IT'S ABOUT TIME, TEACHERS, for CREATIVITY PROJECTS!

• Do you want to cultivate creativity without adding to your overloaded schedule?
• Do you want to build constructive home-school connections?
• Do you want a full year of project assignments that will build right brain thinking?
• Do you want resources that are print-and-go?

If you answered YES to any of these questions, then -

Destination: Imagination via Creative Thinking is perfect for satisfying your goal of building creativity. These products are designed to be completed at home, giving overly eager parents a constructive way to work with their students. (Teachers of gifted students are well acquainted with this problem phenomena.) Sharing their projects with the class gives students the opportunity to speak meaningfully. This product line is designed to be teacher friendly by providing a weekly assignment sheet, award certificates to recognize the creators' efforts, and tips and tricks to ensure success.

Destination: Imagination via Creative Thinking was designed for gifted students to promote the 4 traits of gifted children: fluency, flexibility, elaboration, and originality. But really, what child wouldn't benefit from working on those aspects? I have found the projects work very well with heterogeneous groups and have successfully used it with 1st - 5th graders. But you don't have to take my word for it. Try these FREE samples before you buy the collections:

Each volume of Destination: Imagination via Creative Thinking supplies projects for a full semester.

Here's a preview of Volume 1:

IT'S ABOUT TIME, TEACHERS, for PUMPKINS!

 

                     

It's pumpkin season! Fill your classroom with pumpkin resources:

IT'S ABOUT TIME, TEACHERS, for CREATIVE THINKING CHALLENGES

• Are you looking for weekly challenges to your learners' creative thinking? 
• Would you love it to be a home assignment?
• Would you be thrilled to get a full year of challenges that are print and go?

If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, then you should check out Destination: Imagination via Creative Thinking.

This eclectic collection of activities was created for use in my gifted and talented classrooms. The goal is to promote the 4 traits of gifted children: fluency, flexibility, elaboration, and originality. But really, what child wouldn't benefit from working on those aspects? I have found these projects works very well with heterogeneous groups and have successfully used them with 1st - 5th graders.

These challenges are also a wonderful home-school connection that directs eager parents to work with their children in a constructive manner. Another benefit is that children learn to share their products with purpose and confidence. 

All of the project assignments are ready to print and send home.  Also included are notes to the teacher to help ensure the success of your students.  These notes are based on years of experience with the challenges.

TRY IT BEFORE YOU BUY IT.   You can get a better sense of what this project offers by checking out this FREE activity that is included in Destination: Imagination via Creative Thinking Vol. 2:

 

PUMPKIN TIME in the CLASSROOM

 

It's time for all things pumpkin! Pumpkin spice lattes are my fav, but I also have a weakness for pumpkin bread, pumpkin donuts, pumpkin pie, pumpkin cookies, ... You get the idea. And, it's time for some pumpkin fun in the classroom. Here are some of my favorites:

It's also time for treats! An awesome group of teachers have created a hashtag sale.  

Here are the links to my offerings:

Use #boo2you22 to find terrific $1 deals.  This hashtag sale is from 10/12 - 10/14.

St. Patrick's Day FREEBIES

Sure an' you'll be wearin' the green for St. Patrick's Day.  And it's lucky you'll be if you snag these FREEBIES for your classroom.

Both you and your students will feel extra lucky when learning is this fun! Skills involved in solving these riddles include: 

• vocabulary development 

• parts of speech 

• synonyms

• rimes

• HOTS

In this packet, you will find 32 cards with St. Patrick’s Day-themed clues. The cards are copy ready; just print on pink card stock, laminate, cut apart, and you have them for years to come. The answer key is included. 

You can use these as a warm-up activity, a sponge activity, or in a literacy center. Fast finishers love working on the solutions. If your class is unfamiliar with Hink Pinks, Hinky Pinkies, & Hinkity Pinkities, solve several together to model your problem solving.

Luck o' the Irish is a one week creativity challenge for your students to complete at home. They then bring their results to school to share with the class. The intention of this product is to enhance 2 of the four traits of gifted and talented students: fluency and flexibility. Although originally created for G/T students, I find it works perfectly well with heterogeneous groups of students. 

