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​ Thank you for stopping by! Back in November 2022, I was thrilled to announce my first book and first collaboration with my husband, John Rocco, entitled How to Send a Hug (Little, Brown Books…

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Welcome to roccoart.com the home of NYT Bestselling author/ illustrator, John Rocco

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Descended from the tiger salamander, the axolotl is "young", having inhabited central Mexico for only about the last 10,000 years, according to some experts. Indigenous to these two spring-fed lakes along the southern edge of the Basin of Mexico, much of its suitable habitat has been drained.

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Celebrating Lake Xochimilco Doodle - Google Doodles

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Learn more about the creation of Celebrating Lake Xochimilco Doodle and discover the story behind the unique artwork.

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Features a TED Talk and much more!

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Minda Dentler | Athlete, Speaker & Author

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Below are some of her recent projects, Ssst! Dit is geen boek by Kim Crabeels (Pelckmans), Mali en de Vlinders by Marc de Bel (Pelckmans), Quiet Violet Finds Her Voice by Gabrielle Nidus (Free Spirit Publishing), The girl who figured it out by Minda Dentler (Sourcebooks Explore), I’m Going to Have a Good Day! by Tiania Haneline & Scarlett Gray Smith (Zonderkidz), Er was eens een dapper meisje by Karen Hellemans (Pelckmans), Light Bulb: Eureka! The Biography of an Idea by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld (Kane Press), I’m Stretched by Julia Cook (National Center for Youth Issues), Ik heb een vraag I&II by Bart Coenen (Pelckmans), Series for Curious Pearl by Eric Braun (Picture Window Books), De jongen in de zeepbel by Valerie Eyckmans (Van Halewyck), Dream Big by Kat Kronenberg (Greenleaf Book Group Press), Dinosaurs Giant Puzzle (Ludattica), El barco chiquitito (Reading A-Z).

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Through Kiddle.com

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Learn Ironman World Championship facts for kids

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Learn Ironman World Championship facts for kids

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Becca McMurdie | Children's Book Author Becca McMurdie is a children's book author who writes fiction and non-fiction books for kids, teaching them the importance of taking care of our planet.

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How To Draw A Toucan - Letter T - Preschool

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Through Audubon Society

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A toucan's beak, like a musician's hands, is its entire life. In December 2014, a group of kids in Alajuela, Costa Rica shattered the beak of a Black-mandibled Toucan in a brutal assault. Usually a lost beak would be a death sentence, but now Grecia (as the bird was subsequently named by ZooAve Rescue), may get a replacement-made on a 3-D printer.

It's exceedingly difficult to create a prosthetic for such a delicate part of a bird's body; a toucan's beak is a technological marvel, composed of minimal bone struts filled with spongy keratin, leaving it both strong and light.

ZooAve believes 3-D printing a custom prosthesis for Grecia is the answer. "Seems like the only solution is to create a prosthesis," writes ZooAve on their IndieGoGo page, "but the government doesn't have funds dedicated to saving one single animal." So ZooAve took the problem to the people.

To fund the project, Luciano Lacayo and the ZooAve team posted it to the popular crowdfunding site IndieGoGo. They hit their target of $5,000 in less than 48 hours. At press time, the project has attracted nearly twice its goal, with 14 days remaining before the campaign closes. (All extra money will be donated to the ZooAve Rescue Center in Alajuela, Costa Rica.)

3-D printed animal prosthetics has been done before, although mostly for dogs, which don't have the precise weight and flexibility requirements of birds. Some eagles have received prosthetic beaks, too, but given the relatively small size of an eagle's beak, that was less of a technical challenge than creating one for a toucan. So ZooAve contacted OrthoPets, a veterinary prosthetics company based in Denver, Colorado, working with them to create a replacement custom-designed to fit onto Grecia's beak. The new rig, made out of durable, lightweight plastic, will require several parts, attached with various screws and tongues to Grecia's lower mandible. Once installed, Grecia's new beak will last him the rest of his life.

