The Joy of Teaching

All children have their own learning styles; some are strong auditory learners, others prefer visual or writing activities. Combining different learning modalities into your lessons is a wonderful way to ensure that children have lots of opportunities to learn information in different ways.

One of my favorite quotes about the importance of learning modalities is from William Glasser, an internationally recognized psychiatrist.

Easy Hands-on Science Experiments

Science is a great subject for learning by doing because most science experiments are project based. Here are some fun ideas to include:

Baking Soda and Vinegar Volcano

This fun volcano science experiment is from Skill Sharpeners: Science Grade 4! Learn all about composite, shield and cinder volcanos and then create your own! 

Materials: 

• 6 cups of flour 
• 2 cups of salt 
• 4 tablespoons cooking oil 
• 2 tablespoons baking soda
• Dishwashing detergent
• Red food coloring
• Vinegar
• Warm water
• Bowl
• Disposable baking pan
• 2 liter soda bottle 
• Safety goggles

Directions: 

• Mix the flour, salt, oil and 2 cups of warm water.
• Stand the soda bottle in the middle of the baking pan.
• Mold the dough around the bottle in the shape of a cone volcano.
• Fill the bottle most of the way full with warm water and red food coloring. 
• Add 6 drops of detergent to the bottle.
• Add the baking soda to the bottle. 
• Slowly pour the vinegar into the bottle and watch what happens.

Integrate science, technology, math and engineering with STEM! 

 Include sensory experiences with this blubber glove STEM activity from STEM Lessons and Challenges grade 3! Click here for instructions. 

Design a Marble Roller Coaster with Recyclables 

In this STEM challenge from Evan-Moor’s STEM Lessons and Challenges, students will learn about the physics of roller coasters and how they work, and then get to design their own marble roller coaster! Students will use items like paper towel rolls, construction paper, pool noodles, and more to build their track. The unit guides your child through the scientific process and activity.

Download it for free, here.

Science, STEM and STEAM Resources

STEM Lessons and Challenges
This classroom resource focuses on teaching STEM concepts through hands-on activities and creative problem-solving. Creative questions challenge children to think deeper about science topics and observations. Collaborative learning groups provide opportunities for children to teach and learn from one another.

Download a free sample of STEM Lessons and Challenges for grades 1–6 here.

Skill Sharpeners STEAM
STEAM presents a new approach to STEM that includes an art component for a well-balanced learning approach. The STEAM tasks focus on creative problem solving with reading, writing and hands-on projects.

Download a free sample of this full-color activity book here.

Science Lessons and Investigations
Study earth, life, and physical science using this teaching resource with hands-on activities and other cross-curricular activities. Every unit includes higher-order thinking questions that challenge children to create and answer their own questions.

Download a free sample of Science Lessons and Investigations for grades 1–6 here.

Take advantage of the hands-on activities and immerse children in the learning experience! Learning-by-doing offers engaging and immersive lessons, as well as allowing for students diverse learning styles.

For more great activity ideas and educational lessons, subscribe to our free e-newsletter here.

Christine Wooler has experience working with children as a youth soccer coach and summer camp counselor. She is currently studying English Literature and journalism in college. She enjoys exploring educational topics that help students have fun while learning.

Summer camps are often the highlight of kids’ summer breaks but they can also come with a hefty price tag.  Why not create a backyard summer camp for your kids! Check out our tips, ideas, and themes for at-home summer camp:

Getting Started

The first step in making your own at-home summer camp is deciding how structured you want it to be. If you have the availability, you can pencil in daily activities to give you and your children something to look forward to! You can also forego a full schedule and let your schedule (or your kids’ schedule) dictate how many activities you do a day.

Activities and Games

Mini Olympics
Combine all your favorite backyard games and activities for an at-home Olympics! Pick a country for each team and play backyard games like:

• 

  Egg-on-a-spoon race
• Cornhole
• Pool relay race
• Slip-in-slide race
• Spikeball or other backyard games
• Paper airplane contest

This can also be a fun culturally educational opportunity! Have your kids do some research on the country they pick for their Olympic team to see what they can learn.

Backyard Camping
Got a tent or some sleeping bags sitting around? Pull them out and set up camp in your backyard! This can also be done indoors (build an indoor fort) if you don’t have yard space.

Go on a nature hunt in your yard and collect an assortment of plants and insects. If you have a craft lover at home, create this grasshopper and dragonfly art activity!

Grasshopper and Dragonfly Craft
Using basic art supplies, create a paper-based grasshopper and dragonfly! Follow the templates provided in this free activity to create these cute summer bugs.

Include other camping activities such as:

• Nature walks: teach your kids about the environment around them
• Making Smores
• Telling spooky stories
• Stargazing

Build your own Obstacle Course
Gather some outdoors obstacles like boxes, cones, jump ropes, tunnels, hula hoops and anything else you can think of and build a backyard obstacle course! Design it to challenge your kids, or let their creativity take over and have them build it for themselves! Challenge them to beat their best time, complete it while hopping on one leg, or any other twists to make it more fun!

Scavenger Hunt
Set up a scavenger hunt for your kids, either in your backyard, indoors, or in your neighborhood. You can also do a hiking or nature walk scavenger hunt, and take photos of the things on your list instead of collecting them.

Check out this free pirate-themed scavenger hunt from Evan-Moor.

Neighborhood Triathlon
If your kids are active and feeling cooped up, set up a form of triathlon in your neighborhood for them! Walk one section, bike as a family for another, and then either swim (or do something else fun, like hopscotch, wagon rides, or obstacles) for the last section! You can adjust the length or time of each section according to your kids’ capabilities.

Make it more fun by holding an awards ceremony with participation medals, snacks, and celebration treats!

Fun Science Experiments for Kids
Turn summer camp into science camp! Check out these fun and easy science experiments for kids that will be engaging and educational!

• Underwater Fireworks
  
• Making your own Slime – mix an 8 ounce bottle of Elmer’s glue, 2 Tablespoons of contact or saline solution, 1 tablespoons baking soda and food coloring to get your own slime mixture! Knead the mixture until it holds together.
• Mentos and Soda exploding bottles – using a 2 liter soda bottle of your choice (I’ve heard Diet Coke works best), set it up outside, away from anything you don’t want covered in soda. Have your kids stand back (eruptions can happen fast), then drop about half a roll of Mentos into the bottle. Step back quickly and watch!
  
