Teaching workshops about your writing can be so enjoyable. Today, I saw an online application for submitting a proposal to teach a workshop at a Writing for Children conference. Generally I’d mull over something like this for awhile. Do I have something to offer? Will they be interested in what I do? Can I do it?
Instead, I said, “I’ll submit this” and sat right down at the computer. Within 30 minutes, it was finished, and I hit “Send.”
Will they accept me? I don’t know. I’d love to teach at this conference. I never have before although I’ve attended and submitted …read more

Parents, if you’re into Earth Day emphasis and would like some projects for your youngsters, check out those at edHelper.com.  These would be great for parents in general, home schooling parents and teachers in schools.
The Caring for Earth and Earth Day Theme Unit offers a wide variety of resources and projects for a variety of ages and grades.  These involve reading suggestions, puzzles, research of related topics, worksheets, and much more.

It’s time for dinner, err wait, I guess you could say it’s time for breakfast. That’s right, we are having breakfast for dinner. The two youngest and I were inspired after watching this clip on Michelle Smith’s The Tamara Davis Cooking Show post. Immediately my 5-year-old was asking me what a poe egg was. This brought a ton of things to mind.
I had to explain it is a poached egg and not a Poe egg. She did argue it with me but finally I was able to get her to believe me. Isn’t it funny how kids can hear something …read more

 
As I walked along the hallway of a school where I do substitute teaching, I noticed a display of patchwork on the wall.  These were small patchwork puffs and beanbags made in the 4-patch design.  (Four squares of two different fabrics sewn together.)
 
The accompanying notice indicated these had been hand stitched by children in grades k-2.  (In this small country school, there are only 12 children total in these three grades.) 
 
The 4-patch was the design my grandmother used, when I helped her make quilts as an eight-year old.  That pattern was my introduction to quiltmaking, as it may have …read more

Weaving the history of quiltmaking with American history can be a fun project for a teacher.  If you don’t do quilting yourself, see if a local quilter will visit and share with your students.
I first quilted with a sixth grade class when my daughter was in high school…quite a few years ago, considering that her daughter now is a high school freshman.  However, this project showed me what fun it was to work with young quilters.  It happened to be spring break at my daughter’s school, so she could join me to share with the youngsters and help with the …read more