We then took a walk around the neighborhood and collected trash on the streets. We connected how this trash could easily get in the sewers or nearby river (which leads into the Mississippi River--->and then into ---> the Gulf of Mexico.
Posts filed under Education
Brownie Designing Robots Badge Part 1
I was super excited over the summer when they announced the new S.T.E.M badges. We have been trying to incorporate more S.T.E.M activities in our home for the girls. Last year we got the girls the Dash robot for Christmas and they seem to genuinely have an interest in the programming fun.
When the requirements for the badges came out, I have to admit, I was a bit confused. I must have reviewed the Volunteer Toolkit way too many times and then I realized, like with most of the resources offered, they always seem to be lacking creativity and visual explanation. So, I took to trusty Pinterest to assist with my research and planning.
Here is Part 1 of the Designing Robots Brownie Badge. I do recommend doing this in 2 meetings. It's A LOT and not a badge I would try to cram into one session. They won't take away much if you rush it and that defeats the purpose, right?
Robots Imitate Nature
I was so not a fan of the video recommendations on the VTK. My girls have such a short attention span so anytime I show a video it needs to be engaging! Here is a great substitute that also reinforced their Daisy Flower Garden Journey they completed last year (in case you are a multi-level troop)
Different Robot Parts
For this step, the girls partnered up. Each pair got a marker and a sheet of blank paper. One partner was given an example and they had to pose like a robot. The other partner had to draw what a robot would look like in that pose. Example of a pose: Robot playing basketball.
Each person was given a chance to pose and draw/ We discussed the different examples of robotic parts they used in their drawings.... joints, gears, levers, pulleys, wheels, sensors, etc.
The girls went on to build their own robotic arms to further explore how robots are like humans and biomimicry. They built arms that could both extend and grab an object.
We lightly taped white lunch bags (filled with little prizes) to the wall for our mystery bag challenge! We taped them slightly above the girl's reach. To my surprise, the extender arms worked (for most)!!! This activity was a suggestion from the VTK. I liked the idea of building the robotic arms but their explanations and materials list left me so confused. There was no direction or suggestions on how to build, just a list of materials to let the girls explore. Now, I know we want to keep it Girl led but my girls could play with a box of the supplies all day and still be confused. So I needed to create an example for them.
Extender Grabber
So this prototype took ME about 10 minutes to make which means the girls needed a solid 30 minutes to do it themselves.
Materials:
- craft sticks (NOT the jumbo kind)
- Shake straws (NOT regular straws)
- tape
- toothpicks
- scissors
First, you will want to make 4 sections like this...
You will need two craft sticks, two 2 inch pieces of straw, and duct tape. Insert the end of a craft stick into the straw piece slightly less than halfway. Insert the other craft stick into the opposite end of the same straw piece. Leave a gap between the two craft sticks to allow for a toothpick hole. Secure craft sticks and straw bits with tape. Take your other straw bit and insert it into the open end of one of your craft sticks just short of halfway. Again, leave just enough room for a toothpick hole and secure with tape. Do this 4 times.
Next
Create your joint by taking one of your sections and punching your toothpick through the center of your straw piece. Take the second section and punch a hole with the same toothpick from your first section to overlap the two sections to make an X.
Take your two remaining sections that you have not used yet and attach them to the opposite straws bit (circled in picture below) using the toothpick punching method.
To finish your extending grabbing arm...
You will want to create something that resembles pinching/fingers. I cut a craft stick in half and attached each half to the end of an open end craft stick with tape (see the bottom half of the picture above).
The extender grabber is now finished and at this point, you can have your girls test it out and troubleshoot areas for improvement. They might need more stability(tape) in an area. Have them play around with the arm and try the mystery bag challenge!
Plan out your Robot
Once the girls understood the different parts of a robot and how they can make one actually work, they got to brainstorming ideas for their own prototype. We discussed simple projects or tasks that would be helpful to have a robot do.
Suggestions:
- Feeding a pet
- retrieving a newspaper
- Picking up dog poop (LOL)
- Moping the floor
- Taking out the garbage
- Tub scrubbing robots
- Trash picker upper
We decided to do the tub scrubbing robot. We found a helpful video online and the girls planned out the materials they would need. Next meeting the girls will have an opportunity to make the robots!
