Design Thinking Process - Free Downloads!

 We use Design Thinking almost every day as I am sure most schools and teachers do. What is new for us is naming the process. The process is intuitive and it's fun to hear a 2nd grader say "Ideate".

Click on the link above to download the whole set of stars I created to make a bulletin board so we can all become familiar with Design Thinking and each step.

Board Games to Support the Hour of Code in the Library - LINKS to TARGET SPECIALS THIS WEEK

As a STEM School, the Hour of Code is like our Super Bowl. Well, maybe like Playoffs but it is a week we plan for and facilitate throughout the school.

Usually in the Library I intro and we have activities that physically show the kids what it is to Code and Program. This may include a lot of cup stacking, instruction writing and executing along with path walking.

That happens the week after Thanksgiving into the first week of December. During the actual Hour of Code (December 7-13 2015) activities progress to the MacLab where our Tech Facilitator intros the online/ actual tech Coding in "The Hour of Code".

The best online resource for this is hands down the official Hour of Code website. Each year the games, intros, promos and extended activities are new and improved. Definitely NOT the same old same old. Click on the link above to go directly there.

So that's the norm but I am THRILLED to have discovered a fabulous group of actual CODING BOARD GAMES to use in the Library. These will arrive the week after Thanksgiving and I expect they will rotate as centers through the Winter.

THIS WEEK, NOVEMBER 22 - 29, TARGET IS RUNNING A BUY 2 GET ONE FREE GAME SPECIAL ALONG WITH FREE SHIPPING ON ALL OFFERS.  If you click on the game below you will go straight to the Target Website. *Cubelets excluded, those are available only through ModRobotics or Amazon*

Buddy the Elf Visits the Library - FREE DOWNLOAD!

Buddy the Elf is visiting the Library this year! I have multiple board opportunities in the library and I plan on using/ creating different Buddy phrases throughout.

Click on the Picture Above to Download for Free!

The next step to using this in the Library is to upload the file to Poster Razor and turn it into a large scale display that fits your needs. I love it and I use it weekly to create exactly what we need in the Library.  

Click HERE  to see my post with step by step directions for using Poster Razor - it REALLY is a tool you will value!

Balloons Over Broadway Brought to Life in the Library - Activity, History Of Parade Video

Balloons Over Broadway has long been my absolute favorite Thanksgiving Book. Kids are fascinated by the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and this book lays out the progression of this tradition in an accessible way.

This year I had a little extra money in the Library budget and thought bringing in helium balloons for the kids to design would be fun. (* Last week the 4/5 graders designed their own floats on Tinkercad but ran into problems when 3D printing).

 What I DID NOT expect was the amazing thinking the kids would use after designing their floats. Not all kids wanted their floats to work straight up so that led to much experimenting with strings and placement so the floats would "articulate" like Tony Sarg's creations.

I only did this with one third grade class - at 20.00 per class it would have been to expensive to spread through the school. That's too bad because kids were engaged, they applied the Design Thinking Process and their creativity - a lot of fun!

Fantastic Turkey Song/ Dance/ Video for Primary

I just had to share this Turkey Video I found this week! My kinders loved it AND they learned about turkeys in just a few minutes - total win win. The Heading says it is a "content rich" song and it actually is - complete truth in advertising.

Give Thanks - Beautiful Fall, Thanksgiving Bulletin Board

This board couldn't have been easier! Brown paper and my white Chalkboard Pen and 15 minutes later I am done for November!!