Most of the kinds of mammals in the world are bats — they’re actually the largest group of species in the world, with 1,000 different species living on all the continents except Antarctica. We’re lucky we have them, too, since they eat insects. Online resources: Bats: Creatures of the… Continue reading
If you have a pumpkin, you can have a quick, seasonal lesson. And, really, at this time of year there’s no reason not to have a pumpkin. Pumpkins are a variety of squash, related to cucumbers. They are natives of North America, but now are grown on all six inhabited continents.… Continue reading
Bats may be the first nocturnal creatures that come to mind, but actually there are lots more. Learn about some of the real creatures that sleep all day and wake up at night (links take you to informational websites): bats possums raccoons owls deer coyote fox mouse skunk weasel porcupines… Continue reading
Let kids try out their deductive skills with these mystery games and puzzles, both online and hands-on: MindWare Bella’s Mystery Deck is a set of 50 puzzles, with answers kids can check using the enclosed mirror. Bella is a 13 year old sleuth with a clever dog. The set… Continue reading
We don’t usually give beetles that much attention. Maybe we should: 20% of all known species living on the earth are beetles. The Ancient Egyptians greatly admired one particular type of beetle, the dung beetle, or scarab. Scarabs feature largely in Ancient Egyptian art. Dung beetles live on dung. They’re… Continue reading
Creepiness, sweets, and learning all in one — a great seasonal lesson! Continue reading
Chocolate is worth studying, and it can be a great classroom theme all year round. The very first thing to do, when you first start thinking about using the theme, is to write off to the chocolate companies explaining that you plan to do this in your classroom. They… Continue reading
A study of bones fits into lots of units, from archaeology to football. The bones above were created by Josepha from marshmallows, straight pretzel sticks, and white chocolate coating, a fun and slightly messy classroom project to kick off your bone study. Just put mini marshmallows on each end of… Continue reading
Your students may look on space exploration as an ordinary part of life, but it wasn’t always like that. Traveling into space was a dream for centuries before anyone accomplished it, and it was an amazing accomplishment. Look at the history of space exploration with some of these lessons: Space… Continue reading
