Evelyn Saenz: Lensography of a Teacher

Mammal Lenses 

Evelyn's Unit Studies about Mammals

The Three Bears

There are the three bears that Goldilocks encountered but in Alaska there are also three types of real bears. (Ok, Four if you count the Kodiak but it fits the tale better to combine the Kodiak with the Brown or Grizzly Bears.) The three best known...

Creatures of the Woodlands

Winter is coming on! The little Woodland Creatures are looking for winter dens, storing up food and preparing for the long winter ahead. The Thornton Burgess Books, such as Old Mother Westwind, are just full of charming woodland creatures that bring t...

Raccoons in the Corn

Raccoons love to investigate. In this unit study we will be investigating the lives of raccoons with both fiction and non-fiction books, sensory table explorations and even a visit from a wild raccoon. Let Bobby Coon teach you about life on the Gree...

Cows Aren't The Only Ones

Sure you know that milk comes from cows but did you know people around the world milk other animals as well? There are many books about milk and milking to start off a Unit Study about dairy animals and their products. Finding a friendly farmer who...

River Otters: Playful Friends of the Woodlands!

Learn about River Otters through games and hands-on learning centers. Decorate your classroom with a Woodlands Riverbank Theme. Learn the habits of River Otters, the food they eat and how they raise their young. You will find suggestions for both fi...

More Mammal Lenses 

Evelyn's Unit Studies about Mammals

G is for Goat
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Tiger Island: The Awesome Pawsome

 Tiger Island Zoo is raising tigers in order to save the gene pool of these endangered big cats. Sign a Petition to Save Tigers and learn tiger facts. And the Awesome Pawsome are born! Taj, Sultan, Rama and Sita come into the world, and Taj is th...

The Three Billy Goats Gruff

Reading the classic tale of the Three Billy Goats Gruff is a delightful way to kick off a Unit Study on Goats. We compare fiction and non-fiction goats, make graphs, build bridges and play lots of games. Goat's milk and goat cheese are staples in ma...

Wolves 

The Dog and the Wolf, from Fables by Jean de La Fontaine
Fraipont, Georges
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Wolf Stamps

Do you love wolves? Do you like stamps? Do you have a legitimate reason to buy stamps? Then you're at the right lens! Check out our wonderful selection of wolf stamps, which is always growing!

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?

How do you feel about Gray Wolves? What do you know about wolves in general? Do wolves really dress in Grandma's clothes and eat little girls? In the Wolf Unit Study you can learn about the anatomy of these fascinating canines, where they live, thei...

Rodent Lenses 

Evelyn's Unit Studies about Rodents

Diagram Using Real Mice to Show Mendel's Inheritance in Mice Theory
Darleishire, A.d.
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Beaver Unit Study

Paddy the Beaver knew perfectly well that he would have visitors just as soon as he began to build his dam. He expected a lot of them. You see he knew that none of them ever had seen a Beaver at work unless perhaps it was Prickly Porky the Porcupine,...

Common Rodents: Rats and Mice

After reading this sentence, close your eyes and think of the word "rodent", then think of the first rodent that comes to mind. It's a mouse or rat, right? Of course it is! Rats and mice are perhaps the most common rodents other than lemmi...

Whitefoot the Wood Mouse: A Mouse Unit Study

Whitefoot welcomes homeschoolers, teachers, parents and children to turn into mice, scurry through the tunnels and sniff out learning opportunities in every corner. Whitefoot the Wood Mouse welcomes everyone to his nest where learning never ends. He...

Hamtaro and the Hamhams

Hamtaro is an adventurous and curious hamster who belongs to a girl named Laura (named Amy in the original books), and who secretly leads a society of hamsters called the Ham-hams. While he rescues hamsters in trouble and goes on huge adventures, he...

More Rodent Unit Studies 

Evelyn's Rodent Unit Studies

Woodchuck Art Print
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Lemmings: Falling into the Sea of Knowledge

When the winds start to howl and the snow begins to blow you can capture your student's attention with this innovative Arctic Unit Study focusing on lemmings. Your little lemmings will be excited to learn with a theme that includes little furry crea...

Acorns for the Squirrels

Thanksgiving is coming and the squirrels are counting their acorns. Read tales of squirrels who are preparing for Thanksgiving by making place mats, toilet paper tube squirrels and other Thanksgiving decorations. What will they be thankful for and w...

Woodchucks Under the Porch

Woodchucks chuck wood and Groundhogs determine the coming of spring. They eat your garden, dig holes under the porch but look adorable when they are first born and start to venture out of their dens. Watching the woodchuck babies venturing out from...

Unit Studies about Birds 

Evelyn's Bird Unit Studies

Birds of the Garden Winter II
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Purple Gallinules of the Everglades

Gallinules are spectacular creatures. The can be found walking on water lilies in the canals throughout the Everglades. One day we took a trip to the Everglades and saw a Purple Gallinule for the first time. It's vibrant colors are unbelievable. We...

The Thanksgiving Tale of Tobias Turkey

Tobias Turkey is a determined little turkey who wants to win the prize for being the biggest turkey on Farmer Joe's Farm. This Thanksgiving Tale by Sandra Robbins can lead into a unit study of domestic turkeys with poems, crafts, math activities and...

Bluebirds of the Meadow

Summer nears and the bluebirds start nesting along the fenceline. The children are fascinated with the way they fly back and forth to build their nests. They become the focus of our next Unit Study, Bluebirds of the Meadow. As your little bluebirds...

It's Turkey Time!

Wild Turkeys nearly became extinct in the 1930's but times have changed and turkeys have benefited. Now turkeys are often found in fields and on the edge of the woods. In this unit you will learn about Wild Turkeys, read turkey facts and stories, pl...

Pigloo: Penguins Sing in French

These happy French-singing penguins will get your kids singing along and they won't even realize that they are learning French. We all know that learning a second language is very important but who knew it could be so much fun. Pop a Pigloo CD into...

Bird Unit Studies 

Robin in the Rain!

It's springtime and one of the most popular signs of spring is the robin. Robins, with their cheery tweets and bright red breasts stand out against the disappearing snow. Cheerio, calls the robin as the rain starts to fall. This lens is a unit stud...

