A Mini-Olympiad with a Brainy Twist! (4th-8th)

I’ve previously shared about an academic field day event called a THINK-A-THON. Students compete in indoor and outdoor “games” that combine running, relay racing, and teamwork with puzzles and problems to solve! Knowing a large-scale event might not be possible for all teachers, I was inspired to create this simpler version! This Mini-Olympiad is designed … Read more

Our Student-Created Interactive Museum: Where Imagination Took Center Stage

by Stefanie Schropp My colleague and friend Stefanie Schropp continues to amaze me. She is the Gifted, Talented, and Enrichment Coordinator on her pre-K through 8th-grade campus and she’s previously shared on the blog about her student Padlet porftolios. Recently, her GT students hosted an extraordinary hands-on interactive museum, and I had the pleasure of visiting and experiencing … Read more

Dabbling with Dice: Perplexing Puzzles and Challenges Using Dice

Have you ever heard of the dice puzzle called POLAR BEARS ? It stumped me -big time! Students who haven’t seen this will love it, and even if they have seen it, they’ll get a kick out of watching classmates struggle! You can use this slide deck to present the puzzle to your class. Hints … Read more

What’s New Under the Sun? 2024 Total Solar Eclipse Activities to Share with Advanced Students

On April 8th, the moon will totally eclipse the Sun, and its shadow will sweep across the U.S. Knowing that many of us will want to capitalize on this stellar event (pun intended), I’ve shared some unique and novel activities and resources that can be used as small group or whole-class experiences. AN ENGAGING HOOK … Read more

End-of-Year Showcase Events ~ 3 Simple Ways to Enhance the Experience!

In the post All the World’s a Stage ~ Spotlight Your Students’ Learning, I shared some of my favorite ways to spotlight student work either throughout the year or at an EOY showcase event. In this post, I’ve elaborated on three ways to make a showcase more exciting for your students to create and more … Read more

Split-Pairs Puzzle ~ Student Tutorial with Practice Puzzle

Here is a new kind of word puzzle your students may enjoy. It’s one that I’ve incorporated into the newest Mini-Mystery Progressive Puzzle: Vengeance for Victims of a Valentine Vandal ($2 -TPT). I’ve added it to the Puzzle Tutorials page and you can find the student practice puzzle that goes along with the video here. … Read more

S.C.A.M.P.E.R. the 24 Game for 2024

If you’ve tried some of the time and date patterns shared in Happy New Year Kick it Off with Time and Date Patterns! then you’ll quickly catch on to what I share in this post. At the time of this writing, we are moving into the year ’24, and I thought it would be fun … Read more

Teachers with a Design Mindset ~ Join the “Share and Tell”

As we begin the spring semester, many of you are planning with the END in mind– the end being May / June for most of us. Shout out, though, to my international and Australian subscribers who are planning for a brand new year. It may be different for you, but for me, this time of … Read more

Learn a Calendar Trick ~ Explain the Math!

Welcome, New Year! The first week back in January is a great time to introduce your students to the fun patterns in calendars and teach them a few tricks they can perform at home. Previously I’ve shared about incorporating “math magic” in the classroom and some fun math card tricks in Learn a Card Trick … Read more

Holiday History ~ The Christmas Truce of 1914

The extraordinary truce that took place on Christmas Day during World War I is a piece of history that you might like to share with older students during December. It can be shared in less than 15 minutes or expanded into a longer lesson with time for discussion. Your decision to share will depend on … Read more