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"Early Sprouts" for two
When I shared my copy of the book Early Sprouts: Cultivating Healthy Food Choices in Young Children with a nutritionist friend, she got very excited about the possibilities, but then her job changed and she no longer works directly with children. Di...
By Peggy Ashbrook
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What science should we teach in early childhood?
I’m interested in your opinions on what should be included in early childhood science standards. We don’t want to underestimate the abilities of young children to understand relationships in natural systems, nor overestimate their ability to unde...
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
Living things in the classroom
Many NSTA journal articles refer to working in “Outdoor Classrooms.” I teach in a neighborhood school with no grass or trees in the schoolyard, so I’m thinking of bringing the outdoors indoors by adding some plants and live animals ...
By MsMentorAdmin
Blog Post
What a bonanza for chemistry/physical science teachers this fall–first, the September issue of The Science Teacher (with the theme of Chemistry for a Changing World), and now the October issue of ...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Favorite smells—stories and activities
I love the way two-year-olds inexpertly sniff, to sense an odor. They crinkle up their nose and snort, or gasp, and blink their eyes, not quite putting it all together to inhale through their nose. Yet they have an expert sense of smell—nothing...
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
I’m feeling really frustrated. I thought the students were following along in my first unit, but I am really disappointed in the test results. What can I do differently in the next unit? —Lisa, Topeka, Kansas The first unit is the toughest on...
By MsMentorAdmin
Blog Post
Rather than competing with the commercial hoopla around Halloween, perhaps we science teachers could do our own special celebrations that relate to science concepts. For example, it’s not too early to plan events for Mole Day, celebrated on Oct...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Thinking BIG, Learning BIG: Summer reading becomes September's lesson plans
July is a distant memory of 6am wake up calls for my high-schooler who took PE over the summer, balanced with my getting more than five minutes of peace and quiet—time to read about early childhood and science, to think my own thoughts and get hung...
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
What an appropriate theme for the September issue! I’ve often wondered why field trips are usually scheduled in the spring when the fall is such a great time to be outdoors. And activities involving plants and animals are good ways to introduce...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Books about fall leaves, inspired by the autumn equinox
Do deciduous tree leaves in your area change color before they fall?...
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
Individualized professional development
The middle school where I teach just changed the topics taught each year to align with our state standards. My specialty is biology/life science, but now I’m also expected to address topics in earth and physical science. The inservice agenda fo...
By MsMentorAdmin
Blog Post
All summer I was getting ready for the upcoming school year by collecting clear plastic jars and bottles with screw-on lids. Now they are on the shelf at school as “Discovery Bottles”, compact and beautiful, and (best of all) contained....
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
Two items titled “Critical Thinking” are on my desktop right now: the September issue of Science Scope and an op-ed piece in the Boston Globe ...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
I’m thinking of requiring some “take-home” projects for students this year. (I teach at the elementary level). I think these would provide a good opportunity for students and parents to work together on science topics. Do you have a...
By MsMentorAdmin
Blog Post
Chemistry for a changing world
Welcome to the 2009-2010 school year! I was excited by the theme of this kick-off issue. I loved chemistry as a high school student (Thank you, Sister Maureen!), majored in the subject in college, and taught it as part of a physical science course. E...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Just in case you have not yet read the column “Teaching Through Tradebooks” in Science and Children, the National Science Teachers Association’s elementary school journal, I’ll share why I like it with you. The column writes up two acti...
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
Planting this fall for springtime blooms
I’m planning a fall gardening activity now, before school starts, and the first step is to mark my calendar to buy spring flowering bulbs before the end of September. Seasonal changes vary across the many climates in the United States. If you get t...
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
What’s the best way to set up cooperative learning groups for labs and other activities? How often should I change the groups? I’d also like to assign roles for group members, but I need some examples. — Doug, Henderson, Nevada ...
