Resurrection Eggs: Lenten Devotional Easter Egg Activity

You've seen those plastic refillable Easter eggs? Well, how about reusing them for a green devotional craft for lent? Using Bible verses and items to represent the gospel story of the stations of the cross, you can help your family or classroom prepare for Easter. Holy Week is the high point of the Catholic and Orthodox liturgical calendar. Make Holy Week come alive for children with this educational and spiritual family craft. Easy, DIY, recyclable, inexpensive and lent/ Easter activity.

Lenten devotions: Catholic Holy Week countdown using Easter eggs. For these Easter egg crafts. you'll need 8 plastic eggs, a basket and Easter grass or green construction paper. For Bible object lessons, place one item in each egg that relates to the Easter story and a slip of paper with the Bible verse that mentions the item. You'll find the Easter story in the Gospel of Luke chapter 22, 23 and 24 (verse 1-12), or Mark chapter 11 (verse 1-11)chapter 14, 15 and 16 (verses 1-8). It's contained in the other two gospels as well, but Luke and Mark are the best retellings.

Label each egg as follows and place these items inside:

Palm Sunday--a piece of palm, dry grass or a plastic donkey (to remember Palm Sunday, when Jesus made a triumphal entry into Jerusalem)

Monday of Catholic Holy Week--a piece of cracker or crouton (to remember Christ's institution of Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper)

Tuesday of Catholic Holy Week--a dime (the 30 pieces of silver Judas was paid to betray his friend Jesus)

Wednesday of Holy Week--a tiny piece of branch with thorns (Crown of thorns)

Holy Thursday--a nail (to symbolize that His hands and feet were nailed to a cross)

Good Friday--a cocktail sword or toothpick (to remember that Jesus was pierced with a sword in his side, from which poured water and blood)

Holy Saturday--a stone (the stone that was placed in front of the tomb of Christ and later miraculously removed)

Easter Sunday--Nothing! This reminds us of the empty tomb on Easter morning.

Open one egg each day from Palm Sunday through Easter Sunday. Light a candle for this special time. Ask a young child to explain to the family or group what this item could mean. The family can share their ideas, experiences or scripture references to the item. You might all sing a hymn or chant to remember this part of the story. Sing Crown Him with Many Crowns, All Hail the Power of Jesus's Name or Te Deum. Extend Easter egg crafts, by having children to illustrate Bible object lessons they've learned. Combine illustrations in a family memory book and use for Lenten devotions in years to come.

Book to Movie Films for Psychology Lesson Plans

Movies, whether independent films, documentaries or Hollywood blockbusters, have a powerful impact on how we understand concepts. Whether information is accurate, exaggerated or false, if it's portrayed in movie form we tend to accept and believe it more readily. Some of the most pervasive ways movies influence information is in the area of mental illness, mental institutions and institutional behavior.

Looking for films to use in psychology lesson plans about mental institutions and emotional illness? Here are some One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (and now the Netflix spinoff "Ratched")Girl Interrupted, Shutter Island, Patch Adams, K-Pax, Sybil, The Snake Pit, I Never Promised You a Rose Garden and Girl Interrupted.  

It's important to discuss, in psychology lesson plans, the sometimes inaccurate portrayals about mental illness and institutions. People are often shown as being treated cruelly in institutions. "The Snake Pit" (1948) with Olivia de Haviland, is not far off with it's depiction of institutions of that time. "Girl Interrupted" (1998) with Angelina Jolie gives a fairly accurate picture of how institutional behavior develops. "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" has strong merit as a mental institution expose.

Sensationalized stories can also block our vision. They take the focus off the real issues with over-dramatized, lurid depictions. "Shutter Island" (2009) is a perfect example. Viewers were prepared to be terrified by gruesome mental institution scenes. What they got was a complex, multi-layered story that poked holes in many accepted fallacies about mental illness. Some accusation of sensationalism has been levied at "Sybil" (1976). I have used and would continue to use the film in psychology classes, for Sally Field's exceptional performance and because it gives an inside-out look at the effect of child abuse. The important issue is to recognize media hype and deflect it with accurate information.

