A THENCE Publication
A THENCE Publication
Why have we chosen a classroom focus on these Giant Tortoises? As a biologist who loved studying these magnificent creatures through the lens of Darwin’s research, I’ve poured my fascination…
Surprising Summer Fractions Fun: Hands-On Lemonade Stand Division Activity for Early Learners Discover an amazing interactive math game that transforms equal partitioning into a delightful summer adventure. This free lemonade…
Celebrate International Day of Biodiversity (May 22) with Spring Babies – Interactive Lesson & Sorting Game Discover the amazing biodiversity of spring with this comprehensive instant lesson and interactive sorting…
This K–5 educator guide explores the life and legacy of Naomi Osaka — professional tennis champion, social justice activist, and a proud representative of both Japanese and Haitian heritage. Aligned…
Get your students moving and thinking with this Field Day Word Search — a standards-aligned vocabulary activity for grades K–5. Three differentiated versions keep every learner challenged: Kindergarten and 1st…
Name the Animal Activity Sheets: Pair this Close-Up with a printable activity sheet for your grade level. Students identify animals David Attenborough has filmed, record animal facts, and complete a…
A volcano erupting, showing lava and plums footage is made into a video gif. Volcano unknown
A blow‑by‑blow account from the Conversation. Michael J. Benton, University of Bristol and Monica Grady, The Open University A great Tyrannosaurus rex strides through the conifer trees of her territory,…
My team curated this Poetry Month edition because we wanted young learners to hear three distinct Black voices — spanning more than a century of American poetry — brought to…
Listening to the Quiet is a tender, beautifully illustrated picture book that centers Deaf culture, family connection and the joy of learning sign language together. A must-read for early childhood classrooms…
Tips for Using Teacher Appreciation Week Word Search | K–5 Vocabulary Activity (Free Interactive Game) Celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week with this free, standards-aligned word search for K–5 students. Three grade-differentiated…
This teacher’s guide gives K–5 educators the tools to teach Cinco de Mayo accurately and meaningfully. At its core is the 1862 Battle of Puebla — a stunning military upset…
Spring Babies! is an interactive sorting game where K–5 students classify animals — mammals, birds, and amphibians — by how they come into the world. Players drag and drop real…
The Tangram Farm is an interactive K–3 geometry game built around the tangram, a 200-year-old Chinese puzzle that is one of the most beloved contributions of Asian mathematical tradition —…
Teacher Appreciation Week is the perfect opportunity to help your child say thank you in a meaningful way, as an alternative to a store-bought card. This free printable pack makes…
Download the printable lesson plan: a two-page guide for the Lei Day Pattern Builder and Lei Day Unit Counter games. It covers game mechanics, grade-band guidance for K–3, lesson flow,…
This interactive Lei Day pattern game invites K–3 students to string repeating lei patterns using hibiscus 🌺, shell beads 🐚, and maile leaves 🌿. With five difficulty levels spanning AB…
In this Lei Day math activity, K–2 students build exactly three complete units of three different repeating patterns — Easy (AB), Medium (AAB), and Hard (ABC) — using hibiscus 🌺,…
A Read Aloud Spotlight review of A Love Letter to My Library by Lisa Katzenberger, illustrated by Rob Sayegh Jr., featuring educator insights on why this warm, inclusive picture book…
Celebrate National ASL Day with this free interactive sign language matching game for grades K–5! Students match real American Sign Language signs to their English meanings across three differentiated grade…
Field Day Running Race is a standards-aligned, interactive math game for grades K–5 that turns end-of-year field day excitement into real learning — students name their teams, pick mascots, and…
🌙 Arab American Heritage Month · May 2026 🌙 Al-SaduWeaving Craft A traditional textile art from the Bedouin people of the Arabian Peninsula — brought to life for K–5th grade…
Sundus Saad is a South African-Arab fiber artist and weaver based in Cape Town whose work encodes personal memory, cultural heritage, and a commitment to sustainable materials. After more than…
This Month™ Storm Simulator Instant Lesson pairs a free, browser-based hurricane simulator with grade-banded instruction for K–5 classrooms. Students in grades K–1 observe how weather conditions change storm strength; grades…
This interactive Storm Simulator gives K–5 students a first-person look at how hurricanes form, intensify, and cause destruction. Built as an aerial-view simulation, students adjust five real meteorological parameters —…
“The Interpreter” tells the story of Cecilia, a young girl from a Spanish-speaking family who takes on an important but often unseen role: translating for her parents in everyday life.…
This Instant Lesson guide gives teachers everything needed to run Empanada Math Fiesta as a structured, standards-aligned math activity in 15–20 minutes. The guide covers step-by-step setup instructions, a grade-band…
Empanada Math Fiesta builds multiplication and equal groups skills across all three elementary grade bands — K–1, 2nd–3rd, and 4th–5th. Students step into the role of empanada chefs scaling a…
Small actions can make a big difference for our planet. When we recycle, we help reduce waste in our landfills, conserve natural resources, and protect the planet for future generations.…
Songkran — Thailand’s traditional New Year festival, inscribed by UNESCO in 2023 — offers K–5 educators a culturally rich entry point into Thai culture, Theravada Buddhism, and Southeast Asian traditions…
Within Deaf culture, “Deaf” with an uppercase D often refers to sign language users who view their Deafness as a cultural identity, while a lowercase “d” describes a level of…
Celebrate National Unicorn Day with whimsical coloring pages designed to spark imagination, creativity, and a little bit of wonder. Each page comes with a fun fact about unicorn history and…
Explore how Orion came home — News and a K–5 interactive guide covering the return journey, skip reentry, heat shield science, parachutes, and Pacific Ocean splashdown, with a live animation…
The Classroom Implementation Guide & Mini Lesson Plans below includes grade differentiated SoR-tagged word lists and tips for whole-class, small group, and independent use. Wormly: Moon Exploration Edition is a…
Meta description: Explore six stunning photos taken by astronauts during the Artemis II lunar flyby — the first images captured by humans near the Moon in over 50 years. From…
With so many “SPACE influencers” out there it may be difficult to find the official NASA Artemis II Lunar FlyBy with cookies removed in compliance with School Privacy Policy. Look…
This interactive Moon Flyby Simulator from This Month™ brings gravity, trajectory, and free-return physics to life for elementary students in grades K–5. Students trace a figure-8 path from Earth to…
Artemis II’s long countdown – a space historian explains why it has taken over 50 years to return to the Moon The Artemis I crew and service modules with the Moon…
🚀 Tip: Select your grade level, adjust the sliders, then press Ignite Engines to launch!
