Activities · 12-23-2016
Whether you like white or multicolored Christmas lights, both look magical when viewed with Holiday Specs. These holographic lenses are a “surprise for your eyes” because they transform Christmas lights into holiday images such as stars, candy canes, angels, and snowmen. Our pair of Holiday Specs enables us to see snowflakes on every bulb of our Christmas tree turning it into a snowy kaleidoscope of Christmas. The beauty of these twinkling snowflake lights inspired me to create the...
Activities · 12-09-2016
As King Moonracer tells Rudolph in the classic Christmas special, “A toy is never truly happy until it is loved by a child.” Classic toys, like Lego, inspire creative play and have been loved for generations. Other toys, such as Beanie Babies, achieve fad-like status only to fade away in popularity. Regardless of how long a toy remains popular, marketing is a key part of a toy’s success. How would you market your favorite toy? Sixty-two classic toys have been inducted into the National...
Activities · 11-02-2016
With trick-or-treaters still categorizing Halloween candy, it is a good time to introduce students to Carl Linnaeus. He liked putting things into categories too – especially plants and animals. In the wonderful children’s book, The Right Word: Roget and his Thesaurus, Jen Bryant describes Carl Linnaeus as a man who “put the names of animals and plants in categories, and that made nature much easier to study.” His classification system has seven levels, and each animal on the planet can...
Activities · 09-11-2016
All children have interests or hobbies. Whether it’s a favorite sports team or a passion for photography, individual interests are excellent opportunities for personalized learning. Not only does independent study allow students to learn more about topics, it also teaches them how to problem solve and present knowledge in creative ways. When supervising student projects, it’s important to help students focus their research with a specific guiding question. For example, if a student wants to...
Activities · 08-23-2016
If you and your children love the outdoors, walks in the woods, and playing make-believe, then you must create your own whimsical fairy house. These small dwellings are filled with wonder, fun, and creativity. Best of all, they can be made from things found in nature. There is no need to purchase store bought materials. Simply gather leaves, grass, acorns, rocks, shells, petals, pine cones, bark, sticks, etc. Build a dream house for any tiny creature, it doesn’t have to be a fairy. How about...
Activities · 08-10-2016
Many of my favorite things are priceless, yet they are worth little money. I value them for sentimental reasons. Some played important roles in my life, like my first stuffed animal. Others are associated with beloved family members, like my mother’s handmade baskets or family photos. We learn much about the world through the objects we save and treasure. An object’s sentimental or symbolic significance reveals our customs, interests, values, and traditions. Examining the role of...
Activities · 07-13-2016
Once upon a time, I worked for a historic preservation organization. I attended many tours and social events in historic properties not usually open to the public. Traveling to these events was entertaining and informative because my colleagues would point out various house styles and identify architectural features. They would get excited about such features as, roof forms, paint colors, windows, porch supports, and decorative details. I learned a lot and often think of them whenever I see an...
Activities · 05-13-2016
http://www.guggenheim.org/new-york/collections/collection-online/artwork/2143 Red Balloon, Paul Klee, 1922
Creativity · 02-22-2016
A warm-up is a short activity at the start of a lesson. Warm-ups help jump-start students' thinking and have many purposes including: to introduce a new topic to reinforce skills to motivate students to prepare students to learn to assess how much students know to develop students’ creative thinking