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Creative Fun for Kids From Author Jarrett Lerner

3/24/2020

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Photo by Ramin Talebi on Unsplash
If you want to get your kids thinking creatively when they are at home from school, the free activities from Jarett Lerner are a great place to start. Lerner is the author of EngiNerds and its sequel, Revenge of the EngiNerds, as well as the author of the forthcoming Geeger the Robot early chapter book series. When he is not hard at work writing (and illustrating) books, he is creating free activities for kids to download from his website. Each activity gives students the chance to express their creativity and show some critical thinking. They are also ideal for unleashing your inner artist and practicing language arts skills.

Exploring the Jarrett Lerner Activities

If you visit jarrettlerner.com/activities, you will find dozens of free downloads that the author has created for kids of all ages. They were designed to be used in educational and/or private settings, so they are prefect for use at home or at school. He has blank comic book pages, "Finish this comic" comics, and a whole slew of drawing and writing prompts. You can see a couple of examples below.
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Real World Examples

My kids have enjoyed using Lerner's activities while home from school as part of the COVID-19 school closures. My wife and I will also join in because these are truly something that the whole family can do together. They are great conversation starters, a fantastic way to practice storytelling skills, and a fun way to exercise your child's imagination.

Now, worksheets are not normally a popular activity in my house, but these are so much more. You don't have to do them every day but these could be a great way to freshen up your homeschool activities and bring some much needed variety. Most can completed in 10-20 minutes, so they are great to have on hand if you are looking for a fun transition activity or even a quick way to pass time while you are making lunch for the kids. To give you a flavor of what the finished product looks like, here are a couple of "Finish This Comic" comics that my wife and daughter worked on last week.
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These learning activities can also be a great opportunity to spend some time away from screens. That may sound strange coming from a Digital Learning Consultant, but everyone on our team will tell you the same thing. Kids need a healthy balance between online and offline activities.

So, head over to jarrettlerner.com/activities and see what you can find for you and your family!

Jonathan Wylie
Digital Learning Consultant
@jonathanwylie
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Game On! Keep Kids Engaged and Learning with Card and Board Games at Home

3/19/2020

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via GIPHY

Image of Skip-Bo cards during game play. Cards are stacked in piles and have colorful numbers.Skip-Bo
Disclaimer: This information is written specifically for parents and caregivers at home with students during school closures for COVID-19. We encourage educators to share this information with their classroom communities. Educators looking for content connections and resources to integrate card and board games into their curriculum should contact their Digital Learning Consultant for additional information and support.

You’ve built a fort, cleaned rooms, watched Netflix, and started a daily schedule. Now what? What else can you do with your kids to keep them happy and maybe even learning something? Dig out those old board games from the back of the closet and find a deck of cards. 

Team Rogers are big fans of tabletop gaming and card games. Not only are we all together, but we’re engaged in the 4C’s (Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking, and Creativity) without feeling like it’s school or learning. I’m always amazed at the strategy, humor, and language that sneaks into our home when we’re playing games together at our dinner table.
​
Here are some ideas to help you get started or extend your current gaming experience:

KEEP IT SIMPLE
Use the games you have. Play by the rules.
  • Deck of Cards: Bicycle Cards has a great resource of card games you can play with kids. Our family loves games like Rummy that requires kids to use critical thinking, logic, and sequencing skills. 
  • Common Card Games: Games like Uno, Skip-Bo, and Phase-10 reinforce skills like pattern recognition, turn-taking, and communication with other players.
  • Common Board Games: Dust off Monopoly, Candyland, Scrabble, Connect 4, or Chess & Checkers to get kids using their negotiation, language, and logic skills.​

Image of the game Patchwork Doodle being played. Sheets with a 9 by 9 grid and colorful drawings and cards on a table.Patchwork Doodle
GET CREATIVE
Change the rules of common card/board games. Try something new.
  • Add Rules to Common Card/Board Games: Take the card and board games you already have and challenge each other to add a new rule. Each family member could take turns justifying and persuading the others before a family vote.
  • Try Free Print and Play Games: PNPArcade.com keeps an updated list of free print and play games for you and your family to try. Potions Class was created by nine-year-old kid named Owen who also created an online tutorial to teach the game rules. 
  • Connect and Play Card/Board Games Online: Brooklyn Game Lab is hosting a live stream and providing print and play sheets so families can connect through gaming. They shared on their website that “Most of the content will have an element of participation. We will play games with you. Tell stories. Share interests. We will draw and dance and try our damnedest to bring some levity and joy into your homes. And the homes of anyone who needs it.” Team Rogers is really excited about giving this a try!


DELIVER THE FUN
Add a game to your next grocery pick-up or package delivery. Set up a porch swap game trade with friends.
  • Quick and Inexpensive Games: No matter which store you’re ordering from, you can’t go wrong by adding Qwirkle Rummy, Patchwork Doodle, or Sushi Go. All three games are quick plays and will engage families in pattern recognition, critical thinking, spatial reasoning, and creative expression.
  • Trade Games with Friends: Our family uses a site called Board Game Geek to keep track of our game collection. If you’re already a big fan of tabletop gaming, why not set up a game trade. You can keep your social distancing by setting up a porch swap of games and share reviews with each other later.
  • Purchase with Content in Mind: If you really want to focus on a topic, you can reach out to your Friendly Local Game Store (FLGS) and ask about content specific games. (Our FLGS is providing curbside pick-up and delivery right now!) Here’s a list Gina Rogers and I created last spring for teachers with content connection ideas. I’m a big fan of Elizabeth Hargrave’s game Wingspan, which has lots of facts about bird species and habitats, and any of the Fluxx games like Anatomy Fluxx, Chemistry Fluxx, Math Fluxx, and Nature Fluxx.