The Spring Equinox: How Much Sun Does Your City Get? | This Month™ Instant Guide This Month™ · Instant Guide · Spring Science How Much Sun DoesYour City Get? On…
Spring into math practice with Easter Egg Addition, a standards-aligned K–5 word problem game featuring Easter eggs, baby chicks, chocolate bunnies, and more. Students choose their grade band (K–1, 2–3,…
Explore Good Friday and Easter through a global lens with this interactive K–5 educator’s guide. From Ukrainian pysanky eggs and Filipino Senakulo passion plays to Bermuda kite flying and Ethiopia’s…
Explore Passover with your K–5 students through the lens of cultural diversity and living tradition. This guide covers the Exodus story, the Seder plate, Ashkenazi, Sephardic, Mizrahi, and Ethiopian Jewish…
Build the Dish: Greek Salad is a standards-aligned, interactive math game for K–5 students celebrating Greek Heritage Month. In this hands-on digital activity, students build a traditional Greek Horiatiki salad…
March Madness for Math is a teacher-driven Instant Lesson from This Month™ that brings tournament excitement to K–5 math fluency practice. Students compete head-to-head in four Buzzer Beater games covering…
Rita Levi-Montalcini defied every obstacle put in her path — gender discrimination, antisemitic laws, wartime occupation — and never stopped doing science. Born in Turin, Italy in 1909, she went…
Celebrate Greek Heritage Month with this standards-aligned interactive game for grades K–5. In Play It, Learn It: Quoits, students throw a ring toward a target peg called a hob —…
Celebrate French Language Day with this interactive French-English vocabulary matching game designed for K–5 students! Players click a French word and find its English match across three differentiated grade levels…
Explore how the human brain processes sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell with this interactive multimedia guide for grades K–5. Students tap flip cards to trace each sensory pathway from…
Reinforce the five food groups with this printable coloring pack, perfect for National Nutrition Month! Each page features a food from our Sort Your Food! sorting game, with a fun…
Step onto the court and let the math begin — Buzzer Beater brings the thrill of March Madness right into your classroom with four fast-paced games covering addition, subtraction, multiplication,…
Michael Jordan dunks the ball in the 1988 Slam Dunk Contest Author: Charles Cherney Buzzer Beater Multiplication brings the thrill of March Madness to skip counting and multiplication practice for…
Drag, drop, and sort your way to nutrition superstar status — from apples to lentils, every food finds its bowl! 🥗 Built for K–5 learners, this shiny kitchen counter challenge…
Bonnie St. John won three medals at the Winter Paralympic Games, earned a Rhodes Scholarship to study at Oxford, earned prestigious and served in the White House all while building…
Buzzer Beater Sums is a March Madness-themed math game that challenges K–2 students to solve visual addition equations using basketball emojis. Players count emoji groups, type their answer, and race…
Top 5 This Month™ Crafts for National Craft Month! 🌸 National Craft Month · March 2026 🌸 Top 5 This Month™ Crafts 🎨 Five hands-on crafts from This Month™ that…
Lucky Differences is an interactive St. Patrick’s Day subtraction game for kindergarten and first grade students, built around the fun theme of a leprechaun giving away shamrock cupcakes — making…
This instant guide supports K–5 educators in using St. Patrick’s Day pattern recognition games to build algebraic thinking through repeating patterns. Students explore shamrocks, gold coins, and rainbows through four…
This Month’s™ Instant Guide to Women’s Suffrage centers the stories of Black, Native, and Asian women who fought for the vote — from Harriet Tubman and Ida B. Wells to…
Celebrate National Dentist Day on March 6 with The Dentist’s Dictionary, a standards-aligned interactive word search from This Month designed for students in Kindergarten through 5th grade. Three differentiated grade…
Photo courtesy of Agate Publishing The barbershop is a place like no other. In “Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut,” written by Derrick Barnes and illustrated by Gordon C.…
Yayoi Kusama is one of the most recognized living artists in the world, celebrated for her immersive Infinity Mirror Rooms, polka dot sculptures, and participatory installations that invite audiences to…
St. Patrick’s Pattern Builder is an interactive St. Patrick’s Day math game for kindergarten through third grade students that invites learners to construct their own repeating patterns using shamrock, gold…
