I don’t know about you, but living in Tennessee and just going thru an ice storm two weeks ago and now temps hovering around 70F, I’ve got spring fever and so does my grandson (he just doesn’t know we call it that!) When the seasons turn, it’s a great time to hang out with the youngsters in your life, pause, and see the world through their eyes. For me, Spring is the perfect time to turn “Look, a flower!” into real learning without turning it into a lecture. When kids pause to notice new buds, tiny insects, or the texture of leaves, they’re practicing observation one of the core skills of science. If you want, you can gently layer in language like, “What do you notice?” “What’s the same?” “What’s different?” and invite them to compare colors, shapes, and sizes. This lays the groundwork for safe conversation when big things happen. You are demonstrating curiosity, care, and no judgement. Whether your outdoors exploring, doing chores together, or in the kitchen cooking, what questions can you ask to help build conversational muscles? I know we have some current and retired educators here, what can you add @Betty Jo Winters, @Catherine McDowell, @Karen Gibson

What food takes you straight back to childhood? Drop your answer in the comments or add your own memory. Let’s make memories together.

Let’s bring some levity to the community today. Share your two favorite parenting gifs in the comments. Let’s have some fun. @Betty Jo Winters, @Erica Sisco-Dube, @Shelma Erikson If I didn’t tag you, just wait🤫 your turn is coming soon. I’ll start.

I’m back after a brief unplanned ice spa weekend🥶 seriously, I was offline a bit due to a power outage but I’m back and ready to go. I was just reading an article from Edutopia about the role of board games and vocabulary development. The best part, in my opinion, was the section on creating your own board game. So, here’s my challenge for you. 1. Read the article 2. Create your own board game 3. Share a picture of the game and what the players thought. Add your comment to this post or start a new topic. To get things started, let’s share one favorite game. @Karen Gibson, @Catherine McDowell, @Erica Sisco-Dube, @Betty Jo Winters, @Mukkove Johnson, @Yu-Tzu Huang @Jacqueline Hutchinson, @Janell Bitton, @Erin O'Neill

I just added a new Classroom resource: Game Night Playbook (Ages 3–11), a library of ideas to help you answer the question, “What should we play tonight?” without turning it into a production. What's Inside: - Age-based game ideas (3–5, 6–8, 9–11) - Options for Calm & Cozy, Wiggle, Kitchen → cooking, Outdoor, and Co-op - Simple connection scripts you can use in the moment (Invite • Connect • Repair) - Quick layered learning add-ons (SEL, literacy, math, executive function) that stay playful How to use it (2 minutes): 1. Go to Classroom → Game Night Playbook 2. Pick your child’s age band 3. Choose the vibe (calm / wiggly / co-op / kitchen / outdoor) 4. Try one round and stop on purpose if you need to Your turn: Drop your best game-night ideas in the comments. - What’s your child’s age (3–5 / 6–8 / 9–11)? - What kind of game do they love right now (calm, active, silly, strategy, co-op)? - Any “family favorite” games we should add to the playbook? When you try something, come back and tell us: what changed, more laughter, more calm, or more cooperation? @Mukkove Johnson, @Catherine McDowell, @Betty Jo Winters, @Erica Sisco-Dube, @Shelma Erikson, @Yu-Tzu Huang I had you in mind when I was building this :)