About Squarehead Teachers

Well, I’m a travel loving, cookie eating, bright color obsessed teacher who just can’t get enough of blogging or Photoshop. I’ve taught various grades from Kindergarten to Undergraduate courses in both in the United States and in China, teaching everything from dance and PE to English and math. I come from a family of educators, and believe that all teachers (public, private, charter and home school) are grossly under appreciated and deserve a little extra help. I started my Squarehead Teachers blog in August 2012 with the hope that I can be that extra little help that makes teachers feel a little more loved!

Pi Day Activities!

Posted on March 11, 2015 by Squarehead Teachers

Be sure to check out my book giveaway happening this week (ends March 14, 2015)!

As Pi Day (3/14) approaches, you may be wondering, how can I celebrate this goofy holiday with as little preparation as possible. Well the answer is simple: borrow a genius idea from another teacher! Here are some ideas to get you started:

Zero Effort Ideas: Pi Day jokes. Just say ’em! (make sure they’re not above your students’ heads!)

Little Effort:

Make a pie (or buy moon pies) and serve them to your class! (check your school’s policy on bring in food)
Read Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi. (click here for printables to go along with the book)

Some More Effort:

Do art based on the numerals on Pi (source)
Find a fun printable (source)
Or do one of these Pi Day activities (source)

But whatever you do, have a happy Pi Day!

First and Second Hand Accounts (4th Grade)

Posted on March 9, 2015 by Squarehead Teachers

1 2 Hand Accounts Preview

One of the fourth grade English Language Arts standards in the Common Core is about first and second hand accounts. What can you use to teach this? I’ve got you covered! My fourth post over at We Are Teachers is a graphic organizer all about it!

Click here to view the post and get the free printable PDF!

Book Giveaway: Candy Experiments 2!

Posted on March 8, 2015 by Squarehead Teachers

**This giveaway has ended. Please check back again soon for more giveaways!**

If you loved the awesome post about experimenting with candy or the giveaway for the crazy fun kids book, Candy Experiments, by Loralee Leavitt, you’re in luck! She wrote a second book about candy science and Squarehead Teachers is giving away a brand new copy!!

I flipped through the book, trying to decide which experiment to try first. Tough decision! Should I try the Ghost Lollipop or the Easter Grass Spaghetti? Or maybe the Shattering Peeps experiment? Or the Marshmallow Bottle Launcher?

After promising myself we’d do them all eventually, I decided to try the Puffy Pop Rocks experiment first to see what would happen when you bake them.

As soon as I put them into the oven, I instantly heard popping sounds! Whaaat? They pop when you add heat? I thought it was something to do with contact to spit? Guess not! And then, when I pulled them out, they were smooth like pearls! Want to know why? You’ll have to read the book! 🙂

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I’ll definitely have to pull this out again and try some more of them. That means I’ll finally have a legitimate excuse for buying classroom candy! Yesss!

So, now to the book giveaway…

The Prize: A copy of Candy Experiments 2 (which will definitely lead to hours of SWEET science!)

Participating is simple! All you have to do is answer the following question by leaving a comment below. (Scroll all the way down to the very bottom of this post to see the comments section. No sign in required to comment, but if you’re not a WordPress member, please leave your first name and a way to get a hold of you so I can contact you if you win!)

If your class was doing a science fair, which of the following questions would you be most interested to see answered and why:

How can you float a sunken Snickers bar?
Can You turn a red gummy bear blue?
If chocolate doesn’t melt in water, why does it turn pale?
Can you fry a Cadbury Egg?

Psst! All of the above questions are experiments in Candy Experiments 2!

This giveaway ends at midnight (PST) on Saturday, March 14, 2015. Don’t wait!

