Horton Hears a Who was written by by Dr. Seuss, whose real name was Theodor Seuss Geisel, in 1954. Cartoon versions were released in 1970 and 2008. You can watch the entire 1970 TV special on this video: In the picture book, Horton hears the sound of someone calling for… Continue reading
Do you observe Columbus Day on October 12 at your school? Some schools, cities, and even states have replaced Columbus Day with Indigenous People’s Day. We’d say that you still need to study Columbus in your American history lessons, even if you don’t observe Columbus Day. Whether you consider Christopher… Continue reading
Peter Pan was written by James M. Barrie a century ago as a play and then as a novel. You can find the text online at The Literature Network, but there’s also a beautiful book illustrated by Michael Foreman, or a Little Golden Book version based on the Walt Disney… Continue reading
When we visited Germany, we went to an ostrich farm. There are roughly 200 ostrich farms in Germany, about the same number as in the United States, even though the U.S. is much bigger than Germany. South Africa has the largest ostrich farming industry in the world — but there… Continue reading
South Africa is a diverse country in the Southern Hemisphere, so Christmas falls in the summer. Schools are closed for a month, businesses often close for a month as well, and many people go camping. Just as in Australia, Christmas in South Africa is often spent on the beach. Christmas… Continue reading
The Eiffel Tower, or Tour Eiffel, may be the most recognizable iconic image of Paris. It’s an iron latticework tower standing 300 meters tall. The tower gets its name from Gustave Eiffel, an engineer and the owner of the company that built it. Eiffel was also responsible for the… 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
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
Mother Goose rhymes are the ideal first experience of poetry for young children. One Mother Goose rhyme that many young kids will not have heard already — and which actually has sophisticated enough vocabulary for elementary kids as well — is The House that Jack Built: This is the house… Continue reading
“Stone Soup” is a fun story to read and to act out, and it presents a classic message. In the story, three soldiers traveling through a town ask for food, but in vain. The villagers feel too poor to share, and they decide together to hide their food and refuse… Continue reading