Bottom line, get out a card or board game and have fun! Playing games together creates a sense of safety and belonging which both parents/caregivers and kids need right now. And you might just sneak in a little learning, too, if that makes you feel better.

You can also check out 
this Wakelet with Card and Board Games Resources. I will continue to add resources as I find them.


Feel free to contact Corey Rogers (@corey_rogers) or Glen Rogers (@glitglatglen) on twitter for game recommendations or to set up a game trade in the Iowa City area. #bettertogether

~ Corey Rogers, Digital Learning Consultant
​@corey_rogers

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Making Meaning Out of a Maker Experience...

3/4/2020

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Making, STEM, and Design Thinking are some of the more popular buzzwords floating around the educational world.  Some people use these terms interchangeably. Is that okay? Are Making, STEM, and Design Thinking that similar? I believe each of these terms have skills and characteristics that overlap, but that each area holds true to its identity and connection to creativity.
​

Over the last two years, I’ve been working to engage educators around our area in conversations around this exact topic through a Creative Challenges Cohort at Grant Wood AEA. As part of #MakerMarch, I thought it would be great to open up this conversation to everyone in a blog series that will run this month.  First, we are going to tackle the topic of Making.

Today, we are going to peak into the conversation with three of our Year 2 Cohort Members.  Let’s see what they have to say about Making….

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Melissa Kane (@Abookworm813)
Messy and merry - this is how it might look if you come in the high school library during a making session. The laughs might come from the students trying to match the picture or instructions I found online and seeing what we actually come up with. We may not always get it exactly like the picture, but we have fun trying. I have found that following instructions isn’t always easy for everyone but we sometimes get even better results when we go out on our own to see what we can do. 

And there is always a mess on the table, floors, and sometimes even following the students out the door. I am sure the janitors secretly curse me on days we turn the library into a mess but it is truly one of the best 30-40 minutes of my day when we have time for it.

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We have made our own stockings to stuff for the holidays and tried our hand on DIY soap and shampoo for the hygiene supply store we are starting in our health office. And one of the biggest hits for Makerspace supplies has been the beads that stick together with some spritz of water to make shapes and designs. I have already had to replace the beads twice as students will show up when they need a break or want to see if they can make something better than what their friend did

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There are some days when I have up to five creations sitting on my desk to dry and pick up at the end of the day. And it is always great to see the smiles when they pick them up and show their friend what they made as their friend is asking when they can come and make one for themselves! I think that the joy is probably the best part of making. Even if you don’t end up with exactly what you set out in the beginning it is okay because you had fun along the way. With high school students it is always fun to see their inner child come out as they are glueing or cutting or picking out colors. I sometimes worry there is not enough “learning” as we make, but I have come to realize sometimes it is okay for my students just to have the time to be creative and see what shakes out and the smiles along the way make it even better. 

Bridget Speer (@sewfun82)
Have you ever looked at the back of a cross stitch pattern? The front is a beautiful design, but when you look at the back you see all the links between stitches, knots, leftover strings. When I think about cross stitch, I think about all the work that went into creating the design and hiding all the imperfections. I believe the Maker Movement is a way to allow students to explore and design so that one day their products will be a beautiful design. 

Making is messy, but that doesn’t mean that it is disorganized. I tried to make a cross stitched pillow with a pattern I found on clearance. I quickly realized that I needed to be organized in order to complete this project, as well as needing some practice. I needed to organize the threads so that I would be able to match the colors to the intricate design. 

Making is a way to help foster problem solving. Each of us brings past experiences to the projects we build. When we allow students the chance to have experiences building with cardboard, creating green screen and stop motion videos, and exploring the wonder of 3D printers, we are helping them gain experiences that can help them in the future. As Mr. Rogers said “Children’s play is not just kids’ stuff. Children’s play is rather the stuff of most future inventions.” (https://twentytwowords.com/incredibly-inspiring-mr-rogers-quotes-that-will-brighten-your-day/) 
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I believe that making is an important part of the school day. We need to allow students to try new things; to provide a safe place to try hard things, fail, and try again. I went to my students to help me write a description of our school’s makerspace
  • STEAM lab is experiments within boundaries. 
  • A creative place to express your imagination.
  • Free to say any ideas without anyone criticizing you. 
  • A place where you can express your true self.

Gina Miller (@GinaBeckMiller)
Making to me is taking your thoughts; dreams, fantasy, play, creativity, desires, inventions, dramatics, art, engineering, problem solving,  and combining them into mental ideas that are then able to be transferred into a plan that is written, drawn & labeled. That plan can then be evolved into a creation to express those thoughts, revising as necessary/desired. 

​To be able to complete that cycle is a life skill that will take students into their futures. Many studies have been completed asking major employers about the skills necessary for new employees, more so than their education at times it their ability to function in society working together with others, accepting others and creative problem solving. So making is not only extremely FUN!  It is also preparing this new generation for employable skills necessary as adults.

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What does Making or Maker Experiences mean to you?
We'd love to hear your thoughts!  Add a comment below to join in on the conversation and make sure that you are following along with #MakerMarch all month long.
And remember #HaveFunMaking!

~Amber Bridge, Digital Learning Consultant
@abridgesmith
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