Join us for our STEM Webinar on Share My Lesson July 9th 11:00 CST

DJ Inkers Teacher Contest

It's always fun to enter the annual DJ Inkers Clip Art Contest for Teachers. I love their clip art and the prizes are gift certificates.  This year I took third place.  Many of you know that my students always made a history quilt each year and this is the entry that was a winner.  However, there are several of my products available on the winner site. Check it out! Download lots of fun stuff from the contest entries

Math Reasoning Using Unit Price

Here's an easy way to teach students (or your own children) how to buy the most economical price on two items that seem similar in value. The lesson is all ready to go, but you have to have a Gynzy subscription to access it. You can get a free membership for one month to try out all the great features of Gynzy OR attend my Webinar on Share my Lesson (July 9th) and get a six months free membership.  Here's the lesson linkMath Reasoning Lesson with Unit Pricing

The Long Train Ride

The Long Train Ride

By Jacquline Rowland

©2015 Olive Leaf Publications  All rights reserved.

     The year was 1942---I was 16, and had never traveled outside the state of California.   My Mother had used the train the year before she was married, and my grandparents had traveled on the train-- but every part of the trip was new to me and unbearably exciting.  How many days would we stay?  What should we wear?  Would our suitcases hold everything?   For months before we left we talked over the trip endlessly, making plans and writing relatives.  We were going all the way to New York State. Grandpa and Grandma Ewell would join us and we would stay two weeks with Grandma's family in Niagara Falls, and then attend a big family reunion in Wyoming.  This was the tiny little town where Grandpa grew up. It was in upstate New York.

     Departure day had come at last.  I was so excited I felt dizzy -- way up on Cloud Nine.  Here we were at the station.  The train was late.  The minutes ticked by slowly.  We took our luggage out to the platform.  Now we could hear the   "Woooo-- wooo woo!” as the train came closer and closer--- clickety clacking down the track toward us.  The big iron monster stopped.  We noted many, many cars.  We walked to a nearby car where there was a little boarding stool for us to stand on, and we placed our suitcases in the baggage car.  We walked down several cars and found our seats.  Mom and I sat down, facing Grandma and Grandpa. 

     The conductor came  and  took our tickets.  Mom was a bit restless, so she took off on a discovery tour.  She was going to locate the bathroom, the dining car, and the observation car. About twenty minutes later she came back.

     "What a lovely train!  Everyone is so helpful and friendly.  Dinner won't be too long.  There is a snack shop too. " And I found the handy little bathroom.

      I had brought along a duffel bag full of paper, pencils, books and a game to play.  I got it out to peruse.

      "Jacque,” Mother chided.  "You are well prepared, but there is so much to see, you may not need all that stuff."  We laughed.  I knew I wouldn't be bored.

     As I looked out the windows what I saw at first was the ugly backsides of big cities.  Factories, tall buildings. and dirty streets-- and lots of cars and people.  

      

     "The scenery will improve.  Mark my words," she promised And it did.  Lovely meadows and little farms, wide fields and rushing rivers and not long after -- everything was dark.

     "I'll bet we're going through a tunnel.”  I whispered.

     We were, and when the sun shone again, we saw huge beautiful mountains.  I thought of the song "America the Beautiful.”  There were majestic purple mountains and amber waves of grain.  I felt as if I were seeing a panoramic view of the good old USA.

     On the train we saw all kinds of people:  there were grandmas and grandpas, mothers and dads, and children too-- from teenagers to babies.  Since World War Two had begun last year, there were men from the army and navy strolling the aisles.

     We had brought some snacks along with us, but as I reached for a cookie, Mom said, "  Jacque-- don't spoil your appetite.  There's going to be a wonderful dinner in just a little while. "

     I didn't have to wait long.  An announcement was soon made that dinner reservations were being taken. Later it was fun to walk down through five cars to the dining car.

     There were black waiters, little tables with vases of flowers and white tablecloths.  People were already eating and everything smelled so good.

