Experiment: Can you fry an egg on the sidewalk?

Classroom Cuteness: THINK before you speak

http://homespunwithlove.blogspot.com/2011/09/little-remindersfree-prints.html
http://www.momtastic.com/parenting/features/164989-diy-colored-flowers%5D

Teacher Tips: Double, Double Toilet Trouble

One of the biggest class-management issues to come up in any classroom is restroom use. You've been there... you're trying really hard to get the class involved in a discussion, you're pulling out every ounce of enthusiasm you have to try and pump up your morning class. FINALLY a student raises their hand and you think, "Yesss. Finally someone's breaking the ice. I hope they say something brilliant!" Student: "Uhhh... Miss, can I use the bathroom?" womp womp womp. Annoying right?

How do you handle this situation? It'd be easy to make a rule that students can only use the bathroom before/after class for secondary and during transitions/breaks for elementary. However... in actual practice this idea has some major holes in it.

Three reasons you can't outlaw the outhouse:

• Lower elementary: little kids who may wet their pants  if you don't let them go when they need to; 
• Junior high girls: many of your girls are just beginning to menstruate and haven't mastered the art of timing their feminine bathroom breaks around class; 
• and of course, students with medical problems.

All of those situations can lead to some very embarrassed students and some very angry parents.

Why should you care if your students use the bathroom?

• Bathroom breaks are easily abused
• Students are your responsibility - and they might be roaming the halls or leaving school 
• Bathroom breaks can be disruptive, especially if poorly timed
• Bathroom breaks are contagious. One kid goes, then suddenly THEY ALL have to go.

I've seen everything from potty passes to bonus points used in classrooms in an effort to control bathroom go-ers. One of my favorite solutions to this problem is one of the simplest. Just get a small whiteboard and hang it by the door. Have the students write their name and time they left on the board and make a rule that only one student can go to the bathroom at a time. Simple as that. Students come and go quietly. Peer pressure will, hopefully, motivate the student's speedy return. As far as monitoring frequency, if a student goes often enough for it to be an issue you will notice - make sure you address this privately with the student - if it's not disruptive enough for you to notice then what harm is being done? No need to keep a formal potty-log.

Demonstration: Thirsty Carnations

Integrate? InteGREAT!: Dr. Seuss + Matter

This activity works best for our youngsters, mostly because of the reading-level associated with Dr. Seuss books. However, if you have a really fun group of kids at a higher level, you could definitely amp up the difficulty and use this as a novelty activity! 

Oobleck is a non-newtonian fluid. That is, it acts like a liquid when being poured, but like a solid when a force is acting on it.

Demonstration: The Chemistry of Cooking

One thing I'm a huge of is practical teaching. If we're going to teach kids science... why not show them where to find science in their everyday lives?

What's an easy place to find a ton of everyday, unintentional science experiments? You guessed it... the kitchen. The examples of chemistry at work in baking a simple cake alone are endless. Which leads us to Wacky Cake a.k.a. 1-2-3 Cake. (What better way to peak a middle schooler's interest than through their taste buds??)

note: this demonstration will require either access to an oven at school (Home-Ec. lab or maybe bribe the cafeteria workers?) or you baking the cake ahead of time at home and then pulling a "cooking show" and pulling that out with an Abracadabra! after you mix the ingredients.

Lesson: Tasty Chemical Reactions 
Wacky Cake is a cake made with only 8 ingredients: flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, vinegar, vanilla, oil, and water. The interesting part is how the ingredients are added. You have to mix the dry ingredients then make three "craters" in the mix so that the wet ingredients can be isolated as you add them. But why? Consider the chemistry!

• Teaching Op.: 
• Have the students discuss why it would be necessary to add the wet ingredients in this way. Then, have them hypothesize what would happen if they were to ignore the directions and mix everything all at once.

After your class discussion begin your lesson with a few vocabulary words: chemical reaction, chemical property, and physical property (noting the differences between the latter two) and going over the signs that a chemical reaction has occurred:

1. Change of color 
2. Formation of gas 
3. Formation of precipitate 
4. Change of temperature 
5. Energy produced (light emission, etc.)

Go ahead and make the cake! Make sure to have the students note any signs of a chemical change occurring!

VANILLA CRAZY/WACKY CAKE RECIPE: 

Ingredients
1 1/2 Cups flour + 3 Tablespoons
1 Cup white sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp.  salt

1 tsp. white vinegar
1 1/2 tsp.  pure vanilla extract
5 Tbsp. vegetable oil 
1 Cup water 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix first 4 dry ingredients in a greased 8" square baking pan.  Make 3 depressions in dry ingredients - two small, one larger. Pour vinegar in one depression, vanilla in the other and the vegetable oil in third larger depression.  Pour water over all.  Mix well until smooth.

Bake on middle rack of oven for 35 minutes.

Get Organized: Weekly Wall Calendar

A well organized classroom is the secret to maintaining your sanity and your students', too! Most teachers have mapped out their classroom plans for a few weeks ahead of time (in theory!) Many times we verbally tell the students what's coming up, but may only write activities on the board the day of or the day before. 

What I love about this weekly calendar is that it let's this kids in on what is coming up that week, in a cute and clean-cut way! 

This visual road map is especially helpful for your uber-involved students (they're busy!), students struggling with time-management, and A.D.H.D. and other special needs students. Even if you have all of the dates listed in the syllabus, the bold reminders are very helpful!

To make your own weekly calendar you don't have to go out and buy a bunch of little chalkboards. It would be much more affordable to just get you some chalkboard paint and make them yourself! The letters can be bought at any craft store, I personally perfer Hobby Lobby. (just don't try to go on a Sunday!)

What to put on the boards:

• up-coming assignments/homework
• any thing that needs to be handed in 
• (including permission slips and signed report cards)
• test/quiz days
• deadlines 

Try it and you may be surprised how helpful it is for students to have the week mapped out vs. taking it day by day!