Don’t Forget to Take the Fridge

For today’s Phun Phriday post, I would like to share with you a delightful video I found on Neatorama.  Before you watch,  I have this disclaimer: I am certain that Canada is a lovely place, and I’m pretty sure it is not the only spot on the globe that suffers from natural disasters. Also, it might … Read more

National Geographic MapMaker Kit

You know how it goes.  You’re in the 3rd hour of “training your brain” by playing 2048 on your iPhone in the hopes of beating your 11-year-old daughter’s high score, and you suddenly think, “This is a waste of time.  Instead, I should make a wall-size map of The World painstakingly pieced together by my very own hands … Read more

A First for First – Mystery Tweeting

You may remember a post I did last week on using Twitter with younger students, based on a presentation by Matt Gomez about his Kindergarten class’ experience with “Twitter Friends.”  I couldn’t wait to try connect my 1st graders with a class on Twitter, and was thrilled to receive a reply to my request for … Read more

When Was the Last Time You Saw a Mountain Lion on YOUR Playground?

One of the sessions I attended at TCEA 2014 in Austin last week was called, “Global Collaboration in Elementary.”  It was presented by Matt Gomez (@mattBgomez), and largely featured Twitter interactions his kindergarten students had experienced with other classes around the world. That’s right – Kindergarten. I work with gifted students in K-5, and I … Read more

Maps That Will Help You Make Sense of the World

Twisted Sifter has a great article that includes pictures of “40 Maps That Will Help You Make Sense of the World.”  Not all of them are appropriate to show students, but some of them would be great to use for incorporating some Depth and Complexity into the classroom.  Here are a few, and some suggestions. … Read more

National Geographic Families

This week, I am focusing on providing resources to “Squash the Summer Slide” as ReadWriteThink puts it. Parents often ask me at this time of year for ideas to keep students challenged over the summer.  National Geographic Families has some links that might be of particular interest during the next three months. Try out the geography games … Read more