Groundhog Day is February 2. An old name for February 2nd is “Candlemas.” An Old Scots saying holds that, “If Candlemas is bright and clear, there’ll be two winters in the year.” Europeans had various animals (bears, badgers, hedgehogs…) looking out of their dens or burrows on Candlemas to see… Continue reading
Here are our favorite online resources for math, including games to play in the compauter center: Absurd Math: Pre-Algebra from Another Dimension MIT’s free online math courses for high school Mathbun, a sort of free-floating celebration of geometry and other cool math concepts Create a Graph is an excellent… Continue reading
Is Christmas actually celebrated at the North Pole? We think so. Examining this question lets you look at both actual and fictional geography. The North Pole is not on land, actually, but on ice in international waters. The countries nearby include Canada, the United States (Alaska, specifically), Russia, Greenland, Iceland,… Continue reading
As the weather turns colder, we need a chilly theme for the classroom. Mittens are a great one! It’s nice to have a fun theme that doesn’t involve holidays, and this one may even help your students remember to wear their mittens. There are lots of mitten designs in… 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
The Little Red Hen is a familiar story, and one that all kids ought to know. In the story, the Little Red Hen plants wheat, harvests it, and bakes bread to feed her family. At every stage, she asks for help, saying “Who will help me plant the wheat?” and so on.… Continue reading
When we study about communities, there are three things we can mean by the word “community.” Usually we study all of them. A community is a place. Learn to read the name of the town where you live, find it on the map, and identify your own neighborhoods, the location of… Continue reading
Is Peggy Rathmann’s Good Night, Gorilla really a classic? I think so. For little children, this nearly wordless book provides just the right amount of plot and character. There’s wit and suspense. If you’re three, it’s absolutely gripping. The story is simple. The gorilla steals the zookeeper’s keys as the… Continue reading
Under the Sea or Ocean is one of the most popular themes for summer school. It’s also great for Sunday School or VBS, and it makes a good start to the school year, especially for those of us who go back to school in the hot weather. There are lots… Continue reading
I love graphic organizers! I hope you do too. Here are some of the reasons that I love them: For many people, graphic organizers provide the fastest way to grasp information. You can expect that at least some of the kids in your classroom will fall into that category. Everyone… Continue reading
