Meet my newest science obsession Mystery Science! This website provides science teachers with interactive science lessons complete with an experiment! They are presented as "mysteries" I love this because it really encourages the students to delve deeper and use higher order thinking skills.

Mystery Science is currently developing a K-5 Science curriculum. Right now they have 2nd-5th grade curriculum. Users have access to ALL grades activities. This is nice because it provides a bigger range of topics. I found myself using a 4th grade Rock experiment for our first "mystery" THE STUDENTS LOVED IT! I LOVED IT! It was a complete win win. The program does the majority of the teaching! I led discussions and monitored the activity.

The lesson is broken down into exploration and activity. Mystery Science also provides additional activities to extend thinking. The first activity we completed was "Will A Mountain Last Forever" The exploration provided great video clips and graphics to explain ways a mountain can change over time. There were discussion questions every few slides, providing the students an opportunity to share their ideas. I liked this much more than a 20 minute video because they were able to frequently stop and discuss their ideas.

After the exploration we moved into the activity. It involved sugar cubes. The instructions go STEP by STEP with pictures and demonstrations, and they continue playing over and over until you go to the next slide. If a student asks what they are supposed to be doing, you can simply point to the board. As a teacher this is a GOD SEND! 

The students had a BLAST, and the experiment was the perfect amount of hands on. The students were able to see how a rock rolling down a mountain would change in size and shape. We have done one other "mystery" since then, and it involved coordinate graphing volcanoes. The mystery was "can a volcano pop up in my backyard?" Talk about a catchy hook! 

Have any of you tried Mystery Science? I am BEGGING my principal to buy a subscription for our school!!!! 

Teacher Survival Kit

One of my favorite things about being a teacher, is the fact that so many of my good friends are also teachers! It provides me with many outlets to discuss new ideas, to vent about a long day, and gives me people that understand the "teacher life!" 

One of my absolute best friends just started her first year teaching 5th grade! She had taught previously in Oklahoma, but it has been a couple year since teaching. I decided to surprise her with a Teacher Survival Kit. I had seen several ideas on Pinterest, and one kind teacher at my school made me one when I first arrived, so I had lots of help. 

 I found the box at Michaels and found the stickers there as well. They have so many options, that picking the right ones can be a challenge! I loved the contrast between the bright letters and the cardboard ones!

So what did I deem essential for this survival kit? 

1. Mini Toothbrushes (How many times have you been wishing you had this after a lunch?)

2. Advil...need I explain?

3. Notepad and Post Its (for all those little reminder notes!) 

4. Fancy Flower Pen (make writing those notes a little more fun)

5. Stickers (kids will do anything for a sticker...and these ones are giant!) 

6. Kleenex (Classrooms are germy...you will probably get a cold!)

7. Shout To Go (For those rushed mornings where you spill something!)

8. Deodrant (another rushed morning essential!)

9. Protein Bar (for the day you forget to pack a lunch!) 

10. Apple Timer 

11. Airborne 

12. Stamps

13. Hall Defense Vitamin C Drops

There are so many different things you can put in your own Teacher Survival Kit. I loved this box because it was HUGE and allowed me to fit everything in it!