Reptile Unit Studies 

Evelyn's Reptile Unit Study from the Swamp

Alligator Quartet, Suwanee River
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Alligator Pie

Alligator Pie is a great poem for introducing the alligator theme. Use it in a reading chart and then go on to learn about the alligators. Alligators bring us eye to eye with the watery, muddy world of the swamp. Write a poem or explore an alligato...

Amphibian Theme 

Evelyn's Frog Unit Study

Frog on a Branch from in a Spring Garden
Ezra Jack Keats
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The Frog Report

Find out what is going on in the world of frogs? There are reports of frogs being arrested in Nevada and frogs that make so much noise that that home values are going down in the neighborhood. Maybe the most disturbing, however, are the reports of...

Industrial Waste in the Frog Pond

Are Vernal Pools in remote rural areas of Vermont being destroyed by industrial waste? Come on a walk in the early spring. Walk through the cold wet mud and try not to slip on the remaining spots of ice as we go on a hunt for frog eggs and discover s...

Froggy Lensography: All About Frogs

Children learn best when engaged in hands-on, creative learning projects that excite and keep them focused. A frog theme lends itself to just that type of experience. Here you will find a collection of lenses leading to games, learning activities and...

Frog Eggs

Each year we eagerly await the arrival of spring to listen to the Spring Peeper and anticipate the discovery of frog eggs in the vernal pools. Frogs lay their eggs in pools, ponds, and puddles. As snow melts, low lying areas fill with water and frogs...

Frog Unit Study: Hopping to Learn

Take trips to the frog pond, play games and sing songs, gobble up the insect words and swat the fly verbs. This lens will give you dozens of ideas, resources, hints and tricks to create frog-themed activities for both homeschool families and classro...

Insect Theme 

Evelyn's Buggy Units Studies

Old Black Fly

Old Black Fly's been buzzing around and lands on an alphabet's worth of spilled drips and drops of food. This poem is fun to read aloud with it's lilting rhyme has makes you want to dance. Use Old Black Fly to start a unit on insects that will inspi...

Fireflies: Twinkling Lights of the Meadow

Have you ever gone out on a summer evening to catch fireflies. They flit and fly everywhere. Soon you have five and then six. One escapes and then you catch two more. In the morning you let them go. These wonderful experiences of childhood may be di...

Sea Life Themes 

Animals in the Ocean Unit Studies

Netting Lobster
Henry Scott Tuke
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Sand Dollars: Math on the Beach

One day at the beach in Costa Rica my daughter and I were digging in the sand making sandcastles when we ran across a live sand dollar. Finding a dead exoskeleton would have been exciting but finding a live sand dollar was unbelievable! We held it i...

Lobsters of the Sea

What do you know about the lobster in the fish tank at your local grocery store or fish market? Learn all about lobsters, their habitat and what their lives are like before they reach your plate. How long can a lobster live? What kind of habitat doe...

Arctic Themes 

Evelyn's Unit Studies from Snow Country

Meltzer, Davis
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The Three Bears

There are the three bears that Goldilocks encountered but in Alaska there are also three types of real bears. (Ok, Four if you count the Kodiak but it fits the tale better to combine the Kodiak with the Brown or Grizzly Bears.) The three best known...

Lemmings: Falling into the Sea of Knowledge

When the winds start to howl and the snow begins to blow you can capture your student's attention with this innovative Arctic Unit Study focusing on lemmings. Your little lemmings will be excited to learn with a theme that includes little furry crea...

Pigloo: Penguins Sing in French

These happy French-singing penguins will get your kids singing along and they won't even realize that they are learning French. We all know that learning a second language is very important but who knew it could be so much fun. Pop a Pigloo CD into...

Winter: Time for Fun

Winter is the time to snuggle up and with a good book, make a winter table and watch the snowflakes falling down. It's a time when the days are short, the nights are cold and the smell of woodsmoke is in the air. Get ready for the cold with The Jack...

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?

How do you feel about Gray Wolves? What do you know about wolves in general? Do wolves really dress in Grandma's clothes and eat little girls? In the Wolf Unit Study you can learn about the anatomy of these fascinating canines, where they live, thei...

Animal Characteristics Themes 

Evelyn's Unit Studies of Animal Characteristics

Barker's Komic Picture Souvenir: Barnyard Tussle
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Who Layed THAT Egg?

Everyone knows that chickens lay eggs. Most people know that all other birds do as well but have you ever thought about all the other animals that lay eggs? Children may be surprised that some eggs do not contain birds. Other egg layers include frogs...

Have you seen any animal tracks?

Winter is a wonderful time to find out which animals are wandering around your neighborhood. When a fine dusting of snow covers the earth, tracks are easy to spot. Go out for a walk before the sun has had a chance to blur the tracks. The clean lines...

Animal Tracks Unit Study

When you study nature it is often hard to get close to the animals you are studying but often they leave their tracks. Learning to recognize the tracks of the animals that live near you will let you know which ones are visiting you. Animal tracks ar...

My What Big Teeth You Have!

Celebrate the loss of a baby tooth and the growth of permanent teeth while learning to read, write and measure your teeth. Graph the lost teeth by month and write to the Tooth Fairy. Cuddle with the Big Bad Wolf and all his big teeth. Count your fri...

Cows Aren't The Only Ones

Sure you know that milk comes from cows but did you know people around the world milk other animals as well? There are many books about milk and milking to start off a Unit Study about dairy animals and their products. Finding a friendly farmer who...

Water Theme 

Evelyn's Wet and Wild Unit Studies

Wetlands
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Purple Gallinules of the Everglades

Gallinules are spectacular creatures. The can be found walking on water lilies in the canals throughout the Everglades. One day we took a trip to the Everglades and saw a Purple Gallinule for the first time. It's vibrant colors are unbelievable. We...

King Bidgood's in the Bathtub

King Bidgood's in the Bathtub is a wonderful story by Audrey and Don Wood about a king who loves baths and playing in the bathtub. It is a great jumping off point for studying Medieval Times, Hygiene, or sorting and categorizing. In this lens we wil...

It's Raining! It's Pouring!

As the Rain Pours Down the Learning Soars... Water, rain, puddles, wetness... This lens will give you dozens of ideas, resources, hints and tricks to create water-themed rainy activities for both homeschool families and classrooms. There are endle...

