I think owls are a hoot. Did you know that the term describing a group of owls, parliament, stems from C. S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia? From nonfiction facts to fictional favorites (who doesn’t wish their mail was delivered by Hedwig?), owls are perfect for inspiring learning, and so are the freebies and chances…
Recently, I saw this article discussing teachers who take away students’ snacks and lunches if they don’t meet certain health standards. The school in question is in Canada. Out of curiosity, I googled “Teacher taking student’s lunch away” and came up with oodles of articles, many of them discussing schools in…
What treasures is this smiling scarecrow watching over? I can tell you there are some fall decorations, a tub of candy corn, and a package of fall-colored paper for starters! And, of course, the winner of this month’s giveaway also wins the adorable scarecrow bag. So what are you waiting for? It quick and simple…
October 8 is International Observe the Moon Night. Take a few moments to gaze at our lovely moon, and encourage your students to do the same. Consider a few of these awesome lunar activities that also support writing and math skills as well as science. (I know it can be tough to get science…
Did you watch the presidential debate last week? It got me thinking about how a few rules for debates can apply to the classroom: share the talking space and, when you disagree, be respectful. With more debates on the way, it’s a perfect time for me to connect you to freebies that let your students…
Let me begin by saying if you’re not wearing a blue shirt today, that’s okay. Maybe wear one tomorrow. Or better yet, wear a blue shirt one day each week during the month of October! You see, today is Blue Shirt Day World Day of Bullying Prevention; however, the entire month of October is National…
Happy National Chewing Gum Day! I can’t chew gum anymore, and there are some days I miss it. I just have too much dental work, and I don’t want to risk veneers and crowns popping off all over the place while I’m chewing gum. But that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy National Chewing Gum Day…
Early this morning before sunrise, I heard the faint hoot of an owl. Hoooot. Hoooot. I walk my pooch every morning, and this was the first time I’d heard the hoot. Being new to the neighborhood, I was curious. When I met a neighbor who was also walking his dog, I asked about the owl….
Are you a fan of hashtags? In social media, they’re everywhere. I have to agree that they’re useful for focusing on a theme of a tweet or post. But I wonder if we’ve #createdamonster with them! Post a comment to this blog no later than 11:59 pm EDT on October 9, 2016, to tell me…
This past weekend, I went to a workshop for Operation Bedroll. That’s a group here in Greensboro, North Carolina, working to keep plastic bags out of the landfill and providing bedrolls for those experiencing homelessness. They create these bedrolls with plarn. (That would be a combination of the words plastic and yarn.) So a group…