St. Patrick’s Pattern Detective is an interactive St. Patrick’s Day math game for kindergarten through second grade students, targeting core early algebra skills through pattern recognition and error correction. Students…
St. Patrick’s Pattern Unit Counter is an interactive St. Patrick’s Day math game for kindergarten through second grade that develops students’ understanding of pattern structure by asking them to construct…
St. Patrick’s Pattern Completion is an interactive St. Patrick’s Day math game for kindergarten and first grade students that builds pattern literacy through a fill-in-the-blank structure. Students are presented with…
Description: Discover the three saints of March — St. David of Wales, St. Joseph, and St. Patrick — through this richly illustrated teacher’s guide designed for K–5 classrooms. Explore the…
Lucky Sums is an interactive St. Patrick’s Day math game designed for kindergarten and first grade students, covering addition word problems with unknowns in all positions — result unknown, change…
This teacher’s guide to Holi gives K–5 educators everything they need to bring the Hindu Festival of Colors into the classroom with cultural depth and authenticity. From the sacred stories…
Humpback Whale Migration | This Month™ 🐋 Humpback Whale Migration 🌊 Follow the amazing journey of humpback whales across the world’s oceans! 🗺️ Explore Whale Migration Routes Click on any…
Hi Teachers! If you think this preview is cool, check out the version that our PILOT Teachers Access here. It’s optimized for Smartboards!!! This version is NOT meant for iOS…
While Martin Luther King Jr. is well known for his civil rights leadership, Coretta Scott King was a powerful activist and advocate in her own right. A trained vocalist, author,…
Magic Trash: A Story of Tyree Guyton and His Art Written by J.H. Shapiro | Illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton What do old shoes, broken toys, and discarded dolls have in…
“Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson’s Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions“ Written by Chris Barton | Illustrated by Don Tate The story of Lonnie Johnson is one where science and play are never far…
“The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind“ Written by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer | Illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon When a devastating drought stripped his family’s farm in Malawi of its…
This hands-on charm craft is a beautiful way to celebrate Lunar New Year while building fine motor skills and creative confidence. Students cut, layer, and glue felt into a vibrant…
The Presidents’ Day Matching Challenge is an interactive educational game where students match 10 well-known U.S. presidents with their most significant accomplishments. The game features three difficulty levels (K-1, 2-3,…
“` This comprehensive Teacher’s Guide to Spring Festival/Lunar New Year provides K-5 educators with equal coverage of Chinese, Korean (Seollal), and Vietnamese (Tết) celebrations, emphasizing cultural authenticity and age-appropriate teaching…
Bring Chinese New Year into your math lesson with this interactive partial sums game! Students practice double-digit addition by selecting two red packets and visually breaking numbers into tens and…
Teacher’s Guide to Carnival – A Global Celebration 🎭 Teacher’s Guide to Carnival 🎉 🎊 🎭 🎪 🎨 🎺 🎊 A Global Celebration of Joy, Community, and Cultural Expression Purpose:…
🎭 Carnival Around the World 🎉 Explore carnival celebrations from different cultures! Watch videos, color festive designs, and play our exciting Tombola game. Mardi Gras New Orleans, USA 🖍️ Download…
Carnival Tombola Game: Venetian Edition Experience the excitement of traditional Italian tombola with a vibrant Carnival twist! This festive number game brings the spirit of Venice’s famous Carnival celebration right…
This Month™ – Top Performing Activities 🏆 This Month™ Top Performers Most Popular & Highest Engagement Activities Celebrating Excellence in the Year of the Snake As the Year of the…
Back by popular demand our latest Spanish-English quiz takes on a sporty flavor. Don’t miss our other HUGELY popular Spanish-English quizes from 2025:
Why Word Searches Support ELA Learning Word searches build foundational literacy skills through engaging visual puzzles” – Dr. K. M. Schlatter Pattern Recognition & Word Consciousness: Scanning for words trains…
Play a game of memory and you may notice the great cognitive benefits, appearing quickly after several rounds. Start with the K-1st grade level, and work your way up. You…
Reporting on The 2026 Winter Olympics | This Month™ THIS MONTH™ 🎿 Reporting on The 2026 Winter Olympics 📰 Milano Cortina 2026 • From Our Own News Reporters: P. Nanda,…