River Otters: Playful Friends of the Woodlands!

Learn about River Otters through games and hands-on learning centers. Decorate your classroom with a Woodlands Riverbank Theme. Learn the habits of River Otters, the food they eat and how they raise their young. You will find suggestions for both fi...

Alligator Pie

Alligator Pie is a great poem for introducing the alligator theme. Use it in a reading chart and then go on to learn about the alligators. Alligators bring us eye to eye with the watery, muddy world of the swamp. Write a poem or explore an alligato...

Plant Life Themes 

Evelyn's Unit Studies Blossom

Anatomy of a Tree
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Project BudBurst: Recording the Signs of Spring

My grandmother was an avid gardener and observer of nature. She kept careful track of when the snow melted, buds emerged in the Spring and when each flower burst into bloom. Records like these are now being sought by Project BudBurst to create a data...

Acorns for the Squirrels

Thanksgiving is coming and the squirrels are counting their acorns. Read tales of squirrels who are preparing for Thanksgiving by making place mats, toilet paper tube squirrels and other Thanksgiving decorations. What will they be thankful for and w...

Apple Trees and Apple Blossoms

When Garner Rix moved with his family to Vermont in 1780 he brought apple seeds with him. He carefully planted those seeds which grew into trees and produced apple blossoms in Springtime and bushels of apples in the fall. It has been 200 years since...

Global Warming 

Evelyn's Environmental Unit Studies

Global Warming for children

For young children to understand a concept like Global Warming it needs to be taught through hands-on observable experiments. Make a terrarium with falling rain. Melt ice and watch the water level of a lake rise. Observe what happens when plants rec...

Inexpensive Eco-Friendly Christmas

With these difficult economic and ecological times are there ways to make this Christmas Season inexpensive and eco-friendly as well a memorable? Consider giving a toy that has been carefully passed on for years. Make your own recycled cards, orname...

Classroom Lenses 

Evelyn's Classroom Lenses

Early Schoolroom in Colonial New England
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Penmanship: The Art of Teaching Handwriting

As a child I remember Mrs. Thompson, my first grade teacher, gently putting her hand over mine and guiding me in forming the letters. We wrote on green lined paper with dotted lines down the middle. After we had practice for a whole week we were allo...

Literacy Bags Make Homework Fun!

Book Bags. Home Bags, Book Buddies, Story Bags... Literacy Bags are a fun way to help children share what they are learning with their families. Children take these literacy bags home, read the stories, do the activities with their families and then...

Enjoying Educational Games

What do kids do best? Play of course. Why not encourage this natural tendency by providing your children with great entertaining games that just happen to be educational as well.  Educational Games such as Mancala and Set teach math concep...

Word Walls and Pointers

Word walls are a collection of words for beginning readers to use to promote learning in reading and writing. WordWalls are most effective when the children help to generate them. This lens will point out various types of WordWalls used in classroom...

Beginning to Read

Mrs. Wishy Washy and The Big Bad Pig are inviting you all beginning readers to join them in the adventure of learning to read. Learn how to make Word Walls, Literacy Bags, activities for Center Time and lots, lots, more. You will find suggested begi...

Classroom Lenses 

Evelyn's Classroom Management Lenses

In the Schoolroom
Loose, Basil De
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Rewards and Cheers

You don't need to offer candy or presents to reward accomplishment. With obesity on the rise it seems unconscionable to continue the practice of offering candy or even food as a reward in the classroom. Teachers across the country are learning new w...

Morning Meeting and the Responsive Classroom

Teaching good behavior involves breaking down into small steps the behaviors expected of children and actively teaching the skills involved. Start with an empty slate and build upon it step by step. You will find dozens of activities, suggestions,...

Posters for Teaching

Posters are colorful and inspiring works of art that draw student's attention to the subject being taught. Posters don't have to be just wall decoration. Posters can be used to highlight vocabulary being taught, visually organize student's work or be...

Interactive Bulletin Boards

Bulletin Boards can be more than just decoration on the wall. By making it interactive, a bulletin board can become another center in your classroom. You will find bulletin boards to teach math at calendar time and word walls for learning to read and...

Teaching Grammar 

Evelyn's Grammar Unit Studies

In the Schoolroom
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Verbs: What ARE You Doing?

No matter where or when, verbs are action words. They tell what we are doing, what's happening, or how we are. Whether you are reading, writing or rhyming, Jumping, swimming or crawling, Twittering, Squidooing, or DIGGing, There is a verb tells what...

Adjectives: A Unit Study for Valentine's Day

Fill the day with arts, crafts, science experiments and ways to say I Love You. Pour out your feelings of love throughout the day. But it's not Valentine's Day you say? No Problem, these activities adapt to any other day or holiday. You will find b...

Book Based Lenses 

Evelyn's Book Based Unit Studies

Beep, Beep Goes the Bus

One of the most popular themes for preschoolers is transportation. Listen to the sound of a bus going beep, beep, beep. Hear the roar of the bus as it pulls up to the bus stop. Notice the hiss of the air coming from the brakes. With their bright col...

The Redwall Series!

Brian Jacques definitely started an exciting series when he published his first book, "Redwall". The book was a great tale of a horde of rats attacking a large abbey for animals, and a young mouse's rise to Warrior of Redwall Abbey (see bel...

Chester Raccoon and The Kissing Hand

The first day of school can be very traumatic for both children and their parents. The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn is a wonderful tale of a mother raccoon reassuring her baby that he will have a great night at school and that the kiss she leaves on h...

Hamtaro and the Hamhams

Hamtaro is an adventurous and curious hamster who belongs to a girl named Laura (named Amy in the original books), and who secretly leads a society of hamsters called the Ham-hams. While he rescues hamsters in trouble and goes on huge adventures, he...

Whitefoot the Wood Mouse: A Mouse Unit Study

Whitefoot welcomes homeschoolers, teachers, parents and children to turn into mice, scurry through the tunnels and sniff out learning opportunities in every corner. Whitefoot the Wood Mouse welcomes everyone to his nest where learning never ends. He...

Great Books for Story Hour 

Turn your Picture Book into a Unit Study

Photo Credit: Story Hour
on Flickr, Creative Commons.

