5 Reasons to Love October

1. Cool Days

Literally. After blazing Florida heat, we've been enjoying chilly days in the upper 70s. It's SO nice!



2. Special Days

October is pretty important month:

Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Down's Syndrome Awareness Month
National Cyber Security Awareness Month
Tackling Hunger Month
And the list goes on, and on, and on...



3. Colors

October is a time for bright reds, oranges, browns, and yellows. It's an excellent time for art projects using these colors and also for incorporating actual items from nature into projects.



4. Lots to Learn

It's a super time for science lessons about the change of the seasons, trees and leaves, harvest (where our food comes from), time, nature, preparing for the future, and all kinds of terrific things! Even math, language arts, science, music, reading, art, wellness, and drama can all be linked to the theme of autumn with some pretty excellent results. Here are a few great places for ideas.

Scholastic Autumn Lesson Plans and Ideas

Nick Jr. - Fall Into Autumn Lesson Plan (*Note: This page automatically loads video that starts off with a commercial.)

Education World - Awesome Autumn

5. Beauty!

Autumn is a beautiful time in many places throughout the world. While we don't get to enjoy the incredible silent fireworks of forests with leaves changing colors, we can enjoy photographs and video. Bringing in actual autumn leaves for crunching, pumpkins for exploring, and corn for popping (and perhaps munching) is an excellent experience for kids, no matter their challenges.

October is just a really cool month for working with kids.

I'm so excited!

The Cattle Collector

As I walked to my vehicle this morning, I noticed a colorful envelope stuck beneath my windshield wipers. When I opened it, I couldn't believe it. I had received a love letter. At first, I was shocked and had no idea who it could possibly be from. But after some careful consideration, I realized that it was from an alien I met one night after leaving class early because I was ill. While my body was obviously upset with me, leaving me a bit green, he genuinely appreciated the color. He didn't sign the letter, but the language skills used throughout its content, not to mention the handwriting, helped me to figure out the letter's source. Accordingly, he was the inspiration for this game.

Play this game on the what2learn site

It's called Cattle Collector. It's a multiple-choice style quiz game that teaches the user about teaching word structure to students. In the game, the user is an alien trying to beam cattle up into a space ship. What better way to honor a not-so-secret admirer than using them as a source of inspiration for digital learning and play?

More Finds on Autism

I greeted the day with a read about autism from one of the sites I found yesterday. I'm cementing yesterday's theory that with my increased knowledge comes the realization of my lack of knowledge.

But I am finding more and more resources and support for those affected by Austism Spectrum Disorders. I'm also finding out lots more about the condition itself, research, and those involved in furthering awareness.

It's a noble act to serve those in need. So, I am trying to share some of the things I've found. I hope they can help someone.

Mid-Term Fun!

Seems like an oxymoron, but it's true! You can have fun while studying for mid-terms. I'm so thankful for the site, ClassTools.net! Their free templates and tools enable educators and students to create your own Flash games. Here's mine!

Click here for full screen version

While I scaled it down some for prettiness on this site, it's actually a much better viewing size on its native site. Here's a link to my games at the original site.