by Elizabeth Cossick, M. Ed.

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Science is one of those subjects that, when done right, is just as fun on a Friday night at home with the kids as it is in class. This is part three in a three-part series on fun science projects for home or school.

While the supplies under your kitchen sink make for great science experiments (as shared in Part I and Part II of this series), there are also some fabulous (affordable) science kits that you can purchase at specialty toy stores to provide hours of exploration and discovery.

Here are our favorites, which would also make welcomed birthday and Christmas gifts. Think of them as toys that pack a one/two punch. ONE: They’re tons of FUN. (Seriously, who doesn’t want to make a robot?) And TWO: They teach and reinforce critical thinking skills (cause and effect, reading and pre-reading strategies, direction following, synthesis, analysis, prediction…).

Now doesn’t that sound like a better gift than the usual overpriced plastic thingymajig that will become toy box fodder in two days? We thought so, too.

Five Rockin’ Science Kits

• Tin Can Robot

Description: Recycle a soda can by turning it into a silly robot that can wobble around! Kit includes all working parts, motor, wheels, arms, googly eyes, and fully detailed instructions. Requires screwdriver and empty soda can (not included). Great way to recycle! Ages 6+.

Price: $14.99

Available at: The School Box store or online here: http://www.schoolbox.com/Tin-Can-Robot-Kit

• Electromagnet Science Kit

Description: Build a doorbell, telegraph system and even a catapult using a true electromagnet! Kit includes: disc, latch and neodymium magnets, compass, straws, wires, sand paper, switch plates, wood screws, nails, light bulbs, battery holders, iron filings and more. An instruction booklet walks young scientists through an array of project options and experiments for hours of captivating fun.

Price: $26.99

Available at: The School Box stores or online here: http://www.schoolbox.com/ProductDetail

• Big Bag Of Science

Description: This giant kit is designed to whet the appetites of budding young scientists of all ages. With more than 70 unique, fun, hands-on science activities, this kit guarantees hours of science fun. Amaze your friends and family with such activities as making water disappear, having liquid flow uphill, making a 30’ soda geyser, growing fake snow instantly, balancing 6 nails on the head of one nail – and much more. Store all components in the reusable zipper bag. Ages 8 and up.

Price: $39.99

Available at: The School Box stores or online here: http://www.schoolbox.com/Big-Bag-Of-Science

• Solar Rover

Description: Learn how regular sunlight converts to energy as it powers this rover to roll along the floor. All you need is a recycled soda can! Ages 8 and up.

Price: $19.99

Available at: The School Box stores or online here: http://www.schoolbox.com/Solar-Rover-Kit

• Weird Slime Laboratory

Description: Create green jelly worms, tadpoles and leeches, invisible jellyfish and more! Learn about the properties of matter, wet spinning, hydrated crystals and cross-linked polymers. Kit includes eight activities, each of which builds on the skills learned in the previous one. Ages 10 and up.

Price: $19.99

Available at: The School Box or online here: http://www.schoolbox.com/Weird-Slime-Laboratory

For more hands-on science kits, check out these other awesome ideas and kits (erupt a volcano, anyone?): http://www.schoolbox.com/Science-Fair-Projects-And-Kits.aspx

Okay, so you just have to know about this event: This Saturday, January 29, is the biggest sale at The School Box all year. Did you hear that? ALL YEAR, ladies and gents. I am more than a little excited.

But, wait, don’t tune out if you’re not a teacher. The School Box is also the PERFECT place to get craft supplies, kiddie room decor and furniture, the best book titles for all ages, tutoring & extra practice materials for home…and (my personal fave) birthday and baby shower gifts. Have you seen their awesome toy and game aisles? Quality stuff sans the lead paint (like Melissa & Doug). And now it’ll all be ON SALE!!! “Stock up” is the golden rule for a balanced birthday budget.

The Details:

Date: January 29, 2011

Where: At *every* School Box location. To find one near you, check out www.schoolbox.com.

Discounts: Available for parents, teachers, home-schoolers, aunts, uncles, grandparents, third cousins twice removed…everyone! Draw an apple at checkout, and the apple will determine the discount on your total purchase (10%, 20%, 30%, 40%).

Oh Goody Goody: The first 40 customers will receive special goody bags.  Drawings will also be done for $50 prizes, and one lucky duck will win a $250 Gift Certificate!!!

This is one of the best (and most fun!) sales for quality children’s games, supplies and the like. Just thought you should know about it!

by Elizabeth Cossick, M. Ed.

