Students catch snowflakes outdoors and sketch some of the structures, or grow their own snow crystals and examine them using magnifying glasses or microscopes.
Snowflake Bentley illustrator Mary Azarian was born in 1940.
Celebrate International Literacy Day!
Celebrate International Literacy Day by starting a literacy movement in your community.
Explore and Write About Nature
In this activity, children look closely at living things in their natural environments and then make books about what they see.
Blast Off to Learn New Words
Boost vocabulary by taking an imaginary trip into space. After a lunar "landing," children return to Earth with a galaxy of new words.
Create a Career Blog
This activity invites children and teens to explore various careers and then write about what they might want to be when they grow up in a blog.
Amazing Biographies: Writing About People Who Change the World
After reading about historical figures and other important people that have changed the world, children choose someone that they consider to be "amazing"—either someone they've heard about or someone they know—and create a book page that highlights this person.
It's Raining Cats and Dogs! Make a Children's Book about the Weather
Kids learn about weather sayings throughout history while writing and illustrating a book for younger children.
The Natural World as Inspiration: An Outdoor Art Show
Children incorporate materials from outdoors with paints or crayons to create pieces of art to display on their clotheslines, fences, or porches for a neighborhood art show.
Writing a First Resume
This activity will help teens create a professional resume that effectively presents their skills and talents to future employers.
Library Card Sign-up Month begins today.
A school or public library librarian is invited to visit the classroom to talk to the students about the advantages of having a library card. Students then take a library tour to acquaint them with the general features and resources available.
The Smithsonian Institution was founded in 1846.
After exploring an exhibit online, students use the information they learned to write "A Day in the Life" narratives that tell about a person, animal, or object they saw in the exhibit.
Monarch butterflies begin their migration in the fall.
After exploring the ways that monarch butterflies react to seasons, students complete an inquiry study to examine how other things change because of the seasons and create a class anthology.
The first picture of Earth was taken by the U.S. satellite Explorer VI in 1959.
After students view the first picture from the Explorer VI Satellite, they discuss the differences between this first image and the images of the earth that we typically see today.
The prototype for the World Wide Web was created in 1990.
Students look at pictures from the past using the WayBack Machine and brainstorm a few websites to explore to think about how they have changed over the years.
Let's Go On A Poetry Walk!
The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and you're surrounded by brilliant shades of green! Observe and collect sensory images from nature and use the sights, sounds, smells, and textures to create original nature poetry.
Go Wild with Webcams!
Can't make it to a zoo? After reading a book about apes, observe animal habits and habitats using one of the many Webcams broadcasting from zoos and aquariums around the United States and the world.
Star Light, Star Bright: Reading and Writing about the Nighttime Sky
Children watch the nighttime sky come alive as the read a book about fascinating elements in the night and write a poem/story about the things they learn!