Naturally Teaching Elementary: A Podcast for Teachers and Homeschool Families

If you're looking to get involved in the citizen science project the Great Backyard Bird Count with your students but you don't know where to start, then this is the episode for you! There are two ways to participate in the count; you can either count birds while you walk outside or you can count birds while watching bird feeders. This episode is here to help you set up a bird feeding station so y...

Winter break is right around the corner! And even though Thanksgiving is still on the horizon, your winter party is creeping up faster than you want to admit. If you're looking for a way to be more inclusive with your party theme and activities this year, consider celebrating the winter solstice instead of Christmas or Hanukkah. The winter solstice is a worldwide phenomenon that everyone has in co...

With Thanksgiving on the horizon, you know the pre-holiday energy is on its way. It may not be on the same level as winter break energy, but it's still energy on a whole other level from the regular 5-day-week energy. In this episode, I'm bringing you 4 different books with activities to celebrate turkeys the week leading up to Thanksgiving break. When the energy is high, getting your students out...

It's the last little bit of October, a month associated with spookiness and darkness. And in this darkness, we can look to the moon to help us reach our curricular goals. Although it sounds like a limited subject, the phases of the moon can actually help us teach physics, life science, Earth science, and space science! In this episode, I share a moon phase activity for each grade, K-5, paired with...

If planning a field trip is stressful for you, this episode could be just what you need to hear! James Dake, Education Director of Grass River Natural Area, is on the show today to talk about field trips and he shares his unique perspective as a certified teacher with classroom experience who now writes, organizes, and implements nature field trips for children of all ages. Click play if you're in...

If you’ve decided to take your students outside for learning but you’re not sure where to start lesson planning, this is the episode for you! There are a variety of children’s outdoor activities and games to enhance your science studies, and I cover 9 of them in this episode. Tune in for descriptions and examples of: Group meetings or whole group meetings Guided hikes or walks Trail or sidewalk ac...

October is a month for dark, spooky, and mysterious things. Nocturnal animals check those boxes for sure! And what better way is there to introduce your students to creatures of the night other than picture books? To keep with the spirit of the month, this episode is all about 10 nocturnal animal books that can help you introduce animal diversity, animal adaptations, and sound waves to your studen...

Fall animal migration is in full swing and is a natural phenomenon that your students will love to study! And guess what?! It's a very dynamic concept that can actually apply to physics, life science, Earth science, and space science! In the episode, I share an animal migration activity for each grade, K-5, paired with a Next Generation Science Standard and an explanation of how it relates to migr...

It's officially fall and Halloween is right around the corner! As you begin planning your classroom Halloween activities, consider taking your party outside. Nature has a lot to offer your Halloween party including open space, natural decorations, and the ability to tolerate loud noises! In this episode, I describe different ways that you can successfully take your party outside including outdoor...

Quality teachers are the most important part of nature based preschools and elementary classrooms. But what roles do teachers need to embody in order to make these programs so successful? Tune in to hear Dr. Rachel Larimore explain effective teacher roles in early childhood classrooms. She shares her experience as a former preschool director, consultant, and educator along with research to support...

Fall is a season of mystery and intrigue. So let's make the season work for you by including fun fall activities in your schedule! Combining the mystique of fall with the power of learning through play can get your students motivated to learn. Tune in to hear descriptions for 6 fun fall activities aligned with Next Generation Science Standards for grades K-5. During the episode I share the standar...

Fall is coming, so now is a good time to start scoping out fall picture books to help you teach seasonal concepts. Picture books are a great way to explore the changing of the seasons in words and pictures. In this episode I cover 10 picture books that introduce the signs of the seasons, falling leaves, and animals in autumn. Press play to hear about It's Fall by Renee Kurilla, Miss Maple's Seeds...

Citizen science projects are amazing, real-world opportunities to develop your students' science skills, get them involved in the community, have them contribute to the scientific community, and to nurture future stewards of the Earth. But what are citizen science projects? Citizen science projects are opportunities for non-scientists to collect and report data to scientists who then analyze the d...

It's that time of year again, where you're getting ready to practice your classroom routines and procedures with your students. You practice everyday, multiple times a day, in the hopes that your students will catch on and be set up for the school year. Your efforts are not in vain; the time you spend practicing your classroom routines and procedures will pay off and will make the rest of the year...

Are you interested in integrating STEM into your elementary classroom but you're not sure where to start? Naomi Meredith, former classroom teacher, current STEM coach, and host of the Elementary STEM Coach podcast, joined me to share her tips and tricks for getting started with STEM. Naomi spent 6 years in 2nd and 3rd grade and 5 years as a STEM teacher so she really knows her stuff! During our co...

Helping young learners understand the way that seasons are made can be a challenge! Investigating this abstract concept can be made easier with different seasons books. In this episode, I cover 8 picture books that introduce the changing seasons, how they come to be, and their seasonal signs that can clue your students into their differences. Press play to hear about The Reason for the Seasons by...

Organizing science curriculum can be a challenging task, but I'm here to help. Using phenology, the study of nature throughout the year, you can organize your science standards into a beneficial plan for your students. In this episode, I break down how to plan your year's worth of science standards around the seasons. Tune in to hear about the benefits of teaching with phenology, a 3-step process...

We've reached the 10th episode of the podcast! 🥳 To celebrate, I'm sharing the 10 best nature apps to use in the elementary classroom. Aside from being *FREE* and available on Apple and Android products, listen in as I explain why I LOVE these 10 apps: The Weather Channel (or another weather app) My Lightning Tracker Merlin Bird ID iNaturalist Seek Audubon Birds PlantNet eBird SkyView Lite Planta...

Introducing invertebrates in your classroom can give your students a more complete picture of animals and their unique characteristics. However, it can be challenging to distinguish the differences between some groups, so consider using picture books to help you illustrate those differences! In this episode, I review 10 picture books (actually 43 books!) that introduce a variety of invertebrates,...

Learning gardens benefit children of all ages, including elementary students. Victoria Hackett from Outdoor Classrooms is on the podcast today to share her experience with developing and using learning gardens to teach children in the hopes of inspiring more elementary teachers to use them in their own teaching. Victoria has experience touring and researching teaching gardens across the United Sta...

Animals are inherently interesting to students, so let's take advantage of their characteristics to help you reach your curricular goals! In this episode I introduce different Next Generation Science Standards that can be enhanced by teaching animal characteristics. I also conduct an animal characteristic breakdown where I explain what makes mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, and insects...

If you've considered teaching outside but you're worried about safety, make sure to listen to this episode. I cover 5 outdoor education safety tips to help ease your mind and get you prepared for the upcoming school year. After 8 years of teaching outside, it all boils down to these 5 things. Listen in as we talk about: Preparing your outdoor space Using natural boundaries Setting up safety expect...

Science skills are abstract and can be challenging for students to understand. However, picture books are a great way to make science skills more concrete because they show skills in action. They can also show the results of those skills, illustrating why they are important in science. In this episode, I cover 10 picture books that introduce science skills for kid scientists. Skills such as questi...

Providing hands-on experiences with plants while teaching science can be challenging when we want to preserve the integrity of our school yard ecosystem. But I have a hack for you...invasive species activities! Tune in to find out why invasive species are perfect for up-close investigations, harvesting, and being the subject of fascinating research. During the episode I share an invasive species a...

Are you interested in science activities that will better reach your elementary students? Do you feel like finding experiments is challenging and not very rewarding? I'm here to help lift the weight off your shoulders. In this episode, I'm introducing 10 science activities for elementary students that aren't experiments. Examples and actionable steps are provided for each activity type, making the...