It doesn’t matter where you live, in the country or a bustling city, Christmas is the best time of the year! Joyful memories emerge from singing Christmas carols, decorating the Christmas tree, filling the stockings, and reading the best Christmas books for kids with a cup of hot cocoa and marshmallows. We’ve spent weeks and…
Dads and moms, especially book lovers, want their children to go through the same reading experience they did as kids. Do you remember the fun of paging through your picture books and board books pretending that you can read? Can you remember the first chapter book you read alone? Now, with children’s book subscription boxes,…
What the world needs now? See, I can’t even bring myself to finish the quote. With all the schmaltz and candy coating that comes with a Burt Bacharach refrain, it’s hard to get it out. Sort of sticks in the throat and causes my hands to pause over the keyboard. But, despite the preamble of…
I think it is outstanding that children are getting interested in outer space again. For too long, the idea of exploring our universe seemed like it had stalled, and with it so did our interest in the stars. But now we are on the cusp of a new generation of astronauts heading off into the…
A summer reading list containing exciting STEM books with great stories and authentic problems to solve may inspire kids to want to read more this summer. STEM principles incorporate four subjects: science, technology, engineering, and math. For some, these are fun subjects, but for other students, it may be difficult and daunting topics. Here is…
“Be the change you want to see in the world.” That one belongs to Gandhi. No doubt a tall order. So close to some spiritual truth, it’s hard for it to mean anything concrete to most of us. It makes a good inspirational quote to place on some distressed wood and hang in your home…
“I just can’t get her to read!” I often hear protests like this from parents when I suggest that their child read more for fun. Because it’s an important lifelong habit that I want my students to cultivate and because I know reading more will have a huge impact on their success in school, I…
One of the best tools to raise your children’s emotional IQ and empathy are books. Reading a story with your children gives you ample opportunity to talk about the story, the cause of the emotions and what is the best way to act and react in a similar situation. Help your children improve their coping…
More and more educators are finding success using gaming for education. Minecraft, in particular, has shown its ability to be a game that’s both engaging and potentially educational. For starters, the game allows players to think for themselves in order to survive, and it gives them multiple ways to accomplish pretty much whatever they want…
“When the expertise and wisdom of the teacher is given equal weight in the blended learning equation, that is bold school” (Kieschnick, p.21). Recently, I had the honor of meeting and talking with Weston Kieschnick, senior fellow at the International Center for Leadership in Education, at the 2017 Model Schools Conference in Nashville, Tennessee. To…
What kind of power is in a title, and what if we redefined the role of the teacher? I’m currently reading the book Blended by Michael B. Horn and Heather Staker. Often when I read a book for professional learning, I skip around depending on the work in which I’m currently involved. Last week, I…
![Appreciating What, Where and How Boys Read [Infographic]](https://www.fractuslearning.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Boys-Read-copy1-e1496237958433.jpeg.webp)
Unfortunately for many boys, what gets in their way of reading for pleasure are very well-intentioned adults who try to steer them in the “right” direction. That’s why the greatest gift we can give boys this season is an appreciation of their reading preferences! Using and Viewing the Graphic The above infographic is published under…
Today after yoga class, Stephanie, the beautiful woman who once cherished my infant son while I used the gym told me she had six relatives die in the hurricane. I stare into her high-cheek boned face and try to recall if she had ever told me she was French Creole. One of them was bitten…
Summer is right around the corner here in the United States bringing with it both good feelings and worry. For boys, summer equals a long vacation to do what they love every day: nothing, play video games and sports, run around, hang with friends, swim, etc. And who can blame them? Unfortunately, reading doesn’t make…
I have been running a Coding and Robotics Club at my school, St Aidan’s AGS Junior School, Brisbane, for a couple of years now. One of the best ways to inspire children I have found is through ‘books’. I use both fiction and non-fiction to inspire our girls in library lessons. These ideas and skills can…
The following is an exclusive interview with Teresa Anne Power, internationally acclaimed children’s yoga expert and bestselling author, yogi, and advocate for the health benefits of yoga for children. Her first book, international hit The ABCs of Yoga for Kids, launched an empire of resources including CDs, DVDs, flashcards, and an informational website for parents…
Don’t talk grades. You’re not supposed to talk about grades during Open House. Just keep pushing parents to the projects and work on the walls. But, that’s not why most parents show up. They don’t care much about work samples or the bells and whistles you have conjured to make your class seem so exciting…
“The more rich and multifaceted the learning experiences, the more neurons are fired. What fires together, wires together.” —Dr. Betty Rintoul (NC Infant Mental Health Association, Baby Steps, Fall Newsletter, 2013.) This is a great quote that I have used during presentations when talking about the number of benefits of reading to children. First, there is…
Advocating for 9–14-year-old boys and their reading lives is my passion and specialty, however, because I’m female, this hasn’t been an easy row to hoe. People often question me on why I’m not advocating for girls and empowering them instead. But I don’t see my advocacy as a zero-sum game. I see it as imperative…
Let me begin by making three confessions: 1. I think this is a very clever title … read on to find out why. 2. I thought this review would never be written; indeed, I’ve taken nearly twelve months to do so… 3. I believe I might have a form of hypergraphia. This too is highly…
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