I can’t believe it! We’ve arrived at the final contest in the Carrot Ranch Flash Fiction Rodeo. We’ve been writing two stories a week all through October. I think I’ll be suffering withdrawal symptoms next month!
But this last one will keep me going for a while. It’s TUFF! If you remember George Smilovici from the eighties, you’ll recognise the question, “How TUFF?” Not too tuff for us! Let’s join in and give it a go.
Category: Education
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Flash Fiction Rodeo Contest #8
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Teaching critical thinking in early childhood classrooms with The Very Hungry Caterpillar – Readilearn
Teaching critical thinking in early childhood classrooms is important. Discussions about The Very Hungry Caterpillar can help develop critical thinking
Continue reading: Teaching critical thinking in early childhood classrooms with The Very Hungry Caterpillar – Readilearn
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Flash Fiction Rodeo Contest #7
Got murder on your mind? Here’s a chance to work it out; in fiction anyway – contest #7 in the Carrot Ranch Flash Fiction Rodeo #FFRODEO.
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Flash Fiction Rodeo #6
Another contest in the Carrot Ranch Flash Fiction Rodeo. This time it’s a lot of bull. Are you in?
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readilearn: Introducing Pamela S. Wight, author of Birds of Paradise – Readilearn
In the author spotlight this month is Pamela S. Wight, a fellow blogger, writer, and teacher of creative writing. I enjoy the stories of life Pamela shares on her blog Rough Wighting, and also enjoyed reading her adult novels. But it was the story of how this picture book Birds of Paradise came to be, a picture book 35 years in the making, that really captivated me. I knew I wanted to share it with you. Before we start talking about the book, though, let me introduce you to Pamela.
Pamela Wight has joined the ranks of authors who are, as she calls it humorously “bi-genre” or “ambi-writers.” Think of Ian Fleming, who yes, wrote the James Bond books, but also switched genres and wrote the children’s book Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Before A.A. Milne wrote the Winnie-the-Pooh books, he penned a popular whodunit entitled The Red House Mystery.
Wight wrote two books of romantic suspense, The Right Wrong Man and Twin Desires, before fulfilling her lifelong dream of publishing her children’s story Birds of Paradise about two special sparrows.
About the story:
Sweet sparrows Bessie and Bert grow up as differently as night and day. Bessie is fearful of the dangers inherent in being a bird. She’s scared to leave her cozy branch. But Bert relishes flying in the sky and
continue reading: readilearn: Introducing Pamela S. Wight, author of Birds of Paradise – Readilearn
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Flash Fiction Rodeo Contest #5
And now for something completely different!
Got some time to fritter away? Try Twitter Flash Fiction in the Carrot Ranch #FFRODEOShare this:
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Flash Fiction Rodeo Contest #4
Have you got any scars you wish to share? Maybe others you’d rather hide?
Irene Waters has thrown down the challenge for the fourth of the contests in the Carrot Ranch Flash Fiction Rodeo. #FFRODEO
We’re halfway through the challenges. Can you believe that!
I’m having a difficult time judging all the wonderful entries for my contest. Thank you to all who entered.
Have you entered any of the contests yet? There’s a $25 prize for the winner of each one!Share this:
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STEM in early childhood classrooms – readilearn
Making space for STEM in early childhood classrooms is easy; or should be.
Children are naturally curious about the world. They want to know:
- Why is it so?
- How does it work?
- What will happen if?
- How can I?
It is important to harness their curiosity, explore their questions, engage their interests and inspire their imaginations.
Provide them with opportunities to investigate objects and phenomena in the world around them. Don’t always be in a rush to provide answers to their questions. Help them explore ways of finding the answer for themselves, if possible, or conduct the research with them.
A story reported by Michael Rosen in his book Good Ideas: How to Be Your Child’s (and Your Own) Best Teacher inspires me. The story explains that, as a child, David Attenborough took an interest in bones. If he was out walking and found some bones, he would take them home and ask his father about them.
His father, who was a GP and would have known, didn’t just tell him. Wanting his son to be curious and interested in finding things out for himself, he responded, for example: “I wonder if we can work it out . . .” They would then look through books about zoology and anatomy and try to identify the bone’s origin.
However, the answers don’t always have to be found in a book or on the internet. Some answers can be discovered through explorations and experimentation. Experts can also be consulted.
In a stimulating early childhood classroom where children have access to a range of resources and opportunities
Continue reading: STEM in early childhood classrooms – readilearn
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Flash Fiction Rodeo Contest #3
And the third of the contests has begun!
How’s your poetry? Ever written a septolet? I haven’t. Know what one is? I didn’t.
But I’m about to change both those answers. Are you?
Contests are free to enter and the winner receives a $25 prize!Share this:
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I spy butterflies – Readilearn
Learning about butterflies in the classroom, especially when observations of the life stages with a live learning kit are possible, is almost magic for children. The growth of the caterpillars is obvious and children can watch as they moult and pass through each instar. The voracious appetite of the caterpillars means that plants are quickly stripped of their leaves and, if children listen carefully, the munching of the mandibles can be heard.
Many resources to support an early childhood science biology unit about butterflies in particular, or minibeasts in general, already exist in the readilearn collection; including:
I included suggestions for teaching about minibeasts, including butterflies, in a previous post Classroom minibeasts. While there are many minibeasts suitable to study in the classroom, butterflies are my favourite. This week the readilearn collection has grown with some new resources to support learning about butterflies; including:
Butterfly word cards is a collection of forty butterfly-relevant words which may be printed and displayed on a word wall or used to label a butterfly display. The words are presented in three different formats for printing choice.
The words include some fascinating scientific terms; such as:
- instar
- frass
- chrysalis
- prolegs
Continue reading: I spy butterflies – Readilearn
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Norah Colvin 