     "We don't have to stick together, like Siamese twins,” Mom suggested.  "Why don't we make some new friends?  “So Grandpa and Grandma sat at a different table with two strangers, and Mom and I met two nice young soldiers, who had just enlisted.  Over a tasty dinner of roast beef and mashed potatoes, we found out they were from southern California.  I told them my brother Dick wanted to join the Navy. These soldiers were going to New York, too.

     As the sun went down we discovered that the seats we were sitting in, extended and made into a berth, which was called a Pullman berth.  A man came through our car, demonstrating how the upper berths worked. These were pulled down from the train ceiling.  It was fascinating to see how quickly a bed could be made up, with a little bag at the side to hold our clothes.  There were curtains to draw too, to make the upper and lower berths into little private rooms. Mom and I offered to sleep in the upper berth, since it would be easier for us to climb up and down than Grandma and Grandpa.  We hoped to fall asleep easily, but I was still too excited.

     This had been a wonderful day and there were more days left----We were bound for Chicago, and we would bundle up all our luggage and get off there, and take a bus -- the rest of the way to New York.

     Even though I was anxious to meet family I had heard so much about, I was not ready to have the trip end.   I wanted to see the Mississippi River and mountains and prairies and people.  How much just then I loved seeing my country-- from coast to coast.

This story was written by the sister of my Uncle Dick Mack, Jacqueline Rowland. We are compiling great stories for children that help them understand life beyond a video game and here's a notes from her about the family camping trips they shared:

          Camping trips were such a big part of the lives of my four kids that I need to write a little story-- not of my childhood, but theirs.  We had so many adventures.  Once a rattlesnake drew back his head and shook its tail, right in camp.  He was promptly dispatched.  We saw ‘coons, and chipmunks, big bears and toads galore, and have many warm memories.

        When they were quite young we stayed in California, but did branch out and spent a lot of time in Oregon.  So here goes:

Camping Trips-- Getting There 

By J.J. Rowland

©2015 Olive Leaf Publications       

              When I picture our many, many family camping trips, I can see four excited little children and myself, stowing all our things in boxes and bags:  sleeping bags, fish poles tackle boxes and food.  Hopes were high and smiles lit their faces.  All of us enjoyed the family bonding from a camping trip.  All sorts of plans were made and maps studied before school was even over for the summer.   When school ended, it was "Oregon -- here we come."

        It might be the MacKenzie River campground, with the cute little red pumps—which were our water supply. It might be Wickiup Reservoir.  There were many different places we tried out.

          It took us a day or two to pack everything and see the car was in good working order for the long trip. This was Daddy's department. He was a good car mechanic. We had lots of shopping to do.  We mustn't forget the marshmallows and hot dogs and mosquito repellent. Were our bathing suits in good shape?  Beach towels?   Did we need new air mattresses to put under our sleeping bags?

        Finally, finally, it was time to load up the station wagon, we had named, “The Big Blue Boat,” since it was long and roomy.  We needed lots of room to take the six Rowlands: Daddy Jack, Mommy, Chris, Ralph, Cindy and Larry and we mustn't forget Grandpa.  He loved to go along, and his job was to make the campfires.

         We set the alarm clock to get a good early start, and could make it to the Oregon border, late in the day if we didn't have trouble.

         Finally everyone was in-- the tent, the food, the people, the poles, were all in place.  It was time to go.  We hadn't gone too far when “Bam,” there was a blow out. What a surprise!   Daddy had to stop and take out a lot of boxes to find the spare tire.  Would a spare tire make it all the way to Oregon? Probably not.  In the next town we stopped at an auto store and bought a new tire.  It didn't pay to take chances.  It took several hours to install the new tire.  That slowed us down.

           We stopped now and then, as we sped along the road, to pause at a rest stop and catch our breath. We would eat a cookie or two, and splash cool water on our faces.  It was also fun to pull off and have lunch at a hamburger stand. Grandpa would go to the store and buy comic books for everyone. We played travel games in the car, and when everyone got tired and noisy, we’d have a quietness contest. "Who can be as quiet as a mouse for twenty minutes?"   Ralphie never won the contest, but Cindy usually did.

          At long last, the sun went down and we came to a sign that said, “Oregon.”  We had reached the border and could find a temporary camping spot for the night.

