Groovy Educator

Socks?  Teaching with socks ? Yes!  Socks can be a valuable teaching tool.  Here are some ways you can use socks to teach your child(ren) at home or in your classroom. Math Estimation -Fill a sock with several objects. Have your child look at the the sock and estimate how many items are in the sock without feeling it.  Spend time discussing what you observe about the sock.  Is it full?  Is it bumpy?  Does it lay flat?  Ask how these observations affect your child's estimate.  Dump out the objects from the sock and decide whether or not your child wants to change his/her estimate based on the new visual knowledge.   Check by counting the objects. Grouping -When counting the objects group them into 2s, 5s, or 10s.  Discuss why?  Come up with some reasons together as to why this might be helpful.  You can repeat these activities with items in the other sock. Skip Counting -Empty out the sock drawer and count t...

The cereal box is a powerful tool for teaching in so many ways.  Here are some ideas: Shapes Explain the difference between a rectangle and a rectangular prisim Circle all the shapes you can find on the box and write a list to record what you found. On a different day repeat the previous activity but then transfer the information into a Venn Diagram (two circles that intersect/overlap).  Write the shapes that were on both boxes in the area where the circles overlap.  That shows what was the same on both boxes.  Write what was different in the other areas.  (I will have to upload a photograph on this in the future.) Discuss how rectangular prisms can stack and slide but not roll.  Test it out.   Compare the size of the rectangles on the sides of the box to the front of the box. Trace the box to make a large rectangle and then draw a picture using shapes you found on the box. Math There are endless adding and subtracting activities th...

"Can" you believe I am about to write a post about teaching across the curriculum using canned food? This post is the first in a series of posts about how to turn cheap, everyday objects a into powerful teaching tools.  For over a decade I have been an elementary school teacher.  This series will primarily relate to families and teachers who teach toddlers all the way up to second graders. My daughter is not even two years old but she and I play games with these objects and she doesn't even know she is learning.  It's FUN!  That is how I feel learning should be most of the time.  Sometimes you just have to buckle down and study but most of the time kids learn more through real world experiences that are connected to a strong emotion. Speaking of powerful emotions...BAM! BAM! BAM!  I "accidentally" knock over a few cans as I am unpacking the last bag of groceries.  My daughter is startled and says "uh oh."  AHA-This is a teachable moment...I...

I am exploring ways to relax and one of my former hobbies was crafting.  Now that I am on leave, I have time to do this again.  For some reason I have become extremely interested in vintage costume jewelry and have purchased some pieces.   This week I have combined both hobbies by creating these handmade ornaments.  I have a couple listed on eBay but there is no need to purchase one when you can make your own! For these particular ornaments I purchased clear glass ones with a subtle design on the outside at Big Lots.  I then went through my broken jewelry looking for chains, loose beads, earrings without a match and Voila!  This is the result.      For student gifts you can always purchase clear plastic ornaments and junk jewelry at yard sales, thrift shops, eBay, or even ask for donations .  I used a hoop earring for the hook, just think of the possibilities...decorative ribbons, yarn, braided thread.  You cou...

Find Boggle on Amazon Okay, as you may know already, I am on a leave of absence from teaching first grade due to my fibromyalgia flaring up.  So naturally, I am thinking about school and ideas are swirling.  One night I looked over at the Boggle game sitting on my dresser and a gazillion center / learning station ideas popped in my head. Here are a few: Alphabetizing Ideas Four Corners Each person gets a letter from the corner and the team has to put them in ABC (alphabetical order). Four Lines Each person alphabetizes a line Super Challenge Alphabetize all the letters Word Work Lucky Letter Whichever letter is in the top left corner is the lucky letter. Kids can make a list of words that start with that letter, end with that letter, or have that letter. Rhyme time Find a words in the mixed up letters and then write a rhyming word to go with it. Challenge Rhyme time Same as above but then write the rhyming words in a sentence and illustrate it. ...

It's after midnight and I'm up, again... I'm missing my kiddos and co-workers.  I've been on leave for a couple of weeks due to my Fibromyalgia flaring up.  Stress does that.  I can't say that I'm relaxed but I am not breaking out in hives everyday.  BIG Improvement! It breaks my heart every time I let my mind wander over to teaching.  I miss the children.  This year I had such a wonderful, dream class.  They were so sweet and eager to learn.  I am confident that the teacher that took my place is proficient and kind hearted but I still miss them.  It is amazing how attached you can get in nine weeks. I'm not sure what the future will bring.  I try to think ahead and feel blue so right now I am living in the moment.  Learning how to cherish the subtle small things in life we take for granted in the daily grind. My uncle is gravely ill and does not have long to live.  I am choosing to focus on the moments with him now. ...