Beginning of the year activities Practicing classroom routines and procedures is essential in the first few weeks of school. But this isn’t just an indoor exercise – if you’re planning on learning outside at all this year, you should practice your outdoor routines and expectations during the first week of school as well. In this […]
Podcast
6 Classroom Decoration Ideas: How Research Can Help Us Design Student-Centered Learning SpacesClassroom decoration ideas As the school year approaches, let’s talk about some classroom decoration ideas that can help you plan for a successful year. And hopefully, they will also help you stress less as you get back into the space. Back-to-school time can be hard on everyone and I’m hoping to be able to lessen […]
Podcast
Science
What Butterflies Eat: Interactive Activities for 2nd and 5th Graders [Ep. 80]What butterflies eat It’s summer and butterflies are in the air! Even though you likely don’t have learners with you for a bit, I’ve got some interactive activities to share with you today to investigate what butterflies eat and how that relates to pollination and food chains. In this episode, we’ll talk about activities to explore what butterflies eat that are paired with Next Generation Science Standards for grades 2nd and 5th. I’ll share the standard that inspired the activity, how the activity relates to what butterflies eat, and descriptions of how to use the activity with your […]
Podcast
Science
Are Butterflies Insects? Investigation Activities for 1st and 4th Graders [Ep. 79]Activities to investigate “are butterflies insects?” Are butterflies insects? While you likely know the answer (yes, they are), it is a great phenomenon to investigate with your learners. Plus, some of the characteristics that they have that identify them as insects provide very interesting opportunities for your kiddos. And I’m here to help you get […]
Podcast
Science
Butterflies with Orange and Other Adaptations for Kindergarten and 3rd Grade [Ep. 78]Activities about butterflies with orange and other adaptations Summer is the time that butterflies shine! It’s when they can be found as eggs, caterpillars, chrysalides, and adults. It also happens to be when many of us don’t have learners to enjoy them… but that’s ok! We’re going to talk today about activities to investigate butterflies […]
Outdoor Education
Science
Teaching with Photographs: 6 Research-Based Benefits to Elementary Learners [Ep. 76]Teaching with photographs This is a topic I’ve been excited to dive into for some time, and summer seemed like the perfect opportunity to introduce it. If you’ve never thought about how teaching with actual photographs can help your learners in science, this episode is a must-listen. I’m an avid collector of nature photos because […]
Podcast
Science
Impact of Humans on Environment: Kindergarten and 3rd Grade NGSS Activities [Ep. 69]Activities to investigate the impact of humans on environment May is a great time to see reptiles and amphibians before the end of the school year! And to help you get inspired, I’ve got an activity idea about reptiles and amphibians for each grade K-5 coming at you this month. In this episode, we’ll talk […]
Outdoor Education
Science
Pollination of Flowers: 2nd and 5th Grade NGSS Activities [Ep. 67]Pollination of flowers activities Flowers are the seed-making parts of plants, but most can’t do it alone! Enter the pollinators. The mutual relationship between flower and pollinator is something to behold and can help teach many different concepts in elementary school. So let’s take advantage of spring to investigate the pollination of flowers and how […]
Podcast
Science
Frogs Vs Toads and Other Herps in Spring: K-5 NGSS Activities [Ep. 63]Frogs vs toads activities This topic was by listener request – shout out to Sue! Thanks so much for your suggestion for writing about spring frogs and toads and ways to teach very spring-specific concepts! Spring is a unique time for frogs and toads as it’s the beginning of their mating season and a lot […]
Outdoor Education
Science
Illumination and Weather: 1st and 4th Grade NGSS Activities [Ep. 61]Weather illumination activities Teaching children about light reflection and its role in illumination can be quite an abstract and challenging topic. However, weather is a way to make this concept more concrete. Thankfully, March and November are months with variable weather and wonderful opportunities to capitalize on nature’s natural variation with your 1st and 4th […]
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![5 Strategies for Bringing the Outside Into Your Classroom and Learning Spaces [Ep. 81]](https://www.naturallyteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/bringing-nature-into-your-classroom-header.jpg)
![What Butterflies Eat: Interactive Activities for 2nd and 5th Graders [Ep. 80]](https://www.naturallyteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/what-butterflies-eat-header.jpg)
![Are Butterflies Insects? Investigation Activities for 1st and 4th Graders [Ep. 79]](https://www.naturallyteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/are-butterflies-insects-header.jpg)
![How Flowers Attract Pollinators: 1st and 4th Grade NGSS Activities [Ep. 66]](https://www.naturallyteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/how-flowers-attract-pollinators-header.jpg)