Ash Wednesday Lenten calendars, Lent Lesson Plans

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is the single largest non-governmental relief agency in the world. Each year at Lent, CRS Rice Bowl collects millions of dollars for global poverty from nickels and dimes of Catholic parishioners. CRS Rice Bowl focuses attention on the Lenten virtues of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. The CRS Rice Bowl is a cardboard box which, when assembled, looks like a Chinese restaurant take-out box. During Lent, families place a CRS Rice Bowl in their homes to collect loose change for the poor and hungry of the world. The CRS Rice Bowl packet includes Lenten calendars with devotional activities, prayers, feast days and stations of the cross. Each calendar day has a global prayer focus with specific information about the country in need. Here are CRS Rice Bowl activities, printables, prayers, games, crafts and recipes. Use these Lenten lesson plans to teach social studies, history, economics, geography, language arts, culture, science and religious education 

Social studies lesson plans. Explore countries served by Lenten rice bowl. Lenten calendars list information about the seven countries (one for each week of Lent) supported by the CRS Rice Bowl. Each year CRS Rice Bowl highlights different countries to help. Lenten calendars introduce a person from each country and explain some of the conditions. Lenten calendars share recipes from that country. Printables, lesson plans and learning activities are provided to supplement the CRS rice bowl. 

Science and geography lesson plans. Research the seven countries served by Operation Rice Bowl. Hang a wall-sized world map. Create maps for CRS Rice Bowl countries and regions. Attach maps to wall with yarn indicating where they are on world map. Make a chart or graphic organizer showing cause and effect of poverty in each country (drought, poor sanitation, terrain, natural disasters, political regimes, military coups, loss of industry, urban crowding, etc.). Create and display a time line, running along the wall. Draw a separate line for each country to show events in each. Draw a world timeline and list important global events. Illustrate maps and time lines with native animals, artifacts and natural resources. Use printables for maps, charts and coloring pages. 

Language arts lesson plans. Write letters through Catholic Relief Services to children in each country. Write country name, language, region, capitol and keywords from each country. Use as vocabulary and spelling words. Have children create country booklets, using free social studies printables from Enchanted Learning. Older kids could create reading response journals and include maps and writing projects. Or have kids make scrapbooks. 

Make and try CRS Rice Bowl recipes included. Cooking is great hands-on application for math, chemistry and science lesson plans. Explore ethnic markets in your area and online to find the ingredients you need. Look for others foods that are similar. Be sure to emphasize meatless recipes. Research and discuss the biomes and habitats of the countries. What plants grow native in these regions? What animals are native? What is the terrain and climate? Explore other recipes from these areas or similar regions. See website for links on world research. Design a world cookbook and sell copies to raise money for the CRS Rice Bowl. 

Check out Catholic Relief Services Family site for more ideas. Use the Educators page for loads more social studies printables, lesson plans, activities, word games, puzzles, kids newsroom, interactive online activities and games. Use the Catholic prayer calendar in following Lenten calendars. Most schools incorporate calendar activities in their day. Include the prayers and information in your calendar routine.

Healthy School Lunches, Snacks, Treats

Healthy Foods for Kids Nutrition and food is the core of learning. Here's a perfect food and snack guide for students in your classroom. Print out this healthy guide for parents. Nutritious snacks, party food, lunch foods. This is not a list of 'healthy' snacks based on advertising and marketing, but real healthy foods researched by a conscientious mom and teacher. Feed your kids great foods that will give them all they need for busy days! 

Apple and Eve juice boxes-100% fruit and vegetable juice, 100% vitamin C, 30% Vitamin A, no high fructose corn syrup, no additives. 

Peppridge Farm goldfish crackers- no transfat, MSG, hydrogenated fats, made with unbleached flour.

rice cakes: low sodium, no transfat.

Aldi fruit leather; organic, full of vitamins, no sulfites.

Spaghettios: low fat, full serving of vegetables

vegetable egg rolls: lowfat, high protein, full serving of vegetables. Look for MSG (monosodium glutamate) free egg rolls.

