My recent writing

I've been writing recently on a web platform called squidoo. I write there about things that don't necessary fit here or on facebook. If you'd like to check out what I've written, here are five of my recent (or recently updated pages).

How to Teach Basic Dictionary Skills has fun activities for parents and teachers to help their kids look up words quickly and learn how to spell them.

How to Teach Math with UNO introduces ways to teach math skills with the card game that we all have lying around somewhere. From simple same-different sorting skills, to skip-counting backwards and forwards, all the way to working with multiplication and division facts.

How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk is my review of the excellent parenting book of that name. I also include information about the authors inspiration, Haim Ginott, and a video of a parent explaining how she uses one of the tips from the book.

Keith Green: Christian Music Legend is my tribute to a hero of the faith. It contains a Keith Green discography, my Keith Green memories, and links to various Keith Green resources like articles he has written and videos of his music and sermons.

Baby's First Bible contains my Bible storybook recommendations for parents, godparents, or anyone else who is looking for a good bible for babies and toddlers.

I'd love to hear your comments!

Living / Non-Living Things

This week at the preschool, our Bible story is about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. Our "My World" topic is the difference between living and non-living things. Here are some good web resources on the topic.

• First School Years has a nice, simple sorting game that is good for young children. It helps with vocabulary and reinforcing the living/non-living distinction. The only problem I had with this game was that if I put an item too close to the center line, the game told me I had put it on the wrong side. The workaround is to place items well away from the center line. Here is what the game looks like. [Edit: it has been reported that this game does not work well in some browsers. Please test before using with your students.]

• The Open Door has a nice mini-lesson on the attributes of living things. (feeding, movement, breathing or respiration, excretion, growth, sensitivity, and reproduction). It's targeted toward older children but you can apply the ideas to preschool too. There is also a twenty-item quiz which asks whether each item is "living," "non-living but once part of a living thing," or "non-living and never part of a living thing." After choosing an answer, you are informed whether you are right or wrong, and why. The quiz is for solid independent readers or for parents to do with their children.

I hope you find these links useful. Happy learning!