By Rachel Lynette
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,
According to this article from Prevention Magazine, the best time of the day for creativity is 9:00-11:00 in the morning, while 11:00-2:00 is a great time to solve difficult problems. With that in mind, seems like it makes sense to start the day with a quick, creative activity – perhaps a journal prompt or a waker-upper and then move into language arts with math just before or
Your child (or student) comes to you with a picture she has just drawn. You look at it and say something like, “Wow, that’s beautiful.” Then, you put it on the fridge. And that is pretty much it. While there is nothing wrong with this scenario, if you want your child to think critically and creatively about her art, you could use this opportunity to
You’ll always miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. -Wayne Gretzky Mistakes are the portals of discovery. -James Joyce A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing. -George Bernard Shaw In school, the right answer is so often required that children do not learn to value the wrong one. In fact, many children have learned that
I stumbled on this video last night. I love his speaking style, and he makes some really good points, one of which is how schools value “the right” answer so much that we make kids afraid to be wrong. Often, those who have done great things have been wrong quite a few times before they were right. Risk-taking is an important aspect of creativity. When
So, you are stuck in a very long line at the supermarket behind that woman who has 65,000 coupons, most of which are expired, but she is insisting that the checker call the manager, and your 4-year-old is getting whiny, and your 6-year-old is getting grumpy, and you are really wanting a hot bath, but there you are in the checkout line with a cart
Tristan, Alex, Lucy, and Kayla really needs to sit near the front, if you want them to focus. You can’t put Ashley next to any of her friends – which is most of the girls in the class – because she will constantly talk to them. No one wants to sit next to Bradley. He is that kid no one likes, and he doesn’t
Remember this book? It first came out in 1990 and inspired countless teachers to have their students make their own Really Long Lists of things to be happy about. That is a great idea for several reasons: NOTE: As Amazon Associates, we earn from qualifying purchases. Keeping a Really Long List over time will result in many different entries – ones that would not have
