Ecology Study Ideas, Projects and Resources

We actually started this the week of Earth Day buuuuut we kinda dragged it out a bit.... ;)

We started out with the recycling kit from Young Scientists. 

Those kits are so much fun! 

The experiments included:
Make recycled paper
Make colored recycled paper
Cover a leaf in one cup of peat and cover plastic in another cup of peat. Which one decomposes?
There was something else but I have already forgotten!!! YILES!!!!

Then we planted strawberries, sunflowers, daisies and poppies. Due to the cats knocking the pots off the windowsill repeatedly, we only have the sunflowers left, but they are doing wonderfully!!!

We got some toadpoles from a friend and are watching them grow. Yes, toadpoles! I looked them up to try to see what kind of frog they would be. Turns out they aren't frogs of any kind but toads! LOL 

Then we started making papier mache globes!

Deanna and I did this our first year of homeschooling.

This is what we used:

Large balloons

Phone book (for the paper scraps)

Papier mache glue (1 part water to 1 part glue OR 1 part flour to 2 parts water)

Paint

We did 2 layers of paper and glue.

Put one layer on and let it dry completely before adding the other layer.

Then we painted the water on after the 2nd layer of papier mache dried. 

Once the water dried it was time to paint on the land. 

If you leave the balloon intact, you can use the end of it to tie on string and hang your globe from the ceiling! :D

Here are a couple of books that we used:









We also watched quite a few Magic School Bus episodes.

Magic School Bus 
      Hops Home
      Meets the Rot Squad
      Wet All Over
      Goes to Seed

After all that, we watched Planet Earth all over again! Can't get enough of it!!! 
     

Other topics that fit in with this theme:

Earth Day-
Earth Day Resources  (because Earth Day should be everyday)

Plants-
Plant Activities 

Plant Resources

Worms-
Worm Activities

Worm Resources


More Earth Science Recources


HAVE FUN LEARNING!!!!!