Chemistry is one of the most important physical sciences. All types of solid, liquid, and gaseous matter are made up of different types of atoms and molecules, and chemistry studies the structure of these substances and how they determine their unique properties. It also studies how different substances combine or separate under different conditions to form new substances, much in the same way that we use “chemistry” to describe how two people get along (or don’t) in our interpersonal lives.
Because chemistry starts with the basic building blocks of matter - recall the periodic table of elements from your high school chemistry class - the foundational skills of this discipline are the same regardless of what you want to accomplish with them. However, beyond those analytic foundations, the field of chemistry includes an array of subfields almost as varied as the elements themselves.
Physical chemistry, for example, combines chemistry and physics to study how different types of matter and energy interact. Environmental chemistry combines chemistry and environmental science to examine how chemicals react with the natural environment. Similarly, geochemistry combines chemistry and geology to study the composition of substances found within the Earth, as well as how they interact with each other.
Other types of chemistry touch our lives even more directly. Biochemistry studies the chemical processes that occur within living organisms, including the human body. Food chemistry examines how the different types of food and their biological components - carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins - impact the nutrition, taste, and safety of our food. And agricultural chemistry looks at the substances involved in the production and protection of crops, ensuring that pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers are safe for humans as well as the environment.
The list goes on and on. Our world, and our bodies, are made up of matter - and chemistry provides the critically important analytic framework to understanding how all these types of matter “get along.”
Because chemistry is a foundational science with relevance to such a wide range of industries, a background in chemistry can lead to an incredibly diverse range of careers. With a background in this discipline, your job opportunities really depend on what kind of work you’re interested in doing - and in what type of field.
If you want to apply your expertise in chemistry to real-world problems, you can work in the private sector as a chemical engineer. Chemical engineers are responsible for the development, testing, production, and use of substances used in food, drugs, fuels, and countless other products, ensuring that these chemicals and the processes used to manufacture them are safe, reliable, and effective. There are also many specializations within this field that focus on certain types of manufacturing processes, like polymerization or oxidation, or certain classes of products, such as nanomaterials or bioproducts.
No matter what your focus, chemical engineers are in demand at companies of every size, from multinational corporations like Dow Chemical and Dupont to up-and-coming startups developing novel approaches and products.
Chemistry expertise is also needed in government agencies, particularly in those responsible for protecting public health. In the United States, for example, the Environmental Protection Agency employs chemists to develop standards and testing procedures for safe air and water, and the Food and Drug Administration is responsible for doing the same for all of the substances we ingest. Chemistry experts are also needed in law enforcement in roles like forensic chemists, who help solve crimes through the analysis of chemical evidence.
Finally, if your interest is purely in the field of chemistry itself, you can find work in research and academia. If you want to advance the frontiers of this discipline, you can work in university or government laboratories to discover new substances and processes for producing them. Or, if you want to pass on your passion for chemistry to the next generation of students, you can become a high school chemistry teacher.
Coursera offers courses in chemistry that can fit your needs regardless of your existing background in this subject. If you’re just getting started, you can take introductory level courses in chemistry and its major subfields, including organic chemistry and physical chemistry. On the other hand, if you already have a background in chemistry and want to delve deeper into specific areas of the field, you can take more specialized courses in chemical engineering, biochemistry, pharmaceutical chemistry, and even nanotechnology.
Regardless of your area of interest, learning online through Coursera means getting a high-quality education from top-ranked institutions like Duke University, the University of Minnesota, and Johns Hopkins University. You’ll learn from the same faculty and course materials as on-campus students, but at a significantly lower cost and on a flexible schedule that fits your existing job or family life.


Recent research presented at the National Academy of Sciences in the USA shows that while we know life skills such as persistence, conscientiousness, and control are important in early life, Steptoe and Wardle’s findings also suggested how they are relevant in later life as well.
They measured five life skills—conscientiousness, emotional stability, determination, control, and optimism—in 8,119 men and women aged 52 and older.
The higher the scores on those five life skills were associated both cross-sectionally and longitudinally with economic success, social and subjective wellbeing, and better health in older adults.
Their research showed that the number of skills is associated with wealth, income, subjective wellbeing, less depression, low social isolation and loneliness, more close relationships and likelihood of volunteerism.
Cross-sectionally, the research also showed an association between these life skills and health and biological outcomes such as better self-rated health, fewer chronic diseases and impaired activities of daily living, faster walking speed, and favourable objective biomarkers.
Longitudinally, these life skills also predicted sustained psychological wellbeing, less loneliness, and a lower incidence of new chronic disease and physical impairment over a 4 year period. These analyses took account of age, sex, parental socioeconomic background, education, and cognitive function.No single life skill was responsible for the associations and neither were socio-economic status or health. The effects depended on the accumulation of life skills. Despite the difficulties of later life, life skills impact a range of outcomes. The research suggest that the fostering and the maintenance of these attributes in adult life may be relevant to health and wellbeing at older ages and benefit the older population.
According to latest findings out of the University of Otago’s world-renowned Dunedin 30 year Multidisciplinary Study it was found children with more self-control turn into healthier and wealthier adults regardless of IQ or social background. Low self-control makes children vulnerable to “snares” that could have life-long impacts on their health, wealth, well-being and criminal history in later life. This study was the first hard evidence that childhood self-control does influence adult outcomes in the general population.
Children as young as three who scored lower on measures of self-control were more likely than children with higher self-control to have the following outcomes as adults:
- Physical health problems (including poorer lung function, sexually transmitted infections, obesity, high blood pressure, bad cholesterol, dental disease)
- Substance dependence (including tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, and harder drugs)
- Difficulty with financial planning (including savings habits, home ownership, investments, retirement plans)
- Difficulty with credit and money management (including bankruptcy, missed payments, credit card problems, living from pay cheque to pay cheque)
- Rearing a child in a single-parent household
- A criminal conviction record
Their findings also suggested the following:
- that even small improvements in self-control for children and adolescents could yield important reductions in costs of healthcare, welfare dependency, and crime to a nation
- children whose self-control increased with age tended to have better adult outcomes than initially predicted, showing that self-control can change and with desirable results
- even those who already have above average self-control — could reap later rewards from universal interventions designed to improve such skills, especially in childhood but also in adolescence
- not only could the most vulnerable children have a better chance at a happy and healthy life, there is the potential for across-the-board benefits in personal, social and economic well-being.
These two studies have important implications and challenges for developing interventions specifically focused on improving self-control skills for early childhood learning, for parenting, educators and prevention policies for countries with aging populations such as Australia.


all Summer and holiday learning articles by Topic
Get ready for some egg-y, chocolate-y, Easter-y fun! The KS2 Easter activities pack has plenty of themed maths, English and science learning opportunities to keep kids busy and learning over the spring break.
English, maths and science have a very chocolatey taste over the Easter break, with lots of maths, phonics, spelling and simple science investigations to keep chocolate-hunters busy and learning.
Are you ready to unleash your maths superpowers? Our number tricks will help you develop X-Ray vision, read minds, memorise hundreds of numbers and more. Add, subtract, multiply, divide and... abracadabra!
Playing with cards might seem old-fashioned in our screen-loving age, but maths card games will help your child become fluent and confident with numbers – without them even realising they're exercising their maths thinking brain. From number bonds to fractions and probability, try some of our traditional or adapted card games to practise basic maths concepts.
Test your knowledge of all things Olympics with a quick crossword. From the founder of the modern Games to the only city to have hosted three times, do you have all the facts at your fingertips?
Keep boredom at bay with some brilliant puzzles for KS1 and KS2! Your child will need to use all their spelling and numeracy skills to solve wordsearches, crosswords, Sudoku and Wordoku – and there are a few extra challenges to keep them busy, too!
Get into the Jubilee holiday spirit with a royal wordsearch! There are corgis, flags and a flotilla hidden in this puzzle – how quickly can you find them all?
Whatever your favourite ice cream flavour is, you'll love our fun ice cream wordsearch!
Take your child on a sensory walk and encourage them to describe the things they can see, hear, feel and smell.
Planning a holiday in France? Give your child a head start with our beginner's guide to French, designed to help them grasp basic vocabulary and form simple sentences. We’ve asked a native French speaker to record all the words and phrases in the pack, so your child will hear the correct pronunciation and intonation, just as they would on an audio language course. Bonne chance!
A long, lazy summer holiday is one of the great joys of life – but within days you’ll be driven to distraction by sibling squabbles and cries of “I’m bored” (not to mention a visible emptying of your wallet). Plus, research shows that kids who don’t stay mentally alert during the summer lose up to a third of what they’ve learned during the academic year. So try one of our 59 easy, boredom-busting activities – at home, on the move and on holiday. They’ll be having so much fun they won’t even realise they’re learning…


