Primer Resources

Essentials

Finding Direction without a Compass Includes using stars and shadows to find direction, as well as directions for making your own compass.

What Tree Is It? and What Tree Is That? are easy to use site used to identify trees by leaf, fruit, or name.

Preserving Leaves Several methods are noted.  You can also do this with laminator

Autumn Leaf Color Includes some simple science experiments and explanations

How to Make a Leaf Rubbing Fun activity for the whole family

Why Do Leaves Change Colors? Beautiful and simple site. Where do leaf colors come from? How do leaves change color? Why do leaves fall?

Moon Phases The simple picture here of moon phases is perfect for teaching your student to recognize and draw them

Phases of the Moon Very helpful site explaining the phases of the moon and how to recognize them

Oreo Moon Phases Download Fun and yummy way to learn the phases of the moon

Phases of the Moon Quizlet set with images

Waxing or Waning? Mnemonic for telling these apart

Farmer’s Almanac Full Moon Names Names and meanings of the full moons used by the Native Americans.  Also includes names used by Europeans and early American settlers

Ursa Major and the Big Dipper Illustrations and star charts as well as myths about Ursa Major and the Big Dipper from several different cultures. Parents may want to summarize the first version of the Greek myth for younger children

Big Dipper, Little Dipper, and Polaris Great picture and instructions of how to find the Big Dipper, Little Dipper, and Polaris in the night sky, with interesting information on how these star pictures were used in the Underground Railroad during the Civil War

Big Dipper, Polaris, and Cassiopeia Scroll down to see an illustration of how to find Cassiopeia using the Big Dipper and Polaris. Also has instructions for finding direction using stars

Orion, Taurus, and the Pleiades How to find Orion, Taurus, and the Pleiades in the winter sky

Astropix Beautiful scrolling display of the night sky, including a beautifully clear picture of the Milky Way

Bird Beaks Shows why different birds need different beak types

Bird Feathers Lots of good information on the structure and purposes of different feather types

Learn Bird Songs Great app (though a bit pricey) with lots of information and tips on how to learn bird songs, plus many bird song recordings

The Night Sky—A wonderful book with lovely illustrations and clear explanations. Includes a very handy star wheel for finding constellations by time of year and time of night.

Greek Myths—The D’Aulaire books are simply incomparable, with lavish illustrations and enchanting stories. Find out how the Greeks gave the constellations their names.

Birds of North America—Roger Tory Peterson’s field guides are among the best. Look for used copies on Amazon, or check the other listings for the less-expensive guide that only covers your geographical area.

Burgess Bird Book—In his inimitable and imaginative story, Thornton Burgess details animal habits and characteristics. Look for an older hardback with the color plates from a used bookseller!

Flower Parts Diagram Very simple illustration of the basic flower parts – perfect for a child to copy

Parts of the Flower More detailed illustration with a short explanation of each flower part

Cloud Types Overview of cloud types with clear illustration and explanations.

The Water Cycle Simple explanation and illustration. As with many science sites, belief in evolution is assumed, so you may want to discuss that assumption with your student

The Water Cycle Another helpful site with a good illustration

Learn to Draw Flowers Simple directions for learning to draw specific types of flowers

Press Flowers to Preserve Them Step-by-step instructions and link to a video tutorial

Garden Planning Tool Better Homes and Gardens’ easy-to-use garden planning site

Guide to the Life Cycle of a Flower Site with links to lots of other sites – including many interactive activities

Webs of All Kinds Lessons on spider web observation (Primer Two)

Nature Study Links for Spring

National Audubon Society field guides are so handy for your nature walks. The National Audubon Society versions are a compact size and hold up very well. They also have lovely photographs and are easy to use. For the wildflower field guides, make sure you get the correct region—East or West.