Students race bobsleds and award medals to the top three finishers by comparing race times, with the game automatically adjusting difficulty from whole seconds (K-1) to decimal tenths (2-3) to…
Students use an interactive bobsled racing game to practice comparing and ordering numbers by analyzing race times and awarding gold, silver, and bronze medals to the top three finishers out…
This little recording studio can facilitate your classroom or home recording project. The recording is available immediately after you’re finished, but YOU need to save it to you computer or…
During the time of enslavement of Black people in America, quilts were created from scraps of fabric. These quilts became tools of resistance and pathways to freedom. Some say these…
Bring Black History to Life. No App, No Login, No Setup. This multimedia interactive learning experience “History’s Calling Me™” has been optimized for school laptops, desktops, and smart boards. It…
Teacher’s Guide to the Montgomery Bus Boycott – The Untold Stories Teacher’s Guide to the Montgomery Bus Boycott The Untold Stories Beyond Rosa Parks Target Audience: K-5th Grade Educators Time…
Transform February math lessons into hands-on fun with these adorable Valentine-themed pattern cards! This ready-to-print set features 96 colorful cards with red hearts, pink roses, and purple chocolates that students…
Snowflake Bentley – Interactive Book Review January Read-Aloud Guide ❄️ Snowflake Bentley ❄️ By Jacqueline Briggs Martin Illustrated by Mary Azarian K-5 Classroom Resource From the Archives Grades K-1 Grades…
Instant Guide to the Arctic vs Antarctic | This Month™ THIS MONTH™ 🧊 Instant Guide to the Arctic vs Antarctic 🧊 Exploring Earth’s Frozen Poles 👋 Choose Your Learning Level:…
MLK Day Civic Quiz – Test Your Knowledge! 🕊️ 📚 ⭐ MLK Day Civic Quiz Test Your Knowledge About Dr. King! Choose Your Grade Level: Kindergarten – 1st Grade 2nd…
Temperature Explorer | This Month™ 🌡️ Temperature Explorer 🗺️ Discover how temperatures vary across America in early January! 🗺️ Choose a City to Explore Click on any city in the…
Dr. King: A Reader, Writer, and Lifelong Learner 📚 ✍🏾 🎵 Dr. King: A Reader, Writer, and Lifelong Learner Beyond the Dream: The Many Dimensions of Dr. Martin Luther King…
Can you identify different types of rocks? It’s trickier than it looks – even geologists sometimes need tools and tests! In this activity, you’ll learn how rocks form and practice…
January Sales Challenge 🏷️ January Sales Challenge! 🏷️ ✨ EVERYTHING 50% OFF! ✨ A This Month™ Activity Grades K-1 | Learn About “Half Off” Sales! 🎯 New Year Sale! Everything…
What’s Included in ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas Lesson Plan
Rhyming Word Sort | This Month™ ❄️ Winter Rhyming Word Sort ⛄ Sort the words by their rhyming sounds! A This Month™ Activity K-1st Grade 2nd-3rd Grade 4th-5th Grade ❄️…
‘Twas the Night Before Christmas – Interactive Reader | This Month™ 🎄 ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas 🎅 A Visit from St. Nicholas By Clement Clarke Moore (1823) A This…
Teacher’s Guide to Ōmisoka – Japanese New Year’s Eve 🎊 🔔 🍜 Teacher’s Guide to Ōmisoka Japanese New Year’s Eve Target Audience: K-5th Grade Educators Cultural Context: Japanese Traditions Timing:…
Have you got your Holiday Gift List sorted out? Use this memory match for choosing a difficulty level and honing those cognitive skills
This game is excellent practice for addition and subtraction within 20. Our young testers love playing it, and switching between totalling one item at a time, or subtracting from their…
If you enjoyed learning about Hanukkah symbols, check out our virtual dreidel game for more learning!
🕎 ✨ 🕯️ Teacher’s Guide to Hanukkah The Festival of Lights Target Audience: K-5th Grade Educators Cultural Context: Jewish Traditions Timing: 8 days beginning on the 25th of Kislev (November…
Portuguese Christmas Vocabulary Matching Game 🎄 Brazilian Christmas Vocabulary 🎁 Match Portuguese words with their English meanings! K-1st Grade 2nd-3rd Grade 4th-5th Grade Matches: 0/5 Attempts: 0 Time: 0:00 New…
Teacher’s Guide: Christmas Celebrations in Latin America and the Caribbean 🎄 ⭐ 🎅 Christmas Celebrations in Latin America and the Caribbean Traditions from Puerto Rico, Cuba, Mexico, and Brazil Target…
Teacher’s Guide to Yalda – The Persian Festival of Light 🌙 ⭐ 🕯️ Teacher’s Guide to Yalda The Persian Festival of Light Target Audience: K-5th Grade Educators Cultural Context: Persian/Iranian…
Christmas Through the Hollywood Lens – Teacher’s Guide 🎬 ❄️ ⭐ Christmas Through the Hollywood Lens How Movies Shape American Holiday Culture Target Audience: K-5th Grade Educators Cultural Context: American…