Go Away Big Green Monster

Go Away,Big Green Monster! is a book of cut out pages that page by page reveal a monster and then make it disappear. The simple cuts and the bold colors appeal to both young children and older artists and because of this is a delight to read to group...

Fairytale Themes 

Evelyn's Fairytale Unit Studies

Fairytale Castle
Gillot, Carol
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The Three Billy Goats Gruff

Reading the classic tale of the Three Billy Goats Gruff is a delightful way to kick off a Unit Study on Goats. We compare fiction and non-fiction goats, make graphs, build bridges and play lots of games. Goat's milk and goat cheese are staples in ma...

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?

How do you feel about Gray Wolves? What do you know about wolves in general? Do wolves really dress in Grandma's clothes and eat little girls? In the Wolf Unit Study you can learn about the anatomy of these fascinating canines, where they live, thei...

The Three Bears

There are the three bears that Goldilocks encountered but in Alaska there are also three types of real bears. (Ok, Four if you count the Kodiak but it fits the tale better to combine the Kodiak with the Brown or Grizzly Bears.) The three best known...

MobiStories Unit Studies 

Evelyn's Unit Studies to accompany Digital Books

Transportation Unit Study

Young children are always on the go so it only follows that some of their favorite toys are cars, boats, planes and trains. This transportation theme can wheel us along with games, math activities and science projects that keep your child busily lear...

Trains and the Gift of Time

Have you ever stood near a railroad track and watched a train? Trains are fascinating. They seem to be going so slowly at first and then faster and faster as they get closer. No matter what age you are, everyone loves trains. As your child chugs alo...

Beep, Beep Goes the Bus

One of the most popular themes for preschoolers is transportation. Listen to the sound of a bus going beep, beep, beep. Hear the roar of the bus as it pulls up to the bus stop. Notice the hiss of the air coming from the brakes. With their bright col...

Mobistories Headquarters

MobiStories: Downloadable Stories for Children MobiStories are downloadable stories for children by famous authors such as Chris L. Demarest, Sandra Robbins and Steven Kroll. You can download MobiStories onto any Mp3 device and let the narrator read...

Acorns for the Squirrels

Thanksgiving is coming and the squirrels are counting their acorns. Read tales of squirrels who are preparing for Thanksgiving by making place mats, toilet paper tube squirrels and other Thanksgiving decorations. What will they be thankful for and w...

More MobiStories Unit Stories 

More of Evelyn's Unit Studies to accompany Digital Books

The Thanksgiving Tale of Tobias Turkey

Tobias Turkey is a determined little turkey who wants to win the prize for being the biggest turkey on Farmer Joe's Farm. This Thanksgiving Tale by Sandra Robbins can lead into a unit study of domestic turkeys with poems, crafts, math activities and...

Lumpy Bumpy Pumpkin

There are five little pumpkins in Farmer Joe's Pumpkin Patch. Four of them are round and shiny and look like the perfect pumpkins but the fifth little pumpkin is lumpy and bumpy. Lumpy Bumpy Pumpkin is on stage in NYC jaround Halloween at Shadow Box...

MobiStories: Digital Books for Children

MobiStories are narrated digital children's books with illustrations and music written by famous authors such as Steven Kroll and Chris L. Demarest. Digital Books can be downloaded onto any MP3 device and offer children high quality, educational lit...

Autumn Unit Study

Leaves are crunching below your feet and geese are flying overhead. It's time to gather in the pumpkins and munch on crisp ripe apples. Watch the squirrels gather nuts and the birds fight over the sunflower seeds. Fall is here and learning is all aro...

Winter: Time for Fun

Winter is the time to snuggle up and with a good book, make a winter table and watch the snowflakes falling down. It's a time when the days are short, the nights are cold and the smell of woodsmoke is in the air. Get ready for the cold with The Jack...

Digital Books for Children 

Even More of Evelyn's Unit Studies to accompany Digital Books

Big Annie: Mississippi Flatboat Captain

Activities related to the story of Big Annie, a flatboat captain who, despite all odds, brings Christmas toys from New Orleans up the river to the children of Natchez. Learn about the cultures, historical times and wildlife along the Mississippi Riv...

Mobistories Headquarters

MobiStories: Downloadable Stories for Children MobiStories are downloadable stories for children by famous authors such as Chris L. Demarest, Sandra Robbins and Steven Kroll. You can download MobiStories onto any Mp3 device and let the narrator read...

Salsa for Kittens and Puppies

Written by Andy Blackman Horowitz Salsa for Kittens and Puppies introduces young children to Salsa. With Spanish rhythms and dance, children are introduced to the music of Latin Americans who brought their music from Cuba, and Puerto Rico mixed it wi...

Recommended Chapter Books 

Unit Studies based on Chapter Books

John Bull, Reading Comics Newspaper Boy, UK, 1950
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Welcome to Dragonsdale

In my 12 year old's words: Though a bit childish in parts, Dragonsdale is a nice book revealing an enchanting place. If I could only go to the places in books, I would love to go to Seahaven. It is easy to see the love between Cara and Skydancer, t...

My Side Of The Mountain

A coming of age story about a boy who goes to the woods of upstate New York to live on his own for a year. He lives in a hollow tree, eats only what he can trap, fish or gather. Though he has some survival skills when he starts out he soon discovers...

Marv by Marilyn Sachs

Marv is an inventor. His mind is always working; thinking of new inventions. He builds a revolving door, an elevator to lift groceries to the second floor and a cement river in the front yard. Marv is focused and inventive but does not see the whole...

Penmanship 

Photo Credit: Penmanship
in the Public Domain.

Penmanship: The Art of Teaching Handwriting

As a child I remember Mrs. Thompson, my first grade teacher, gently putting her hand over mine and guiding me in forming the letters. We wrote on green lined paper with dotted lines down the middle. After we had practice for a whole week we were allo...

My Math Lensography 

Teaching Math

Photo Credit: Math Teacher
on Flickr, Creative Commons.

How I came to Love Teaching Math

Math has always been easy for me but it wasn't until I started taking classes to get my teaching certificate that I came to truly love math. Both my mom and dad loved to play card and board games. They taught my sister and I many mathematical concept...