Do you know the story of the Brooklyn Bridge? Twenty One Elephants and Still Standing tells the tale of the construction of this famous landmark, and serves as the inspiration for this week’s Architecture and Engineering activity with a fun engineering science for kids challenge.
Can You Build A Bridge for Twenty-One Elephants?
Twenty One Elephants and Still Standing tells the true story of the fourteen year construction of the Brooklyn Bridge, in easy-to-read verse with gorgeous, full page illustrations.
[bctt tweet=” ‘Taller and longer, bigger and broader, a bridge of infinite dreams!’ Can you build a bridge for 21 elephants? #STEAMedu #engineeringforkids”]
Once the bridge was completed, it linked Brooklyn and New York City. But many were intimidated by its size, worried about its strength and questioned how long it would stand. P.T. Barnum, the creator of ‘The Greatest Show on Earth’, decided to stage a public spectacle to prove the bridge’s integrity. He planned a circus in Brooklyn and marched his elephants, all 21 of them, through Manhattan and across the bridge to Brooklyn!
Engineering Science for Kids Challenge
For our Architecture and Engineering Activity this week, after reading the story, I gave Big M (age 4) a tray full of assorted recyclables and household objects and challenged her to build a bridge for 21 elephants. Our supply set up included the following.
The elephants for our challenge came from a set of jungle-themed counters from Learning Resources… and you might notice, some of our elephants don’t have trunks because they are actually hippos!
I let Big M take the lead on constructing with the materials, and she opted to use the cups and popsicle sticks to build her bridge.
When she could only get 3-4 across, she started building up…
… but found it a little wobbly, and opted for adding lanes instead.
In addition to engineering science, this also made for great counting practice. At age 4, she’s working on counting to and beyond 20. She’s pretty good up to about 15 before she starts to stumble. So we worked on counting all the elephants/hippos every time she added one more. Until, finally – all 21 were in place!
Let’s Build Up!
Want more great construction ideas for kids? Check out my latest collaborative ebook: Up! Featuring 30+ STEM challenge ideas to transform your child’s block play into an endless, hands-on learning center. Download your ebook today and get more than 100 pages of printables to go alongside the activities included. Get yours today from the Playground Parkbench store.
Engineering Storybook Science
I am super excited to be part of the month-long Storybook Science series hosted by Inspiration Laboratories. Check out all the activities this week featuring Engineering, and all the book-inspired science all month long!
If you enjoyed this week’s Engineering Science for Kids challenge, be sure to check out all the posts in our Architecture and Engineering for Kids series. We add new ones every Wednesday! You can find them all on our STEM for Kids – Engineering board on Pinterest.
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The Volga River is the longest river in the Europe with a length of 3,692 kilometers and also the largest in terms of discharge and size of watershed. It is located entirely in Russia and covers approximately two-fifths area of the country. It passes through cities including Astrakhan, Volgograd, Saratov, Samara, Ulyanovsk, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod etc.
The course of this river is divided in three different parts which are the upper Volga, the Middle Volga and the lower Volga. It originates in the Valdai Hills and receives water from around 200 different tributaries. This river has total of 10 dams along its route.
Quick Facts: –
- The delta of the Volga River is the largest estuary in Europe. It has several smaller rivers and streams.
- This rives freezes for the most part of its length for three months every year.
- In some areas the river is so wide that you cannot see the other side of it.
- The valley of this river provides a huge amount of wheat and some minerals like salt, potash, petroleum etc.
- Russian people have deep feelings for the Volga River and they refer to it as “Mother Volga”.
- This river flows more slowly as compared to other rivers because it does not fall much from its source to its mouth.
- Volga River is navigable for almost all of its length and has been used for transportation purposes for years and years.
- It also served as an important trade route from Scandinavia and Volga Bulgaria with Khazaria and Persia.
- Because of the sheer size of the river and its basin it has an immense economic and cultural importance in the country.
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Declan, Tobin. " Volga River Fun Facts for Kids ." Easy Science for Kids, Nov 2020. Web. 30 Nov 2020. < https://easyscienceforkids.com/volga-river/ >.
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Tobin, Declan. (2020). Volga River Fun Facts for Kids. Easy Science for Kids. Retrieved from https://easyscienceforkids.com/volga-river/
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The Australian Indigenous Languages Institute is a collaborative project between the Australian National University, Charles Darwin University and Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education to support Indigenous language development in Australia.
There are concerns that higher education courses in language maintenance and revival are out of reach of many Indigenous language workers who would like to upskill beyond short courses and VET qualifications. For reasons of distance, eligibility, online access, workload and financial concerns among others, the few courses available in Indigenous languages at universities are not seeing enrolments from those who seeking career pathways in this field.
Of around 120 Indigenous languages still spoken to some level in Australia, only six can be studied at university level. These are scattered across universities, and cross-institutional enrolment can be challenging, reducing access to courses across the sector.
The Australian Linguistics Society (ALS) ran workshops in 2014 and 2015 to address the question “Learning Indigenous Languages – Can Universities Help?” A working group of academics was created, called TAILU – Teaching Australian Indigenous Languages at University, endorsed by the ALS in2016. The goal of this group is to create and extend opportunities for tertiary study in this field, through advocacy, networking, and the coordination and creation of programs.
The AILI is inspired by work in North America by AILDI (American Indian Language Development Institute, University of Arizona) and CILLDI (Canadian Indigenous Languages and Literacy Development Institute, University of Alberta), which offer a range of courses for Indigenous people to attain qualifications to research and teach their languages. They also create networks of researchers who can support each other and collaborate on related projects, developing into communities of practice fostering cooperation rather than competition for the limited funding available.
In January 2018 the TAILU group ran its first Summer School in Indigenous Languages at the Charles Darwin University campus in Sydney as the first activity of the Australian Indigenous Languages Institute (AILI). Three courses were offered, however there were only enough students to deliver the Gamilaraay language course. Dr John Giacon worked with some Gamilaraay language authorities and taught keen students from various universities and from the general public. Read about the course in this article from the Sydney Morning Herald.
In January 2019 both Gamilaraay and ‘Linguistics for Indigenous Languages’ were run at Charles Darwin University’s Sydney campus. In July 2019 the first intensive was run in Darwin, at Charles Darwin University’s Casuarina campus, offering Linguistics for Indigenous Languages.
The following table shows figures for the AILI intensive courses and travel scholarships offered for Linguistics for Indigenous Languages:
The AILI is supported in-kind by the universities involved, through the provision of staff to co-ordinate activities.
In May 2018 the AILI applied to the the Indigenous Languages and Arts funding program through the commonwealth Department of Communications and Arts. The proposal outlined the following aim:
“To encourage Indigenous language workers university-level studies in Indigenous languages and linguistics, 10 travel scholarships will be offered to students to attend a course provided through the Australian Indigenous Languages Institute. These events comprise undergraduate units of study delivered as summer and winter intensives in Indigenous languages and linguistics.”
The success of this application means that the first 5 travel scholarship winners will attend the Summer School in Sydney in January 2019. Another 4 students were awarded scholarships for the Darwin intensive courses in July 2019, and the remaining funds supported 9 students to attend in Darwin in February 2020. There is no further funding currently available for this program.
The AILI seeks to involve more individuals and universities in promoting and facilitating opportunities for learning Indigenous languages in Australia.
Currently the AILI involves interested staff from Charles Darwin University (Cathy Bow and Greg Williams), Australian National University (Dr John Giacon and Professor Jane Simpson) and Batchelor Institute (Dr Nicoletta Romeo and Paola Fischer).


Maths Difficulties - Qualitative Assessment and exploring the Diagnostic Assessment of Numeracy Skills by Sarah Wedderburn
This webinar will look at the qualitative assessment of students who have difficulties with maths at Key Stage One & Key Stage Two. As the tests are interactive and use concrete resources, teachers can observe their student’s thought process, vocabulary, body language and motor skills, as well as the answers. The session will explore the qualitative assessment, the Diagnostic Assessment of Numeracy Skills (DANS), which enables teachers to map the concepts that their students fully understand and their areas of weakness.
The webinar is appropriate for Key Stage One and Two maths specialist and mainstream teachers, and teachers of older students who experience difficulties with number.
Sarah taught as a mainstream primary school teacher for many years before retraining as a specialist teacher. She worked as a tutor and lecturer at The Hornsby Dyslexia Centre where she was in charge of maths and dyslexia and taught for twenty years as an SEN maths teacher. Sarah founded Unicornmaths in 2003 where she works with four colleagues helping students who are referred by educational psychologists and schools that cannot meet their needs. Sarah wrote and presented the BDA’s first accredited Maths Remediation Training Course and now runs the Unicornmaths Advanced Dyscalculia Course. She published the Diagnostic Assessment of Numeracy Skills (DANS) in March 2019.
There will be a chance to ask questions at the end and we provide a CPD certificate.


The Numeracy Skills Test
The QTS Skills Tests are a troublesome obstacle for many looking to gain qualified teacher status, in particular the numeracy skills test which has a lower percentage of people passing it. The numeracy skills test is made up of two sections, the mental arithmetic section and the written section which is composed of data analysis and graphical questions. The literacy skills test is a little more straight forward for most as it focuses on basic punctuation, grammar and spelling but we advise that anyone looking to gain entry into initial teacher training should take both QTS Skills Tests seriously and really prepare for both exams as you only have 3 attempts at each test before you are locked out for two years. Many people underestimate the difficulty of the QTS Skills Tests especially under the time constraints of the exams. This is most apparent in the mental arithmetic section of the numeracy skills test where you only have 18 seconds to answer after the second repeat of the question and this time pressure catches a lot of people out on the day especially if they haven't had lots and lots of practise. At York Maths Tutor we are affiliated with the largest numeracy skills test and tuition provider in the country, QTS Maths Tutor, who offer the most comprehensive numeracy skills practice tests online.
If you are looking for a numeracy skills Maths tutor in York, contact York Maths Tutor today!


