Interesting toy inspires lots of creative thought!

So I found this new toy in the Target Dollar Spot last night.  Turns out its not really a new toy, it's just "new-to-me."  It's called ZOOB.  And ever since I found it, I can't stop thinking about how I could use it in my classroom.

It seems I am constantly showing my students new applications of the idea that a molecule's shape influences its activity.  But since we can't readily SEE molecules, how can we even appreciate that they have shape?  We teachers usually compare molecular shape to things that CAN be easily seen - locks and keys, hands in gloves, satellite dishes - anything that works with something else that only comes in a specific size and shape.  I've used colored pipe cleaners with beads, some foamy bendy stuff or we refer to Lego or pop beads and all kinds of other fit-together items that students might recognize and understand.

The ZOOBs are really interesting and cool because of their different designs.  Unlike Lego that stack together but are just basically the same shape over and over, the ZOOBs have different shapes.  Unlike K'nex that comes in different shapes and colors, the ZOOBs can move once they are snapped together.  So you can string a set of ZOOBs together like a protein's primary structure, then bend it all around into shape to show secondary and tertiary structure.

That's just one of a million ideas I have coursing through my brain since I discovered this toy.  If molecular shape is important in your class, you might want to RUN to Target and pick up some ZOOBs.  There are 15 in a pack for just $3.  And although this is cheaper than any online site I've seen, you can get them on Amazon or Ebay if there isn't a Target near you.

I'll be developing some science activities to use with these really cool toys.  Watch for them!

I'd love to hear how you use a toy in an unexpected way in your classes.

Recording Reptiles and Amphibians

Yesterday was a beautiful day in northeastern Pennsylvania!  Lauren, Steve and I had a great time learning about reptiles and amphibians from John Jose, a field biologist who worked for 8 years in our county before moving to Vermont.  After a short introduction to the kinds of frogs, salamanders and snakes we might encounter in our community, we headed out to the Hemlock Farms trail to see what we could discover.

We learned that it's really important to consider an animal's preferred habitat when looking for them, so we'll be more likely to find them, and know how to identify what we've found.  John had described all sorts of characteristics from physical characteristics to sounds and calls, and we tried really hard to keep it all in mind as we searched.

The first place we looked was a pretty dry and rocky area on the edge of the woods.  After turning over just a few rocks, our group discovered this beautiful specimen!  It's a Northern Ring-necked Snake, Diadophis punctata.

It was maybe a foot long, and Lauren loved holding it!  John explained that it was fairly easy to find this guy because we chose the right spot - a place where there were lots of flat rocks to hide underneath.  Snakes love to lie under flat rocks because they heat up and warm the snakes.  These snakes like to eat salamanders and slugs, so it was likely we'd find salamanders nearby.

We walked up the trail into the woods.  The ground became wetter - more suitable for salamanders.  After upturning only a few rocks, we found several of these Eastern Red-backed Salamanders (Plethodon cinereus).  Slimy!    

We learned that it's important to keep them from drying out, so we couldn't hold them or keep them uncovered too long.  And we learned the right way to return them to their hiding places.  Return the rock to its place, then put the salamander beside the rock so it can find its way underneath on its own.  It can take a really long time for the microhabitiat to form underneath a rock or decaying log, and we shouldn't go disrupting it and leaving it disturbed.

Closer to the edge of the stream we found this Northern Two-lined Salamander, Eurycea bislineata.  It was under the rocks in the water saturated soil.  Our guide was careful to keep it on his net that he had soaked in the water, so we could keep it out long enough to be photographed so we could document having found it.

A little further along the stream, we found this gooey glob of eggs.  They're yet another species of salamander, the Spotted Salamander, Abystoma maculatum.  We didn't see any adults, but we know they've been there!  John waded out into the stream to scoop these eggs up gently with his net, and it was all I could do to keep Lauren from following him into the water.  She was a very eager student and wanted to see and do and hold everything.  All the hands you see in these photos are hers!  Even around the gooey mass of eggs!

We'll be spending a lot of time in the woods and at the streams looking for reptiles and amphibians.  Maybe the most important thing we learned was about how to report our findings to PARS, the Pennsylvania Amphibian and Reptile Survey.  PARS gathers information from its "army of citizen scientists" to help determine the distribution and status of these important members of our ecosystem.  Reptiles and amphibians can be important indicators of the health of our natural surroundings.

To learn more about the Pennsylvania Amphibian and Reptile Survey, visit their website at http://paherpsurvey.org/

Thanks to John Jose, proprietor of Otter Creek Environmental Education Services, for his interesting and inspiring workshop.  http://www.ottercreekenved.com/

Wordless Wednesday: Unusual Life Cycles

What life cycles (besides butterflies and frogs) do you teach in your classroom?

