None of us want our child to struggle with math facts. We hope that skills like subtraction will come easily to them, or plan to drill at home to help give them an advantage in the classroom.   If your child doesn’t learn through traditional means, it can be disappointing, and a little scary.  You might scan the app store hoping to find a clever solution, or order some flash cards to drill ..read more

What’s the best way to help your student learn the multiplication tables? You might be a teacher who is puzzling over those three students who didn’t get it with the rest of the class. Or, you might be a parent who never trained as a teacher and now needs to make sure that your child is taking this critical step in math. Alex Chambers on Unsplash Math facts can be boring, but it’s also ..read more

Big Box Play sent us their castle set in exchange for a review. Do you ever wish that you could spend thirty minutes doing a great activity with your kids, then get back to your own work, and they’d still be engaged? Wouldn’t it be great to find a project that’s big enough to take your children’s attention for several hours? Maybe a couple of days? STEM projects are usually winners in ..read more

A collection of tips on safely viewing the eclipse with young children and students. My breath came a bit short just thinking of the cosmic events that had to perfectly align. Witnessing the tiny moon block its massive benefactor, the sun was an event I never forgot. Next week, my own kids have the chance to watch their first eclipse. To be honest, I'm a little scared.  Our district chose to ..read more

These toy boats really float, and would be perfect for a preschool unit, or high school science experiments in buoyancy. The other day I wanted a couple of quick, cheap toy boats that would float. We were headed out out to our favorite puddle. Both of my little ones LOVE stomping back and forth through the puddle, and I love that their naps usually happen in a timely manner afterward.  However ..read more

This toddler water table activity based on the Itsy Bitsy Spider song is a fun STEM activity to go with one of your child's favorite books. My littlest recently found her first favorite book at the library.  She pulled this book out at every reading time, and other times,  for the whole six weeks we were allowed to keep it.  Annie Kubler's Sign and Sing Itsy Bitsy Spider ..read more

How to make your own planters with your child. Planting potted flowers is a great sensory project with instant gratification. Your toddler will love this first gardening project. My toddler is in the middle of anything I do these days, which is wonderful and exhausting. She loves to carry her own plate, although it sometimes spills. She loves hugging her baby sister, even though she ..read more

Math spider craft  for multiplication by 8. Co-ordinates with Charlotte's Web, and is perfect for second or third grade. Common Core aligned. CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.3.OA.A.1 Interpret products of whole numbers, "Your pet spider bit me!" My sister was really upset. Although I didn't officially keep spiders as pets while we were growing up, I was always friendly with them. I figured that ..read more

Learn some math and engineering while playing your favorite video game. This post is not officially sponsored by Minecraft. "Mom, thank you!" My son threw his long arms around me. Interfering in my children's plans for playing their favorite video games doesn't always go this well. Like most tech loving families we have really struggle with how to make technology a positive part of our ..read more

A ..read more