Math Lenses 

Evelyn's Math Games, Activites and Unit Studies

It's Turkey Time!

Wild Turkeys nearly became extinct in the 1930's but times have changed and turkeys have benefited. Now turkeys are often found in fields and on the edge of the woods. In this unit you will learn about Wild Turkeys, read turkey facts and stories, pl...

Pumpkins and Place Value

Pick the biggest pumpkin you can find. Cut off the top and smell the fresh pumpkin smell. Carving a Jack O'Lantern leads into a mathematical unit study of place value that incorporates all five senses. Counting pumpkin seeds into groups of 10's, 100...

Hands-on Math Activities

Children learn and truly understand mathematical concepts best when engaged in hands-on activities and games. By manipulating everyday objects, playing games and finding out ways of solving everyday problems children gain a true understanding of the...

Skip Count, Skip Count, Count by Two's

Skip Counting is what you do when you count by 10's, 5's or 2's. All young children learn to Skip Count but did you realize that this is one of the beginning steps to learning multiplication. This lens has rhymes, songs and activities for teaching S...

Enjoying Educational Games

What do kids do best? Play of course. Why not encourage this natural tendency by providing your children with great entertaining games that just happen to be educational as well.  Educational Games such as Mancala and Set teach math concep...

More Math Lenses 

Evelyn's Favorite Math Manipulatives

Understanding a Billion

Everyone is talking about spending billions of dollars to save the economy but how much is a billion? We all know how to count to 100. We count by 10's, 5's and 2's but when the numbers get higher it becomes more and more difficult to comprehend jus...

Natural Math Manipulatives

A hands-on approach to learning new concepts involving all 5 senses makes understanding easier and quicker for learners of all styles. Here you will find manipulatives that intrigue, excite and encourage exploration. From wooden blocks to needle fel...

Roman Numerals, I to MM

Roman Numerals may be found where you least expect them. Look up at the clocks on public buildings and down on the cornerstones. Check out the copyright date of your favorite movie or book. You might even find roman numerals on your watch. Learning...

The Mouse Ran Up The Clock

It's time to learn how to tell time. Here is a unit study that teaches children to tell time, understand lapse in time and the evolution of the understanding of time through history. Learn about devices for measuring time, clocks, egg timers and cal...

Handmade Quilt for College

A handmade quilt can be an heirloom to pass down from generation to generation. There are many factory made quilts on the market but few people still make all cotton, hand stitched quilts. I am offering this beautiful handmade quilt for sale to help...

Frogs Teaching Math 

Two Frogs on Motorcycle with Umbrella and Flowers
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Learning to Count with Frogs

Learning to count can be a joyful hop around the Frog Pond. With this froggy theme, children count their way around the frog board, count the flies the frog eats and count the hidden frogs. From counting to 10 to helping in annual Frog Monitoring pr...

Frog Geometry

As teachers and homeschoolers we often think of math a subject totally unrelated to the theme we are studying. In this lens I hope to dispel l this myth. Using the frog theme we will explore geometric shapes. From the circular bubbles rising up from...

Frog Pattern Math

When planning activities for your Frog Unit Study you might think that math would be an abstract subject that has nothing to do with frogs. In this lens we will explore ways to integrated math into your study of frogs and tadpoles. Mathematics is ba...

Froggy Math Facts

Continuing the Frog Unit Study this lens is all about adding and subtracting with frogs. Children learn best when given hands-on multi-sensory projects and games that relate to the overall subject being studied. With dozens of frog related addition...

Bluebird Unit Study Math 

Bluebird Math

The bluebirds are busy building nests, laying eggs and helping young children learn all about math. The basis of all math is discovering and describing pattens found in the natural world. This lens offers dozens of math activities, workjobs and cente...

Math for Middleschoolers 

Math CAN be all Fun and Games

Swim In the Sea
Marrot
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Learning Math While Playing Yahtzee

It is amazing what you can learn while playing a seemingly simple game like Yahtzee. It's not just rolling the dice. In the game of Yahtzee you try to score the highest points by rolling a combination of numbers. These numbers are added up and the hi...

Sand Dollars: Math on the Beach

One day at the beach in Costa Rica my daughter and I were digging in the sand making sandcastles when we ran across a live sand dollar. Finding a dead exoskeleton would have been exciting but finding a live sand dollar was unbelievable! We held it i...

The Fun and Games of Pre-Algebra

Over time children learn to add, subtract, multiply and divide. Hopefully they have been taught using creative math manipulatives so that they have a concrete understanding of those skills. As a final step before Algebra, children are taught percent...

Focus on Food 

Evelyn's Food Based Lenses and Unit Studies

Flip the Pancake and Sing about Waffles

You can make the best waffles and pancakes with the cast iron griddles and pure Vermont Maple Syrup. To get you in the mood you gotta check out the video "Do you like pancakes?" My daughter drew the cats that keep popping up around the Waffles. So...

Pumpkins and Place Value

Pick the biggest pumpkin you can find. Cut off the top and smell the fresh pumpkin smell. Carving a Jack O'Lantern leads into a mathematical unit study of place value that incorporates all five senses. Counting pumpkin seeds into groups of 10's, 100...

Raccoons in the Corn

Raccoons love to investigate. In this unit study we will be investigating the lives of raccoons with both fiction and non-fiction books, sensory table explorations and even a visit from a wild raccoon. Let Bobby Coon teach you about life on the Gree...

Printing With Coffee

Cafegrafia, or Coffee Art, the unique process of developing photographs using coffee as a pigment was invented by Saul Bolanos. His photos are of Costa Rican Coffee processing from a century ago. Learn how coffee is now produced in Costa Rica. Pour...

Apple Trees and Apple Blossoms

When Garner Rix moved with his family to Vermont in 1780 he brought apple seeds with him. He carefully planted those seeds which grew into trees and produced apple blossoms in Springtime and bushels of apples in the fall. It has been 200 years since...

Food related Unit Studies 

Peanut Theme

Nutty about Peanuts

Peanuts and peanut butter spread all across the curriculum in this new botanical unit study. Investigate peanut plants and learn how they fix nitrogen in the soil. Shell the peanuts and lean about mathematical averages. Grind the peanuts into peanut...

