There are a lot of ways to tell stories. These days, a lot of them seem to use speech bubbles. Photo memes are everywhere, from the ever-present talking cats to political commentary. Graphic novels use comic book formats to tell increasingly sophisticated tales. So it occurred to me that adding speech bubbles to photos might … Continue reading
Who would ever guess that one of the videos that brought me the biggest smile this week was from a website called “Physics Central”? Its subtitle, “Learn How Your World Works” is an apt description of the wealth of resources found at the website. Sponsored by the American Physics Society, the website includes three major … Continue reading
Have you ever read one of those “Choose Your Adventure” books, where you get to a sticky situation and it says something like: Evelyn decides to hide behind the rock. Go to page 27. Evelyn charges at the dragon. Go to page 35. The course of the story is dependent on your choices, and you … Continue reading
Yes, I’m a long-term Beatles fan. I was a young girl when they first appeared on the old Ed Sullivan Show. Who could resist, really? But now I have a new reason to love the classic song, “Hey Jude”: Lucidchart’s “Lyrical Flowchart,” available on YouTube. Lucidchart is a company that prepares online diagramming software. To … Continue reading
Picking Green as the theme for March Family Fun is probably a combination of my Irish heritage and my Michigan longing for spring. Last year I did a St. Patrick’s Day post of creative school activities. Many of them could be fun for home, too, so you might want to start there. Then continue with … Continue reading
Ever had a day when every writing assignment you can think of feels dull? Here are some options to brighten your days, whether you are facing the dreary days of late Michigan winter or those end-of-school days that seem to last forever. TeachHub has a collection of video writing prompts that can be just the … Continue reading
This video has been making the rounds on Facebook, but it is worth repeating here–particularly as valentine thoughts are waning. In it, Noah and the Whale’s rendition of “Give a Little Love,” provides the background to a short story of cause, effect, and kindness. Think about how this video could be used to spark a … Continue reading
I just read through a young person’s history book at breakneck speed, because I couldn’t wait to find out what happened. It was a mystery and a story of research, all wrapped in one, and it was about John Henry. You remember John Henry—the steel driving man who won the contest with a steam drill, … Continue reading
Sometimes it can be easy to think, “Creativity is fine for art class or writing, but not math. Creativity in math is for Einstein, not middle school.” If you’ve ever been tempted to think such thoughts, take 5 minutes and watch Annie Fetter at an NCTM Ignite session. She describes a math lesson based on … Continue reading
What is more universally interesting than food? Whatever time or place we might be studying, someone was eating. And so, one of the most fascinating and underused resources for exporing history is period cookbooks. Early cookbooks weren’t just about food. They often contained recipes for medicines, advice for gathering wild plants safely, and instructions for … Continue reading
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