Okay, it's not the original title, but a great post called "50 Fun Ways to Maximize Your Brain Fitness" has some great recommendations. Of course, my favorite has to do with food. I just have to share #11 because I am crazy about avocados.
Enjoy some guacamole. Eating avocados can be a great way to improve your brain health, as they contain monounsaturated fats which improve blood flow and lower blood pressure. Hypertension is a risk factor for a decline in mental abilities, so any foods that lower this risk should help you out.
The list of 50 includes a lot of ideas that will delight you and your brain. Not all of them are food related.:) Teachers are so busy during the school year, and a lot of times they tend to neglect themselves and their health. Therefore, making a list of your own favorite, healthy habits and placing the list on your desk or refrigerator is a great way to remember to take time for yourself.
An idea that might cause a bit of humor for you and your students is #48.
Try using your other hand. Most people can only use one of their hands with any degree of coordination, so make a game of using your other hand to do things like write, draw and do small tasks. This is a huge challenge for your brain as it adapts to using a part of your body differently than it’s used to.
Why not have students write sentences or illustrate stories using their other hand and share them with their peers? I'm sure there would be a lot of laughter involved. It could even be a great "ice breaker" lesson for the first day of school.
The beginning of the year is always filled with so many things to do. Remember to stay healthy and take a little time for yourself too.
It's all in the way you say it. NYC Educator let us in on a secret with his Amaze Your Friends post. If you want to just wow people, check out some of the educational jargon that will do just that. Check out his post and the Educational Jargon Generator that is just waiting for your perusal. I mean, people will just be in awe of any teacher who spouts off some of this dizzy lingo. It's also perfect for reports and lesson plans.
One of my good teacher buddies is a great gal with the gift of gab. She can throw out educational terms that are unknown to most of us. It's easier to pretend we understand than to ask questions, so most of the time we just nod like those dogs mounted in the backs of cars.
Who would have thought that someone would put such a choice group of words on one website? It's worth getting some jalapeno cheetos and taking the time to add a few new terms to your repertoire of educational buzzwords just to impress those who need impressing.
It took me a long time to unpack, but I'm back with pictures and have signed up for Flickr. Let the fun begin.
I had to laugh when I read Mister Teacher's post because we probably passed each other on the beach. We were in Seaside, which is just a skip and a hop from Destin. My son joined us for part of the trip and had some comments very similar to those of Mister Teacher.
There were actually sixteen of us, so it was quite a family gathering. I'm not sure how I was able to gain four pounds since we did so much walking and stair climbing. The seaweed was really bad when we were there and attached itself to our bodies like glue. My grandsons were covered in it by the end of each day. Since I can't swim, it was only on my feet.:)
It seems like my posts frequently include something about food, so I must mention the fried pickles. They were awesome, and I think I could eat them every day. Vacation is a time to do something different, so staying on a healthy diet flew out the window for me.
One of the teenagers on our trip read about six books during the week. She just loves to read. It made me think of a district in our area in the news last year because they implemented consequences for students who did not complete required summer reading. A love of reading is such a wonderful thing, yet not all kids enjoy books. Although we are told that if we read to our children and also let them see us reading, they will develop a love for books, this is not always the case. However, I do believe that required summer reading is a good thing, kind of like healthy eating. Oh, no! Here I go about food again.:)
Our family is taking a road trip to Florida, and I think we have packed half of our house to take with us. I have never been able to pack just the essentials. My suitcase just keeps getting bigger and bigger. That's one of the reasons I don't like to fly.
Thank goodness someone was smart enough to add wheels to luggage. I used to have this giant red suitcase that I hauled all over the place. That's why one of my arms is longer than the other.:)
Hopefully, I will get some awesome pictures so I can try my hand at Flickr when I return. I'm sure I will be asking for a little help from my technology friends out there.
I just thought of a few more things to squeeze into my suitcase that I probably won't use. Just how many pairs of shoes will I need for a trip to the beach?
My four year old grandson has the answer for what to do if you need more money. We were playing a game of basketball, and the boys were wanting to earn coins for making baskets. I made the typical response and asked them if they thought money just grew in my purse. With all seriousness, the four year old told me to just go to the bank if I needed more money. He added, "Then go again and again and again, Bee." After taking in this bit of information, I asked him what I should do if the bank ran out of money. After giving me an "I don't believe you can't figure this out for yourself look", he shook his head and said, "Then go to another bank."
One of the reasons I love kids is because they give me so much to laugh about. Sometimes when I start laughing, I have trouble stopping. I have to really put myself in another place mentally to control it. This little foible has managed to get me into trouble over the years. I have been "talked to" by a professor in graduate school as well as a principal who didn't understand why I laughed through a faculty meeting. If laughter really is the best medicine, I get my fair share.:)
If you aren't keeping up with The Baby Borrowers, it's the reality show where teenage couples take care of other people's kids to get a feel for what it's really like to be parents. My favorite part of the show from last week was when the babies were returned to their parents. After all, they didn't ask for the assignment, and it was a pretty tough one. A couple of the teenage girls demonstrated some just plain whiny, "poor me" attitudes that were painful to watch. I wanted to go in and take over the care of the babies myself. I don't know how the real parents were able to restrain themselves.
