Keeping a classroom tidy and organized is an almost impossible task for teachers with lively students and cramped space. Often the classroom is too small, and the storage space not sufficient to keep everything neat and tidy. Students may be taught to become organized and put the books back where they found it, but how do you teach them organizational skills if there’s no place to store the books? The available storage and bookshelves are often not adequate or practical […]
Category: Classroom
Optical Illusions For Kids Your Students Will Love
Optical illusions are fun ways to improve kids’ cognitive abilities. An optical illusion image stimulates problem-solving skills and visual memory recall because the child will want to figure out how it works. Optical illusions are caused when the brain interprets the object that the eyes see differently. The rods and cones are the optic receptors in the eyes. What the eyes see is transformed into the brain as electric impulses which the brain interprets. The brain tries to make sense of what the eyes see. Optical illusions present something unusual to the brain. Illusions aren’t hallucinations. An optical illusion […]
Back to School Bulletin Board Ideas
Teachers understand the value of effective bulletin boards. A powerful back to school bulletin board may inspire reluctant students to become enthusiastic about the new school year. Starting a new grade or going to a new school has its challenges and for some students may even be traumatic. A successful welcome back to school board may help students feel at home in a new classroom with a new teacher. Here is a list of back to school bulletin board ideas. […]
Best Mind Mapping Software For Classrooms and Learning
During the Roman Empire In the 3rd century, Porphyry from Tyre mapped Aristotle’s Categories in what became known as the Porphyrian Tree. The Porphyrian Tree was possibly the first mind map. (#1) Many famous philosophers and scholars throughout history used mind maps for notetaking: Leonardo Da Vinci, Albert Einstein, Madame Curie, Michelangelo, and Thomas Edison. Tony Bunzan, however, made mind mapping popular. In his BBC TV series, Bunzan coined the term “mind map” and showed the audience how to create […]
Getting Started with Digital Storytelling In The Classroom
Everybody remembers a good story. When a teacher tells a story, they immediately have the attention of their students. Storytelling can change learning dull linear topics into a positive experience. In the 21st century, this art of ancient storytelling is enhanced with digital storytelling. A good story can almost tell itself, but a good storyteller transforms a mundane story into an unforgettable experience to the listeners. Digital storytelling boosts the involvement of the listeners even more by appealing to other […]
THE NO GOOD, LAZY CHEATERS GUIDE TO SCHOOL
In boxing, it’s called The Walk-Away. As a kid, I was attracted to this easy stunt. It required a little under-stated showmanship on my part, and I immersed myself into the role. After the ref pulled the two of you apart from some sweaty clench, you drop your hands and start to walk back to your corner as if you are confused and somehow think the round is over. If you do it just right, an opponent with […]
90 Brilliant Would You Rather Questions For Kids
We all know children can sometimes be shy. What if there were a game you could play to draw them out of their shell? That game is called “Would You Rather” – it’s great for kids. Get to know them by watching their reactions and listening to their response. What is the game “Would You Rather?” The game ‘Would you rather’ is a conversation type of game that poses a question with two options and the person must choose one. […]
Benefits of Adding Gamification to Your Classroom
Teaching isn’t a game; neither is learning. Playing games, however, is fun for young and old. With technology advancement, video games have become the norm in most households—adults and children. What if gamification principles can help a student learn better? Does this mean a teacher should bring video games into the classroom? Is that what gamification is and should you, as a teacher, consider adding gamification to your classroom? What is gamification? Thinking a video game is gamification is a […]
31 Eye-Catching Spring Bulletin Board Ideas For Your Classroom
Spring brings newness no matter where you are in the world. Shaking off Winter, Spring is the season of a new fresh look. It’s time to grow, to blossom and bloom. Spring Bulletin Boards can bring spring into the classroom. It may inspire a fresh start, an eagerness for the next semester. Here are 30 Spring bulletin board ideas from teachers around the world that you can use in your classroom. Also Check Out: Back To School and Fall bulletin […]
How To Create An Effective Classroom Management Plan in 2019
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a well-behaved class always? Having good relationships with your students could eliminate 90% of the issues, but there will still be the 10% that requires classroom management. As a new teacher who is starting out or if you are switching grades, you will need a classroom management plan. Perhaps you already have a plan, but it’s not working that well, then you need ideas how to adapt it to an effective classroom management plan. […]