Without getting Grecia fixed up, the bird has no chance at even a halfway-decent quality of life. A toucan's beak is like nature's Swiss Army Knife: Reaching up to eight inches long, it's a helpful tool for scaring off predators like jaguars and margays or intimidating smaller birds like oropendolas and smaller, related toucan species that compete for nesting habitat and food.

The birds can also use their beaks as built-in grappling hooks, taking advantage of their lightweight build and serrated edges to snagg slippery fruits, such as passionfruit, that make up a major part of their diets. The beak is crucial for thermoregulation as well-its surface area is so large that increasing bloodflow to it cools the toucan down in the same way that panting does a dog. And of course, a toucan's breeding prowess depends on its beak, too: No way Grecia could court a female without his flashy yellow-striped beak.

Grecia will likely still have to remain in captivity, to ensure that his new beak will allow him to feed and protect himself. But that's still a much happier ending for the toucan than ever could have been possible before.
Correction: An earlier version of this article identified Grecia as a Yellow-throated Toucan. While he in does indeed sport a yellow-plumed throat, the correct species name is Black-mandibled Toucan. While some groups recognize "Yellow-throated" Toucans as a subspecies of the Black-mandibled, the American Ornithologists' Union does not.

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Can 3-D Printing Save This Toucan's Life?

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After an attack, a Costa Rican Black-Mandibled Toucan lost most of its upper beak. Now, with a little help from the crowd, it may get a second chance.

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Welcome to my website!

I'm Buffy Silverman, author of nonfiction books and poetry for young readers. Much of my writing is inspired by my fascination with nature. When I was a kid, I collected bugs and climbed trees. I'm no longer much of a tree climber, but I still spend time outdoors every day, usually accompanied by my dog and camera. Taking photographs encourages me to slow down and watch closely. I'm lucky to live near a woods and lake, where there's always something new to discover. But no matter where you live, you can observe nature right outside your door.

Enjoy your stay, and come back soon. I'll let you know what's hot off the press.

Now available!

Millbrook Press, September 2024

"Perfectly pitched for its audience." - Kirkus Reviews
STARRED review!

"VERDICT A strong choice for libraries needing unusual perspectives on wildlife or seeking good cross-curricula material." - School Library Journal

"A pleasing and playful performance with something for everyone to applaud." - Booklist
STARRED review!

2025 Children's Book Center (CCBC) Choices - Poetry

Millbrook Press, October 2023

"Breathtaking images and lively text." - Kirkus Reviews

"Sun-dazzling!" - Kirkus Reviews

"The rhyming text reads smoothly and makes use of invented language (including a 'leaf-lunching' moose)...This makes a good read-aloud choice..."―Booklist

2023 CLA/NCTE Notable Children's Books in the Language Arts!
Children's Book Committee at Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Books of the Year, 2023

"Crocus-poking, mud-luscious enjoyment." - Kirkus Reviews
STARRED review!

"A welcome addition to school libraries. Perfect for answering nature-related questions or crafting lesson plans."- School Library Journal

"The well-crafted verses include expressive (sometimes invented) language that highlights the sights and sounds of late winter."- Booklist

NCTE Notable Poetry Book, 2021
Evanston Public Library 101 Great Books for Kids, 2020

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PBJamz Episode 60 STARLIGHT SYMPHONY by Buffy Silverman

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Listen to sounds from a variety of animals, and read more about each of these amazing creatures.

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Through Musicca

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Play virtual musical instruments online for free. Includes piano, guitar, bass guitar, drums, glockenspiel, xylophone, and more.

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Brianne Farley is the author and illustrator of children’s picture books and you’ll find her books and illustrations on this website. Her work has appeared in McSweeney’s, the New York Times, and elsewhere. She lives in Northern Michigan.

