Tag: homeschoolers

New Picture Book Included in National Ag Curriculum

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Lack of Rural Teaching Resources

Parents, homeschoolers, and preschool teachers often struggle to find picture books about rural agricultural areas where their students live. Because of this, educators must change what is available or go without. This causes extra work and leaves children missing out on important information about their home.

Efforts are being made to ensure citizens are agriculturally literate. This is necessary to have a society that values agriculture, makes informed decisions about the food they eat, and advocates for agriculture among other initiatives.

Picking up apples from Apples for Cider

More Resources About Agriculture Needed

Parents and teachers want books for kids living in non-urban areas. They seek books related to local happenings. These educators want resources that speak specifically to the farming happening around their community. For example, kids living in rural areas see apple farming happening all around them. Their parents and teachers want picture books that cover life about orchards.

A New Picture Book with an Ag Theme

picture books about rural agricultural areas

To tackle this issue, my picture book, Apples for Cider, is an agricultural resource for parents and teachers. It helps them bring their rural agriculture community into their homes. They can also integrate it into their classrooms. Apples… is one of many needed picture books about rural agricultural areas. Plus, the book is now part of the National Agriculture in the Classroom Curriculum Matrix. The Apples for Cider picture book is now a Companion Resource attached to three Matrix apple lessons:

Additionally…

The Apples for Cider Parent/Teacher Reading Guide will also be available for download. The Guide is another way to help educators when using a picture book to extend learning. The Reading Guide includes various prompts for discussion and activities including a:

  • Social-emotional learning activity
  • Collage-making activity
  • Apple cider guide and
  • Pastiche discussion and activity
Get a free Apples for Cider Reading Guide here

Find Out More!

What has been your experience with finding picture books with agricultural themes? tell us in Comments below

Build Teen Social Emotional Skills

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Click here for your free Mental Health / Life Skills list

Teen Social Emotional Skills: A Comprehensive List

As a mental health educator, I knew the skills to help teens build their mental health or social emotional learning. These include communication, goal setting and planning, decision making, problem solving, and stress and personal management.

Furthermore, as a Training Specialist for the NYS Adolescent Services and Resource Network, I used a different list of social emotional learning skills. This list included “life skills,” the abilities teens need to gain their independence such as getting an education, budgeting, shopping, cooking, home management, etc.

A picture of a mental health/social emotional learning skills checklist for kids, teens or adults from aws Studios.art

Specific Teen Social Emotional Skills

In addition to the life skills, the resource included a list of “Invisible Skills” for “emotional issues.” These included: establishing identity, dealing with separation and loss; making peace with the past; and resolving survivor guilt. The resource, originally created to guide foster care parents and Youth Workers, can be used with any teen dealing with trauma, isolation, and bullying, etc.

Build Teen Mental Health

Indeed, to build teen mental health – social emotional skills , I have recreated the all-inclusive training list for you. You can access this easy-to-read pdf here free! And, here are resources I have created that are geared to help young people learn these skills.

Let’s All Build Teen Mental Health

A picture of a mental health/social emotional learning skills checklist for kids, teens or adults from aws Studios.art

With this free pdf, I hope to make it easier for any adult – parent, grandparent, relative, teacher, homeschooler, etc., – who is living or working with a teenager – to know and assess teen mental health skills. Let’s all help young people build these essential social and emotional skills!

Do you have a favorite list of mental health skills? Let us know about it in the Comments section.

Click here for your free pdf of my Mental Health / Life Skills list

Master Your Mountain™ — Empower Student Success and Get Student Engagement with Goal Setting

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I Want to be a Doctor but I Don’t Think That Will Ever Happen!

One day, I asked two of my students who were buddies what they wanted to do when they were older. “Doctors — pediatricians,” they excitedly responded. They wanted to help little kids. But immediately after, they said they didn’t think it would happen. If kids don’t see a way, then we need to empower student success with goal setting…

Master Your Mountain™ For Student Success

Often young people haven’t had the opportunity to explore their future with guidance and information and opportunities to practice their goal setting and planning skills. That’s why I created Master Your Mountain™. It’s a fun activity that empowers middle school thru high school student success with goal setting.

Well Maybe I Can…

Master Your Mountain™ is an easy-to-use lesson plan for teachers, homeschoolers, or parents. The creative and colorful activity walks students through the process of planning for their future. First, students identify their dreams or goals. Then, the things they need to do to get there. In Master Your Mountain™, kids see how goals can be accomplished. By breaking down what seems overwhelming and impossible, they see the value of a step-by-step plan.

With Master Your Mountain™, you will see the lightbulbs go on and the wheels start turning! When the unattainable fog lifts, clear possibilities shine 1

A Great Classroom Management Tool

Master Your Mountain™ settles students into their own world and space. The resource also provides community building with peer to peer and group tasks. The activity can be accomplished in 1-3 classroom periods. All required materials are provided — just three fun worksheets— and scripts for teachers/parents, if needed.

Additionally, Master Your Mountain™ can be used in any classroom and with any subject.

This Won’t Work with my Students

And it won’t if you don’t follow up. But follow-up is easy. Once a month (though the more the better) check-in with your student or have them journal an update.

Boost your middle school, junior high, and high school students’ confidence and engagement with  Master Your Mountain™!
Click here to Find out more!