Spiders make a fascinating subject of study for preschool and kindergarten students. Young students should know some spider rhymes: The eensy weensy spider went up the water spout Down came the rain and washed the spider out Up came the sun and dried up all the rain And the… Continue reading
Hot air balloons make a great classroom theme. Lighter than air flight seemed a lot more plausible than heavier-than-air flight and was more popular for a long time. Even now, balloon travel is in many ways more exciting than airplane travel. Enjoy a hot air balloon theme as a symbol… Continue reading
Elephants lend themselves to lots of classroom themes: circus, jungle, zoo,the letter E… Enjoy some elephantine fun in your classroom. Make elephant handprints by having kids dip their hands into gray paint and then, with fingers spread, press their hands onto paper. Turn the handprint over when it dries and… Continue reading
Need some good books for Earth Day? Here are some fine ones. Check your library. Earth Day: An Alphabet Book The EARTH Book by Todd Parr is simple and straighforward. The Earth and I by Frank Asch is a sweet book about being friends with the Earth. It’s Earth… 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
April is National Poetry Month. Most of us teach poetry at some time, for some reason. Whether it’s nursery rhymes for essential pre-reading skills for the littlest students or sonnets for the AP exam, rhymes to help remember math facts or opportunities to express emotion in acceptable forms, most… Continue reading
Novels are a wonderful way to get a deeper sense of a time period, and there are some excellent novels for kids and young adults set during the Civil War. Here are some of our favorites: Pink and Say, by Patricia Polacco, is a very touching book, and very sad.… Continue reading
Learn about Greek mythology and the earth science explanation of the seasons by studying the story of Persephone, the goddess of spring. In Greek mythology, Demeter was the goddess of the harvest. She had a daughter, Persephone, whom she loved dearly. As Persephone grew up, she became so lovely that… Continue reading
Jump!, by Scott M. Fischer, is fun any time of year, but we see it as a great choice for the beginning of school, when we all have to get used to getting up and getting going again. The book shows one creature after another sleeping or going about its… Continue reading
