Student-Created Escape Chamber: A Unique Project and Learning Journey

Breakouts and Escape Rooms! Scavenger and Treasure Hunts! Have you tried these kinds of learning experiences in your classroom yet? Many teachers are now creating their own online escape experiences for students using Google Forms. Here’s one example, created and generously shared by Amy van Dyk, and here’s another one, created by Librarian Sydney Krawiec. … Read more

Learn a Card Trick ~ Explain the Math

If you like this lesson, you might also be interested in Mathemagic and Artichmetricks: Connecting Math Patterns to Magic or Learn a Calendar Trick ~ Explain the Math. Subscribe to the blog for updates and lesson ideas. Here are two “arithmetrick” challenges in which students learn to perform card tricks and then are challenged to … Read more

Kids With Class: Student-Created Videos for Extended Learning

I’m sure you’ve done it. You remember it. At some point in your school career, you had to stand before the class and teach a lesson or share something you had learned. Our teachers, and their teachers before them, knew what we still know: “Those who know, do. Those that understand, teach.” – Aristotle “While … Read more

Kid-Created Word Puzzles: FUN-damental Brainwork!

Teachers, if you cannot access the puzzles or tutorials, please contact your district about approving this website or access through a personal Gmail account. Even if you “request access,” some of the school servers block access. MESSAGE if you have a question! HERE’S A CHALLENGE! How many words with five or more letters can you … Read more

Learning Logs and Writing to Learn: Kids’ Brains Benefit!

Not everyone is a writer, and many of my advanced students say they hate writing. But the brain is activated in a different way and learning is enhanced when a student writes, sketches, or even doodles by hand rather than texting or typing. Three things encouraged me to have my students create learning logs : … Read more

Opening the Gate to Best Practices in Gifted Education

by the GATEway Gals Many teachers who work with advanced and gifted students create their own lessons and units, and some make them available for purchase. The GATEWay GALS are the first to write a guest blog post for BIG IDEAS for LITTLE SCHOLARS. In it, they share a little about their products and how … Read more

Beyond Sudoku: Kakuro and Futoshiki

Teachers, if you cannot access the puzzles or tutorials, please contact your district about approving this website or access through a personal Gmail account. Even if you “request access,” some of the school servers block access. MESSAGE if you have a question! It’s been a couple of decades since Sudoku first appeared in newspapers in … Read more

Alien Animal Taxonomy: Binomial Nomenclature for Kids

If you have animal lovers in your class, especially dinosaur fanatics, you may have some students who find it intriguing and fun to learn the scientific names of animals. Beginning in early grades, students are introduced to the classification of living things. However, lessons in the lower grades usually focus on the main classes of … Read more