Healthy Choice and Annie's soups chicken and vegetarian varieties: no MSG, full serving of vegetables, high in protein, low in fat. Avoid varieties with ham, bacon or sausage as these are cured with nitrites.

tuna packets: low fat, no transfats, rich in Omega-3 oils

bagels: lowfat and high protein and fiber. Look for varieties which do not contain high fructose corn syrup or bleached flour.

Hormel Natural Choice lunchmeats and cold cuts: naturally cured, nitrate and nitrite free.

baby carrots, cucumber slices, green pepper slices, broccoli florets, fresh pea pods, cauliflower florets:

Mann's pre-cut vegetable blend</b></i>

Newman's Own Salad Dressing: no transfat. use for vegetable dip and salad dressing. Made with olive oil.

pretzels: fat free. Look for oat bran varieties. good source of fiber

Lay's Baked Chips and baked tortilla chips: no transfats, hydrogenated fat, baked with sunflower oil.

Newman's Own salsa: no fat or high fructose corn syrup. Perfect dip for chips, pretzels, rice cakes and 

raisins and any dried fruits

Jif Natural peanut butter: no hydrogenated fat or high fructose corn syrup

Chex, Life, Cheerios, Kashi cereals: Dry cereal with almonds and raisins makes a delicious healthy DIY trail mix.

Kraft cheese sticks with no added growth hormones

Kraft cheese singles with no added growth hormones

Pepperidge Farm Chessmen cookies: all natural ingredients

popcorn with sea salt

Terra sweet potato chips: vitamin A, beta-carotene, no transfat

Silk protein milk drink boxes

Mott's Healthy Harvest applesauce pouches or cups (no added sugar)

hardboiled eggs (keep cold with ice pack in lunch bag)

shelled almonds

Luna Bars organic, made with evaporated cane juice, soy isolate protein. Chocolate Raspberry is my favorite

Clif Bars: made by same company as Luna.

Garden of Eatin' organic Red Hot Blues nacho chips

Give your children the best brain fuel available for their busy days with these healthy brown bag lunch foods. And remember to pack lunches in an insulated lunch container.

Free Printable Marco Polo Lesson Plans, Kubla Khan, Silk Road, Spice Road

Follow the 13th century trail of Marco Polo into the legendary Mongolian kingdom of the Kubla Khan and discover the wonder of spice, silk, tea, ivory, jade and porcelain as well as the hospitality of a true oriental nobleman, the Khan. Information based on Il Milione (the diary of Marco Polo's travels). Games, crafts, interactive and cross curricular activities, free printable lesson plans. Includes literature, poetry, science, economics and social studies lessons. 

In the 1200s, Marco Polo traveled in medieval times to explore the magical Xanadu, summer palace of the Mongol leader Kubla Khan (son of Ghengis Khan). Polo brought back exotic spices, jade, silk and strange beasts (elephants) to the western world. His travels ushered in the Silk Road and Spice Road trade systems. Marco Polo wrote about his travels in "Il Milione" or "The Travels of Marco Polo." Read his biography in social studies and have students create a character map for interactive biography lesson plans. 

For geography and history lesson plans, follow the travels of Marco Polo. Here's a freeprintable map of the Marco Polo expedition, which became the Silk Road. Expand it and attach it to a cheap roll up window shade to make a Silk Road map for social studies lesson plans. Have students color and label map and make icons to symbolize elements of the Marco Polo story. 

For biography, literature and culture lesson plans, explore the history of Kublai Khan and the rise of the Mongol Empire under Ghengis Khan. Have students create a Facebook profile for Marco Polo, Ghengis or Kublai Khan to put their lives into modern perspective.

Mr. Donn offers free printable Marco Polo lesson plans and activities on the Mongol Empire and Kublai Khan, geared for lower elementary to middle school students. ABC teach has free printable MarcoPolo lessons. Activities cover Kublai Khan, Xanadu and the travels in the Mongol Empire. These lessons work well students in grades 4-8. 