**This giveaway has ended. Please check back again soon for more giveaways!**

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The Fine Print: Participation is optional. Only one entry per person. No purchase is necessary to participate. Available to US participants only. There will be one winner. The winner will be randomly selected. I will email the winner between Sunday, March, 15 -Tuesday, March 16. The winner will have 72 hours to respond and provide me with contact information so I can get their prize to them. If the winner does not respond within 72 hours, the winner forfeits the prize and another winner will randomly be selected (in which case the new winner will be notified and the same terms apply). The winner will be announced on this blog once eligibility has been confirmed. This giveaway is solely sponsored by Squarehead Teachers and Loralee Leavitt. It is not affiliated with WordPress or any other sponsor(s). Void where prohibited. If you have additional questions, please contact me!

SeaWorld Perks for Teachers 2015

Posted on March 7, 2015 by Squarehead Teachers

I’ve got a cool teacher bonus to share with you! SeaWorld has perks for teachers in California (and Arizona), Texas and Florida! Each park has different perks, so click here to check them out! Here’s my favorite perk: “SeaWorld^® San Diego is proud to offer a complimentary Teacher Fun Card to all active and credentialed California and Arizona K-12 school teachers. The Fun Card is valid for unlimited admission to SeaWorld San Diego through December 31, 2015.” Awesome! Thank you, Sea World! 🙂

St. Patrick’s Day Pattern Art Project

Posted on March 5, 2015 by Squarehead Teachers

Clover Pattern STICKER

How is it March already!? This blows my mind! Anyway, remember the snowflake and Valentine’s Day pattern art projects I posted recently? Well, I made one more of those, but this time, they’re clovers for St. Patrick’s Day! The basic idea is that you fill in each section with solid color or a pattern. Each one will turn out very different, but still pretty cool! Again, you can let your students make their own from scratch by letting them trace different sized clovers on their own paper instead of using the printable below.

Click here for the free printable PDF: Pattern Party- Clover

Can Students Have Too Much Technology?

Posted on March 3, 2015 by Squarehead Teachers

Too much tech STICKER I recently read a very interesting article about how access to technology impacts students’ success. The article, published by the New York Times, was called “Can Students Have Too Much Technology?”. It shared research findings and comments from Duke and Stanford researchers that do not support the idea that handing a kid an internet-connected laptop or device will increase their success in school. Here are some highlights from the article:

” ‘Students who gain access to a home computer between the 5th and 8th grades tend to witness a persistent decline in reading and math scores,’ the economists wrote, adding that license to surf the Internet was also linked to lower grades in younger children.

“With no adults to supervise them, many kids used their networked devices not for schoolwork, but to play games, troll social media and download entertainment.”

“If children who spend more time with electronic devices are also more likely to be out of sync with their peers’ behavior and learning by the fourth grade, why would adding more viewing and clicking to their school days be considered a good idea?”

“Even [with highly trained teachers facilitating the use of the technology], we still have no proof that the newly acquired, tech-centric skills that students learn in the classroom transfer to novel problems that they need to solve in other areas. While we’re waiting to find out, the public money spent on wiring up classrooms should be matched by training and mentorship programs for teachers, so that a free and open Internet, reached through constantly evolving, beautifully packaged and compelling electronic tools, helps — not hampers — the progress of children who need help the most.”

What do you think? Have you seen technology help or hinder your students? Tell me what you think in the comments below! 🙂

Onomatopoeia Game for K-2

Posted on February 28, 2015 by Squarehead Teachers

Onomatopeia Preview I’m so thrilled to be blogging over at We Are Teachers! They’ve got tons of great ideas over there. My third post was an onomatopoeia game for grades K-2. It’s a really simple idea, but your kids will love it!

Click here to view my post and get the printable!

Things Animals Need (Graphic Organizer)

Posted on February 26, 2015 by Squarehead Teachers

Animals Need preview

Week two blogging over at We Are Teachers? Check! This time, I created a graphic organizer based on the science standard that usually appears in lower grade science standards, identifying basic things that all animals need. So what are you waiting for!? Go check it out!

Click here to view my post and get the free printable!