With plenty of sunshine during the summer months, it’s the perfect time to try making a paper plate sundial. 

Your child will get plenty of practice telling time, learning about the Earth’s rotation and its affect on shadows, doing a little bit of writing, and even get some time outside.  

Plus, this one is also easy enough for kids to do on their own, making it one of our favorite simple STEM activities for kids.  

Before the invention of modern clocks and watches, ancient people people watched the position of the sun and the shadow on a sundial to help keep track of time.

In this activity your child will  make a homemade sundial and discover how to use the sun to keep track of time.

This solar STEM activity is fun, quick to set-up, and uses materials you probably already have at home, making it a win-win for everyone involved.

Your child will also love these other paper plate STEM activities. 

Paper Plate Sundial 

Materials Needed:

• Sturdy Paper Plate  
• Sharpened Pencil
• Permanent Marker
• Watch
• Tape

Use the point of your pencil to poke a hole in the center of your paper plate.  Try not to make the hole any bigger than it needs to be.  Having a snug fit will help keep the pencil stable.  

Turn the plate upside down, with the pencil poking through so the eraser end can rest flat on the ground beneath the plate.  

Use a bit of tape to secure the pencil to the plate with the pointed end standing up.  For best results you want your pencil to be straight up and down (perpendicular to the paper plate).  

Check the clock. 

A few minutes before the clock strikes the next hour, take your materials outside and place your plate in a flat area that gets plenty of sunshine.    This will allow you to start marking the hours on your sundial right away. 

Either tape the rim of the plate to the ground, or use a few small rocks to help weigh it down so it doesn’t blow away.  

Each hour on the hour go outside and use your permanent marker to draw a line along the pencil’s shadow on the plate.   Write the time next to the line you draw.

Try to do this several hours in a row if possible.  Do you notice any patterns?  

If weather permits, leave your sundial outside overnight and check its accuracy the next day.

How a Sundial Works

People can use sundials to keep track of time by observing where the shadow falls on its surface.  The same can be done with this diy sundial for kids.   

During the day the sun seems to move across the sky because the Earth is slowly spinning on its axis.  The different position of the sun in the sky during the day causes the shadow on the sundial to change.

Each day the sun is close to the same position in the sky as it was the day before at that same time. This allows your homemade sundial to be fairly accurate.   

You will also notice that when the sun’s position changes, the length of the shadow on the sundial also changes.  

In the morning the shadow continues to get shorter and shorter as noon approaches.  Then, in the afternoon, the shadow gets longer and longer.  

Try These after Making a Sundial with a Paper Plate

• Try making a more permanent sundial by sticking a strong stick into the ground and placing rocks around it to mark the hours. You can even write the hours with permanent marker on the rocks. It could be a fun addition to an outdoor play area or flower garden.
• Stand in the driveway or on a sidewalk and have someone trace your shadow with sidewalk chalk. Mark the time next to your shadow. Go back and do this again, standing in the same spot. Check out how the shape and direction of your shadow changes in your human sundial.

You may also enjoy these posts:

• Create a Sundial in the Sand
• How to Make Solar Prints
• Awesome Backyard Camp Activities 

Originally published July 2019.

The post How to Make a Paper Plate Sundial — Simple STEM Activity first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

Ask any elementary student and I bet they’ll say some of their favorite assignments have been STEM activities.

These Paper Plate STEM Challenges are perfect for doing in the classroom or at home.

This year there is so much uncertainty when it comes to school. 

Maybe you’re a teacher trying to plan engaging lessons for your kids to do in the classroom, that they could also do at home if needed.  Maybe you’re a parent and trying to gather ideas to keep your child busy and learning.    

Whatever situation you find yourself in,  STEM is a great place to start.  

It keeps kids engaged, and STEM (or STEAM) doesn’t have to be expensive.   Many times you can find the materials you need right in your recycling, like in this simple cardboard tube marble run  and this simple mechanical hand project.

All of the materials in these STEM activities with paper plates can be found at your local dollar store.  

Paper Plate STEM Activities

Paper Plate Water Wheel —  Explore how water wheels work and the power of water with this fun hands-on activity.  

Paper Plate Fractions —  Is your child learning about equivalent fractions?  Create your own set of manipulatives to help them better visualize and understand what all those fractions mean.  

