Andrea Knight

Teacher · Learner · Author

Light Experiments

Nothing in the universe travels faster than light. (Rumors born in faculty meetings might be a close second, but light wins.) It's easy to get kids engaged in the study of light. There are loads of light experiments that spark anticipation and wonder ... some even feel like magic to young scientists. Like, 👆Why does that perfectly good straw look broken?  And, How can we pop a balloon without … [Read more...]

Pumpkin Math and Science Activities for Kids

October is the perfect month for pumpkin math and science! And How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? by Margaret McNamara is the best book for setting that stage. You'd think it's a book about math (and mostly, it is). But it's also about inquiry, teamwork, and learning that the size of something small doesn't always reflect the enormity of what's inside. Yep ... pumpkins AND people.🧡 It tells the … [Read more...]

Makerspace Literature: Boxitects

Architect: One who designs buildings. Boxitect: One who makes things out of boxes. Obviously. If you've been collecting makerspace literature, add this new one by Kim Smith to your list. It's a fun story about Meg, a boxitect, who has a serious passion for constructing things out of old boxes. Meg loves school, and the thing Meg loves most about school is that she's the only boxitect … [Read more...]

Lap Book Templates for Kids

There's really no middle ground here. You're either a lap-book-loving teacher or you're not. I've heard, "I LOVE them!" and "I HATE them!" but never, "Yeah, they're kind of okay, I guess."😂 Teachers on the thumbs-down-side cringe at the thought of lap books because they seem tedious and labor intensive, like scrapbooking. I totally get the scrapbooking thing... that's way too much work. I have … [Read more...]

Mother’s Day Gifts from Kids

Mother's Day gifts from kids are so special, especially when they're made by hand. With Mother's Day right around the corner, it's time to start thinking about gifts our students can make. I've done my fair share of flowers made from tiny hand prints. And of course we always make cards that feature pictures of our moms... which, by the way, never really reflect how they actually look. My own … [Read more...]