Rainbow Bridge – A Natural Wonder
Rainbow Bridge isn’t a rainbow, but it is pretty neat. Water flowing from the mountains to the Colorado River eroded sandstone over millions of years. The water caused a bridge or arch of sandstone to form. This natural bridge is almost 300 feet high and 270 feet wide.
The Navajo (Reads like: Navaho) people believe Rainbow Bridge is a sacred place. They see the bridge as proof of the gods who send rain, rainbows and clouds. In the hot desert, rain is a valuable thing.
Fun Facts about the Rainbow Bridge for Kids
- Rainbow Bridge is in southern Utah near Lake Powell. It can be reached by boat, horseback or on foot.
- You can take a boat tour from the Bullfrog or Wahweap marinas.
- Rainbow Bridge is very hot in the summer. The average daily temperature is 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 degrees Celsius).
- The best times to visit Rainbow Bridge are in the spring and fall.
- Rainbow Bridge is reddish brown.
- Many cat owners like to imagine Rainbow Bridge is a place their dead cats go to, like our Heaven or Garden of Eden.
Rainbow Bridge Vocabulary
- Erode: break down or wear away
- Sandstone: soft stone formed from sand
- Sacred: a place with deep spiritual meaning
- Valuable: important, precious
Learn More All About Rainbow Bridge
Watch this fun video all about Rainbow Bridge:
A video about a trip to the Rainbow Bridge.
Rainbow Bridge Q&A
Question: Do people live near Rainbow Bridge?
Answer: The American Navajo Indians still live nearby.
Enjoyed the Easy Science for Kids Website all about Rainbow Bridge info? Take the FREE & fun Rainbow Bridge quiz and download FREE Rainbow Bridge worksheet for kids. For lengthy info click here.
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Tobin, Declan. (2020). Rainbow Bridge Facts for Kids. Easy Science for Kids. Retrieved from https://easyscienceforkids.com/all-about-rainbow-bridge/
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- Forensic Facts for kids
- Stem Cells
- Stem Cell Worksheet
- Buffalo – Part of the Bovidae Family
- Buffalo Differences Worksheet
- Draw the Buffalo Worksheet
- Who invented it?
- Famous American Inventors (Top ten and their Inventions)
- Vaccines and Antibodies
- How To Build a Winogradsky Column and Learn About Soil Science
- Potato Light Bulb Experiment
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It’s an unspoken rule of music education that students don’t practice over summer break. As teachers know, the appeal of Netflix and naps can easily get in the way of productivity (be honest, you haven’t organized your library of sheet music or large instrument closet), but we also know how important it is that students do something on their instruments over the summer so that the long break doesn’t undo all the work that happened during the school year.
When I was teaching middle school band, my philosophy for summer was focused on getting instruments on faces. Of course, I would have preferred beautiful scales, long tones, and endless sight-reading exercises, but I found that it was more productive to encourage practicing in any form. If possible, work with private instructors in your area to help give students feedback. You could ask the private teacher, for example, to focus on high register playing. Many students, however, don’t take lessons over the summer either. Helping these students spend some consistent time practicing over the break pays huge dividends when everyone returns in the fall.
Share Fun Repertoire
One way to keep students engaged over the summer is to help them find repertoire that they want to play. With no all-state audition, ensemble contest, or big concert coming up, this is the time of year where practicing “Star Wars” over and over is acceptable practice (at least it gets them playing!). Here are some helpful resources you can share with students so that they can find new repertoire:
- IMSLP.org. This repository of public domain music is excellent for finding “famous” pieces for students to try. It’s a great place for low brass players to discover that “Ride of the Valkyries” is a tough piece and string players to practice that Vivaldi solo they heard at a summer symphony concert.
- Play by ear. Learning music by ear combines ear training with execution on the instrument, and students can learn any jingle or pop song they hear on the radio.
- The SmartMusic homepage/carousel. The homepage features music categories designed to inspire students, including movies, songs about pirates, and a new list of repertoire called “Summer Favorites” built based on the most popular SmartMusic titles from summers past.
Make Practicing Social
For many students, the idea of sitting and practicing alone is the problem. For these students, find ways to make summer practicing social:
- Encourage duets (even the unison kind) with friends. Playing together helps gamify practice and improves intonation and listening skills.
- Engage technology to make the boring exercises more fun. Here’s an example using drones.
- Tap into your students’ more competitive side with contests like the Bumblebee Challenge. Remind students that intonation, articulation, and musicality are as important as speed and accuracy.
- Find ways for your students to join the community at large. Summer festivals in your community (like Make Music Day) often have events that offer students a way to perform.
Convincing students not to take a vacation from music can be tough, but by helping students discover new repertoire and making practicing fun you can avoid some of the summer rust this year.


Catholics with money can be a rare sight in Irish history, a sort of mythical, unlikely creature. This chapter examines the reasons for the binary impulse in Irish historiography, confining its analysis to the second half of the nineteenth century. It argues for a more nuanced treatment of the whole spectrum of Irish Catholic wealth and for a considered reappraisal of the role played by the richest Catholic families in Irish society in this period. The chapter highlights the importance of education in relation to Catholic social mobility in the period. The temptation for historians interested in the dynamics of Irish Catholic power and wealth is to focus almost exclusively on the secular clergy. Historians of Irish education have tended to concentrate much more on the provision of elementary education and, to date, there exists no large-scale examination of elite education in Ireland.
This chapter traces the link between ambition and the city through the novels and works of several Irish women writers 1890-1910. Writers such as Hannah Lynch, Katherine Cecil Thurston and George Egerton frequently embedded authorial achievements or ambitions in their female (and male) characters. A common theme in such novels of the period is the use of the metropole (in most cases Dublin or London) as a site of greater potential liberty for young female characters, building on earlier work by May Laffan and Rosa Mulholland. This renaissance of the city as a site for either corporal or intellectual freedom in the ‘Irish Ireland’ or ‘Revival’ period offers us an opportunity to shift the focus from Irish writers and their glorification of the west of Ireland as a refuge from the horrors of rapidly advancing capitalism and materialism. This chapter looks at what this glorification was defined against. By looking at upwardly mobile women in Irish writing this chapter argues that the mirror image or corollary of the noble male peasant was the dynamic young woman in the city and that she too ought to be taken seriously as a feature of the Revival.


Frequently asked questions
My 5 year-old can already read and write. How would they be challenged at a Steiner Waldorf school?
Children in the Kindergarten are provided with a stimulating and nourishing environment where they learn as they play. Taking their cues from watching the adults around them, children bake, paint, sing, build, draw, walk, set-out and clear-up, watch plays and puppet shows, do woodwork, handwork and gardening – the list goes on.
Children know that they have been busy and had fun. They don’t know that they have been learning important pre-literacy and numeracy skills, manual dexterity, spatial awareness, physical coordination and vital social skills that prepare them for formal learning when they are rising 7.
What is the school’s policy on screens? (television, tablets, computers)
The role of digital technology is central in modern life, but research indicates that too much screen time can have a negative effect on our children. Waldorf Schools do not encourage watching television or use of electronic media, particularly in the Early Years and Lower School. While we would ultimately prefer that children do not watch television or use computers in the early stages of their education, we recognise that this aspect lies in the domain of the home and the family, and it is for each parent to decide the role that television and electronic media should play in their children’s lives.
What is the School’s policy on bullying?
We start from the premise that bullying is unacceptable and needs to be tackled promptly and effectively. We have an extensively researched policy on bullying and a process that aims to resolve incidents in a healthy, non-judgmental way.
How do you manage the diversity of learning needs?
We aim to make our education available to those who seek it without unnecessary barriers to entry. We also need to ensure that we are able to educate and develop each child to the best of his or her potential and in line with average standards of their peers.
We monitor the percentage of pupils who might require support with their learning and make sure that each class has a healthy balance and more assistance when needed.
What is eurythmy?
Eurythmy is an expressive art of movement which develops considerable skills in spatial orientation and social awareness. It is ‘poetry and music in motion’, where gestures relate to sounds in speech and tones and intervals in music. Eurythmy is a core curriculum subject from Kindergarten right the way through to Class 12.
What is your clothing policy?
Our Kindergarten morning is a time of active work and play, a lot of which is spent outside throughout the year. It is therefore essential that your child is suitably clothed, so that they can enter comfortably into all that we do. For more information please read our clothing policy booklet.


