3.1415926535 = Πarty!

Archimedes. Ptolemy. Newton. Some of the most brilliant minds in history. United with many others around the globe and through the ages in their devotion to a single pursuit – pi. That’s not a typo. We’re not talking about apple, pecan, or lemon meringue varieties. We’re talking about 3.1415926535…and so on. And this March 14, you can join the worldwide celebration of Pi Day!

You’ve probably heard of pi. It’s the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. And it’s a pretty huge deal. Mathematicians have studied and restudied this number for millennia, and will continue to do so for the next thousands of years. Now, if you’re an English teacher or have a seven-year-old at home, you might think that Pi Day is something to skip over. But what’s the fun of that? There are plenty of fun and educational ways for anyone to celebrate.

• Though Ludolph van Ceulen didn’t spend most of his life munching on pizza – he accurately extended the known digits of pie to 35 and had them engraved on his tombstone – you most definitely can! Lead your students in a math lesson and celebrate with a slice of your favorite kind of pie. Don’t forget, English enthusiasts, that pi and pie are homophones…
• Another brilliant mind, Albert Einstein, shares his birthday with pi. Discuss Einstein and his contributions to science and mathematics.
• Teach about other math milestones and how history has changed through their impact: zero, calculators, the Pythagorean Theorem. Pick concepts that your class has or will study.
• Or, you can fully embrace the day and design a lesson about pi. Even if your students can’t understand what pi means, they will enjoy learning about the people who have studied it throughout history; they will also be fascinated by the applications pi has to the world.

Ready to get your pi on? Check out TeachPi.org for tons of great ideas and information. While you’re at it, take a look at some of our very own math bestsellers.

How do you plan on recognizing Π? Share your ideas in the comments section below!!

Make it a Musical March

Last year, we blogged about the importance of music in education, and offered some ideas for using it to enhance your classroom or home. March is Music in Our Schools Month, sponsored by MENC (The National Association for Music Education). This year’s theme is “Music Lasts a Lifetime.”

Been looking for a way to work music into your lesson plans? This is your perfect opportunity! You’ll be amazed at the impact music has on children, and the benefits for all ages. Here are some excellent places to get started:

MENC’s site for Music in Our Schools Month – This is the go-to resource for using music in the classroom. Packed with information, ideas, and activities, this site will help you determine how best to handle your music-based lessons.

Need an activity to get your students thinking musically? Try this free download! You will need both the activity pages and the two audio tracks to complete the exercise.

Name That Instrument

Music Track 8

Music Track 9

Looking for more in-depth resources, lesson plans, and activities? Check out Lorenz Educational Press’s complete library of music materials for the classroom. It doesn’t matter if you’re a music teacher or not – you’ll find something that you can use!

Here’s something you may not be aware of – our parent company, the Lorenz Corporation, has been publishing music for 120 years. Do you have any students that sing or play instruments? Are you a music teacher looking for specific materials? Check out their website for more information and a ton of music products.

No matter how you go about it, March is a great time to bring music into your classroom or home. Your students will love it, and you’ll love what it does for them. How do you plan on celebrating Music in Our Schools Month? Share your ideas and stories in the comments section below!

Another Way to Celebrate the 100th Day

Last week, we wrote about 100^th day of school celebrations – specifically, celebrations of the fact that the year is half finished. Today, we’re going to take a different approach to getting our triple-digit party on. Rather than viewing the glass as half empty, let’s see it as half full.

We’re ONLY Halfway There!

The school year is half finished. That’s well and good, but you’ve got work to do yet. A half is just that – half. This implies that there is another half remaining, and you and your students intend to make full use of each and every day.

That isn’t to say that you can’t or shouldn’t celebrate – four and a half months of hard work and achievement is to be commended. There’s time for a quick pat on the back, a small celebration. That celebration, however, should be learning-based fun. Did you know that the 100^th day of school started out as a math-themed celebration? Students would practice counting to 100 and solve math problems using numbers in the hundreds, among other things. This is how a proper 100^th day should be conducted. You should recognize the progress of the school year thus far by practicing learned skills.

The greatest element of the party is this, however: you still have half a school year to go, filled with even more education and entertainment! You’re only halfway done. The motivation is education itself, the knowledge waiting to be unlocked and unleashed upon your students’ minds. This should excite the teacher as much as it excites the student. 100 days are over – bring on the next 100 and all that they have to offer. Roll on, learning!

Click here for some fun and education-based 100^th day activities courtesy of Education World®. And check out our very own 100 Series of books for lessons and activities to help you get through the next 100 days of school and beyond!

97, 98, 99...Celebrate!