Flip the Pancake and Sing about Waffles

You can make the best waffles and pancakes with the cast iron griddles and pure Vermont Maple Syrup. To get you in the mood you gotta check out the video "Do you like pancakes?" My daughter drew the cats that keep popping up around the Waffles. So...

Wild Edible Foods of Vermont

Land was expensive and wild game was becoming scarce in Connecticut when Daniel and Rebecca Rix decided to move their family to the wilderness of what would one day be called Vermont. With a family of six children and one on the way they packed up wh...

Lumberjack Cookies

One summer I had the privilege of living with my Grandmother, an incredible cook, who taught me how to bake Lumberjack Cookies. She was famous for her skills at baking and often won the Vermont State Grange baking contest. This is the recipe that she...

Transportation Theme 

Evelyn's Transportaion Unit Studies

Beep, Beep Goes the Bus

One of the most popular themes for preschoolers is transportation. Listen to the sound of a bus going beep, beep, beep. Hear the roar of the bus as it pulls up to the bus stop. Notice the hiss of the air coming from the brakes. With their bright col...

Transportation Unit Study

Young children are always on the go so it only follows that some of their favorite toys are cars, boats, planes and trains. This transportation theme can wheel us along with games, math activities and science projects that keep your child busily lear...

Big Annie: Mississippi Flatboat Captain

Activities related to the story of Big Annie, a flatboat captain who, despite all odds, brings Christmas toys from New Orleans up the river to the children of Natchez. Learn about the cultures, historical times and wildlife along the Mississippi Riv...

Trains and the Gift of Time

Have you ever stood near a railroad track and watched a train? Trains are fascinating. They seem to be going so slowly at first and then faster and faster as they get closer. No matter what age you are, everyone loves trains. As your child chugs alo...

Building Bridges Unit Study

Garner Rix and his family moved from Connecticut to Vermont in 1780 by oxcart. During his captivity he walked to Montreal and back. What was it like to travel in the 18th Century? There were few roads and even fewer bridges. The bridges over streams...

Exploring the Past through Unit Studies 

Evelyn's Living History Themes

Big Annie: Mississippi Flatboat Captain

Activities related to the story of Big Annie, a flatboat captain who, despite all odds, brings Christmas toys from New Orleans up the river to the children of Natchez. Learn about the cultures, historical times and wildlife along the Mississippi Riv...

Old Vermont Barn

The old barn on our farm in Vermont was built by my Great-great grandfather in about 1870. He learned to build from his father and grandfather in a tradition passed down from the first New England settlers. He took those traditions but he applied new...

Building Bridges Unit Study

Garner Rix and his family moved from Connecticut to Vermont in 1780 by oxcart. During his captivity he walked to Montreal and back. What was it like to travel in the 18th Century? There were few roads and even fewer bridges. The bridges over streams...

Garner Rix and the Royalton Raid - 1780

Garner Rix was just 12 when he moved with his father, pregnant mother, two sisters and three brothers from a farm in Connecticut to a log cabin on the banks of the White River, a place that would one day be called Royalton, Vermont. He helped h...

Pete Seeger - The Power of Song

Pete Seeger has sung for peace and justice for generations. Now there is a documentary of Pete Seeger's life entitled Pete Seeger - The Power of Song it has been shown on PBS and at Film festivals from Oklahoma to Vermont. Pete Seeger sang at Barack...

Florida Everglades Themes 

Evelyn's Unit Studies of Florida

Alligator Pie

Alligator Pie is a great poem for introducing the alligator theme. Use it in a reading chart and then go on to learn about the alligators. Alligators bring us eye to eye with the watery, muddy world of the swamp. Write a poem or explore an alligato...

Purple Gallinules of the Everglades

Gallinules are spectacular creatures. The can be found walking on water lilies in the canals throughout the Everglades. One day we took a trip to the Everglades and saw a Purple Gallinule for the first time. It's vibrant colors are unbelievable. We...

Vermont Unit Studies 

Evelyn's Vermont Themes

Woodchucks Under the Porch

Woodchucks chuck wood and Groundhogs determine the coming of spring. They eat your garden, dig holes under the porch but look adorable when they are first born and start to venture out of their dens. Watching the woodchuck babies venturing out from...

Old Vermont Barn

The old barn on our farm in Vermont was built by my Great-great grandfather in about 1870. He learned to build from his father and grandfather in a tradition passed down from the first New England settlers. He took those traditions but he applied new...

Wardsboro 4th of July

This small Vermont town fair began back in 1949 when community members were brainstorming ideas to raise money and has turned into a celebration that brings people back year after year. Some people look forward to building floats and others watchi...

Come Visit Vermont

In a couple of weeks I will be making the long drive from Miami up the east coast of the United States to my home in Vermont. Vermont is the place that my heart longs for. No matter where I travel it always calls to me. If you have not been there ye...

Garner Rix and the Royalton Raid - 1780

Garner Rix was just 12 when he moved with his father, pregnant mother, two sisters and three brothers from a farm in Connecticut to a log cabin on the banks of the White River, a place that would one day be called Royalton, Vermont. He helped h...

Geography and Map Skill Unit Studies 

US and World Themes

Mapping the World

Learning map skills can be a fun way to learn about the world. There are many hands-on learning experiences that lead to true understanding of the world, it's countries, political divisions and the ways that countries are divided up into states and p...

All 50 States

If you were given a blank piece of paper and a pencil right now, could you name all 50 States? What about their capitals? Learning the 50 States and their capitals can be lots of fun. What follows are a wide variety of games, puzzles and activities...

Winter Holiday Theme 

Evelyn's Christmas Unit Studies

Inexpensive Eco-Friendly Christmas

With these difficult economic and ecological times are there ways to make this Christmas Season inexpensive and eco-friendly as well a memorable? Consider giving a toy that has been carefully passed on for years. Make your own recycled cards, orname...

Favorite Christmas Tales

Christmas is the time to cuddle up next to the fire and read all your favorite Christmas stories. Some are of Santa and Trees and Ballet, others are of snow and playing outside while others are of a manger and child. Christmas is also a time to lear...

'Twas the Night Before Navidad or Christmas?

