Teach Kids All About Volcanoes with this Colorful PDF

What kid (or adult) is not fascinated by volcanoes? Their destructive power, majestic features, terrifying prospects leave us in awe. But what are they, what kinds are there, and what are their features?

Learn all about volcanoes with the full PDF!

What is a volcano?

Volcanoes are like a planet’s pressure valves that release internal heat. Despite being destructive, they are also necessary to support life on Earth. Volcanic materials break down over time, creating some of the most fertile land on Earth. They provide nutrients necessary for life on Earth. Gold, silver, copper, and other precious metals are also found deep within extinct volcanoes!

So what kinds of volcanoes are there?

Active volcanoes are volcanoes that are erupting! You may think these are the most dangerous, but often these volcanoes are heavily monitored and therefore more predictable.

Hawaii has an active volcano called Kilauea. It has a steady flow of lava that flows into the ocean, slowly growing the island day by day. In fact, Hawaii has a new island forming under the ocean from volcanic activity, but they think it won’t emerge for another 50,000 years. So I guess you shouldn’t plan a vacation there yet.

A dormant volcano is a volcano that is sleeping, and scientists don’t know when it will awaken. These volcanoes still have an underground chamber of magma. Mount Fuji in Japan is a dormant volcano, and so is the African volcano Mount Kilimanjaro, found in Tanzania.

Mount St. Helens was a dormant volcano until one day, in 1980, she woke from her slumber in a disastrous eruption, annihilating 200 homes, 15 miles of railways, and 47 bridges. The eruption of Mount St. Helens was the most devastating in U.S. history!

Extinct volcanoes erupted in the past, but haven't erupted for thousands of years. These volcanoes no longer have a supply of magma beneath them; therefore, they no longer pose a threat of future eruption.  Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh, Scotland is an extinct volcano. Olympus Mons is also an extinct volcano, but it is on Mars! These volcanoes erupted in the distant past, but now, like dead volcanoes, they sit around like any other mountain.

Intermittent volcanoes erupt periodically. When not actively erupting, these volcanoes maintain a supply of magma below. Mount Etna in Italy is an intermittent volcano that erupts several times a year, sometimes with lava flow, other times with ash and rocks.  

Want to learn all about volcanoes?

The full Volcano PDF includes 3 lessons, helpful illustrations, coloring pages, volcano craft, writing prompt, and fun quizzes to help kids remember all they learned! Students will learn about the 6 Volcano types, the 4 kinds of volcanoes, and the parts of a volcano.

Why Phonics is Essential for Fluent Lifelong Readers

I don’t want my kids to just learn to read; I want them to thrive! I want them to actually understand what they read. I want them to write intelligently, grapple with new words they encounter, and ultimately, enjoy reading!

This command of language begins with learning to read the right way.

The reality is that you can teach children to read without giving them the tools to read independently and confidently. The difference between basic reading skills and long-term excellence in reading is determined by building a strong foundation in the English Language — and that requires phonics.

Children who learn to read with phonics thrive in reading, spelling, and writing.

Students with phonics instruction score substantially better than their peers.

Why would that be? Why is phonics so important?

Many people look at the English language, pointing out the strange anomalies or rule-breakers and say, “This language makes no sense— why even bother?!?”

The reality is that English is a phonetic language. While there are occasional abnormalities or odd words, this does not unravel the basic foundation of reading, which is phonetic pronunciation, every time.

The Downfalls of Sight Reading

Teaching children to read with whole language methods is a trend that has led to students who cannot decipher new words. Whole language methods, in contrast to phonics methods, teach children whole words by using context, picture references, and sight-word drilling. Whole language methods can assist readers when used with phonics, but without phonics they become hollow and incapable of producing fluent readers.

Whole language methods produce children who flounder in spelling, writing, and independent reading. Methods like sight reading are, simply put, not enough to fully teach English.

