For a creamy, rich, homemade butter that is healthy and easy to make.
Everyone will tell you why it's hard to move overseas with kids, but let me share with you some of the reasons it's a great idea. Living in another country can be difficult, but it can also be incredibly rewarding, often on the same day.
The first option for updating wood paneling is often paint, which can immediately turn off many home improvement enthusiasts. However, there are a wide variety of ways to update outdated paneling, from wallpapering to covering with a wall liner. It first needs to be prepared before the makeover.
Easy, creamy and delicious! This easy risotto will quickly become a family favorite.
Having spent a year with the renowned designer, Susannah Frankel is better positioned than most to reveal what one can, and ought to, learn from the master
5 ideas for better activity transitions in middle and high school classes
This is an idea that comes from one of my interns this year, Tracy. She saw it in another classroom. I could not find anything about it online so I just had to make my own poster. When you begin teaching handwriting on the “lines” this is such a helpful visual for the children. Chicken […]
Have a chatty class? Do your talkative students get louder and louder during small groups until it feels like chaos? Do they talk when you'r...
Koh Mak isn't quite a Thai island paradise. It's fairly quiet but the beaches are average and Thailand has much better islands, including nearby Koh Kood!
I want to discuss seating charts, but first let's start with some definitions. Heterogeneous is to be diverse in character or content while homogeneous is to be the same kind or alike. It is very
How to get started journaling in another language - three steps to get started. Multilingual diaries can be a great way to learn words in another language.
I'd like to talk about my favorite time of the day (okay, it's tied with word study rotations and play centers, but those are for another time). Our 30-minute block of math rotations has allowed me to become a stronger math teacher and my students to become more confident mathematicians. How could 30 minutes be
5 easy to implement solutions to help your sweet, but slow finishers, get their work done! The reasons behind not finishing are many : some kids are still weak in the skills that they need in order to finish, some kids don’t care about finishing, some kids don’t want to do the next task so the dawdle , some enjoy the constant pushing and encouragement to finish. #1 Let’s start with those who lack in skills needed. Offer to help on 1 problem and let them know that you want to hear them think through the next problem. (This gives some accountability for them to listen to you while you are helping.) When it is their turn to do a problem out loud ( the think through it) don’t jump in and offer assistance too fast. Praise their thinking and willingness to work hard. Fill in gaps in the understanding This is great modeling for the potential peer tutors who are seated near you and are probably listening in. These steps show the other children at the table how to help this struggler should the struggle continue. #2 Buddy Helpers and the GREEN Pen of Greatness Give those fast finishers something meaningful to do. Allow them to assist a friend using the 4 steps above and this poster below. If you give your peer tutors a green pen you can watch this “helping bug” spread like the flu… just kidding spread like wildfire. Maybe your slower finishers just need to motivation to get done so they can get their hands on a green pen! Green Pen The idea for the green pen comes from Amy Green. Brilliant idea! Teacher roams around with some green pens. Completed work gets a green star. In my class we do hearts. Author of completed and accurate work can go on to other things of interest or take another green pen and go help/ look over the work of other friends in class!!! (((purchase a box of green pens from Office Max {here})))) #3 Helping Reluctant Finishers Get it Done: Using Motivational 1/4 sheet and Visual Timers Now what do you do with a child that just does not want to finish? They have the skills, but finishing is not something that they care about. Or they don’t want to do the next assignment, so they are making a “meal” of this one! If this is habitual, call home. It can be a quick call just letting mom, dad, auntie, or other family member know that it’s becoming a habit for the child to not finish even though s/he has the skills to do so. Offer the child a little help. Mention that you have noticed they are not getting their work done. This just isn’t how we do things. Remind them they can ALWAYS ask for help, but you have noticed they KNOW how, but just are moving slower than they should. Give them a 1/4 sheet of paper to help them keep track of finishing on time. Most kids love having the teacher “notice” this change of effort. You can place a sticker over each child. Kids love the dot marker. For some reason that perfectly shaped blob makes everyone happy. Or just make it simple and put a heart over every finished assignment. Utilize a visual timer so they can tell if they are running out of time. I love the classroom timers site!!! Your students will be able to pace themselves better as they watch the fuse burn. The fireworks show is awesome at the end. Have something they miss out on if not done. I will say I have kept a child in for 5 minutes of recess occasionally. Don’t throw things at me. Listen, I think the “don’t take their recess away” movement is right! Seriously don’t throw things at me. But missing 5 minutes of recess really sends a message too. Staying in for 5 minutes in the course of an entire school year can yield a harder worker! #4 Decide if not finishing is OK: Modified Work Some of the kiddos in my room are struggling on every little thing all the time. This is because their age is not matching their academic age. For example, I have a 1st grade 6 year old who is precious, but is at a mid kinder level. Isn’t it OK for him to finish half of the work and tap out? This is modifying. Seriously, if he can do 4 problems (even with help) wouldn’t that indicate that he could eventually finish them all? But the eventual part is the struggle. We don’t have “eventually” in the school day. A phone call home or parent meeting should happen first before work modification begins. All parties need to agree on this. Once you all agree, have the child complete a given amount and then