Instant Lesson: Drums Across Cultures
This June, we’re educating about Black Music Month and Caribbean American Heritage Month with activities that explore musical heritage. Start by exploring our lesson plan, differentiated by grade band featuring…
End-of-Year Favorites: The Classroom Activities Teachers Loved Most in 2026
End-of-Year Classroom Activities: Favorites in 2026 This school year, teachers turned to This Month™ for interactive, curriculum-aligned activities that make the final stretch, and the whole year, worth celebrating. These…
National Insect Appreciation Day: Clay Insect Sculpting Craft
Why 900,000 insect species need one day of appreciation more than ever Clay Insect Sculpting Craft National Insect Appreciation Day · June 2026 Sculpt North American Insects Out of Clay…
World Environment Day Crossword Puzzle
World Environment Day Crossword Puzzle What Is the World Environment Day Crossword Puzzle? This free World Environment Day crossword game for kids gives K–5 teachers a ready-to-play interactive activity for…
13 of Our Favorite Dinosaur Exhibits in the USA
From the Smithsonian to the Rockies: The Ultimate Guide to 13 of the Best Dinosaur Exhibits and Museums for Families This Summer Planning a summer adventure? Whether you’re road-tripping through…
Close-up with Pura Belpré: How one Brave Librarian Transformed Puerto Rican Culture in America
How one Puerto Rican librarian transformed the New York Public Library and children’s literature forever Pura Belpré arrived in New York City in 1921 intending to stay for a wedding.…
Garden Workshop: Seeds, Soil & Sustainability
Garden Workshop is an interactive, standards-aligned planting game for grades K–5. Students move through five guided steps — choosing a planting season, selecting a biodegradable container, identifying the right seeds,…
Discover the Secret Bee! Honeycomb Hex Pattern for Kindergarten
🍯 Honeycomb Hex Math 🍯 Honeycomb Hex Math Kindergarten · Color by Number ↺ Reset 🐝 Color by Number — Reveal the Secret! Pick a color below, then tap or…
Sports Gear Shopping Challenge | Budget Math Game for K–5
Celebrate National Physical Fitness & Sports Month with this standards-aligned interactive budget math game for grades K–5! Students shop for real sports gear — soccer balls, skateboards, fishing rods, hockey…
Unleash the Power of Latino Literature Book Recommender
Find Perfect Pura Belpré Book Award Winners Instantly Through our Book Recommender Discover the magic of award-winning Latino literature with our free interactive Book Recommender! Our Pura Belpré Book Recommender…
Africa Day: Match African Nations & Their Capitals
Celebrate Africa Day on May 25th with this interactive nations and capitals matching game for grades K–5! Students study real country flags and geographic region clues before matching 54-nation Africa’s…
Galápagos Giant Tortoises: From Extinction to Recovery | K-5 Life Science Lesson
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…
Effortless Lesson Planning: How Teachers Save Time, and Get Engagement with This Dashboard
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+…
Surprising Summer Fractions Fun: Hands-On Lemonade Stand Division Activity for Early Learners
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…
Spring Baby Animals Revealed | Interactive Smartboard-Ready Instant Lesson!
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…
Close-up with Naomi Osaka: Tennis Champion, Activist, and a Story of Two Cultures
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…
Field Day Word Search
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…
Close-up with David Attenborough: Nature’s Greatest Storyteller Turns 100
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…
Explosive, Eye-Opening and Standards-Aligned: Our Volcano Lava Flow Simulator is Here!
A volcano erupting, showing lava and plums footage is made into a video gif. Volcano unknown
What it would have been like to experience the dinosaur‑killing asteroid armageddon?
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,…
The Perfect Poetry Month TEJ Reader to Welcome Spring!
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…
Book Review: “Listening to the Quiet”
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…
Teacher Appreciation Word Search
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…
Teacher’s Guide to Cinco de Mayo
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…
Sort Out the Spring Babies! Life Science K-5th!
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…
Geometry on the Tanagram Farm Challenge (K-3)
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 Gratitude Cards
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…
Instant Lesson: Lei Pattern Games
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,…
Lei Day Pattern Builder
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…
Lei Day Unit Counter
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 🌺,…
Book Review: “A Love Letter to My Library”
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…
ASL Matching Game
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 Math Game K-5!