The tendency to prefer whole language methods often occurs when readers struggle with monotonous black-and-white text. Letters seemingly blur into nonsensical shapes. Children beginning to read are just starting to grasp the idea of abstract thinking. This abstract thinking says, “This shape (letter) signifies a sound,” or “This shape (number) signifies an amount.” When they have to decipher 26 letters and their many sounds, plus digraphs like ʻphʻ shʻ and ʻigh,ʻ students who are not developed in abstract thinking struggle.

Encouraging other forms of language development —reading aloud to children, storytelling, and word games— help children who lag in forming abstract thinking. Hearing words and proper command of language develops depth of language. Often overcoming the hurdle of grasping abstract thinking is just a matter of time; some kids need more time to be ready to read, and once they are ready, catch-up easily with their peers.

Certain children have specific reading hurdles to overcome— such as dyslexia or dysgraphia. While these may require extra professional assistance, often these hurdles are overcome with phonics.

​Phonics Enable Independent Reading

Teaching children to read phonetically enables them to decipher new words. Phonics teaches the English language the way it was intended to be understood and read, from an alphabetical structure. All romance languages function this way (French, Spanish, Italian, etc.), and without this basic groundwork, students suffer.

When a child encounters a new word using sight-reading or whole language methods, they come to a standstill, unable to read that word; they must seek out someone who has read it before. Context helps with understanding the word, but pronunciation and familiarity are absent when the student lacks phonetic underpinnings to decode the word.

This is where Jolie Canoli Phonics seeks to bridge the gap by building phonetic connections from the beginning. Alphabet books almost never teach all the basic letter sounds. Either G says “g” in gumball or G says “j” in giraffe, but you rarely see both. Jolie Canoli Phonics aims to create books that systematically teach all the letter sounds in an approachable manner.

One of my children was highly visual in his learning preference and struggled with dyslexia. For him, reading did not come easily. Teaching him taught me the importance of visual cues in learning phonics. I taught him that the letter E says “eee,” but he became frustrated when he was told E says “eh” in egg. He was unable to link this new sound to the same letter until I created a new visual, turning an E into an elephant. My book series brings these multiple sounds forward from the beginning, allowing children to connect multiple sounds to one letter and giving them practical tools to make learning to read accessible and fun.

Learning letter sounds with colorful illustrations, rhyme, mnemonics, and sound repetition helps children transition from practical thinking to abstract thinking. Meaningful and recognizable shapes encourage laughter and play in the midst of learning a new set of deciphering skills. Most teaching methods engage seeing, hearing, and doing, but often the seeing is disconnected from the symbols. Seeing a black letter next to an animal doesnʻt easily connect visual to auditory understanding. Jolie Canoli phonics strives to make these connections easier and clearer- the C isnʻt next to the cat; the C is the cat. The shape and sound are embedded in the letter shape, and the sounds are natural outflows of the visual image.

Reading Becomes a Joy— Jolie Canoli Phonics

I believe a love of learning is crucial for developing academic success.

When learning becomes a chore, children develop a disgust for schooling and even learning itself. Thatʻs why I created my phonics series. I want to help kids find joy in learning to read.

Jolie Canoli Phonics series is highly visual, playful, and tackles learning from every angle— sound repetition, visual cues, shape recognition, tactility, and fun!

The book series makes teaching phonics as easy as reading a book. You can get the whole series here or on Amazon. Try our free coloring page downloads below, or purchase the printed full alphabet activity book. Make learning fun and give children the gift of independent lifelong reading fluency with phonics.

Sources:

Developing Early Literacy— Report of the National Literacy Panel: A Scientific Synthesis of Early Literacy Development and Implications for Intervention, National Institute for Literacy, 2008.

Early Reading Instruction: Results of a National Survey. EdWeek Research Center, 2020.