Number Tales Bxs
- Out Of Stock
- Product Code:
- SCHOLASTIC TEACHING RESOURCES
Content meets the NAEYC and NCTM Standards.
Make numbers concrete and boost must-know counting skills with this charming collection of 16 illustrated, read-aloud storybooks that teach the numbers 1 to 10, 30, 100, skip counting, simple addition, and so much more! Each tale focuses on a different number or skill, enabling children to explore it in the form of an engaging story, an interactive hide-and-seek page, AND a chant-along poem. But wait there's more - ; the teaching guide reinforces essential numeracy skills with whole-group activities, fun practice pages, plus reproducible mini-book versions of every storybook. Add Number Tales to your classroom library and watch early math skills soar!
BOX SET INCLUDES:
- 16: 8" x 10" full-color 16-page books;
- 112-page teacher's guide filled with lessons & mini-book versions of each storybook;
- Sturdy storage unit box (shrinkwrapped): 11-1/2"H x 9"W x 3"D;


Complete Guide to Primary Gymnastics
Many teachers hold the misconception that gymnastics is risky and difficult to teach in primary school settings. But author Lindsay Broomfield, an international gymnastics competitor, senior club coach and gymnastics tutor, lays to rest those misconceptions in Complete Guide to Primary Gymnastics.
Noting that gymnastics is accessible to all and straightforward to teach, Lindsay provides clear instruction for primary teachers and club coaches—even those with little or no experience—to teach gymnastics skills. In fact, this book and DVD package covers everything a teacher or coach needs to know and deliver. Its progressive approach that builds on the basics also allows for a smooth transition for pupils entering year 7.
Both novice and experienced teachers will find this an invaluable resource offering
• step-by-step instruction for teaching gymnastics skills;
• a systematic approach that focuses first on the five basic gymnastics shapes (stretch, tuck, star, straddle and pike) and then applies actions to them;
• a comprehensive source of creative ideas and themes;
• a progressive scheme that builds from year to year; and
• a DVD that shows video clips of all the gymnastics shapes and techniques covered in the book.
With the video clips, teachers don’t have to worry about being able to perform the shapes and techniques perfectly themselves. They also have access to a complete bank of lesson progressions on the DVD, which covers the entire primary curriculum. Teachers can count on needing less planning time while knowing that the plans are geared to a logical progression scheme and that pupils enjoy the lessons. The DVD also contains an image bank with eye-catching pictures, health and safety guidelines, and set-up diagrams of the apparatus to be used.
This comprehensive resource explains how physical development patterns influence learning, provides warm-up and cool-down activities and themed games, details how to teach the shapes and techniques and explains how to incorporate large apparatus and hand apparatus into lessons. All of the games and techniques are accompanied by photos or illustrations. Pupils learn the correct use of gymnastics vocabulary, and they expand their social, leadership and communication skills as they work in small groups. They not only develop foundational skills that will benefit them in any sport they choose, but they also learn about their bodies, develop cognitive skills, and increase their self-confidence and self-esteem as they learn new skills.
Complete Guide to Primary Gymnastics will help teachers meet the early learning goals and primary curriculum guidelines for gymnastics. More than that, it makes gymnastics accessible, fun and rewarding for all pupils and teachers. This handy resource is perfect for primary school teachers, coaches and the children they instruct.
Resource for primary school teachers, teaching assistants, and gymnastics club coaches.
Table of Contents
Part I: Teaching Primary School Gymnastics
Chapter 1. Developing Fundamental Movement Skills Through Gymnastics
What Are Fundamental Movement Skills?
Physical Development Patterns in Children
Body Management Skills
Object Control Skills
Physical Literacy Skills
Chapter 2. Ensuring Effective Delivery of Gymnastics in Primary Education
Planning for Gymnastics in Primary Education
Learning In and Through Gymnastics
Implementing the Foundation Stage: Early Learning Goals for Physical Education
Implementing National Curriculum : Four Key Aspects of Learning in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2
Linking Information and Communication Technology With Gymnastics
Inclusion and Differentiation Objectives
Class Management and Organisation
Chapter 3. Using Apparatus in Primary Gymnastics
Using Large Apparatus
Using Hand Apparatus
Impermissible Apparatus for Primary Schools
Chapter 4. Attainment and Assessment
Foundation Stage Profile for Assessment
Key Stage1 and Key Stage 2 Physical Education Attainment Targets: Level Descriptions 1 to 5
Guidelines for Assessing Gymnastics Performances
Features of Progressions in Gymnastics from Foundation Stage to KS1 to KS2 Based on the Scheme of Work on the DVD
Part II: Gymnastics Warm-Up, Cool-Down, Techniques and Games
Chapter 5. Preparing For and Recovering From Physical Activity
Preparing For Physical Activity: The Warm-Up
Recovering From Physical Activity: The Cool-Down
Chapter 6. Basic Gymnastics Shapes
Chapter 7. Postural Shapes
Chapter 8. Rolling Techniques
Chapter 9. Inversions
Chapter 10. Partner Work
Base and Top: Who Is Who?
Scheme of Work
Top Postural Shapes
Box Base Balances
Counterbalances and Countertensions
Chapter 11. Themed Games
Space Finding Numbers
Road Traffic Signs
Washing the Clothes
Physical Literacy Ideas
ExcerptsEnsure effective delivery of gymnastics in primary education
Fun game adds variation to the warm-up
Fundamental movement skills provide the basis of physical literacy


In order to provide equitable early literacy support and increase access to library services and early learning expertise, EL BLAST works in partnership with Pittsburgh Public Schools Early Childhood Education Programs to deliver literacy rich storytimes to preschool classrooms that receive Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program (HSSAP) funding. EL BLAST Specialists model best practices in Talking, Singing, Reading, Writing and Playing with young children, all while making early literacy development through reading FUN!
Once a center receives HSSAP funding, it becomes an EL BLAST outreach site, which means that each funded classroom will receive a monthly storytime program. This fun, early literacy program connects with the current curriculum that is used by all of the centers that receive funding through Pittsburgh Public Schools. Included in the program and visit is a giveaway book for the classroom’s book collection and a teacher resource paper that provides the classroom educators with several related books, a vocabulary word, early literacy tips, and ideas for extension activities that align with the PA Early Learning Standards.
To promote family engagement, a small handout is sent home for the child’s parents or caregivers. These handouts list the books that the BLAST Specialist read during storytime, the vocabulary word that was highlighted, and “Reading Readiness Tips” that help parents develop early literacy skills in their children during everyday interactions.
Developmentally appropriate books used in programs and for addition to classroom collections are selected based on currency (published within the last year or two), relevancy to the curriculum topic, and diversity and accuracy of characters’ identities. EL BLAST Specialists also include props, instruments, and appropriate technology to enhance the storytime and correspond with the curriculum topic. Many of these materials, such as scarves or shaker eggs, are already part of the classroom inventory, so teachers can also implement the activities that are shared with the children.
EL BLAST keeps all of these best practices in mind when designing each monthly program in order to create early literacy experiences that are developmentally appropriate, enriching, and most of all, engaging and fun for children and adults. The Library believes that it’s never too early to build a lifelong love of reading.


Verbal language is the foundation for reading and written language skills. We understand that communication and language development for children does not stop with verbal communication. School age children often have difficulty learning to effectively and efficiently read and write for communication.
At Branch of Hope, we can help.
We provide evaluations and therapy for children to determine strengths and weaknesses in reading and writing. We are educated about the connections between language disorders and Dyslexia, visual processing impairments, and written language development.
Speech-Language Pathologists: Language Experts and Literacy Resource
Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) have the specialized knowledge and experience needed to identify communication problems and to provide the help that children need to build critical language and literacy skills. SLPs are often the first professionals to identify the root cause of reading and writing problems through a child’s difficulty with language. SLPs help children to build the skills they need to succeed in school and in life.
Key elements of a speech-language pathologist’s academic training relating to early language and literacy development include skills to:
- Build and reinforce relationships between early spoken language and early pre-literacy abilities and consider influences of parent-child interactions in early shared storybook interactions;
- Address difficulties involving phonological awareness, memory, and retrieval;
- Teach children to use tactile-kinesthetic and auditory cues in reading and writing;
- Analyze how the language demands of textbooks, academic talk, and curriculum may stress a student’s capabilities at different age and grade levels; and
- Conduct fine-grain analyses of written language, including spelling, to generate intervention that matches the needs of individual students.
How Speech-Language Pathologists Can Contribute
Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are key members of the team responsible for helping students learn to read and write. SLP’s contribute in the areas of:
- Prevention—Communicating risk factors to teachers and parents, and working with them to develop programs to help children acquire explicit, age-appropriate knowledge, skills and strategies of the components of language that contribute to reading and writing development.
- Identifying At-Risk Children—assisting in development and implementation of screening (e.g., instruments and teacher observation checklists) and referral procedures for very young children as well as older school-age children, including modifying procedures to reduce bias (e.g., dynamic assessment techniques and criterion referenced tasks) for culturally and linguistically diverse populations.
- Assessing—selecting, implementing, adapting, and interpreting assessment tools and methods to evaluate skills in spoken language, reading, writing and spelling.
- Providing Intervention—collaborating with teachers and families to plan intervention goals and activities, as well as modifying curricula to keep students progressing in the general education curriculum.
- Documenting Outcomes—establishing a tracking system for identifying new or re-emerging literacy deficits and documenting outcomes of intervention goals and plans.
- Program Development—directing or participating in teams to develop school or system-wide strategic approaches to early identification and intervention for children with reading deficits.
- Advocating for Effective Literacy Practices—providing information about literacy development to state and local agencies that plan and evaluate curricula, establish comprehensive assessments and set related policies; educating them about relationships between spoken language and written language (i.e., reading, writing and spelling) and the benefits of collaborative instructional approaches.
- Advancing the Knowledge Base—conducting scientifically-based research on early literacy development.