The challenge in this project is to seek out superstitions and symbols of good luck. Students will then create a t-chart listing superstitions that promise us good and bad luck. They are encouraged to share the t-chart with the class, along with a good luck charm they may own.

This creative thinking project is from the Destination: Imagination via Creative Thinking, Vol. 1 files. If you and your students like this challenge, you may wish to check out the larger products:

 

Scrattle: St. Patrick's Day Edition is a learning center activity that combines word work with computation; individual effort with competition. 

As in Scrabble™, students use a set of letters to create words. After recording their words, they calculate each word’s score using the Scrabble™ letter values. Then they engage a friend in a battle wherein they compare their scores using >, <, and =. The student with the most >s wins the battle! (SCRAbble + baTTLE = SCRATTLE!)

SCRATTLE can be played by students with simple addition capabilities, as well as those skilled in solving mixed operations in complex equations. Three different recording sheets are included, providing instant differentiation. 

Enjoy!

You may also like these March products:  

Freebie February Day 17

Now that Valentine's Day and Presidents' Day have been crossed off the calendar, it's about time to think about March and spring. Even if it never got out of the teens in temperature today here in the Midwest. Or, maybe BECAUSE it never got out of the teens today. Regardless, here's the buzz about Freebie February for today.

Grab your copy of How Many Ways? -- March Edition and prepare to watch your students think more deeply, more fluently, and more flexibly. If How Many Ways? are new to you, you are in for a treat.  

Treat #1: This activity is an interactive bulletin board that stays up ALL month. All you have to change are the target numbers and math operations you would like your students to use.

Treat #2: This activity provides instant differentiation.  Yay!  Your highest functioning students can use the operations appropriate for them, while those who need more practice with a particular operation, can focus on that. You can  increase the challenge by requiring that the numbers used touch each other, as in Boggle(TM). Algebraic expressions are applicable.  It even works for pre-K and K students since 1 option is to simply count to the target number. One set of shamrocks includes counting dots just for this purpose.

Treat #3: Students can work on this activity in many ways. It's absolutely perfect for fast finishers because it's open-ended and on-going. Use it for an anchor activity as students arrive each day. They can be engaged while still at their seats so you can get attendance, lunch count, and other necessary chores completed. As a sponge activity, it is simply superb. Spend those odd few minutes checking the equations your students have created. You can stuff lots of great learning into your discussions of the equations; not just checking their accuracy, but the uniqueness, creativity, and complexity. Magnificent as a math center, students can readily work independently at this center, freeing you to work with small groups.  Or, a small group could work under your tutelage for intervention and/or review at this center.

Treat #4: It's CCSS aligned for you with standards applicable to every elementary grade level. Even the description of the standard is included.

Treat #5: Inherent in this activity are higher order thinking skills. Your students must think critically and creatively. The best treat of all is that your students will be challenged in multiple ways.  

Treat #6: Children love it.

If you love this activity, you can use it throughout the year.  These are the versions available:

A Presidents' Day Treat

For today's February Freebie, I am offering my newest product, Destination: Imagination via Creative Thinking Vol. 2.

These 18 activities allow students to share projects and ideas with a purpose. They are a wonderful home-school connection that directs eager parents to work with their children in a constructive manner. An eclectic collection of activities developed for use in gifted and talented classrooms, the goal is to promote the 4 traits of gifted children: fluency, flexibility, elaboration and originality. But really, what child wouldn't benefit from working on those aspects? I have found the project works very well with heterogeneous groups and have successfully used it with 1st - 5th graders.

The activities are structured to be used in 1 week intervals: assignment sheets go home with a due date; products are shared one week later. Included are copy ready assignment sheets, notes to the teacher, and participation certificates. Some are designed to be used seasonally; others are appropriate to any time of the year.

If you haven't tried Destination: Imagination via Creative Thinking Vol. 1, be sure to take a look.  These activities are extremely popular with parents and, of course, children.  Try them, I think you'll like them.