Tag education

PBL Spotlight: 5th Grade Restaurant Math Tipping Guide

by Drew Perkins, Director of TeachThought PD

Every year since their kindergarten years I have extended my offer to teachers of my daughters to help out in any way they might find useful. Some of them have taken me up on my offer and asked me to chaperone a field trip or help with some minor classroom activities on special occasions, and I was happy to help.

But I was ecstatic in 2017, when my oldest daughter’s 5th-grade teacher, Kristen Rowling (now Taylor) asked me to collaborate on some PBL planning and co-teaching. What we came up with together was a relatively short project that incorporated an authentic audience and a product that helped her contextualize a need to learn how to mathematically work with decimals and percentages in meaningful ways.

This project isn’t meant to serve as an exemplar–for that please

The concept, developed by psychologist Sheila Eyberg in the 1970s, is simple. For at least 5 minutes a day, sit down with your child and join them in an activity. That includes drawing, playing with dolls, building blocks — anything that doesn’t have a right or wrong way to play (like video games), says child psychologist Kerrie Murphy. Don’t ask questions or give commands — this is your child’s time to be in charge.

Research has shown that this kind of playtime can be helpful in treating disruptive conduct in children. According to a 2017 review of literature, parent-child interaction therapy — which includes special time — has long been regarded as an “effective intervention for a myriad of emotional and behavioral difficulties” since it was developed in the 1970s. And it’s been shown to boost attention spans and social skills in children.

If you’re ready to try

In this webinar we were joined by Sally Haughey, founder and CEO of Fairy Dust Teaching! Sally joined us to discuss how to create meaningful child led play experiences in early learning classrooms, and shared the essential strategies that educators need to know for designing engaging play invitations. She walked us through how we can identify children’s intent in their play, and how to identify their big ideas so we can support them in their journey of play and exploration. Sally also shared her expert tips and guiding resources for designing authentic and engaging play experiences for children. Keep reading to access the webinar recording and slides!

🎤Our Special Guest:

Sally Haughey – Founder & CEO of Fairy Dust Teaching!

Sally Haughey is the CEO and Founder of Fairy Dust Teaching. Fairy Dust Teaching is built on the passion for the wonder and magic of early childhood. They believe

Today we are making glow-in-the-dark cards using paint and cookie cutters as stencils. This is a simple art project for kids of all ages — even younger kids!

These cards were specifically made for Halloween, and made a great Halloween card or Halloween party invitation. But the simple painting technique could be used all year round to make spooky glowing in the dark art.

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Make Glow in the Dark Cards

Everything on the supplies list are things that you probably already have at home with the exception of the glow in the dark paint.  This simple DIY project can be a good excuse to buy glow in the dark paint that can be used for other kids art ideas in the future.

Supplies to Make Glow in the Dark Art

Glow in

/ August 9, 2022

Along with our English and Spanish storybooks, the Unicorn Jazz brand is adding yet another language to its magically adventurous series – American Sign Language!

Why Choose American Sign Language (ASL) as a Second Language?

A widely desirable option among monolingual households looking to add another language to their children’s reading experience, ASL is a beneficial learning tool for all babies, toddlers, and young ones born either with or without hearing impairments. While this fact may surprise many parents of children with fine hearing, learning ASL at a young age can actually help enhance communication skills during development through symbol recognition, visual cues, and effective gesturing. Most importantly, like all languages and forms of communication, ASL is easier for children to grasp and understand the earlier they start!

Story Time with Unicorn Jazz & Friends – in ASL!

It’s no secret among parents and educators that