Celebrate Earth Day with a FREE Download of Hands-On Activities

Earth Day began in 1970, when Gaylord Nelson, a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, wanted nation-wide teaching on the environment. He brought the idea to state governors, mayors of big cities, editors of college newspapers, and to Scholastic Magazine, which was circulated in U.S. elementary and secondary schools.

Eventually, the idea of Earth Day spread to many people across the country and is now observed each year on April 22nd. The purpose of the day is to encourage awareness of and appreciation for the earth's environment. It is usually celebrated with outdoor shows, where individuals or groups perform acts of service to the earth. Typical ways of observing Earth Day include planting trees, picking up roadside trash, and conducting various programs for recycling and conservation.

Symbols used by people to describe Earth Day include: an image or drawing of planet earth, a tree, a flower or leaves depicting growth or the recycling symbol. Colors used for Earth Day include natural colors such as green, brown or blue.

The universal recycling symbol as seen above is internationally recognized and used to designate recyclable materials. It is composed of three mutually chasing arrows that form a Mobius strip which, in math, is an unending single-sided looped surface. (And you wondered how I would get math in this article!?!) This symbol is found on products like plastics, paper, metals and other materials that can be recycled. It is also seen, in a variety of styles, on recycling containers, at recycling centers, or anywhere there is an emphasis on the smart use of materials and products.

FREE

Inspired by Earth Day, Trash to Treasure is an eight page FREE resource. In it, you will discover how to take old, discarded materials and make them into new, useful, inexpensive products or tools for your classroom. Because these numerous activities vary in difficulty and complexity, they are appropriate for any PreK-3 classroom, and the visual and/or kinesthetic learners will love them.

To download the free version, just click under the cover page on your left.

February Teacher Talk

Posted by Deann Marin of Socrates Lantern

Welcome to our February Teacher Talk.  All of us from the Teacher Talk collaborative would like wish you a Happy Valentines Day.  We have so many fab things this month from  proof-reading ideas, to ELA to math activities, to celebrating Black History Month and President's Day, you don't want to miss reading these blog posts from some awesome educators. This month, we're honored to have Daniel with us, as our  guest blogger

If you're interested in joining this unique group of teacher entrepreneurs and blogging buddies and our blog linky, sign up here....The Best of Teacher Entrepreneurs Marketing Cooperative. If you decide to join, be sure to mention one of our names. 

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Navigating Life as a Single Dad
By Daniel of Dad Solo whose guest post can be found at Rainbow City Learning 

Single parents have a difficult job, and even in the best of circumstances, it can be a struggle. Moms have it tough, but so do dads.
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I Dreaded my Third Period Class
By Deann Marin of Socrates Lantern

It was cold and blustery outside, one of those days that you just wanted to stay under the covers. But it was only hump day and I had a busy schedule, so I dragged myself out of bed, had my cup of coffee and a piece of toast, jumped into my car and was on my way.  <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Is This Routine? Why Not?
By Susan Berkowitz of Susan Berkowitz

Research tells us that routines are the heart of language and symbbol development. Routines are a sequence of actions or events that are repeated over and over again.
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Add Projects to Your Bag of Tricks!
By Sally Hansen of Purposeful Plans

Have you ever set a goal to cover everything you are required to teach during the school year?  Many teachers try to meet this goal each year and end up frustrated because we are short on time!  It is very difficult to get everything we are required to teach during the school year, take the cross-curricular approach!
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Improving Class Cooperation
By Gini Musmanno of Reading Spotlight

Wishing and hoping, and thinking and praying, for a courteous and amenable class? Then give students a little nudge toward cooperation and affirmation of each other this month.
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Amazon Alexa in Your Classroom
By Lisa Robles of LisaTeachR's Classroom

Learn about using Amazon Alexa in your classroom.
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Building Understanding, One Brick at a Time
By Kathie Yonemura of Tried & True Teaching Tools

Getting your hands muddy is a great way to learn! Social Studies is meaningful when students experience content learned.
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How to Select Books for Your Classroom Book Clubs
By Marcy Howe of It's a Teacher Thing

Read five essential tips for finding "just right" books for your classroom book clubs. The books you choose are crucial to running successful classroom book clubs.  
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The Fine Motor Advantage
By Thia Triggs of Print Path

What does research tell us about the impact of fine motor skills on early academics?
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