Daylight Hours Calculator | This Month™ 🌞 Daylight Hours Calculator 🌙 Discover how daylight changes across America throughout the year! 🗺️ Choose a City to Explore Click on any city…
The Instant Guide to Earth’s Solstice and Equinox 🌍 The Instant Guide to Earth’s Solstice and Equinox Understanding Earth’s Tilt and the Science Behind Our Seasons Grades K-2 Grades 3-4…
The Solstice Salsa Party | This Month™ 🔇 🌙 The Solstice Salsa Party! ☀️ A This Month™ Winter Solstice Math Celebration Series K-1st Grade 2nd-3rd Grade 4th-5th Grade 🎯 Practice…
This is a wonderful activity for preK-1st grade, or any age group and child who needs a mental break (something that calm coloring activities provide)! Kids can engage their observation…
World Children’s Day: A Parent’s Guide to Supporting Your Child’s Mental Health | This Month™ 📅 November 20 • World Children’s Day Supporting Your Child’s Mental Health: A Parent’s Guide…
Black Holes Vocabulary Game 🌌 Black Holes Vocabulary Game 🌌 Master the language of gravity and black holes! Choose Grade Level: Grades K-1 Grades 2-3 Grades 4-5 Choose Mode: 📚…
Instant Guide to Black Holes Instant Guide to BLACK HOLES The Most Mysterious Objects in Space ⚛️ Physics Friday: Black Hole Edition Part of our ongoing Physics Friday series exploring…
Cahokia Mounds as they appeared in ancient times. This is now a An UNESCO World Heritage that can be visited at 30 Ramey Street Collinsville, IL. The location is only…
Leonid Meteor Shower & The Force of Gravity – This Month™ THIS MONTH™ Timely, Standards-Aligned Learning for K-5th Grade 🌠 The Force That Holds Everything Together Discover Gravity Through the…
‘Powwow Day‘ immerses readers in the sights, sounds, and emotions of an intertribal gathering. At the center of the story is River, a young girl recovering from an illness. She…
For Native American Heritage Month, we’re highlighting stories told by Native voices. Who Am I? by Julie Buchholtz, a member of the Bay Mills Tribe of Chippewa Indians, is a…
Thanksgiving preparation meets math practice in this engaging multiplication game! Students become bakers calculating how many ingredients they need to make multiple pies for a holiday party. The fun part?…
Beyond the Turkey: A Science-Backed Guide to Meaningful Thanksgiving Traditions | This Month™ Beyond the Turkey A Science-Backed Guide to Meaningful Thanksgiving Traditions Thanksgiving is more than a meal—it’s a…
After spelling practice with Wormly, explore a story that builds emotional vocabulary.
🎨 Kindness Fortune Teller 🎨 Building Your Kindness Toolkit Through Origami 📅 Origami Day – November 11 💝 Kindness Week 🎯 K-5th Grade ⏱️ 30-40 minutes Learning Objectives Develop practical…
ARTificial Intelligence by David Biedrzycki From his earliest days as “a little chip,” Robot knows something sets him apart. David Biedrzycki’s Artificial Intelligence is a tender, humorous exploration of what…
Honor a Veteran with a gratitude card for their service, and by inviting them to a round of Military Mascot Memory Matching. Play digitally or download the full printable activity…
Image: “The Great Wave off Kanagawa” (1830-1832) | Artist: Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) | Collection: Metropolitan Museum of Art (JP1847) | Public Domain 🌊 Instant Guide to Tsunami Science & Safety…
Growing up in Japan shaped my deep respect for tsunami science and safety. In 2015, the UN General Assembly designated November 5th as World Tsunami Awareness Day, based on Japan’s…
Dear Teachers and Families: Have you ever witnessed a full moon? How about a Supermoon? This week marks the last chance in 2025 to see the Supermoon phenomenon! It’s also…
Boy stares up at the moon in Wonder: IN this interactive activity Learn moon phase vocabulary through interactive flashcards and quizzes. Kid-friendly lessons on New Moon, Full Moon, and more for elementary students.
Moon Phase Matching Game – This Month™ THIS MONTH™ Interactive Learning Games 🌙 Moon Phase Matching Game Click a moon emoji, then click its matching name! Match all 8 moon…
Moon Phases Explorer 🌙 Interactive Moon Phases Explorer ✨ Explore How the Moon Changes Throughout the Month 💡 Tip: Click the Moon or use the buttons below to explore each…
What is the best way to harvest apples, this picture of a baket flying through the air with apples falling to the ground may be a hint! Read through this lesson plan for inspiration!
A tween reaches up to harvest apples whilst dropping her basket of collected apples. Has she been spinning the basket and aiming at the branch as she let’s it go?
💡 Tip: Click anywhere in space to create shooting stars!