Window Greenhouse —   Make your own mini greenhouse to hang in the window.  This simple project is perfect for showing kids how seeds sprout and grow.  It would be fun to do with preschoolers or as part of a botany unit with elementary students.  

Paper Plate Roller Coaster — Use the edge of thick paper plates to engineer your very own swirly marble roller coaster.  

Interactive Paper Plate Calendar —  Kids will have fun building their very own interactive calendar to keep track of the days of the week and the date.  

Paper Plate Marble Maze —  Colorful paper tunnels make this simple maze activity a fun preschooler STEM activity.  

Paper Plate & Straw Maze —  Kids of all ages will have fun designing mazes for their friends to try.  

Paper Plate Spinners — Make colorful spinning tops using coins and paper plates.  Then test to see which coins work best.  

Magnet Maze — This is a simple hands-on activity to demonstrate the power of magnets.  Can your child keep their bell on the squigly maze by using their magnet?  

Sundial Activity —  Whether your child is learning about ancient civilizations or how the planets move, this paper plate STEM project is fun to make.  

No matter what age your child is, they will have fun with these paper plate STEM challenges.  

They’ll also enjoy:

• How to Make Crystal Egg Geodes
• Building an Electromagnet
• Pendulum Painting
• Taking Apart Electronics 

The post Easy STEM Activities with Paper Plates first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

Sometimes it is hard for kids to understand how fractions fit together to make a whole.  

Manipulatives are a great way to help kids visualize tricky math concepts. 

You can make your own paper plate faction manipulatives to use in this equivalent fractions hands on activity.

For more fun ways to teach fractions, check out these other hands-on activities for equivalent fractions.

We’ve talked about fractions while talking about measuring cups and working on money, but my kids were struggling with understanding how different fractions could be put together.  

This fraction activity really helped. 

My kids had fun decorating our paper plate fraction pieces with colorful sprinkles and turning them into cookies.

You could also leave the plates plain or turn them into pepperoni pizzas.  Letting your child decide how to decorate them will make it more meaningful for them.

No matter how they decorate them, you will cut and label the plates following the directions below.

Equivalent Fractions Hands on Activity

Use a black permanent marker to label one paper plate 1 whole.

Fold another paper plate in half, making sure the edges match.  Crease the fold and then carefully cut along it.  Label each portion 1/2.

To make your fourths, fold and cut another plate into halves.  Then fold those half portions in half again and cut them apart.  Label these each as 1/4.

Do the same thing to make the eighths, and then fold the fourths in half again, making sure the edges line up.  After cutting on the fold lines, label each portion as 1/8.

If desired, you could follow this method to make slices that are each 1/16.

By placing all the corresponding pieces together on top of the 1 whole plate, you can easily show your child how they add up to one whole. 

This makes it easy for your student to see that eight 1/8 pieces equal a whole and four 1/4 pieces equal a whole.

You can also make 1/3 and 1/6 pieces for your child to work with.

To make 1/3 pieces and 1/6 pieces, start by folding a paper plate in half and cutting along the fold. Then fold one side of each half over 1/3 of the way and fold the other side over. Carefully line up the edges, crease the folds, and cut along the folded lines. Label these as 1/6.

To make 1/3 pieces, use one of your 1/6 pieces and line the edge up along the edge of a blank paper plate.

Use a pencil to draw a line along one side of this piece, then lay a second 1/6 piece right next to it and use the pencil to draw a line on the other side of it, creating a piece that is 1/3 of your paper plate.

Do this again to equally divide the plate into three pieces. Label these as 1/3.

For more math ideas, check out these DIY math manipulatives to help teach double digit addition and subtraction.  

Equivalent Fractions Activity

The paper plate fractions are great for learning how to create a whole using all the symmetrical pieces, like all the 1/8 and all the 1/3 pieces.

They are also good for teaching equivalent fractions.

By placing 1/4 pieces onto the halves, your child can see that it take two fourths to equal one half.  They can also use these pieces together to find new ways to create a whole.

You can continue this with other fractions.

How many 1/6 pieces does it take to equal 1/2?

After working through several together, allow your child to explore the fractions on their own.  Remind them that pieces must fit side by side without overlapping.

How many different ways can they use the fractions to create a whole?

Adding and Subtracting Fractions Hands on Activities

You can also use the paper plate pieces to work on adding fractions with common denominators.

