Free Printable Earth Science, Geology, Rocks and Minerals Lesson Plans

Here are free printable geology lesson plans and earth science worksheets. Look for charts, graphs, maps, activities and printables to explore geology, rocks and minerals and earth science.

Geology has free printable geology lesson plans and earth science worksheets. You can print charts, geographical maps, geologic maps, periods of the earth, rocks and minerals, earth structure and diagrams that demonstrate plate tectonics. Look for earth cut-away models, soil layers, volcanoes, ring of fire, the relationship between volcanoes and earthquakes, carbon dating, how fossils and fossil fuels develop, rocks and minerals and more.

National Geographic Kids is a superb resource for worksheets and lesson plans on earth science, rocks and minerals and geology. Scroll around to find specific earth science activities you need. Teachers and homeschool parents don't miss the huge assortment of geology and earth science printables awaiting you!

Next, spelunk (that's explore in geo-speak) your way over to the Geological Society of America for dozens of free printable geology lesson plans. Who better than the GSA to teach kids about earth science, geology, rocks and minerals, ages of the earth models and other earth-friendly topics? Visit Discovery Education for free printable earth science lesson plans. Click the age/grade you need and then click "science" to find free printable geology worksheets, activities and printables.

Mining USA has some useful educational free printable resources geared specifically to coal mining. National Geographic is the best, hands-down, all around site for earth science lesson plans, geology worksheets and rocks and minerals information. 

Here are free printable lesson plans on cave, fossils, bats, archaeology, paleontology, habitats, geology, spelunking and earth science. The National Parks Service has free printable lessons on the U.S. national park at Carlsbad Cavernsin New Mexico. There's curriculum for elementary school in the free printable booklet About Bats, Caves and Deserts. For middle school students, the NPS Carlsbad Caverns website features free printable archaeology lessons on Caves, Canyons, Cactus and Critters. High school students explore geology, spelunking, Global Positioning Systems and orienteering in the Chihuahuan Desert Lab school. Materials are designed to be used with interpretive visits but some may be used as stand-alone lessons in class. Check out the cool activities on fossils, bats, paleontology and other cave phenomena.

Also from the NPS, are free printable materials on Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. There are free coloring pages, word games, puzzles and lesson plans in the Junior Ranger section. Kids will love the printable Trog Tour booklet (trog is short for super cool fossils called troglodytes) The Making Connections series from Mammoth Cave National Park features books for grades K-3, 4-5 and 6-8. There are 83 pages of free printable paleontology lesson plans for teachers and homeschool parents. And be sure not to let young archaeology students miss the free printable Fossil Identification Guide with coloring pages of fossils to label.

Lascaux Culture has interactive lesson plans on Lascaux cave drawings. Explore paleontology and archaeology with the prehistoric paintings, There are cave maps, images, videos and timelines. Easy Fun School has free cave diorama lesson plan. The diorama is easy to make and uses cheap, household materials.has free printable animal habitat coloring pages. Students can research which animals live or hibernate in caves. This site has other free printable habitats dioramas. Crayola offers a free craft template to show interior cave rock formations.Here are free printable geology lesson plans on archaeology, paleontology, bats, and fossils.

Free Printable File Folder Games

March is National Reading Month and just in time, here's a great lesson plan to teach reading with file folder games. Students can learn just about any subject using file folder games to reinforce content and practice skills. Here are free printable file folders games online. Besides reading, teach math, reading, spelling, grammar, phonics, science, social studies and more. Print games for all ages and ability levels: preschool, kindergarten, elementary, special needs, middle school. Use for homeschool, too.

File Folder Fun has over 100 free printable file folder games in content areas across the curriculum. Search by age, grade level, theme and subject. File folder themes include animals, foods, flowers, weather, ocean life, circus. Themes teach math, reading, science, social studies, phonics, spelling, math, ELA (English Language Arts) history, music and other preschool and elementary school subjects. Click the games you want. The click "download." And voila, a screen appears with game background, pieces, cards, all materials you need, free.

File Folder Farm has gobs of free printable file folder games for math, English, reading, writing, spelling, science, social studies and more. Games can be used with varied ages. Click the game you want. The print, cut out and and assemble. Or better still, print in black and white. Have students color, cut and paste and assemble. You get two activities--craft, lesson plan and game--all in one!

Cindy's Autistic Support has free printable math file folder games. Use to teach counting, addition, subtraction, multiplication and division file folder games. You can make individual games for each math fact (times table) family.

To make file folder games: Print game board and glue to inside of file folder. Write instructions on outside. Laminate or cover with contact paper. Make a spinner by drawing a circle. Divide like a pie. Label segments with game advancement options. Place paperclip on paper fastener (brad). Poke fastener through center of circle. Spin paper clip. Store game cards or pieces in zippered plastic bag or envelope stapled to folder. File folder games store upright in filing cabinet or drawer. Get extra craft mileage from free printable file folder games by assigning students make them.

