Useful Information In and Out of the Classroom 7/14/2023

Here are some interesting sites that I’ve found this week, thanks to my PLN. As a teacher, I feel we have to keep up to date concerning research in our field and current issues in the education system. I hope some of these inspire you, inform you, and even have you asking questions. Thank you for coming by and visiting!

Note: Each resource is labeled with a level and subject area to make it easier to use.

Levels: E: Elementary; M: Middle; H: High; G: General, all levels; SN: Special Needs; T: Teachers

Subject Areas: LA: Language Arts, English, Reading, Writing; M: Math; S: Science; Health; SS: Social Studies, Current Events; FA: Fine Arts; Music, Art, Drama; FL: Foreign Language; PE: Physical Ed; C: Career; A: All

Making a Solar Oven - “People all over the world use solar ovens. Campers use them instead of campfires. No risk of forest fires! No smoke in your eyes! No marshmallows! What? Okay, so solar ovens can't do everything. But, you can put your dinner in the oven and go for a long hike. The food cooks all by itself-no watching, stirring, or turning needed. And the food won't burn if you're an hour late getting back to camp. In Third World countries, wood is still the main fuel for cooking. Many families spend hours every day trying to find wood for the evening meal. As the trees disappear, their lives become harder and harder. And their land becomes a desert.” (L:M; SA: S)

The Science of BBQ - Learn more about BBQ (L:G; SA: S)

Unpoppable Bubbles - “Jessi and Squeaks play with bubbles and learn how to make some that take a really long time to pop!” (L:E; SA: S)

How to Create Your First Quiz in Google Forms - “One of the most common uses of Google Forms is creating and giving self-graded quizzes. If you have never created a quiz with Google Forms, the tutorial that is embedded below will walk you through all of the steps you need to take to make your first quiz in Google Forms.” (L:T; SA: A)

Teaching with Historic Places - “Teaching with Historic Places offers a series of more than 160 classroom-ready lesson plans that use historic sites as a means for exploring American history. Educators and their students can work through these online lesson plans directly on the computer or print them out and photocopy them for distribution.You can browse lesson plans by theme, time period, and state.” (L:T; SA: SS)

Original photo by Pat Hensley

Scrapbook Pages from June 2023

Digital scrapbooking is a great activity to use in the classroom. It can be used to capture memories, share important information, or focus on a specific event. This would be a great alternate activity for book reports and even group projects. Here are some examples that I made in June. I use the website Gingerscraps for ideas and even free digital kits.

June 2023 Photo A Day Project

I’m still enjoying my Photo a Day project on Flickr. I find it helpful to look at other people’s photos and see what I like about them, what makes them stand out to me, and the composition of the photo. I believe these will help me take better photos.

Here are my photos from June:

1. 6/1/2023 yarn dyeing, 2. 6/2/2023 Pile of weeds, 3. 6/3/2023 Edging the sidewalk, 4. 6/4/2023 Liberty Bridge, 5. 6/5/2023 Korean hotpot restaurant, 6. 6/6/2023 Mr. McBee, 7. 6/7/2023 Gnome in flower pot, 8. 6/8/2023 Upcoming project, 9. 6/9/2023 Empty restaurant, 10. 6/10/2023 Cupcakes, 11. 6/11/2023 Summer, 12. 6/12/2023 Mowing the lawn, 13. 6/13/2023 Pay Phone, 14. 6/14/2023 Eyeball, 15. 6/16/2023 Caterpillar Tire, 16. 6/18/2023 Thistle, 17. 2023-06-18 Lock on the Mississippi River, 18. 6/19/2023 World's Largest Nickel, 19. 6/15/2023 Alien Ship, 20. 6/20/2023 The Spam Museum, 21. 6/21/2023 Zombie Knitpocalypse, 22. 6/22/2023 Hot!!, 23. 6/23/2023 5K participants, 24. 6/24/2023 Souvenir Yarn, 25. Untitled, 26. 6/26/2023 Typewriters, 27. 6/27/2023 Missiles, 28. 6/28/2023 Sweet Potatoes, 29. 6/29/2023 Vortex Shawl, 30. 6/30/2023 Echinacea

