In 1936, Sergei Prokofiev wrote Peter and the Wolf to introduce the instruments of the orchestra to children. There is probably still no better way to do it. The story is simple yet exciting: Peter disobeys his grandfather and goes into the woods, where he sees some animals, all of whom… Continue reading
Sounds are caused when an object vibrates, causing vibrations in the medium through which it travels (generally air), which in turn cause vibrations in the ear drum of a listener. Faster vibrations create higher pitched sounds than slower vibrations. To learn about pitch, you can approach the question from… Continue reading
Think of all the people involved in taking care of your teeth! Here’s a lesson plan that works for career day, community helpers lessons, or dental health lessons. It’s intended to help students move beyond the most obvious career choices (such as dentists) and realize how many different jobs… Continue reading
Recognizing and practicing with rhythms is an important pre-reading skill, and it can be both calming and energizing — something you’ll appreciate at this point in the year! How can you teach about rhythm if you’re not a musician? Here are some easy ideas using books, recorded music (your… Continue reading
Need some good books for Earth Day? Here are some fine ones. Check your library. Earth Day: An Alphabet Book The EARTH Book by Todd Parr is simple and straighforward. The Earth and I by Frank Asch is a sweet book about being friends with the Earth. It’s Earth… Continue reading
FreshPlans was launched on April 18th, 2010, so it’s our first birthday today. In our first year, we’ve had more than 136,000 visitors from 174 countries and territories. Thank you so much for helping to make our first year great! Continue reading
Just for fun (and early math practice), a spaceship counting worksheet for your class. We have different numbers of items, some all alike and some mixtures, and different arrangements, so there’s a little bit of challenge even though the numbers are small. Click to download the pdf file. count-spaceships Continue reading
Easter in the classroom is a lot like Christmas in the classroom: there is an unavoidable religious element, but it is also a holiday celebrated as a secular day of fun in the United States, and there are a lot of enjoyable things you can do in your classroom if… Continue reading
Pluto used to be the ninth planet in the solar system. For a while it was the eighth planet. Now Pluto has been demoted and is no longer a planet at all.You can read the official announcement made in 2006 and see that there are three criteria for planethood,… Continue reading
April 12th is Yuri’s Night, the anniversary of the first human spaceflight, and April 12th, 2011, is the 50th anniversary of the flight. We know you’re not in your classroom tonight, but we think you can kick off a celebration that lasts till Earth Day. Yuri Gagarin was a… Continue reading