In this activity children use scientific knowledge and practice numeracy skills to devise a balanced insect-and-rice menu for a day in the jungle.
Primary schools across England are being given the chance to combine mud with maths and spades with science, courtesy of free tree packs.
In this activity children are asked to consider why animals migrate and why it is important to understand their food chain.
In this activity children can take part in a testing procedure and plot their results and discuss whether they agree with the scientists findings.
In this activity children investigate whether there are more left-handed people in the population now than 100 years ago.
In this activity children investigate the feasibility of growing wheat at home and explore different shapes of plot for the necessary area of cropping
We often talk about how literacy and science are related, about the links between being able to write explanations in both subjects for example, bu


Dr. Suzuki's Philosophy
Dr. Suzuki said “The potential of every child is unlimited” and “any child who is properly taught can develop musical ability just as all children develop the ability to speak their mother tongue.”
What did Dr. Suzuki mean when he developed the Mother Tongue Method?
Dr. Suzuki observed that children learn to speak their native language or Mother Tongue without direct instruction. He studied language acquisition and began to apply language acquisition principles to music education. Children learn to speak by being immersed in their language. In the same way children learn music by first listening and becoming familiar with the pieces, then playing them and finally, around the age they learn to read words in school, they begin to learn to read music in their lessons. The earlier the better for beginning music lessons with many children beginning around the age of 3 or 4. However it is never to late to learn as many parents can attest who learn along with their children.
One of the core elements of the Suzuki method is Parent Involvement. This Parent-Child-Teacher teamwork is called the Suzuki Triangle. The supportive triangle of parent – child – teacher, nurtures musical growth through a process of loving – listening – leading – learning. Each participant in the triangle has a unique role and responsibility to ensure overall success. Parents attend lessons with their children and serve as “home teachers” during the week.
Other key elements include
Daily listening – a child learns to speak by being immersed in their language, in the same way a child first learns music by listening to the repertoire daily.
Repetition –early pieces learned become the building blocks to more complex work and early pieces can be retrieved to focus on specific aspects of music learning.
Carefully selected repertoire –key technical aspects of instrument learning are taught through beautiful music rather than dry exercises.
Group Classes – in addition to the weekly private lesson with the Studio teacher, students attend group classes on Saturdays, at Canterbury HS. Group classes provide learning in social context, and a chance to focus on the beauty of making music with others.
The purpose of the Suzuki method is to help every child experience the joy that comes through making music. Through the Suzuki method, children are supported in their learning. Each child is allowed to learn at their own rate and with encouragement and support they develop confidence and self-esteem, a determination to try difficult things, and self-discipline and concentration, as well as a lasting enjoyment of music and the sensitivity and skill for making music. Dr. Suzuki’s main goals are “for the child to build a noble soul, to develop an appreciation of beauty, to give a sense of purpose to life, to learn the discipline of acquiring a skill and to become a fine human being.”


"To be successful, you have to be able to perform when it counts. You have to be able to handle the pressure. You need to not wilt in the competition."
We live and work in a world where competition separates the haves from the have-nots. Succeeding in our jobs and moving up the corporate ladder frequently involves going head-to-head with a colleague in what amounts to a “friendly competition.” To be successful in life, to advance in your career, the authors of Top Dog argue that you have to be comfortable and able to stay focused when competing.
Many of us don’t view ourselves as competitive. We are not the type to try to win, no matter the cost. Bronson and Merryman term this type of competitiveness as “maladaptive” competitiveness, and they distinguish it from “adaptive competitiveness” which is characterized by a determination to rise to a challenge while maintaining respect for the rules. Adaptive competitiveness, the healthy type of competitiveness this book explores how to motivate, is marked by “constant striving for excellence, but not desperate concerns over rank.”
Aretas and the Benefits of Competition
"The Ancient Greeks did not fear that competition bred immoral behavior. They believed that competition taught moral behavior. Only by competing could people come to attain the full nobility of the human spirit. In simplest terms, they learned to fight fair, with honor and mutual respect for opponents. Aretas meant that competing had shaped you into a better person: competition challenged you to become the best you could be."
Bronson and Merryman provide evidence contradicting many of the commonly held beliefs about the dark side of competition. In particular, they pay a good amount of time showing how competition doesn’t hurt creativity, rather, it enhances it. Taking the view of the Ancient Greeks, the authors argue that attaining excellence through competition is a supreme virtue, that competition challenges you to become the best you can be.
Bring Out Your Competitive Fire
"Healthy competitiveness is marked by constant striving for excellence, but not desperate concerns over rank. It’s adaptive competitiveness that leads to the great, heroic performances that inspire us all."
To reap the benefits of competition, we must be sure to remain competitive in the adaptive sense, as discussed by Bronson and Merryman. That is, we must remain determined to improve ourselves and rise to meet a challenge head on. Rather than focus on what we could potentially lose, people who perform the best and benefit the most from competition are those who remain gain focused while maintaining a healthy respect for the rules.
Citing study after study in fields as varied as elementary education to professional sports, Bronson and Merryman note that it is the competitors who remain gain-focused that continue to improve their performance. Those who are gain-focused play to win; they increase their effort and take smart risks. Those who become loss-focused tense up, dwell on mistakes, and are unable to recover from those mistakes.
The key to maintaining a gain-focus is to train yourself mentally to accept that mistakes will be made, but to realize that just because you made a mistake, it doesn’t mean you have lost the competition. In most competitions, an early mistake is hardly enough to cause you to lose the whole thing. Those who are able to learn from mistakes, adjust, and move on are those who will perform the best (and grow the most) in a competitive setting.
Creating a Competitive Workplace
"A workplace can be egalitarian and noncompetitive, but it will repel the stars, who fear they won’t get the recognition and compensation for their superior value."
How do you structure competition in the workplace to motivate greater effort from your employees? Bronson and Merryman argue that to “revive” someone’s competitive spirit, all they need is an “equal match and a fighting chance”. The authors point to research showing that the smaller the competitive field and the closer the competition remains, people will continue to increase their effort, as long as they still believe they have a chance at winning.
The prize structure is also important; if you set the first prize too close to the second, it will not create enough competition, but if you make the first prize too much greater than the second, you may encourage cheating and other forms of “maladaptive” competitiveness.
Top Dog explores many other dimensions of competition, exploring the benefits that can arise from healthy competition while also acknowledging the potential for competition to elicit maladaptive behaviors that, despite increasing effort, might actually hurt performance in the long run. I recommend Top Dog for any manager that utilizes competition to motivate his/her employees, as well as for any individual who would like to learn to thrive in a competitive environment.


Summer is a brilliant time to explore science outdoors with children. You don’t have to set up fancy experiments, even just looking at properties of plants and leaves or doing a bit of sinking and floating in the paddling pool is great simple science for little ones. I’ve put together a fun list of our favourite summer science ideas from Science Sparks and lots of other fantastic blogs to keep kids of all ages happy all summer long.
There are also some great summer science ideas in our DIY science camp, so make sure you check those out too!
Science Experiments Using Water
Find out if a filled water balloon sinks or floats.
Set up an Aliens LOVE Underpants washing line to investigate how different materials absorb different amounts of water.
Try our 5 paddling pool experiment ideas next time you get the paddling pool out!
Weather Science Investigations
Make an easy barometer to learn about air pressure!
Make a super simple rain gauge from a plastic bottle.
A pinecone weather station is ALWAYS great fun and a great example of super simple science for kids.
Summer Bubble Science Experiments
Make some rainbow bubbles. Bubbles are great fun for any time of year, but there’s not much better than chasing bubbles around a sunny garden.
Bubble Snakes are great fun too!
Did you know you can make a square bubble? All you need is a special frame!
Summer Science Experiments using Sand
Last winter we made an awesome snow volcano, but you could also do the same with sand and make a sand volcano?
Find out all about evaporation using sand on a sunny day.
Investigate to find what you need to make the perfect sandcastle.
Set yourself up with a science lab in the garden and try some dissolving.
Forces and Motion Experiments
How high can you get a bottle rocket to launch? Remember to stand back as these shoot up with a bang!
Creating a parachute for an egg is ALWAYS a fun activity.
We once had a great summer creating chain reactions with lolly sticks.
Outdoor Kitchen Science for Summer
We can’t wait to try these goop and flower cupcakes from The Imagination Tree.
Make some ice cream soup with Rainy Day Mum to explore melting.
Find out which insulator keeps an ice pop the coldest in this fun investigation from Enchanted Homeschooling Mom.
A solar oven is ALWAYS fun!
Train up a child has some great ideas for fun with balloons in the garden. I especially want to try the baking soda activity.
Test out filtering by cleaning up dirty water in the garden.
Summer Nature Science Experiments
Find out how tall a tree is. You might be surprised at how easy this is!
Try colouring carnations like Kitchen Counter Chronicles.
Make some rose petal perfume and explore mixing and scents with The Imagination Tree.
Find out all about Earthworms and how useful they are.
Watch butterflies grow with Red Ted Art. We also have a fun butterfly life cycle activity.
Explore the lifecycle of a lady bird with this fun fingerprint activity from Reading Confetti.
Make some great Chromatography butterflies with Buggy and Buddy
Dissect a flower to learn about the different parts.
Build a den with sticks and leaves. Which shape gives the most stable structure.
Ice Experiments for Kids
Try some colour mixing with fruity ice. This activity is extra fun as you can drink a cold smoothie once the ice has melted.
Make some lovely, pretty summery ice with The Imagination Tree.
Giant or even mini ice excavations are great for summer. We once created one so big it took ALL day to melt.
Summer Science Challenges
We’ve got enough easy summer science challenges to keep you busy ALL summer too!
Kidventures has 7 great ways to incorporate science into your summer.
Phew, can you think of any more for us?
What are your favourite summer science activity ideas?
We also have a great round up of 50 kitchen science experiments that are great for a rainy day!
NOTICE: Science Sparks ( Wild Sparks Enterprises Ltd ) are not liable for the actions or activity of any person who uses the information on this website. Science Sparks assume no liability with regard to injuries or damage to property that may occur as a result of carrying out any of the practical activities on the website.
These activities are designed to be carried out by children working with a parent, guardian or other appropriate adult. The adult involved is fully responsible for ensuring that the activities are carried out safely.