'Twas the night before Christmas and all through la casa Not a creature was stirring, Caramba! Que pasa?... My cousins were Costa Rican so learning Spanish was always important to my family. While looking for activities to teach my children Spanish...

Big Annie: Mississippi Flatboat Captain

Activities related to the story of Big Annie, a flatboat captain who, despite all odds, brings Christmas toys from New Orleans up the river to the children of Natchez. Learn about the cultures, historical times and wildlife along the Mississippi Riv...

Spring Holiday Themes 

Evelyn's Unit Studies for Springtime Holidays

Lions and Lambs Unit Study

You remember the old weather saying March comes in like a Lion and goes out like a Lamb!. The winds of March encourage an exploration of contrasts. From fierce gales to gentle breezes, pelting rains to soft mist. March is the time of transition from...

Baby Lamb's First Drink

It is spring. The pastures are green and lambing season is upon us. The baby lamb has just been born and the mother ewe is carefully looking after her baby. With beautiful illustrations and simple words, Beverley Randall tells the tale of a baby lam...

Woodchucks Under the Porch

Woodchucks chuck wood and Groundhogs determine the coming of spring. They eat your garden, dig holes under the porch but look adorable when they are first born and start to venture out of their dens. Watching the woodchuck babies venturing out from...

Adjectives: A Unit Study for Valentine's Day

Fill the day with arts, crafts, science experiments and ways to say I Love You. Pour out your feelings of love throughout the day. But it's not Valentine's Day you say? No Problem, these activities adapt to any other day or holiday. You will find b...

Project BudBurst: Recording the Signs of Spring

My grandmother was an avid gardener and observer of nature. She kept careful track of when the snow melted, buds emerged in the Spring and when each flower burst into bloom. Records like these are now being sought by Project BudBurst to create a data...

Summer Holiday Theme 

Evelyn's Fourth of July Lens

Wardsboro 4th of July

This small Vermont town fair began back in 1949 when community members were brainstorming ideas to raise money and has turned into a celebration that brings people back year after year. Some people look forward to building floats and others watchi...

Autumn Theme 

Evelyn's Fall Theme Unit Studies

Autumn Unit Study

Leaves are crunching below your feet and geese are flying overhead. It's time to gather in the pumpkins and munch on crisp ripe apples. Watch the squirrels gather nuts and the birds fight over the sunflower seeds. Fall is here and learning is all aro...

Acorns for the Squirrels

Thanksgiving is coming and the squirrels are counting their acorns. Read tales of squirrels who are preparing for Thanksgiving by making place mats, toilet paper tube squirrels and other Thanksgiving decorations. What will they be thankful for and w...

Pumpkins and Place Value

Pick the biggest pumpkin you can find. Cut off the top and smell the fresh pumpkin smell. Carving a Jack O'Lantern leads into a mathematical unit study of place value that incorporates all five senses. Counting pumpkin seeds into groups of 10's, 100...

The Thanksgiving Tale of Tobias Turkey

Tobias Turkey is a determined little turkey who wants to win the prize for being the biggest turkey on Farmer Joe's Farm. This Thanksgiving Tale by Sandra Robbins can lead into a unit study of domestic turkeys with poems, crafts, math activities and...

It's Turkey Time!

Wild Turkeys nearly became extinct in the 1930's but times have changed and turkeys have benefited. Now turkeys are often found in fields and on the edge of the woods. In this unit you will learn about Wild Turkeys, read turkey facts and stories, pl...

Art and Photography Theme 

Evelyn's Art Themes and Unit Studies

Handmade Quilt for College

A handmade quilt can be an heirloom to pass down from generation to generation. There are many factory made quilts on the market but few people still make all cotton, hand stitched quilts. I am offering this beautiful handmade quilt for sale to help...

Printing With Coffee

Cafegrafia, or Coffee Art, the unique process of developing photographs using coffee as a pigment was invented by Saul Bolanos. His photos are of Costa Rican Coffee processing from a century ago. Learn how coffee is now produced in Costa Rica. Pour...

Who Layed THAT Egg?

Everyone knows that chickens lay eggs. Most people know that all other birds do as well but have you ever thought about all the other animals that lay eggs? Children may be surprised that some eggs do not contain birds. Other egg layers include frogs...

Frog Art Center

Art for your Frog Unit Study from how to draw frogs to painting, clay, sculptures, origami, frog cakes, Moche, Totem Poles and much much more... Children thrive with a hands-on. creative learning experiences that help them illustrate all that they a...

Starry Starry Night: A Unit Study of Stars

 From Astronomy to Art this lens will give you dozens of ideas, resources, hints and tricks to create starry-themed activities for both homeschool families and classrooms. Learn about Vincent Van Gogh's Starry Starry Night painting technique. Lis...

Work Songs, Latin American Songs and Songs of Peace, 

Music Uniites These Unit Studies

Pete Seeger - The Power of Song

Pete Seeger has sung for peace and justice for generations. Now there is a documentary of Pete Seeger's life entitled Pete Seeger - The Power of Song it has been shown on PBS and at Film festivals from Oklahoma to Vermont. Pete Seeger sang at Barack...

Salsa for Kittens and Puppies

Written by Andy Blackman Horowitz Salsa for Kittens and Puppies introduces young children to Salsa. With Spanish rhythms and dance, children are introduced to the music of Latin Americans who brought their music from Cuba, and Puerto Rico mixed it wi...

Big Annie: Mississippi Flatboat Captain

Activities related to the story of Big Annie, a flatboat captain who, despite all odds, brings Christmas toys from New Orleans up the river to the children of Natchez. Learn about the cultures, historical times and wildlife along the Mississippi Riv...

Unit Studies to Get Your Heart Pumping 

Evelyn's Dance Exercise and Dance Themes

Springtime in Clarksville, While School Kids Playing During Recesses
Joel, Yale
Buy at AllPosters.com

Should schools eliminate RECESS?

Did you know that more and more recess is being replaced by testing and homework? While children are becoming fatter and fatter, schools are eliminating the time for children to exercise, socialize and think creatively. Do they need all this time to...

Riverdance: Traditional Step Dancing

Riverdance intrigues me. The rapid leg movements of the traditional Irish Step Dancing are a form of dance that I had never known or experienced until I saw Riverdance. How can they move their feet so rapidly without moving the rest of their bodies?...

