My husband and I recently moved into his childhood home, and we’re currently upgrading the light fixtures. In an effort to save money, we usually install them ourselves—an endeavor that involves a lot of time and copious amounts of profanity. After an hour of fussing with the first fixture, we decided to call the professionals….
Thanksgiving is a holiday stuffed with real-world math skills. I don’t say this with great joy because math has never been my strong suit. It’s not my husband’s either, and we usually cook Thanksgiving together for multiple friends and family. Fortunately, the wrapping on my turkey has a chart telling me how many people it…
I recently went shopping at a popular store and discovered that we’re apparently jumping from October to December. The holiday section had Halloween candy for sale and an explosion of Christmas trees, ornaments, and wrapping paper. I know this happens to some extent every year, but it just seems more dramatic this year. My main…
Thursday, November 9 is Lois Ehlert’s birthday. As I’m sure you know, she was a prolific writer and illustrator of children’s books, amassing 38 books to her credit by her death in 2021. Her beautiful collage-style illustrations always stand out and her works for young readers are certainly considered classics. Thank you, Ms. Ehlert, for…
October 30, 2023 is Checklists Day! It’s a day dedicated to all those who use checklists to keep their lives organized and on track. I had a Halloween party this past weekend. The first thing I did Saturday morning? Make a list of all the tasks I needed to accomplish before people started arriving that…
I’m a huge fan of Halloween. It’s because I have so many good memories of the holiday while growing up in Michigan. It’s enmeshed in my brain with other delightful fall experiences like walking in crunchy leaves, visiting cider-mills, and taking hay rides through pumpkin patches. Students are always excited about Halloween, but it can…
I just returned from a vacation to Alaska, which was gorgeous and amazing! Before we left home, I wondered if we would see a lot of fall color. We definitely did, but to my surprise it was almost all a brilliant yellow. I looked up information on the yellow trees and they’re mostly birch,…
I recently shared a post on The Mailbox® Facebook page from a teacher who did a jack-o’-lantern craft with her students. The results ended up being unique and hilarious! If you give students instructions that are open-ended, the crafts are often distinctive —and that’s great! No one wants a cookie-cutter craft anyway. I looked in…
It’s October—my favorite month! Why? Because it’s cool, colorful, and a little bit creepy. I’ve already started preparing for this lovely month by decorating my house for Halloween and watching my favorite horror movies. (Each year, my husband and I create a list of movies that must be watched by October 31.) While looking through…
Today, September 25, 2023, is Math Storytelling Day. Honestly, this day makes me cringe a little because I’m not a math whiz. We all have our strengths and weaknesses, and math is a weakness for me. (I like to joke that I have to take off a sock to count to 11.) I do like…