This concludes part 1 of our Designing Robots badge. Here you can find part 2 of the badge with our scrub bots!!!
Designing Robots Part 2
Don't forget to comment below and share what your troop did for the designing robots badge!!
Global Action Award 2016 and free interview printable
Hey Troop Leaders!
We are so excited for the end of the year and summer! I have some really fun activities planned for our girls that I can't wait to share with you all. With Mother's day coming up, I really wanted to plan something special for the female role models in each girl's life so we are throwing a Tea Party!
Of course, I always like to weave in an opportunity for the girls to work on a badge and this one just seemed to fit perfectly.
This year's theme for the Global Action Award is "Increase girls' access to education". You can find more information on this on the website ( girlscouts.org ) along with the downloadable requirements. For the Daisy, Brownie, and Junior requirements there is an option to interview a special women in their life. That is exactly what we are going to do at this special tea party!
Download here --->>> Global Action Award Interview <<<---
I will provide some more updates on the event and the craft we prepared at our last meeting soon! It's a really cute cupcake liner carnation corsage! For the time being, I did want to share the interview template we will be using and offer it in a free download!
Enjoy!
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Reasons You Should Start Gardening with Your Kids
As we are approaching the second year for our family garden my kids are giddy with excitement and looking forward to getting out and getting dirty! This past Easter their baskets were filled will all sorts of gardening goodies. The Easter bunny hit it spot on this year! They were filled with a watering can, mini garden gloves, seeds, and gardening tools.
Since
was such a success and the kiddies were so interested, we decided that we are going to give the girls their very own garden bed to putts around in! Gardening is such a wonderful activity and hobby for young kids to take part in and here's why...
Educational
This is a
for the kids to learn where our food comes from and how it's made. Most kids who don't have a clue about gardening assume our food is made at the grocery store. Learning about seeds, plant needs, and how to grow their own food will make plant biology all the more fun!
Teach them about work and Responsibility
Not only do your kids learn about the educational aspects behind gardening but they learn about the hard work it takes to produce the food and the work it takes caring for the plants.
Physical activity
Kids should be out playing anyways but fun in the sun can be constructive as well and gets them moving the muscles they're not used to while sitting in class all day.
It's fun!
Most kids enjoy gardening and getting their hands a little dirty. Why not give them a productive activity that you can join in on as well.
Boosts their self-esteem
My little one felt so proud when the tomatoes and cucumbers started to grow. It's like she accomplished something big, which she did!
Healthy for the family
Growing your own food gives you the reassurance of where it comes from and the chemicals that are used. It also gets kids excited about eating fruits and vegetables because they grew it themselves. My daughter would go out to the garden and pick the green beans and eat them raw. I was shocked!
Spending time with your kids
My favorite reason is I get to spend quality time with my kids. Those early years of wonder are perfect for gardening. It's a hobby that both mommy and my girls enjoy together.
Teaching reading and BOB Books
When I first thought about homeschooling one of my biggest fears was teaching my child how to read. I was no expert and I had no idea where I would start. Then I came across Bob Books and it has worked wonders.
Teaching my daughter how to read has been a consistent and diligent task but not a difficult one. I'm amazed at how well Bob Books has worked for us. Bella picked it up pretty fast.
READ READ READ
We're not those parents that always read to our kids from when they were in the womb. Yeah we picked up a cute picture baby book here and there but it's not something we did on daily basis. I found that both of my children love when I read to them. They sit quietly around as I read through the picture books we take out from the library. I realized this was a great way to get them to settle down at night, too. No kidding, right?!
Start with Phonics
The one thing that I love about Bob Books is that it starts with phonics. From the first book in the beginner readers box it starts teaching you the sounds letter by letter, slowly incorporating each new sound into every new book.
We have started to incorporate the I Can Read level 1 books and I get so tickled when I see her lips start to sound out a word she doesn't know!
Let them tell the story
Another method I used was looking at the pictures and trying to create a story first. She absolutely got a kick out of this and it really encourages her creativity and imagination.
One of the greatest rewards I have gotten is seeing how proud and accomplished my daughter feels when she is able to get through the whole book on her own.
How we used BOB Books
We started off just reading
for a couple of days. I wanted her to get the concept of letters and sounds and how they create words. After the first week we started adding a new book every couple of days. Once she was able to read through a book all on her own, we would leave that book out of the rotation. Every now and then we go back and have a review of the old books.