About this project
Started in 2013
This musicological project has a didactic approach. The project intends to study music teachers’ approaches to improvisation in general music education. In the Swedish curriculum improvisation is part of the core content and is consequently mandatory during compulsory schooling (Lgr 11). The purpose of improvisation for students within music education is that it is believed to "develop their musical creativity" and offer opportunities to "represent and communicate their own musical thoughts and ideas" (Lgr 11, p 100).
This study aims to examine how music teachers work with improvisation in music education, what importance they accord it and what functions improvisation can have. In a goal-and results-driven school, with clear grading criteria, it is also pertinent to ask how improvisation is to be assessed. The methods to be used in this study consist firstly of interviews with music teachers about their perceptions of improvisation in the classroom. These are then subsequently followed-up by participatory action research, in cooperation with music teachers. The theoretical framework is based on a pragmatic approach and educational theories with references to especially John Dewey and Gert Biesta.
PhD student: Christina Larsson


Laura Jamison is an NQT based at Lochend Community High School in Glasgow. She recently attended the SATE seminar on literacy and well-being presented by Professor Sue Ellis.
As a NQT at the beginning of my school career, the idea of closing the attainment gap in schools is a daunting task which, at times, seems impossible. Professor Sue Ellis highlighted the fact that social class and poverty have the biggest impact on literacy development in Scotland. She commented that every child comes to school with a virtual backpack filled with experience but only a handful of students get to unpack the bag. This comment really challenged me as I reflected on the content of my classes and realised the importance of trying to make every lesson relevant to every child. This idea seems impossible but Ellis offered some really simple, practical ways to do this and by the end of the seminar I felt more confident in addressing the issue in school.
Professor Ellis emphasised the importance of encouraging students to read, not just for the purpose of closing the gap, but for enjoyment as well. As English teachers it is all too easy to constantly analyse everything we read and ask questions that we already know the answer to. In reality, this takes much of the enjoyment out of the process of reading for many students. Ellis reminded us that reading is an enjoyable task and we should offer students the chance to read texts that they enjoy, whether that’s a guide to fishing or a Steinbeck novel. If students bring prior knowledge to a text they become an ‘insider’ and their motivation to read and learn more is higher. It gives them ownership of their learning and boosts their confidence as they can bring something to the table before even opening the book.
I think that many English teachers would agree that one of the best parts of our job is being able to share literature that we love with students. The seminar reminded me that some students might not appreciate, or be able to relate to, the same texts as I do and it is our job to make sure that every student feels like an ‘insider’ within their own learning.


By Thomas Wildgruber (Author), Matthew Barton (Translator)
Painting and drawing are key artistic expressions which play an important role in children's physical, emotional and spiritual development. This comprehensive teachers' manual provides a complete artistic curriculum for Classes 1 to 8 (age 6 to 14) in Steiner-Waldorf schools.
At each stage, the book shows the skills that teachers can help children to develop. There are 280 practical exercises for teachers to use, and over 800 children's drawings and paintings as inspiring examples of artistic possibilities. The curriculum moves from free, to guided colour exercises, to precise perspective drawing. Throughout, the author draws on art theory and shows that art is truly a universal language.
The book is also suitable for adult self-study.
About the Author
Thomas Wildgruber was born in Germany in 1946. He studied philosophy, political science and journalism. He was a research assistant in the field of international development and politics, and subsequently trained as a Waldorf teacher in Mannheim. Since 1979 he has been a Waldorf class teacher, and craft and art teacher. His encounter with the painter Lajos Boros led to efforts to develop art education out of the 'pictorial resources'. He gives courses to teachers on the theme of 'Painting with rules of play'.
Publisher: Floris Books
Size: 21x22.5 cm
Publication date: 2012/12


A unit introduction page is provided to introduce the two pieces of literature that are targeted in each unit. A fiction and a related non-fiction book are paired to promote a deeper understanding of the connection between both books.
Lesson Plans: English Language Arts
Throughout the Interactive Read-Aloud Segment, scripted instruction provides teachers with instructional strategies to increase engagement and participation during shared reading activities. Prior to reading, target vocabulary and sight words are taught. Students acquire print literacy skills as teachers guide them through an interactive read-aloud of the text. Throughout this process, students are given opportunities to engage with the text by signaling when it is time to turn the page, finger tracing the text as it is read aloud, engaging in choral reading opportunities, and more.
In the Reading Comprehension Segment, students take a ‘picture walk’ of the story to review key elements and details. The teacher systematically leads students through a guided practice activity of sequencing the events or sorting the details from the story. Last, students are given differentiated comprehension questions to test their understanding of the story or information presented.
The Foundational Skills Segment targets letter identification, letter sound correspondences, phonological and phonemic awareness, decoding, and more. Teachers are provided with explicit scripts using systematic instruction to lead students through the various activities.
The Language Segment promotes deeper understanding of the vocabulary, concepts and categories that are addressed within the unit. Teachers are provided with an explicit script to build concept knowledge with example and non-example training.
In each Writing Segment, students are asked to recall information and write about literature or experiences. Teachers are provided with differentiated writing tasks to meet the needs of all students. Writing activities include necessary supports for those students who require it.
Click on a subject area to learn more


By Rachel Butler, COTA/L
More and more research is being published that shows the benefits of movement for learning. As a result, elementary school teachers are incorporating movement breaks into their schedules and some middle schools are bringing back recess. Preschool children seem to be constantly moving, so why incorporate more movement into their classrooms? Isn’t that already build in naturally during free play, outdoor play, and transitions?
From birth to age three, young children are constantly taking in information from their world and their bodies. During the preschool years children are categorizing, refining and expanding on all of that information that they have absorbed. Just as they are learning to sort colors, shapes and letters, and navigating relationships with their peers, they are also learning more about what their bodies can do and what makes their bodies feel good. Teachers report a rise in the number of children in preschool classrooms who seem to lack foundation self-regulation, motor, and postural skills necessary to feel safe in their bodies, follow classroom routines, and play appropriately with their peers.
What would be the value of adding a movement-based activity corner?
Many preschool classrooms are filled with activity corners for imaginary play, art, block building, reading, and life skills such as kitchen play. Providing a movement center in the classroom, with specifically designed movement activities allows children to choose the types of movement that make them feel good as well as to practice new activities and challenge themselves. For children who seek movement, which is an ever-increasing group, they have a designated place in which to satisfy that need. For children who don’t naturally initiate movement, they have the opportunity to observe their peers engaged in specific movement plans, giving them multiple demonstrations and new ideas. For children who avoid or have difficulty with movement activities, having a specific curriculum of movement activities in the classroom helps teachers to track their progress with regard to motor development while creating teacher opportunities to facilitate guided participation.
If designed and presented well, the inclusion of movement centers into preschool classrooms can be a wonderful addition to more traditional classroom management techniques. When children are provided with avenues to move their bodies in safe and organized ways in the classroom, they often naturally seek these activities on their own. Teachers can also encourage children to use movement activities when they see children demonstrating a need to move their bodies.
For a child jumping up and down when talking to a friend, the teacher should say: “Oh, it looks like your body want to jump, let’s go together to find the jumping spots”. For a child throwing toy blocks, the teacher could say “It looks like you feel like throwing things. Lets go find the bean bags and throw them in the basket”
Simple Ideas for Movement Center Materials include:
- Stepping Stones
- Bucket Stilts
- Spin Disks (aka sit and spin)
- Jumping dots
- Rocking Chair
- Yoga mat with picture cards/Kids Yoga Book
- Taped line for walking (with bean bags to balance on head – or tray to cary with ball to balance)
- Rolling pin with taped line in center to roll on a taped line on the floor (match lines- child crawls or bear walks)
- Basket (against wall) to throw bean bags or beanie animals into. 1-3 taped lines on floor at different distances so children can challenge themselves.
- Cars to drive on a tape “road” to facilitate crawling for shoulder stability while pushing cars)
Depending on availability of space in the classroom, all activities can be out at one time or they can be rotated throughout the school year. Prior to use by the children, activities should be demonstrated by a teacher (either to a group or individually) to set expectations for safe use and ground rules should be set for how may children can use one material at a time.
Unsure if a movement center is right for your classroom?
Try introducing just one activity at first and observe how the children use it and what children are drawn to it.
Not sure what to introduce?
- Make a list of the types of movement the children are naturally seeking throughout their day. Start where you see the greatest need.
- Don’t be discouraged if the first activity that you introduce is not automatically a big hit. Take time to assess the make up of your classroom and try again.
Establishing a movement curriculum in the classroom may take time, but it will be worth all of your efforts when you start seeing the children choosing and enjoying these activities throughout their day to support self-regulation, motor skill development, and organized movement.