  • Tips: The goal is to drop all of the Mentos at the same time. One tip is to unwrap the Mentos roll and place an index card at the bottom, then remove the index card when you’re dropping the Mentos to create a kind of funnel.

Arts and Crafts

Tie Dye
A classic and fun summer camp activity, try tie-dying white clothes. You can do t shirts, sweatshirts, socks, or any other clothing that needs some color! There are even tie dye kits to make things easier!

Painting Rocks
Gather rocks from your backyard or outdoor spaces (preferably flat-top ones) and paint fun designs on them! You can paint flowers, initials, patterns, and other colorful designs! Add some mod podge craft finish on top of the paint to preserve it for longer.

DIY Bracelets
Make your own jewelry this summer as a fun and productive activity! You can braid string together to make woven bracelets or use a beading cord and colorful beads! You can also buy lanyard supplies and make friendship lanyards!

Paper Airplanes
The world of paper airplanes is fun and exciting! Challenge your kids to create different planes with different materials. You can create a contest to see who can fly theirs the farthest, or have an airshow and challenge the kids to do tricks with their planes. For a guide on how to create different planes and turn it into a STEM activity, check out this Evan-Moor blog.

If you have the time, you can make each week a theme to make it more like a summer camp! Kids will love these interactive activities that they can do in their very own home! For more summer learning  ideas, check out the Evan-Moor resources below:

Daily Summer Activities: This workbook series prepares your child for their upcoming school year using fun and exciting summer activities. Download a free sampler of lessons here.

Top Student: With over 300 activities that cover a variety of subjects, this series of activity books will help your child excel.

Skill Sharpeners Creativity meets academics in this fun activity book! Hands-on STEAM projects integrate science, technology, engineering, art, and math. The Skill Sharpeners series is available in 8 different subject areas. Download a free sampler of STEAM projects here.  

Christine Wooler has experience working with children as a youth soccer coach and summer camp counselor. She is currently studying English Literature and journalism in college. She enjoys exploring educational topics that help students have fun while learning.

Whether you’re new to homeschooling or a veteran homeschooler looking to reinvent your space, we’ve got some tips for you! Evan-Moor asked the homeschoolers that use and love our resources to write some advice and tips for homeschool organization.

Check out these tips on how to organize your homeschool curriculum and daily schedule.

Top tips include: 

• Print and prepare materials for each month
• Use magazine holder for book storage
• Combine answer keys into one binder
• Create weekly folders for every week
• Use colored tape to organize multiple children’s resources
• Create workboxes for each child’s lessons and materials
• Use bookmarks to save progress in books
• Adapt your home to fit your learning styles and locations
• Use rolling carts to organize materials so children can learn in any location
• Create a digital filing system of your materials and back it up
• Organize your lessons with hanging file folders or crates

Evan-Moor Tip:

Using bookmarks helps kids quickly find their next lesson in their curriculum books. Download FREE Evan-Moor bookmarks.

Organizing your Materials

Easy and effective ways to store your homeschool materials.

De-Shaun from Little Learner and Mom says:

My son loves all the Evan Moor books. The one thing I find helpful because we have a TeacherFileBox subscription, is printing out all the geography maps for the month for Daily Geography. I put them in his folder for the month, and he grabs his Daily Geography book and doesn’t have to flip back and forth for the map. This has made life so much easier!

Check out Little Learner and Mom’s instagram page here.

Alecia from Savant Learning Academy says:

I take my Evan-Moor Reading Comprehension workbooks, and I rip all the pages out. Then I put each story in a sheet protector. I tab and assort by skill and place all the stories in a binder for each child. Then when they need extra help in certain skills, I have it ready to go.

Click here to check out Savant Learning Academy.

Arlene (@arleneandcompany) says:

Every weekend, I set up both of my kiddos magazine holder organizers with the materials they will need for the week. This is set up at their desk and set aside for easy retrieval. Reducing the time searching for the workbook needed or lesson to open to. While also minimizing distractions or frustrations. I flag the page we are working on, and also have their writing materials, or supplies needed for the week set up separately in a bin.

This little bit of prep time really helps us from being overwhelmed as we jump between subjects. They always know where to find what they need, including blank books for added creativity.

Find Arlene’s Instagram page here.

Becky from A Place to Nest says:

My best homeschool organization tip is to combine answer keys into one binder. By keeping all of the answers together, I’m not constantly pulling out different books when it’s time to grade. Plus, it makes grading on-the-go even easier!

Check out A Place to Nest on Youtube for videos and tips!

Tanya from Project Happy Home says:

We split our workbook assignments into weekly folders so that it’s easy to stay on track without juggling multiple workbooks every day. This way, we can grab our weekly folder and take it with us on park days, long drives, or vacations. If I need my husband to take over our homeschool for the day because I’m sick or at an appointment, the kids can manage their assignments without any trouble.

Find Project Happy Home on Youtube for more tips and videos!

Amy from Book Brilliant Kids says:

We use colored tape to keep our curriculum books sorted by child. It’s a quick way for each child to find her assignment for the day AND put it back in its place when she’s done!

Check out Book Brilliant Kids on Youtube!

Robbie from Purposeful Homeschool says:

Workboxes! Workboxes can be done several ways – with crates, with tiered rolling carts, with drawer carts, with desk drawers… but creating ‘workboxes’ achieves several things:

1. It organizes your curricula so you know exactly what materials get priority each day.
2. It compartmentalizes materials so it’s not so overwhelming visually or mentally.
3. You have the freedom to swap out materials in the workboxes at any time, but having only one thing at a time in the workbox for each subject helps us keep our focus and gives the student independence.

See Robbie show off his workboxes on her youtube channel, here!

Organizing your Homeschool Space

Transforming your homeschool space can also benefit you and your learners! Here are some tips and tricks on how to approach your learning space:

Jessica from Intentional in Life says:

My best homeschool organization tip is to define your learning space. Take some time to really observe where your learning happens and be intentional about defining your space. If most of your reading happens in the living room, provide a space (I love baskets) for books by your couch. Math for us usually happens at the kitchen table, so I make sure that our manipulatives are handy and stored close by. If you have nature journals that are being used, tuck them away in a cool basket by the door or window for easy access. And add a tin can of colored pencils inside the basket as well. Intentionally defining and organizing your children’s learning spaces will simply organize your supplies…I promise!