We are just starting
and she is more excited than ever!
Other activities to encourage reading
Making up their own story
Read lots of picture books to your little one
Work on sight word activities
Phonics puzzles and games
Turn it into a song!
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Butterfly Modeling Clay Craft and Magnet
March is a hit or miss when it comes to the weather in the Midwest. This winter has been unusually cold. It just seems like everything is wet and cold, but I guess that is what spring is about here.
Since we are just inching to get outside and beat the cold weather blues, we had a little fun with some modeling clay! We got this clay as part of a goody bag on a trip to our favorite zoo last fall. It's been hiding in the top cabinet for some time now. I was hesitant to bring it out for fear of it staining the carpet or furniture... in fact it does!
Since spring is here and we have a great unit study ahead of us, I thought we could kick it off with a fun Butterfly craft.
Despite how hard the clay was, the girls had a ton of fun playing with it and molding it. Mommy had to do some flattening and shaping for them. It was also a great opportunity to introduce symmetry to my kindergartner. Once we were done shaping and decorating, we placed our creations into a bread pan.
Place in glass or metal oven safe dish. Do not microwave. Bake at 275 degrees for 15 minutes per 1/4 inch thickness.
Allow them to cool completely before handling. They will become hard.
*We attached magnets to the back of them and now they are sitting pretty on the fridge holding up the latest masterpiece by my little ones.
Check back soon for some more spring crafts!
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Free Pre K Princess Pack
I am pretty excited to share this one with you!! This is my first Pre K printable pack. My daughter is obsessed with everything princess and I wanted to create her something she would love!
I would love some feedback, let me know what you think! Download it for free!
Download my version of
for
free!
Don't forget to leave me a comment and let me know what you think!!
Don't forget to show some love and follow me on
Princess Pre-K Pack
I am pretty excited to share this one with you!! This is my first Pre K printable pack. My daughter is obsessed with everything princess and I wanted to create her something she would love!
I would love some feedback, let me know what you think! Download it for free!
Download my version of
for
free!
I will first verify that you have joined my blog and then I will approve the download! Let me know of your following method (RSS feed, Google Friend Connect, ect...). You can either email me or send me a notification through google doc sharing.
Don't forget to leave me a comment and let me know what you think!!
Disney Field Trip: The Seas with Nemo and Friends at Epcot
One of the many things I love about Disney is there ability to incorporate education into their attractions! Disney World has to be one of the greatest field trips ever!
I know Epcot is not on the top of the list of parks to see, but it does offer a great classroom for conservation of the Earth ! On our recent trip we were excited to try the new attraction The Seas with Nemo and Friends!! The ride itself was a cute clam shell adventure through the Finding Nemo story.
Once you got off the moving walkway, you were led to an amazing exhibit of underwater life. You can walk through this two story pavilion at your own leisure.
My favorite part was pointing out Nemo and Dore! It really brings the movie alive and into the real world. What kid doesn't like the aquarium?
As I sit her and edit this, Bella informs me that this is NOT Nemo. It's the daddy Marlin because he is bigger and Nemo is smaller!
The Bruce's Sub House is a fun adventure where you can learn about the sharks of the ocean and the dangers they encounter everyday. A hands on experience for all kids to have a chance to feel what real shark skin feels like and take a photo op inside Bruce's Jaw! Bella was a little frightened by the jaws of life.... so my Dad played along!
I think Bella's favorite part was the friendly dolphins that played back and forth beyond the glass!! They were pretty shy to take a picture though!
We saw real manatee!!!
The aquarium was gorgeous and provided us with just enough cool indoor entertainment! When the kids get older we will spend more time here!
Dr. Seuss Cat in the Hat Activity
I picked up the Cat in the Hat book by Dr. Seuss from Kohl's. They have that thing going on where you can purchase the book or the stuffed character for only $5!!! I think it's a pretty good deal. Do you?
Since Dr. Seuss' birthday is coming up on March 2nd and I wanted to do a fun activity with my preschooler. Coincidentally we are starting on simple word combinations!! What perfect timing it was that we are focusing on "at" words!!! Here is worksheet I wiped up! I found a similar version on pinterest, but when I clicked on the pin it wasn't there.....:( I hate when that happens!
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