Soccer Sight Words (free printable game)

To give my kindergartner a little sight word practice, I created a BINGO-like game for us to play. He's more than a little obsessed with soccer lately (apparently it's the game of choice for kinder boys at recess), so I thought I'd capitalize on this new interest.

Soccer Sight Words is a simple game. Not practicing sight words right now? No problem, the PDF I made includes some blank cards for you to customize.

Prep
Download the game free from Google Drive here.
Print on heavyweight cardstock.

If you plan to play the game again and again, laminate the playing cards.
Cut apart the sight words and scramble them in a bowl.

Grab something to write with, small buttons, or if you've laminated, fine-tip dry erase markers.

Play
Players pick their own game card. One by one, a sight word is pulled from the bowl. If players have this word on one of the three soccer balls on their card, they note that by placing a small game piece like a button over it or by crossing through it with a pen/marker.

The first player to have all the words covered on one of their game card's soccer balls is the winner!

After School Linky (9-28)

Welcome to the party!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and are looking forward to a great week ahead.

Here are a few of my favorite activities shared during last week's party.

Montessori-inspired Math Activities using Bead Bars at Every Star is Different

ay Sound game from Boy Mama Teacher Mama

Corn vs. Popcorn Science for Kids and Printable Graph at A Little Pinch of Perfect

Free Leaf Printables and Montessori-Inspired Fall Leaf Activities at Living Montessori Now

Countdown to Halloween - Ghost Number Chart from KC Edventures

LEGO Math - Learning Money from Tree Valley Academy

The After School Linky is cohosted by

Creative Family Fun

Mama Smiles

Planet Smarty Pants

Relentlessly Fun, Deceptively Educational

The Educators' Spin on It

This Reading Mama

We would love to have you link up your School-Age Post (Ages 5 and up) about your learning week after school including Crafts, Activities, Playtime and Adventures that you are doing to enrich your children's lives after their day at school, home school, or on the weekend!

When linking up, please take a moment to comment on at least one post linked up before yours and grab our after school button to include a link on your post or site! By linking up, you're giving permission for us to share on our After School Pinterest Board and feature an image on our After School Party in the upcoming weeks.

How many drops of water fit on a penny? (A Surface Tension Experiment)

My 10-year-old wanted nothing to do with this activity. How's that for honesty, eh? But he grudgingly saddled up to the stool at our counter top when a spark of curiosity ignited at the sight of a penny, eye dropper, and glass of water.

This simple experiment elicited a, "WHOA! That's cool," from a boy who was too impressed to remember he was supposed to be cranky. 

I love when that happens.

To start I asked my son how many drops of water he thought will fit on a penny.

"Two."

"Well, let's see."

And we did. He filled the dropper with water and one by one, added drops of water from one inch above the penny. 

At 21 drops or so, a drop finally overflowed off the top of the penny. My son had to pick his chin up off the floor.

The water bowed out from the penny top like a mushroom top. How did it stay on top so long, without spilling?

The answer is surface tension. The tiny molecules in the water are attracted to each other. This attraction is what keeps the water droplets together. 

Now we added some liquid dish soap to the water and tried the experiment again. Would the soapy water droplets make a difference?

The answer is yes. The soap decreases the surface tension. The attraction of the molecules to each other is decreased and fewer droplets will be suspended on the penny as a result. 

This experiment came from Scientific American.

Earth's Layers: DIY 3-D Diagram

It's hard to imagine what's deep down inside our planet, but to help my 5th grade son remember, he made a diagram.

Despite his hatred of cutting and art, he really enjoyed seeing how his diagram came together. And now he can refer to it any time to see just what exactly is deep, deep underneath our feet!

Supplies

Large earth to cut out (download my free PDF from Google Drive if you need one)

Colored paper in brown, yellow, orange, and black

Circular objects in various sizes to trace

Scissors

Pencil

Glue

Chalk (optional)

How to Make It

Step 1: Lay your earth picture over top of the brown paper and cut out the earth. You'll be cutting a brown circle the exact same size as your earth. This is the earth's crust. Set your earth aside until step 6.

Step 2: Find a circular object slightly smaller than your earth. Trace it onto the yellow paper and cut it out. This is the earth's mantle. Center it inside the brown circle and glue it in place.

Step 3: Find another circular object that is smaller than the yellow mantle layer you just made. Trace it on orange paper and cut it out. Center it inside the yellow circle and glue it in place. This is the outer core.

Step 4: Find a small round object and trace it on black paper. Cut it out, center it in the middle of the orange circle and glue it in place. This is the inner core.

Step 5: Add labels to each of your layers.

Step 6: Orient your earth correctly and fold the left side over the right so you have a vertical crease in the middle. When "closed" you won't be able to see the earth's continents.

Step 7: Do the same to the earth's core, folding it in on itself in half vertically.

Step 8: Glue the back of the earth's right side to the back of the core's left side. When laid flat, your earth will cover the folded core you made.

Step 9: Glue to a piece of black or dark blue construction paper to simulate space. Add stars with white chalk (optional).

Read

Before we embarked on this project we read Magic School Bus: Inside the Earth, which helped us visualize a trip through all of the earth's layers. It also contains a handy illustration to refer to when you're making your 3-D diagram!

After School Linky (9-21)

Welcome to the party!

Fall officially starts on Wednesday and from the looks of last week's linky,

everyone is ready to learn about pumpkins, apples, and leaves!

Check out some of my favorite activities from last week's party.

Drive to the Sight Word at There's Just One Mommy.

Fingerprint Art Fun for Kids at Mama Smiles.

 FREE Apples Equivalent Fractions Matching Game! from Math Geek Mama.

Fall Leaf Lacing Cards {free printable} from Gift of Curiosity.

 Learning about Leaf Parts and Shapes at Gift of Curiosity.

Fall Leaf Hunt & Math Activities from KC Edventures.

Roll a Star - Make a Word (Literacy Games for Kids) at The Educators' Spin on It

Free Skip Counting Apple Trees from 3 Dinosaurs.

Snap! A Fun Family Card Game at Grandma Ideas.

The After School Linky is cohosted by

Creative Family Fun

Mama Smiles

Planet Smarty Pants

Relentlessly Fun, Deceptively Educational

The Educators' Spin on It

This Reading Mama

We would love to have you link up your School-Age Post (Ages 5 and up) about your learning week after school including Crafts, Activities, Playtime and Adventures that you are doing to enrich your children's lives after their day at school, home school, or on the weekend!

When linking up, please take a moment to comment on at least one post linked up before yours and grab our after school button to include a link on your post or site! By linking up, you're giving permission for us to share on our After School Pinterest Board and feature an image on our After School Party in the upcoming weeks!