We’re amazed by some of the books for kids and young adults which have been often banned and challenged. S-Collection has another list of challenged and banned kids’ books. A definitive list isn’t possible, simply because there isn’t a central banning and challenging agency or process. Some books may… Continue reading
Sandwiches are awesome enough to deserve their own day, and November 3 is that day, the birthday of the Earl of Sandwich. According to the story, said Earl didn’t like to leave the card table to get a meal, so he devised the sandwich as a quick pick me up… Continue reading
Weather mythology is a rich literary genre, with connections to science, critical thinking, and social studies. Here are some of our favorite lesson plans: Compare Thor and Zeus Thor is the Thunder God in Norse mythology. He has a magic hammer, a magic belt, and a cart pulled by a… Continue reading
Sure, there were bucking broncos and bulls to ride, but our favorite things at the Rodeo of the Ozarks were the sheep and the goats. Muttonbusting is an event in which little buckaroos attempt to ride sheep. It was a muddy evening when we went, so the kids were attempting… Continue reading
The story of Atlantis, the wonderful kingdom that sank beneath the ocean, captures student imaginations and provides terrific teachable moments for science, literature, and social studies. The only written record of Atlantis, and the origin of the story, is in the Dialogues of the Greek philosopher Plato, where he writes… Continue reading
“Retrofuture” refers to earlier ideas about what our current time would be like. Now that we’ve hit the 21st century, we have lots to choose from — people making predictions in the 1900s often chose the 21st century to write or draw or make movies about. Have your students explore… Continue reading
Some of our favorite robot lesson plans… Robot Design You can certainly build working robots in your classroom, using Lego Mindstorm: LEGO 8547 Mindstorms NXT 2.0 Robotics Kit LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT One-Kit Wonders: Ten Inventions to Spark Your Imagination The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT 2.0 Discovery Book: A Beginner’s Guide… Continue reading
Celebrate Cinco de Mayo in your classroom! Hold the margaritas, obviously, but otherwise it’s fiesta time! The first thing is to be sure not to call May 5 “Mexican Independence Day.” Mexico has an Independence Day in September. Cinco de Mayo is a day to celebrate the victory of a… Continue reading
It’s National Library Week, and libraries are certainly worth celebrating! In fact, April is also School Library Month, so you can keep your celebration going for quite a while. Some resources for National Library Week: The American Library Association has some social media events and contests. A PDF with ideas… Continue reading
What is an earthquake? An earthquake is movement of the earth that causes shaking and rolling of the earth. This is generally the result of movement of the tectonic plates of the earth, though some recent quakes where I live have, some say, been caused by unsafe methods of… Continue reading
