Sisterland >> By Salla Simukka Ages 9-12 One of my favorite books growing up was “Best Friend,” by Shirley Simon >> The story explores the concept of friendship from the point of view of a young girl. Making friends, losing friends, what today we’d call “friend drama,” and finding friends in unexpected places. So I Read More
Month: December 2019
Mad Libs
Mad Libs is a word game; it consists of stories that have missing words. The missing words are replaced with “prompts” for a player to fill in the blanks. The result is usually a pretty funny story!
Siblings And Language Development
Communication is comprised of both expressive and receptive language skills. Receptive skills are what we hear and understand. Expressive language is vocabulary, usage (grammar) and articulation (how words sound when we pronounce them).
Physical Activity And Learning
A recent study has concluded that incorporating physical activity into teaching time increases learning. For example, ask students to answer a true/false question by jumping up and down to indicate “true” and doing a jumping jack to indicate “false.” Alternatively, have students jump to match the answer to a math question—e.g. if the answer is Read More
Sing For Relaxation
Choir singers experience a reduction in anxiety and an increase in positive mood. A recent thesis from Hunter College explored singing just for the joy of it, even without an audience. Check out the full study below for some encouraging data about stress reduction benefits!
Swap Out The Fruit Juice
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no fruit juice for children during the first year of life. This is a change from previous policy; until 2017 they recommended no fruit juice during the first 6 months.