Comment on this post and you could win a $20 School Box Gift Card! A winner is selected weekly.

So, whatcha doin’ on January 29? How about…a jigsaw puzzle??

If this wasn’t on your agenda this week, it should be! January 29 is National Puzzle Day. And, since puzzles are such a great way to incorporate cooperative learning while sharpening the ol’ noggin, we think we should all jump on the bandwagon of celebrating this holiday. Who’s in?

Need more convincing?

“Doing jigsaw puzzles can help build cognitive skills like visual processing, logic and reasoning, attention, and processing speed,” says Kristen Thompson, owner of LearningRx, a brain training center in Kennesaw, Georgia, that helps students overcome learning struggles. Puzzles rank at the top of their list for an impactful way to improve critical thinking.

Did You Know???

And now, here for your puzzling pleasure, are some random facts about puzzles that would impress even Alex Trebek:

· Jigsaw puzzles originated in the 1760s when maps were pasted onto wood and dissected.

· In 2008, more than 15,000 people in Ravensburg, Germany, assembled a nearly 6,500-square-foot puzzle in town square. The puzzle had 1,141,800 pieces.

· In the 1930s, puzzle manufacturer Einson Freeman convinced a toothbrush company to give away a puzzle with every toothbrush purchase. More than one million toothbrushes sold.

· No one is sure who invented National Puzzle Day, but there are various clubs dedicated to the love of puzzles.

There are lots of places online where kids can do jigsaw puzzles for free! Here’s a good starting place:

http://www.thekidzpage.com/onlinejigsawpuzzles/animals/index.html

There is also a great selection of high quality puzzles for all ages available on-line from our sponsor, The School Box:

http://www.schoolbox.com/Puzzles.aspx

by Kristin M. Woolums, M.Ed.

Comment on this post to win a $20 School Box gift card! One commenter each week wins.

Try this great mini-lesson for teaching the layers of the earth!

What you need:

• Red hot candies – 1 per child

• Gum drops or spice drops – 1 per child

• Large marshmallows – 1 per child

• Graham cracker crumbs

• Paper plates or napkins for a workstation

What you do:

1. I begin with a discussion of the inner core. I ask the students to describe what it is like, how we might know this since we’ve never been there, and to name an everyday item that might be similar to its makeup. Since finding something even remotely close to the temperature, density and makeup of the inner core is not feasible in the classroom, I use Red Hot candies (get it? Red hot?)!
2. Secondly, we discuss how the outer core is somewhat softer than the inner core, but yet still very dense since both of these layers literally have the weight of the world on top of them! I have the students cram (note the real scientific term there: cram) the Red Hot inside the gum/spice drop.
3. Next, for the mantle, we use the marshmallow. We discuss how the mantle is much more pliable (relatively speaking) than the core, and that the top layer actually “floats” on top of this spongy material. The students should then cram the core (the Red Hot inside the gum/spice drop) into the center of the marshmallow. At this point, the Earth may not look so “earthy” or round, but the point is getting across to the learner.
4. Finally, have the students lick, but not eat, the outside of the marshmallow. They will then roll this concoction in the graham cracker crumbs to be… you guessed it… the crust. You can easily explain how the crust is a “crackly” surface even though it doesn’t look like it to us, and that it’s made up of plates that truly float on the mantle.
5. Of course, by this point, the students are asking to “dispose” of their project. They will enjoy eating their Earth, so this is an opportunity to tell them that they’d want to eat a clean Earth, so hopefully they didn’t pollute their Earth. Give them a few moments to enjoy their snack. As a follow-up, I usually have the students describe their model of the Earth – either as a short-answer question on a test or as a quick-write – using science vocabulary and proper terminology.

Food is a great way to get (and keep!) students engaged. They’ll love this lesson because it keeps them engaged while learning, and gives them a sweet treat in the process!

Kristin M. Woolums, M. Ed., teaches fifth grade at a private school in Atlanta and works at The School Box at Southlake during the summer months.

by Kelli Lewis

Making comparisons is an important skill for life, not to mention a standard for elementary students. Centers can include comparing objects such as buttons, bottle tops, letter tiles, cubes, etc. However, as a class, I’ve found that students enjoy comparing something else even better: each other! Here are some sorting ideas that I’ve used in my classroom before, and the students always ask to do them over and over again.

long hair vs. short hair

Question: Do more students have long hair or short hair?