Here's a more descriptive discussion on Xanadu andMongol Empire with re-enactors dressed in Mongolian battle dress and villagers costumes. There are images of artifacts from the Kublai Khan dynasty which students could make replicas of. Last, for creative writing and art lesson plans, have students draw what they imagine the Mongol Empire and Kublai Khan may have looked like using Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem Xanadu, the Ballad of Kubla Khan. This would be perfect literature lesson plans for National Poetry Month in April. 

Household Chemistry Activities, kitchen science lesson plans

You can create a complete semester of science lesson plans and chemistry experiments with this shopping list of school supplies from your local pharmacy. Normal science classroom safety precautions should be taken. 

Ph test strips or Litmus paper. Use these to test the base or alkaline vs. acid level in products. Find them with diabetic supplies or in school supply catalogs. Or make your own litmus paper using this guide from Owlcation. You'll need blotting paper available from Amazon. Here is a litmus paper color chart to indicate acid or alkaline (base). 

 

Assorted vitamins and pain relievers:  Give each student a label from different medicines and vitamin bottles. Have them analyze the ingredients for additives, active ingredients, composition, dyes, etc. Students can also evaluate safety, effectiveness, proper usage, etc. Students should compile a medicine safety booklet.

Pill solubility chemistry experiments. Demonstrate how long it takes various pills to dissolve and enter the bloodstream. Students should note findings in science journals. 

Medicines in water source chemistry experiments. Extend pill solubility lesson plans into an ecology lesson by allowing the water to evaporate. Note any remnants of the pills. Explain how flushed pills and medications enter our environment via sewer systems and are spread to rivers, lakes and streams. Via the water cycle, they enter the atmosphere.  

Glycerin science experiments: Glycerin is basically biodiesel fuel. It has a sweet taste and it used to coat pills to make them taste better and easier to swallow. Debate with students the advisability of using an alcohol based product for ingested products. This thick liquid can also be used to demonstrate viscosity of liquids. Demonstrate it by adding it to dish soap and water to make super sturdy bubbles.

Soap chemistry lesson plans. Compare ingredients with commercial soap brands which claim to be pure and gentle. Ivory, Dove, Caress to castile soap and other natural soaps. Compare ingredients in stronger soaps like Irish Spring, Lava and Fels Naphtha. Use ph strips to test acid or alkaline (base). 

Epsom Salts. Here's a complete unit of science activities using epsom salts and other household chemistry supplies. Here are more epsom salts science experiments and craft projects to make crystals, salt, ice, a salt pendulum and more. 

Lotions and creams. Use Ph strips to test acidity levels in these creams. Students will be surprised to discover that products that are supposed to soothe and protect often contain very harsh drying chemicals like petroleum or alcohol. 

Isopropyl Alcohol: Have fun with this non-Newtonian liquid. That's one that doesn't follow the laws of physics. Rubbing alcohol is used to dry up or evaporate other liquids. Hand sanitizer is a great example as it dries quickly. Alcohol is used for swimmer's ear to keep the ear from holding water and to dry it quickly. In fact consumed, beer, wine or liquor alcohol dehydrates the body. 

Hand sanitizer. With Covid 19, we're using more antibacterial hand sanitizer. Demonstrate to students that while it kills bad germs it's also dangerous because it kills all bacteria, even good bacteria. It's also somewhat flammable. 

Iodine. Iodine has disinfectant and anti-puritic capabilities. It is yellow in color, but will turn deep purple in the presence of a starch (bread, potato, etc.). Iodine can be used in numerous science lesson plans on anatomy, biology, nutrition, chemistry and health.

Hydrogen Peroxide. Women used to "bleach" their hair with peroxide. Use to demonstrate whitening properties by pouring on a lock of cut hair. Use peroxide toothpaste to show how it removes stains from teeth. Remove stains from clothing with peroxide. It is the base of oxy cleaners. It will also foam up when applied to a cut, to clean away dirt. Benzoil Peroxide cleans out pores. Hospitals use betadine now instead of peroxide. 

Syringes. Use to demonstrate a vacuum. Teach measurement and use to add drops of liquid. 

Tips for Substitute Teachers

Are you substitute teaching? Better you than me! Lol just joshin. Seriously, I subbed for 5 years and have developed this substitute teacher survival guide. Here are 10+ coping strategies including tips on classroom management, student interaction, discipline, teaching strategies and more. 