Around this time of year, a very special holiday is celebrated. The Chinese New Year, though certainly special, is not quite the right one. Valentine’s Day is another important one – but that’s not it, either. This one’s huge. It might be difficult to believe, but the 100^th day of school is upon us. And that means it’s time to party! Schools all over the nation are celebrating in fun and unique ways. Activities are being organized. Games are being played. Snacks are being devoured.

What’s the big deal - why do we celebrate 100 days of school? Our next couple of posts will explore two answers to this question. The first answer…

We’re Halfway There!

Depending on your school schedule, this time of year is pretty close to being the midpoint. Both teachers and students have made it through four-plus months of trials and tribulations, good and bad, hard work and fun. Through it all, a bright light looms down a now-shorter tunnel, and at its end waits a sunny summer paradise. The end is within reach – what’s not to celebrate?

The 100^th day celebration, then, is the beginning of a countdown to the school year’s completion. It’s a motivational tool, a way of reminding students that their hard work is leading them somewhere great. It’s also a way to reenergize the young mind, to open it for fresh helpings of education and fun. In essence, this big party is a setup for the next four and a half months. All these things, by the way, apply to teachers as well.

Consider this your official invitation to join in the celebration. You have half the school year behind you, and this party will provide the spark, the energy to get the second half kicked off with a bang. Keep up the great work. Roll on, summer!

Stay tuned to Bridging the Gaps in Education for a second reason to celebrate the 100^th day of school. Planning a celebration of your own? Click here for some fun ideas.

How do you feel about finishing the first 100 days? Sound off in the comments section below!

Building Fitness Foundations for Your Students

In our last post, we discussed the obvious importance of fitness and exercise in the lives of children. Today, we pose a follow-up question. How can we, as educators, be sure that these concepts are not only understood, but continually practiced? In order for a child to truly benefit from fitness and exercise, he or she must apply knowledge of healthy living outside the classroom. This is not an easy thing to accomplish. Bringing fitness and exercise into the classroom is only half a solution.

The other half involves establishing and reinforcing a set of core values that set students on the path to a lifetime of healthy choices. If we teach a child a set of exercises, for example, he or she will benefit from the activity. But will the child continue to perform these exercises outside the classroom? Possible, but unlikely. However, if we teach the child how these exercises benefit the body and mind - how continual exercise improves health over time - he or she might be more inclined to perform the exercises again.

Therefore, it is essential that we build a foundation upon which students can develop their own healthy lifestyle. We must provide the basics - what are exercise, physical activity, and physical fitness? Why are they so important? How do they benefit or improve a person? Once the answers to these questions are understood, we can show children how they can practice a healthy lifestyle through exercise, play, and physical activity.

There are a multitude of ways to initiate this fundamental introduction to fitness. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have created a wonderful site to help teachers and students get started. It's called Teacher's Corner, and it provides a number of planning approaches and activities.

As stated, the importance of healthy living to our children is obvious. Shaping a set of values based on a fuller understanding of fitness and its benefits gives students a greater chance of growing up healthy in both body and mind.

Get Students in Shape in 2011!

Hopefully, you’re well settled into 2011. (Here at LEP, we’re finally used to writing 11 instead of 10.) How about those resolutions – still going strong?

One of the most common resolutions is exercise. Whether the goal is to lose a few pounds or prepare for a 5K or marathon, January often sees a flood of new joggers, weight lifters, and athletes. While such goals are often set by adults, we should not overlook this opportunity to encourage our children to adopt more active lifestyles.

It’s no secret that a healthy diet and frequent exercise are incredibly important throughout a child’s formative years. Not only do such actions positively affect the human body; they also improve the health of the brain. Establishing good eating and exercise habits in our youth pays off in a big way as they grow and mature.

This is a perfect time to introduce health and fitness to your students and children. Start each day with a short series of stretches to help students (and you) wake up and prepare for learning. Play music during free time and encourage children to dance and move. Go for a walk around the school or playground during recess. There are so many easy ways to get kids exercising! This is also a great chance to teach young people about healthy eating habits.

Need help getting started? Visit Let’s Move! This movement strives to empower parents and educators to teach healthy lifestyles. You can also go to site for the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition. For some awesome activity and exercise resources, click here!

Stay tuned to Bridging the Gaps in Education over the next week for more health and fitness content. Are you already using exercise as a teaching tool? Share your stories and ideas in the comments section below!

Weekend Challenge 1/14 (Solution)

Apologies for the delay! Here is the solution to last week's Weekend Challenge:

There are seven guests at the picnic: Tim, his grandfather and grandmother, his father and mother, and his two sisters. Each of the family members fills multiple roles. Tim is a child, a grandchild, a brother, and a son. His grandpa is a grandfather, a father, and a father-in-law. His grandma is a grandmother, a mother, and a mother-in-law. His dad is a father, a child, and a son. His mom is a mother and a daughter-in-law. His sisters are sisters and daughters.

Were you or your students/children able to solve this challenge?