Chinese/Lunar New Year & Extreme Weather Unit: Earthquakes & Volcanoes

Chinese/Lunar New Year is coming soon!  We're getting ready by learning all about China and traditions there.

We're also studying extreme weather right now.  Currently we're focusing on earthquakes and volcanoes.

To keep life organized by weekly unit studies we've combined all of these activities into one post: Chinese/Lunar New Year & Extreme Weather Unit: Earthquakes and Volcanoes.  

Chinese/Lunar New Year and Extreme Weather Unit: Earthquakes and Volcanoes

Here's what's on our shelves this week!

Chinese Zodiac Nomenclature Cards

The kiddos will match up cards correctly, and then place animals on proper cards.

Source:  I created the cards used for this activity as part of my China Printable Pack II. This is a subscriber's only freebie. See directions at the bottom of this post on how to access your free copy.

Zodiac Signs First Vowel Sound Identification

I've noticed that Bulldozer and Princess are having a hard time identifying vowel sounds in words. It doesn't matter if the sounds are long sounds or short sounds.  I'm hoping this activity will help them improve those skills.

Source:  I created the cards used for this activity as part of my China Printable Pack II.  This is a subscriber's only freebie. See directions at the bottom of this post on how to access your free copy.

Zodiac Animal Spelling Words

We had a lot of fun with the intro to this activity today.  Each kiddo was given a plastic bag with a dragon head and tail to color.  Once complete, we pulled out all the letter cards in the Set 1 envelope.  The kiddos took turns making Dancing Dragons out of the letters of each word.

Dinomite's Dancing Dragon

Princess' Dancing Dragon

Bulldozer's Dancing Dragon

At the end of the week, we'll replace the letter cards with a real body for our dragons.

Source: I created the spelling list for this activity.  The free dragon head and tail printable can be found at Craft Jr.

Chinese Dragon Odd & Even Numbers

It's been a while since we reviewed odd and even numbers. To my surprise, everyone remembered! Hurray!  The cards can also be used for counting by 2's etc.

Source:   I created the cards used for this activity as part of my China Printable Pack.  This is a subscriber's only freebie. See directions at the bottom of this post on how to access your free copy.

Measuring Chinese Dragons

I wanted to practice measuring one more time before our unit is complete.  I still can't believe how quickly the kids caught on to this and loved it.  Once again this activity is a hit. The kiddos measure the dragons and match them up to their inch number cards.

Source:   I created the cards used for this activity as part of my China Printable Pack.  This is a subscriber's only freebie. See directions at the bottom of this post on how to access your free copy.

Greater Than/Less Than Clip Cards

Here's another review activity on our shelves this week.  The kiddos weren't as great at remembering how to do this one, but by the end of today they finally remembered.  Bulldozer surprised me, in that he caught on the quickest.

Source:   I created the cards used for this activity as part of my China Printable Pack.  This is a subscriber's only freebie. See directions at the bottom of this post on how to access your free copy.

Adding with Pandas

I couldn't resist using Pandas for our addition practice this week!  As I suspected, it's been a big hit!

Source:   I created the cards used for this activity as part of my China Printable Pack.  This is a subscriber's only freebie. See directions at the bottom of this post on how to access your free copy.

Asia, the Continent

The kiddos will cover the map of Asia with play dough, refreshing their memory of it's shape. 

I chose a physical map so they could notice the topography of the Continent and identify specific countries.  

The color yellow is used because it's the Montessori color associated with Asia.

Source: The idea for this activity came from To the Lesson!  The free map for this activity can be found at Theodora.com.

Flag of China

Even though the kiddos aren't crazy about flags, I still love to incorporate them when I can.  The kiddos will color the flag of China correctly.

Source: The free map for this activity can be found at Homeschool Creations.

Largest Cities or Towns of China

It's one thing to learn about the rich history of China, but another to realize what China is like today.  I wanted to make sure the kiddos understood the difference.

The kiddos will put the cities or towns in order from biggest to smallest.  If they so desire, they can find and mark them on the map.  (I had to write two of the cities/towns in that weren't already shown on the map.)

Source:  I created the printable for this activity. The Largest Cities or Towns in China Printable is a Subscriber's Only Freebie. For your free copy, be sure to follow the directions at the bottom of this post.

Historic Places of China Nomenclature Cards

China is such a beautiful country with so much history.  I loved teaching the kiddos about the places on each of these cards.

Source: I created this printable. The China Cards are are Subscriber's Only Freebie. For your free copy, be sure to follow the directions at the bottom of this post.

