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 […]
Category: Seasonal
11 Beach Wagon Options For Sand-Loving Kids and Toddlers
Heading to the beach this summer? If so, you’re probably looking forward to the sand, surf and sun. What you’re probably not looking forward to is toting all of your supplies from Point A to Point B. From beach tents and toy trucks to skimboards and beach balls, it’s amazing how a day at the beach often turns into a full-blown camping trip! Thankfully, it’s easier than ever to get your supplies seaside. There are a wide variety of wagons, carts and accessories […]
Less Attitude. More Gratitude.
“Tell her, daddy. She knows it’s coming,” my oldest said. Of course, it’s coming. See, there is a bumper sticker quality to some of my parenting. There are the standards. “Choose very few battles, but never lose.” “It costs you nothing to be kind.” And this gem they were both waiting for. My youngest looked up from her mild tantrum of entitlement and did both an eye roll and a nod of resignation all at once. I couldn’t let them […]
Avoid The Brain Drain! Here’s How You Can Make the Most of Outdoor Learning This Summer
The summer months are notorious for triggering brain drain. The shear gap in time, combined with the hiatus from hours of learning every day, prompts a decline in knowledge acquisition and retention. Now, it is no wonder why summer activities and routines make it difficult to convince children to complete ungraded practices. Kids would much rather ditch the homework and head outside to soak up the sunshine with their friends. So instead, what if we took the learning outside? What […]
Embrace Fatherhood and Your Child Will Reap the Rewards
While research tells us that embracing fatherhood will dramatically impact a child’s life, the father’s role used to be limited to providing the income. The changing role of fatherhood enables men to express their emotions and share the parenting role with the mother. It has changed dramatically over the years. As a child in the fifties, my parents had two distinct roles. My mother was the nurturer and my father was the breadwinner. He went to work, fixed things, and […]
9 Kiddie Pool Picks to Create a Summer Oasis
Get ready to splash and play—summer is finally here. With a bit of creativity and a couple of outdoor toys, you can transform a simple backyard barbecue into an imaginary day at the beach. Don’t forget a place to cool off! Get the party started with some of our favorite kiddie pool picks below. 9 Super Splash Kiddie Pool Options 1. Rainbow Ring Inflatable Play Center This play center from Intex is so much more than a kiddie pool. With multiple games […]
Why You Shouldn’t Shrug off Your Son’s Reading Habit this Summer
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 the cut for most boys. It’s the thing they forget about the minute they step outside on the last day of school and don’t remember […]
9 Slip and Slide, Swim and Play Water Toys for Ultimate Summer Fun
Summer vacation means school is out, the sun is shining, and kids have a lot of extra time on their hands! It’s an ideal time for them to get outside and play with friends while getting fresh air and exercise. But how can you keep kids outdoors all summer long, when high-tech electronics make being inside more appealing than ever? With a slip and slide and some outdoor water toys, you can turn your backyard into an at-home vacation, where your kids […]
9 Essential Minecraft Party Supplies for a Perfectly Pixelated Party
There’s no doubt you’ve heard of Minecraft, the popular game that has players building a pixelated world using blocks, tools that they earn during the game and their own creativity. Of course, anything popular with kids soon becomes a theme for birthday celebrations and people are always looking for cool Minecraft party supplies. It’s not only a lot of fun, it also introduces and develops children’s problem-solving, organizational and planning skills. When I’m not writing, I’m planning birthday parties and of […]
Hearts Held Together with Tape and Glue: A Middle School Love Story
Third period. Ten a.m. Last week of school. One of those mornings that has that soft smell of spring, but feels like summer. It’s a good one. Dennis has a girlfriend. Fine choice, too—Sylvia. I’m assuming if I were thirteen, Sylvia would be the kind of girl I would be too shy to talk to. I would pine away in silence and obscurity. A goth-style yearning. But Dennis took a leap. Fortune and fate tend to favor the bold. Dennis […]
My Christmas Tale: from Sense of Dread to Humbled Holiday Spirit
I’m a covert Scrooge. I’ve got humbug, much like ice water, running through my veins. I say ‘covert’ because as a father and one-time elementary school teacher, I appreciate that my own misgivings about the holiday are best kept to myself. But now? Now, I can feel the shackles of the season loosening just a bit. These days, I teach older kids so there is no myth to which I must contribute. Santa is long gone. His sleigh dust has […]
9 Advent Calendar Ideas for the Christmas Season
The Christmas season is finally here, with all of the favorite family traditions that go along with it. Reading by the fireplace, drinking hot cocoa and decorating the tree are all activities that warm the heart when the weather is cold. To keep the Christmas spirit alive, many families focus on giving during the holiday season, from volunteering to picking out the perfect gift for loved ones. Storytelling is another way families embrace the holiday. There’s no better way to tell […]
Holiday Hazard Guide – Keep the Kids Safe!
