Fun Facts About Mountain Lions and P22

Earlier this year I wrote a blog post about the children's book The Cat That Changed America by Tony Lee Moral.  The Cat That Changed America tells a fictionalized account of the mountain lion P22 that lives in Griffith Park in downtown Los Angeles.  Even though P22 is a bit of a celebrity in the Los Angeles area, people outside of Los Angeles were surprised to learn there really is a mountain lion living in the middle of the city!  They wanted to learn more about P22 and mountain lions in general.  In this blog post, I'll be sharing five fun facts about mountain lions and relating them to P22.  Keep reading to learn more!

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

 

How to Make Seed Paper Hearts

Earlier this year I wrote a blog post about Love Grows Love, a children's book by Lauren Fischer.  Love Grows Love teaches children about emotions and empathy.  Making seed paper is a fun craft that can be used as a follow-up enrichment activity to reading Love Grows Love, as a standalone craft for Earth Day, or as a part of your science lessons about seeds and plants.  

Be warned... making seed paper is is a deceptively simple activity.  It's fun, has very few steps to follow, and won't cost much when you buy the supplies at the store.  Sounds great, yes?  Making seed paper in the classroom, however, can be messy and a time-consuming process.  It can take several days from start to finish to make seed paper.  This craft isn't for everyone.  Keep reading to learn what you will need to make seed paper and the directions.  Then let us know in the comments if you think you might give this craft a try!

Back-to-School Crafts for Kids

It's almost time to head back to school!  Celebrate the beginning of the school year with some of the crafts in this post.  The 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 cute activities in this post, so let's dive right in!

15 Children's Books for the First Day of School

Are you looking for some children's books to read with your students during the first week of school?  Here is a collection of 15 of my favorite back-to-school books you should check out.  Some of these are classics I read with my students back in the 90s.  Others are 'new favorites' I recently discovered.  

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

Pumpkin Life Cycle STEM Activity

Autumn is the perfect time of year to learn about pumpkin life cycles.  You can find pumpkins at farmer's markets, grocery stores, and roadside stands.  And... you can even find them in coffees, teas, bread, pies, soups, muffins, and more!  Since pumpkins seem to be everywhere and in everything during this time of year, it makes sense to incorporate pumpkin life cycles into your science lessons in the fall instead of waiting until spring when other plant concepts are taught.

Blakely Kantor... an elementary school teacher in North Dakota... starts teaching pumpkin life cycles as soon as school starts in September and has her students conduct a year-long science and STEM experiment in which they watch a pumpkin decompose and new seedlings grow from it.  This would be a terrific activity to integrate with your own science lessons.  Keep reading to learn more!

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

All photos were used with the permission of Blakeley Kantor.

Grouchy Goose by Betina Baptist

Grouchy Goose by Betina Baptist is a children's book about two geese... Grouchy Goose and Gossipy Goose... who learn about manners, making good choices, and friendship.  In today's guest post, Betina Baptist describes the inspiration for Grouchy Goose and how you can integrate it into your lessons about emotions and facial expressions.  Keep reading to learn more! 

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

The following is a guest post written by Betina Baptist. To learn more about guest posts, please visit the Authors, Publishers, and Sponsors page.

Managing Test Anxiety

A couple of months ago, I wrote a blog post about helping children with generalized anxiety and worry.  In that post, I described the symptoms of childhood anxiety that parents and teachers need to be aware of and keep an eye on.  Today's guest post by college student Allyson Gott talks about one of the specific causes of anxiety in children... test anxiety.  Test anxiety is something that used to be associated with high school and college, but now more and more students in elementary school are feeling it too.  Keep reading to learn more about test anxiety and for some simple strategies you can use to help your students at home and at school.

The following is a guest post written by Allyson Gott. To learn more about guest posts, please visit the Authors, Publishers, and Sponsors page.