Minecraft Math: Star Ways Day Pixel Art

Star Wars Day is here again and it’s a terrific time to integrate Star Wars activities into your STEM and other technology lessons. Many teachers think of science experiments when it comes to STEM, however, STEM is not just about science. It includes the integration of math and technology as well.

Today's post is about a pixel art STEM activity that integrates students’ love for Minecraft with their love for Star Wars. It can be a challenging activity and can take anywhere from several hours to several days to complete. There is a potential for students to get frustrated with this activity, so I recommend this activity for students in the middle elementary grades and above.

This is an updated version of a blog post I wrote when Minecraft was still in 1.9.  Disclosure: Affiliate links are included in this post.

Do You Speak Tree? by Josh Oaktree

In April 2021, Josh Oaktree wrote a graphic novel for children called Do You Speak Tree? Do You Speak Tree? is a wordless children's book with a powerful message to its readers... save our trees! It's about a tree named Oakie who is distraught when he sees his forest being cut down. Oakie seeks out help from his friend Art and together they organize a peaceful protest to halt its destruction. Keep reading to discover what happens next and to learn how you can use Do You Speak Tree? in the classroom.

Disclosure: Affiliate links are included in this post.

15+ Easy Spring Crafts for Kids

Hooray! Spring is on its way! This is a terrific time for some bright and cheerful arts and crafts for kids. Spring flowers, types of weather, rainbows, insects, and animals are popular themes during this time of year. The spring crafts featured in this round-up were created by moms and teachers from all over the internet. If you see a craft in this post that you'd like to try, click on its link and head to its original website for material lists, directions, photos, etc. There are lots of spring craft ideas in this post, so let's dive right in!

Disclosure: Affiliate links are included in this post.

How to Make an Afikomen Bag for Passover - Pesach

Passover. . . also known as Pesach. . . is a Jewish holiday that commemorates the Hebrews’ escape from Egypt. Passover lasts for seven days. During this time families have a special meal called a seder and read from the Haggadah that tells the story of how Moses led the Hebrews out of Egypt and into freedom. A fun Passover tradition for families is to have a scavenger hunt for afikomen. What is afikomen? What is its symbolism? Read on to learn the answers to these questions and how to make a simple afikomen craft.

Disclosure: Affiliate links are included in this post.

Meet the Mermaids: Hi, I'm Jenny by Lois Petren

Multicultural Children’s Book Day is an online children’s literacy event that occurs on the last Friday of every January. Valarie Budayr and Mia Wenjen created Multicultural Children’s Book Day (MCBD) several years ago as a way to celebrate diversity in children’s books while getting diverse books into the hands of young readers, parents, teachers, and librarians. Each year authors and publishers from around the world donate books to MCBD for bloggers to read and review. This year I received the book Meet the Mermaids: Hi, I'm Jenny. Meet the Mermaids: Hi, I'm Jenny... Hi, I'm Jenny for short... by Lois Petren is about a mermaid who wants to teach readers about positivity and self-confidence. Keep reading to learn more about this book!

Disclosure: Affiliate links to Amazon are included in this post.

Marlon Finds a Way by Dan Bailes

Have you ever watched a cat and wondered what is going on in its mind? Children's author Dan Bailes has! Dan Bailes recently released Marlon Finds a Way, a short chapter book about a cat named Marlon who wants to become friends with Silky the bird. Why would a cat want to become friends with a bird? What is Marlon thinking? In today's guest post Dan Bailes introduces us to Marlon, describes his book Marlon Finds a Way, and provides some discussion questions about the book you can use during your language arts lessons. Read on to learn more!

This is a guest post written by author Dan Bailes. To learn more about guest posts, please read the Authors, Publishers, and Sponsors page. Disclosure: Affiliate links are included in this post.

The Truck That Wanted to Be a Submarine by C. and S. Dunlop

March 17 of each year is famously known for being St. Patrick’s Day. What very few people know is that it’s also Submarine Day! Yes, there is a quirky holiday dedicated to the love of submarines. I recently discovered a cute, little book would be a fun read aloud for Submarine Day. It’s called The Truck That Wanted to Be a Submarine and is written by C. and S. Dunlop. The Truck That Wanted to Be a Submarine is about... well... a truck that wanted to be a submarine and its friend who helped it change into one. Keep reading to learn more about how you can use this story with your language arts lessons.

This is an updated version of a blog post I wrote in 2016... one of my first blog posts ever. 

Disclosure: Affiliate links are included in this post.

20+ Spring STEM Experiments and Activities

Spring is a terrific time to conduct STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math) experiments and activities in your classroom. Plant life cycles, types of weather, and the water cycle are popular STEM themes during this time of year. The STEM experiments and activities featured in this round-up were created by moms and teachers from all over the internet. If you see an activity in this post that you'd like to try, click on its link and head to its original website for material lists, directions, photos, etc. There are lots of spring activities in this post, so let's dive right in!

Chinese Dragons Paper Bag Puppets Craft

Several months ago, I wrote a blog post about the children's book Brandon Goes to Beijing (北京) by Eugenia Chu. Brandon Goes to Beijing (北京) is the second book in a multilingual series written in English, Pinyan, and Chinese.  Since then, Eugenia Chu has released another children's book related to Chinese culture. This book is called Celebrating Chinese New Year and is packed full of crafts, games, recipes, and information about the Chinese New Year. In today's post, I'm sharing some fun photos of the paper bag Chinese dragon puppets we made using the directions from Eugenia Chu's new book. Check them out!

 

Disclosure: Affiliate links to Amazon are included in this post.

Hannah's Two Homes by Melodie Tegay

About a year ago, I wrote a blog post about the children's book Living in Two Homes Is Tough by child author Abby Cadet. Abby's book is based on her personal experiences of having divorced parents and how she felt about splitting her time between her parents' houses. In today's guest post, author Melodie Tegay tells us about her children's book Hannah's Two Homes: Life in a "Blended" Family-- A 5 Year Old's Perspective. Hannah's Two Homes gives us another insight into what it's like for children to have two homes. Keep reading to learn more about Hannah's Two Homes and how Melodie Tegay came up with the idea for her story!

This is a guest post written by Meldoie Tegay. To learn more about guest posts, please read the Authors, Publishers, and Sponsors page. Disclosure: Affiliate links to Amazon are included in this post.