By Rachel Lynette
The quote below is located in the restroom at the Horses Mouth Bookstore and Internet Cafe in Buffalo, Texas. If you were here, as I am (far from my home in Bothell, Washington), you would not need to read it backwards because it is located on the wall directly across from the mirror, so of course it is reflected backward, which is forward to the reader.
Yes, you have a portable DVD player (your vehicle may have even come with one), and yes, your kids have a wide array of handheld video games. And yes, making use of these devices ensures a quiet and peaceful ride. It also ensures that your kids’ brains will be on autopilot and that no interaction of any depth will take place. The alternative? Make a
In addition to Minds in Bloom, I am also a Top Ten seller on teacherspayteachers.com. I specialize in creating ready-to-use materials that can be implemented with little or no teacher preparation. My offerings are all highly rated and reasonably priced. I have included a little information about each set of materials here, but there is much more information available, as well as free preview pages
Welcome! I’m so glad you are here! Minds in Bloom started as a place for me to share strategies and ideas for teaching creative and critical thinking skills, and while that is still and important piece, it has blossomed into so much more. At this point, about 3/4 of the posts here are written by guest bloggers in the field of education. This has resulted in
Here are some fun Thanksgiving analogies to use with your students. Thanksgiving : November : : Valentine’s Day : _________ pilgrim hat : head : : pilgrim shoes : ______________ turkey : bird : : yam : ______________ parade : watch : : food : ______________ kind : helpful : : grateful : _____________ empty : full : : apart : ______________ Thanksgiving : Thursday
Here is a link to A Turkey Knocked on My Back Door from Gettin’ Creative. It has the lyrics and a video of a child singing the song, which is great for learning the tune. My daughter brought this song home in second grade. She is in eighth grade now, and I still make her sing it!
Your students spend a lot of time looking at the front of your classroom, so it is important to make the most of that space. This is valuable real estate, so think carefully about how you want to use it. In most classrooms, the central feature is the whiteboard. If you are one of the lucky few that is blessed with an Interactive White Board
Traditional group brainstorming usually involves a leader fielding ideas and writing them in list format. However, you can use Post-It notes to make group brainstorming more personal and interactive. In addition, the Post-Its method allows you to easily organize ideas once they are all given. You could use this process in several ways: To solve a classroom problem; e.g., Our book nook is in a
Would You Rather – Thanksgiving Edition This conversation-making, thought-provoking, debate-initiating SUPER FUN game is the perfect activity to get your students in the Thanksgiving spirit! You can use these questions in so many ways! But whichever way you choose, your students are sure to have a blast! Grab these FREE Google Slides or Kahoot game to use these questions! Our Best Would You Rather Questions
Check out the right sidebar to get to the Daily Brain Teasers or you can get them all here. I’ve filtered them off the main page in order to implement tabs, which are coming soon! Actually, my CGBF filtered them off for me. I just watched and clapped.
How is it that no one thinks twice about teachers forking out big bucks (often their own) for teaching materials from coorporate publishers, but when a teacher wants to make a few extra dollars from lesson plans, worksheets, or other teacher material she has developed, people cry foul play? This morning’s NY Times article Selling Lesson Plans online Raises Cash and Questions, kind-a-sorta presents both
Today I stupidly lost a document. I am too frustrated to write a wonderfully inspirational post or even a useful one, so instead I offer this, in hopes that it will at least make you laugh. I wish my document was “x.” Fun Math Enrichment Educational Scavenger Hunts
A very long time ago I read something in a parenting book (of course I can’t remember which one) that said that we as parents should allow our children to do risky things, even those things like tree climbing that scare us half to death. Further, this author said never to tell a child to be careful. The reason given was that by telling our
If you would like to give me a birthday present, here are some ideas: Submit a post (but not this one!) from Minds in Bloom to your favorite social networking site – Stumble Upon, Delicious, Face Book Twitter etc. There is a handy little link button at the bottom of each post for doing just that! Link to Minds in Bloom on your own
The two main challenges with a classroom library seem to be making it cozy and inviting yet easily accessible, and keeping it organized. Here are some thoughts on both. Make It Inviting Most kids love cozy spaces. Ideally, your class library should be in a corner of your room, away from the door and the sink. A rug is a must. Bean bags, big pillows,
