by skill level.
• If you need more than the electronic resources, you can order charts, CDs, and other supplies at a reasonable cost from their educational store.
• Tons we haven’t explored yet.  What a great site!

Thank you NASA for giving back to teachers and homeschoolers! 

Please share your favorite space and science resources with us in the comment section.

We love Steve Spangler’s science website!  We especially like the science experimentssection, where the experiments are grouped by category and have great instructions, pictures, and videos. 

The site is commercial and sells all kinds of science equipment, but they offer excellent free resources.  Plus, I think the products are great gift ideas as alternatives to more toys. 

This morning we did the very easy and fun “Screaming Balloons” experiment.  All you need are a few balloons, various hex nuts, and a penny for contrast:

(The kids were dancing because the deck was cold and they are in bare feet – Autumn, please don’t go yet!)

‘Make it a lesson’ ideas:

• Discuss what force is and how it is generated using mass and acceleration.  Demonstrate by hitting one of the balloons. 
• Discuss how changing the mass, changes the force:  Vary the mass you hit it with but keep the acceleration the same – for example, hit the ballon with a small paper clip versus a book. 
• Discuss how changing the acceleration changes the force:  Vary the acceleration – hit it slowly with your hand and then quickly.
• To introduce how vibration is generated in this experiment, roll a plate on it’s edge across the table and listen to the lack of noise it makes versus trying to roll a clunky object like a book, end-over-end across the table.  Put a penny in one of the balloons to demonstrate the lack of vibration.