See more from Jessica on the Intentional in Life site, here!

Emily from Our Little Slice of Heaven says:

Stay flexible with your organization. While I’d like to have everything in its place all the time, that’s just not realistic for our busy family. So we use a rolling cart to store items we use daily. This keeps our shelves and desk clean. Then we can move the cart throughout the house as we learn and not worry about scattering supplies or books. Everything goes back on the cart and we organize it once a week.

Check out the Our Little Slice of Heaven website!

How to Create a Filing System to Organize Materials

Lastly, creating a system to organize materials for yourself and your learners can be incredibly useful and relieve some stress on you as a homeschooler. Here are some tips:

Crystal from Castle View Academy says:

Create a logical digital filing system as well as backups of all your resources. This doesn’t mean you should have every item duplicated five times in different clouds because that causes more disorganization and chaos. Consolidate and build a system that works for you before it’s too late and you lose everything.

Check out her website, Castle View Academy, here.

Kaylinn from Full Purpose and Heart

Eliminate the stress of week-to-week planning by putting together all your curriculum in an easy filing system. All you need are hanging file folders, a drawer or crate, and enough folders for your students. Then, at the start of the school year, simply organize what assignments/work pages your child will complete week to week. It’s an easy way to have everything ready ahead of time for your school year. You can schedule in breaks and holidays and still have the confidence in knowing you’ll finish all you need to by year’s end.

Find Kaylinn on the Full Purpose and Heart Youtube channel!

Hopefully these tips have helped inspire your homeschool organization! If you have additional tips on how to make organizing materials easier, let us know in the comments!

Check out the blogs below for more homeschool tips and resources!

How to Homeschool: 5 Steps to Get Started Homeschooling 

Homeschool Curriculum Ideas for Language Arts, Math, Social Studies, and Science

How to Plan Your Homeschool Curriculum in 5 Easy Steps

Amy Michaels is a former teacher turned homeschooler. She creates fun learning activities based on popular children’s books. Connect with her at BookBrilliantKids.com.

Supplement your spring lesson plans or at-home learning with individual lessons and bundles available on Teachers Pay Teachers! TPT allows parents and teachers to find activities, lessons, and other teaching materials that will help fill in curricular gaps or make planning lessons towards the end of the school year a little easier!

Click here to visit Evan-Moor’s store on TPT and keep reading for our top 15 TPT lessons for spring.

Evan-Moor E-Books on TPT

In addition to individual lessons, Evan-Moor has entire e-books available on Teachers Pay Teachers.

Daily Reading Comprehension: Practice essential reading and comprehension skills with these reproducible teacher’s editions for grades 1–8. The skill-based units include fiction and nonfiction texts and provide in-depth analysis of reading skills and strategies. Find it on the TPT site, here.

Daily Language Review: Designed for short 10- to 15-minute lessons, this teacher’s edition e-book for grades 1–8 provides practice of fundamental language skills. Topics provide review and practice of punctuation, vocabulary, spelling, verb tense, and more! Purchase it from the Evan-Moor TPT store, here.

Building Spelling Skills: This teacher’s edition e-book for grades 1–6 provides 30 weeks of spelling practice, including new vocabulary, reproducible practice pages, and a guide on how to study spelling words. The fun practice pages and easy assembly reduce lesson prep. Spelling words are organized by word families and phonics patterns. Click here to find it on TPT.

Daily Math Practice: With math practice designed to meet Common Core standards, students will improve their math skills. The short, daily activities include spiral review of grade level skills and include word problems to build students’ problem-solving skills. Find this teacher’s edition e-book for grades 1–6 here, on TPT.

Daily 6-Trait Writing: Designed to teach trait-based writing, this teacher’s edition e-book for grades 1–8 is great for teaching the fundamentals of writing, from brainstorming to writer’s voice! 25 weeks of practice activities help student become strong and successful writers with just 20- to 30-minute daily lessons. To find this e-book, click here.

Daily Paragraph Editing: Build a classroom of proofreaders and writers with these daily practice activities! This teacher’s edition e-book for grades 2–8 allows students to become editors with short, daily activities that target mechanics, grammar, and spelling skills related to editing paragraphs. Days 1–4 require students to read and correct short, themed passages, and day 5 requires them to write their own paragraph with a writing prompt. View it on TPT, here.

Daily Phonics: This teacher’s edition daily practice e-book for grades 1–6 is great for practicing basic phonic skills. Perfect for early readers and language learners, these daily activities help students master vowels and consonants and increase their reading fluency. Purchase it on the TPT site, here.

STEM Lessons and Challenges: Develop students’ creative problem-solving skills with STEM challenges! This teacher’s edition e-book for grades 1–6 targets life, earth, and physical science with hands-on activities. These easy-to-prep lessons guide students through the STEM process of plan, create, test, and redesign. Complete with reading articles, practice pages, and visuals, these STEM units are a great way to foster fosters students’ innovation, communication, and peer collaboration! Find it here, on the TPT site.

Science Lessons and Investigations: Includes 12 units, each of which follows the 5E science model: Engage, Explore, Explain, Evaluate, and Extend. This gives students a hands-on opportunity to delve into each scientific topic and apply their understanding in a creative way. This teacher’s edition e-book for grades 1–6 includes an answer key for vocabulary and comprehension activities, making it ideal for the classroom and homeschooling. Click here to find it on TPT.

Evan-Moor Bundles on TPT

Also available on Teachers Pay Teachers are bundled lessons, which are selected parts of whole workbooks. These are available on the Evan-Moor TPT site for all grade levels.

Daily Reading Comprehension Grades 2 Weeks 1–5: This bundle comprises five weeks of reading practice, and includes practicing skills such as compare and contrast, identifying main ideas, and other important comprehension skills. You may find additional five-week bundles for weeks 6–30. Find it and other grade levels here.

STEM Challenge: Airplane (Physical Science Concept: Air Resistance), Grade 3: This lesson is from STEM Lessons and Challenges and focuses on forces that affect movement. Students are challenged to design and create a paper airplane that goes a long distance with accuracy. This unit includes a teacher support page, science concept and visual literacy pages, a challenge page, a suggested materials list, and design and redesign process pages. Purchase it from TPT, here.

Daily 6-Trait Writing Bundle, Grade 6, Unit 5 Voice, Weeks 1–5: With 20 reproducible writing activities, this bundle supplies five weeks of writing practice, focusing on improving a different writing trait each week. You may find additional bundles activities for weeks 6–25. Click here to view it on the TPT website.