Animals of Asia Nomenclature Cards

Here is our newest set of animal cards, made specifically for Dinomite.  I would not be surprised if he becomes some type of animal scientist when he grows up. He knows SO MUCH already.  

The kiddos will look at all the different animals on the cards, sorting them as they wish.  A special thanks to my husband for researching all of the animals and making the cards!

Source:  My husband created this printable. The Animals of Asia Printable is a Subscriber's Only Freebie. For your free copy, be sure to follow the directions at the bottom of this post.

Layers of the Earth

As I was planning our study of earthquakes and volcanoes, I realized we couldn't learn about them without understanding a lot about the layers of the Earth.  This was our intro activity.  I was so surprised the kiddos understood it all so well.

Source: These free cards can be found at The Helpful Garden.

How the Earth's Tectonic Plates Move

After learning about the layers of the Earth, we focused on the layers of the Mantle, to better understand how earthquakes and volcano eruptions happen.  

I found this really cool visual activity that I couldn't resist using.  The kiddos loved it and completely understood the difficult concepts. I was super excited!

The kiddos create the different ways the plates shift using the Oreo cookies, matching the diagrams provided.  They loved taking it one step further, having the plates collide, etc. to create earthquakes.

Source: This activity can be found HERE.

What an Earthquake Looks Like on the Surface

It's one thing to understand what happens below the surface to cause an earthquake. It's another to understand how it affects the surface and what happens.  

The kiddos poured rice on the green paper, covering a metal cake pan.  They liked to say that the rice grains were people.  

Then, they took the spoon and banged it against the side of the pan, (the mantle movement & collision under the surface).  

It was quite entertaining to watch what happened to the rice.  We then tried the same thing with lentils.

To tie the activity into the history of China, I included picture cards of the earthquake that hit in 2008 causing tens of thousands of deaths, destruction and more.

Source: I found this fabulous idea at The-Science-Site.com.  

Parts of a Volcano

I loved these cards when I saw them.  I was so thankful I didn't have to make my own.  (That wouldn't have gone well.)  

The kiddos will match up pictures with words and hopefully learn all the parts by the end of the week. I told them if they all could do that, we'd make a volcano and have it erupt.

Source:  This free printable can be found at The Helpful Garden.

How to Draw a Horse

Since this new year is the year of the horse, I thought it quite fitting to learn how to draw one.

Transfer with Chopsticks

The kiddos will transfer pom poms from one bowl to the other using chopsticks.

Chinese Writing

The kiddos will paint Chinese Number signs or days of the week signs. They had a lot of fun with this today, especially Dinomite.

Source: The free printable used in this activity can be found at Luxury, Travel & Lifestyle.

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Bulldozer is absolutely obsessed with extreme weather, especially hurricanes and tornadoes.  

It's the visual effect that appeals to him most.  

Our Extreme Weather Unit: Hurricans and Tornadoes is designed specifically for him and others who enjoy the intense study.  

There are several activity ideas and fabulous free printables for all to enjoy!

Here's what's on our shelves!

Extreme Weather Conditions Unit: Hurricane and Tornado Activities for Kids with Free Printables

Digging Through the Rubble Spelling Sensory Bin

This is one of my most favorite sensory bins of all time.  All three kiddos love it too!

Contents include:

• Dried Black Beans
• Dried Brown Rice
• Indian Corn Kernels
• Quinoa
• Clear Mini Glass Marbles
• Blue Glass Marbles
• Lincoln Log Pieces (including roof, hay bales and barrels)
• LEGO Duplo window pieces brick pieces, & fences
• Plastic Crushed Car Pieces
• Plastic Plants
• Scrabble Letters

The kiddos dig through the "rubble" looking for letters to create their spelling words.  It's harder than it seems, but all the kiddos have been successful with it so far.

Source:  I created this printable. The Hurricane and Tornado Spelling List is a Subscriber's Only Freebie. For your free copy, be sure to follow the directions at the bottom of this post.

Tornado Types

I'm super excited about these cards.  The kiddos use them as nomenclature cards, learning about the different types of tornadoes. These cards do not include double tornadoes etc.

Source:  I created this printable. The Types of Tornadoes Printable is a Subscriber's Only Freebie. For your free copy, follow the directions at the bottom of this post.

Tornado Addition

This is our classic addition tray, with the added fun of mini tornadoes made out of white pipe cleaners to count with.  It always amazes me how just one little added twist of fun makes all the difference.

Source: I created this printable. The Tornado and Hurricane Math Printable Pack is a Subscriber's Only Freebie. For your free copy, be sure to follow the directions at the bottom of this post.

Hurricane Subtraction

Get ready!  Bad weather is on it's way!  The kiddos will practice subtraction using cotton ball clouds and blue glass beads as counters.

