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Hello, I am a future elementary teacher and I wanted to see if anyone has activites or good projects that have been used in your classrooms that would be reccommended. I would love to see other teachers experiences on what are some good things to teach elementary students in the subject of science, because then some could be boring for them and I want to see something that catches their attention and that young children would definitely love to work on. 

Thank you in advance. 

Hi Heidi,

First of all, congratulations on your accomplishments! Teaching is such a rewarding profession. 

Kids are so much fun to teach. They are so curious about everything. With that in mind, find things that capture their interest. I'm such a fan to get kids in the outdoors. There is so much to discover. See the attached links.

You can also use literature books to drive your science instruction. Here are a few of my favorites for the primary grades:

* The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle - order caterpillars or find them in your environment to bring into the classroom to watch go through their life cycle.

* Muncha! Muncha! Muncha! by Denise Fleming - incorporate the Engineering Design Process by reading the first part of the book, then have students talk about Mr. McGreeley's problem, brainstorm ways to solve his problem and build a prototype, students use pop-up bunnies to test their designs.

* Sheep in a Jeep by Nancy Shaw - students observe and take notes of plastic sheep in a jeep/car using different inclines (wood, sandpaper, etc.).

* The Curious Garden by Peter Brown - plant seeds and watch them grow. 

Have fun!

Mary Lynn

Attachments

How Does Your Garden Grow? (Article)

Butterfly Life Cycle NatGeo (External Website)

Butterfly Activity (External Website)

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