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Through Oklahoma Ag Classroom

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Vermicomposting (Grades K-2) – Curriculum Matrix

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Students create a worm bin which will serve as a basis for investigations about ecosystems, life and nutrient cycles, and decomposition. Grades K-2

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Through Oklahoma Ag Classroom; geared for grades 3-5

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Students observe how earthworms speed the decomposition of organic matter and identify how this adds nutrients to the soil that are important for plant growth by constructing worm habitats from milk jugs. Grades 3-5

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These would need to be made into safe links for student views or played for a whole group

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I will be showing you what I have been doing to create vermicompost and reduce my waste output to landfills. I also sell some worms online to try and pay for the bins and products I’ve purchased. If you have any questions or would like to see something specific please let me know! I’m hoping to do some small updates with pictures and information. Please follow me on those channels as well as here!

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Through Cornell Lab

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Worm Composting Basics

by Jen Fong and Paula Hewitt
What is worm composting?
Worm composting is using worms to recycle food scraps and other organic material into a valuable soil amendment called vermicompost, or worm compost. Worms eat food scraps, which become compost as they pass through the worm's body. Compost exits the worm through its' tail end. This compost can then be used to grow plants. To understand why vermicompost is good for plants, remember that the worms are eating nutrient-rich fruit and vegetable scraps, and turning them into nutrient-rich compost.
Materials to use (and avoid) in a classroom worm bin
For millions of years, worms have been hard at work breaking down organic materials and returning nutrients to the soil. By bringing a worm bin into the classroom, you are simulating the worm's role in nature. Though worms could eat any organic material, certain foods are better for the classroom worm bin.

We recommend using only raw fruit and vegetable scraps. Stay away from meats, oils and dairy products, which are more complex materials than fruits and vegetables. Thus, they take longer to break down and can attract pests. Cooked foods are often oily or buttery, which can also attract pests.

Avoid orange rinds and other citrus fruits, which are too acidic, and can attract fruit flies. Try to use a variety of materials. We have found the more vegetable matter, the better the worm bin. Stay away from onions and broccoli which tend to have a strong odor.
Setting up a worm bin
Setting up a worm bin is easy. All you need is a box, moist newspaper strips, and worms. To figure out how to set up a worm bin, first consider what worms need to live. If your bin provides what worms need, then it will be successful. Worms need moisture, air, food, darkness, and warm (but not hot) temperatures. Bedding, made of newspaper strips or leaves, will hold moisture and contain air spaces essential to worms.

You should use red worms or red wigglers in the worm bin, which can be ordered from a worm farm and mailed to your school. The scientific name for the two commonly used red worms are Eisenia foetida and Lumbricus rubellus.
Containers
When choosing a container in which to compost with worms, you should keep in mind the amount of food scraps you wish to compost, and where the bin will be located. A good size bin for the classroom is a 5- to 10- gallon box or approximately 24" X 18" X 8". The box should be shallow rather than deep, as red wigglers are surface-dwellers and prefer to live in the top 6" of the soil..

Whether you choose a plastic, wooden or glass container to use as a worm bin is a matter of personal preference based primarily on what is available. Some teachers have extra aquariums available. Some have wooden boxes which they would like to reuse. Others may prefer to buy or reuse a plastic container, such as commercially manufactured storage bin (e.g. "Rubbermaid," "Tucker," "Sterilite").

No matter what material you choose, make sure to rinse out the container before using. For wooden bins, line the bottom with plastic (e.g. from a plastic bag or old shower curtain). Cover the bin with a loose fitting lid. This lid should allow air into the bin.
Harvesting
If you take care of your worms and create a favorable environment for them, they will work tirelessly to eat your "garbage" and produce compost. As time progresses, you will notice less and less bedding and more and more compost in your bin. After 3-5 months, when your bin is filled with compost (and very little bedding), it is time to harvest the bin. Harvesting means removing the finished compost from the bin. After several months, worms need to be separated from their castings which, at high concentrations, create an unhealthy environment for them.

To prepare for harvesting, do not add new food to the bin for two weeks. Then try one of two methods for harvesting:

Push all of the worm bin contents to one half of the bin, removing any large pieces of undecomposed food or newspaper. Put fresh bedding and food scraps in empty side of bin. Continue burying food scraps only in freshly bedded half.

