Little Mae was a dreamer. She dreamed of dancing in space, surrounded by billions of sparkling stars.✨ Encouraged by her parents' words, Mae dug in and began the work of making it happen. "If you can dream it, if you believe it and work hard for it, anything is possible," they said. Mae became NASA's first African American female astronaut. And on September 12, 1992, she became the first African … [Read more...]
Famous Inventions Kids Love – Bubble Gum
Thank goodness for inventors and all their famous inventions. There are the basics like cars, light bulbs, and (one of my personal favorites) hot water heaters. Then there are some less obvious ones like thumbtacks and zippers. There are even a few I resisted at first, like backup cameras in cars. I mean who needs those? (Apparently, me.) If you can believe it, I didn't even want an iPhone when … [Read more...]
Women’s History Month
I love Women's History Month. It's a time of year when we collectively seek out stories of determined, courageous women ... women who looked obstacles right in the face and said, "Pardon me while I go around you." It's so common for curriculum calendars to suggest, or mandate, certain topics for certain times of the year. I remember when I was a new teacher and my mentor said something like, … [Read more...]
What Is Labor Day? Nonfiction Books for Kids
What is Labor Day? Most kids don't know. Depending on where they live, they might think it's the last day the community pool is open for "the season." Some families will have the day off. Some will go to the beach one more time. And some might be doing their last bit of shopping before school starts. But Labor Day has an important back story many children haven't heard. For our youngest readers … [Read more...]
Biographies for Children Come to Life on Netflix
I've been collecting titles from the Who Was biography series for years. The text is too complex for most of the primary children I work with, but every now and then I find a student with a deep interest in a connected topic who has the ability to read and comprehend the material independently, so they haven't been wasted. Mostly I use them to research information and then adapt … [Read more...]