By MsMentorAdmin
Blog Post
I’ve just heard of a few new resources from PBS. They’ve recently redesigned the PBS Teachers page (it seems to be the month for redesigning sites — have you seen the new SciLinks site?)....
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Last week, I went to the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia for the exhibit on Galileo: The Medici and the Age of Astronomy. It was awesome to see an actual Galileo telescope and learn more about the social, political, and cultural contexts in which ...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Perseverance and "failure"
With all of the curricular demands and a focus on preparing for state exams, I am concerned that we do not create situations for students to persevere if they don’t succeed in their first attempts at experiments in science. How do we communicate th...
By MsMentorAdmin
Blog Post
I received a “tweet” from NSTA yesterday – the new version of SciLinks is operational! If you’ve been a longtime user of SciLinks, you’ll notice the new look right away. It’s more visually appealing but the basic functions are there....
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Showing the science: using children's work to document your program
Digital photography changed the way I do science with my students. I reflect more on what has happened and what is being left out as I look over the photos, in moments after school, at home on the computer. I have this luxury as a parent of older chi...
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
It’s hard to believe that in a short time, the students will be back in school, ready to start a new year....
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Citizen science: collaborative projects for teachers and their class
I was excited to see a Monarch butterfly land on the Butterfly Bush in the yard (I hesitate to call it a garden). Click on the photo for more Early Years pics....
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
I’ve read a lot about the value of making connections with students. But it seems impossible to connect with individual students when I meet with 150 per day in my classes. Any suggestions or advice? —Bethany, Rochester, Minnesota...
By MsMentorAdmin
Blog Post
Transitioning to kindergarten: hearing from children who have been there
Some elementary schools on a “year-round” or “modified calendar” are about to begin a new school year on Monday, and many others begin in September....
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
One of the folks I follow on Twitter recommended the Sixty Symbols website. It is a collection of videos about the symbols of physics and astronomy in which experts from the University of Nottingham share their knowledge and passion for their subjec...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
When does science become significant?
Math and Science in Preschool: Policies and Practice, a National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) Preschool Policy Brief, says that teachers usually do not plan and support science and math learning in pre-K....
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
I picked up an almost intact dog skeleton from the side of the road. One of my students spotted it from her bus window! I need help with preservation and wiring it together. Any suggestions? I did put the skeleton in a laundry bleach bath for approxi...
By MsMentorAdmin
Blog Post
Having been a technology coordinator in a previous career, I saw two different interpretations of the theme....
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
From The Early Years photo cache (click the pic for more)....
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
“Would you like to be a student in your classroom?” This month’s guest editorial says it all when it comes to classroom management....
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
"I had a carrot for breakfast"
From The Early Years photo cache (click the pic for more)....
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
With all of the technology that students have (e.g., cell phones, laptops), I’m concerned about “cheating” on tests and writing assignments. —Anne, Rochester, New York This is a very timely question, in light of a recent report Hi...
By MsMentorAdmin
Blog Post
As I head off to the beach next week, along with a few mystery novels, I’m going to pack some of the books I ordered at the NSTA conference last spring, a few back issues of NSTA journals I want to review, and several of the resources listed in...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Getting (and staying) organized
For the first time, I’ll be teaching two different subjects (biology and environmental science). Do you have any suggestions for how to organize my unit plans, lesson plans, and other resources? —Don, Cedar Rapids, Iowa ...
By MsMentorAdmin
Blog Post
Staying up-to-date on professional issues
I subscribe to many blogs and other RSS feeds to try to stay up-to-date. In a previous post, I noted how RSS feeds from organizations such as NASA, Scientific American, and the National Science Foundation provide summaries of current issues and inte...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Critical science "skills"
What are the critical skills you think students need to be successful in science? —Niki, Baltimore, Maryland In science department meetings, we often agonize over what and how much content to “cover.” We lament that students don’t see...
By MsMentorAdmin
Blog Post
What was your favorite color when you were five? Many young girls like pink, a stereotypically female color....
By Peggy Ashbrook