2023 Goals Review for June

We took a road trip to Minnesota in June for my Zombie Knitpocalypse knitting retreat. Our trip was wonderful and I was excited that I lost 4 lbs. during our trip. We were so busy that many times we didn’t go out for dinner. I’m a little behind on my reading and should have read 50 books by now but all of the other goals are on schedule.

1. Learn something new. - I learned Tunisian crochet to make a couple of dishcloths. I’m still practicing my watercolor painting and my ukulele.

2. Knit at least 1 sweater - I finished with my sweater. (Collins Tee)

3. Yarn - more out than in (use more yardage than I buy) – I hope I can achieve this goal but I need to get busy knitting! As of June 30:

●                  Yarn used - 5822 yds.

●                  -Yarn bought - 9009

3. Complete a shawl - I finished my Shawlography shawl

4. Try 4 new recipes. - I tried one new recipe involving Polska Kielbasa in June and Don enjoyed the meal.

5. Stretch regularly (at least 20 days out of the month) - We are walking and exercising regularly.

6. Create at least 2 scrapbook pages each month. - Made 10 pages for June (Total - 60)

7. Participate in the Photo a Day challenge – Completed through June.

8. Read the Bible every day. - yes

9. Read 100 books - Read 14 in January, 2 in February, 6 in March, 5 in April. 4 in May, 3 in June, (Total: 34)

10. Read 12 nonfiction books. – (total: 6).

-   Enough Already: Learning to Love the Way I Am Today by Valerie Bertinelli

-   Prince William: The Man Who Will Be King by Penny Junor

-   I Still Believe: A Memoir by Jeremy Camp

-   Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth

-  I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

-  Nowhere for Very Long by Brianna Madia

What are your goals for this year? Please share.

Zombie Knitpocalypse 2023

Click here for pictures.

I had an amazing time at the Zombie Knitpocalypse (ZK)! It was good to see old friends and make new ones.

We got there early on Wednesday and I helped pack up the goodie bags. For lunch, Don led 7 of us to the Mayo Clinic cafeteria where we had a healthy lunch. After lunch, I sat in the ballroom and knit with others until registration opened at 3 pm.

I taught a class on Thursday morning (Low Impact Exercises for Crafters) which was well received. At 11 am, I had my designer showcase session where I was able to show off the patterns that I designed myself. Before I showed them, I held a South Carolina trivia game where the winner won a free pattern of their choice from my shop. Then at 2 pm, Pam and I helped Susan with the Bingo game. There were 100 people there! In the evening we had the photo booth where my twin and I (we both knit the Collins Tee) took photos and my other twin, Pam (the PatPam duo) took pictures too. Of course, we had to get one with Susan too!

On Friday, we did the 5K. At 11:30 I took the Flower Power class and learned a new flower stitch. I hope I can incorporate that in a future pattern. Then the Doodle Demo class was next and we were given a small kit to make cup cozies. During downtime, I went to the yarn truck rodeo and bought some yarn, and attended other people’s designer showcases. At 5 pm, we had the stitch marker swap and then at 5:30, we took the group photo. The hosts (Amy and Megan) took the teachers and the keynote speaker out to dinner at Victoria's. I had pasta with garlic and clams which was yummy! At 8 pm, Vincent Williams Jr. was our keynote speaker and he was great!

On Saturday, Don and I went to Pannekoeken for breakfast. Then the yarn market was open at 10 am for retreat participants. I bought more yarn than I needed but it was fun. 5:30 pm was the closing ceremony and I helped give out door prizes. Then at 8 pm, the hotel brought out desserts.

We left on Sunday.

I had a wonderful time and enjoyed all the activities!