The Early Childhood Learning & Knowledge Center (ECLKC) is the official communication channel for Head Start and anyone involved with Head Start. Additionally, ECLKC provides connections across all early childhood platforms, providing a way to connect, share, and learn.
Teachers will appreciate this new ECLKC service. Sign up to receive two free text messages each month with information, tips, research, and resources that will support teaching practices.
While you’re at the website, click on the Topics heading to look around at the collection of resources for early childhood professionals (not just for Head Start teachers). Within the Topics heading, click on Learning Environments, Teaching Practices, and other subjects to find webisodes, videos, and written materials that will support and challenge early childhood teachers. These resources would be adaptable for staff meetings, for training new staff, and for challenging teachers to take on new practices.
The site also contains information on culture and language to help you feel comfortable working with diverse families and supporting dual language learners. Feeling a little nervous about including a child with disabilities? Check out the webinar series on High Quality Inclusion. Maybe you’d like to concentrate on your relationships with families and the community. If so, the site has a Parent, Family, and Community Engagement Framework that you can access. Learn how to create a “Culture of Safety” in your program by encouraging people to speak up about safety concerns and make it safe to talk about mistakes, using them to create better practices.
This website has so many resources on multiple subjects, all free of charge, to help you meet your continuous quality improvement goals. Why re-invent the wheel when the information is at your fingertips?
Take a peek around the website, and share a comment below to tell us what you find most useful to your program!


This week we will be learning about pigs from a nonfiction text. We will use facts from this text to write a piece of informational writing. There are countless skills that go in to be a strong reader- one that can be difficult is “using text evidence”. We want readers to make connections and inferences based off of their own experiences, but we also need them to be able to refer to knowledge gained through others.
We will also be reading an adaptation of the Three Little Pigs by Mark Teague. In this version, the problem and solution of the story are delightfully different than the traditional tale.
This week’s featured Secret Story will be: Mama e. This is when Mama e hangs out at the end of a word and encourages a vowel to proudly speak up with their name, such as in words like “game”, “home”, and “fine”.
We will be starting our shape unit in math this week. Our unit will begin with an exploration of 2D, flat shapes. We will discuss their characteristics as well as where we see them in real life.
The students will have a STEM challenge on Thursday to build a sturdy house that can withstand the huffing and puffing of the wolf.
Conferences are approaching. A SignUp Genius will be sent out this week to parent emails through Infinite Campus. Please sign up at your earliest convenience. To prepare for this important, but fast paced meeting, please begin to make a list of any questions, concerns, or even just things you want to comment on. We have so little time to talk about your child specifically I really want us to be able to maximize our time together.
10 minutes each night.
Reading should include a variety of the following activities
– reading stories (your child should at times be the reader and at other times be the listener)
– reading the poems in the binder
– working on alphabet sounds and letter names (students have mastered sounds and names should be shifting this practice time to noticing these within their own reading and writing)
– sight word games/practice.
10 minutes each night.
To align with the lessons in class, this is the progression of IXL objectives that I suggest. However, please feel free to follow your child’s ability and interest.
Section V. Two-dimensional Shapes
Objectives 8, 9, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 6, 7
The new “compose two-dimensional shapes” objective looks really fun and valuable too!
Once your child seems to be pretty fluent with those skills- they can explore any other objectives they are interested in for this section. Reviewing and increasing fluency in Section C skills is also a good use of their time. Remember, real world practice of these skills is also great for building up their foundational skills.
Shape names can be a little bit of a sticky skill for some students (especially when we get into 3D/solid shapes) so noticing and discussing shapes in the world around us is very helpful for firming this up.


As he entered the classroom yesterday, one of my sixth grade art students asked, “Mrs. Gentili, why are we designing games in art?”
“That’s a great question, ” I replied, “Let’s talk about it with the class once everyone settles.” And we did.
We have been engaged in a project-based-learning unit on Game Design for the past few classes. Students are working in cooperative groups to learn about board games (Explore), design board games and 3D printed game pieces (Create), and develop marketing materials for the game (Share). Guardians of my students can follow along by accessing Google Classroom summaries. The driving question for the unit is: Can we design a board game with 3D printed game pieces that is fun to play?
To start the discussion, I asked the class, “So, why do you think we are designing games in art class?” My students had terrific responses including the need for color and attractive game boards and using one’s imagination to develop games, which were all excellent springboards to talk about the role of designers in product design today. Too often we talk about STEM in education, but as I explained to my students, the most brilliant automotive engineer could design the most brilliantly engineered vehicle, but without style and comfort, it will not sell. Style = Design and that’s where we come in. And that is why STEM has officially been changed to STEAM (A for Art). Including art in the product design process incorporates aesthetics and empathy for the user experience.
Last Saturday I attended my 40th high school reunion (would you believe I graduated at 10?). When I graduated from high school, jobs for those with a degree in art were limited to teaching, layout and design, interior design, plus a few more. Keep in mind that specialized Masters degrees were not sought routinely as they are today. My parents groaned when I decided to go to art school, telling me I would never find a job and that I should go into education instead. I stuck to my guns, went to art school and entered the printing industry while in school. I didn’t go into education until twenty years after graduating from college, after twenty years in the printing industry.
Now, forty years later, due to the advent of technology, there are infinite career choices for art students, and one of them is product design and development. This is why we are designing games in art class. Artists have been using the Design Process in their studios as long as there have been artists in studios. Applying the Design Process to collaborative game design, as we are doing in class, not only meets the visual art standards, but also meets the standards for technology and engineering. In addition, the 21st Century skills of collaboration, communication, and creativity are fostered and students apply their social and emotional learning strategies while working in groups. Please see the end of this post for the standards.
I wrote the Game Design unit over the summer. This class of sixth grade students are piloting it for me. After this trial run, I will tweak the unit as needed (design, test, revise) and share the unit with my 3D art education professional learning network. Energy is high as my students work together on this unit. Games and game piece design are fun, after all. Much more fun than designing door stop wedges, which is the other unit I wrote last summer…not even kidding.
2.10 For shape, form, and pattern, use and be able to identify an expanding and increasingly sophisticated array of shapes and forms, such as organic, geometric, positive and negative, or varieties of symmetry/Create complex patterns, for example, reversed shapes and tessellation
4.4 Produce work that shows an understanding of the concept of craftsmanship
4.9 Demonstrate the ability to conceptualize, organize, and complete long-term projects, alone and in group settings
• Conceptualize: plan, generate ideas, make preliminary sketches, participate in discussions, imagine outcomes, and set goals;
• Organize: choose materials and techniques to attain the desired look and feel; maintain work space and personal schedule; review progress of work with others; and revise work appropriately;
• Complete: prepare work for presentation or exhibition
4.10 Demonstrate the ability to develop an idea through multiple stages, responding to criticism and self-assessment
ISTE Standards for Students (2016)
3.d build knowledge by actively exploring real-world issues and problems, developing ideas and theories and pursuing answers and solutions.
4.d exhibit a tolerance for ambiguity, perseverance and the capacity to work with open-ended problems.
7.b use collaborative technologies to work with others, including peers, experts or community members, to examine issues and problems from multiple viewpoints.
7.c contribute constructively to project teams, assuming various roles and responsibilities to work effectively toward a common goal.


Words Their Way for Parents, Tutors, and School Volunteers
Words Their Way (R) for Parents, Tutors, and School Volunteers is designed to provide friendly instruction in phonics, spelling, reading, writing, and vocabulary development. In this book, the authors describe the five stages of literacy development and how they are interconnected, while also offering a host of fun and purposeful activities. Step-by-step guidance is provided for teaching the essentials of word study including stage-specific explanations of what each parent, tutor, school volunteer, and child needs to know about how sound, pattern, and meaning work in words. The authors also include numerous writing and spelling samples, frequently asked questions, book lists, activities, and guidance on how to talk to children about spelling and its relationship to reading and writing. This book is an ideal companion to Words Their Way (R): Word Study for Phonics, Vocabulary, and Spelling Instruction.
0132882639 / 9780132882637 Words Their Way (R) for Parents, Tutors, and School Volunteers


Since its founding in 1975, Venezuela’s National System of Youth and Children’s Orchestras and Choirs, called “El Sistema” has used music education as a vehicle for social change. It cultivates an ‘affluence of spirit’ which today brings hope, joy and positive social impact to 400,000 children and their families and communities throughout the country. Its founding principles include a team-based approach to collective, cooperative education characterized by trust, discipline, empathy, commitment, structure, and support for self-esteem.
This unprecedented success has inspired hundreds of similar programs which serve an estimated one million children in at least sixty countries around the world.
El Sistema was founded in Venezuela in 1975 by José Antonio Abreu and is now known as Fundación Musical Simón Bolívar. The organization has 31 symphony orchestras, and more than 300,000 children attend its music school “nucleos” around the country. More than 80% of the students come from poor socio-economic backgrounds. The system was designed to improve the life trajectory of young people living in poverty and as a paradigm for social change.
The intensive approach engages youth in group lessons, rehearsals and performance, while emphasizing peer learning and community engagement. The goals of El Sistema centre on developing critical life skills and laying the groundwork for success. The founder of El Sistema; Dr. Jose Antonio Abreu; is a former economist and conductor who has, since 1975, been advocating the belief that a free, intensive, classical music education for the poorest of the poor might positively influence the social problems plaguing the country.


