Minecraft Math Find the Area

With Minecraft being the rage among children... and adults... of all ages, teachers are wondering how they can tap into the excitement and use Minecraft as a teaching tool. Believe it or not, Minecraft can be used to teach math skills such as finding the area, volume, and perimeter of shapes. 

For the purpose of this blog post, I’m not going to teach you how to play Minecraft. There are many resources online and books you can read to learn how to play it. Rather, I’m going to show you how to use Minecraft to introduce finding the area to your young students.

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

How My Parents Learned to Eat by Ina R. Friedman

When I first starting teaching many years ago, studying Japan was a major component of the second-grade social studies curriculum I needed to teach. We would spend roughly a month learning about Japanese history, geography, and culture. At the end of the unit, my students and I would read How My Parents Learned to Eat by Ina R. Friedman together, go to the Japanese restaurant nearby, and learn how to eat with chopsticks. Good times!

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If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Joffe Numeroff

If you’ve read the book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff and enjoyed it, then you need to read her book If You Give a Moose a Muffin. If You Give a Moose a Muffin is about a hungry moose who wants a snack.  Once he gets his muffins, a whole chain of events gets set into motion, and the story ends where it began.  If You Give a Moose a Muffin is a good example of a circle story.  What is a circle story?  How can you use this book to teach circle stories to your students?  Keep reading to find out!

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

 

Top Five Science Materials in Your Junk Drawer

Once upon a time many moons ago, I posted an article called The Top 5 Science Materials to Keep in Your Kitchen. Science materials don't need to be high-tech or expensive. Check out these top five science materials you probably have in your junk drawer right now.

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15 Reasons Why Children Need Recess

In February 2014, The Learning Network conducted an interesting survey about recess in schools. They asked children in middle school and high school... 13 years old and older... to read an article called The Students Who Lose Recess Are the Ones Who Need It the Most by Jessica Lahley. After reading the article, the children were asked to respond to some questions and give their opinions.  These are their responses in their own words.  Read on to see what these children had to say!

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

Mermaid Math: Counting, Colors, and Patterns

Earlier this year, I wrote about the children's book The Mermaid and the Grumpy Old Clam by Kirk Kirkpatrick... a book about a mermaid and her fish friend who work together to solve a problem and come up with a fun solution for it.  This mermaid math activity was inspired by The Mermaid and the Grumpy Old Clam and can be used to teach a variety of math skills:

🍎 counting verbally

🍎 identifying colors

🍎 identifying and creating patterns

🍎 understanding one-to-one correspondence

🍎 discovering basic concepts of addition and subtracting

🍎 and more

You can use this mermaid activity while working with students one-on-one, in a math center, as a busy bag, or when students finish their work early.  Keep reading to learn more about this mermaid math activity and for three simple ways you can use it with your students!

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Five Fun Facts About Dandelions

Dandelions are plants that people often take for granted.  Children love them and call them flowers.  Some grown-ups despise them and call them weeds. Regardless of how we feel about dandelions, they play an important role in our ecosystem. Here are five fun facts about dandelions you can share with the children you work with.

Rosh Hashanah Recipes

Cooking with kids is a terrific way to teach a variety of math and reading skills in a hands-on, enjoyable, and meaningful way.  It may not always be practical to cook with students in the classroom, but it's worth a try if you can.  Many homeschooling families already find ways to integrate cooking into their lessons.  By working together to follow a recipe, your students and children can practice the following skills:

• reading for information
• following directions
• following a sequence
• fractions
• units of measurement
• problem-solving
• making observations

The Rosh Hashanah recipes featured in today's round-up were created by moms and foodies from all over the internet. If you see a recipe in this post that you'd like to try, click on its link to see the ingredients, directions, photos, and handy tidbits. There are lots of delicious recipes in this post, so let's dive right in! Shana Tova!

The Adventures of Little Miss History by Barbara Ann Mojica

I recently learned about The Adventures of Little Miss History... a children's book series by Barbara Ann Mojica.  Little Miss History is a middle school student who travels around the world to learn as much as she can.  In today's guest post, Barbara Ann Mojica introduces us to Little Miss History and tells us more about the books in her series.  Keep reading!

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

Straw Bridge STEM Challenge

Building bridges out of straws is a popular STEM challenge among elementary school teachers and a HUGE favorite among students.  In this straw bridge STEM activity, your students will be handed a bundle of straws, a pair of scissors, and a roll of clear tape.  Their objective... to design and construct a bridge that can span a distance of one foot and bear a reasonable amount of weight without collapsing.  Can it be done?  If so, who will build the strongest bridge in your class?

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

The Smiley Girl by Emmanuel Ndayishimiye and Ornella Ngabire

The Smiley Girl by Emmanuel Ndayishimiye and Ornella Ngabire is a children's book about a little girl named Cindy who keeps track of her daily acts of kindness toward others in a special calendar she created. She calls her calendar a kindness calendar.  In today's guest post, author Ornella Ngabire writes about The Smiley Girl and describes what kindness calendars are and how you can use these kindness calendars at home or at school. Keep reading to learn more!

 

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

 

Back to School Red Apple Crafts for Kids

Apples have been a powerful symbol of knowledge and education for hundreds of years.  Did you know that in the 1700s and 1800s poor families would give bushels of apples to teachers to pay for their children's education?  It's true.  Since then, apples and schools have always gone together.  It's also why we say an apple for the teacher.

The apple 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 at home or at school, 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!

Fun Facts About Sloths

Last week, I wrote a blog post about Slothee Wants Coffee, a children's book by Nikki Pezzopane and Cameron Fica.  In Slothee Wants Coffee, a sloth named Slothee traveled the world in search of the perfect cup of coffee.  Today's blog post is full of fun facts about sloths like Slothee.  Keep reading to learn more about these fascinating... and absolutely adorable... animals!