It’s time to Tuck in the Garden. As Daylight Savings ends and temperatures plummet, the days of growing delicious food at the Truro Community Children’s Garden is ending for the season. We’ll still be able to snitch kale and mint leaves for smoothie snacks, but our big job right now is preparing the garden beds […]
Benefits: When the push pin is held correctly, the muscles required for grasping a pencil are strengthened. Both hands are used, thereby building the habit to use two hands while working. Visual attention is required to make sure the pin is exactly on the line. Dots should be close together, so simple spatial planning/reasoning is […]
Leaf Collecting is a time honored tradition of childhood. Shuffling though piles of leaves and searching for the most beautiful specimens can be a delight for children. Bending over to pick up each spied treasure and making a bouquet of the collection can easily fill an afternoon. Here are some benefits of leaf collecting: Visual focus: […]
As the school year ends, parents and teachers are always asking me how to help their children with handwriting. Especially as the “Summer Activities” get doled out. I can’t think of a bigger kill joy than asking a six year old to sit inside and copiously copy letters and complete hand writing drills. Moving the […]
The School Garden is thriving and the students want to broadcast their success! What better way than to make signs that add color and easy to read labels so all can see and enjoy the fruits of their labor. We decided to have the older grades embark on this project, giving them the opportunity to […]
We’ve all had our share of rainy days this spring. So, what to do when the temperature plummets (yet again), the wind whips and rain drums against the windows? I squeezed into three layers of clothes, dreading my three hours in the raw, biting cold. Happily upon arrival, I discovered that Stephanie, our expert farmer, […]
I remember staying at my Nana’s all weekend while my parents had their “adult time…” I loved going because she let me climb into her bed to watch Lawrence Welk with a Seven-up ice-cream float. The show was pretty boring but to sip ice-cream from a straw in bed was divine. The thing is, she […]
We’ve been talking about soil and planting the seeds. Happily, with nutritious soil, care in watering and “some” sun, our little pea seedlings are poking out of the ground and beginning to stretch for the sky. Miraculous, considering temperatures still hover around freezing and clouds fill most of our days this spring! The 6th graders […]
How often have your kids turned their noses up to new foods-especially when they hear “Vegetable?” One of the major benefits of having children grow food: when they grow it they tend to try it. AND they usually like what they eat! We did a straw poll in each class over the past several weeks […]
With a cheshire cat smile, a third grade girl held up both hands and said, “I have dirty hands!” Her friend chimed in, “That’s part of gardening-getting dirty!” Temperatures may still hover in the uncomfortable 40 degree (F) range with a biting cold wind, but the garden cries out for food and care, so the […]
A nice way to get students re-energized, have fun and build critical foundation skills all at the same time is by introducing a simple balloon. Before you roll your eyes and click to a new site, consider what can happen with this inexpensive object when structured the right way. Benefits: Visual attention and visual tracking […]