Saturday, April 21, 2012

Saturday Science - NC Science Festival

In case you haven't heard, we are smack in the middle of the North Carolina Science Festival.




 "The North Carolina Science Festival is a multi-day celebration showcasing science and technology. The Festival highlights the educational, cultural and financial impact of science in our state. Through hands-on activities, science talks, lab tours, nature experiences, exhibits and performances, the Festival engages a wide range of public audiences while inspiring future generations."



There is still plenty of time left to join in all the great activities!  Check out the calendar.





Monday, April 16, 2012

Monday Mathematics - Long Division Line-up

I don't know about you, but one of my primary recollections of 4th grade is a blackboard full of long division problems we were expected to copy and complete on a regular basis.  Tedious indeed!
Not a lot of fun, either.  But I definitely knew how to follow the steps to solve a long division problem by the time I went on to fifth grade.

As a teacher, I dread long division.  I want my students to learn how to do it but I don't want them to find it tedious like I did.  Is it possible for long division to be fun? Maybe.  I went on a search and here are some of the things I found.


Sunday, April 15, 2012

How About a Break at Tax Time?

Most people I know are either early birds or procrastinators when it comes to filing taxes.  Personally, we tend to be early birds but for all those procrastinators out that (and everyone else too) I have decided to join in with some other teacher authors and offer a Tax Break Sale.

Everything in my store is 15% off for two days. Enjoy the break!

While you're at it, why not hop on over to Rockin' Teacher Materials and check out the Link Up going on.  You'll find other teacher authors who are offering Tax Breaks too.

Hope this brightens up your day!


Saturday, April 14, 2012

Science Saturday - Tie Dye with a Twist

Last summer, I was lucky enough to spend 3 days with a very gifted science educator... Steve Spangler.
If you don't know who he is, you don't know what you've been missing!
Anyway, while I was participating in Science in the Rockies 2011, I learned that you don't have to get messy to tie dye a t-shirt.  Tie dying is one of those things that I think you really love to do or you avoid because you're afraid of it.  In my case, I avoided it like the plague.  That is until last summer.  Not only did I learn you could do it without the mess and hassle of rubberbands and buckets of dye but you can control the designs to create beautiful works of art!  That is if you're artistic.

Before I go any further, you may be thinking: "How is this science?"  It is the science of color.

Here's what you need:
a t-shirt (pre-washed)
Sharpie ™ markers
rubbing alcohol
pipettes
rubberbands
plastic cups

Here's what you do:
Choose a place to begin your design on the t-shirt.  Place a plastic cup under the cloth and use a rubberband to hold it in place. Using Sharpie ™ markers, make dots to create an outline of your design.  (Keep in mind the fact that the colors will run.)
Next use a pipette to drop rubbing alcohol in the center of the design.  This will cause the colors to run and blend. Give it a few minutes to dry out and then you can move the cup to a new location.  It is possible to set up more than one design area at a time if you want to work more quickly.

When you're finished designing your t-shirt, throw it in the dryer to "set" the colors.  Take a look at our first attempts.









By the way, Friday was the kick-off for the NC Science Festival.  There will be some really cool and mostly Free things going on across North Carolina from now until April 29th.  If you're in the area, check them out!

Friday, April 13, 2012

A Very Lovely Blog

I don't usually think of my blog as being lovely.  I just want it to serve a purpose and be a place for sharing some cool things I find and create. Even so,  Kimberly Collingwood at Science, Etc. has identified this little blog as "A Very Lovely Blog".

What a "lovely" surprise that was!

Here are the rules for this award:
1.  Link back to the person who gave it to you.
2.  Follow the person that sent it to you.
3.  Pass it along to 15 (ish) other lovely bloggers.

Here are some of my favorite blogs.  Check them out!

Teaching and Learning Community

The Teacher Organizer

Plug-n-Plan

Teacher Gone Digital

The Best of Teachers Pay Teachers

Science Stuff

Clutter Free Classroom

Rockin' Teacher Materials

Mr. G's Creative Classroom Resources

Kindergarten Monkey Business

Me and My Gang

Classroom Freebies

Doodlebugs Teaching

Peace Love Learning

Teaching Happily Ever After


Thursday, April 12, 2012

S.T.E.M.

So I was thinking that I should be more systematic about blogging.  I figured that I've got some followers who probably wish they were hearing from me more often.  I don't like to post for the sake of posting.  I want to have something valuable to share, so I've been giving this a lot of thought.  Here's what I came up with.
I have allowed myself to get boxed in by the name I chose.  Just because I am "the Teched Out Teacher" doesn't mean that I can't share other things.  For the next month, I am going to try posting
according to the acronym STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).

You can look forward to Saturday Science, Technology Thursday, Everyday Engineering, and Monday Mathematics.  While 3 of these subject areas have specific days of the week, engineering is special in that it will appear on random days.

If this goes well, I will continue the pattern.  Since I teach in a STEM lab setting, I hope to have plenty of ideas to share.  Even so, I know that collaborating with others is much more powerful.  That is why I thought there might be others who would want to share their ideas too.  In an effort to build a more collaborative blog, I will begin offering Team Up Tuesday.  Every Tuesday, you will be able to join in the fun of sharing ideas and TpT products here on my blog.  If we all Team Up, everyone can benefit.

Now you know what to look for.  Make sure you stop by often to see what's new.


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