La Catrina Gallery La Catrina Art Process Gallery Honoring José Guadalupe Posada’s Legacy Through Student Sculpture A Step-by-Step Journey: Creating Día de los Muertos Art in the Classroom Learn more…
La Calavera Catrina (see feature image above) was created by José Guadalupe Posada in 1910 as political commentary criticizing wealthy Mexicans who abandoned their cultural heritage. She has since become…
Día de los Muertos: A Cultural Guide for Educators Día de los Muertos A Cultural Guide for Educators Target Audience: K-5th Grade Teachers and Educators Purpose: To provide accurate, culturally…
Printable Diwali Tabola Cards 🪔 🪔 🪔 Diwali Tabola Card Generator Create custom printable cards for K-2nd grade! 📋 How to Use: Choose how many cards you want (4, 8,…
Count the Diyas! Interactive Math 🪔 🪔 🪔 🪔 🪔 🪔 🪔 🪔 🪔 🪔 🪔 Count the Diyas! Interactive Diwali Math for Grades 1-2 Worksheet 1: More or Less…
🪔 🪔 🪔 Teacher’s Guide to Diwali The Festival of Lights Target Audience: K-5th Grade Educators Cultural Context: Hindu, Sikh, and Jain Traditions Timing: October/November (varies by lunar calendar) 📖…
Halloween Pattern Cards Lesson Plan – This Month™ 🎃 Halloween Pattern Cards Activity 🎃 A Standards-Aligned Pattern Recognition Lesson This Month™ – Connecting Learning to the Calendar 📚 Target Audience…
Halloween Pattern Cards – Printable 🎃 Halloween Pattern Cards – Printable Sheet 🎃 What you’ll get: 24 cards total – 8 pumpkins, 8 bats, and 8 ghosts Instructions: Print this…
Tíos & Primos Book Review Tíos & Primos is written and illustrated by Jacqueline Alcántara. In this story a girl travels with her father to Honduras. She’s nervous about her…
“Stand as Tall as the Trees: How an Amazonian Community Protected the Rain Forest” by Patricia Gualinga and Laura Resau, illustrated by Vanessa Jaramillo, tells the true story of how…
Memory Card Game Instructions – This Month™ 🎃 🧙 🧙 🧙 🎃Memory Card Game Instructions🎃 Setup Shuffle all 12 cards thoroughly Spread them face-down on a table or floor in…
Teachers, looking for the perfect complement to your Mooncake Coloring activity or the Glowing Lantern Engineering Challenge? We highly recommend playing the audiobook of Our Moon Festival: Celebrating the Moon…
The Harvest Moon Festival is a time for families to gather, share food, and enjoy the beauty of glowing lanterns under the autumn sky. Using everyday materials like jars, tissue…
Chestnut Harvest Sorting Activity – This Month Mathober Series This Month™: October Math Adventures “To Roast or To Toss?” Chestnut Sorting Mathober-Inspired Activities for K-5th Grade Classrooms & Families Fall…
We’d love to see your completed coloring pages! Send us snapshots to info@thence.us to be featured on our socials or tag us on Linkedin or Instagram!
Shape Detective: 3D Halloween Hunt – This Month™ 🔍 Shape Detective: 3D Halloween Hunt 🎃 Find the 3D shapes hiding in Halloween objects! 🎯 How to Play: Choose a 3D…
Link Up! Halloween Chain Patterns – This Month™ 🔗 Halloween Pattern Cards 🎃 Create spooky repeating patterns for October decorations! 🎨 How to Play: Tap the Halloween emoji cards (🎃…
Moon Cake Fraction Fun – This Month™ 🥮 Moon Cake Fraction Fun 🌕 Harvest Moon Festival Learning Activity 🏮 Did You Know? During the Harvest Moon Festival, families in China…
Can math stories be culturally on point, revelatory and fun? The answer is yes! And that’s why we’re recommending “Luna and the Case of the Missing Mooncakes” by Natasha Yim,…
Taurid Meteor Shower Taken in Joshua Tree California
This lesson plan accompanies out slope and ball simulator available here. Use this lesson plan with the appropriate age group. Hint you can click the grade grouping button at the…
How to use: experiment with making the slope steeper and watch how it affects the speed of the ball. Try it with a real ball and a plank of wood.…
For preschoolers and kindergarteners, we’ve created an educational activity featuring one of their favorite things—cute backpacks! This coloring pack takes children on a journey through animal-themed backpacks, each paired with…
This digital drag-and-drop activity invites learners to pair apples and honey while exploring the tradition of wishing for a sweet new year! As students drag, drop, and match apples with…
Celebrate World Gratitude Day with a hands-on activity! Children can print and decorate cards with adorable designs, then make them extra special by writing their own heartfelt messages inside. Great…
Paper Engineering Techniques Paper Engineering Techniques Interactive Guide for K-8 Educators 📚 Welcome ▼ Welcome to the world of paper engineering! This interactive guide introduces five fundamental pop-up techniques that…
Complementing Pop-Up Cards, interactive cards also blend science, math, and art through everyday materials. This construction process challenges learners to apply precision engineering skills, from exact hole placement to smooth…
Parents and kids can have fun playing a version of this early 1978 game, then extend the experience with the interactive lesson plan below! After playing the game you and…
Tackle big numbers with confidence using our Long Division and Multiplication Grid one-pager. This simple, reusable tool gives students a clear way to see each step of long division and…
Math only gets more challenging as the year goes on, so the start of the school year is the perfect time for learners to refresh their multiplication skills. We’ve put…
The start of a new school year is all about introductions, building connections, and creating a welcoming classroom community. With this Braille Slate & Name Card Craft, students design their…
As summer break winds down and the school year approaches, try this colorful DIY Windsock craft perfect for the last days of camp or a fun afternoon at home. Using…
This Disability Pride Month let’s educate our learners about accessibility by exploring one way that technology can support people with a physical disability. In this hands-on activity, students can build…
It’s still the Year of the Snake according to the Chinese Zodiac, and there’s no better way to mark World Snake Day than by making your own snake puppet! Check…
Interactive Video Game Evolution Lesson Plan 🎮 The Evolution of Video Games An Interactive Journey Through Gaming History July 8th was National Video Game Day, Let’s Celebrate throughout July! K-2nd…
