One of my favorite Christmas gifts this year was a Magic Orange Peeler. (And no, this blog does not have sponsors!) We all have small things in life that annoy us. One of mine is struggling to peel an orange, ending up with broken nails and orange (if delicious-smelling) fingers. Enter the Magic Orange Peeler. … Continue reading
Last year I did a post listing Valentine activities for classrooms. Lots of them are good for families, too, so be sure to take a look. But here are 5 more heart-centered activities for the month that will help you create, investigate, and have fun–plus one more I just couldn’t resist. Most of these would … Continue reading
Not everything we teach in school is best taught through formal lessons. Extra curricular activities and clubs provide plentiful opportunities for students to develop skills, leadership, and creativity. For years, schools have sponsored teams for Future Problem Solving, Destination ImagiNation and other problem-solving ventures. Now another type of club has emerged for our technical age: … Continue reading
February 4, 2013 marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Rosa Parks, often called the First Lady of the Civil Rights movement in the United States. A petite woman, Mrs. Parks stood tall when she refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white man. In honor of this event, the … Continue reading
My original plan for today was to post the last link in the Creativity in the Classroom model, linking Creativity and Intrinsic Motivation. But I decided I’d had enough theoretical posting for right now, so instead I linked all the information on the model to a new “Creativity in the Classroom: Why and How” tab … Continue reading
Today, guest blogger Melanie returns with a post for those of you who teach English, love Jane Austen, are interested in video blogs or just want to see an amazingly creative riff on classic literature. Here’s Melanie. Even if you don’t teach Pride and Prejudice in class, this web series presents a special opportunity for … Continue reading
Math in the News is exactly what it sounds like—a website, with related weekly newsletter—that uses math to explore issues in the news. Produced by Media4Math, Math in the News activities range from probability maps predicting landfall for Hurricane Sandy to an exploration of pumpkin costs per hundredweight or the statistics of the presidential election. … Continue reading
I really miss the cartoon Calvin and Hobbes. I loved opening the paper each morning (yes, that dates me) and catching a magical glimpse into the mind of a creative—if occasionally gruesome—child. I think I miss him most in the winter, when I recall Calvin’s memorable snow creatures. In case you don’t remember, here are … Continue reading
I can see my Michigan friends shaking their heads already. Beach sand? January? But January is the perfect time to think about beaches. First, it gives me a chance to salute my Australian readers, who occasionally (and very kindly) remind me that not everyone operates on Michigan’s calendar. They are beginning warm summer days, and … Continue reading
One of the great gifts of a career that runs on a school calendar is that we can claim at least two “New Years” each year. We start the school year (whenever it begins) with resolutions to be our best teaching selves, and then, in January, we have another chance for a fresh start. So … Continue reading
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