Category: Blog

Earth Rounds: What Fraction of the Earth Can Support Life?

Sometimes kids think Earth has unlimited resources and they don’t realize that only a small part of our planet is habitable. Edible Earth Rounds is

Read More »

February is packed with fun holidays, making it a great time to integrate seasonal activities into your lessons. This month’s special events include Valentine’s Day,

Read More »

Have you heard about International Dot Day? It’s celebrated on September 15th, and it’s all about encouraging kids to discover how they can make a

Read More »

Getting the school year off to a great start is essential, which means that what you do the first week of school can make all

Read More »

Wordle Wiz is a free kid-friendly version of Wordle. Visit Laura Candler’s blog to grab this freebie and to discover tips for teaching Wordle to

Read More »

A few years ago I posted a question on Facebook asking teachers to tell me their favorite book to read aloud for Earth Day, and

Read More »

Whether you’ll be starting the school year online, in the classroom, or both, one of your biggest challenges will be finding digital resources that can

Read More »

Seating students together is not enough to ensure teamwork. Many kids have very little idea how to interact appropriately with their classmates. They simply lack

Read More »

Seasonal lessons are perfect for the weeks leading up to the winter holidays. Those days can be chaotic, so it’s important to plan lessons that

Read More »

Did you know that October 5th is Do Something Nice Day? Google it and you’ll see! What a great time to teach your kids how to

Read More »

Have you ever heard of Pay It Forward Day? Each year, on April 28th, we’re encouraged to perform random acts of kindness for friends, family

Read More »

Cooperative learning lessons are awesome for engaging students in the learning process, but sometimes a team will become overly enthusiastic and noisy. Even if everyone

Read More »

Category: Blog

February Fun – Free Lessons You’ll Love!

February is packed with fun holidays, making it a great time to integrate seasonal activities into your lessons. This month’s special events include Valentine’s Day, Presidents’ Day, and Black History Month. But I’ll bet you didn’t know that it’s International Friendship Month, too! Every minute counts during the school day,

Read More »

Make Your Mark on International Dot Day!

Have you heard about International Dot Day? It’s celebrated on September 15th, and it’s all about encouraging kids to discover how they can make a difference. Why is it called “Dot Day”? To find out, read the book that inspired this special day! The Dot, written by Peter Reynolds, is

Read More »

Launch a Super School Year Free Video Course

Getting the school year off to a great start is essential, which means that what you do the first week of school can make all the difference! A few years ago I presented a popular webinar called How to Launch a Super School Year where I shared my secrets for

Read More »

How to Get Started with Boom Cards

Whether you’ll be starting the school year online, in the classroom, or both, one of your biggest challenges will be finding digital resources that can be adapted for the new reality of teaching during a pandemic. Fortunately, Boom Cards are just what you need! Boom Cards are digital, self-checking task

Read More »

How to Teach Social Skills, Step by Step

Seating students together is not enough to ensure teamwork. Many kids have very little idea how to interact appropriately with their classmates. They simply lack the social skills needed to perform the most basic cooperative learning tasks. Lack of social skills is probably the biggest factor contributing to lack of

Read More »

December Activities Your Kids Will Love!

Seasonal lessons are perfect for the weeks leading up to the winter holidays. Those days can be chaotic, so it’s important to plan lessons that are both meaningful and fun. Kids are more likely to stay on task when they are actively engaged in learning, and that’s definitely true in

Read More »

Celebrate Do Something Nice Day!

Did you know that October 5th is Do Something Nice Day? Google it and you’ll see! What a great time to teach your kids how to be a good citizen and learn to consider the needs of others!  To help your students celebrate, I created this fun FREE printable.  Click HERE to

Read More »

Teach Kindness on Pay It Forward Day

Have you ever heard of Pay It Forward Day? Each year, on April 28th, we’re encouraged to perform random acts of kindness for friends, family members, and even total strangers. The Pay it Forward Day website explains that it’s a time to remind ourselves of the power of giving and how

Read More »

Team Stop Signs Help Kids Stop and Refocus

Cooperative learning lessons are awesome for engaging students in the learning process, but sometimes a team will become overly enthusiastic and noisy. Even if everyone is still on task, their energetic behavior can be distracting to others. In most cases, these students don’t mean to be noisy or disruptive; they’re

Read More »