It has been awhile (2013!) since I posted some St. Patrick’s Day S.C.A.M.P.E.R. ideas. S.C.A.M.P.E.R. is an acronym to help people to remember different ways inventive ideas can happen: Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to Another Use, and Rearrange. It was originally developed by a man named Roger Eberle. Here is a link to a post I … Read more
My daughter (15) and I love to play word games. A couple of years ago, she received a game called, “Linkee” for Christmas. “Linkee” has cards that give four trivia questions. After answering the four questions, players try to figure out what the answers all have in common. When they figure it out, they shout, … Read more
My 2nd graders study structures, and our 2nd semester is spent on man-made structures. We start with bridges, and I usually challenge the students to make bridges out of different types of materials. Even though the activities always seem to engage them, I felt like I wasn’t quite making the lessons meaningful. This year, I … Read more
One of my suggestions listed in “Telegenic Ways to Survive the Weeks Before Winter Break” is a lovely short video called, “The Bear and the Hare.” It is actually a John Lewis advertisement, but these annual holiday commercials have become traditional favorites due to their outstanding artwork and storytelling. I have a link in my … Read more
While trying to find some inspiring holiday videos this year, I came across this Macy’s commercial from 2015. Even though it’s ironic for an advertisement to be about selflessness, I like the simple message of kindness. For other videos you might want to consider for this time of year, you can check out this post. … Read more
I was invited to help a couple of first grade classes with Hour of Code activities last week, and thought that we would try using Scratch Jr. I had a different lesson planned for our Friday morning (“Can I Make the Sun Set?”) – but then it snowed in San Antonio Thursday night. For those … Read more