There are lessons everywhere you look. An issue of Muse magazine featured a dot on the first page, along with the question, “What can it be?” In the same way, a veil can be used as a skirt, or tied on as a tail. Open-ended toys such as blocks or a large empty cardboard box make ideal playthings. Children can turn them into a house, a boat, or a car. Don’t worry about the details. Find a way to imagine or create with what’s right in front of you.

Fifth-grade teachers Sarah Phegley and Robin Tenke built a lesson plan around the Nickelback video, “If Everyone Cared.” Students were asked to analyze the song lyrics as poetry and wrote essays in response to the question, “What would happen if everyone cared?” They also discussed the video, which showed footage of Nelson Mandela, Bob Geldof, Betty Williams, and Peter Benenson and ended with this thought from Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.”

Try This At Home: Switch it up! If you always go to a park, take a stroll to a museum or aquarium. If you always swim at the pool, spend a day at the beach. Expose your child to as many different settings and experiences as possible.

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