My next favorite part was where some of the parents admitted seeing some of themselves in the actions of the frustrated teens. Such honesty is refreshing because it's hard to admit that being a parent can sometimes cause us to act like children ourselves. Working with children requires a great deal of patience and love.
This week's show was the toddler experience. I was once again struck by the lack of patience and determination on the part of some of the teens. It makes me wonder if some of these teens will improve with age. Adulthood does not automatically prepare people for parenthood.
Working with children is not easy. As parents and as teachers, we never know what we are going to get. Some kids are just easier than others. One of my teacher friends has a daughter who is always a pleaser and seldom does anything to warrant even a slight reprimand. My friend thought that all kids were like her daughter before she started teaching. No wonder she looked at our team funny when we discussed our discipline plan. She had never needed one.
It's interesting to see how these teens are dealing with children. Some of them need an attitude adjustment. With just a little bit of constructive criticism, they are ready to quit. Children deserve a lot more than that.
Why not see if new words added to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary aren't new to you? A list of some of the more notable words and the year they were first used in an English-language publication might get you started. I am pleased that I actually blogged about dwarf planets. My first experience with edamame came when my son mentioned that he liked it a couple of weeks ago. I wasn't even sure what it was. And what's up with fanboy? How come it took it 89 years to make it into the dictionary? The very idea!
A sampling of the added words:
Dwarf planet (1993): celestial body that orbits the sun and has a spherical shape, but is too small to disturb other objects from its orbit.
Edamame (1951): immature green soybeans, usually in the pod.
Fanboy (1919): boy who is an enthusiastic devotee, such as of comics or movies.
Students might enjoy using words from the list to write paragraphs like this one:
Some malware locked me out of my webinar, so I headed down to the infinity pool to eat some edamame, fresh from the pod. A waitress came by with a glass of soju…or was it prosecco?
I'm sure a lot of spell checkers will go crazy in the process.:) You should see the red marks on my screen right now.
It might also be a great back to school activity to give students a list of some of the newly added words and have them write their own definitions before revealing the actual meanings of the words.
Although I took two years of Spanish in high school and made mostly A's, I am only capable of understanding a word every now and then and only remember a few words and phrases. Being able to speak and understand another language is something I have always wanted to do. When we traveled to Paris a few years ago, I learned just enough French to tell the wait staff that I didn't like seafood. One disbelieving chef actually emerged from the kitchen with an entire uncooked fish and promised he could cook it to my liking. I'm not sure my French was all that good.
If you want to learn to speak French, you can find free software downloads along with a French word of the day at transparent.com. The site has software for 105 languages, and I must admit that I haven't even heard of some of them. Each language has a variety of free resources available along with inexpensive software that you can also purchase to keep the challenges coming. Products can be chosen by age and experience level. Kids will also love some of the free online games.
The learning process on this site focuses on learning real life words and meaningful phrases spoken by native speakers and using these as spring boards to even greater understanding and comprehension. The learner really gets a feel for the language through a variety of listening and speaking activities. So, if you want to learn to speak Italian, you can work at your own speed while learning a wonderful new language. The Transparent Language International Cafe even gives you a chance to order from a menu in Italian and four other languages. After ordering, the waiter returns with your meal so you can see what you ordered and determine if you need a little more practice learning the language.
Students might enjoy the free word a day feature available for some of the languages. It is really cool because you hear the words pronounced and also written in the chosen language as well as in English. Students could include words from other languages in their stories and compositions to add a little flair to their writing.
With technology, it has become easier to learn another language and also, a lot more fun. If you want to learn to speak Spanish, or another language, it's possible to download free software, take quizzes, play online games, or pick inexpensive software that meets your budget. There is also a delightful Spanish blog on transparent.com that even has a post on food vocabulary. The blog nicely combines English and Spanish in a way that makes you just want to learn more.
I have an idea. Let's blame America's obesity on all of the cooking shows that seem to be taking over television. My husband is now obsessed with watching people cook. I'm wondering if there is a support group I can join. I do know that whatever he is learning is not transferring into the kitchen. That's probably a good thing since most of it looks pretty unhealthy to me.
Watching people prepare and taste food just isn't entertaining to me. And yet, others not only find the process entertaining but can probably replicate what they see in their own kitchens. This is similar to how students learn in school. Some students have the ability to sit back and learn without being actively involved. Others need hands on, active experiences.
Technology has made me realize that I need hands on experiences before the learning sticks. I am quickly left behind at show and tell demonstrations and soon feel intimidated and discouraged. Yet, there is an excitement for me when I get to participate and try to get things to work all by myself. Of course, the necessary ingredients are patient instructors and devices that work. Oh, and another ingredient needed is an instructor who can get down to my level when it comes to technology. Wait a minute. This is starting to sound like a cooking show!
Just looking only works for me in museums.
Kids know what they like when it comes to books. When I share some of my favorites with my grandsons, I can tell almost immediately if they are with me or not. Sometimes we don't even get past the first page. With other books, they want to hear them again and again.