M. Seidenberg. The Science of Reading and Its Educational Implications. Lang Learn Dev. Vol 9, Aug 26, 2013, p. 331. doi: 10.1080/15475441.2013.812017

Jeynes, William H., A Meta-Analysis of the Relationship Between Phonics Instruction and Minority Elementary School Student Academic Achievement. Volume 40, Issue 2. Sage Journals, June 29, 2007.

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Phonics Coloring Pages

Color each letter that looks like it’s sound! Trace the letter with your finger.

Explore the Nervous System: Cool Facts & Games for Kids!

Your nervous system, or supercomputer control center, big commando, or whatever you want to call it, keeps your body running smoothly. Your nervous system contains the brain, spinal cord, and nerve cells, also called neurons.

The nervous system consists of the central and peripheral nervous system. The central nervous system includes your brain and spinal cord, while the peripheral system includes the nerves outside these. The brain and spinal cord are in the center of your body, running from the top of your head to the bottom of your tailbone, which is one reason it is called central. Another reason it is called central is because it is connected to all the other nerves in the body; the nerves in your arms and toes, ears, chest, and more! The peripheral nerves sense all around you and within you; without them, you wouldn’t feel, see, hear, or sense anything. 

The Nerve!

Our nervous system has a lot of nerve; or nerves, I mean! Approximately seven trilion nerves, to be exact! Most of the nerves in the body can be found in one organ —the brain. There are about 100 billion in the brain alone!

Nerve cells, also called Neurons, are used to communicate between organs. The brain communicates between organs all the time. In fact, if the brain cannot communicate with your heart or your lungs, you will die.  

Neurons are made up of a cell body (called the soma), an axon, and dendrites. Neurons always send information from the dendrites to the cell body and out to the axon; the axon terminal then connects to other nerves.

Sensory and motor neurons are found in the peripheral nervous system, whereas the interneurons are found in the brain and central nervous system.

The Spinal Cord

The spinal cord is a superhighway of nerves that connects our brain to the peripheral nerves. This roadway of communication between the brain and body is very important, so it has special protections. The spinal cord has a hard bone covering called the spine (also known as vertebrae), and it is cushioned by fluid called cerebrospinal fluid that functions like a shock absorber.

The Brain

The brain is the head honcho of the nervous system, processing 11 million bits of information every second! We are only conscious of about 10 to 50 bits per second, but the brain is very busy doing a lot for us all the time!

Our brain has different parts. Three major parts of the brain are called the cerebrum, cerebellum, and brain stem. The brain has two halves known as left and right hemispheres, four lobes, and a limbic system.

If your head were like a jar of pickles that you could open up and look inside, you would see that your brain is gray. If you mush your fingers into your brain like it was pumpkin guts, you will see that the inner part of your brain is white. The gray part, or gray matter, is mostly made of neuron cell bodies, and the inner white matter is made mostly of axons. The gray neuron cell body collects information while the axons communicate with other nerves. Your nervous system uses billions of neurons to send and receive electrical and chemical messages. The brain receives, processes, and interprets all these messages.

You can learn about your incredible nervous system in a PDF lesson which includes an illustrated lesson on the nerves and nervous system, a second lesson on the brain, plus memory posters and quizzes for each!

The cerebrum is the largest part of the brain. The cerebrum regulates your body temperature and controls movement. It is also used for sensing, speaking, problem-solving, reasoning, emotions, and more. The top layer of the cerebrum is called the cerebral cortex, and it has many folds and ridges. These folds and ridges create more surface area and, therefore, greater processing capability.

Just below the cerebrum sits the cerebellum. Your cerebellum is about the size of your fist. Posture and balance are controlled by the cerebellum, as are voluntary movements, like kicking your leg or flapping your arms like a chicken. This part of the brain also affects thinking, emotions, and social interaction.

The brainstem connects your brain to your spinal cord and the rest of your nervous system. It also controls automatic functions like heart rate, breathing, digestion, and blood pressure. Those are things you don’t want to be busy thinking about all the time. Isn’t it nice that the brain stem can keep all those things going without you having to remember? Thanks, Brainstem!