Over the next 2-3 weeks, the worms will move over to the new side (where the food is), conveniently leaving their compost behind in one section. When this has happened, remove the compost and replace it with fresh bedding. To facilitate worm migration, cover only the new side of the bin, causing the old side to dry out and encouraging the worms to leave the old side.

Hands-On Method:

Dump the entire contents of the worm bin onto a sheet of plastic or paper. Make several individual cone-shaped piles. Each pile will contain worms, compost and undecomposed food and bedding. As the piles are exposed to light,, the worms will migrate towards the bottom of the pile. Remove the top layer of compost from the pile, separating out pieces of undecomposed food and newspaper. After removing the top layer, let pile sit under light for 2-3 minutes as the worms migrate down. Then remove the next layer of compost. Repeat this process until all of the worms are left at the bottom of the pile. Collect the worms, weigh them (for your record keeping) and put them back in their bin with fresh bedding.

Regardless of which method you choose, the compost you harvest will most likely contain a worm or two, along with old food scraps and bedding. If you are using the compost outdoors, there is no need to worry--the worms will find a happy home and the food scraps and bedding will eventually decompose. If you are using the compost indoors, you may want to remove old bedding and food scraps for aesthetic purposes and ensure that there are no worms in the compost. Though the worms will not harm your plants, the worms may not like living in a small pot.

For both methods, you may continue to compost your food scraps after harvesting. Just add fresh bedding and food scraps. If, for some reason, you do not want to continue composting, please offer the setup to another teacher or to someone who will take the worm bin home. Anyone with a garden will find the worm compost extremely valuable. As a last resort, if you cannot find anyone who wants good worm compost, you may add the worms to a garden bed.
Using worm compost
You can use your compost immediately, or you can store it and use it during the gardening season, or whenever. The compost can be directly mixed with your potting soil or garden soil as a soil amendment, which helps make nutrients available to plants. Or, the compost can be used as a top dressing for your indoor or outdoor plants.

You can also make "compost tea" with your compost. Simply add 1-2" of compost to your water can or rain barrel. Allow compost and water to "steep" for a day, mixing occasionally. Then water plants as you normally would. The resulting "tea" helps make nutrients already in the soil available to plants.
Biology of worms
Worms can live for about one year in the worm bin. If a worm dies in your bin, you probably will not notice it. Since the worm's body is about 90% water, it will shrivel up and become part of the compost rather quickly. New worms are born and others die all the time.

Worms are hermaphrodites, which means they are both male and female at the same time. In order to mate, they still require two worms. The worms line up in opposite directions near their band (or clitellum), which contains some of the sexual organs. The worms are attached for about 15 minutes while they exchange sperm cells. Several days later, eggs come in contact with the sperm cells and form a cocoon, or egg case. The cocoon separates from the worm, then fertilization takes place. Inside the cocoon, 2-5 baby worms may be found.

The baby worms live in the egg case for at least 3 weeks, sometimes longer depending on the surrounding conditions. For example, in the winter time, baby worms may stay in the cocoon for many weeks until the temperature warms up again. When the baby worms eventually crawl out, they are the thickness of a piece of thread and possibly 1 cm 1/4" long. Usually the worms appear white, as they have not yet developed pigmentation, or do not have enough pigmentation (or blood) to be seen.
Successful vermicompost projects
Many schools have been successfully composting with worms over the past few years. Some elementary school classes keep worm bins as part of an environmental unit, others for science. In most cases, teachers find a variety of multidisciplinary ways to use a worm bin. For example, one class called their room the "Worm World." Writing assignments, math lessons and art work focused on worms as a theme.

©Jen Fong and Paula Hewitt

Cornell Waste Management Institute ©1996
Soil and Crop Sciences
Bradfield Hall, Cornell University
Ithaca, NY
607-255-1187
cwmi@cornell.edu

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Worm Composting Basics - Cornell Composting

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by Jen Fong and Paula Hewitt What is worm composting? Worm composting is using worms to recycle food scraps and other organic material into a valuable soil amendment called vermicompost, or worm compost. Worms eat food scraps, which become compost as they pass through the worm's body.