Daily Paragraph Editing, Grade 4, Weeks 1–6: This language bundle focuses on improving students’ writing and editing skills throughout 6 weeks of instruction on spelling, grammar, punctuation, and language. You may find additional bundles for weeks 7–36. Find it on TPT, here.

Daily Geography Practice, Grade 5, Weeks 25–30: Each week in this bundle practices geographical concepts, including map skills, using regional locations throughout the world. This bundle includes lessons about climate zones, the Arctic, NFL locations, and more! You may find additional bundles for weeks 1–36. Purchase it here, on TPT.

STEM Life, Earth, and Physical Science: STEM Challenges for Grade 5: This robust bundle includes 3 STEM Challenges, each centered around a scientific concept from either life, earth, or physical science. These hands-on activities are great for at-home learning or supplemental STEM lessons. Find it on TPT, here.

Discover more themed units and activities in the Evan-Moor Teachers Pay Teachers store below.

Greek Myths and Percy Jackson Lessons and Activities

How to Teach Time and Money

Learning Basic Map Skills with Cultural Maps and Sports Teams

Sea Otters, Marine Mammals, and Ocean Life Activities for Grades K–3

Visit Evan-Moor’s store on Teachers Pay Teachers for more teaching resources and bundles to supplement your spring lesson plans.

Christine Wooler has experience working with children as a youth soccer coach and summer camp counselor. She is currently studying English Literature and journalism in college. She enjoys exploring educational topics that help students have fun while learning.

April is an important month for the Earth! Not only does it signal a change in weather, springtime showers, and begin the countdown until summer, it’s also the month we celebrate Earth Day and Arbor Day! Whether you’ve heard of both of these holidays or only one, there are plenty of ways you can celebrate them at-home with your family.

Check out our free activities, read-aloud book recommendations, and hands-on activities that celebrate our planet!

What’s the difference between Earth Day and Arbor Day?

Earth Day falls on April 22nd every year, and was founded in 1970 to raise awareness about environmental issues. People celebrate Earth Day in many different ways, whether it’s through nature walks, hands-on activities, or pursuing environmental justice.

Arbor Day is normally celebrated on the last Friday in April, but depends on the climate of the area. It was started in 1872 as an initiative to repopulate Nebraska with trees, and soon spread throughout the country. Though Arbor Day is mainly about planting trees, there are plenty of other ways to celebrate it.

Earth Day Activities

Free Earth Day Activity
This worksheet activity includes an information page, comprehension questions, and a fun word search with Earth Day terms! This free sample comes from Evan-Moor’s Seasonal Activities workbook, which is a cross-curriculum resource that celebrates fun seasonal themes.

Download your free Earth Day Activity here.

Free STEAM Sampler – Litter Machine: Incorporate a STEAM task into your celebrations with these free activities from Skill Sharpeners: STEAM. This first grade STEAM activity, “Dirty Beach,” teaches children about beach litter and how they can help. Children are asked to design their own litter machine. The activity walks children through the planning, design, and model-building process using comprehension questions and drawing activities.

Click here to get this free STEAM sampler. 

Plant a Garden: If you have the space in your backyard, plant a small garden! You can plant fruits, vegetables, flowers, or a mix of all three! Pay attention to the process and point out the different things that plants need to grow such as water and sunlight. If you don’t have room outside, get some small plants or succulents for indoors!

If you are in the classroom, fill an old container or planter with soil and have students plant flower or vegetable seeds. Create a weekly chore list for your students and assign a water monitor every week to care for the plant.

Make a Nature Collage: Gather things from outdoors, like sticks, leaves, and small rocks, and make a small art collage out of them!

Painting Stones: Find some medium-sized, flat rocks in your yard or outdoors, and paint fun designs on them! These can also make for great paperweights and decorations (or Mother’s and Father’s Day presents.)

Make Recycled Art: Gather materials like milk jugs, soda cans, water bottles, recycled paper, paper towel rolls, and any other recyclable materials. Use your imagination to create art out of it, whether it’s a sculpture, a 3D college, or using the materials for different paint textures. See if you can create multiple pieces and have an at-home art exhibition.

Paper Plate Planet: Using a paper plate, paint or colored construction paper, create a replica of Earth! You can use a variety of materials for this and make it your own! You can also add details like labelling continents, oceans, or adding tiny little people to the planet. Hang them from your ceiling to celebrate.

Earth Day Read Aloud Book Recommendations

The Earth Book by Todd Parr:
This picture book not only teaches about the earth, it’s eco-friendly itself! Made from completely recycled materials, you can read about ways to help the earth while helping it!

Compost Stew: An A to Z Recipe for the Earth by Mary McKenna Siddals:
This book walks you through what you can and can’t compost in a fun way! Learn all about how composting helps the planet, and how you can make your own compost at home.

My Friend Earth by Patricia MacLachlan, illustrated by Francesca Sanna:
Check out this award winning read aloud book for ages 3-5, which teaches kids all about our earth, climate change, and how we can make a positive difference.

I Am Earth: An Earth Day Book for Kids by James McDonald and Rebecca McDonald:
This read aloud book introduces the basics of earth science to ages 3-5 and explains why it’s important to protect our home! These concepts come to life with colorful illustrations.

Activities and Books for Arbor Day

Free Arbor Day Activity:
This activity teaches students about Arbor Day and includes writing, art and history activities! You can find more activities like this one in Evan-Moor’s Giant Write workbook, which develops critical thinking skills, vocabulary, and writing skills.

Download your free Arbor Day Activity here.

Planting Trees: This one seems like a no-brainer, but isn’t always possible depending on yard space, climate, and other factors. Family, neighborhood, or city initiatives to plant more trees is one of the best ways to celebrate Arbor Day.

Family Tree: Combine Arbor Day with a family activity and make a family tree! Use art supplies to create the tree, and then write in family names, with the child’s name at the base of the trunk.

Recycled Tree Sculpture: Using recyclable materials, construction paper, and paint, make your own tree sculpture. You can use things like paper towel rolls for the trunk and paper plates for the leaves. You can even glue real leaves to the tree! Use your imagination!

Handprint Tree Art: Using brown and green paint and a piece of paper, paint your children’s hands and have them press it onto the paper to make a tree! You can use handprints for the whole tree, or paint the trunk with a brush.