Check out the Nervous System for Kids PDF for more about the nervous system, with colorful illustrations and fun game-like quizzes!

Try this quick quiz to check your knowledge about the nervous system!

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How a Little Engine Could, and You Can Too

Have you found yourself tackling some difficult situations in your life? I assume that since you are a human like me there are some frustrating things in your life that require hard work to overcome. Often the hardest step of overcoming a challenge is the first one–getting the right mindset about your situation. The second hardest part is being consistent! Pushing ahead, day to day, faithfully following through, knowing you will eventually get where you are hoping to be. 

Our hero of the day is the Little Engine That Could. 

His first step was his mindset. 

It was, like the man on the moon, the first step that was a great leap beyond all others. Unlike his predecessors, Little Engine tackled his challenge with hope. The biggest difference between Little Engine and every other train was this mindset. 

I think I can. 

Next, he had to follow through. Push ahead, keep going, not give up, keep on keeping on! Little Engine maintained his hopeful mindset to push over the high mountain with his heaviest load. 

I think I can, I think I can, I think I can. 

Faithful follow-through is a rare quality that produces good fruit. God’s faithfulness gives us hope and security in every circumstance. He is reliable, trustworthy, consistent, and always good. His faithfulness ensures that we will see His promises fulfilled at the end of our story. 

The Bible says that our faith is a substance; it’s the steam of our engine, the proof in the pudding, the life in our work.

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1

That faith in the living God compels us ahead, solidifying us to follow through to completion. Faith is an important part of being faithful. We hold onto truth, setting our eyes on a goal, and press forward because we know that the outcome is worth the effort. We can press on because we believe in what we are called to do, and that even though the road is hard, the outcome is worth our effort.

I think I can, I think I can, I think I can. 

As I step into homeschooling another year, I recognize my continual need for steady vision. When teaching 4 kids of different ages, interests, and needs, I can get overwhelmed with the task. It isn’t always easy. But I press ahead because I know that every little step is going to lead me to a full journey. I am not racing them to a finish line; I am guiding them to a full life, guarded by divine purpose and supported in love.

I am building a future.

That kind of work requires the right mindset, and the faithful follow-through. Without the mindset, I will give up before I see the progress. And without the follow-through, it doesn’t matter how great my ideas were, for they never grew feet to make a mark.

“Be faithful in small things, because it is in them that your strength lies.”
-Mother Teresa

Like a little engine, too small for its task, we can complete seemingly impossible tasks because of a God who is able to do beyond all that we ask or think. (Ephesians 3:20-21.)

Set your vision.

Push through.

As you push and huff and puff faithfully, enduring, you will see the other side of that mountain. 

I thought I could. I thought I could. I thought I could.

I created a vision casting worksheet to help you get a glimpse of where you are heading and how you want to get there. Check it out below!

Vision Casting Worksheet

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Botany Basics: Parts of a Flower

Flowers are such a beautiful area of study! They usually smell lovely, and they are designed to be gloriously beautiful. The flower’s petal serve to attract pollinators, who unknowingly enable plants to reproduce. As you learn the flower parts and their purpose, you can go outdoors, or even buy a bouquet, and see if you can identify the flower parts. Be forewarned, composite flowers such as dandelions, sunflowers and daisies are specially designed and may be very tricky to identify, as each petal is actually an individual flower, and their parts are sometimes labeled differently. Flowers like lilies, tulips, daffodils, and alstroemarias are great for dissection.
I’ve created a fun FREE PDF of visuals for identifying flower parts, and even a coloring page and assignment to solidify memorization. Get yours below. Enjoy discovering the marvelous beauty of flowers that make plant reproduction possible!

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Check out the full Life Science Workbook!

Jolie Canoli Life Science workbook is packed with playful illustrations, easy to understand science lessons, playful quizzes, and educational activities.  Perfect for elementary students studying Classification of Living Things, Biology and Botany.