Andrea Knight

Teacher · Learner · Author

5 Reasons Joke Books Belong in a Classroom

There weren't a lot of joke books available to me when I was kid. However, I'll never forget a small roll of jokes I got from a cereal box when I was nine. After brushing off all the Crunch Berries, I unrolled the long piece of paper to find about a dozen jokes written just for kids. I practiced the jokes over and over until I could deliver them perfectly for any guest my parents would allow me to … [Read more...]

How to Make Butter in a Jar

If you've ever wondered how to make butter, you're in the right spot. And if you haven't done it before, you won't believe how easy it is. Even with kids! ...which is the true test of how simple something really is. Making homemade butter became one of our classroom Thanksgiving traditions years ago. It's inexpensive to make, takes less than twenty minutes, and has a wow factor we never get … [Read more...]

Jokes about Turkeys – Just for Kids

Who doesn't love a few fun jokes about turkeys this time of year? Ok... you and I maybe, but kids don't really get tired of silly jokes. As far as they're concerned, the cornier the better. I figure if I'm going to hear them anyway, I might as well print them so they can read them. Jokes require a definite sense of timing, expression, and smoothness for the perfect delivery, so they're just … [Read more...]

Balloons Over Broadway – Activities for Kids

Balloons Over Broadway by Melissa Sweet is one of our favorite picture books about the Thanksgiving season. It tells the true story of Tony Sarg, the original puppeteer behind the iconic Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons. The book is beautifully illustrated and rich with information about the world-famous parade and how it has evolved over time. Easily a 5-star book in my … [Read more...]

What is Happiness? A Fun Lesson for Kids

What is happiness? And can it be taught? I tend to believe it can. If we start conversations about happiness and model joy and gratitude, I think we can help children understand how happiness happens. This isn't to say that we'll be happy all the time. That's not realistic and kids should know that, too. We're human, so we're obviously going to experience moments of frustration, sadness, and … [Read more...]

Vocabulary Activities and Games for Kids

Vocabulary activities are an important part of literacy planning. Because they play a fundamental role in reading comprehension, planning kid-friendly lessons is essential. Children learn the meanings of most words indirectly, usually through everyday experiences with spoken language. However, other words are learned through careful instruction. So what does that look like? WAYS TO DEVELOP WORD … [Read more...]