Fun Pi Day Activities
Pi Day – celebrated on March 14 or 3/14 – is filled with challenges and activities celebrating the mathematical constant pi (π). Some schools focus on celebrating at 1:59 pm for a more accurate pi number of 3.14159. Pi-day is generally in schools where countries use the month/day format because it represents the first three digits of pi. The idea is to have a better understanding of pi while partying with fun activities instead of a traditional math lesson. In […]
6 Tips for Beating Winter Blues in Early Ed
In winter the air temperature in South Dakota can reach temperatures as low -14⁰ F. Often on those frozen mornings, the wind chill makes it feel closer to -30⁰ F. It can be challenging to maintain a harmonious classroom when children are frozen into kid-sicles every time they step outside. Travel becomes more stressful and dangerous, outdoor recess times may be eliminated completely (no outdoor trampoline time, that’s for sure), and some families may lack appropriate Winter clothing to keep […]
Creating and Nuturing the “I CAN” Culture In Your Classroom
Failure is the secret to success; it can also be the confirmation of disappointment and of not being able to make it. How you look at failure determines the outcome. Fear of failure cripples the student but by making room for failure creates the “I CAN” culture. The common definition of failure is lack of success, the neglect or omission of an expected or required action. While this is certainly a definition, it’s only ONE definition. There is the flip […]
Getting Started With Zentangle Patterns For Kids in the Classroom
You ever feel the need to draw to get out your creative side – but you aren’t sure how to begin? You aren’t alone. This need inspired the creation of Zentangle Patterns. Maria Thomas used to inscribe her botanical illustrations at local fairs. People – strangers -would approach her and express their desire for creativity. In the next breath, they would recite all the reasons why they couldn’t do what she was doing—no time, space, money, talent… One day while […]
Winter Bulletin Board Ideas
Theme based bulletin boards in a classroom are not just pleasing to the eye, it’s part of the teaching strategy. With careful planning, the teacher can use this extra space as an extended teaching tool. Use bulletin boards to represent the student’s work, focus on the main elements of current lessons, reinforce past lessons, motivate and encourage, or display important information. See Also: Autumn and Back-To-School Bulletin Boards Spring-themed Bulletin Board Ideas Instead of one large bulletin board, create different […]
A Quick Primer on Using Bloom’s Taxonomy In The Classroom
In 2001, a former student named Lorin Anderson with her colleagues, revised Bloom’s taxonomy. Bloom’s was initially published in 1956. The goal: To be more user-friendly for teachers to use Bloom’s Taxonomy in the classroom. The original taxonomy was a teaching framework explaining how people learn new skills, knowledge, and understandings. 6 Levels in Bloom’s Taxonomy The six levels in cognitive development illustrated by Bloom’s Taxonomy from the lowest level to the highest are knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and […]
11 Best Telescopes For Kids In Love With Astronomy
Using a telescope and exploring the skies can be a hugely rewarding, enjoyable and fascinating experience for kids of all ages. With a huge selection of telescopes for beginners out there, it’s sometimes hard to choose the right one that will bring the moon, stars, and planets up close and personal. Don’t worry! You’ll find our picks below, along with a list of the items to watch out for when you are buying a telescope for kids. Best Beginner Telescope […]
7 of the Best Ant Farm Options for Your Eager Entomologists
Ants are amazing creatures. They scurry around all day long, searching for food, building the nest, caring for their young and protecting the queen. In many ways, an ant colony is like an industrious human city: everyone has a job to do and they get on with it. Older ant farms were very simple. They consisted of sand between two pieces of glass. Newer ant farms use brightly colored gel to create a stable ecosystem for the ants, so they […]
12 of the Best Classroom Projectors for Schools – HD, Presenting, Gaming and Video
When everything works well, classroom projectors are the epicenter of the best digital learning spaces. A shared portal to engaging media where every student can be focused and actively involved. When they don’t work well, classroom projectors are the source of endless frustration, muffled curse words and a hindrance and distraction to learning. Given that even the cheapest projectors still cost hundreds of dollars we want to share with you the most popular and best projectors to help your school […]
Houston, We Are Go for Launch
When I was little I dreamed of traveling to space and touching the stars. My father would wake us up in the middle of the night to hike through the woods or walk along the dirt road to see the meteor showers put on a late night show for us. We would come back home and enjoy cups of hot cocoa and either regale each other with how many shooting stars we had seen or slurp our marshmallows in a […]