School by the Silos

Two Fall Learning Activities for K-2

Looking for Fall learning activities for K-2? Then hopefully this is just what you are looking for. This post will discuss each of the activities and then tell you how to access them. Keep on scrollin’!

Nature Activities for Fall

Ok, Ok,….there are going to be more than two activities, they’re actually two bundles and this is the first one. The activities are pictured below and here is the list:

  • An Object Close and Far
  • Dew
  • The Changes of Fall (Days 1-5)
  • Fall Alphabet
  • A Rainy Fall Day
  • Sunrise & Sunset
  • Leaf Rubbing
  • Senses Nature Walk
  • Making a Leaf Person
  • Making a Bird Feeder (This activity requires a pine cone, peanut butter, craft stick, birdseed, and twine/yarn)
  • Bird Feeder Tracking
Fall Activities| School by the Silos

If you’d like to purchase, then click here to head over to my Teachers Pay Teacher store.

[Read more…]

Every Season Nature Activity Book for Children

Are you looking for a notebook of nature based activities to use for ages 4-8? Then, I’m glad you stopped here! This blog gives you a look inside my Nature Activity Book. Last year, I scoured the internet looking for different nature/outdoor/seasonal based activities for my children. However, they either included a lot of supplies, involved hiking through the woods for long stints of time, or were just above the age range I was looking for.

In this post, I will show you the Table of Contents and a preview of every season. You can always go straight to my shop if you want. Let’s get to it!

Nature Activity Book
[Read more…]

“What Trees are Around Me?” A Place Based Education Activity

One of the major aspects of Place Based Education is learning from your physical place. So, when it comes time to learn about trees, what better way to start than to teach students about the types of trees that surround them.

In this post, I will give instructions for completing the “What types of trees are around me?” activity, as well as ways to tweak it for different settings and ages. This activity has students take one leaf off of two or three different trees, and then determine what type of tree it is from the leaf. I did this activity with Kindergarten age in a homeschool setting. It was OK to do one on one, but would likely need to be done with a bit older elementary students if you are in a traditional school setting.

What types of trees are around me activity
[Read more…]

Three Reasons to use Place Based Education as a Learning Approach

Student learning is the top priority for any educator. Whether you homeschool, or are in private or public school, Place Based Education (PBE) can be a benefit to students. I discovered this approach while completing research for a higher level education degree. Honestly after teaching in various environments, no “educational approach” has ever excited me more.  If you are unsure about what PBE is, check out this post.

For today, I wanted to share three reasons to use PBE as a learning approach in your homeschool or classroom. Let’s get to it!

Three Reasons to Use Place Based Education as an Educational Approach| School by the Silos


Provides a springboard for learning

When you introduce a concept to students and tie it to something familiar, they have a much easier time understanding it. Since PBE makes the community part of the classroom, students use areas they are familiar with to help them learn. As an example, if you’re teaching about perimeter, you could provide the map of the local park and have students determine the answer. If you have a small group or homeschool, you could physically go to the park and do it in person.

Using the physical community provides a solid “jumping off point” for the students education.

[Read more…]

What is Place Based Education?

Since you likely ended up here because you are on a search about Place Based Education (PBE), I’ll skip the usual introduction and get to it. If you want to know how I stumbled upon PBE, it’s discussed at the bottom of the post.

Academic definition and explanation

PBE can be defined various ways. I will provide an “academic” definition and example, and then my own.

In 2004, David Sobel defined PBE as,

“Place-based education is the process of using the local community and environment as a starting point to teach concepts in language arts, mathematics, social studies, science, and other subjects across the curriculum. Emphasizing hands-on, real-world learning experiences, this approach to education increases academic achievement, helps students develop stronger ties to their communities, enhances students’ appreciation for the natural world, and creates a heightened commitment to serving as active, contributing citizens.”

Place-based education takes a variety of forms but, in a review of place-based learning practices, Smith (2002) identified five common elements. These include:  

[Read more…]

Instagram

Follow in Instagram

Recent Posts

Pinterest

We are a participant in the Amazon Services, LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.