Arbor Day Read Aloud Book Recommendations

The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
This book tells the story of the Lorax, who stands up for the trees when they’re being cut down. It’s an inspiring and encouraging tale about doing the right thing for others and our earth.

Treemendous: Diary of a Not Yet Mighty Oak by Bridget Heos, illustrated by Mike Ciccotello:
Follow the journey of an acorn as it grows into an oak tree in this illustrated kids’ book. Perfect for ages 3-7, this diary-entry style book is engaging and educational.

Tall Tall Tree: A Nature Book for Kids About Forest Habitats by Anthony D. Fredericks, illustrated by Chad Wallace:
A beautiful book about the redwood trees of California, this book teaches children about trees and the habitats and animals they sustain. It also includes complementary STEAM activities for ages 3-8.

Take advantage of spring weather to celebrate Earth and Arbor Day! Show your appreciation for the earth by creating art, planting trees and flowers, or just going outside.

For more great activity ideas and educational lessons, subscribe to our free e-newsletter here.

Christine Wooler has experience working with children as a youth soccer coach and summer camp counselor. She is currently studying English Literature and journalism in college. She enjoys exploring educational topics that help students have fun while learning.

STEAM education helps children grow in the areas of critical thinking, communication, collaboration, creativity, and innovation. These four primary skill areas are a critical component of modernizing students’ curriculum to meet the demands of an ever- evolving technological world.

The acronym STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math and differs from STEM with the incorporation of art. By adding artistic components to STEM, children practice a holistic approach to learning by involving both sides of the brain. This inclusive approach to educational allows children to practice collaboration and creativity within different disciplines across subject matter.

How to Teach STEAM

The key to STEAM teaching is project-based learning, which stimulates both sides of the brain simultaneously as well as including different types of problem-solving and thinking skills. STEAM education teaches children the processes involved in becoming a critical and creative thinker. Through this discipline children learn:

• How to ask questions
• How to be innovative
• How to create

There are lots of resources available to help guide your STEAM teaching, including Evan-Moor’s Skill Sharpeners: STEAM Activity Book and STEAM Project-Based Learning teacher’s edition. 

Skill Sharpeners: STEAM is a full-color activity book that teaches STEAM with project-based activities for grades PreK-6. Each unit presents a real-world problem, followed by research, activities, and hands-on challenges for students to complete. There are not right or wrong answers within STEAM, just opportunities to enhance and revise projects.

Skill Sharpeners STEAM is organized around 9 real-world topics related to the environment, the Earth, people and cultures, and social and emotional learning. Topics ask children to use science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics and engage them in empathizing, thinking critically, collaborating, and coming up with solutions to solve real-world problems.

STEAM Project-Based Learning teacher’s edition for grades 1-6 encourages students to develop collaborative problem-solving skills. The engaging STEAM tasks provide meaningful learning opportunities for students as they work together to study current real-world problems and strategize solutions to help create a better world. Each robust unit includes a hands-on STEAM task that provides students with a problem to solve using the design process of Problem and Task, Research, Brainstorm and Design, Make It and Explain It.

Download a free sampler for STEAM Project-Based Learning here! 

Free Skill Sharpeners STEAM Projects for grades PreK-6

Check out this free sampler for Skill Sharpeners STEAM grades PreK-6. Highlighted below are some of the STEAM units included in this free PDF. Download this free printable from Skill Sharpeners STEAM for grades PreK-6!

Skill Sharpeners STEAM PreK
Tissue Box: PreK Engineering Connection
This activity is from the Germ unit in the PreK level, and challenges students to redesign a tissue box using art materials from around the house. Using both creative and critical thinking skills, students will complete this hands-on activity while also learning about germs and how to stay healthy. This activity is part of the engineering connection to the unit theme.

Skill Sharpeners STEAM 1st grade
Litter Machine Project: First Grade
This activity challenges students to design their own clean-up litter machine as part of the Trash unit. Students will be guided through the brainstorming process as they use critical thinking skills to describe their machine idea, and then can build a cardboard model or draw a picture of their imagined design.

Skill Sharpeners STEAM 4th grade
Cultural Board Game: Fourth Grade
In a unit focused on cultural differences, students will research different countries across the world and then design and create a board game that teaches players about these countries. This activity walks students through each part of the creation process, from research to brainstorming to designing. Students will learn more about countries across the world and then get to teach others what they have learned!

Skill Sharpeners STEAM 6th grade
Presentation Project: Music Education: Sixth Grade
Part of this unit, based on music education, tells the story of making a case for music education at a school. Following this story, students will conduct research, draft a speech, and create part of a presentation that aims to convince the school board to include music education in their middle school curriculum. Students will use both critical and creative skills to achieve their goal.

STEAM education is where creativity meets academics and directly prepares children for the challenges they will face in the future. Incorporate some STEAM into your curriculum and see your students become motivated, interested and inspired.

For more great activity ideas and educational lessons, subscribe to our free e-newsletter here.

Christine Wooler has experience working with children as a youth soccer coach and summer camp counselor. She is currently studying English Literature and journalism in college. She enjoys exploring educational topics that help students have fun while learning.

Children’s literature is one of the ways that kids learn important life lessons and skills, such as empathy, acceptance, and confidence. Providing rich reading experiences that introduce different cultures and represent different experiences is a wonderful method for opening children’s world views. From picture books to chapter books to YA novels, there are plenty of options and opportunities for kids to see diversity represented in the books they read.

Here are some of our favorite books that represent and encourage diversity for grades PreK-2 and 3-6 reading levels:

Grades PreK–2

Thunder Boy Jr. by Sherman Alexie and Yuyi Morales (illustrator):
Thunder Boy Jr. doesn’t want to share a name with his dad, Big Thunder, anymore, so he sets out to discover a new name for himself. This is a great and colorful story about a young Native American boy and his father as they build his own confidence.

All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold and Suzanne Kaufman (illustrator):
This book is a colorful and descriptive story about children from all kinds of backgrounds as they go through their day at school. This is a great story about acceptance, diversity, and love.

Hair Like Mine by LaTashia M. Perry:
Follow the story of this little girl who wants to find someone else who also has naturally curly hair like hers. As she searches, she discovers that everyone has unique characteristics that make them who they are.

