Nov 09
After the loss of Classcraft, I used an excel spreadsheet that I got from EMC2 to continue gamifying my Math and Science classes by giving students roles to play, XP to earn, and levels to achieve. It did the work and I was still able to take my students on Star Trek themed adventures as …
Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2026/11/09/our-class-voyages-aboard-the-starship-equinox/
Nov 09
I had to do a double take when I learned about changes that Washington state is proposing to make to the Science standards, which were just the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) because each and every new standard is something I’ve been doing with my students for years! I used ChatGPT to help me go …
Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2026/11/09/the-science-my-students-remember/
Nov 19
The Sally Ride EarthKAM website is a great website with amazing activities incorporating space science and the International Space Station (ISS)! Sally Ride was the first American woman in space and she has left a fabulous legacy with this NASA EarthKAM project. EarthKAM, which stands for Earth Knowledge Acquired by Middle school students, allows students …
Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2023/11/19/students-requesting-photos-of-earth-from-the-iss/
Sep 17
It’s my 33rd year teaching and the first two weeks are in the books! The first two weeks of my 33rd year were excellent and I not only enjoyed them but they filled me with excitement for this school year! I get to teach both Math and Science again this year. The last time I …
Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2023/09/17/another-great-start/
Jun 25
The end of the year was fast approaching and it was time for me to help my kids conclude our Environmental Stewardship Project. I have been doing this project in one form or another since 1997 when I started working at my current school and saw that our town creek ran right by the campus, …
Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2023/06/25/final-project-ai-did-help/
Dec 14
My first ever blog post written with the help of an AI! I am adding my own commentary and adding to the blog post the AI wrote for me so from this point on anything you see italicized is written by me. Normal text was written by the AI! I have continued to be active …
Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2022/12/14/are-they-helpful-or-crutches/
Nov 27
Another great activity I started this year with only requires beakers, crayons, water, and salt! Spoons help, too. If you Google Floating Crayons you’ll find more ideas, resources, and even YouTube videos. For this activity, Crayola crayons are the best. I don’t normally endorse products but cheaper crayon brands float in fresh water and that …
Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2022/11/27/do-crayons-float/
Nov 26
In 2004 I was part of the North Cascades and Olympic Science Partnership (NCOSP). Of all the amazing activities we did in the years that I participated in NCOSP there is one activity that I am still doing with students 18 years later. The activity, also known as inference cubes, is a fantastic way to …
Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2022/11/26/observation-or-inference/
Nov 22
We always start school with students on the day after Labor Day so this year our first day with students was Tuesday, September, 6. I wanted to start with a bang on the first day so I decided to have students experiment with making slime! It was a hit! Day 1 Students started by all …
Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2022/11/22/great-day-1-activity/
Aug 05
I am honored to have been chosen as the 2022 award recipient for the Northwest, Region 10, of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators or PIAEE! The award winners were mentioned on the EPA’s websites and social media on July 1 and the awards ceremony happened in Washington DC on …
Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2022/08/05/the-epas-presidential-award-for-environmental-educators/
Cohort 7!
I've presented at NCCE
2016, 2017, 2019, 2022,
2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026!
I'm a Curipod Ambassador! :)
