Preschoolers and the Caves at Lascaux

When I was teaching sixth grade Social Studies, my students were always mesmerized by the cave paintings in the book from Lascaux, France.  To go with this section I had my students "tell" a story with "cave paintings."  They would write a short story, then have to tell it with pictures.

We opened up a paper grocery bag and they used a charcoal briquette as their drawing utensil.  The next day each group wrote what they thought the story was.

I am bringing this up because it was a great activity, but also because I have came across an article with a video and some resources I think my students would have thoroughly enjoyed and I learned some new things additionally!  See how preschoolers and this ancient cave may be related by clicking on the image below.

Orange Goo? What is it?

Do you have a guess what it is and where it is?  

Well, it has been washing ashore in a remote village in Alaska.  Did that change your guess?

Learn more about this and many other things at Go Go News, Big News for Little People.  

One more thing, you can get a daily news article sent to your mailbox.  Did I mention it was FREE!!!!!!!!!  This is a great way to add some nonfiction reading for your students with no cost.  

Another neat thing about this site, is has a read to me option for each of the short articles.  A great way to help those that struggle with reading learn some fun things.  Shucks, I think some of the articles are interesting.  :0)

My Name is Osama

The story My Name is Osama was first published in Middle Level Learning, a publication of the National Council for the Social Studies.  It is the story of an Iraqi boy named Osama whose family moves to the United States.


I like to use this story at the first of the year with my students.  I usually wait until I start hearing them "picking on someone".  With sixth graders I am usually in full swing taking care of the issue of picking on someone about the second or third week of school.  


Since sixth graders in my district study Ancient Civilizations, it also ties in really well.  We take the references to rivers, etc. in the letter and do map work determining where Osama is from.  I read them the story while they read it and we discuss it.  As a class, they normally have some very powerful discussions for sixth graders.  It usually really affects most of my students and gives them a different perspective on the issue of judging others by their dress, name, etc.  


One year, I had students crying because they identified with Osama and how he felt.  They were extremely brave and shared with the class how they felt and their story of being judged.  That touched the rest of my students more than you can imagine.  They became a very tight knit group that worked together and were very considerate of each other's feelings.


It has been a really poignant lesson since September 11.  Click on the button below to read the story and/or download the pdf.

Egyptian Typewriter?

What is this and what does is spell?  This says Vintage Teacher.   (What I did was to copy the letter and put them in order in PowerPoint.  I then grouped them and saved the group as a picture.)

If I was going to teach ancient civilizations this year I would buy the program.  I think the kids would have a blast spelling words, names, making sentences for each other, etc.

Click on the greeting symbol below to be taken to the hieroglyphic typewriter to make your own message.

Let Freedom Ring

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
-The Declaration of Independence 4 of July, 1776.

Fourth of July Facts and Trivia

As fireworks are exploding in anticipation of the 4th, let us not forget the brave people who signed and fought for our independence and those who have lost their lives defending it.   The following is some 4th of July trivia:

·        Thirty places in the United States have "liberty" in their names.  Liberty, Missouri  has the highest population of the thirty.

·        Iowa has more places with places with "liberty" than any other state at four:  Libertyville, New Liberty, North Liberty, and West Liberty.

·        Eleven places have "independence" in their name.  The largest of these is Independence, Missouri.

·        Five places adopted the name "freedom."  Freedom, California has the largest population of these places.

·        There is one place named "patriot"--Patriot, Indiana, with a population of 202.

·        How about spending your day in one of the cities named "America"?  There are five places with this name, the largest being American Fork, Utah.

·        The Liberty Bell sounded at Independence Hall from the tower on July 8, 1776, summoning citizens to gather for the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence.  Colonel John Nixon read the document to the crowd.

·        The national flag was adopted on June 14, 1777 by the Continental Congress

·        The White House held the first Fourth of July event in 1804.

·        The first Independence Day celebration west of the Mississippi happened at Independence Creek and was celebrated by Lewis and Clark in 1805.

·        The last letter Thomas Jefferson ever wrote was to Roger C. Weightman, declining an invitation to come to Washington, D.C. to help celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

·        The 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence did not sign at the same time or on July 4, 1776.  The official event did not happen until August 2, 1776.

·        4th of July was not declared a holiday until 1941.

  

·        Over an estimated 150 million hot dogs will be eaten on July 4.  That is approximately 1 hot dog for every two people in the United States.

·        John Hancock was the only person to actually sign the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.

·        The youngest signer of the Declaration of Independence was 26-year-old Edward Rutledge.

·        The oldest signer of the Declaration of Independence was Benjamin Franklin at the age of 70. 

·        Bristol, Rhode Island has the oldest , continuous 4th of July celebration.  This celebration dates back to 1785.

·        Three U.S. presidents have died on July 4th.  Both Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died on July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  Five years later, James Monroe died on July 4, 1831.

·        Calvin Coolidge is the only U.S. president born on the 4th of July.  He was born in 1872.

Dumb jokes for the kids:

Q;  What's the difference between a duck and George Washington?

A:  One has a bill on his face, and the other has face on a bill.

Q:  Do they have a 4th of July in England?

A:  Of course they do.  That is how they get from the 3rd of July to the 5th.

Q:  Why did the duck say bang?

A:  Because he was a firequacker.

Q:  What did one flag say to the other?

A:  Nothing, it just waved.

Sources of information:

http://www.chiff.com/a/fun-facts-fourth.htm

http://www.purpletrail.com/partytrail/featured_fourth_of_july/4th_of_july_history_trivia_and_facts

http://www.oldeducator.com/july4factsandtrivia.htm

http://www.examiner.com/northside-family-parenting-in-atlanta/4th-of-july-fun-facts-trivia-and-jokes-for-kids

Featured Item- Tic-Tac-Egypt

The new featured item is a game reviewing basic knowledge regarding the ancient Egyptians.

The use of this interactive game will bring a sense of fun to the study of ancient Egypt.

The tic-tac-learn game board adds fun and the skill of logic and reasoning to Social Studies/History class.  It is great as a whole class review using an interactive board but works just as well on a computer to be played by two students.  This is a read-only game.

Have a great day!