Skittles Math: Counting, Sorting, and Graphing Skittles

Once upon a time... almost thirty years ago...I was a student teacher in a first grade classroom. My mentor teacher and I sat down together and came up with a fun math lesson using Skittles. I don't know where she got the idea from, but the students in the class loved it! Our lesson included reviewing color words, sorting and counting Skittles by color, and how to make and read a simple bar graph. Keep reading for a quick rundown of the activities we used in our math lesson and for a free printable for you to download!

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Native American - Indigenous Immune Boosting Pine and Cedar Tea

Winter is here... and so is cough and cold season! As teachers, we are exposed to all of the germs our students bring into the classroom. What is a teacher to do? 

In today's guest post, Stevie Rae is sharing her recipe for a traditional, immune-boosting tea that many Indigenous people drink during this time of year. This tea is loaded with vitamins and other nutrients that can help ward off and/or lessen the severity of some illnesses. The ingredients for this tea can be purchased online or at local health food stores. If you are confident in your foraging skills, you may be able to find some of these ingredients in your own backyard. Keep reading to learn more!

Legal Disclaimer: This recipe is for informational or educational purposes only, and does not substitute professional medical advice or consultations with healthcare professionals. Do not drink this tea if you have known allergies to any of the ingredients. Consult your healthcare professional if you are on prescription medications that may interact with any of these ingredients. Disclosure: Affiliate links to Amazon are included in this post.

Minecraft Math: Thanksgiving Pixel Art

I love Minecraft pixel art. Back in September, I wrote a blog post about the advantages of having children create pixel art while playing Minecraft, described how creating pixel art can strengthen their math skills, and shared directions for making three Halloween pumpkin designs. In today's post, I'm sharing the directions you need to make this Thanksgiving turkey pixel art in Minecraft. Keep reading for details!

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Hector, A Dog’s Story by Renata Kaminska

Last June, author Renata Kaminska released her first children's book Hector, A Dog's Story. Hector, A Dog's Story is a moving children's book that takes place during World War II and is told from the perspective and point of view of a family's pet. When one of Hector's owners dies, readers witness the grieving process Hector goes through and how he learns to find happiness again.

In today's guest post, Renata Kaminska writes about her children's book Hector, A Dog's Story, how dogs can affect children's development, and how having a dog can foster empathy in children. Keep reading to learn more!

This is a guest post written by Renata Kaminska, author of Hector, A Dog’s Story. To learn more about guest posts, please visit the Authors, Publishers, and Sponsors page. Disclosure: Affiliate links to Amazon are included in this post.

A Dinosaur Made Me Spill: A Water Cycle Adventure by Carla Mae Jansen

The water cycle is one of my favorite science units to teach to my second and third graders. There are lots of fun STEM experiments and children's books to make learning about the water cycle exciting. Carla Mae Jansen is in the process of publishing her new children's book about the water cycle... A Dinosaur Made Me Spill... that would be a fun addition to the unit. Its release is planned for this upcoming summer (2022). In today's guest post, author Carla Mae Jansen writes about A Dinosaur Made Me Spill, how she came up with the idea for the book, and how you can preorder it on Kickstarter. Keep reading to learn more!

This is a guest post written by Carla Mae Jansen, author of A Dinosaur Made Me Spill. To learn more about guest posts, please visit the Authors, Publishers, and Sponsors page. Disclosure: Affiliate links to Amazon are included in this post.

  

Planet Power! Explore the World's Renewable Energy

By the time children reach third and fourth grade, they traditionally start learning about different types of energy. Some of the ones they learn about are:

🍎 kinetic energy

🍎 potential energy

🍎 light energy

🍎 sound energy

🍎 heat energy

🍎 thermal energy

🍎 electrical energy

🍎 mechanical energy

However... times are changing and more and more schools and homeschool families are introducing types of renewable energy. What is renewable energy? How many different types of renewable energy are there? How can renewable energy help us? Keep reading to learn the answers to these questions and more!

The inspiration for this blog post came from the children's book Planet Power by Stacy P. Clark. Planet Power is a nonfiction children's book about six types of renewable energy... hydropower, solar power, wind power, tidal power, geothermal power, and wave power.

 

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

Simple Activities for Toddlers: A Practical Play-At-Home Handbook for Parents by Lisa Forsythe

Back in March, I wrote a blog post about Crackle and Pop! Bible Science Experiments by Hanna Holwerda. Crackle and Pop! is a fun collection of STEM and science activities that parents and teachers could use with their students. In today's guest post, author Lisa Forsythe tells us about her new book Simple Activities for Toddlers. Simple Activities for Toddlers is another fun collection of activities parents and teachers need to know about. It is packed full of crafts, games, STEM activities, and other fun ideas. Keep reading to learn about Simple Activities for Toddlers and how it can be a tremendous resource for parents... and teachers... of our littlest learners!

This is a guest post written by Lisa Forsythe, author of Simple Activities for Toddlers. To learn more about guest posts, please visit the Authors, Publishers, and Sponsors page. Disclosure: Affiliate links to Amazon are included in this post.

We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom

We Are Water Protectors... written by Carole Lindstrom and illustrated by Michaela Goade... is a children's book inspired by the Indigenous-led environmental protests that have been held across the United States. In 2021, this book received the Caldecott Medal for its illustrations. We Are Water Protectors is a historically significant book, not only because it shines a light on the environmental protests happening, but also because Michaela Goade is the first Indigenous illustrator to win a Caldecott Medal. Keep reading to learn more about We Are Water Protectors and for three social studies minilessons you can use in your classroom.

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

 

Why You and Your Students Should Go Outside and Take Nature Walks

Not too long ago, I wrote a blog post called 15 Reasons Why Children Need Recess. In that post, I described several of the reasons why children feel like they need outside recess. Many of the children talked about relieving stress, getting exercise, releasing energy, and being able to relax for a bit. In today's guest post by Djew Bennis, Djew explains the benefits of taking your students outside for nature walks to listen to the sounds of nature. She also gives suggestions about integrating nature walks... also referred to as listening walks... with different subject areas. Keep reading to learn more!

The following is a guest post written by Djew Bennis. To learn more about guest posts, please visit the Authors, Publishers, and Sponsors page. Disclosure: Affiliate links to Amazon are included in this post.

  

Pumpkin Balloon Globes

Making pumpkin balloon globes is a fun enrichment activity for your map skills and geography lessons. (It's also a fun way to sneak in a bit of Halloween fun without actually celebrating Halloween.) With minimal materials, your students will be able to create a pumpkin balloon globe that will help them remember where the prime meridian, International Date Line, the North Pole, and the South Pole are and help them remember what lines of longitude are. Keep reading to learn how to integrate making pumpkin balloon globes into your social studies lessons.

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