WIN lots of free teaching materials!!

My store is one of fifty fantastic Teachers Pay Teachers shops featured in the 200 Followers Giveaway by Creative Teaching Supplies!  The prize from my store is WINNER'S CHOICE.  You can choose from these products, or pick something else that you might like!

   

Click the giveaway logo to enter!

It Finally Feels Like SPRING!

Today is the first day of more than a week off from school.  A very much needed respite from a long, cold, especially snowy winter.  Its sunny and in the high 50s outside.  The sky is a spectacular blue.  The windows are open, and I can hear birds singing!  Who doesn't love spring?!

Spring provides another chance at renewal.  The reawakening of the trees and the animals inspires me to begin anew too.  Start again to be better... to DO better for myself and my family, for my students... to take care of the things that have gone neglected during winter's cold.

I have been working hard to enrich my classroom with lessons and activities that will motivate my students and invite them to experience learning about science and nature in a meaningful way.  My own motivation ebbs and flows, but in spring I find it easy to toss out the old and begin fresh with new enthusiasm.

Family activities consume much of my time and attention year round with the regular chores, kids' activities, parties, shows, appointments and meetings.  In the spring it's easier for the kids to get me outside with them.  I mind the "mommy taxi" much less when I can roll down the windows and crank up the music.  The sunshine and fresh air make even the mundane seem cheerful.

I feel rejuvenated.  And knowing that there's a week ahead of me without work, with less scheduled routine, moves me to spend more time doing the things I haven't felt the drive to do in several months.  I want to move more, I want to eat healthier foods, I want to get a haircut and a manicure.  I think I'm blooming, too!

Cheers to you, Springtime!  I'm so glad you have finally arrived.

How's the spring making YOU feel?

I've been nominated for the Liebster Award!

So how awesome is this?  I have been nominated for the Liebster Award!  Thank you so much to Ellen from Mrs. Briggs' Class for the nomination! Maybe you are asking..what on earth is the Liebster Award??  I didnt know either! Read on..

The Liebster Award is an award for new blogs. Liebster is a German word that means beloved, cute, lovely, dearest and welcome.  

To accept the nomination I must:

1. link back to the blog that nominated me.

2.  nominate 5-11 blogs with fewer than 200 followers

3.  answer the questions posted for me by my nominator

4.  share 11 random facts about myself

5.  create 11 questions for my nominees

6.  contact my nominees and let them know I nominated them.

I hereby ACCEPT the nomination that was graciously made by Ellen from Mrs. Briggs' Class.

Here's the link to Mrs. Briggs' Class blog.

The following are my nominations for the Liebster Award:

And here are the answers to the questions posted for me by Ellen from Mrs. Briggs' Class:

1.  How long have you been teaching?

I started teaching in the fall of 1991.  I have five years experience in Catholic schools and I'm finishing up my 18th year in public school.  Wow.. 23 years.

2.  Coffee or Pop?

well...here in NY we call it soda.  I haven't ever had coffee.  The smell alone is distasteful to me.  I've been a Diet Coke drinker as long as I can remember.  Last year one of my classes challenged me to quit.  They told me they wouldn't do any homework on any day I drank Diet Coke.  I quit for six months!  But little by little my bad habit came back...  sigh.

3.  What inspired you to join TpT?

I have always been kinda crafty.  I was a scrapbooker for a long time.  One day I stumbled over TpT and looked around at some of the products and once I heard about the success teachers were having selling their work, I was hooked!  I use my love of science, teaching AND crafts all in one place AND I can make a little money too!!  Much better use of my time than FarmVille!  I had a bazillion dollar farm and nothing real to show for it.  :)

4.  What is your favorite thing to teach in the classroom?

Wow.. hard one.  I teach life science to teenagers!  There's always something fun going on in my classroom. My favorite things to teach are the topics that the kids love to learn about the most - usually thats about the human body - circulation of the blood through the body, how the immune system fights disease, the deep dark secrets of the reproductive system...

5.  What made you want to become a teacher?

Much like the answer to #3.. teaching is the perfect way to use my love of science, my affection for teenagers, and my desire to have everyone understand the basics of how life works all in one place.  I tell my students all the time, even though they have to get through my class and pass the state test in the end, that's by far the LEAST of the important reasons why they need to understand how life works.  Its about their own bodies, their own lives, and the lives of the billions of living things that share this world. They need to learn about life in order to become responsible adults, parents, and citizens.

6.  What grade do you teach currently? What grades have you taught in the past?

I have always taught 9th and 10th graders.  I love them.  I can't imagine spending my day with anyone else!