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PBS Kids generated lesson featuring a video called Ze Worm Whisperer

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How Plants Grow

Grow a digital garden with NATURE CAT

Overview

Tally Ho! Inspired by NATURE CAT, in this activity children will explore cause and effect relationships and what plants need to grow and thrive. Children will be challenged to create projects in PBS KIDS ScratchJr where they make their own plants and trees grow.

Learning Goals

Children will learn how to use the PBS KIDS ScratchJr programming blocks to make animated stories and interactive projects. They will explore coding and computational thinking practices as they utilize technology as a tool for creativity, expression and learning with the PBS KIDS ScratchJr app.

Keywords

Materials

iPads or Android tablets for each child (or group of children)

NATURE CAT "Ze Worm Whisperer," episode (see below)

TV, projector, computer, or other device to play the episode

A document camera to display tablet work to the whole group or a cable to connect the tablet and projector

Chalkboard, whiteboard, or poster paper for brainstorming

Design Handouts

Parent Handout (English | Spanish)

Getting Started (5 minutes)

The context in which you are engaging in this activity will impact how you get started. Take the time to set-up cues, preview what you're going to be doing and why, and to get the kids ready and focused for a fun and creative PBS KIDS challenge.

Today children will get to use their knowledge of nature to become gardening experts just like Daisy and Nature Cat. Children will use PBS KIDS ScratchJr to grow their own digital plants and trees. Tally ho!

Ask a focusing question and have each child answer: If you could grow anything in your garden, what would you grow?

Play (10 minutes)

Have everyone stand in a circle for a game of "Zip, Zap, Zop."

Have the whole group repeat those three words in order a few times. Zip. Zap. Zop.

Tell the group that you have a bolt of energy in your hands. To start the game, send the bolt out of your hands with a strong forward motion straight to someone else in the circle and say, "Zip." Be sure you make eye contact with the person you pass it to.

Now it's that person's turn to immediately send the bolt of energy to someone else by saying, "Zap," using the same forward moving hand motion and eye contact.

The third person passes it on with a "Zop," to someone else in the circle.

The game continues in that order, "Zip, Zap, Zop," until there is a mistake.

Play for as many rounds as time allows.

This game is a great way to get children active and focused and also helps to reinforce the computational thinking concept of Events; one thing causing another thing to happen. The game is all about triggers, events, and cause and effect relationships.

Explore (20 minutes)

Model and have the group follow along as you explore how to use the Grow, Shrink, Start on Tap, Wait, and Message Sending blocks within PBS KIDS ScratchJr by dragging each of them into the programming area and discovering what they do.

Additionally, make sure you give children some free time to openly explore the app on their own. Give children opportunities to share any new and exciting discoveries with the group.

Watch (15 minutes)

View the 11-minute NATURE CAT episode, "Ze Worm Whisperer," and have the group pay attention to how Nature Cat and his friends help prepare the garden to help Daisy's plants grow.

Create (30 minutes)

Now it's time to for everyone to make their own plant growing projects. Make sure everyone has a tablet to work on and make yourself available to lend support as everyone works on their projects.

Work as a group to create a list of all the things plants need to grow. Capture this list on the board.

Encourage everyone add a plant or tree character to their project as well as some other objects that their plant/tree needs to grow.

Challenging Option

Encourage children to use the Start on Green Flag, Grow, and Wait blocks to create projects where exposure to the sun, water, and worms helps plants grow.

Encourage children to use the concept of Parallelism by using the 'Start on Green Flag block to trigger all of their characters' programs

Encourage children to add animations for the sun, water, and/or worm characters

Encourage children to make their plants grow after being triggered and after waiting for other objects to complete their animations.

Super Challenging Option

Encourage everyone to use the Start on Tap, Send/Receive Messages, and Grow blocks to create programs that make their plants grow when other objects are tapped on.

Tap on the Sun, and the plant should grow.

Tap on the water, same thing.

Is there anything that can be added and programmed that would make their plant shrink (snow, animals, storms etc.)?

If anyone gets stuck, encourage them to reach out to each other for support.