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…
Woven Bookmark & Rug Craft
🌙 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…
A Close-Up of Sundus Saad: Weaving Color, Texture, and Memory
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…
Storm Simulator: Instant Lesson
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…
Storm Simulator: Interactive Hurricane Science
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 —…
Honoring Spanish Language Day with “The Interpreter”
“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.…
Empanada Math Fiesta: Instant Lesson
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
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…
Earth Day Coloring & Memory Match
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.…
Learn About the Thai New Year Songkran: Educator’s Guide
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…
Honoring Disability Book Week: “Extraordinary Jordyn and her Bionic Ears”
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…
Color the Magic: A Unicorn Coloring Pack
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…
Breaking News: Orion Re-entry and Splashdown
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…
Wormly: Moon Exploration Edition — SoR Spelling
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…
An Instant Guide to the Artemis II Moon Photos
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…
NASA Live Stream for Your Classroom (Official)
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…
Breaking News: Moon Flyby Physics Explained
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…
Background about the Artemis II from the Conversation
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…
Physics Friday – Rocket to the Moon Mission Simulator
Free Rocket to the Moon Simulator – Physics for K–5 🚀 Tip: Select your grade level, adjust the sliders, then press Ignite Engines to launch! What Is the Rocket to…
In the Spring Day and Night are Equal: Lesson Plan & Interactive
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…
Easter Egg Word Problems: Practice Addition
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,…
Teacher’s Guide to Good Friday & Easter: Traditions Around the World
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…
A Teacher’s Guide to Passover: History, Seder, & Jewish Diversity
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…
Make a Greek Salad With Yummy Veggies
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…
Instant Lesson: March Madness for Math
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…
Close Up with Rita Levi-Montalcini: A Scientist Who Refused Every Boundary
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…
Quoits: Ancient Greece Ring-Toss
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 —…
French Language Day Matching Game
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…
Your Amazing Brain Series: Senses
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…
Nutritious Food Coloring Pack
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…
All Buzzer Beater Math Games
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,…
Buzzer Beater Multiplication: Play Now!
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…
Nutritious Food Sorting Game!
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…
Meet Bonnie St. John: Paralympic Medalist, Rhodes Scholar, and Trailblazer
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…
Beat the Buzzer Addition! Practice Here!
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 Crafts to Celebrate National Craft Month
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…
Cupcake Math: What Happens When Yummy Treats are Shared?
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…
Instant Guide: St. Patrick’s Pattern Games
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…
Silenced Voices, Hard-Won Votes: An Instant Guide to Women’s Suffrage
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…
Word Search: The Dentist’s Dictionary
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…
Audio Book Review: “Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut”
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.…
Polka Dots Everywhere! Discover the Amazing Work and Life of Yayoi Kusama
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
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…
Leprechaun Pattern Detective
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 Unit Counter
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…
Shamrock Pattern Completion
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…
Meet the Saints of March
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 Sum St Pat’s Addition Practice
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…
An Educator’s Guide to the Hindu Festival Holi
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…
Follow the Humpback Whales Around the World!
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…
Time Machine: Meet Black Innovators
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…
Find Your Perfect Coretta Scott King Award Winner!
Need a Book For BHM and Beyond? Use Our Book Recommender to Identify a Great Read Aloud Story or Match for Your Students from the Huge Database of Coretta Scott…
Black Children’s Book Week | Book Reviews
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…
Book Review: “Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson’s Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions”
“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…
Book Review: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
“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…
Chinese New Year: Fire Horse Charm Craft
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…
Plan a President’s Day Puzzle: Matching Fun!
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,…
Spring Festival, Lunar New Year & Chinese New Year: A Guide for Educators
“` 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…
Add Up Lucky Money! Double-Digit Addition!
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…
Teach About Carnival Around the World! An Educator’s Guide
Teacher’s Guide to Carnival – A Global Celebration 🎭 Teacher’s Guide to Carnival 🎉 🎊 🎭 🎪 🎨 🎺 🎊 A Global Celebration of Joy, Community, and Cultural Expression Purpose:…
Download Coloring Sheets for Carnival Around the World!!!
🎭 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…
Play Tombola for Carnival Celebration!
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…
What Were the Top Performers in the Year of the Snake?
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…
Monday Morning Quaterback Spanish-English Quiz
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:
Monday Morning Quarterback Word Search
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…
Monday Quarterback Memory Match
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…
Just Opened! The 2026 Winter Olympics!
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,…
Bobsled Speed Challenge: Compare the Best Race Times for K-5th!
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…
Grade Adjustable Lesson Plan to Accompany Bobsled Number Comparision Game!
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…
It’s Your Turn! Make a Voice Recording Here!
