Celebrate a Birthday: Read a Book
“A capacity, and taste, for reading, gives access to whatever has already been discovered by others. It is the key, or one of the keys, to the already solved problems. And not only so. It gives a relish, and facility,…
Leonardo’s Big Idea
When Leonardo Da Vinci died he left the world more than 6,000 pages of ideas. Think revolving bridge, winged glider, or self-propelled car, and you will begin thinking like Leonardo. Now, think colossal horse, and you will most certainly be…
after Stowaway
Need a terrific idea for your Section 5 Project? Navigate like a Polynesian!
Be Adventurous: Read a Book
So here's what Karen Hesse knew to be true: Once upon a time, in the summer of 1768, Captain James Cook sailed from England on H.M.S Endeavour, beginning a three-year voyage around the world on a secret mission to discover an unknown continent at the bottom…
Celebrate a Birthday: Read a Book
Begin the year immersed in the wonder of impossibility. "Alice laughed. 'There's no use trying,' she said. 'One can't believe impossible things.' I daresay you haven't had much practice,' said the Queen. 'When I was your age, I always did…
The Best Christmas Read-Aloud Ever!
What happens when the worst kids take over the Christmas pageant? The Herdman kids lie, steal, smoke cigars, swear, and hit little kids. So no one is prepared when this outlaw family invades church one Sunday and decides to take…
Think Persona Poem
What do Man with a hoe, by Jean-François Millet and Starbucks have in common? Being an avid follower of Van Gogh (who created a drawing inspired by Millet's Man with a Hoe), I recognized at once Starbuck's nod to these great artists.…
Stowaway with Nick
During the summer of 1768, Captain James Cook sailed from England on H.M.S Endeavor's first voyage to explore the little known southern hemisphere. Eleven-year-old Nicholas Young was a stowaway on this voyage. True story. Karen Hesse invites us to delve…
After Books, Tinker.
Every time you finish reading a book, think tinker. The word “tinker” comes from the middle English referring to people who engaged in the work of patching worn tin kettles. When I was young, tinkering was a crude, quick fix…
Look See: Poem of Spongy Bone
Write a poem incorporating an interesting fact you’ve recently heard or read. It doesn’t necessarily have to be concerned with the physical sciences, although that is a great place to start. Andrea Gibson uses this device in her spoken-word poem,…