Make it Simpler

Have children forget all of the other extra characters and just practice making the plant grow or shrink when it is tapped on.

Share (15 minutes)

Have everyone swap tablets with a partner to check out each other's projects. Encourage them to explore which programming blocks their partner used and why. Additionally, continue to model and encourage the giving and receiving of warm and cool feedback. Is there anything they would change about their project after seeing their partner's project? After 5 minutes get everyone's attention and ask them to share something awesome about their partner's project with the whole group.

Keep Going

If you have extra time give children the chance to work on whatever they would like. If they received useful feedback, were inspired by other projects, or want to attempt one of the extensions below, this is a wonderful opportunity to do just that. Or they can start a whole new project and can create whatever they would like.

Take Home

Send children home with this Parent Handout ( English | Spanish) to help encourage discussion and continued play at home!

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ScratchJr Learning Activities | PBS KIDS

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Written & illustrated by Xin Li, published by Little Brown Feb. 2024

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Blue Whale | American Museum of Natural History

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Find out more about the 94-foot-long blue whale model at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

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University of Michigan

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This virtual gallery unites information and fossils that are spread across museum exhibits, with a bit of additional information, to tell the story of how whales evolved from ancient land mammals into the water-adapted creatures we know today.

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This would be highly variable depending on the groups you're working with, but this quiz highlights how people react to stimuli differently in alignment with the characters in the book. It may be of interest to some second and third graders to do as a whole group.

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The more often you answered True, the more introverted you probably are. Lots of Falses suggests you're an extrovert. If you had a roughly equal number of Trues and Falses, then you may be an "ambivert"-yes, there really is such a word.

Why does it matter where you fall on the introvert-extrovert spectrum? Because introversion and extroversion are at the heart of human nature-one scientist refers to them as "the north and south of temperament." And when you make life choices that are congruent with your temperament, you unleash a vast store of energy.

Conversely, when you spend too much time battling your own nature, the opposite happens-you deplete yourself. I've met too many people living lives that didn't suit them-introverts with frenetic social schedules, extroverts with jobs that required them to sit in front of their computers for hours at a stretch. We all have to do things that don't come naturally-some of the time. But it shouldn't be all the time. It shouldn't even be most of the time.

This is particularly important for introverts, who have often spent so much of their lives conforming to extroverted norms that by the time they choose a career, or a calling, it feels perfectly normal to ignore their own preferences. You may be uncomfortable in law school or in the marketing department, but no more so than you were back in junior high or summer camp.

Questions for reflection

So, how did you score on this quiz?

Did your outcome surprise you?

Did it cause you to re-think anything about the way you live your life?

Whatever your answers, I hope that you'll find the courage to step outside your comfort zone when you need to-but even then, to honor your own temperament, and your own preferences of how you like to spend your time.

Share your feedback on social media, and with friends, family, and coworkers!

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Are You An Introvert or An Extrovert (And Why Does it Matter)? ABOUT THIS QUIZ If you're not sure where you fall on the introvert-extrovert spectrum, here is the place to assess yourself. Answer each question True or False, choosing the answer that applies to you more often than not.

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Through Brightly

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🐟 DON'T TRUST FISH - Read Aloud with the Author | Brightly Storytime

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I have not found an official website that is safely accessible. There is a student-made website through RISD

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Welcome back to Instagram. Sign in to check out what your friends, family & interests have been capturing & sharing around the world.

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Includes games and activities

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Animal Categories: A Fun Guide for Kids - Smart Tales

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Spark curiosity and understanding of animal categories. Introduce children to mammals, birds, fish... through interactive exploration.

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The Monterey Bay Aquarium Sea Otter Program has played an important role in the continued recovery of the southern sea otter population with our research, rescue, rehabilitation, and surrogacy work.

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With ten live cams to choose from, you can experience the wonder of the ocean no matter where you are. Be delighted by the antics of our sea otters or mellow out to the hypnotic drifting of our jellies. Tune in to one of the Monterey Bay Aquarium's web cams.

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Enjoy a piece of the National Aquarium from home with our livestreams of our Blacktip Reef, Jellies Invasion and Pacific Coral Reef exhibits.