1. Estimate. Have the students look around and guess whether they think there are more people in the room who have long hair or short hair.
2. Observe. Have the students with long hair move to one side of the room and the students with short hair move to the other side of the room. (You can define long hair as below shoulders or below chin– whatever you and your students agree upon.)
3. Record. Write the numbers of the amounts of long hair and short hair on the board or chart paper.
4. Compare. Discuss and determine, together as a class, which one is the most and which is the least. Who estimated correctly?

other ideas for comparing:

• tennis shoes vs. other shoes: Are more students are wearing tennis shoes or other shoes?
• chairs vs. people: Are more chairs or people in the classroom?
• jeans vs. other pants: Are more students are wearing jeans or other pants?
• boys vs. girls: Are more students boys or girls?

And, comparing always leads to a great character lesson, too: It’s important that, as you compare, you don’t accidentally let your comparisons turn into judgments. The fact that we are all different and unique is what makes our class…and our world…so wonderful!

Kelli Lewis is working on her Masters at The University of Georgia, and she is also a regular contributor to A Learning Experience.

Do you have ideas to share, too? Write them up into an article and submit it to editor@schoolbox.com. If your article gets published on A Learning Experience, you’ll recieve a $35 gift card to The School Box!

by Kelli Lewis

Comment on this post to win a $20 School Box Gift Card! We give away gift cards weekly. Just in time for Christmas presents!

One of my favorite books to read during this time of the year is The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg! Elementary students absolutely love reading it and hearing it read to them over and over. Here are some ways to engage your students with the book and some activities that you can do after reading.

Watch the movie!

After reading the book to your students, allow them to watch the movie together as a class. You could even allow your students to wear pajamas and bring their favorite stuffed animal for the movie day. Pop popcorn and have hot chocolate during the movie to make it even more festive! One way to make this academic is to incorporate Venn diagrams and have a discussion on how the movie and book compare and contrast with one another.

Create a train!

Since The Polar Express is a train, allow the students to each create a piece of the train, and then assemble it together as a class. Bring in shoe boxes and send out letters to parents requesting that they send in any extra shoe boxes that they may have lying around. Shoe boxes may also be donated from local stores.

Students can also bring in supplies to create and decorate their piece of the train. You can also contribute any materials or supplies you may have lying around, such as scraps of wrapping paper, ribbons, stickers, etc. Depending on the age and level of your students, you can also allow your students to create one piece/shoebox for the train as a group– adding cooperative learning to the mix.

Another option is to leave the train pieces/shoe boxes open (discarding the lid) and allow students to bring things to place in them, such as canned goods, toys, etc. for the less fortunate during the holiday season. Most schools are already participating in some type of event as such. Your class’s Polar Express train could be the way your class contains your donated items.

Silver bells!

Since a big part of The Polar Express is the special silver bell, it would be a special and meaningful idea to give each student their own silver bell after the day is over, to take home. This would a great conversation starter among their family and friends, and a great way for them to retell the story to others…furthering their summarizing and retelling skills in a festive way!

Kelli Lewis is a graduate student at The University of Georgia who is chock-full of great ideas and insights. We’re so glad she shares them with us at A Learning Experience!

by Kelli Lewis

Comment on this post to win a $20 School Box Gift Card! One comment wins each week.

Why not get into the holiday spirit by baking cookies and learning math at the same time?

By using the following gingerbread man recipe (or any recipe, really), you can incorporate math concepts with a festive, hands-on activity.

Here’s how:

1. Gather all materials and ingredients (listed below).
2. Make the cookies with your class, calling on student volunteers to measure and add the various ingredients. Give everyone a chance to stir.
3. While you’re mixing and measuring, discuss the measurements with your students: “If we need 1 ½ cups of flour, what are some ways I could measure this out using the measuring cups?” Students may respond by using the measuring cups for 1 cup along with the ½ cup.
4. Now challenge the students to think of ways to measure the flour if you did not have the measuring cup for 1 cup: “Could we still make the cookies if we didn’t have the measuring cups for 1 cup nor the ½ cup? What if you only had the measuring cup for ¼ cup?” Explain to your students that these are real world situations that you may run into when cooking. Sharing your own stories of when you used math to cook will make the activity even more relevant and memorable.
5. After you make the dough (and chill it according to the recipe, below), give each student a piece of wax paper for their desk. Add a small amount of flour to the wax paper and then give each student a small ball of dough. They can press the dough (or take turns using rolling pins to roll it out) to 1/8-inch thickness (they can even use their rulers to measure!) before cutting out their gingerbread man.
6. You can either ascertain permission to use the kitchen’s oven to bake the cookies at school (a parent volunteer is helpful to take the cookies to and from the kitchen while you stay with your class in the classroom), or you can take the cookies home to bake them and bring them back. (To make sure each student gets his or her own cookie back, label foil-lined cookie sheets with students’ names in permanent marker, and place each child’s cookie on the foil by his/her name).

