Thanks for your interest in using my books in the classroom!
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I love this Snowstorm in a Jar STEM activity, courtesy of Little Bins for Little Hands. All you need is a jar, water, white washable paint, cooking oil, and Alka-Seltzer tablets. Check out what it does below! You can keep feeding it Alka-Seltzer periodically, allowing many children to actively participate while everyone enjoys the show.
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Making "Snow Dough" is an easy and rewarding wintry sensory activity. It's so much fun to play with! Just mix roughly equal parts hand lotion (white is preferable—once I accidentally bought cocoa butter) and corn starch. Add glitter and/or peppermint oil if desired, and/or put the ingredients in the fridge for extra chilly wintry fun. Some recipes call for shaving cream instead of lotion, but I find the lotion makes better "snowballs." Add vehicle toys and make your own snowy race!
If you prefer art, try crafting collage snow plows with paint, construction paper, and part of a TP tube. This adorable idea is courtesy of Reading Confetti, and although it mentions boys, this activity is definitely for all genders(!!).
Writing can be hard work, but it can also be fun! And who doesn't love a treasure map?! Encourage students to play with language in this juicy activity, Spicing Up Your Stories With Similes. Students will learn what a simile is and why writers use them. Then they'll brainstorm similes of their own and complete a treasure map tale based on Goldenlocks and the Three Pirates. This activity supports Common Core Reading Literature Standard 4 and Language Standard 5.
Are your students clever with characters or setting but puzzled by plot? Have them Fabricate a Fractured Fairy Tale! This introduction and organizer takes young writers through the process I used to plan Goldenlocks and the Three Pirates, and then sets them up to write their own fractured fairy tale. This activity supports Common Core Writing Standard 3.
If you're celebrating International Talk Like a Pirate Day (Sept. 19!), here's a terrific, varied list of activity and lesson ideas, courtesy of the International Literacy Association.
And if you're looking for some Summer Reading inspiration, click here to download Goldenlocks' Swashbuckling Summer Reading BINGO!
Are your students clever with characters or setting but puzzled by plot? Have them Fabricate a Fractured Fairy Tale! This introduction and organizer takes young writers through the process I used to plan Goldenlocks and the Three Pirates, and then sets them up to write their own fractured fairy tale. This activity supports Common Core Writing Standard 3.
If you're celebrating International Talk Like a Pirate Day (Sept. 19!), here's a terrific, varied list of activity and lesson ideas, courtesy of the International Literacy Association.
And if you're looking for some Summer Reading inspiration, click here to download Goldenlocks' Swashbuckling Summer Reading BINGO!
The leadership at PS 154 in Queens developed this fantastic Common Core guide to using Twenty-One Elephants and Still Standing in the classroom (grades preK-5) as part of their Book of the Month Club. Check out the book club here and scroll down to April 2014.
Click through for a blog post from ReadWriteThink featuring classroom activities, resources, and lesson plans comparing my Twenty-One Elephants and Still Standing and Phil Bildner's Twenty-One Elephants.
Here's a terrific interactive read-aloud template prepared by the Santa Rosa, Florida, school district.
Many thanks to Christine Sugrue at Time Travel Kids NYC for this fun and engaging read-aloud + field trip activity. Also find it here by scrolling down to Transportation.
And for younger kids, here's a fun STEM/Engineering challenge from Playground Parkbench. Can YOU build a bridge for 21 elephants? The Twitter hashtags #twentyoneelephantsandstillstanding and #twentyoneelephants show ways other educators have challenged students to build bridges as well. Have fun!
Click through for a blog post from ReadWriteThink featuring classroom activities, resources, and lesson plans comparing my Twenty-One Elephants and Still Standing and Phil Bildner's Twenty-One Elephants.
Here's a terrific interactive read-aloud template prepared by the Santa Rosa, Florida, school district.
Many thanks to Christine Sugrue at Time Travel Kids NYC for this fun and engaging read-aloud + field trip activity. Also find it here by scrolling down to Transportation.
And for younger kids, here's a fun STEM/Engineering challenge from Playground Parkbench. Can YOU build a bridge for 21 elephants? The Twitter hashtags #twentyoneelephantsandstillstanding and #twentyoneelephants show ways other educators have challenged students to build bridges as well. Have fun!
Check out this Physical Science Teacher's Guide prepared by the Florida Museum of Natural History. What Do Wheels Do All Day? is featured on pages 14-17, and the whole guide has fun STEM activities for the classroom.
Download this wheels-related preschool lesson plan developed
by the Santa Monica Pier Restoration Corporation and featuring
What Do Wheels Do All Day?.
And here are more fun ideas for using What Do Wheels Do All Day?, courtesy of Kate Narita’s excellent blog, Classroom Book of the Week!
Download this wheels-related preschool lesson plan developed
by the Santa Monica Pier Restoration Corporation and featuring
What Do Wheels Do All Day?.
And here are more fun ideas for using What Do Wheels Do All Day?, courtesy of Kate Narita’s excellent blog, Classroom Book of the Week!
Download these Literacy Extensions for fun ways to use
and build upon Dig In!
Check out this Lego DUPLO reading and activity guide for more
literacy extensions, including directions for how to build a Lego pizza!
and build upon Dig In!
Check out this Lego DUPLO reading and activity guide for more
literacy extensions, including directions for how to build a Lego pizza!
Go to Penguin's WhoHQ web site for activity sheets, pop quizzes, a series adventure app, and more!