Adults can write all of the reviews they want for children's books, but kids will probably get more from reviews recorded by their peers. CNN.com asked children what they thought about ten of the latest book releases for children and got some pretty honest answers. You can listen to the children review the books and can see that they are enjoying the process. What a great idea for teachers and librarians! Recording book reviews just seems like fun to me.
Another way to preview children's books page by page is at Lookybook. I found this unique link and more on Pat's (Successful Teaching) post Useful Information In and Out of the Classroom. The other links on Pat's post are definitely worth a look see!
My grandsons love this book. I think they'd like a mud washing machine of their own.
My sister recently told me that she heard that the reason we sometimes refer to affluent people as being the "upper crust" is because at one point in time, only those with money could afford a top crust for their homemade pies. When I googled upper crust, I found a lot of restaurants with that name, so I added "expression" and found this explanation at Kidzworld about familiar expressions originating from the 1500's.
Bread was given out according to status. Workers were given the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle and guests got the top or the "upper crust."
Both explanations sound reasonable to me, but I thought my sister's was interesting since I recently made a blueberry pie. The recipe for Aunt Julie's Blueberry Pie came from Veggie Mom's blog, and I found it while reading Melissa's blog, The Scholastic Scribe. Both are great blogs that I have recently added to my "must read" list.
The reason that I am blogging about my pie is that it reminds me of teaching sixth grade math. I used recipes a lot to help my students understand why they really did need to know math. Recipes and menus are real life ways to get the point across. Sometimes for assessment, I had them double recipes or cut them in half. To demonstrate their knowledge of percentages, they had to select menu items, and add on the tax and tip. A lot of times they worked in groups. For final projects, they brought in family recipes and designed their own restaurants, complete with floor plans and menus.
When I bought the ingredients for the pie, I found myself thinking as a sixth grade math teacher. "Okay, how many cups are in a pint?" I asked myself since the blueberries were sold by the pint. Luckily, I remembered.:)
My top crust clearly demonstrates that I am a random person and that the pie is homemade. I'm sure my former math students would probably say something about my uneven top crust since I was a stickler for straight lines, but it tasted mighty good.
A list of 50 things blamed on the cost of oil is worth taking the time to read. The list by Tom Weber on The Wall Street Journal's Buzzwatch is complete with links and will definitely make you think. You might even want to comment and add an item or two of your own.:)
The list includes things like school field trips, school lunches, and community college calendar changes. Of course, schools are always one of the first groups to feel budget cuts.
The list of of 50 things being blamed on rising fuel costs could be the beginning of a meaningful cause and effect lesson for students. They could add to the list by thinking of ways their own lives are changing.
Since there are both negative and positive changes connected to the cost of oil, this list could also launch a few compare and contrast papers.
A recent study by internet security firm Symantec Corp. indicates that parents might know where their children are but don't always know what they are doing on the internet.
Some findings from the study aren't really that surprising.
Overall, parents appear to underestimate how often their children encounter indiscretions online, such as receiving requests for personal information, being approached online by a stranger, and experiencing cyber pranks or bullying.
In fact, although 25 percent of U.S. children report having experienced requests for personal information, fewer than 2 in 10 parents think this is happening to their children.
Although 13 percent of U.S. children report experiencing cyber pranks, only 2 percent of parents believe their children are being cyber bullied.
I have had parents tell me that they trust their children and don't worry about their internet activities. (These are the same parents that claim their children never lie.) Hello. Welcome to the real world. Kids will be kids and that's why they need parents.
My parents held the reins tightly. If the internet had been around back then, my sister and I probably would not have had access to it. That's just not practical today. Computers are everywhere, and teaching children to be responsible internet users is very important. Parental controls and supervision are as necessary to the process of using the internet as training wheels are to learning to ride a bike. Freedom is given as it is earned, but parents must continue to be aware of the places their kids visit and the people they meet along the way.
Thank you Mystery Teacher for letting me know that someone is sending out spam emails with my address. Please let me know if any of you are also receiving spam emails supposedly from me.
You can email me through my blog or report it to Teacher Lingo on the feedback tab at the top. I have reported it and hopefully, the spam emails will stop soon.
As for the person who is doing it, please find a better use of your time.
Thank you again, Mystery Teacher, for the heads up about this irritating problem.
I spend part of each day reading and commenting on other blogs and am delighted that I was included on a list of 50 Must-Read Up and Coming Blogs by Teachers. The list is posted on TeachingTips.com which is a resource site for teachers and students. Check out the list to find some links to bloggers who share your interests.
My favorite part about blogging is making new friends. I enjoy reading blogs here on Teacher Lingo and just love the feel of the community. When some of you go a few days without blogging, I really miss reading your posts.:) There are some terrific bloggers in the TL community, and I usually read all of the latest posts before venturing out into Blog Land.
There are a lot of incredible educational bloggers out there, and I add new blogs to my must read list all of the time. The blogging world is just amazing to me. It always makes my day when people comment about something I have written, and I just learn so much from reading other blogs. What a great way to share ideas and meet new people.
Taking off to discover new blogs!