Materials List:

• medium mixing bowl
• mixing/stirring spoons
• measuring cups
• measuring spoons
• refrigerator
• oven
• baking sheet
• cooking spray
• gingerbread man cookie cutter
• wire racks
• decorative containers/bags to store finished cookies in

Gingerbread Men Recipe (from Allrecipes.com):

*Yields: 2 ½ dozen (Calories 79, Total Fat: 3.3g per serving)

* Time: total of about 1 hour & 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 (3.5 ounce) package cook and serve butterscotch pudding mix

• 1/2 cup butter

• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar

• 1 egg

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, cream together the dry butterscotch pudding mix, butter, and brown sugar until smooth. Stir in the egg. Combine the flour, baking soda, ginger, and cinnamon; stir into the pudding mixture. Cover, and chill dough until firm, about 1 hour.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease baking sheets. On a floured board, roll dough out to about 1/8 inch thickness, and cut into man shapes using a cookie cutter. Place cookies 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.

3. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until cookies are golden at the edges. Cool on wire racks.

Kelli Lewis is a graduate student at The University of Georgia and a regular contributor to A Learning Experience.

by Rachel Stepp

Comment on this post to win a $20 School Box gift card. One comment this week will win!

Do you struggle with your guided reading group routine? Here is a simple idea for a five-day reading routine for the lower grades (which could easily be adapted for upper grades, as well).

Imagine your class divided into several small groups. You can work with each group for approximately 15-20 minutes depending on the number of students in your class.

Day 1: Selecting and Introducing the Book

If your school has a guided reading book library, then use it to find books that are appropriate for your students. When you first introduce the book, allow the students to do a picture walk (flip through the book, looking at the pictures) and make predictions. Then read the story aloud to the class the first time through. Make sure that your students are using their ‘tracking finger’ to follow along. After the whole group has read the book together, ask the students to whisper read to themselves as you listen in. Make sure that the students read the book enough times so that you have time to walk around the class and listen to each student read.

Day 2: Learning New Words

Begin the second day by reviewing and rereading the book from day one. Check ‘tracking fingers’ like you did previously, and monitor the students as they read to themselves. After they have reread the book, talk about new words from the story. You can write these words on index cards to add them to the word wall, if your class has one. Have your students practice saying the words and talk about their meanings. You can have the students write out new words on individual white boards if time allows.

Day 3: Be an Illustrator!

Once again, begin the day by allowing your students to reread their stories. Ask comprehension questions related to the text and pictures (“Why do you think he did that?” “What’s going on in that picture?” “What did you think about that part?”)–to get students to think deeper about what they’re reading.

Now it’s time to let your students’ creativity shine: tell them that they are going to become the illustrator for a page in the story! After they draw their favorite scene, they can write a caption. Depending on students’ writing abilities, their captions may range from one word to paragraphs. This will help them practice their spelling and attention to story sequence and details.

Day 4: Social Reading

On this day, once again reread the story, but allow your students to do this with a partner. Let them move about the room for a few minutes as they read to each other. Once everyone has had the chance to read, bring them back together and review the new words. The students can try to read new or unfamiliar words on their own by sounding them out or using context clues. At the end of this day, allow your students to take home their books so that they can read them with their families.

Day 5: Working on Writing

Since you sent the books home with your students the day before, you might not have them all back on day five (let’s be realistic). So, on this day, orally talk about the story. Tell the students to write words or sentences summarizing the story’s content. You might need to remind students what the story was about. Allow them to sound out words and work on their phonics skills. Also, while they are writing, ask them to check for spacing between letters and look for neat handwriting. Children can use their index fingers as a guide for how much space to leave between words.

These five days of guided reading plans are simple enough to be adapted to many classrooms and guided reading units. One final tip: Listen to your students read aloud during guided reading. This may be the only time that you will be able to hear them read one-on-one. One of the purposes of guided reading is to get to know your students’ abilities on an individualized basis, and after this week’s worth of activities, you will have witnessed oral reading, vocabulary skills, comprehension, interpersonal skills, writing, summarizing and drawing. Not too shabby for one week!

Rachel Stepp is a graduate student at The University of Georgia whose good ideas are frequently published on A Learning Experience.

Comment on this post to win a $20 School Box gift card! One comment this week will win!