Line up several fractions with the same denominator (number on the bottom).  Show your child how 1/8 + 1/8 + 1/8 = 3/8.     Demonstrate a few other problems before letting them explore further on their own.

These simple DIY fraction manipulatives are perfect for equivalent fractions activities.

Being able to put the smaller fractions together to form larger fractions allows kids to really see how the fractions are related and makes a tricky math skill easier to learn.

Looking for other fraction ideas?  Check out the printable Fraction Flowers from Teach Beside Me.

You might also enjoy these hands-on learning activities:

• 15 Fun Ways to Practice Math Facts at Home 
• Paper Plate STEM Activities 
• Printable Punctuation Mark Stick Puppets 
• Exploring Magnetism
• ABC’s & 123’s: 40+ Hands-On Activities for Alphabet and Number Skills 

Originally published January 18, 2018. 

The post Make Learning about Fractions Fun with This Hands-On Activity for Equivalent Fractions first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

Kids learn best when they are having fun. 

That’s what makes hands-on learning opportunities, like science and engineering challenges, so valuable in the classroom and at home.  

You are probably familiar with the growing push for STEM activities for kids.

These challenges allow kids to get creative, test out their ideas, and learn while having fun.  

This Water Wheel STEM Activity is a fun, hands-on way for kids to explore the power of water.  

Water wheels are often referred to as water mills.  Long ago the power of water was used in mills to help grind flour and for other tasks.

Water wheels can also be used to generate electricity.

This paper plate STEM activity allows kids to explore how water wheels work.  

For more water powered STEM fun, challenge your child to make a rubber band boat.

Water Wheel STEM Activity 

Affiliate links have been provided below for your convenience.  See my full disclosure for more details. 

Materials Needed:

• 2 heavy duty paper plates
• 6 mini plastic cups (3 oz. size)
• Wood skewer
• Duct tape

Carefully use the tip of your wood skewer to poke a hole through the center of each paper plate.

Turn one paper plate over so the bottom faces up.  

Arrange your 6 plastic cups in a circle around the bottom of the plate.  The bottom of the cups should all face the hole you placed in the plate’s center, with the cup’s tops touching the edge of the plate’s inner ring.  Try to keep the cups evenly spaced. 

Secure each cup in place with a thin strip of duct tape.  You can make your water wheel even more fun by using colorful duct tape, like we did.  

Thread the skewer through the hole in the plate.  Then thread the other plate onto the skewer, next to the cups, so that both plate bottoms touch the cups.

Use a small piece of tape to secure each of the cups to the second plate.

Once your cups are secure, your paper plate water wheel is ready to test out.

Take it to an empty bathtub or kitchen sink.   (As an alternative, you could hold the water wheel over a large 5 gallon bucket and have someone pour water over the wheel using an empty milk jug or pitcher.)

Turn on the water so it is running gently.  Hold the ends of the skewer with both hands and place the wheel under the faucet.

The wheel should spin as the water hits the cups. 

How Water Wheels Work

In this version, the plastic cups are acting like the buckets you see on real water wheels.

Because it is moving, the water has kinetic energy.  You are using that energy to get the water wheel to spin.

As the water fills the bucket at the top of the wheel, the gravity and the weight of the water in the bucket causes the wheel to rotate around the axis (your wood skewer).  As the water in the top bucket moves and begins to spill below, the following cups fill with water.  

The cycle continues as long as there is water filling the top cup.

Extensions for this Paper Plate STEM Activity:

• What happens if you turn the water on faster?
• How could you change the water wheel’s design if you wanted it to work with water being directed at it sideways instead of having the water hitting it from above?
• Can you build a new water wheel that uses paddles instead of cups to work?  

This paper plate water wheel STEM activity is fun to engineer and will teach kids about the power of water, as well as kinetic energy. 

It would also pair nicely with a history lesson to demonstrate how water mills once worked.  

You can find this activity, and over 50 more, in my book, Awesome Engineering Activities for Kids. 

You may also enjoy these posts:

• • How to Make Crystal Egg Geodes
  • Build a CD Hovercraft
  • Engineer a Catapult 
  • Classic Egg Drop STEM Activity

The post Water Wheel STEM Activity first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

As we watched the snow falling outside our window the other day it seemed like we were looking at a giant snow globe.

It inspired this fun paper plate snow globe craft.

