TPT Two Day Sale to Say Thank You to Teachers

This is Teacher Appreciation Week; so, Teachers Pay Teachers wants to make sure educators feel extra loved and appreciated for all that they do for students. But it just isn't teachers we need to thank. We need to recognize parents, grandparents, caregivers, anyone who has been teaching a child. Thank you for your hard work and trying to meet the changing needs of students.

In appreciation, TPT is having a two day sale. It's a chance for you to purchase those items that you need to finish the school year. The sale starts on Tuesday, May 5th at 12:01 am ET and runs through Wednesday, May 6th at 11:59 pm ET.  During these two days, most TPT sellers will offer discounts anywhere from 5% to 20% off.  Many of the resources in my store will also be discounted. At checkout, you can receive another 5% discount from TPT if the special code THANKYOU26 is entered. Therefore, you save a total of 25% which is 1/4 off the original price.

We understand that we can never fully repay you for the way you have supported and encouraged teachers or for the way you have cared about your child's education, but at least, we can try!

Two Mind-Bending May Crossword Puzzles in which all the Answers Start with "May"!

I love the beautiful month of May. Here in Kansas, the blustery, cold winds are gone, as are the rains of early spring. Thankfully, the days are getting longer and the nights shorter. May is known as the month of transition and holidays like Mother's Day, and Memorial Day. It is also recognized as Military Appreciation Month. Some other dates that hold significance are May 1st and May 5th.

May 1st is May Day, and marks the return of spring by the blossoming branches of the forsythia, or lilacs or daffodils popping their heads out of the ground, or the weather turning warmer. May 5th is Cinco de Mayo (The Fifth of May). This day celebrates the victory of the Mexican army over the French army at The Battle of Puebla in 1862. Did you know that no U.S. president has ever died in the month of May? In every other month of the year, at least one U.S. president has died.

Have you heard about these fun dates in May?

• May 1: School Principals’ Day
• May 2: World Tuna Day
• May 8: No Socks Day
• May 14 (second Wednesday in May): Root Canal Appreciation Day
• May 14: Dance Like a Chicken Day
• May 28: Slugs Return from Capistrano Day

As I thought about May, I discovered that numerous words begin with "MAY".  After much research, I compiled a list of 20 different such words to create two May themed crosswords puzzles perfect for students in grades 7-10. One puzzle includes a word bank for easier solving, while the other offers a more challenging experience without it. Although both puzzles use the same vocabulary, they have unique layouts, providing two distinct challenges for your students. And don't worry, I've included answer keys for both puzzles. 

$3.00

Here are some ideas on how you might use these puzzles.

1. Try giving the students the crossword with NO word bank to see how much they know.
2. Use the crossword with the word bank as a review of May and its traditions.
3. Use either crossword to work in pairs to complete the puzzle. Solving a crossword puzzle together is a great way to connect.
4. Copy it and make it available for those students who finish their work early.

Happy Puzzling!

The Golden Ratio - Another Math Pattern in Nature

 As stated in a previous blog post, we come across Fibonacci numbers almost every day in real life. For instance, my husband and I were at the Wonders of Wildlife Aquarium in Springfield, Missouri. (If you haven't been, you should go because it is spectacular.) He was noticing how the herrings were swimming counter clockwise and discussing the Coriolis effect with the guide. When we got to the lower levels, where the sharks were, they were all swimming in a counterclockwise direction as well. I asked my rocket scientist husband why this was and again he said, with a straight face, "The Coriolis Effect."

Inside of a Nautilus Shell

I then spied seashells and started talking about Fibonacci numbers and the Golden Ratio. (I know the visitors around us were wondering just who we were!) On the right, you will see a picture of the inside of a Nautilus Shell taken by me! It clearly shows the Golden Ratio. (The Golden Ratio is a special number equal to about 1.6180339887498948482. The Greek letter Phi is used to refer to this ratio. Like Pi, the digits of the Golden Ratio go on forever without repeating.) Many shells, including snail shells and nautilus shells, are perfect examples of the Golden spiral.

Are you still not sure what I am talking about? Have you ever watched the Disney movie entitled Donald in Mathmagic Land? (It's an old one that

The Golden Ratio

you can find on You Tube.) Well, in the movie they talk about the Golden ratio. This is a proportion that is found in nature and in architecture. The proportion creates beauty. And that proportion is the Fibonacci sequence! If you divide consecutive Fibonacci numbers you will always get the Golden ratio. Try it! Start with the big numbers. If you divide 89 by 55, you get 1.61. If you divide 55 by 34, you get 1.61. If you divide 34 by 21, you get 1.61, and so on. You can look up the Golden Ratio and explore it more. It’s fun!

As I close, think about these two questions and try to answer them.

1. Where is the Golden Ratio found in the human body?
2. Why is the golden rectangle important in architecture and art? 

How Will Your Students Celebrate Earth Day on April 22nd?

Earth Day began in 1970, when Gaylord Nelson, a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, wanted nation-wide teaching on the environment. He brought the idea to state governors, mayors of big cities, editors of college newspapers, and to Scholastic Magazine, which was circulated in U.S. elementary and secondary schools.

Eventually, the idea of Earth Day spread to many people across the country and is now observed each year on April 22nd. The purpose of the day is to encourage awareness of and appreciation for the earth's environment. It is usually celebrated with outdoor shows, where individuals or groups perform acts of service to the earth. Typical ways of observing Earth Day include planting trees, picking up roadside trash, and conducting various programs for recycling and conservation.

Symbols used by people to describe Earth Day include: an image or drawing of planet earth, a tree, a flower or leaves depicting growth or the recycling symbol. Colors used for Earth Day include natural colors such as green, brown or blue.

The universal recycling symbol as seen above is internationally recognized and used to designate recyclable materials. It is composed of three mutually chasing arrows that form a Mobius strip which, in math, is an unending single-sided looped surface. (And you wondered how I would get math in this article!?!) This symbol is found on products like plastics, paper, metals and other materials that can be recycled. It is also seen, in a variety of styles, on recycling containers, at recycling centers, or anywhere there is an emphasis on the smart use of materials and products.

FREE

Inspired by Earth Day, Trash to Treasure is a FREE resource. In it, you will discover how to take old, discarded materials and make them into new, useful, inexpensive products or tools for your classroom. Because these numerous activities vary in difficulty and complexity, they are appropriate for any PreK-3 classroom, and the visual and/or kinesthetic learners will love them.

To download the free version, just click under the cover page on your left.

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