This awesome video from Colonial Williamsburg gives a glimpse into their Junior Interpreters program, as well as what they have to offer to visitors with children. As the interpreters explain in the video, Colonial williamsburg’s Junior Interpreters know what it’s like to grow up in the past. After completing their training, these young interpreters teach [...]

I’m dating myself by saying this, but when I think of the band They Might Be Giants I think of the songs Particle Man and Birdhouse in Your Soul. These days, teachers everywhere are using videos by this offbeat band to teach their kids about science. The song below, called Roy G. Biv, teaches about [...]

It can be helpful to tactile learners to view writing as a process of constructing. A story board is a good way for the tactile learner to approach writing. A story board is a moveable idea board. It can be: the surface of a desk and a packet of sticky notes; a cork board, some [...]

When I wear my ‘consultant’ hat, I’m usually working with a local theatre company or a small museum, helping them design curriculum and materials to use with schoolchildren. What I always emphasize is that cultural organizations such as museums, zoos, theatres, and galleries have intrinsic value (not only for schoolchildren but for all of us) [...]

Yesterday I “attended” a webinar put on by Education Week. It featured two experts discussing recent trends in informal science education. It’s interesting to think about how those trends affect (mostly in very positive ways!) parents and families who want to encourage the spirit of inquiry and satisfy their curiosity about the world. A few [...]

This is worth the 20 minutes it takes to watch.

I don’t know when they began calling critical thinking skills “21st Century Skills” – I used them and taught them plenty during the 20th century, but no matter. It seems to be the educational buzzword of the day. And if the trend results in teachers and parents focusing more on communication, collaboration, critical thinking, problem [...]

Engaging the student, utilizing knowledge of various senses, taking advantage of free online tools, my son’s fourth grade social studies teacher did all these things when she showed the kids the following in class today:

I love this – it has all the elements of perfect learning: 1. Science tools. 2. Dirty kids. 3. Excitement. 4. Mystery. 5. Discovery. 6.Higher-Level Thinking. In fact, one student said, “This is probably the best science class ever,” (Angus Stewart). What is all this referring to? One teacher teaching science the way it should [...]

We were outside eating dinner at the picnic table when my youngest, who is 3, began playing with large, thin pieces of wood we have out back (we are building a tree fort). He crossed them and said, “Did I make an X?” He had, so we asked him if he could make a “T” [...]