Last week’s snow, followed by super cold temperatures, meant we did a lot of staying inside and just looking at the winter wonderland outside our window.  Thank goodness for these fun ways to beat cabin fever!

Kids crafts are always a fun way to beat boredom caused by being stuck in the house.  You might want to check out this beautiful snowflake painting craft, too!

Affiliate links are used below.  See my full disclosure for more details. 

Paper Plate Snow Globe

Materials Needed:

• Paper Plate
• Blue Construction Paper
• Plastic Wrap
• Markers
• Clear Tape
• Glue Stick
• Silver Glitter Glue 
• Fake Plastic Snow 

To make your own snow globe craft, start by cutting the center out of a paper plate.

Use the center of the plate to trace a circle on blue construction paper.

Have your child use markers to draw a scene for their snow globe on the blue paper.  My kids chose to draw a tree.  Your child could also draw a snowman or Christmas tree.

Use the glue stick to secure a piece of plastic wrap to the inside of the paper plate so it covers the hole you cut out.  Make sure to hold the plastic wrap snugly in place.  Use a couple pieces of clear tape to help hold the plastic while the glue dries.

Once your child has finished drawing the scene for their snow globe, lay the construction paper on the plastic wrap.

Make sure you can see the drawing through the plate’s center.

Before taping the plate to the construction paper, it’s time to add a bit of snow to the snow globe!

We tried two different ideas.  You can see how they worked out below and choose the one you like the best.

My daughter chose to paint the inner portion of plastic wrap with glitter glue and then sprinkle a bit more glitter on for a sparkly winter wonderland.

My son chose to use a bit of fake snow (you could also use a small amount of white confetti).

First he painted a bit of glitter glue onto the plastic wrap, and then he carefully sprinkled the snow on top.

Once your snow is in place, use clear tape to secure the construction paper circle to the paper plate.

If desired, your child can also decorate the outside of the paper plate.

This paper plate snow globe craft looks beautiful hanging up.  It’s a fun winter decoration your child will be proud to show off.

You may also like these posts:

• Adorable Snowman Crafts
• Fizzing Snow
• Water Beads in Snow
• Melting Snowman STEM Activity 

Originally published January 12, 2015.

The post Paper Plate Snow Globe Craft first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

Soon it will be time for water balloon fights, camping, trips to the swimming pool, and fun summer kids crafts.

Summer is busy.  These summer paper plate crafts are a simple way to squeeze in craft time.

When it comes to summer crafts for kids, you just can’t beat simple.  

Paper plate crafts are perfect for just that reason — they are usually simple and fun to make.  

Your child may also enjoy this simple seashell craft idea.  

Summer Paper Plate Crafts

Paper Plate Seagull — This simple paper plate craft will remind you of all the seagulls in Finding Nemo.

Watermelon Craft —  Watermelon crafts are perfect for summer.  This one will have you ready to cut into the classic summer treat.

Paper Plate Dream Catchers — These would be perfect as a summer craft for older kids.

Octopus Craft — Young kids will love this cute craft idea.  

Paper Plate Sunflower —  Get your camera ready!  Preschoolers will have fun posing with this sunflower craft that is perfect for summer. 

Paper Plate Pirate —  Ahoy!  Get ready to hunt for buried treasure with this fun craft idea.  

Paper Plate Seashells —  Missing the beach?  Check out this seashell craft for kids. 

Under the Sea Craft —  Bring the magic of the ocean to your home.

Paper Plate Puffer Fish —  Kids will have fun making these colorful fish, using a special painting technique. 

Sea Turtle —  Turn that paper plate into a fun sea turtle that can even be used as a puppet.  Perfect for toddlers.  

Orca Whale Craft — This would be the perfect complement to a mini ocean animals study.

Feathery Paper Plate Flower —  Learn how you can use feathers to turn paper plates into colorful flowers, perfect for party decorations.

Rocking Paper Plate Shark —  This kids craft would be perfect to make for Shark Week.   Then you can have fun playing a few DIY Shark Party Games and snuggle up and read a few good shark books.

Get ready to make memories this summer with outdoor water activities and a few of these fun summer paper plate crafts.

Looking for more summer fun?

• Make Scrumptious S’mores in a DIY Solar Oven
•  Awesome Camp Crafts
• Simple Squirt Gun Painting 

The post Paper Plate Crafts for Summer first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.