Festival of Colors by Surishtha Sehgal, Kabir Sehgal, and Vashti Harrison (illustrator):
In this beautifully illustrated book, learn about Holi, the Festival of Colors in Indian culture. Siblings Mintoo and Chintoo gather flowers and prepare for the festival in this colorful and educational story.

Sophia Valdez, Future Prez by Andrea Beaty and David Roberts (illustrator):
When Sofia’s Abuelo hurts his ankle at the local landfill, Mount Trashmore, she devises a plan to turn it into a park for the neighborhood! She prepares to pitch her idea to City Hall, but when that doesn’t work, she must find a new way to make a difference.

Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story by Kevin Noble Maillard and Juana Martinez-Neal (illustrator):
This illustrated book tells the story of the connection between food and culture and demonstrates how Fry Bread is a big part of Native American culture and family. The book also includes a recipe for fry bread and notes by the author about the story.

Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña and Christian Robinson (illustrator):
When CJ starts to ask questions like “Why do I have to ride the bus home with grandma?” and “How come I don’t have an iPod like other kids?” his grandmother shows him the beauty of their routine and the fun in the world around them.

Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts and Noah Z. Jones (illustrator):
Jeremy wants the shoes that everyone else is wearing, but his grandma explains the difference between “want” and “need.” As the story goes on, Jeremy realizes that he is grateful for what he does have, and ends up helping a friend out, too.

Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall:
This story follows Jabari, a recent swim lesson graduate, as he builds up the courage to jump off the diving board like all the other kids. With the help of his dad, he prepares to make the jump!

The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi:
When Unhei moves to America from Korea, she’s especially nervous about fitting in and teaching the other kids to pronounce her name. She decides to choose a new name, and all the other kids submit suggestions in the name jar, which mysteriously goes missing on the day of her name choosing!

Grades 3–6

Zora and Me by Victoria Bond and T.R. Simon:
Loosely based on Zora Neal Hurston, an African-American folklore author, this book tells the story of fictionalized young Zora as she tries to solve the mystery of the “half-man, half-gator” in her Florida town. The book also includes biographical information of Zora Neal Hurston, and is a great chapter book series.

The Skin I’m In by Sharon Flake:
This story tackles bullying with the story of Maleeka Madison, an African American seventh grader who struggles with poverty and self-consciousness about her dark skin. Winner of The Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent, this book is a wonderful story about self-acceptance.

Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan:
This classic chapter book tells the story of Esperanza as her life is uprooted, and she must move from her family’s farm in Mexico to a California labor camp. Esperanza faces new challenges as she and her family are not accepted in their new life. She must work hard to save herself and her family.

Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt:
Ally works very hard to hide her dyslexia in each new school she attends, until a new teacher spots her creative potential and works to help her improve her reading skills. Ally builds confidence in herself and her reading ability and sees new opportunities for herself.

Front Desk by Kelly Yang:
Mia Tang isn’t like the other kids; she lives in a motel where her parents are cleaners, works the front desk, and helps her parents hide immigrants in the empty rooms. She also wants to be a writer, but her mother wants her to stick to math and science. Follow Mia’s story as she tries to follow her dreams and help those around her.

Marcus Vega Doesn’t Speak Spanish by Pablo Cartaya:
Marcus, who doesn’t exactly fit in at school, takes a trip to Puerto Rico with his mom and brother to visit some relatives. Once there, Marcus sets off on a quest to find his father, who he hasn’t seen in years, and along the way learns about himself and learns a little bit of Spanish.

The House that Lou Built by Mae Respicio:
Follow Lou as she plans to build her own tiny house on her family’s property to get some space from her Filipino family, who live in a small apartment with her grandmother. When things go awry, Lou must fight to keep her family’s land and follow her dreams of becoming an architect.

The First Rule of Punk by Celia C. Pérez:
Malú faces her first day at a new school, and things don’t exactly go as planned, but her dad reminds her of the first rule of punk: be yourself. Malú sets out to assemble a band out of the other kids like her and teaches others to always be yourself.

The Gauntlet by Karuna Riazi:
Follow Farah and her two friends as they become trapped in an old mechanical board game and must fight to find a way back out. This fantasy novel is great for imaginative kids and features a female protagonist of color.

Wonder by R.J. Palacio:
This beloved novel is about August Pullman, a boy born with facial differences that make it hard to fit in. The story follows August as he tries to make new friends and features the perspectives of those around him who are learning empathy, compassion, and kindness.

Incorporating a variety of authors and books into your library will offer great opportunities for children to learn about the world around them through fun and colorful characters!

Build a sense of community and inclusiveness in the classroom with culturally responsive teaching units that connect students’ cultures, languages, and life experiences with their learning. The creative activities from Culturally Responsive Lessons and Activities for grades 1-6 help children reflect on their personal experiences while also learning to consider other viewpoints. The robust units include inspirational stories, creative writing prompts, video journals, and hands-on art activities such as posters and painting projects.

Download free printables from Culturally Responsive Lessons and Activities here. 

For more great activity ideas and educational lessons, subscribe to our free e-newsletter here.

Christine Wooler has experience working with children as a youth soccer coach and summer camp counselor. She is currently studying English Literature and journalism in college. She enjoys exploring educational topics that help students have fun while learning.

As a parent, you are already your child’s first teacher. Maximize your time at home with your child with fun learning activities that foster their love of learning and help them prepare for kindergarten. These materials, tips, and recommendations will help you get your child ready for school in the fall.

Workbook Resources

Smart Start: Read and Write: This activity book (available for grades PreK-1) uses fun animal alphabet stories to help children recognize and write letters. Each unit contains a story (which also includes an audio read-aloud option) and corresponding activities, like matching, drawing, listening to letter sounds, and more!

This is a great resource for kids who are just beginning to read, and helps with recognizing letters, fine motor skills, following directions, and visual recognition (all important skills for kindergarten readiness.) Purchase it on the Evan-Moor website, here.

Smart Start: Sight Words: Similar to Read and Write, this workbook (for grades PreK-1) helps beginner readers but focuses on recognizing high-frequency words. For the PreK level, high-frequency words are short words like: a, I, see, you, me, the, up, go, and not. These, and other sight words, are important for building reading fluency in young children. This full-color activity books pairs nicely with Smart Start: Read and Write to develop early reading skills.

Each unit introduces new vocabulary, practice activities, stories with audio read-aloud options, and review materials. These specially designed units help kids get a head start on sight words that will help them build reading fluency and gain confidence in their reading skills. Purchase it here, on the Evan-Moor website.