Free Printable Science Lesson Plans, Games, Activities, Graphs, Charts, Worksheets

Teachers and homeschool parents, here are free printable science worksheets, charts and diagrams of life cycles. Use these for biology, anatomy and earth science. The California Forest Foundation has produced a free printable science charts and diagrams booklet. All you have to do is register for the site (it's free) to get free printable science worksheets and lesson plans. Here's a packet of free printable environmental and earth science lesson plans including science charts and diagrams the carbon cycle, water cycle and more. Use these materials to teach students about critical environmental science issues of forest growth, deforestation, wildfire, ecology, biomes, habitats, ozone, atmosphere and more.

Here's a free printable Guide to California Wildlife that takes biology, environmental and earth science students into the biomes and habitats of the creatures in a large forest. This guide explores the symbiotic relationship among forest flora and fauna. Explore biodiversity, ecology, deforestation, natural geological influences, artificial interference and the wonder of nature. The California Forest Foundation provides more free printable biology lessons, crafts, coloring pages, activity sheets, games, simulations, charts, graphs and more. Educators will appreciate the wealth of resources available.Free shipping of these materials is only available for residents in California, but free printable downloads are available to everyone.

TSLBooks has close to 100 free printable science charts and diagrams, science worksheets and activities. Get free printable fill-in-the-blank charts, games, puzzles and lesson plans. Free Science Worksheets covers many different ages, grade levels and science content areas. You can find free printable science worksheets for earth science, nature study, geology, astronomy, geography, health, anatomy, biology, environmental science, botany, zoology, physics, engineering, physical science, ecology, chemistry and general science worksheets. What subjects will you find science lessons on? Here is just a small sample of the subjects: bicycles, butterflies, cells, insects, animal body coverings, animal classification food groups, food chain, energy, magnets, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, planets, solar system, astronomy, colors of the rainbow, weather,

What kinds of free printable science activities can you find? Matching games, memory games, crossword puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, graphic organizers, charts, diagrams, posters to label, domino games, sorting games, classification activities, response activities, card games, board games, fill-in-the-blank, multiple choice and again, much more. Enchanted Learning has literally tons of free printable science worksheets and biology charts and diagrams, graphic organizers, earth science content webs and more. Scroll down this page of fill-in-the-blank charts for science charts and diagrams on all content areas.

Remember, printing responsibly is good green living also. Use the back side of discarded paper and recycle bin fodder for printing. Set your printer preferences to 'fast, economical' to save 50%-90% on ink cartridges

DIY Preschool Sand and Water Table Activities

The sand table, also called the water table or sand and water table, is a staple in preschool learning centers,  early childhood special education and kindergarten classrooms. The sand table is a hollowed out table that can be filled with sand and/ or water for interactive play. Here are diy water table ideas for preschool, day care, homeschool, Montessori, kindergarten and any exploratory classroom environment. The water table is an important part learning centers based classrooms. The sand table provides tactile stimulation, interactive hands-on exploration and play therapy for special education and early childhood development. It fosters perceptual and cognitive development in special education students. It helps with special education occupational therapy.

You can purchase a sand table or make homemade one using one of these alternatives: dish pan, recycled plastic laundry soap bucket, shallow plastic covered storage bin, inflatable child's swimming pool, small hard plastic swimming pool or covered Little Tikes Turtle sandbox. I have used all of these as a DIY water table in my teaching career. The nice thing about using a smaller water table is that it's portable. If you choose a covered container for a sand table you can store in when not in use. The Little Tikes Turtle sandbox makes a particularly nice sand table as you can use it indoors and outdoors, as a pool or sandbox.

In the summer weather, take the Turtle sandbox outside for outdoor learning centers. In the cold, wet winter months, bring the sandbox inside and set up in your special education and preschool classroom learning centers. Cover the floor with an old recycled plastic shower curtain or tablecloth for easy clean up. Set a little broom and dust pan nearby so that children can sweep up sand and replace in sand table. This is good housekeeping practice for the house or practical life learning centers. For more special education lesson plans visit these blogs The Special Needs Child andPreschool Child Activities and Free Lesson Plans 4u and DIY Homeschool

Cheap Homemade Reading Games--Scrabble, Boggle Letter Dice for Word Games

DIY Scrabble Letter Dice Word Games for Reading Games and Spelling
Summer means freedom and fun for kids, but summer can also take its toll on retention of material learned over the school year. Here's a fun, easy DIY game to make and play with children and tweens to keep reading, writing and spelling skills fresh. Read More

Free Printable Animal classification worksheets, zoology Lesson Plans

Earth Month in April is a great time to explore zoos in your area. Most all zoos offer free printable zoo activities and zoology lesson plans and activities for teachers and parents. Print these zoo activities for your classroom or homeschool. Whether you visit John Ball Zoo or not, you can still enjoy these free printable zoo activities and zoology worksheets. Local teachers use these zoology printables for self-guided tours and follow-up classroom activities. Anyone can print these activity guides and use them.

