Resources · 11-29-2013

Click the speech bubble to access the 2013 holiday toy list from the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC). "Each year, NAGC invites toy and game manufacturers to submit their newest products for review by students." Their magazine, Parenting for High Potential, highlights this year's entries. The recommended toys and games make great gifts for talented children and their families.

Museums · 11-25-2013

Museum Monday Since many museums are closed on Mondays, I'll bring a museum to you. Serious music lovers will "sing" the praises of this special museum. Enter virtual gallery tours highlighting musical instruments from around the world and throughout the ages at the National Music Museum. View harmonicas, drums, flutes, guitars, violins, and much more. It is an extremely helpful site for instrument research too!

Books · 11-24-2013

If you know a child who has an interest in learning Shakespeare, guide her towards How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare. One of the author's goals was to teach his own children "at least twenty-five passages from Shakespeare's plays so that they could have the lines at their fingertips and spout them whenever the occasion presented itself." While there is debate about the usefulness of memorization, engaged children will love the challenge. Who knows how learning passages from Shakespeare's...

Creativity · 11-21-2013

Did you know doodling sparks creativity and helps you pay attention? Let these books inspire the creative, attentive doodlers among us.

Museums · 11-20-2013

If you have budding inventors in your household, direct them to The Smithsonian's Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation. Plenty of fascinating inventors are featured, including the individuals who invented robotic ants, the first chocolate covered ice cream bars, and Velcro. Enthusiasts can also learn more at The Center's fascinating blog, Bright Ideas, (where I learned who invented the Super Bowl Trophy).

Activities · 11-18-2013

Rough, soft, sharp, dull, fuzzy, smooth - textures are all around us to serve as inspiration. They can be man-made or found in nature. Textured objects can generate beautiful, unique patterns. Place a piece of paper over the object, and rub the surface of the paper with the side of a crayon.

Activities · 11-14-2013

My piggy bank is overflowing, so I have been sorting coins for the past few days. I only save quarters (25¢), dimes (10¢), and nickels (5¢). As you can see from the photo, I have LOTS more quarters than dimes and more dimes than nickels. That got me thinking about the least amount of coins required (using only quarters, dimes, and nickels - no pennies) to make change from 5 cents to 95 cents. The following possible combinations illustrate why I have more quarters than dimes and more dimes...

Museums · 11-11-2013

A few years ago, my fifth grade gifted and talented students completed a unique research project. Specifically, we sent letters to museum directors asking for input about one object, artifact, work of art, or a creative selection from their museum's collections. The selection could be a personal favorite, possess significant cultural relevance, be a "best" example of its kind, tell a story, promote a new idea, or expose students to a new experience. The purpose of the project was to provide...

Activities · 11-07-2013

Letter writing is fast becoming a lost art, but who doesn't love getting a handwritten letter in the mail? Use the following letter writing ideas to promote writing skills and to support creative expression.

Activities · 11-04-2013

Museum Monday During a recent visit to the Witte Museum, I was reminded of an animation unit I used to teach. The Witte currently has an exhibit of magic lanterns (through June 2014) which are the predecessors of slide and movie projectors. They were an extremely popular form of entertainment - especially during the second half of the 19th century. There were even toy lanterns for children. The exhibit features many different types of magic lanterns, slides, and captivating lantern shows. You...