This animated film from the 1975 by Vince Collins is a montage of imagery associated with patriotism, culture and iconic symbols in the United States. How might your students reimagine…
Patriotic Wind Socks Craft 🖨️ Print Guide ✨ Patriotic Wind Socks ✨ Create Beautiful Flying Decorations for Independence Day! ⭐ Easy – Perfect for K-6 Students 🛠️ Materials Needed 🥤…
Educators can input a lesson’s learning objective to determine whether using AI is a supporting tool for the type of metacognition or cognition you want to see in your students.…
Can you draw something that is practically transparent? This first activity is a scientific drawing adventure and investigation into Sea jelly locomotion and shape-shifting. Three age-appropriate interactive activities available below…
Play with the interactive below or hit the button to get the PDF printable for offline riddles and coloring for all ages including adults and elders who love to color…
We really enjoyed reading and reviewing this book Jellyfish Scientist, Maude Delap and Her Mesmerizing Medusas, about a self-taught scientist who made a breakthrough to uncover the secrets of jellyfish.…
Use the interactive button “Start New Game” to play this little educational jazz instrument and legendary musicians matching game! Jazz Instrument Matching Game 🎷 Jazz Instrument Matching Game 🎺 Honoring…
This June, we’re educating about Black Music Month and Caribbean American Heritage Month with engaging STEAM activities that explore musical heritage. Start by exploring our K–6 lesson plan, featuring age-appropriate…
You know best what children in this age group may need to best understand the complex history of the United States, however, guides with specific language and lesson plans can…
Sometimes a stay-at-home summer camp is the only answer to filling the summer weeks. Whether it’s due to busy and conflicting schedules, accommodating differing needs, naps, and diets, here’s a…
The weeks and month of summer can be long for parents scrambling to keep their little ones happily occupied, active, reading and ready for the school year ahead without relying…
Should we call them Jellyfish or Sea jellies? The answer from scientists who study them is: absolutely do not call them Jellyfish!!! The are not fish at all! A more…
This is a review of The Loving Story, a documentary covering the Loving v. Virginia case, that takes viewers on a journey of an interracial couple simply fighting for the…
Take this quiz to test you geographical and cultural knowledge of the Caribbean! Extend your learning by requesting our custom lesson plans about the region. Caribbean Islands Geography Game Caribbean…
Every heard of mindfulness coloring? These detailed, often whimsical coloring activities encourage a different kind of focus—one that gently grounds you in the present moment. For grown-ups it could be…
As we continue through Volcano Awareness Month, here’s another engaging STEAM activity to spark curiosity in your learners! Volcanoes are a fascinating and often under-taught subject, and this activity introduces…
Check out this joint book review by THENCE Founder and her young daughter. Reading together builds mutual interests and allows for special bonding time. Keeping it going even after children…
In Washington State, May was designated as Volcano Awareness Month after the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980. The deadly eruption was a watershed moment for volcanic monitoring and public…
During Mental Health Awareness Month This Month will be sharing weekly book reviews that address topics that may be difficult for children to go through or discuss. This week’s focus…
As we close out teacher appreciation week and approach the end of the school year, let’s take time to show our educators some love! And what better way to let…
A coloring activity pack with drawing pages for each stage of the story. Send us snapshots of your completed work and we shall feature it! info@thence.us
The Math fun by counting and coloring each festive item in the coloring sheets below. Expect to find eggs, bunnies, birds and more! For a more hands-on (and edible) activity,…
It’s Passover, a time when Jewish families host or join a Seder dinner. We found a great source for families with young children: PJ Library offers a guide for parents…
Let’s honor National Library Week through book reviews! Watch below for a review of The Library Mouse, written and illustrated by Daniel Kirk. Dr. Katherine Schlatter, THENCE Founder, CEO, and…
As we close out World Autism and Neurodiversity Awareness Month, Editor of This Month, Helina Seyoum, reviews one of her favorite illustrated children’s storybooks. Enjoy the book with your learners…
Because it’s April and it’s also National Library Week what could be more fun than Celebrating in the Wonderful City of Oxford, England. This Month is at the World Literacy…
In honor of World Autism Awareness Day and to kick off World Autism Month, we’d like to share a collaborative craft that you can do with your learners. This craft…
The cherry blossom is the flower of trees in Prunus subgenus Cerasus. The Japanese word “Sakura” 桜 or 櫻; さくら or サクラ translates to both the tree or its flowers.…
This craft was inspired by by The Blessed Pomegranates: A Ramadan Story About Giving. Why not create your own “Giving Tree” filled with leaves of gratitude and pomegranate seeds of…
In the United States many people mark St. Patrick’s Day with celebrations of Irish culture, parades and festivities requiring a lot of green costumes. So it may come as a…
Students can identify any historical or contemporary woman they would like to study. She doesn’t have to be someone famous. She could be also a mom, grandma, aunt, teacher or…
The New York Times Op-Doc, My Disability Roadmap, centers Samuel Habib from nineteen to twenty one years old, his dreams for his life, and the barriers he faces in reaching…
Haben Girma is a remarkable history-making woman whose work was born from the inaccessibility she had encountered throughout her life. Her extensive accolades and credentials include being the first Deafblind…
