Little Red Riding Hood is one of the best known of the Perrault and Grimms fairy tales. In it, a little girl carries a basket of sustaining food and drink to her sick grandmother. She has been warned by her mother not to stray from the path, but she is… Continue reading
Boats are in many ways central to the human experience, so why not try out some classroom activities centered on boats? We’ll look at science and social studies from this exciting perspective. Trend has a sailing bulletin board set available. The “All Hands on Deck” Classroom jobs set would go… Continue reading
If social distancing for coronavirus is a challenge, it might be helpful to know that six feet is the length of the average adult llama. So all you need to do is keep enough room for a llama between you and other people when you’re out and about. There’s another… Continue reading
The Pied Piper of Hamelin is unusual, in that it is both a fairy tale (a story with magical elements) and a legend (a story based on real events). The story is a simple one. The town of Hamelin (or Hameln, a real town in Germany) was overrun by rats.… Continue reading
The Last King of Angkor Wat is a beautiful book by Graeme Base. Younger students will enjoy the story, a fable about a group of animal friends. Older students will get a good introduction to a study of Cambodia, where Angkor Wat — the largest religious structure in the world… Continue reading
“Master of all Masters” is a very simple story in its essence. A new servant is told by her master to call various things by new and special names. The cat is to be “white-faced siminy,” the fire is to be called “hot cockalorum,” and so on. The climax of the… Continue reading
Talk to a parent who uses a child leash and you’ll hear that they’re determined to keep their kids safe. You’ll hear about their fear that their son or daughter might run off or step into a busy street. Just a few seconds of inattention, they say, can lead to… Continue reading
Christmas in Australia is influenced by European traditions, but there are some big differences. Christmas takes place in the summer in Australia, since it’s in the Southern Hemisphere. That’s an excellent opportunity for a science lesson. For this activity, you’ll need some things: Make word cards with the names of… Continue reading
France is the home of many of our favorite Christmas carols and probably of the whole idea of Christmas carols, so a study of Christmas in France is nice for music class. The season for celebration lasts from the feast of St. Nicholas on December 6th to the Feast of… Continue reading
Seasonal geography lessons make a satisfying study and a great way to cover all the bases before leaving for winter break. Here are some of our favorite ideas for studying Christmas in Mexico in the classroom. Tomie de Paolo has done some wonderful books for this study. The Legend… Continue reading
