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!!!!!

Use Your Words - May 2015

Today’s post is a writing challenge. This is how it works: participating bloggers picked 4 – 6 words or short phrases for someone else to craft into a post. All words must be used at least once and all the posts will be unique as each writer has received their own set of words. That’s the challenge, here’s a fun twist; no one who’s participating knows who got their words and in what direction the writer will take them. Until now.

At the end of this post you’ll find links to the other blogs featuring this challenge. Check them all out, see what words they got and how they used them.

I’m using: looked back ~ heartbeats ~ incensed ~ secret ~ you are going to die

They were submitted by: Someone Else's Genius


 It was a dark and stormy night. (Ok. Really it was a bright, starlit night but how scary are they?) 

 Tommy and Betty were out driving, trying to get lost. (You know what I mean.) 

 They drive out a long, lonely, country road and find a place to "park". (Wink, wink. Nudge, nudge.) 

 They are just getting friendly when off in the distance they hear screaming. (SIGH. Just when things were getting good.)

 They debate. Someone playing a joke? Someone in trouble? Do they go see? 

 Well, you know how it goes. They have to go see. 

 Tommy starts up the car. They start down the road, headlights on high beam. 

 Just ahead they saw a shimmering light. Their heads grew heavy and their sights grew dim. They had to stop for the night.

 Oops. Sorry. Got carried away again. 

 Betty looked back the way they came and saw a shadow on the side of the road. 

 She yells at Tommy to stop the car! (You just know that's a bad idea!!!!)

 Betty and Tommy's heartbeats sped up!

 What was that hulking, looming thing??? (Just stay in the car!!!!)

 Tommy tells Betty that he's going to get out and see if anyone needs help. (Don't do it, Tommy! Don't do it!!)

 Betty begs him not to. (Sigh... You know he will any way.)

  Tommy gets out. He tells Betty to lock the doors and stay in the car. (He really should take his own advice.)

  Tommy walks back down the road. Just as he gets to the part of the road where he is sure he saw someone.... (Well, you can guess, right??) 

 It's over for Tommy. He is nothing but a bloody mess on the side of the road. 

 Betty starts to get nervous just sitting in the car. (Well, she should be, shouldn't she?)

 She rolls down the window. She sticks out her head. (Really bad idea!!!)

 She comes face to face with the Heart Shaped Mouse Pad Killer!!!

 He is incensed!! She has seen his secret!!! 

 He says to Betty, "You are going to die!!!!!"

You can find the first part of this story here - Use Your Words - February 2015 - Friday the 13th

Sometimes I get  my words and I think to myself, "I know exactly what I'm going to do with those!" Other times I haven't got a clue. This time was a mix. I knew what I wanted to do but I didn't know if I had the writing chops to pull it off. You'll be the judge. LOL 

Links to the other “Use Your Words” posts:

 Baking In A Tornado

 Spatulas on Parade

 The Bergham’s Life Chronicles

 The Momisodes

 Stacy Sews and Schools

 Sparkly Poetic Weirdo

 Eileen’s Perpetually Busy

 Battered Hope

 Southern Belle Charm

 Someone Else’s Genius

 Confessions of a part-time working mom

 Climaxed

 Searching for Sanity

 Evil Joy Speaks

 Disneyland in Kentucky 

    

Blog with Friends - May Flowers

It's that time again!! Time for Blog with Friends!!! This month we are bringing you flower related projects and posts.

For my project I put together this little flowered table runner. It's a super fast and easy project. 

What I Used 

1 1/2 yards of green dots
1 package of felt flowers
Pinking shears


Step 1

First, I folded the fabric in half, selvage to selvage. 
Then I trimmed it along both sides with the pinking shears. 
I also took a few inches off the ends. 


Step 2 

Then I sewed a straight stitch along all the edges. 

Next, I placed the flowers until I had them the way I wanted them.


Step 3

Then I sewed the felt flower buttons down just like I would a regular button.

ALL DONE!!! Told you it was easy! ;)

I also put together the flower centerpiece. I made a trip to The Dollar Tree and used only stuff that I found there. SUPER cheap, SUPER easy!!!! 
I bought several flowers (they had the butterflies with them), the metal tub, and a green foam rectangle. Then I separated the flowers and stuck them in individually. 


Check out ALL the posts for this month's Blog with Friends!!!! So much awesomeness!!!!!! 

Karen from Baking in a Tornado has the CUTEST flower cookies!!! LOVE THEM!! She's a baking genius!!!!!

Robin at Someone Else's Genius is going to show you how to make these gorgeous beaded barefoot sandals. SO beautiful!! 


That's it for this month!!! I hope you enjoyed it! :) 

HAVE FUN CREATING!!!!!!