Naturally Teaching Elementary: A Podcast for Teachers and Homeschool Families

Seeds are everywhere and so are the opportunities to investigate seed dispersal! Let's take advantage of what's happening right outside your classroom windows and do some seed dispersal activities that will help you fulfill your curricular goals this fall.

Press play to hear descriptions for a seed dispersal engineering opportunity for 2nd graders and a gravity experiment 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 seed dispersal, 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-LS2-2: Develop a simple model that mimics the function of an animal in dispersing seeds or pollinating plants.
• 5-PS2-1: Support an argument that the gravitational force exerted by Earth on objects is directed down.

Resources mentioned 💚

• Episode 6: 5 Outdoor Education Safety Tips for Teaching Outside
• Episode 88: Seed Games 1st and 4th Graders This Fall
• Episode 86: 6 Seed Books for Teaching Elementary-Aged Learners
• Flip, Float, Fly: Seeds on the Move by Joann Early Macken, illustrated by Pam Paparone
• Seeds Move! By Robin Page
• Seed Dispersal Types: 6 Innovative Ways Seeds Travel To New Places
• Miss Maple’s Seeds Book Companion for 2nd Grade
• Naturally Teaching Activity Index

Show Notes: https://naturallyteaching.com/episode89

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September is a great time to investigate seeds while it's still warm out. The combination of an abundance of native plants seeds and warm weather make for a great opportunity to play games about seeds.

Press play to hear descriptions for a mystery board game about seeds for 1st graders and a fossil matching 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 seeds, 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-LS1-1: Use materials to design a solution to a human problem by mimicking how plants and/or animals use their external parts to help them survive, grow, and meet their needs.
• 4-ESS1-1: Identify evidence from patterns in rock formations and fossils in rock layers to support an explanation for changes in a landscape over time.

Resources mentioned 💚

• Episode 87: Seed Activities for Kindergarten and 3rd Grade This Fall
• The Game Crafter
• Seed Dispersal Types: 6 Innovative Ways Seeds Travel to New Places
• Naturally Teaching Activity Index

Show Notes: https://naturallyteaching.com/episode88

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September is the beginning of fall, but it's also when native plants are showing off their seeds! During the summer, plants worked hard to attract pollinators to their flowers, and now we're seeing the fruits of their labor! Let's take advantage of seeds this fall and get them working for your curriculum.

Press play to hear descriptions for being detectives while reading pictures books about plant needs for kindergarteners and growing herb seeds to investigate plant life cycles for 3rd graders, both aligned with Next Generation Science Standards.

During the episode I share the standard that inspired the activity, how they relate to seed activities for kindergarten and 3rd grade, 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-LS1-1: Develop models to describe that organisms have unique and diverse life cycles but all have in common birth, growth, reproduction, and death.

Resources mentioned 💚

• Episode 86: 6 Seed Books for Teaching Elementary-Aged Learners
• Episode 6: 5 Outdoor Education Safety Tips for Teaching in Nature
• The Dandelion Seed by Joseph Anthony, illustrated by Cris Arbo
• Naturally Teaching Activity Index

Show Notes: https://naturallyteaching.com/episode87

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September is the beginning of fall, but it's also a time for seeds! After spending spring and summer trying to attract pollinators, plants have successfully pollinated and made seeds.

Books are a great way to introduce seeds, plant life cycles, how seeds move, and how animals help disperse seeds. In this episode, I give you a brief summary of seed books and my thoughts on how they can help you with your learners.

Books in this episode 📚

1. A Seed is Sleepy by Dianna Hutts Aston, illustrated by Sylvia Long
2. Seeds by Carme Lemniscates
3. Flip, Float, Fly: Seeds on the Move by Joann Early Macken, illustrated by Pam Paparone
4. Seeds Move! By Robin Page
5. The Blue Jay that Grew a Forest by Lynn Street, illustrated by Anne Hunter
6. Little Dandelion Seeds the World by Julia Richardson, illustrated by Kristen Howdeshell and Kevin Howdeshell

Want to view all of these books in one place? Check them out here!

(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.”
• Episode 64: 7 Pollinator and Flower Books for Elementary-Aged Students

Show Notes: https://naturallyteaching.com/episode86

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An outdoor education job seems to be hard to come by in this day-and-age. But would you believe me if I told you that there are people making their own jobs in the outdoor education field?

In today's episode, Mariah Waters explains how she saw an opportunity and seized it. She talks about presenting, accepting, and developing the outdoor education specialist position at a private independent school in Texas for the 25'-26' school year.

You'll definitely want to hit play to hear about how she proposed the idea, how she survived writing a year's curriculum for K-5 grade classes while teaching everyday, and advice she would give to others looking to do something similar. This is a must-listen interview!

Show Notes: https://naturallyteaching.com/episode85

Connect with Mariah Waters: www.linkedin.com/in/mariah-waters

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With school upon us, the stress levels are high for you and your learners. So let's help calm the nerves with some activities that can help you practice your outdoor learning routines and expectations.