Be aware of holiday hazards within a child’s easy reach! Our homes are filled with Christmas flowers, ornaments and table adornments. While it provides a rich ambiance, the novelty and attractiveness create an appeal to a young child that is hard to resist. With young children, everything goes into their mouth. As the holidays approach, we associate with certain plants like Holly, Poinsettia, Amaryllis, Cactus and Mistletoe in stores. For visual attractiveness, they are added around our homes. It makes […]
11 Lego Christmas Toys for Festive Building Fun
This holiday season, get your little elves building with a Lego Christmas toy set! Eternally popular, Lego sets are a welcome addition to any Christmas list—but they’re also highly educational. These fun building projects are challenging for kids of all ages and they’re ideal for boosting STEM skills (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). Best of all, wannabe engineers can have tons of creative fun tearing it all apart, combining pieces from a variety of sets and making their own constructions. […]
15 Spooky Halloween Masks and Costumes for Kids and Teens
Halloween is a fun holiday for kids. Some countries pay more attention to the Halloween holiday than others do, but even if the families in your street don’t bother carving pumpkins or ‘trick or treating’, this doesn’t mean you can’t have a little fun with your kids. Organize a Halloween party and encourage your kids to dress up. Even little kids will enjoy putting on Halloween masks, spooky costumes and decorating Halloween-themed biscuits and buns. Don’t make your celebrations too frightening […]
Planning for Summer – Returning to School Spiritually and Intellectually Sharp
Summer vacation nips at the heels of spring field trips, eighth grade promotions, and high school graduations. Although days of summer sun lengthen in the count of hours, summer vacation grows shorter as each sun sets. For teachers and students, these days are numbered from the outset—not by a meteorological calendar or an astrological season but by a definitive board authorized document, union approved and community respected. In a career of nearly thirty years, I have learned a thing or […]
9 Unbeatable Wooden Swing Sets for Solid Backyard Fun
When you were a kid, did you have an outdoor wooden swing in the garden? I bet you did. Most kids had a backyard swing set back in the days before computers and games consoles took over the world. These days, wooden swing sets have been overtaken by plastic versions, which is a real shame because a wood trumps plastic every time. Traditional wooden swing sets look great and are very durable. They blend into the scenery a lot better […]
9 Educational Toys To Inspire A Love For Nature
Children are inherently curious about the world around them. They are interested in the bugs, trees, plants, and even the weather. Educational toys can help to inspire and grow a love for nature, as well as teaching them how nature and the world around us works and thrives. Whether it’s collecting insects, growing vegetables, or simply observing plants, animals, and trees, an interest and appreciation for nature can encourage children to look away from their screens and explore the outdoors. […]
Have a Sackful of Fun and Learning with Google Santa Tracker
Overview Maybe it’s the festive spirit in the air. Maybe it’s the eggnog they serve in the Google cafe. Whatever it is, Google Maps feels like the gift that just keeps on giving! For the past ten years Google has been helping children around the world track and follow Santa on his journey from the North Pole. And each year it just gets better and better. Students can play high quality Christmas themed games, watch fun videos and of course learn […]
7 Fun Easter Apps for Kids Who are Sick of Chocolate
Enough with the chocolate! I have seriously had more chocolate in the last week than Augustus Gloop on a Creme Egg binge. And the only way I know to distract myself from this Easter madness is to pull out the iPad and start (sticky) tapping. As a chocolate alternative this year, here are seven of the most engaging, enjoyable and elegant Easter apps for this hefty holiday: Engaging Easter Apps 1. Flappy Bunny Adventure Riding on the ‘flappy’ wave that has […]