Naturally Teaching Elementary: A Podcast for Teachers and Homeschool Families

The summer solstice is coming up next week! Which brings with it signs of summer including warmer temps and longer hours of daylight. So let's give your learners some fun games they can enjoy with their families to extend their learning as well as prevent the dreaded summer slide!Press play to hear descriptions for hours of sunlight hopscotch for 1st graders and a flashlight hide-and-seek game for 4th graders, both aligned with Next Generation Science Standards.During the episode I share the standard that inspired the activity, how the activity relates to light, and a description of how to implement the activity with your learners. And make sure to listen all the way through the episode; you may find yourself inspired to adapt one of these activities or use an activity for a different grade level.Next Generation Science Standards addressed in this episode:1-ESS1-2: Make observations at different times of year to relate the amount of daylight to the time of year.4-PS4-2: Develop a model to describe that light reflecting from objects and entering the eye allows objects to be seen.Resources mentioned 💚Episode 72: 6 Books for Summer to Help You and Your Learners’ Caregivers Introduce Seasonal SignsEpisode 73: Summer Activities for Kindergarteners and 3rd Graders Aligned with NGSSEpisode 17: 6 Fun Fall Activities Aligned with K-5 Next Generation Science StandardsNaturally Teaching Activity IndexShow Notes: https://naturallyteaching.com/episode74🗂 Find activities easily with the Naturally Teaching Activity Index🛒 TpT Shop: Naturally Teaching💚 Get more tips and tricks on the website: NaturallyTeaching.com📸 Follow along on Instagram: @naturally.teaching💻 Check us out on Facebook: @naturally.teaching

Water is a critical part of weather; without water, we wouldn't have most of our different weather conditions! Whether it's clouds, rain, thunderstorms, humidity, wind...it's all related to water in weather. And March and November are great times to study weather and the role water plays in it!Press play to hear descriptions for maple sugaring with 2nd graders and mapping vernal pools with 5th graders, both aligned with Next Generation Science Standards.During the episode I share the standard that inspired the activity, how the activity relates to water in weather, and a description of how to implement the activity with your learners. And make sure to listen all the way through the episode; you may find yourself inspired to adapt one of these activities or use an activity for a different grade level.Next Generation Science Standards addressed in this episode:2-ESS2-3: Obtain information to identify where water is found on Earth and that it can be solid or liquid5-ESS2-2: Describe and graph the amounts and percentages of water and fresh water in various reservoirs to provide evidence about the distribution of water on EarthResources mentioned 💚Episode 61: Illumination and Weather: 1st and 4th Grade NGSS ActivitiesTapping Into Learning: 15 Maple Syrup Books for Elementary ScienceHow Maple Syrup Season Can Help You Teach Elementary StudentsMaple Syrup and Water Cycle Mini Unit for 2nd Grade (ELA, Math, and Science)Citizen Science Lab: Vernal Pools - Citizen Science Projects for 5th GradersEpisode 46: Vernal Pool Patrol: A Citizen Science Project for Elementary Teachers and Homeschool Parents with Lindsey HarrellEpisode 47: 6 Vernal Pools and Frog Activities Aligned with K-5 Next Generation Science StandardsEpisode 48: 9 Vernal Pool and Frog Books for Elementary Teachers and Homeschool ParentsHow Vernal Pools Can Be Used to Reach Your Curricular GoalsNaturally Teaching Activity IndexShow Notes: https://naturallyteaching.com/episode62🗂 Find activities easily with the Naturally Teaching Activity Index🛒 TpT Shop: Naturally Teaching💚 Get more tips and tricks on the website: NaturallyTeaching.com📸 Follow along on Instagram: @naturally.teaching💻 Check us out on Facebook: @naturally.teaching

Weather is an inherently interesting concept to elementary-aged learners and March is one of the best times to experience a variety of weather conditions in a short time. Fog, rain, snow, frost, dew, sun, clouds...March has it all. So let's take advantage of this weather-rich month and get your learners some quality experiences.Press play to hear descriptions for a weather movement cube for kindergarteners and the citizen science project CoCoRaHS for 3rd graders, both aligned with Next Generation Science Standards. During the episode I share the standard that inspired the activity, how the activity relates to weather, and a description of how to implement the activity with your learners. And make sure to listen all the way through the episode; you may find yourself inspired to adapt one of these activities or use an activity for a different grade level.Next Generation Science Standards addressed in this episode:K-ESS2-1: Use and share observations of local weather conditions to describe patterns over time.3-ESS2-1: Represent data in tables and graphical displays to describe typical weather conditions expected during a particular season.Resources mentioned 💚Episode 59: 7 Books About Weather for Elementary-Aged StudentsEpisode 6: 5 Outdoor Education Safety Tips for Teaching OutsideWeather Movement Cube for Kindergarten (Ambulatory Cubes)CoCoRaHS Schools: Getting StartedNeed a rain gauge? Here’s the contact email for help from CoCoRaHSCoCoRaHS Basic training PDFCoCoRaHS Training slide showsCoCoRaHS Training VideosCoCoRaHS FAQ’sCoCoRaHS Gauge installation tipsCoCoRaHS How to Read Your Gauge guideCoCoRaHS Data entry tipsCoCoRaHS Station identification signCoCoRaHS Apple App storeCoCoRaHS Google Play storeWeather Scavenger Hunt PDFFREE Printable Weather WheelShow Notes: https://naturallyteaching.com/episode60🗂 Find activities easily with the Naturally Teaching Activity Index🛒 TpT Shop: Naturally Teaching💚 Get more tips and tricks on the website: NaturallyTeaching.com📸 Follow along on Instagram: @naturally.teaching💻 Check us out on Facebook: @naturally.teaching

