Posted: July 5, 2017, 10:56am In one of the talks at the TED Radio Hour by Guy Raz, I came across one of the fundamental narrative frameworks that the Cinema industry exploits in their work: The Hero’s Journey. Joseph Campbell, an American Mythologist came up with a pattern of how the typical adventure of an archetype, The Hero, takes place. ... Read More
This easy and fun 4th of July painting craft is the perfect solution to keeping the kids occupied on a hot day.
This star spangled slime is perfect for the 4th of July or any other patriotic holiday! Just a few ingredients will leave you with a fun sensory material.
This nicely complex block is a WHOLE lot easier to make than it looks. (Edited to add: See the finished quilt here!) It's July, and I'm so excited that it's my turn to host again in the Nurture Circle of do. Good Stitches! This month we are all going to be making blocks based on the Fibonacci sequence. The Fibonacci sequence is a mathematical concept that was discovered around 200 BC. In fact, it's been around even longer than Fibonacci, who it's named after, but he introduced it to the western world, so he got the credit. The sequence is a series of numbers where each number is the sum of the two previous numbers. Traditionally the sequence starts with 1, but the numbers themselves aren't actually what is important, but the ratios between them. The cool thing about this is that this sequence of numbers, these ratios, show up all over the place. The Golden Spiral for instance is made from boxes whose sides lengthen following the sequence. This spiral shows up a lot in nature. But it's not just nature, it's architecture, art, even web design. The golden spiral is very pleasing to our eye. Many trees have branches in combinations of the Fibonacci numbers and even in the bumps in their bark. Sunflowers and some other flowers have petals according to these numbers. It is nature's numbering system, for reasons that we don't entirely understand, but it is without a doubt both aesthetically appealing and efficient. I have been fascinated by the Fibonacci Sequence even since I learned about it in high school. You can see in the image above how the sequence is used in this month's block. With nature itself on our side we can't help but make a beautiful quilt, so let's get started! This technique makes 2 blocks at a time, which is all I am asking you for, but in order for the design to look right I really will need a 6x6 layout (36 blocks). I am planning to make the extras myself, but if anyone wants to send extra I would appreciate it! For this quilt I am thinking of colors similar to this quilt we did before. You will each need to choose 2 complimentary solids with a decent amount of contrast between them. (No pinks or purples please, let's keep it boy friendly.) Cut a 14" square from each solid. Slice each of the squares into strips, (2) 1" wide, (1) each of 1.5", 2", 3", & 4.5". (There will be a narrow strip leftover which you can toss into the trash or your scraps.) Swap every other strip between the sets to make 2 complimentary, inverted strip sets. Be careful to keep the strips in the right order. Sew the two strips sets together into 2 new blocks and press toward the darker fabric. It's easiest to press as you go along, after adding each strip. (Normally I am not a stickler about pressing but in this case it is important. If one of the fabrics isn't obviously darker, just pick one to press toward, but keep it the same for both blocks.) You might check your measurement here. At this point the blocks should measure 10.5" in their shorter dimension. Square up one end of the strip sets. Then slice off strips going crossways in the same measurements as before: (2) 1" wide, (1) each of 1.5", 2", 3", & 4.5". Again there will be a bit leftover, but probably not much. Again, swap every other strip between the two sets to create 2 complimentary blocks. See how the seams nest? (Yes, sorry, the fabrics changed colors.) Sew these together carefully. The pressed seams should nest, allowing you to get really crisp intersections without pinning (but absolutely do pin if you need to!) Be careful that the ends line up; this time we don't have any to spare. You can press these seams all the same direction, to whichever side you want. Please do run a line of stay stitching around the block about 1/8" from the edge to protect seams from splitting in shipping or assembly. You blocks should measure 10.5" square, but trust me I know how hard it is to stay precise with this many seams. As long as you are within a 1/4" or so don't stress and send what you've got. Thanks so much for being an awesome group, Nurture Circle! I look forward to our finished quilt! (Edited to add: See the finished quilt here!)
Download fun FREE printable art activities and coloring pages for the classroom and homeschool. Decorate your classroom with these engaging free pritnables!
From short walks close to Dublin to multi-day journeys, these nine coastal walks take you through the must stunning parts of Ireland. Find the best hiking in Ireland along the Cliffs of Moher and Slieve League.
As I do every month, I collected the best icons to give you this essential pinch of inspiration and keep the fire inside of you burning. Take a peak into these different styles and unique approaches towards icon design! It’s always a great pleasure to discover them. I’m pretty sure that you will find some fantastic icon designers and icon sets amongst the ones I selected for you this time.
Liesl shows you how to create and sew a shirt gusset. Download the free shirt gusset pattern piece and use this tutorial to strengthen and add a pop of color or a print to the side of your shirt.
Free camping printable pack for preschool and kindergarten - includes many early learning skills, including vocabulary, patterning, matching, and more.
Attention! This blog post is written many years ago when I was not even dreaming about becoming a professional travel blogger. You are warned that the quality of the text and/or pictures might not be
You might want to save these patriotic DIY ideas for next year! #July4th #America #diydecor
Off The Map... Literally
I have been busy creating resources for my class and TPT. One topic that has been hard for my students in the past is geometry. There is SOOOOO much vocabulary that students have to understand about the attribute of lines and angles before they can then use those attributes to classify polygons. Heck, who am I kidding...I still had 4th graders who could not identify the basic regular polygons, much less classify quadrilaterals by the presence or absence of parallel or perpendicular lines. And now with Common Core's expectation for 4th graders to be able to use protractors, something we had not done before, I knew I needed more resources. My math program doesn't give students much direct instruction with the attributes of lines, angles, or polygons. Much of the geometry unit uses "Power Polygons", little plastic pieces that students use to make other polygons. While the kids have fun with them, they weren't transferring the concepts to the more abstract questions that might appear on an assessment. This year, I kind of did my own thing, with SMARTBoard files I created after studying exactly what the Common Core expects for geometry. I created a file for lines and angles, which I taught first, and then followed up with a file for Polygons, since students need to understand the attributes of lines and angles before they can classify polygons. After using these files with my class, (and not using my math book..shhh), my students scored the best on the spring assessment that any class of mine had ever done! Many scored in the advanced range for the geometry strand. This summer I tweaked the contents of the files and now have them up on TPT in a variety of formats. I have them bundled with pdf printables or by themselves Geometry SMARTBoard File: Lines and Angles Geometry Printables: Lines and Angles Geometry SMARTBoard and Printables Bundle: Lines and Angles Geometry Vocabulary Cards for Lines and Angles Geometry SMARTBoard File: Polygons Geometry Printables: Polygons Geometry SMARTBoard and Printables Bundle: Polygons Geometry Vocabulary Cards for Polygons Since using a protractor was a new skill for my kiddos, (and maybe a rusty skill for some of you)... like it was for me...I created this "How to Use a Protractor" Freebie. Click the picture to get yours! And finally for the giveaway! Leave me a comment and become a follower, if you aren't already and I'll pick a random name to receive the Geometry product of your choice for free! I'll pick the winner next Sunday, July 28.
