Laws of the Universe Activities with Free Printables

This week we continue with Part 2 of our study of the Universe, which includes the laws of the universe. To see part 1, click HERE.    

I'll be the first to admit the material in this unit is a little intimidating.  However the kiddos are doing AMAZING with it and have not struggled at all.  

Princess has commented on more than one occasion how cool our theme related activities are. 

Dinomite has fallen in love with some of the new thematic books in our reading area.  

Bulldozer can't get enough of the science experiments.  

This unit has taught me to never doubt my kiddos' ability to learn new things, especially when I'm teaching content that may have come difficult to me.

Laws of the Universe Activities for Kids

The focus of our language activities continues to be the Montessori Pink Series.  This week we are focusing on the short vowel sound "e."  

Not all words used are CVC words, but they are three letter words with the specified short vowel sound.  

If you are looking for further information about the Montessori Pink Series be sure to check out The Montessori Pink Series from Our Montessori Home.  It is packed with fabulous information and direction.

Moving on to our activities!

Pink Series:  Short "e" Spelling with the Moveable Alphabet

There's just something about figures that provides the right incentive to encourage the kiddos to practice their spelling using the Montessori Cursive Moveable Alphabet.  

All of them have done a fabulous job sounding out three letter words with the short "e" sound.  Not shown in the picture is our jet.

Pink Series:  My Book of Short "e" Sound Words

The kiddos continue to enjoy their short vowel sound books.  They're really getting the hang of using the Montessori Phonetic Reading Blocks as a control for the activity.  

For this specific book, due to a lack of objects, I decided to teach the kiddos a little pop culture.  I introduced them the Ben Affleck for "ben" and Meg Ryan for the word "meg."  

You are more than welcome to remove these pages from the book, if you prefer not to use them.

Source:  I created the printable for the Montessori Pink Series Printable Pack 2. This is a Subscriber’s Only Freebie. For your free copy, follow the directions at the bottom of this post.

Pink Series:  Cursive Short "e" Word & Picture Match Up

We continue to work on reading and writing in cursive.  This activity specifically focuses on pink series material while encouraging the kiddos to read in cursive.  I've written each word in print on the back of each word card as a control.

Source:  I created the Montessori Pink Series Printable Pack 2.  This is a Subscriber’s Only Freebie. For your free copy, follow the directions at the bottom of this post.

Pink Series:  Short "e" Picture & Phrase Match Up

As we study each short vowel sound of the alphabet, the kiddos are matching up phrases with pictures.  Once we've studied all five vowels, I'll put a similar activity together using full sentences.  

If you'd like to provide more of a challenge when using these cards, consider adding grammar symbols to the activity as we did in Part 1 of our universe study.

Source:  I created this printable. The Montessori Pink Series Printable Pack 2 is a Subscriber's Only Freebie.  For your free copy, follow the directions at the bottom of this post.

Skip Counting By 3s

Last year I tried a variety of ways to teach the kiddos how to skip count.  To be completely honest, none of my ideas worked.  I'm not sure if they just weren't ready, if they had no interest, or what the issue was.  

This year as we reintroduce the concept of skip counting, I decided to go the traditional Montessori route using Montessori Beads.  Of course it worked like a charm.  Go figure.  

For more details about the process, click HERE.  

The kiddos were so excited about it that they asked for more bead bars and number markers, to continue their skip counting.   

This week we are focusing on skip counting by 3's.  We will continue with other numbers as the weeks go on.  The printable for this activity includes number markers for all beads bars 2-10.

Source:  I created the printable for this activity. The Numeration & Concepts of Numbers Printable Pack 1 is a subscriber's only Freebie. For your free copy, follow the directions at the bottom of this post.

An Introduction to Positive & Negative Numbers

One of Bulldozer's favorite math lessons from last year was our introduction to positive and negative numbers.  However, when asked about the material this summer, he had completely forgotten it.  I decided it was important to pull out his beloved activity to review.  

For this activity the kiddos match up Montessori bead bars with the ones on the paper.  They will then write the corresponding number in the boxes provided.  A control with answers is provided.

Source:  I created the printable for this activity as part of my Numeration & Concepts of Numbers Printable Pack 1. This is a Subscriber’s Only Freebie. For your free copy, follow the directions at the bottom of this post.

Adding Positive & Negative Numbers

After reviewing positive and negative numbers, the kiddos were introduced to the concept of adding positive and negative numbers.  

All of them found the process to be quite easy using the Montessori beads found in the Elementary Negative Snake Game.

Source:  I created the printable for this activity as part of my Numeration & Concepts of Numbers Printable Pack 1 .  This is a Subscriber’s Only Freebie. For your free copy, follow the directions at the bottom of this post.

Introduction to Chemistry 3 Part Cards

When learning about the laws of the universe, it's impossible to avoid chemistry and physics.  

This activity was designed to help the kiddos with new vocabulary they'll hear during our unit study.  The kiddos have really enjoyed this 3 part card activity.

Source:  I created this printable as part of my Laws of the Universe Printable Pack 1. This is a Subscriber’s Only Freebie. For your free copy, follow the directions at the bottom of this post.

Characteristics of Asteroids, Comets, & Meteors

As we continue to learn about the universe, we move forward with the study of aspects of space.  This week the kiddos are learning about asteroids, comets, and meteors.  Princess loves this activity and has chosen it every day.

Source:  I created this printable as part of my Laws of the Universe Printable Pack 1.  This is a Subscriber’s Only Freebie. For your free copy, follow the directions at the bottom of this post.

An Introduction to The Periodic Table of Elements (in Pictures)

Who says children can't learn chemistry and understand the The Periodic Table of Elements?  Mine sure have this week!  I first saw this fabulous kid friendly periodic table at The Pinay Homeschooler.  Jae shares some fabulous ideas for using the printable.  

Since my plan was to do a basic introduction to chemistry, I decided to have the kiddos select a specific number of cards and find them on the table, marking them with glass beads.  I was so surprised at how quickly they found each element.  

We also discussed the information on the element cards. I provided controls with labels for them in case they forgot what each part of the card meant.  On the back of each card is a detailed description of the element.  

Lastly, we discussed the colors of each of the elements on the chart and cards.  I provided color explanation cards for the kiddos to read and use for sorting, if they decided to do so.  

 After watching the kiddos learn such complicated subject matter at such a young age, I just marvel at their brain abilities.  They're quite amazing.

Source:  The FREE Periodic Table of Elements, in Pictures is available HERE.

As I introduced chemistry activities to the kiddos I incorporated a song to help them understand the material.  

If you haven't heard or seen the song "Meet the Elements" from the album Here Comes Science by They Might Be Giants, you're missing out!  

The kiddos have thoroughly enjoyed the song and music video as we've watched and sang along daily during our gathering time.

Gravity Science Experiment

There's no better way to test out the theory of gravity than to watch things fall, especially when the items in the basket change every so often.  The prediction process during our initial lesson was fabulous.  It was a great chance to introduce the Scientific Method.

Gravity & Centrifugal Force Science Experiment

How many of us truly understand centrifugal force and how it's related to gravity?  Better yet how many can explain it?  

This science experiment says it all and is an absolute blast.  The kiddos never get bored of it.  You can find a complete explanation and instructions HERE.

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