What happened to RECESS?

Do you remember the games you played during recess as a child? Think about all the physical activity that involved and what you learned from those recess games. Did you know that more and more recess is being replaced by testing and homework? While...

Salsa for Kittens and Puppies

Written by Andy Blackman Horowitz Salsa for Kittens and Puppies introduces young children to Salsa. With Spanish rhythms and dance, children are introduced to the music of Latin Americans who brought their music from Cuba, and Puerto Rico mixed it wi...

Sugar Plum Ballerinas

Plum Fantastic is the first book in a new series by Whoopi Goldberg about a young ballerina whose mother moves her to Harlem in order for her to have a chance at dancing in the Nutcracker. As a new dancer at the studio, Alexandrea Petrakova Johnson...

Environmentally Friendly Decor 

Evelyn's Natural Decorating Theme

Natural Bathroom Decor

Do you wish to change your bathroom? Does your bathroom feel old, outdated, or just not your style? You can add a sense of elegance to any bathroom with accessories made from natural materials. In this lens you will find bathroom accessories made fr...

Movies That Speak to My Soul 

Movies that can Help to Change the World

Tiger Island: The Awesome Pawsome

 Tiger Island Zoo is raising tigers in order to save the gene pool of these endangered big cats. Sign a Petition to Save Tigers and learn tiger facts. And the Awesome Pawsome are born! Taj, Sultan, Rama and Sita come into the world, and Taj is th...

Love Actually

Love Actually is a romantic comedy film that looks at love in all it's various guises. With comedy, tragedy, love and hope it helps to counteract the feeling of hopelessness caused by 911 and the Wars being waged around the world. It is one of the b...

School Reform  

Evelyn's Thoughts on Schools and Education

What happened to RECESS?

Do you remember the games you played during recess as a child? Think about all the physical activity that involved and what you learned from those recess games. Did you know that more and more recess is being replaced by testing and homework? While...

Morning Meeting and the Responsive Classroom

Teaching good behavior involves breaking down into small steps the behaviors expected of children and actively teaching the skills involved. Start with an empty slate and build upon it step by step. You will find dozens of activities, suggestions,...

Rewards and Cheers

You don't need to offer candy or presents to reward accomplishment. With obesity on the rise it seems unconscionable to continue the practice of offering candy or even food as a reward in the classroom. Teachers across the country are learning new w...

Do You Know a Fancy Nancy?

Do you have a Fancy Nancy in your house? A Fancy Nancy likes sparkles and glitter, lace and tulle. No amount of jewelry is too much. Tutus, boas, and satin are the latest fashion and she will wear them anywhere. Fancy Nancy is not just for little gi...

Teaching from the Heart

This lens will tell you about some famous and not so famous teachers, methods of teaching and ways to engage children in learning. Think about the great teachers you have known who truly care about children. They inspire children to do their best an...

Twitterstorms - Asking the Tough Questions 

Evelyn's Twitterstorms

But what about Socialization?

When making the decision to homeschool, socialization is often one of the major concerns. Many homeschooling families believe that public and private schools with their classes divided by age, low ratio of adults to children, isolation from the comm...

Have you seen any animal tracks?

Winter is a wonderful time to find out which animals are wandering around your neighborhood. When a fine dusting of snow covers the earth, tracks are easy to spot. Go out for a walk before the sun has had a chance to blur the tracks. The clean lines...

Should schools eliminate RECESS?

Did you know that more and more recess is being replaced by testing and homework? While children are becoming fatter and fatter, schools are eliminating the time for children to exercise, socialize and think creatively. Do they need all this time to...

Travel Lenses 

Vermont Bed and Breakfast

Photo Credit: Vermont Dirt Road
on Flickr, Creative Commons.

Evelyn's Bed and Breakfast

Our home in Vermont is a big old Vermont farmhouse and the land that it sits on has been in the family since the town was founded. This historic 1850's Vermont Farmhouse is surrounded by pastures and hundreds of acres of woods, trails and even a wate...

Come Visit Vermont

In a couple of weeks I will be making the long drive from Miami up the east coast of the United States to my home in Vermont. Vermont is the place that my heart longs for. No matter where I travel it always calls to me. If you have not been there ye...

Wild Edible Foods of Vermont

Land was expensive and wild game was becoming scarce in Connecticut when Daniel and Rebecca Rix decided to move their family to the wilderness of what would one day be called Vermont. With a family of six children and one on the way they packed up wh...

Groups of Animal and Nature Lenses 

Groups of Animal and Nature Lenses Moderated by Evelyn

Here Comes Spring! Headquarters

Here Comes Spring! Lenses celebrating the coming of Spring!

Mobistories Headquarters

MobiStories: Downloadable Stories for Children MobiStories are downloadable stories for children by famous authors such as Chris L. Demarest, Sandra Robbins and Steven Kroll. You can download MobiStories onto any Mp3 device and let the narrator read...

Rodents R Us! Headquarters

Rodents R Us! Hiyas! I'm up with rodent lenses! It's helpful for teachers and such! Rodent related lenses whether rodent pets or wild rodent friends, all are welcome.

Milk and Milking Headquarters

Milk and Milking: Cows aren't the Only Ones This Group is for all milk related lenses whether Dairy Products or the Animals the milk comes from, all milk related lenses are welcome. Milk comes from cows, goats, sheep, camels, water buffalo etc.

A Walk in the Woods Headquarters

A Walk in the Woods Whether connecting with my children, a friend or just de-stressing from a long day of work my favorite pastime is a walk in the woods. The woods are quiet, peaceful and still but at the same time there is always something going o...

Lesson Plans and Unit Study Groups 

Groups of Lesson Plans and Unit Studies Moderated by Evelyn

Unit Studies Headquarters

Unit Studies: Fun, Active, and Creative Learning Join our group to share your ideas for making learning fun, active and creative for all. Reading each of the lenses in this group will help each of us discover new ideas and inspire new lenses. Please...

Lesson Plans Headquarters

Lesson Plans Squidoo is full of wonderful lenses about teaching. This group is an index of the best teaching lenses. These lenses were written to help teachers, parents and homeschoolers find fun, educational activities in an organized collection. ...