Market Day at school is a must do! Recently, this day was hosted at our school by using projects our students have been working on all year. I will have to say that for many of our projects, this one day really brought to life a feeling of accomplishment for our students.Ideas for Market Day at SchoolEach grade level has worked tremendously hard over the past three years on year long projects. For instance, one grade level cares for a Pollinator Garden. Another grade level creates compost, and so on. It has taken quite a while to really get these projects going. Each year, something new is added to the project load. This year, Market Day was added. Each grade group brainstormed how to create a product with their project or that ... read more

STEM careers are everywhere. Do we take the time needed to instruct our students about STEM careers or any other career enough? Teachers focus on standard instruction daily. I find that standards are missing the connection to career education although their aim is to prepare students for the "beyond the classroom" life. So what do we do?What are STEM Careers?Each and every day, teachers have the opportunity to make connections to STEM careers. Every time they pick up a pencil, an opportunity is missed. Who made this pencil? Who designed it? What features were focused on during the design? Who marketed it? Where is it sold? How did it get here? See what I mean? The opportunities are there, constantly. Make everyday an opportunity ... read more

School classroom lighting is one the most fun aspects of my classroom. I love to use ambient lighting. What are ambient lights? How are they used? What makes them a good fit for the classroom? Students love them, and they create a calming effect in the classroom. Invite students into your classroom with some ambient lighting!Classroom Lighting and LearningEach year, I add some new element with lighting in my classroom that creates pizzazz, but also gives a welcoming and calming effect. I really like to flex my muscles here. It may be that I use a wireless remote control to turn it all on at once, it may be the place I put it, or simply just the colors that it gives off, but I have to bring the WOW factor. When I moved into my new ... read more

STEM challenges changed my life as a teacher. How? One simple word.... engagement. Students absolutely can't get enough of competition or STEM challenges. They want to win.Teaching gifted students has taught me that I need to be more creative when it comes to classroom management and motivating students. Some of the classes I teach can be as large as 20-25 students. Most of them think they are right, many of them have never been challenged in the classroom beyond the standards, and quite a few of them prioritize their thoughts by what is interesting and not what is on the agenda. THIS all equals a classroom of chaos at times.STEM Challenges for ElementarySo what to do with a classroom zoo? Give them a STEM challenge competition. ... read more

This post is all about teaching resources for science! I am going to make this really short and sweet. I have searched high and low for these teaching freebies!!!! Working in elementary education is where I spend most of my time so most of these freebies are geared towards lower and upper elementary. However, I am strong believer in adaptation. Integrated science resourcesSaying that, you can adapt anything for the appropriate grade level you are teaching. These are fresh, current, and up to date teaching resources and PBL (project-based learning) that you may want to incorporate into your school adventures! Life, physical, and earth teaching resources for science are all included from resources like Smithsonian and NASA. I do ... read more