store the unfinished work. #5 Have a Spot to Store Unfinished work: I store mine in this Pacon paper sorter! In December I went back to work after the break and brought in the Pacon Paper sorter. I called it the work in progress condo. I can keep projects we are in the middle of in there and my students can keep their own work in progress there too! I adore Pacon as a company and this paper sorter is the best. Let me tell you why. It was inexpensive. It was so easy to put together, and I am ALL thumbs. It can be painted or covered in contact paper to customize. It easily stores the unfinished work of my slower finishers and the “in progress” work from my week-long intervention groups!!! This product is sturdy and isn’t too big! It fits perfectly under an easel or stands up tall along a bookshelf. It also sits beautifully on a counter top. You can also set it on it’s back to be accessed from the top. LOVE THIS PRODUCT. You must order one NOW. OK but get this… my class is a little “willful” this year. Out of 30 kids I have 14 only children and 1st born kids who “just” got their 1st sibling. This year has been a struggle to keep them engaged in work vs. pretending school is one big playdate. So, look at the brilliant idea I came up with to keep the talking down a bit!!! Lord have mercy, just that little bit of space between desk groups has really cut down on the talking and has improved work completion too!!! Can I get an Amen? I am giving myself a high five right now!!!! You can also stand the sorter up on it’s end. I am going to buy another one and put it in my guided reading area to hold the awesome materials I keep on hand there. Unfinished work and Parent Communication: What do I do with this unfinished work? I send it home on Friday. I attach a note that says something like this: “This is work that your child was not able to finish in class. We discussed work modification, but I wanted you to have this at home in case you can have an older brother or sister or tutor help your child continue to practice the skills we are doing in class.” Grab this parent letter and other freebies below. Remember: high expectations- I expect you to do what I ask and try hard (even if that means doing 1/2 page I asked of you) meaningful relationships - The green pen and helpers Kelley Dolling of the Teacher Idea Factory says you have to “sell the sizzle” in order to get things done. I hope the sizzle of the green pen and the posters and freebies motivate your little stars to rock this out. Download all the freebies from my store on Teacher’s Pay Teachers by clicking the button below: Make a teacher friend’s day! Share this post with them. Pass on great info and freebies so we can all help our slow finishers.
Au pairing is not always perfect. Let's break down the pros, cons and steps you can take in order to set yourself up for the best experience possible.
Prettiest cities in Belgium, including Dinant, Bruges, Ghent, Leuven, Mons, Antwerpen, and Durbuy.
An important factor in figuring out what to say when someone is being rude to you is finding out why this is happening. Note that it is not always intentional and you should think before you react.
Here's the ultimate guide and everything you need to know on how to build a wardrobe from scratch!
M., who I met on the facebook, in connection with MEC, advised me to have a look at the MAKATON signs that she uses with her daughter to connect the two languages. No matter which language you use, use the same sign for the same thing, so the child can learn to connect the meaning. You can make up your own signs as well, or do a signing course in Hungarian. I don't want to recommend any courses as we didn't take them. Just google it: baby sign language course Budapest. Here are some examples, signs we use on a daily basis: Though we sign the horse in a different way: You can find more signs here. You can also learn from a special BBC programme for kids with special needs. The programme itself is called Something Special. Each programme sees Justin and Mr Tumble (played by Justin) out and about applying signing in a variety of places. Topics covered include babies, pets, toys, weather, clothes, shops, food, all about me, where I live and colours. Mr Tumble always dresses up, wearing brightly-coloured clothes and even big shoes! He moves around clumsily and has lots of fun. The language used throughout each programme is supported by Makaton signs and symbols and is designed to be understood by children in the early stages of language development. Full episodes are 15-20 minutes long. What I did with this programme is that I watched them one by one on youtube. I learnt the signs (they are very straight forward and easy to learn) and started using them both in English and in Hungarian (same sign for the same thing). E. was 6-7 months old when I introduced signing to her. (4-5 signs at a time). When she was familiar with these (after about 2-3 weeks) I introduced new ones. Sometimes I picked a short part of an episode (max. 5-6 minutes long) and we watched it together. This could have begun earlier as well. But never cry over split milk. Click on the link, the first video I saw and really was fascinated by it - Something Special- Baby I don't do the signing all the time only if E. is not paying attention or I really want to link a new expression in both languages. Most of the time signing draws her attention. In the next post I'll write about some songs which can be followed with signing. It's a hit with kids. They love it! You'll love it too. -------------------------UPDATE 2016 ------------------------------- The programme Something Special (Mr Tumble) got renewed still it's great. On Something Special youtube channel you can even find songs signed by Mr Tumble (Justin)
Another Feldenkrais practitioner, Allison Rapp, took a survey of some of her fellow practitioners about the health benefits of the Feldenkrais Method. Here what she found.
When it comes to the biggest mistakes people have made when moving to Spain, do not assume they are rare. Nearly every customer wishes they had done something different, when looking for a place to live permanently. While some retirees have hair-raising tales to tell, others talk about little details that interrupted a smooth move.
52 Sourdough bread with various add in like spices , cheese and other add ins it will become another level.
It can be rewarding to learn how to reinvent yourself with experimenting with understanding how to romanticize your life.
