Andrea Knight

Teacher · Learner · Author

Fun Activities for Teaching Prepositions

Teaching prepositions and positional words is fun when you use games and other engaging activities. Little ones will eventually put pencil to paper, but let's begin with some out-of-your-seat fun first! From Simon Says to a fun twist on musical chairs, these ideas will really get the ball rolling. First though, let's grab a quick library of books about prepositions. These can be used at any … [Read more...]

Grammar Activities for Learning Parts of Speech

Finding grammar activities that are fun and engaging is important. Why? Because I have friends (grown adults, mind you) who still crab about the time they had to learn the parts of speech and then diagram sentences. I mean these are people who are decades out of school, yet they continue to remember those experiences negatively. And, kind of like I used to say after geometry class, they wail, "Why … [Read more...]

Female Inventors Who Changed Our Lives

Three cheers for female inventors! Although they haven't always received the recognition they deserve, female inventors have had a significant impact on our lives. Many of their inventions are still part of our world today. I mean, come on. Can we hear it for Ruth Wakefield and the deliciousness she brought to our lives with the chocolate chip cookie? Thank you Ruth. From Josephine … [Read more...]

Teaching Basic Economics in First Grade

When I first learned I would be teaching basic economics to a room full of six-year-olds, I raised an eyebrow. These seemed like concepts only college kids studied before they embarked on careers in finance and marketing. "My kids are first graders," I said. "They're still arguing over who gets to use the swings during recess today." Turns out, they weren't really arguing. They were actually … [Read more...]

The Life Cycle of an Apple

It's still apple season where I live and we've been making all the things... caramel apples, apple butter, and SLOW COOKER APPLESAUCE. These recipes are not terribly hard to make, but they sure are good. And the kids love them! I think it's important for children to know where their food comes from and how it's grown. This little book about the life cycle of an apple is one way to help them … [Read more...]