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Downloadable Booklet with Activities

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Teachers and home-educators, download our free Ocean Education booklet, featuring 17 environmental-themed lesson plans for educators teaching 7-14 year olds. The plans range 14 school subjects and 11 core curriculum themes, making it easy and fun to teach about marine biology and environmental susta

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Includes activities

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There are at least five million species on Earth, and some scientists believe there could be double that number. A species is a group of animals that are more like each other than they are like any other group of animals. They can breed with each other but not with members of other species. A way of sorting through all those species is to organize them by similar properties, or characteristics. This process is called classification. The following is a list of properties for each group of animals.

Mammals

give birth to their young and feed them with milk.

have hair on at least part of their body.

have four limbs with digits ending in claws, nails, or hooves (except whales).

breathe with lungs.

are warm-blooded.

Birds

lay eggs with a hard shell.

are covered with feathers.

have a beak.

have two legs.

have two wings used for flying (ostriches and penguins are flightless).

have hollow bones.

are warm-blooded.

Reptiles

lay eggs with leathery shells or give birth to fully-formed young.

breathe with lungs.

are covered with scales.

have no legs or four legs with clawed toes.

are cold-blooded.

Amphibians

lay eggs, usually in a jelly-like mass in water.

breathe with lungs, gills, and/or their skin.

have smooth skin without coverings.

have four legs without claws or nails on toes.

are cold-blooded.

Insects

have three body parts: head, thorax and abdomen.

have a single pair of antennae on the head.

have three pairs of legs originating from the thorax.

often have wings and can fly.

Fish

lay eggs without shells in water.

breathe with gills.

are covered with scales or smooth, leathery skin.

have fins but no legs or toes.

are cold-blooded.

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View live video of elephants, lions, hippos and other animals in Kenya and learn about their lives and habitat.

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A fun way to rearrange faces while practicing copying and pasting

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Nice SEL Connection

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Can be shared with art teacher to use in a collaborative way.

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6 Fun & Engaging Self Portrait Lessons for Elementary Art

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Hello fellow art enthusiasts! Self portraits can sometimes be a bit boring and stuffy for young artists, so I am sharing six super fun self-portrait projects perfect for elementary school artists! Get ready to dive into a world of colorful creativity where your students can create meaningful and engaging art that’s a

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Last year's padlet which contains links to previous padlets.

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Last year's padlet which contains links to previous padlets.

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COCBA Kindergarten Opinion Piece - Google Docs

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Please make a copy for your use.

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Please make a copy for your use.

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2025-2026 COCBA Scoring Packet Grades  2/3

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Read more about Grecia and the Rescate Wildlife Center in Costa Rica

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Read more about Grecia and the Rescate Wildlife Center in Costa Rica

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Toucan Grecia - Rescate Wildlife Rescue Center - Zoave

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Grecia’s Triumph: A Tale of Resilience, Unity, and Change In 2015, Rescate Wildlife welcomed a brave soul named Grecia, a toucan whose story became a beacon of hope and transformation. Grecia’s journey, marked by unimaginable cruelty and astounding resilience, ignited a global movement for change, inspiring both compassion and legal reform. Grecia arrived at our […]

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This was updated by BES and includes rating and writing options for all grades (critical thinking/open ended questions) and offers a click and drag feature as well as "I Can" statements. Please make a copy for your use.

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Collaboration with Art for traveling mural project

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Collaboration with Art for traveling mural project

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We read A Face is a Poem then created faces both on paper and in Canva that represented the students, for the mural they added words to represent themselves.

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Use this template for a complimentary activity. It can be printed or assigned as a template in canva - make a copy first!

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What do you see in a face? Be creative! This can be a face you see in your mind, in a cloud, in the shapes around us or a self portrait!

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Video about animals helped with 3D printing

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Video about animals helped with 3D printing

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When 3D Printing Gives Animals A Second Chance

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PBJamz episode 56 BUILDING A BEAK w:Becca McMurdie

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Minda Dentler | Athlete, Speaker & Author