Water is a critical part of animal survival, yet it's so scarce during the winter! With freezing temperatures, water is trapped as snow or ice and it makes winter a really hard time for animals to fulfill all of their needs. Now is a great time to study winter animals and the role water plays in their survival!Press play to hear descriptions for a states of matter water experiment for 2nd graders and an observational study for 5th graders, both aligned with Next Generation Science Standards.During the episode I share the standard that inspired the activity, how the activity relates to winter animals and water, and a description of how to implement the activity with your learners. And make sure to listen all the way through the episode; you may find yourself inspired to adapt one of these activities or use an activity for a different grade level.Next Generation Science Standards addressed in this episode:2-ESS2-3: Obtain information to identify where water is found on Earth and that it can be solid or liquid5-ESS2-1: Develop a model using an example to describe ways the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and/or atmosphere interactResources mentioned 💚Episode 57: Winter Animals and Hibernation: 1st and 4th Grade NGSS ActivitiesEpisode 6: 5 Outdoor Education Safety Tips for Teaching OutsideSnowy Science: A Guide to Teaching About Matter in WinterShow Notes: https://naturallyteaching.com/episode58🗂 Find activities easily with the Naturally Teaching Activity Index🛒 TpT Shop: Naturally Teaching💚 Get more tips and tricks on the website: NaturallyTeaching.com📸 Follow along on Instagram: @naturally.teaching💻 Check us out on Facebook: @naturally.teaching

Sometimes winter seems so lifeless and dull. However, it can actually be a really beneficial time of the year to study animal needs and the components of habitats. Think about it: during a time of scarcity, there are still animals that are active and surviving. Why not investigate what they're finding that keeps them alive?Press play to hear descriptions for an animal signs hike for kindergarteners and a habitat safari for 3rd graders, both aligned with Next Generation Science Standards. During the episode I share the standard that inspired the activity, how the activity relates to animal needs and habitats, and a description of how to implement the activity with your learners. And make sure to listen all the way through the episode; you may find yourself inspired to adapt one of these activities or use an activity for a different grade level.Next Generation Science Standards addressed in this episode:K-ESS3-1: Use a model to represent the relationship between the needs of different plants and animals (including humans) and the places they live.3-LS4-3: Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all.Resources mentioned 💚Episode 51: Adapting - Naturally Teaching Elementary Updates and GoalsEpisode 55: 6 Books About Animals in Winter for Elementary-Aged StudentsEpisode 6: 5 Outdoor Education Safety Tips for Teaching Outside“Over and Under the Snow” Picture Book Companion for 3rd Grade“Over and Under the Snow” by Kate Messner: Teaching Animal AdaptationsShow Notes: https://naturallyteaching.com/episode56🗂 Find activities easily with the Naturally Teaching Activity Index🛒 TpT Shop: Naturally Teaching💚 Get more tips and tricks on the website: NaturallyTeaching.com📸 Follow along on Instagram: @naturally.teaching💻 Check us out on Facebook: @naturally.teaching

Urban schools and outdoor education don't seem to go hand-in-hand, but outdoor education has its place in every.single.school! If you teach in an urban school and you don't think you have what you need to take your kids outside for learning, this is the episode for you!Press play to hear about three different ways you can access nature in urban settings near you. Give your students the gift of less stress, more focus, better health, better academic performance, and more by learning how you can incorporate nature into your urban classroom.Resources mentioned 💚Garden Grants and Plans: Where to Look for Funding and How to Prepare for SuccessA Raising Butterflies Kit for the Classroom: A Conservation ConversationEpisode 20: 6 Animal Migration Activities for Elementary ClassroomsEpisode 6: 5 Outdoor Education Safety Tips for Teaching OutsideEpisode 23: Planning a Field Trip made Easier with Education Director James DakeShow Notes: https://naturallyteaching.com/episode54🗂 Find activities easily with the Naturally Teaching Activity Index🛒 TpT Shop: Naturally Teaching💚 Get more tips and tricks on the website: NaturallyTeaching.com📸 Follow along on Instagram: @naturally.teaching💻 Check us out on Facebook: @naturally.teaching

If you're in a region where winter doesn't include snow, you've probably noticed that there aren't very many books about winter for preschool and elementary classrooms that represent your local weather well. This is probably really confusing for your early childhood students. Sure, you make it work, but wouldn't it be great if there were picture books that represented your mild winters?That's why I've scoured the internet to find 5 no snow books to help you out this winter. In this episode, I give you a brief summary about these books and my thoughts on how they can help you with your students.Books in this episode 📚City Moon by Rachael Cole, illustrated by Blanca GomezIt Never, Ever Snows in Florida by Amy Sweezey, illustrated by Ricardo J. RodriguezIn a Mississippi Winter by Kathy Chase Young, by Kelly Arcarese StanfordOcean Seasons by Ron Hirschi, illustrated by Kirsten CarlsonSeasons by Hannah Pang, illustrated by Clover Robin(Disclaimer: as an Amazon Associate, I may earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you)Resources mentioned 💚“Teaching with Books: How to Integrate Science and Literacy for Elementary Classrooms”16 Wonderful Children’s Books About Winter for Elementary TeachersEpisode 34: 9 Winter Picture Books to Help Introduce Seasonal Signs, Snow, and Animals in WinterShow Notes: https://naturallyteaching.com/episode52🗂 Find activities easily with the Naturally Teaching Activity Index🛒 TpT Shop: Naturally Teaching💚 Get more tips and tricks on the website: NaturallyTeaching.com📸 Follow along on Instagram: @naturally.teaching💻 Check us out on Facebook: @naturally.teaching