Magnets are magnificent. Their force is invisible, but its effects are found all around us. Magnets are used to hold schoolwork on refrigerators, they can help us find our way on a walk, and we even use them in televisions, computers, and MRI scanning machines where doctors can see inside the human body. How amazing …
All About Magnets: A Theme Unit for Elementary School Read More »
World’s best-selling crime writer with one-half billion books sold; and read in more than languages than Shakespeare—Check √ Creator of popular characters: Tommy & Tuppence, Hercule Poirot, and Miss Marple—Check √ Adaptations for movies: Murder on the Orient Express, Witness for the Prosecution; and long-running play: Mouse Trap—Check √ But did you know she had …
Octopuses are cool. Part of the Cephalopoda class (pronounced sef-uh-luh-pod), which is any member of the phylum Mollusca, a small group of highly advanced and organized marine animals including eight-armed octopuses, ten-armed squids, cuttlefishes, and the shelled chambered nautiluses. Octopus size is so varied it can be as gigantic as a school bus or as …
For years before the European explorers came upon American shores, the native nations prospered around the areas of the Southeastern areas known today as North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Louisiana. Discover traditional crafts of these tribes (Catawba, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Cherokee, Creek, and Seminole) –nations of people who lived in a …
Native American Crafts For Kids: Southeastern Nations Read More »
The weather is sometimes frightful – whether it’s a snowstorm, tornado, hurricane, or even an earthquake. No matter the crisis, the power usually goes out. It’s bad enough not to have lights, but without the use of electronics, our families freeze. What do we do with a generation that is in “need" of material objects …
Can you imagine days without crayons? Ever since these artistic tools were introduced in 1903, children have used them creatively. This versatile art material has become a staple on school supply lists and kids look forward to a new box each year. Teachers are finding new ways to create lessons with crayons across the curriculum. …
Most young children have difficulty learning and understanding the concept of time. It’s the passage of time and the use of clocks that plague them. Once this concept is mastered, children experience a feeling of independence and competence. Here are some facts and activities that make time telling a fun adventure. The History of Time …
Whether your theme is patriotic, constellation, holiday, or achievement, stars are the perfect symbol to use in your classroom. It’s iconic shape has been recognized for centuries and so fun to make as a project. Here are a few star crafts to make with your students. Paper Web Star This star is made with colorful …
Conversation Heart candies are those sweet-talking, heart-shaped confections that have kids of all ages enjoying the sayings and munching for years. Loads of colors, flavors, and sayings that change from year to year; these candies are over a century old. The New England Confectionery Company (NECCO) began manufacturing these hearts around the year 1902, but …
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February is National Children’s Dental Health Month – a great time to sink your teeth into a study of dental health. According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control), “cavities are one of the most chronic diseases of childhood in the United States…the good news is that cavities are preventable. “ About 1 of 5 …
Your students will love these ideas for making Halloween containers from recycled materials. They are fun to create and functional. A perfect place for teachers to fill with treats! Here are three to consider with photos and instructions. Monster Halloween Containers Ghouls, goblins, and monsters come to mind during this time of year. Whether it’s …
By all account’s snakes are shy, nervous and fast. There are more than 3,500 species and twenty percent of the snakes of the world are dangerous to humans. And the thought of snakes scares Americans the most too, beating out public speaking, fear of heights, thunder and lighting, and the dark. Ophidiophobia (pronounced: AW-fi-dee-a-foe-bee-a from the Greek) is a specific phobia, an abnormal fear of snakes (also referred to …
“Our passionate preoccupation with the sky, the stars, and a God somewhere in outer space is a homing impulse. We are driven to where we came from." –Eric Hoffer When we think there is “nothing new under the sun" we can look to nature and wildlife to realize there are still miracles and mystery. Scientists in the …
To find out what the Elgin Marbles are we have to first examine ancient history. The ‘cradle of the western world’ is a saying used to describe Ancient Greece. For thousands of years many of the things we do and say today have its origins back to Greek law, art, literature, and political thought. In architecture, for example, many major cities today have a building that is due in large …
In the 1960s baby aquatic turtles called hatchlings were all the rage. You could order them from catalogs and mail order, where they were packed in small turtle boxes, which often had advertising or other sales schtick on them. Parents felt like turtle owning was a good way to teach responsibility. Soon five-and-dime stores (also …
Beavers are often called, “Animals of mass destruction." Can that be? They are cute and furry, why all the fuss? North Americans have had a love-hate relationship with beavers for centuries. Humans love the beaver’s fur, yet they hate the destruction beavers do to the environment. Although today, that sentiment is changing. Let’s look at who the beavers are and …
Beaver Wars: The Virtues of the Animal North Americans Fought for Centuries Read More »
National Game and Puzzle Week is celebrated from November 21st thru the 27th and National Puzzle Day is January 29th. It’s a time to discover all types of “Arithmetricks" in the classroom by playing games and puzzles in mathematics that stimulate analytical thinking and challenge kids’ problem-solving skills. Below are a few ideas to try. …
Games and Puzzles in Mathematics for the Elementary Classroom Read More »
Many years before recorded history, the art of storytelling was used to entertain and teach about traditions, customs, and legends. Today, stories are commonly found in books, movies, television, and even music. In the classroom, spark imagination and creativity by introducing your students to a variety of ways to tell a story. Have the kids …
Norman Rockwell documented American life not with a camera or a pen but with illustrations that we all wished we could do as well. He created illustrations using models, but his models were from his hometown—they weren’t always pretty but they always had character. In fact, he was a character and should he be called upon to describe himself, he would say as he has said before, …
Technically speaking, a circle is a closed plane curve of which all points (edges) are at an equal distance from the center. Talk about circles and curves in class and then use these shape activities for preschoolers as learning tools. Using Movement to Learn About Circles Little learners will have fun using large motor activities …
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