Science and Social Studies for February

Do you find it difficult to fit everything in?

I sure do! The toughest things to fit in are Science and Social Studies.

Once we're done with reading, writing, spelling, handwriting, grammar, and math, there's no time left for these two subjects! 

The really sad part is that these are typically the most popular subjects, and the ones where everyone can have success!

I've been working at making it easier to squeeze these fun subjects in, and came up with this: Science and Social Studies Activities for February

It's got printables to make your life easier, yet it still provides learning opportunities in Science and Social Studies, along with February themes and engaged children!

For Super Bowl Sunday, it's got a science exploration that includes rolling balls down a ramp, predictions and revisions.

For Groundhog Day, there's a nonfiction science text and questions about groundhogs, and a "hibernating animal" classification.

 

For Valentine's Day, there's a fact sheet about the heart, and an exploration on exercise and heart rate.

For Presidents Day, there's a nonfiction text and questions about Abraham Lincoln, a timeline on Abraham Lincoln's life, and a mapping activity identifying states in which presidents were born.

I hope this makes your life easier, and a little more fun for your kiddos! You can see this product here: Science and Social Studies Activities for February.

 I hope this makes your teaching life a bit easier!

A Batty Art Project

I'm sure you know some children that are fascinated by bats! 

After reading a great information book by one of my favorite non-fiction authors, I wanted to do a fun art project to help the children remember what they learned!

 

 

 

I'm not a fan of "cookie cutter" art projects that all look alike. I like to give the children an opportunity to be creative and make something unique. 

We started by making a night scene with crayons.

Then we added a watercolor wash.

The kids loved how the crayons came through the watercolor!

It's amazing the effect paint has on a class of kids.  Suddenly all chatting stops and they are totally engrossed in what they're doing.

Of course, some classical music in the background inspires the creativity!

Now, please tell me why aren't I bring out the paints more often?

I was tempted to give them a pattern to follow for the bats, but when I looked at photos of bats in the night sky, you really couldn't make out a specific shape. I gave each child a piece of black construction paper and they developed their own technique for making the bats.

The results were spectacular!

Each child wrote a fact they remembered from the book, and these are displayed with the pictures. 

These kids are amazing!

Here is a freebie informational book about bats the kiddos might enjoy: Bats Informational Text Mini-book

 

 

This freebie is part of a bigger October resource with more fun Science and Social Studies activities:

 

I'm thinking I'll be reading this book real soon! 
I love comparing fiction books to non-fiction!

 

 

Here are a couple more informational books about bats that might interest your students.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's another resource to bring all the learning together:  

Bats Life Cycle