Just in case you didn’t properly ration your Teachers’ December Survival Kit, and you are finding yourself desperate for ways to make it through this final week before the break, here are some more activities that I’ve found from some of my favorite bloggers: Candy Cane S.C.A.M.P.E.R. Ugly Sweater Challenge (I love the Ugly Sweater fractions!) Toys Go … Read more
As I continue this year’s Gifts for the Gifted series, I should re-iterate a few things. First of all, these recommendations are for all children – not just those identified as “Gifted and Talented.” Secondly, these gifts will be much more meaningful to their recipients if the gift-giver follows through by enjoying the gift along with the … Read more
The value of social networking never ceases to amaze me. Yesterday, I tweeted the blog post I had shared about the Hopscotch Snowflake tutorial. I received a reply from an educator in Maryland, @mrdulberger, inviting anyone interested to attend a webinar today called “Coding in the Class.” The webinar will be hosted by the students … Read more
One of the apps that I recommend frequently is Hopscotch. This free iOS app has been one of my all-time favorite creation tools ever since we tried it a few years ago during Hour of Code. Using block programming that is similar to Scratch, Hopscotch allows users to create works of art, games, and even … Read more
My 1st graders are learning a little geography at the moment as they program their Dash robot to hunt for treasure amongst the continents. As I was looking for some supplemental resources, I ran across this brain-twisting quiz from Mental Floss. It’s deceptively difficult. The concept is simple: select all of the states from the … Read more
Curiosity Machine is a wonderful resource for educators and parents who are interested in cultivating a love for S.T.E.M./S.T.E.M. as well as making. The site aims to cultivate “curiosity, creativity, and persistence” to help children succeed by offering hands-on engineering challenges. The challenges are in a vast array of topics from aerospace to food science … Read more