Botanical gardens are sort of like zoos for plants. We visited the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks, a small but wonderful garden linked to Lake Fayetteville by an equally wonderful five mile bike and walking trail. You may have a local botanical garden or a park with gardens worth visiting.… Continue reading
“The Ugly Duckling” is not a fairy tale, since there are no magical elements, and it is not a folk tale, since we know that it was written by Hans Christian Andersen in 1844. It is probably best described as a fable– that is, a story that makes a point… Continue reading
Sea shanties are a part of the great genre of work songs. Sailors used the rhythm of the songs to keep together when rowing, hauling up sails, and doing other cooperative work. They also enjoyed music during their downtime. Pirate musicians, according to documents preserved from pirate ships, only had… Continue reading
“The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse” is one of Aesop’s fables. It is also found in the fables of La Fontaine. The basic story is this: a town mouse visits a country mouse and is scornful of the country mouse’s simple life. The country mouse goes to town to… Continue reading
“The Three Billy Goats Gruff” is a Norwegian folk tale. Three goats want to visit a distant field to get some enticing green grass, but must cross over a bridge with a troll living under it. They go one at a time, from the youngest to the oldest. The troll… Continue reading
“The Little Mermaid” is a story by Hans Christian Andersen. Since it was made into an animated film by Disney, it is well-known and popular, but there may also be confusion in younger students’ minds between the two versions. If you like the Disney version, you can make short work of… Continue reading
“Chicken Little” is a very good story for young students, with its high level of repetition and simple, cumulative story. But I also like it as a lead-in to disaster preparedness issues for the older ones. “Chicken Little” is also sometimes called “Chicken Licken.” It is even sometimes called “Henny… Continue reading
From preschoolers who love to play with toy trucks to high school students discovering all the jobs involved in logistics and freight transport, everyone can learn something from a good lesson about trucks. Scroll down to find lessons at different grade levels. Preschool and Kindergarten Read books about trucks: My… Continue reading
The Gingerbread Boy is a popular folktale, and makes a great classroom theme at this time of year. In the story, a Gingerbread Boy (or a Gingerbread Man) is baked and runs away. As he is running off, he meets various animals or people, all of whom try to catch… Continue reading
I’m getting ready for summer school. You may be finishing out your year or looking forward to beginning a new school year in August. We all need classroom themes that capture the fun and sun of summer. Here are some of our favorite classroom theme ideas for summer classrooms: Jungle… Continue reading