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…
Freedom Quilt Coloring Activity
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…
History’s Calling Me™
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…
An Educator’s Guide to Bus Boycotts: Lesser Known Heroes
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…
Valentine’s Pattern Cards – Printable Set
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: Our January Read-Aloud Guide
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 Artic vs Antarctic
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:…
Take the MLK Day Civic’s Quiz
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…
How to Read January Temperature Charts: A Measurement Activity
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…
Introducing Dr. Martin Luther King as a Lifelong Learner: A Teacher’s Guide
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…
Rock Detective: Categorizing & Coloring Activity
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…
Shopping Cart Math! Half Off Challenge
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…
Interactive Lesson Plan Exploring ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas
What’s Included in ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas Lesson Plan
Excellent Timing for Winter Rhyming! ELA practice
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 ❄️…
Read or Listen to ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas
‘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…
New Year’s Eve: A Cultural Guide to Ōmisoka
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:…
Holiday Gift List Memory Match
Have you got your Holiday Gift List sorted out? Use this memory match for choosing a difficulty level and honing those cognitive skills
Budgeting with Shopping Cart Math!
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…
Memory Match Hanukkah Symbols and Foods!
If you enjoyed learning about Hanukkah symbols, check out our virtual dreidel game for more learning!
A Cultural Guide to Hanukkah
🕎 ✨ 🕯️ 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 Vocab Matching Game
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…
Cultural Guide to Christmas in Latin America & the Caribbean
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…
Discover Yalda: A Festival of the Solstice
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
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…
Calculate the Hours and Minutes of Daylight Across America!
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…
Teaching about Winter Solstice? Instant Guide
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…
Make a Salsa for the Winter Solstice! K-5th Math
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…
Spot the Difference FALL Coloring Pack!
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…
Supporting Your Child’s Mental Health
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 Hole Friday Vocab QUIZ!
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: 📚…
Don’t Miss BLACK HOLE FRIDAY!!!
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…
Native American Heritage Month: The Cahokia Mounds and Solstice Traditions Practiced Today
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…
Physics Friday: GRAVITY & The Leonid Meteor
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…
Centering Native Voices: “Powwow Day” Book Review
‘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…
“Who Am I” Book Review Honoring Native American Heritage Month
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…
Pie Making Party Math K-5th! Thanksgiving Fun!
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?…
A Science-Backed Guide to a Meaningful Thanksgiving Holiday
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…
Meet Wormly! Collect Letters, and Spell Words!
After spelling practice with Wormly, explore a story that builds emotional vocabulary.
World Origami Day Meets Kindness Week!
🎨 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…
Read-Aloud Story About a Creative and Kind Robot
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…
Military Mascot Memory Matching Game
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…
Instant Guide to Tsunami Science and Safety
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…
Interact with our Tsunami Wave Simulator
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…
Instant Guide to Supermoons & Moon Phases
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…
Quick Quiz: Lunar Vocab!!!
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
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…
PLAY: Interactive Moon Phase Explorer!
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…
PHYSICS Friday: Circular Motion with Fall Harvest Game
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!
MOTION Monday: Fall Harvest Challenge!
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?
Explore the Taurid Meteor Shower
💡 Tip: Click anywhere in space to create shooting stars!
A Sculptural Art Project with La Catrina
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…
Exploring La Calavera Catrina: Día de los Muertos
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…
A Teacher’s Guide to Día de los Muertos
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…
Diwali Tabola Game
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! Diwali Activity!
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
🪔 🪔 🪔 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) 📖…
Lesson Plan for Halloween Pattern Card Activity
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 Sheet
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…
Honoring Hispanic Heritage with Good Books
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…
What to Read Aloud This Indigenous Peoples DAY: “Stand as Tall as Trees”
“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…
Halloween Memory Card Game PLAY now!
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…
Audio Book Review: “Our Moon Festival”
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…
Light Up Your Harvest Moon Celebration with a Glowing Lantern Engineering Challenge!
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…
To Roast or Toss: Lesson PLAN & Printouts!
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…
Moon Cake Coloring Activity
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!
Halloween Hunt for Shape Detectives!
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…
Can You Follow This Halloween Pattern? Interactive Game !
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 (🎃…
Share a Moon Cake Fraction Game
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…
Recommended Math Story: “Luna and the Case of the Missing Mooncakes”
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,…
Interactive Meteor Shower Vocabulary Cards!
Taurid Meteor Shower Taken in Joshua Tree California
Lesson Plan: Rolling into Fall with Ramp Physics
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…
“Speed Down the Slope” Physics Game!
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.…
Color, Count & Learn with Animal Backpacks!
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…
Rosh Hashanah Apple and Honey Garden GAME
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…
Create Handmade Cards for World Gratitude Day
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…
Learn to Teach Paper Engineering!
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…
Interactive Card Craft
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…
Play it! Learn it! The 1978 Space Invaders Game and The Arcade Revolution Lesson Plan!!!
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…
Step-by-Step Long Division and Multiplication Grid
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…
2 Ways to Practice Multiplication: Digital or DIY!
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…
Back-to-School with a Braille Slate & Name Card Craft
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…
DIY Nature Windsock Craft
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…
Disability Pride Month: Build a Model Wheelchair and Learn about Accessibility
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…
Honor World Snake Day with STEAM, Crafting & Cultural Learning
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…
Try PONG! The 1972 Game That Started It All!
