Valentines and Letter Writing
Valentine’s Day is the perfect opportunity to craft a letter by hand! A card and letter—the kind that is written by hand—is a true kindness, a keepsake. This offering can take many forms. Original poems are little gems that pair…
The Winter Mitten
Winter. We are in the midst of it. The Mitten is a Ukrainian folk tale from the 19th century that has been translated into many languages. In our house we read Jan Brett’s beautifully illustrated tale over and over. This…
Pockets versus Aprons
“You can’t fit a square peg into a round hole”, my friend shared this idiom when I was trying to teach my daughter to read the traditional way I had been taught, despite her learning differences. I remember feeling insulted.…
Our Wonderful Alphabet: Ox, House, Stick!
When you consider that the alphabet plays such a HUGE role in our daily lives, consider the fact that most of us don’t know much about the history of those 26 letters! Ox, House, Stick: The History of Our Alphabet…
Twelve MORE Tips for the Road
And just like that, our time around the virtual campfire is coming to a close. Though you may not have been able to warm your hands, my hope is that something on the blog warmed your heart. Thank you for…
Leonardo’s Flying Machine
Campfire Tip #12: Be like Leonardo Leonardo Da Vinci was a polymath (someone whose knowledge spans many different subjects and has an enormous body of knowledge.) Look • Imagine • Create Did you know that Leonardo Da Vinci was not…
Struggling Writers: Filling the Gaps
Campfire Tip #11: Remediate to Read & Write Does your student struggle to spell well? Stumble to decode simple words and phrases? Does your student struggle with lingering ELA COVID delays? Or do you have a student who just needs…
One Bite at a Time: Long Research Writing
Campfire Tip #10: One Bite at a Time “The only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time,” or so the saying goes. That’s also the mindset one must adopt when tackling the year-long research essay, known…
Books: FUNding Knowledge
Campfire Tip #9: Read Books! I’ve had a taste of what it’s like to grow up in rural Virginia because I’ve read Bridge to Terabithia. I know how veterinarians assist cows giving birth because I’ve read All Creatures Great and…
Pencils Are Magic
Campfire Tip #8: Pencils are the Best Technology Sometimes, I get a piece of student writing that sounds a little off. No misspellings, perfect punctuation, stays on topic—but something doesn’t seem quite right. No matter where I look amidst the…