In 1977, the UN General Assembly invited their member states to recognize a day dedicated to Women’s Rights and International Peace by proposing the 8th of March which aligned with Italy’s honor day…
Whether you observe or educate about the meaning and values around Ramadan, our team has created this wonderful craft to share with your classroom or home schooled children. Many thanks…
The Carnival season in New Orleans, Louisiana starts on January 6 and culminates in a holiday called Mardi Gras that falls on the day before the Catholic holiday of Ash…
Similar to Carnival in New Orleans and Venice, Brazil’s celebrations also occur in the days leading up to Lent. And for many, when we think of Carnival, Rio de Janeiro…
Did you know Carnival is celebrated in many regions, cities, and countries around the world? The origins of this celebration are blended and each place has its own unique expressions…
In addition to classroom crafts and chocolate exchanges, Valentine’s Day provides a unique opportunity to discuss love in the context of Black History. There’s a chance to revisit it too…
Watch the full video below👇 Festival and tradition: On the fifteenth day of the first month in the lunisolar Chinese calendar, a lantern festival, marks the full moon, and the…
THENCE illustrator extraordinaire, Nikita Lai Jing Tse has created this timely craft to connect students to the cultural significance of the Lunar New Year, and this year’s zodiac animal: The…
In late 2023, THENCE launched a Webzine specifically designed to help families particularly with younger children think about activities and avoid moments of stress during the school winter break. This…
Interested in the meaning and origins of Indigenous Peoples’ Day? We share this video of Deb Haaland and Rodney A. Butler speaking on Indigenous People’s Day in 2019. We include…
New Jersey Public Schools recognize many days in the month of October, and you can see the List of Religious Holidays Permitting Pupil Absence From School here however, the high…
This year International Literacy Day fell on a Sunday, and we celebrated at home with… you guessed it… books! International Literacy Day is important to me because I think about…
This article was originally written by Krysta Dennis for Libretexts and is republished here. The term “applied theatre” became popular in the United Kingdom in the 1990s to describe theatre…
Are you in the market for more children’s books that carry meaningful stories and introduce the children in your care to new concepts, ideas, people and situations that make them…
Drumroll please! Dive into this great book review with a recommendations that centers Deaf identity as it intersects with women’s history, music and performance art.
Two of our wonderful THENCE collaborators have deep personal ties to the Deaf and hard of hearing community and so we led a conversation about topics important to them this…
Let’s discuss book curation, classroom pedagogy, and children’s literature from some of the most amazing women voices this Women’s History Month. Here we highlight amazing female scholars, Louise Derman-Sparks, Rudine…
One of the first things that Louise Derman-Sparks asked library curators to watch out for is books containing stereotypes which are unfair mischaracterizations and generalizations about a group. These two…
Look closely at popular contemporary media, cartoons and many made for TV shows for our youngest viewers. Have you noticed that many shows feature four to six young heroes, all…
Recognizing invisibility is just as important as spotting stereotypes in children’s books. Here’s how to take a lens to what, or who is not represented in you classroom library.
On Monday March 11th, 2024 the month-long spiritual period of Ramadan began, and with it routines of fasting from dawn to dusk for Muslims who observe. In the school setting…
Today I want to recognize and celebrate Andrea Patterson, Actor, Entrepreneur, Teaching Artist, and Mom of three amazing young daughters! On this last day of Black History Month we highlight…
As we enjoy this bonus day of black history month, we are also intersecting and amplifying Her-story. Check out this amazing family activity brought to us by Partner company Afrocentric…
THENCE Collaborator and founder of Afrocentric Montessori, Ashley Causey-Golden, introduces us to the concept of “The Culture Tree”, a concept put forward by pedagogical expert and educator Zaretta Hammond. This…
The THENCE Team recommends the book “Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students” . The author, Zaretta Hammond, offers trainings…
The THENCE Team recommends the book “Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students” by Zaretta Hammond. In this book Hammond…
At THENCE we think a lot about ways to shift the paradigm. Whether it’s through, expanding the lessons of Dr. King, or exploring school belonging within diverse communities. So this…
Featured maker: We present this craft video tutorial by THENCE Team member Nikita Lai Jing Tse. She styled, directed and filmed the making of this 3-Dimensional character for the Chinese…
Our social media feeds are filled with recommended lists and materials for Black History month, and had planning not begun sooner, many educators may feel that there is no time…
“Many times we read or hear an amazing idea or strategy to use in the classroom but the lingering question becomes: How do I use this in my classroom?” -Ashley…
In her recent post on THENCE.us, contributor Ashley Causey-Golden, not only introduced us to Dr. Gholdy Muhammad’s Book “Cultivating Genius: An Equity Framework for Culturally and Historically Responsive Literacy“, she…
Reading about Dr. Gholdy Muhammad’s pedagogies is beneficial in making our teaching practices more reflective. This is because Dr. Muhammad offers a specific framework with key questions through her Historically…
Classroom activities that engage children in craftsmanship and analytical skills can stretch and expand learning beyond simple cognition into the realm of reflective thinking, or metacognition. This is especially true…
I like to start learners this question “who was Dr. Martin Luther King?
This Month™ – Seasonal Learning Made Simple “Everything I need is right there when I need it. The dashboard makes planning so much easier.” See How It Works 🎮 300+…