John Ball Society Body Coverings Scavenger Hunt is geared for the youngest zoo visitors, this five page free printable zoology activity book is perfect for preschoolers and kindergarten. Use the scavenger hunt science lesson plans at any local zoo. Help children locate and classify different types of zoo animals body coverings: fur, skin, hair, shell, scales, feathers. These pre-reading science lesson plans prepare students for exploration of the groups in the animal kingdom. No zoo nearby? Use your classroom, home book collection, library or even your children's stuffed animal collection.

John Ball Zoo Animals Classification Activities is a free printable zoo animals science lesson plans booklet to help grades one and two begin to use characteristics and labels to classify animals: reptile, amphibian, insect, mammal, bird, fish. Plenty of classification practice, coloring pages and zoo animals science lesson plans for follow-up to zoo activities, field trips, classroom exploration or homeschool activity.

JBZoo Animals Adaptations Activities offers a free printable science lesson plans to help grades 3 and 4 explore how animals adapt to their environment. These activities cover predator-prey relationships, protective covering, camouflage, scent, bodily features and habitat. These activities cover food, shelter and reproduction also.

There are also free printable zoology activities booklets on lions, penguins and chimpanzees. Visit Official USA to find information about your state's zoos. Click the link to your state. Scroll down to "zoos" and then visit local zoo websites to see what great free printable zoo animals activities and self-guided tour activity packages may be available. Use this website to plan any zoo activities also. This is great way to prepare for a field trip or family visit.

Dr. Seuss Lesson Plans for Preschool and Young Elementary Learning Centers

The Cat in the Hat doffs his cap on March 2, to honor the birthday of his creator Dr. Seuss (Ted Geisel). To celebrate Seuss, the NEA (National Education Association) hosts "Read Across America" reported WBAL-TV11 on March 2. March is National Reading Month. Explore Dr. Seuss and reading in preschool learning centers with these activities. Dr. Seuss is right at home in the book or library learning center. Fill your book corner with Seuss books. Emergent readers will love the pictures. Scatter some comfy pillows Seuss character toys. Throw a Seuss story party.

For a Dr. Seuss art center, display Seuss books: The Cat in the Hat Comes Back, Bartholomew and the Oobleck, How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Each day of Read Across America week, create Seussinspired artwork. Paint Seuss creatures at easels with brightly colored Seuss paints. Model creatures in modeling clay or playdough. Create sculptures by poking recycled materials in Styrofoam blocks.

To teach Dr. Seuss at the Collage center, make Seuss toys from "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." Put out oddly shaped cardboard containers, egg cartons, aluminum foil and cans, plastic containers and colored fabric scraps. Students can design their own version of a Whoville Jing Tingler, Flu Flooper, Tar Tinkers, Who Hoover or Who Carnio Flunx
To teach Dr. Seuss in the Music Center, make homemade Seuss musical instruments. Create noisemakers like the Grinch's hated Gar Ginkers Trum Tupers Slu Slumkers Blum Bloopers Who Wompers and Zu Zitter Carzays. Encourage students to give their musical instruments silly Seuss names.

To teach Dr. Seuss in Dramatic Play or Dress Up center, have students make masks of Seuss characters: Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose, Horton the elephant, Yertle the Turtle, Maisie the bird, the Wickersham monkeys, the angaroo and her joey. Have children create their own Seuss creatures. Have a Dr. Seuss parade like the one in his first book "And to Think I Saw It On Mulberry Street." Dress in homemade Seuss costumes, play musical instruments and show off homemade toys.

To teach Dr. Seuss science center, use the Lorax. The Lorax deals with environmentalism. Set up an experiment on decomposition and pollution. Place different pieces of trash in zippered bags with a little water. Monitor them over time to show students how slowly trash decomposes. Students could also tend "trufulla seeds" (use any flower seeds, sunflower, cosmos or daisy). Make Oobleck mixing liquid laundry starch and white school glue.

To teach a Dr. Seuss practical life area, use "The Cat in the Hat", "Green Eggs and Ham" and "Horton Hears a Who." These books deal with caring for others, preparing food and house cleaning. Do a Cat in the Hat tidy up relay race. Cook green eggs and ham. Care for an insect or goldfish. Use these free printable Dr. Seuss activities from my website Free Printable Lesson Plans, in your lesson plans, too.