Tired of doing the same things to teach letters to your young students? Do you simply just need a way to liven it up a little? How about getting your students active in role playing and engaged with each other by participating in some out-of-your-seat learning?!

Here’s How:

1. Tell the students that they are all going to “become” the letters in the alphabet, beginning with uppercase letters. When you say, “Give me an ‘A’!” then your students will work together to make an “A” on the floor. For example, two students would lay down, with their heads touching and a slight angle, to create the upside-down “V” shape.  Then, another student would lay down in the middle of them to create the bar that connects the two, making a letter “A”!
2. After your explanation, tell the students to find a place where they have room to wiggle and giggle as they lay on the floor and use their bodies to make ABC’s!
3. Then, explain and demonstrate with your students how it is going to work. Model for them what will happen each time. You will choose the amount of students you need for the letter you’re about to call.  You may even want to draw sticks with the students’ names on them to be sure that everyone gets a turn.
4. Be sure to go over the rules.  We don’t want anyone getting too excited and causing others to get hurt, stepped on, or trampled over!
5. Next, choose a letter, draw the appropriate amount of sticks, tell them their letter, and let them go at it!
6. Finally, take a picture each time the students have finished the letter. You can later print these and create a classroom alphabet book. For your pictures, you could even have another student stand behind the created letter with a paper sign that displays the letter in written or typed form.

A book that goes well with this activity and could be read beforehand is Dr. Seuss’s ABC: An Amazing Alphabet Book.

Hope you have fun with this zany activity! I know your students will!

Kelli Lewis is a graduate student at The University of Georgia and a regular contributor to A Learning Experience. We’re so glad!

by Rachel Stepp

Comment on this post to win a $20 School Box Gift Card! One comment this week will win!

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by doing everything in your classroom? Well, it’s time to let your students take some responsibilities! Here are a few of the classroom jobs that you can offer to your students:

Line Leader/Caboose: This is a classic job. The line leader position gives students the feeling of responsibility and importance. It allows them to take charge and show the rest of the class how to behave in the hallway. The caboose manages the end of the line by making sure that students stay in line and walk at a desirable pace.

Teacher’s Helper: This student can help with morning routines such as Calendar Time. Allow the student to point to the days of the week and the months of the year as students review or even sing. This student can also help to call on children to answer questions during appropriate times. For example, you might ask, “What month is it?” The teacher’s helper would then choose someone with their hand raised and ask that person to answer the question.

Paper Passer: This student helps to pass out any papers that all the students might receive. I would suggest only letting this person pass out blank worksheets or papers so that no one’s grade confidentiality is dishonored.

Homework Collector: This person can walk around in the mornings and collect homework from students. Students are very demanding of their peers, and they will be the first ones to tell you who has late homework. This person can also make a list of who has turned in homework so that you do not have to do it!

Lunch Counter: Most schools have lunch choices for students. Create an area in your classroom where students can view the lunch menu and then make their choice. Have your lunch counter tally up the results in the morning and deliver the numbers to the cafeteria.

Attendance Taker: Create a section in your room where students can mark whether or not they are at school. Let the attendance taker keep track of who is and who is not at school. The attendance taker can record the names of absent classmates and report them to you or the front office.

Book Returner: To cut down on trips to the library during class time, designate one student in the morning who will carry the books that need to be returned to the library. This student simply walks down to the library, returns the books, and comes back to the classroom.

Room Cleaners: The custodial staff does enough hard work around the school, so give them a break, too! Choose a student or two to monitor the room at the end of the day and announce areas that need to be cleaned. This will help students keep their desk areas clean. Also, if you have a small vacuum or sweeper, then students can begin to clean up the floors with it at the end of the day.

Animal Patrol: Do you have a class pet? A fish? A hamster? Choose a student to clean out your pet’s cage and to feed your animals. This eliminates some of the dirty work that comes along with having a critter in the classroom!

These are just several ideas of classroom jobs that you can use in your classroom. Their intensity will vary with grade level. Also, some jobs might be more appropriate for older grades, while others may only work in the youngest of grades. Display the names of the students and their jobs by creating a nametag for everyone and putting it by the job. You could also use “Classroom Jobs” posters and bulletin board sets that are available through The School Box (I particularly like this one … http://www.schoolbox.com/Overalls-Job-Assign-Bbs.aspx?CategoryID=1889.)

Have fun…and happy delegating!

Rachel Stepp is a graduate student at The University of Georgia and a regular contributor to A Learning Experience. Lucky us!