Maybe Gabriel wasn`t so bad after all? How educational anthropology can serve as a research approach in the field of music education
Chapter, Peer reviewed
MetadataShow full item record
- Artikler og bokkapitler
Original versionI: Nordic Research in Music Education. Yearbook Vol. 15, s. 105-119
ABSTRACT. - The main purpose of this article is to highlight the potential of educational anthropology as a research approach in the field of music education. The article is based on my doctoral work: an ethnographic study in a Norwegian music classroom (Kamsvåg 2011). The empirical foundations of this article are from that particular study, and the discussions in the article are based on observations and interviews with one particular boy. The discussions of this student are linked to two key anthropological concepts: the theoretical term meaning and the methodological principle of the ethnographic astonishment. Through the discussion, I will illustrate how educational anthropology can help us gain new perspectives on taken-for-granted truths and assumptions in the field of music education. Such perspectives can serve as the starting point for new discussions surrounding music education practice and research. Keywords: educational anthropology, ethnography, cultural perspectives in music education research.
SeriesNordisk musikkpedagogisk forskning;Årbok 15


Growing well addresses AC Science Understanding ACSSU002 Living things have basic needs, including food and water, through the context of growing plants.
Growing well provides students with hands-on opportunities to:
- investigate the basic needs for survival of common flowering plants
- explore what happens to plants when their needs are not met
- observe leaves, stems, and roots of plants
- explore how plants use water
Students apply their new learning by:
- conducting a survey and collecting evidence to compare plant needs to animals needs
Linking science with literacy
In the Primary Connections approach, students are supported to create representations that draw on and strengthen their literacy development.
In Growing well, students represent and explain their understanding about the basic needs of living things, by creating these representations:
- Annotated drawing
- Data table
- Word wall


Located in Syracuse, New York, the Iverson Museum of art is one of the most important museums in New York state. It was founded in 1897 and dedicated to the collection, protection, and display of American art. Designed by I. M. Pei, the museum is the first art museum work in his architectural career. The museum itself is a huge sculpture, which is amazing. Iverson art museum is famous for its perfect shape and diverse collection and is welcomed by art lovers all over the world. The main body is made up of four large boxes with different height and height. The interior exhibition room is mainly for the exhibition of paintings, so artificial lighting is mainly used. There are two side windows at the edge of the sculpture court surrounded by the exhibition room. Natural light is sprinkled from the edge of the roof. Among them, the revolving staircase is considered to be the most "exaggerated" place in the whole museum. The museum has 11000 works of art, including paintings, sculptures, pottery, and video clips. The portrait of George Washington by Gilbert Stewart, the most famous American portrait painter, is located in the museum. This museum is one of the earliest art galleries in the United States to collect video art, and it is also the largest art gallery in the world to collect video art. The museum also has a large collection of furniture from the arts and crafts movement, many of them by Gustav Stickley.
Erie Canal Museum
The Erie Canal Museum, located in Syracuse, New York, USA, was founded in 1962. It is a private museum about the earliest artificial canal in the United States, the Erie Canal. The building, where the museum is located, was built in 1849 and has been listed on the national list of historical sites. The Erie Canal Museum, which is composed of gate buildings and art education centers, is committed to protecting the last gate building in the United States, collecting, protecting and displaying canal related items, so as to let more people understand the long history and culture of the canal and the great contribution the canal has made to New York state. There are copies of the liner, old photos of the canal, models of the canal, etc. The Erie Canal Museum is open to the public from 10:00 to 17:00 from Monday to Saturday, and from 10:00 to 15:00 on Sunday. It is closed on New Year's Day, Easter, independence day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.


Sometimes we look at children and think 'where on earth did you learn that from?' Children are like sponges, learning by observation; but it is not until they begin displaying certain behaviours and re-enacting situations do we realise what they have learnt.
This type of learning plays a fundamental part in a child’s literacy development. Through observation and imaginative play (or pretend play), they begin to understand the world around them, using pretend play to create their own stories that explore the roles and dynamics of their home, town and society.
At The Honeytree Day Nursery in Filton, staff actively seek opportunities to engage children in pretend play, encouraging children to spend more time thinking and creating for themselves.
The nursery does this by providing natural, open-ended resources that will engage children’s curiosity and imagination. Open-ended resources do not have a pre-determined use and allow children to decide how to incorporate them in their play, fostering their growing imagination and creative thinking.
A perfect example of this in practice at the nursery is with the mud kitchen in the garden. The children are provided with simple open-ended resources like mud, leaves, sticks, water and pots and are encouraged to do what they want with the materials. They may choose to make magical potions or recreate the scrumptious dinner they had last night for their friends.
Research suggests that the cognitive processes involved in pretend play are similar to those used in reading and writing, and that engaging in pretend play sets the foundation for literacy skills in later life.
Other benefits include that children learn to communicate with each other expressing their desires and feelings; and learn to take turns, giving them opportunities to make decisions, solve problems and gain valuable social skills.
For more information and to book an appointment, call the nursery on 01179 314 650, or go to www.thehoneytree.co.uk


- Why is physical development important?
- What are changes in physical development from one generation to the next known as?
- What is the physical development?
- What are the stages of physical development?
- How do you achieve physical development?
- What are the 5 stages of child development?
- Which of the following is an example of physical development?
- What are the physical development of early childhood?
- What is an example of physical development quizlet?
- What are the 3 areas of physical development?
- What is first in the order of physical development?
- How does physical development affect learning?
- What is cognitive development in child development?
- What is physical and mental development?
Why is physical development important?
Physical development involves providing opportunities for young children to be active and interactive; and to develop their co-ordination, control, and movement.
Children must also be helped to understand the importance of physical activity, and to make healthy choices in relation to food..
What are changes in physical development from one generation to the next known as?
Terms in this set (18) secular trends. Changes in physical development from one generation to the next; for example, the fact that people in industrialized societies are larger and are maturing earlier then in prevous generations.
What is the physical development?
Physical development includes both growth and the ability to use muscles and body parts for particular skills. Both gross (large muscle movements) and fine (small movements) motor skills contribute to physical development, and children often learn a set of skills by a certain age.
What are the stages of physical development?
There are three broad stages of development: early childhood, middle childhood, and adolescence. The definitions of these stages are organized around the primary tasks of development in each stage, though the boundaries of these stages are malleable.
How do you achieve physical development?
Promoting Healthy Physical Development in Your ChildProvide a play environment that encourages lots of time and space for energetic and noisy play.Stretch out body parts. … Set aside family time for a hike, walk, or visit to a nearby park. … When playing ball, ask the child to use alternate feet for kicking or alternate hands for batting.More items…•
What are the 5 stages of child development?
Children develop skills in five main areas of development:Cognitive Development. This is the child’s ability to learn and solve problems. … Social and Emotional Development. … Speech and Language Development. … Fine Motor Skill Development. … Gross Motor Skill Development.
Which of the following is an example of physical development?
Physical development is a vital part of growing up as children learn to master control of their body; examples of physical development include sitting, crawling, standing and walking.
What are the physical development of early childhood?
NARRATOR 1: In early childhood, growth rates slow, with the average child growing two and a half inches in height and gaining five to seven pounds a year. During this period, rapid gains are seen in gross motor skills. Gross motor skills involve large muscle movements or movements of the entire body.
What is an example of physical development quizlet?
Physical development – changes in growth, motor skills, and body and brain structures. … Gross motor skills – large muscle groups, e.g. rolling, jumping, running. Fine motor skills – small muscle groups, e.g. writing. You just studied 4 terms!
What are the 3 areas of physical development?
Physical development is divided into fine motor skills and gross motor skills.Human Growth & Development.Physical Development.Fine motor skills.Gross motor skills.Physical Development Activities.Intellectual Development.Emotional Development.Social Development.More items…
What is first in the order of physical development?
An infant’s physical development begins at the head, then moves to other parts of the body. For example, sucking comes before sitting, which comes before walking.
How does physical development affect learning?
Research has shown that an increase in physical activity has a significant positive effect on cognition, especially for early elementary and middle school students (Sibley, 2002). As an added bonus, being physically fit as a child may make you smarter for longer as you grow old.
What is cognitive development in child development?
Cognitive development means how children think, explore and figure things out. It is the development of knowledge, skills, problem solving and dispositions, which help children to think about and understand the world around them.
What is physical and mental development?
Cognition is the process involving thought, rationale and perception. The physical changes of the brain that occur during adolescence follow typical patterns of cognitive development.