Source: I created this printable. The Tornado and Hurricane Math Printable Pack is a Subscriber's Only Freebie. For your free copy, be sure to follow the directions at the bottom of this post.

Purchasing Items for an Emergency Kit

Each week we learn about extreme weather conditions, we also review the safety and emergency protocols for each weather event.

This activity is helping the kiddos remember exactly what needs to be in their emergency kits. Obviously there will be other items too, but this is a good start for them.  It's a great way to practice their coin counting.

Source: I created this printable. The Tornado and Hurricane Math Printable Pack is a Subscriber's Only Freebie. For your free copy, be sure to follow the directions at the bottom of this post.

Scale of Tornado Intensity

This activity has been very popular on the shelves.  The kiddos match up Intensity Scale ratings with pictures and descriptions.

Source: I created this printable. The Scale of Tornado Intensity Printable is a Subscriber's Only Freebie. For your free copy, be sure to follow the directions at the bottom of this post.  Information for this activity came from the book Inside Tornadoes.

Hurricane Paths

We don't have official Montessori Knobless Cylinders, but Bulldozer does have a large collection of his own in his room.  

They're not perfect, but they definitely work.  

In this activity the kiddos create the paths of the hurricanes, as shown on the cards, using the cylinders. 

Bulldozer loves to do this more than anyone.

Source: I came up with the idea for this activity.  Hurricane Path Cards were found on the Internet.

Hurricane Katrina in Pictures

As we introduced the unit we talked in depth about Hurricane Katrina, sequencing picture cards to tell the story.  The kiddos now look at the pictures, putting them in any order they'd like to tell the story of the hurricane.

Source: I gathered the pictures together for this activity using Wikipedia Commons Files.

Top 10 Tornado States

The kiddos will use markers to mark the top 10 Tornado States on the map.  

The map is colored using Montessori colors. 

I have colored the chart using corresponding Montessori colors so states are a bit easier to find.

Source:  The free printable map for this activity can be found at Free Printable Maps.  I created the Top 10 Tornado State Chart. 

Information for this activity came from the book: Inside Tornadoes.  This map reflects the total amount of tornadoes ever in each state, and is not to be confused with Top Killer Tornado State Rankings or Top Yearly Tornado State Rankings, also provided in the book.

Torn Paper Tornadoes

The kiddos will tear up old magazine pages and glue them on the white paper in the shape of a tornado. I love how every one looks so different!

Source:  I saw this adorable activity at First Graders At Last.

Hurricane Creations

I thought it might be fun for the kiddos to create space views of a hurricane using laminated blue paper for water, green paper for land, and whipped topping to create the clouds of the hurricane.  

Once they've created their hurricane using the whipped topping, they can use fingers to help it move, become bigger or smaller.

This proved to be a great fine motor activity!  Shaking and spraying the whipped topping was challenging, but so worth it.

Source: I came up with the idea for this activity.

Replacing Batteries in a Flashlight

The kiddos will practice putting batteries in a flashlight correctly. They will turn it on to check their work.

Locking the Doors & Windows

Originally I had wanted to have a hammer and nails activity on the shelves. It would be fun to practice boarding up windows before a hurricane comes. 

However, I couldn't find a piece of wood the size I needed, so I reverted back to this activity instead. 

There were definitely no complaints.

The kiddos will practicing locking doors as they are evacuating their homes before a hurricane comes using the Melissa & Doug Latches Board.

United States of America Puzzle

Our unit focused primarily on extreme weather activity in the United States this week.  The kiddos have loved reviewing all of their states with this puzzle.

Tornado in a Jar

Have you ever made a tornado in a jar?  All you need is a jar, a few drops of dish detergent and water.  It's provided so much entertainment, and again is great motor work!

Source:  This activity came from Kidspot.com.

I hope you enjoy our tornado and hurricane activities as much as we have!

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1. Click on the Subscriber's link at the bottom of this post.

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3. Open the thank you message you receive after subscribing. (Be sure to check your spam folder, as sometimes it ends up there.)

4. Click the confirmation link in the thank you message.

5. Once the confirmation is complete, you will receive another message with the Subscriber Only Freebies Link and Password.

6. Click on link and type in password. (The password is cap sensitive.)

7. Find the printable pack you are looking for listed in alphabetical order, click on it, and viola!

We hope you enjoy your free printable.

Note: If you are already a newsletter subscriber, open your most recent newsletter. At the bottom you will find a link to the Subscriber Only Freebies page, along with the password in case you forgot it.

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If you are interested in our other extreme weather units, be sure to visit the posts below.