In this episode, I describe 5 beginning of the year activities that can help set you and your learners up for success this school year. I describe the activities, how they fit into practicing your outdoor learning routines and expectations, and what benefit they can give you and your learners in the first week back to school. Listen in to hear about the following activities:

1. Practicing your routines and procedures for outdoor learning
2. Working together to ready your outdoor space
3. Reading a book
4. Decorating your science notebooks
5. Setting goals for the year

Resources mentioned 💚

• Episode 2: Outdoor Learning Environment: 3 Things to Plan for Back to School
• Episode 14: Outdoor Classroom Routines and Procedures: 5 Easy Activities for Your First Week Outside
• Episode 82: 6 Classroom Decoration Ideas: How Research Can Help Us Design Student-Centered Learning Spaces
• Episode 83: 7 Picture Books for Going Back to School
• Episode 5: Science Skills for Students: 10 Picture Books for Encouraging Kid Scientists

Show Notes: https://naturallyteaching.com/episode84

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It's time to go back to school! Whether you've been looking forward to it or not, school is either right around the corner or you're welcoming it full force this week! So let's get you feeling prepared to take on another year.

Books are a great way to ease your learners back into the swing of things and really set them up for success when going back to school. The books in this episode can help introduce your learners to outdoor education, stewardship, and new perspectives; so let's check them out!

Books in this episode 📚

1. Let’s Go Rock Collecting by Roma Gans, illustrated by Holly Keller
2. The Salamander Room by Anne Mazer, illustrated by Steve Johnson & Lou Fancher
3. We’re Going on a Nature Hunt by Steve Metzger, illustrated by Miki Sakamoto
4. The Hike by Alison Farrell
5. My Forest is Green By Darren Lebeuf, Illustrated by Ashley Barron
6. Sky Color by Peter H. Reynolds
7. Discovering Nature’s Alphabet By Krystina Castella, Illustrated by Brian Boyl

Want to view all of these books in one place? Check them out here!

(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.”
• Ep. 82: 6 Classroom Decoration Ideas: How Research Can Help Us Design Student-Centered Learning Spaces
• Ep. 81: 5 Strategies for Bringing Nature Into Your Classroom and Learning Spaces

Show Notes: https://naturallyteaching.com/episode83

🗂 Find activities easily with the Naturally Teaching Activity Index

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💚 Get more tips and tricks on the website: NaturallyTeaching.com

📸 Follow along on Instagram: @naturally.teaching

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You may already be back in the classroom or you may be getting ready to be in the classroom shortly. What's the first thing on your mind? Your classroom or learning space! What will you decorate with this year? Will there be a theme? All these questions may be causing you to sweat, but don't worry, I'm here to help!

Let's help take some of that back-to-school stress away! In this episode, we'll talk about 6 classroom decoration ideas that are backed by research including:

1. Changing your mindset to view decorations as teaching tools.
2. Selecting decorations that have purpose.
3. Using color intentionally.
4. Leaving room for students to contribute.
5. Thinking about how you want students to use the space.
6. Thinking about students’ needs.

Resources mentioned 💚

• Episode 81: 5 Strategies for Bringing Nature Into Your Classroom and Learning Spaces
• Forest Classroom Decor GROWING Bundle
• Naturally Teaching Activity Index

Show Notes: https://naturallyteaching.com/episode82

🗂 Find activities easily with the Naturally Teaching Activity Index

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💚 Get more tips and tricks on the website: NaturallyTeaching.com

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It's back-to-school time and some of us are stepping back into the classroom as early as today! To help you feel more prepared and excited for this year, I put together this episode to give you concrete strategies to include nature into your classroom environment.

In this episode, we'll talk about 5 strategies for bringing nature into your classroom and learning spaces including:

1. Creating a nature collection table
2. Collecting and preparing nature manipulatives
3. Using your windows as a bridge from inside to outside
4. Including indoor plants
5. Using natural colors

Resources mentioned 💚

• Naturally Teaching Activity Index

Show Notes: https://naturallyteaching.com/episode81

🗂 Find activities easily with the Naturally Teaching Activity Index

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💚 Get more tips and tricks on the website: NaturallyTeaching.com

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It's summer and butterflies are in the air! Even though you likely don't have learners with you for a bit, I've got some interactive activities to share with you today to investigate what butterflies eat and how that relates to pollination and food chains.

Press play to hear descriptions for a butterfly food snack for 2nd graders and participating in the Monarch Butterflies Journey North project 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 what butterflies eat, 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-LS2-2: Develop a simple model that mimics the function of an animal in dispersing seeds or pollinating plants.
• 5-PS3-1: Use models to describe that energy in animals’ food (used for body repair, growth, motion, and to maintain body warmth) was once energy from the sun.
• 5-ESS3-1: Obtain and combine information about ways individual communities use science ideas to protect the Earth’s resources and environment.

Resources mentioned 💚

• Episode 79: Are Butterflies Insects? Investigation Activities for 1st and 4th Graders
• Episode 6: 5 Outdoor Education Safety Tips for Teaching Outside
• Episode 15: 6 Citizen Science Projects for Elementary Students and Teachers
• Journey North registration page
• Naturally Teaching Activity Index

Show Notes: https://naturallyteaching.com/episode80

🗂 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