Briefly introduce yourself briefly and get to work: Name and a few quick details suffice, no long rambling filibuster, please. Students have work to do and your job is to help them. You are also not the entertainer. I know of one sub who brings his guitar with him. That might be alright for very young grades, but it's really not appropriate for junior high or high school. 

Bring some activities appropriate to the subject you are teaching. Most teachers leave lesson plans, but I have subbed in emergencies when we could not do the lessons or when the teacher didn't have time to write much down. It's nice to have something up your sleeve just in case.

Follow lesson plans. Teachers have so much to fit in that they need to know that when they are gone the students will get what is needed for that day.

Learn students' names. This means a great deal to students, especially older kids. They may act like they don't care, but they do. I try to get names down in the first half hour. I have a horrible memory, but I make the effort. Your day will go much smoother. Kids respond much better if call them by name. 

Be upfront and genuine. Never hint, threaten or use sarcasm. Tell them what they need to do. You don't have to go into a big spiel. You'll find out soon enough who's not on the same page.

Don't give hecklers airtime. Don't waste the rest of the class's time dealing with problem kids. Politely and calmly warn them. Keep going with the lesson. When everyone is working independently, deal with the problem if it is still occurring. 

Seek solution. If a child is causing trouble, politely ask what's up. Listen compassionately. If she settles down, great. Move on. If not, give her the option to get to work or go to the office, because she can't disrupt others. If he's out of control, call the office. Explain the situation. Continue to be present for the rest of the class. 

Redirect or diffuse potential bombs. If you see a kid about to go off, redirect attention. If that doesn't help, get help. Don't get in the middle of fights. Have a parapro remove student to a neutral zone where her anger won't endanger anyone else. If it's just a disagreement, a class discussion can be useful. But never patronize. 

Greet students when you see them about. If they seem comfortable with it, acknowledge them. I sub in my local area and countless students stop to say "Hi" when we're out and about. 

Learn to be a tech guru: Familiarize yourself with all the current teaching tools: overhead projectors, ELMO, software on computers, Smartboards. 

Wear comfortable clothes and shoes: You never know what you will need to do. I've dealt with fire, tornado and lock-down drills, diaper changes, assemblies on dusty floors, messy projects, vomiting, class pets, nosebleeds, lunch messes, injuries, phys. Ed., mice, broken bones and pants wetting. 

Bring a water bottle: This is a must with Covid 19. On the best of days, most drinking fountains don't work, put out bath water or have UFO's in them (Unidentified Floating Objects).

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Keep your personal views out of the classroom: I knew of a sub who got into quite a heated political debate with a student and another who tried to hold kids hostage. 

Ask other staff if you have questions: Naturally there will be some students who try to 'get away' with things. I don't trust or distrust students; if it's not in black and white, I ask support staff.

Never bully: I was called in to replace a sub who threatened a student. The class was tense and wary. I had to work overtime to show them that they were safe and that I would handle problems fairly. I have subbed in this class many times since and we have a good rapport.

Don't trash talk other subs. In the above situation, I let them vent for a few minutes and said that I was sorry and that they did not deserve that. Then we got to work. Least said soonest mended. 

Smile and laugh; relax: I don't know of any sub being eaten by students.

Don't try to change school rules. Whether you agree or disagree, follow building policies. Don't bend rules to earn brownie points with students. 

Don't ever belittle, mock, embarrass any student. Ever. 

Don't be thin-skinned: I've dealt with students who are rude, who curse, who even yell at me. But in all the schools I've been in, I have never encountered a student who's issue was with me personally. Don't let them browbeat you, but do keep in mind that students may just be hungry, angry, lonely, tired or ill. Don't take it personally. 

Try really hard to help them complete their assignments and understand the material: Students are generally very grateful for your help. If we have to take notes, I write them on the board. 

Keep moving. Don't be a desk potato. Walk around the classroom and see if anyone needs help. Watch for potential problems but also needs. 

I wish you well as a substitute teacher. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.