7.  What is your go-to, favorite outfit to wear to school?

Oh boy.  I am SO not a fashionista.  My favorite thing to wear to school is my NY Islanders jersey, especially on a day after the Islanders beat the Rangers.  The kids in my class (mostly the boys) go crazy with hockey rivalry during the season, and it makes going to school so much fun.

8.  What is your favorite thing to do after school?

Well, for the past 7 years I have been the detention lady.  So I stay after every day.  Then after that, I'm the owner, president, and sole employee of Mom's Taxi.  I have a competitive gymnast and an artist/musician who need to get to their lessons, practices, meets and performances.  They keep me very busy!

9.  How often do you update your blog?

At first I was very ambitious, and tried to write something interesting every day.  But as I have become more active on TpT, I'm spending a lot more time working on product development, and less time on my blogging.  Now its my goal to update about twice a week.

>10.  What do you do with your summers?

Mom's Taxi.  Through July and the first week or two in August.  Then we try to get away a little.  Last summer my husband and I went to Yellowstone and Grand Tetons.  That was awesome, beautiful, and inspiring!  Then we took a family trip to Key West where the girls swam with dolphins.  It was HOT and HUMID!!

11.  What is your biggest pet peeve in the classroom?

EASY ONE.  Student reluctance to read directions.  The kids know it, too.  I ask them all the time.  WHAT do I have to do to get you to READ the directions?  I rarely go over the steps to anything they can READ in my handouts.  I feel that it is my responsibility to insist that they use this skill no matter how reluctant they are.

ELEVEN random facts about myself:

1.  I seem to have a strange unexplained attraction to Jewish lawyers.

2.  I hate to wear makeup and very rarely do.

3.  It's one of my goals in life to never need to put on the air conditioning OR the heat.

4.  I'm almost always dressed in jeans and a black v-neck t-shirt.

5.  I'm overly sensitive to my environment. I hear and smell things most people don't even notice.

6.  Last summer I ran every single day. I was up to 4 miles by the time school started.  And I haven't run a single step since then.

7.  I don't watch much tv, but when I do, my guilty pleasures include Millionaire Matchmaker and anything with Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake together.

8.  I listen to talk radio by podcast in the car and in the middle of the night when I can't sleep.

9.  I hate food that comes from the sea.  Yes, even lobster.  Especially lobster.

10.  I walked down the aisle to a Bruce Springsteen song.

11.  My husband and I visit brew pubs wherever we travel and we have a pint glass collection that now includes Moose Drool from Big Sky in Montana and Hog's Breath from Key West.

ELEVEN questions for my nominees:

1.  What do you collect?

2.  Which celebrity influences your personal philosophy?  Explain.

3.  What's the last concert you attended?  Who were you with?

4.  What is your favorite time of day and why?

5.  Where did you take your favorite vacation trip?

6.  Why do you like (or hate) the internet?

7.  What most recently made you laugh harder than you have in a while?

8.  When you have an hour to yourself, what do you like to do?

9.  Finish this sentence.  Even if I live to be 1000 years old, I will never understand _______.

10.  What has been the happiest (or proudest, or most fun) moment of your life?

11.  What song (or album or CD)  have you listened to most often?

A Presidents' Week Giveaway!

Hi!  We've all been pretty busy here in NY dealing with lots of snow.  We've used up our share of snow days, and had delayed opening, too... I am beyond ready for spring to be sprung.

On snow days I like to poke around Teachers Pay Teachers, and work on my blog, facebook and pinterest. About a month ago, I noticed there were a lot of comments that teachers were frustrated trying to find photographs to use in their products.  Some teachers said they like to use real images rather than use clip art that can lean toward too-cute at times.  So I started to cull through the millions of photos that my husband and I have taken in our travels, and some copyright free photos I've collected over the years for use in my own classroom and teaching materials, and I put together some sets of photos that are perfect for personal or commercial use.  One of the sets is this one that includes US Landmarks and Monuments.  You can click the picture to see the full set in preview.

I'm looking forward to seeing how my buyers are using these photos and the photos in my other sets, too.  I have sets of animals (mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians) and a set of community helpers.  My most recent package is Sea Life, that includes starfish, whales, sharks, corals, and a variety of other sea creatures.  If you pick up one of my photo packs on Teachers Pay Teachers, please let me know how you used it and I'll do a blog post about your product!

Last night I got a message from Karen at Luvs2TeachinCA who used my US Landmarks photo package to put together this great unit for kindergarten and first grade.  Click the picture to see the product in preview on TpT.

Karen and I have teamed up to give away these two great products to celebrate the presidents!  Sign in to the Rafflecopter below and enter as many times as you can!  Winner announced by email on Saturday! Thanks for entering!

a Rafflecopter giveaway