Read-Aloud Book Recommendations

Modeling reading and reading with your child every day are the best things you can do to help your child prepare for kindergarten. Reading aloud introduces vocabulary; models fluent, expressive reading; and helps children develop a love of reading. These book recommendations below are a great way to introduce a future transition to kindergarten.

The Night Before Kindergarten by Natasha Wing and Julie Durrell: This cute book tells the story of kids starting kindergarten, from saying goodbye to parents to making new friends and having fun!

The First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg and Judy Love: Follow Sarah Jane as she starts at a new school and faces all kinds of nervous jitters about her first day!

Countdown to Kindergarten by Alison McGhee and Harry Bliss: With 10 days until the start of kindergarten, a little girl faces pre-kindergarten anxiety, fueled by some crazy things she heard from a first grader.

Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten by Joseph Slate and Ashley Wolff: This book, from a fun series about Miss Bingergarten, follows the teacher as she prepares the classroom for her students, and the students as they get ready for the day!

I Love You All Day Long by Francesca Rusackas and Priscilla Burris: When Owen is nervous about kindergarten, Owen’s mom promises to love him all day long until he returns home again in this sweet, illustrated storybook.

Lookout Kindergarten, Here I Come by Nancy Carlson: Henry the mouse is so excited to start kindergarten, but gets nervous once he gets there. Everything works out though, and he has lots of fun and makes a few friends, too!

Hands-on Activities and Projects

There are other ways to prepare your kids for kindergarten apart from reading and writing practice! Here are some fun, hands-on activities to practice foundational skills such as counting, shape matching, alphabet identification, fine motor skills, and more.

M&M Sorting: This is a fun activity with a sweet reward! Practice counting and organization skills by dumping a pack of M&M’s (or any multi-colored candy) on a plate. Have your child organize them by color, then count how many there are of each color.

Play-Doh Letters: Using your favorite color of play-doh, form letters of the alphabet and then practice the sound it makes. Spell out single letters, short words, or their name in different colors! You can also use this activity for shape recognition.

Baking Activity: Though your kid may be too young for measurements, having them in the kitchen while you bake together can help them understand how counting and reading are used. It is also great for practicing fine motor skills, patience, and following directions.

Cardboard Shape Matching: Using a piece of cardboard or a cardboard box, cut basic shapes out of one side (you can use multiple sides if using a box). Using the scraps of cardboard, paint them different colors (or use construction paper and glue). Then have kids match the colored shape to the right cut-out!

There is a lot you can do to prepare your child for kindergarten, including a mix of reading-aloud, educational activity books, and hands-on activities. Preparing your child for kindergarten is about giving them beginning practice with letters, counting, following directions and most importantly, being flexible in a new environment.

For more information and help preparing your child for kindergarten, check out these articles.

Kindergarten Readiness Checklist

5 activities to get active boys and girls ready for kindergarten

10 Tips for Teaching Kindergarten at Home

Christine Wooler has experience working with children as a youth soccer coach and summer camp counselor. She is currently studying English Literature and journalism in college. She enjoys exploring educational topics that help students have fun while learning.

Are you noticing your kids or students making the same simple grammar mistakes over and over? Correcting common grammar mistakes early in kids’ writing careers is a vital part of building a strong writing foundation and improving writing fluency.

Here are the top 10 most common mistakes kids make in grammar and some ideas to improve them:

1) They’re, Their, There

These three words are homophones, meaning they sound the same but are spelled differently and have different meanings and purposes.

• They’re is a contraction of they are. When teaching “they’re,” have students expand the contraction to check if it makes sense in a sentence.
• Their is a possessive. Have students ask themselves who owns the object of the sentence to see if “their” is the right word to use. (Ex: It’s their car. Whose car is that? Theirs.)
• There is usually used as a noun or adjective. The easiest way to remember this one is to use it in describing placement. (Ex: There is my car. My cup is there).

Frequent and focused practice is the best way to help children learn these rules. Write practice sentences for your students, some using the correct homophone and some the incorrect one, and have your students identify the incorrect ones and change them to the correct ones.

2) You’re and Your

These two words are another example of homophone but are a bit easier to remember which one is which.

• You’re is a contraction of you are. Similar to “they’re,” practice this homophone by using its expanded form until students are comfortable with its use.
• Your is a possessive. Students can use the process of elimination to determine if  “your” is the correct homonym, or by remembering “Your does not possess an apostrophe or extra letter.”

A fun way to practice these is to make up silly sentences like “You’re blue bike/Your blue bike” and have students pick the correct one. It’s okay to expand the contraction as they’re learning!

3) Then and Than

Not quite homophones, but this word pairing is also tricky for students to understand.

• Then is often used to talk about time. Students can remember that “then” is used for time because there is a “t” and “e” in both words. There is no “e” in “than.”
• Than is used to compare two things. Exaggerate the “a” sound when teaching this so children can better differentiate the two.

Have children write “than” and “then” on separate flashcards, two sides of a popsicle stick, or other materials. Read sentences aloud, leaving a blank where the correct word should go, and then have students hold up the right word.

You can make this activity easier by drawing a clock next to “then,” and a balance next to “than” to show comparison.

4) Lie and Lay

This is a common grammatical mistake made in all levels of writing!

• Lie is to recline, like when someone needs to lie down. Have students remember this by noting that “lie” and “recline” have similar sounds and letters.
• Lay is to place. There is an “a” is “lay,” just as there is in “place.”

Students can also remember these like this: “Lie” usually refers to one’s self or another person (lie = I). “Lay” is usually an action taken on another object, like to lay down a pencil (lay = a = another).

5) Who and Whom

This is another pairing of words that kids find hard to understand, but there is a simple replacement trick to determine which is which.

• Who is often the subject of a verb. If it can be replaced with “he,” “she,” or “they” in a sentence (Who wants ice cream? / She wants ice cream), use “who.”
• Whom is usually the object of a verb. If it can be replaced with “him,” “her,” “them,” or an object (The letter was addressed to whom? / The letter was addressed to him), use whom.

“Whom” is largely ignored in casual speech or writing, meaning kids often don’t get the hang of it until later in their writing careers. If they can nail it down now, they will stand out in their academic efforts.

6) Two, To, and Too

This group is another set of homophones that trips kids up, but each has a very distinct purpose.

