Shells Skip Counting and 3-Part Cards Freebie
Scroll down for the shells skip counting and 3-part cards freebie printables.
Dear Reader,
If you have ever been far from home for a long time, you have probably started to get homesick. There really is nothing like sleeping in your own bed with your own pillow that is just right. But what if your house followed you everywhere? You could never be free of it, it is always there like a shadow. Starts to sound like a horror movie, yes?
If your children are of the age where they might associate shells with the creature has died, I recommend you have a strategy on hand. Something like, Mr. Crab went to the Sea in the Sky and didn’t need the shell anymore and wanted someone else to appreciate his former home. This may actually help your child develop a deeper respect for shells and what they represent beyond a pretty memento of a fun day at the beach.
For full disclosure, shells can also be found on freshwater shores although in lesser quantity and often smaller in size. Generally, the warmer the water, the larger the shells, although it also depends on the creature who made the shell.
So the next time you go to the beach, perhaps you will look at the shells differently. It’s quite amazing that a creature could create their own home and leave something for us to appreciate after they have left this world. I still maintain however that cephalopods and starfish are just creepy. Starfish are actually vicious predators. I can’t quite look at Peaches (from Finding Nemo) as a harmless cute creature although the find a happy place line is a classic.
For many creatures, the home going where they go is part of their routine daily life. They take their house everywhere they go, retreat into it during times of trouble, and only are free of it when either they outgrow their current house or they leave the mortal coil of this world.


Yours Sincerely,
I. Reid

See also more free printables and activities:
You might also like other guest posts by i-Reid at this link.
Science Free
This page has links to free science printable blog posts. The printables and resources are available at the blog post links. There are more, so please use the search bar in the top right of each page to search for other resources.

The bubbling snowman is simply a version of using baking soda and vinegar which children never seem to become tired of doing. When the bubbling begins, it looked like it is snowing. Please see the blog post here for more information and a short video.
Vertebrates/invertebrates sort, free PDF, instant download at the blog post.
Leaf-shaped 3-part cards printable — download at this blog post link.
Math and nature Fibonacci posters can be downloaded in the free eMember area.
Links to several science posts about bugs, insects, bees, butterflies, and plants
Sugar-water density experiment — very fun!

A free printable with matching cards for teaching about bogs is at this blog post. The suggested text is not required for using the cards in the PDF, but some source of information would be nice to have on hand.

Information about a free magnets printable is at this blog post. The printable will be found in our free eMembers area.

Free student interactive notebook printable for studying plants on the prairie at this blog post. What plants and animals live on the prairie? Find out in this printable.

Observe and journal about a tree for an outdoors science activity. Visit the same tree a each season of the year to notice what is happening. More information and a free PDF is available at the blog post.

Have you see the dancing dime experiment to demonstrate that warm air takes up more space than cold air? See the post at this link for more information as well as a very short video.

Solar Bead Necklaces are amazing for children but do not tell the secret while inside and working on the project. Let children discover for themselves how the sun causes these beads to reveal their colors. They will be happy to share the information with you! For information please see the blog post at this link.

Watch Me Grow, Rabbit is a nonfiction book for children with facts, information, and photos that show how rabbits grow and live. The free printable at the blog post has a worksheet and answer key to accompany the text.

Science experiments at home using test tubes, nature print paper activities, and breaking open geodes. See the information at this blog post.

Free activity: Traveling Water Experiment at this blog post

Build a solar oven and bake smores (free printable at the post)

STEM with recycled newspapers, old-fashioned fun

Grow crystals over night using tissue paper instead of coal, and a few household ingredients. See information and printable directions which open here.
Little Art City on the Prairie: Impressions of Faulkton South Dakota
Written by I. Reid, Gary L. Wilhelm, and Carolyn Wilhelm, Cover Illustrator Pieter Els
The beauty of the prairie and the loveliness of the area inspired the main author, I. Reid. Faulkton is an example of a city that refused to simply exist (and perhaps become obsolete) and turned to its arts council for ideas.
A Mom: What is an Adoptive Mother? Children’s Book
What is a mother? A mother is the same whether children are adopted or biological. In this story, the child has been adopted. It is written from the viewpoint of the child to help explain mother is the same in any family. Mom helps check under the bed for monsters, reads books, and watches movies with the girl. She does the same things every mother does. Visually, the images show a white mother and an Asian daughter. The main author, I-Reid, has previously written blog posts for this blog, and now she has written her first children’s picture book.
Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu Book Review by I. Reid
See my book review of Bunnicula at this link. There is a free instant PDF download educational printable at the link as well.
Chinese Zodiac Free Printable Activities and information written by I. Reid
Here is a link to my informational post for parents to help them understand the ratings for Japanese Manga books.
Discussion questions for the movie and book, Howl’s Moving Castle (free instant download at the blog post)
Read about American farm horses and enjoy 3 freebies at that post, as well.
I love horses, so naturally, there is a second horse post. This post has a graphing freebie.
My own review of A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park is towards the end of this post with a free literature unit supplement for teachers.
I have traveled extensively, and have written a post with 8 top travel tips for you to consider.
After my trip to Shanghai, I contributed to this presentation freebie as well.
Experiments are fun, and this post tells about both the dancing dime as well as the dry ice experiments I described.
I added information to the shells Montessori post at this link.
I added information to the shells Montessori post at this link.
Critique of Two Books About the Champawat Tiger: Man-Eaters of Kumaon and No Beast So Fierce by I-Reid
A Wrinkle in Time Movie Review by I. Reid
Happy Lunar New Year and Spring Festival 2022 informational blog post by I. Reid
Blog posts by I. Reid include book reviews, science, history, and travel.