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…
Imagine Contemporary US Iconic Imagery Video Project
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…
Independence Day Patriotic Wind Sock!
Patriotic Wind Socks Craft 🖨️ Print Guide ✨ Patriotic Wind Socks ✨ Create Beautiful Flying Decorations for Independence Day! ⭐ Easy – Perfect for K-6 Students 🛠️ Materials Needed 🥤…
Will Using AI Help or Harm Student Cognition or Metacognition? Test Your Learning Objective!
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.…
Sea Jellies Aquarium Visit Interactive!
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…
Who Am I? Interactive Rivers Riddles & Coloring Activity!
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…
Book Review: Jellyfish Scientist!
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.…
African American Music Month: Learn about Jazz Instruments and Legendary Musicians!
Check out the Jazz Instrument Matching Game Instant Lesson for ready-to-use discussion questions, vocabulary cards, and extension activities aligned to this game. Celebrate African American Music Month with this interactive…
African & Afro-Caribbean Instrument Spotlight + Coloring Activity
Once learners have built foundational knowledge, students can enjoy solving riddles about the instruments while coloring them in. Check out the coloring video below for inspiration! As a quick reference…
Juneteenth Interactive (age calibrated) Timeline
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…
Stay-Home Summer Camp Choose Your Adventure!!!
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…
Parent’s Survival Guide to the Summer Months!
The weeks and months 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…
Jelly Fish or Sea Jellies? Create your own Wiggly Sea Creature!
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…
Loving Day: Celebrate Love, Law, and Civil Rights this June
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…
Caribbean American Heritage Month Geography Quiz!
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…
Mindfulness Coloring Pack! Download Here👇
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…
Meet the Active Volcanos and Match Them! Game & Coloring Activity Pack!
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…
BANG the WONDERS of EARTH’S PHENOMENA Book Review!
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…
Shield Volcano Diorama: Volcano Month Activity
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…
Book Review: Abuela’s Letter
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…
Teacher Appreciation Activity!
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…
Cinco de Mayo Coloring Pack!
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
Easter Egg Activities! Coloring & Egg Dyeing with Hidden Math Fun!
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,…
The Seder Plate for Passover Coloring Craft
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…
School Library Month
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…
A Day with No Words – Book Review
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…
“MC Grammar” a British Rapper Who Believes Reading Matters…
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…
World Autism Awareness Day
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…
It’s Cherry Blossom Season in Washington DC, coloring activity, math problem and more!
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.…
“Blessed Pomegranates” Book Review to Crafts for Ramadan
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…
Move over St. Patrick! There’s competition!
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…
Make a Word Portrait this Women’s History Month!
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…
Learning from Lived Experiences: Honoring Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month
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…
Women’s History Month: Spotlighting Haben Girma
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…
International Women’s Day
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…
Moon and Star Mobile
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…
Carnival in New Orleans
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…
Carnival in Brazil
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…
Carnival Around the World
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…
Love, Law, and Civil Rights this Valentine’s Day
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…
Lantern Craft Completing Lunar New Year Education
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…
Lunar New Year 2025: The Year of the Snake
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…
Holiday Wellness: The webzine that supports families during the weeks and months of school holidays
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…
Indigenous Peoples’ Day
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…
The High Holy Days in the Jewish Calendar October 2024
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…
September is for Celebrating Literacy!
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…
What is Applied Theatre?
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…
Why not ask a parent?
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…
SABAR Books celebrates Deaf History Month!
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.
A conversation about Deaf History Month
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…
SABAR Books: Let’s talk book curation this Women’s History Month
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…
Let’s talk about stereotypes and how to spot them in children’s books
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…
What is tokenism? The surprising prevalence in children’s books and media
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…
Invisibility: Who’s missing from the classroom library?
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.
Acknowledgment, wishes as we enter the holy month of Ramadan
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…
From Black History to Living HER-Story
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…
What are you doing this LEAP year?
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…
The Culture Tree: How might we explore it’s meaning
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…
Expanding the Culture Tree Metaphor
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…
What is the Culture Tree?
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…
An redefined Valentine; Building community within community
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…
The Lunar New Year: Spring as a Symbol of Renewal & Growth 🌸
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…
What am I going to teach about Black History this month and every month?
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…
The How of “Identity Development” during Black History Month
“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…
What to know about “Discovering and Uncovering Genius” especially during Black History month
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…
From the reflective to the personal: Remembering and contextualizing our own narratives this BHM
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…
Activity: Making a box as a metacognitive exercise
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…
Asking Children who was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
I like to start learners this question “who was Dr. Martin Luther King?