• Two is the written form of the number 2. Have students substitute 2 in the sentence to see if it makes sense, and if it does, use “two.” If they need help remembering which one is 2, note that “w” is pronounced “double-u.” Hopefully the double will remind them of the number.
• To is a preposition and usually indicates direction (I went to the store). Students most commonly mix up to and too.
• Too usually means also or additionally. Students can substitute “also” to test if it makes sense (You want to come to the store, also/too?). Note that there is an additional “o” at the end of too, emphasizing that this is the word that means in addition.

Another test to differentiate between “to” and “too” is to remove it from the sentence. If you remove “to” from a sentence, it likely won’t make sense, but if you remove “too” from the sentence, it won’t affect it.

• I want to go to the store to buy ice cream, too.

If you remove “to,” you get: I want go the store buy ice cream, too.
If you remove “too,” you get: I want to go to the store to buy ice cream.

7) Affect and Effect

There is a simple spelling trick students can use to remember which word means what in this case.

• Affect is the verb, meaning it is the action. Affect = action, both words start with an “a.” An example is: The rain affected our plans.
• Effect is the noun and is usually used to show the end result. Effect = end result; both words/phrases start with an “e.” An example is: The rain had an effect on our plans.

Remembering affect/action and effect/end result will help students know which one to use in a sentence.

8) I and Me

Knowing which version to use in a sentence can be decided by temporarily dropping other words in the sentence. For example: You and I want ice cream/You and me want ice cream. If you drop the “you and,” you get:

• I: I want ice cream. That sounds right!
• Me: Me want ice cream. That doesn’t sound correct.

Have students use that trick on any sentences where they aren’t sure if it’s “I” or “me,” and they’ll be able to figure out which one is correct.

9) It’s and Its

This is another simple mistake that can be solved really easily.

• It’s is the contraction of “it is.” Expand the contraction in the sentence to see if it makes sense.
• Its shows possession. Its does not possess an apostrophe.

10) Principal and Principle

This word duo can be differentiated with the pal trick.

• Principal is the head of a school or organization, and is a person. They can be your pal!
• Principle is an idea, truth, or theory. It is an abstract thing, and can’t be your pal.

Let us know how you remember these fundamental grammar rules!

For more grammar and language practice, check out these Evan-Moor essentials:

Skill Sharpeners Grammar and Punctuation is a full-color activity book that makes practicing grammar and punctuation fun! The game-like activities and stickers create positive learning experiences and give children important practice opportunities!

Download a free sampler unit of Skill Sharpeners Grammar and Punctuation here. 

Daily Language Review is available for grades 1–8 with short, daily lessons and activities. The lessons are easy to complete in 15 minutes or less and get children practicing grammar and language.

Download a free sampler unit of Daily Language Review here. 

Language Fundamentals is an in-depth language book that teaches the most common grade-level grammar and punctuation skills. Activities include visuals and practice pages for practice of grammar, vocabulary, spelling, and language rules.

Download a free sampler unit of Language Fundamentals here. 

Christine Wooler has experience working with children as a youth soccer coach and summer camp counselor. She is currently studying English Literature and journalism in college. She enjoys exploring educational topics that help students have fun while learning.

March 2 kicks off Read Across America, a week-long event that encourages reading instead of screen time.  To celebrate this event, teachers and parents are encouraging reading all week with special activities and read-alouds. Here are some fun ideas and book suggestions to incorporate into your week! 

How to Celebrate at School

• Encourage Reading of Any and All Books: Reading is a very personal thing. The books children choose may not be of interest to teachers or parents, but something in them has captured a child’s interest. Children need the ability to find joy in reading apart from AR scores, Lexile scores, page numbers etc. They will be far more likely to read as adults if they learn to enjoy the process of reading rather than see it as a chore. 
  
• Book Exchange: This can be a classroom or school-wide event, in which each student brings in a wrapped used book and exchanges it with a classmate. Or you can hold a used book sale and sell the donated books for 25 cents!
• Lunchtime Read-ins: Hold a read-in during lunch and challenge students to finish a chapter or a book they’re reading! Offer a reward to motivate students to do so, like a homework pass or a treat. 
• Special Read-Aloud Assembly: Hold a special assembly where the principal reads a book aloud to everyone. This is a great way to bring awareness to this event and encourage reading at home.
• No Screens for Ice Cream: This is a conjoined program that takes place at home, but it is rewarded at school. In exchange for students replacing screen time with reading and other activities, they will be rewarded with an ice cream party! In order to participate, students must refrain from watching TV or playing video games from Monday to Friday. Schools should send home a No Screens for Ice Cream parent permission slip on the Friday before the week you celebrate it and have students return the signed permission slip verifying their participation the next Friday.

How to Celebrate at Home

• No Screens for Ice Cream: Students can choose to quit technology (like TV, video games, etc.) Monday through Friday. It’s encouraged that other family members also participate (screens related to homework or work are okay). Once students succeed, they bring in a form signed by a parent and are rewarded with an ice cream party at school! Here are some ideas for non-screen activities:
  
  • Board games
  • Puzzles
  • Card games
  • Arts and crafts
  • Reading as a family or individually
• Make it a goal to read the recommended 10–30 minutes (based on your child’s age) per night for Read Across America week. If your child does it every night for the whole week, reward him or her with a special treat or activity! Hopefully this habit will carry into other weeks going forward as your child starts to read more!
• Have your child pick out a brand new or used book! This will be the initial motivation to read, but rewarding him or her based on chapters read, time spent reading, or completion of a book is a great idea to foster motivation.
• Read aloud! There is a famous quote from Emilie Buchwald that says, “Readers are made on the laps of their parents.” Choose a family book to read aloud before bed or purchase an audio book to listen to with your children. These experiences will expand your child’s imagination and develop language and listening skills beyond their abilities. 
• Create your own book! Use your imagination and creativity, and color pictures to go with the words!

Book Recommendations For Kids

30 Recommended Summer Reading Books Grades K–2

35 Best Summer Reading Books for Grades 3–6

For more book ideas, check out this themed book list! 

For more educational ideas and resources for grades PreK–8, subscribe to Evan-Moor’s free education newsletter.

Christine Wooler has experience working with children as a youth soccer coach and summer camp counselor. She is currently studying English Literature and journalism in college. She enjoys exploring educational topics that help students have fun while learning.