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.