Naturally Educational » Literacy
How to Make a Flower Fairy
We made these Flower Fairies in early summer but I am just getting around to posting them. In the fall, we will make them with leaves. We had been wanting to make Flower Fairies for some time and I was inspired to finally give it a go when I saw these forest fairies at A New Bohemia during the Smart Summer Challenge. Materials: 1 wooden bead artificial flowers 2 chenille stems 1 metallic chenille stem embroidery floss or yarn glue dots or hot … Read entire article »
Filed under: 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergartners), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 9-11 (Elementary), 9-11 (Elementary), 9-12 (Middle Grades), Featured, Home Arts, Literacy, Spring, Summer
How Can Fiction Inspire Middle Grade Readers? Join Author John Bemis for a Live Chat
When I taught history in the classroom, I found that a handful of students came with a deep background level of knowledge of certain eras. Usually, they gained this information from reading historical fiction. The fiction narrative captivated them while the history lent meaning and realism to the text. I was very excited recently when I heard from Random House about the books by John Bemis. Bemis blends historical fiction with the stuff of legend to … Read entire article »
Filed under: 9-11 (Elementary), 9-12 (Middle Grades), History and Culture, Literacy
How Are You Making the Most of Your Summer? #readandplay
I cannot believe that July is almost over!I love the slower pace of summer and the opportunity to find lots of fun learning opportunities for my family. With the heat wave, we’ve gotten creative trying to beat the heat. We have to watch our budget, though, so frugal entertainment is always a big plus! How are you enjoying your summer so far? Have you been checking items off your bucket list or wondering where all the time … Read entire article »
Apple Blossom to Zinnia: 3 Flower Alphabet Picture Books
Flowers are such a lovely part of spring and summer. We’ve planted, pressed, dissected, drawn, and studied these beautiful blossoms and are ready, soon, to move onto pollinators. To enrich our knowledge base of flower types, we borrowed some alphabet books featuring flowers. Flower Alphabet Picture Books The Flower Alphabet Book (Jerry Pallotta’s Alphabet Books): We own a number of Pallotta’s alphabet books and this one does not disappoint. The marginalia illustrate interesting facts about each … Read entire article »
Filed under: 3-5 (Preschool), 5-6 (Kindergartners), Ecology, Featured, Literacy, Smart Summer Challenge, Spring, Summer
F is for Flowers
Earlier in the spring, we learned about rain and the water cycle and about the plant life cycle. Then, once our flowers bloomed, we explored our garden. We dissected flowers, pressed flowers, made daffodil flower crafts out of cardboard toilet paper tubes, and we also practiced writing using flower petals. As with most of our “letter of the week” crafts, I modify it to include writing the whole word for my daughter, who is in … Read entire article »
Filed under: 3-5 (Preschool), 3-5 (Preschool), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 6-8 (Early Elementary), Ecology, Featured, Literacy, Science, Smart Summer Challenge, Smell, Spring, Summer, Taste
Are You Ready for Summer Reading Fun?
I am over-the-moon to announce that I have accepted a position as one of the community leaders at the brand new Random House Read & Play Summer Fun Community at BlogFrog. I hope you will join us at the official Launch Party is Thursday, June 30, 9-10 pm EST–just bookmark this thread and the launch party will go live at 9pm! Keep reading because I am going to tell you about some of the exciting PRIZES you … Read entire article »
Filed under: Educational Blogs, Giveaways, Literacy
B is for Beans
After our Bean Plant Life Cycle Experiments, we used beans to make a letter “B” and spell the word “beans”. This is a simple activity that can be modified for almost any letter and small material. It is a fun way to build manual dexterity, practice tracing, and make the connection between the letter, the sound, and the meaning. And it is easy to adapt for more advanced learners by allowing them to spell out the … Read entire article »
Filed under: 1-2 (Toddler), 1-2 (Toddlers), 3-5 (Preschool), 3-5 (Preschool), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergarten), Featured, Literacy, Touch
April Verse
After a few snows and bitter days in March, we are excited that spring is finally on the way! Our crocuses and daffodils have bloomed and the days are getting warmer. Here is our daily verse / poem for April, which we found on Can Teach: April April is a rainbow month, Of sudden springtime showers. Bright with golden daffodils and lots of pretty flowers. At the end of March, we went outside to play a little in the dirt and … Read entire article »
D is for Dirt, R is for Rocks
Getting physical with your learning is a great way to reinforce academic lessons. The connection is especially strong with language and literacy. The experience reinforces the memory of the letters and words and creates a deep connection. We’ve also been exploring the universe of literacy in WordWorld–a television program on PBS that supports pre-reading skills. The characters on the show (“WordFriends”) are formed out of the words that are their names. They solve challenges by building … Read entire article »
Filed under: 1-2 (Toddlers), 3-5 (Preschool), 5-6 (Kindergarten), Bodily-kinesthetic, Featured, Literacy, Touch
Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!
Dr. Seuss is a favorite at our house (and probably yours, too) for his fun language play and timeless messages. We put together a quick craft to go with The Cat in the Hat. Materials white posterboard red construction paper glue scissors Directions 1. Cut out a tall hat shape from the posterboard. 1b. Note: If you do not have enough posterboard for an entire hat shape, you can cut a band out separately (like we did). 2. Cut a second band for the hat … Read entire article »
Filed under: 0-3 (Babies and Toddlers), 1-2 (Toddler), 1-2 (Toddlers), 3-5 (Preschool), 3-5 (Preschool), 3-5 (Preschool), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergartners), Featured, Literacy, Visual-Spacial
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About the Author
Candace Lindemann is a published children’s writer and educational consultant. She holds a B.A. from Yale University and an M.Ed. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Working with school districts around the country and some of the most well-known companies in the education industry, Candace creates custom strategies, textbooks, and lesson plans. Her articles have appeared in print and online.
While Candace’s degrees prepared her for a career in education, she’s found that the best preparation for parenting is on the job training.
Contact Candace via e-mail, read her full biography, or connect with her using the social media icons below.
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