I’m a huge fan of hands-on activities for a variety of reasons! One of my favorites involves hexagonal thinking blocks. Not only does it provide students with engagement, but it also allows them to communicate, collaborate and think critically when working with the blocks. If you’d like to give this a try, check out the Calories & Exercise Lesson below.
Messy play was not encouraged in our household when I was a child! However, when I had my own children, it occurred on a regular basis, for a variety of reasons! In this Child Development Dilemma: To Paint or Not to Paint?, students are researching the art medium of finger paints as it related to young children. So if you’re looking for an engaging, hands-on lesson with activities, be sure to check this one out!
We live in an age of distraction, especially with all of the notifications we receive on our personal devices such as phones and watches! These distractions are taking place at home, in school, and at the workplace preventing us from giving our full attention to people, tasks and even our surroundings. While some schools have gone to a no cell phone policy, many have not. This Phone Notifications: Distraction vs Focus lesson explores this problem using a variety of simulations and then aims to share strategies to minimize them.
I can’t believe that thirteen years has gone by since I shared my first sandwich lesson! I guess the saying is true that “time flies when you’re having fun”! Well since August is National Sandwich month, I thought it was high time that this lesson got a makeover! As you read through Sandwiches Lesson & Lab: Updated, you will see that some core information about sandwiches never changes, but how it’s presented and the activities and labs used has!
A lot of teaching strategies require students to be in small groups. That can mean partners, triads, groups of 4 or even more depending on the activity or assignment. Sometimes you want students to create their own groups and sometimes you don’t. Sometimes you want those groups to be random and sometimes you want them to appear random even though you’ve secretly formed the groups ahead of time. In Ways to Form Groups, you’ll find a variety of different ways to form and organize groups from the planned to the random!
If you really want to get the attention of your students when it comes to the importance of measuring and reading (and understanding) a recipe, assign the Gobbledy Gooks Measuring Lab! This non-sensical lab will give them a challenge, make them laugh and even frustrate them! However, it will also reinforce the need for correct terms and tools (actual measuring skills) as well as understanding tasks when preparing a recipe. So, if you’ve never tried this recipe out with your students, I encourage you to give it a try.
I was thrilled when, during the pandemic, my daughter wanted to learn how to embroider! She wanted to learn how to make flowers. So we pulled out all of the supplies, drew some free hand flowers and proceeded. She quickly picked up the techniques and went on to embroider some beautiful masks and denim shirt pockets. This got me to thinking that with all of the upcycling and repurposing that is part of sustaining our earth, why not teach students the skill and art of Embroidering Clothes! Read on to learn more.
I don’t know about you, but I love making my own bread crumbs and croutons in place of those that are conveniently made for us and sold at big box stores. Some reasons I like to make my own are they are generally cheaper, quantities needed can be easily adjusted based on the recipe, it can be made easily by students as part of a lab and then used in future labs and most importantly….I know exactly what is in the product! No weird, unpronounceable ingredients! So in this Make Your Own Series, I’ll be sharing products that can easily be made from scratch, using common ingredients. Sharing…Make Your Own Series: Bread Crumbs & Croutons.
After noticing continuous requests for lab suggestions that are doable in 43 minute class periods, I’ve decided to do a recurring series, featuring recipes that can be completed from beginning to end in a 43 minute time frame. In some cases, longer recipes will broken into two day labs. In addition, I will include my pre-lab review questions that pertain specifically to the recipe. This helps to ensure that students are reading the recipe. It also allows me time to show any videos that may demonstrate the product or specific techniques. So, without further ado, I present the 43 Minute Lab Series: Baked French Toast!
As I was going through some files, I came across an assignment I created that incorporated math skills for Calculating Baby Costs. Since the prices were a bit outdated, I decided to update it and share it with you. It can be a real eye-opener for students into the reality of what consumables cost for babies. Additionally, they see a real life example of where they will use and apply math skills in life!