        It was a relief to stretch tired legs and arms, breathe the wonderful fresh air, and eat our supper of chili beans and salad on a long picnic table.

        "I just saw a chipmunk.  “said Chris.  "Daddy, can I go fishing yet?"

        "Tomorrow,” said Jack,” I need you to help me pitch the tent.  You can hold the flashlight for me."

         Camping meant a vacation from housework and the boys were glad to eat on paper plates, which meant no dishes to do.

        As we stretched out in our large blue tent, the children quickly fell asleep, to dream of a lovely body of water where everyone caught lots and lots of fish.

Engage Your Students by Adding Interactivity to Your STEM Lessons

July 9th I will be presenting a webinar on Share My Lesson in partnership with Gynzy, a compnay that creates content and tools for the interactive white board.

This webinar will share wiggly worm ideas and tools to snag all types of learners. so you can feel the tug of learning on the end of the line. We will bait ideas for deep level questions, collaborative learning, student kits and easy-to-use technology in our session on the sea of learning. You’ll bag some trophy ideas and documents to use in your classroom that will demonstrate you are a master fisherman to the world.

Math is our speedboat of choice to get around on for the day, but as the best STEM fishing takes place over a variety of subjects, we’ll cast a few ideas into science, technology and engineering. Don’t rest on the dock of your current skills. Whether you’ve spent years reeling in pesky surface learners or are just getting your feet wet, we’ll help you snag their attention and hold them in the net of knowledge until it’s time to release them out of your class.

So go fishing for new ideas during the summer and learn something to help snag a student's attention next year at the same time!

Train the Next Generation How to Honor the Flag (and the Country Behind It)

Do you realize that we now have an entire generation of children unschooled in flag etiquette? It's true.  Unless you and I pass on the importance of showing respect and honor for the flag, they won't know it. At the same time we can raise the level of honor for our country. Where you show honor, respect is sure to follow.

Check out my new lesson for the interactive white board.  However, even if you don't have an interactive white board, you can open a personal account with Gynzy and view this interactive lesson on your home computer or tablet.  All of Gynzy's tools can be used by families at home, as well as at school.

Gynzy's Newsletter, Highlighting the Flag Day Lesson

Today the Preview Copy of Wonder at the Window Arrives

Today the Preview Copy Arrives!

I can't wait.  I've been writing for the last nine months and this is the fruit of that labor. This is the fourth book I have written on prayer.  Other titles include: Waiting at the Window, Warring at the Window and Waltzing at the Window.  They are available for purchase at my online store: https://squareup.com/market/olive-leaf-publications

This has been a great project because my daughter, Mary has designed the cover and formatted the book.  She is an art major and its been great to work with her on this endeavor. What author wouldn't love having a graphic artist in their own home?

Here's a sneak preview of the book summary:

The only times in my life I have been truly speechless have been those times when God did something so amazing, so out of the ordinary, that I could only look on with my mouth hanging open. In this book, the fourth in the series, I have shared some of these awe-inspiring moments with Jesus. As you will see, this book has been about my time in a wilderness of sorts and what the Lord has taught me there.

The wilderness is a place far away from ATM machines, fast food providers, and drinking fountains.  Yet we find here that God can provide fresh manna, water from a rock and whatever we need from out of nowhere.  Perhaps there will be a time up ahead when you will be led through the wilderness.  I hope this collection of scriptures and thoughts will provide encouragement. I am sure there are some jaw-dropping moments ahead for you too.

An Experiment To Try Over the Summer

This story was written by my Uncle Dick’s sister, Jacque Rowland.  She has used her curiosity to learn many things throughout her 89 years. It’s an important quality she hopes to encourage in children everywhere. She has written countless poems, stories and science experiments for children. She currently resides in Scott’s Valley, CA.  

The Science Experiment

By Jaqueline Rowland

 My big brother, Dick, four years older than I, seemed like a brother, father and good friend from the time I was very little.  He was always there for good advice and counsel, at an early age. My life was enriched by him, and he widened my horizons.  He had a sharp and questioning mind, and was curious about the world around him.  When he was very young, his favorite word was,“Why?"  I was fortunate to have him, and to learn more about the world in general, and my own neighborhood. Mother never worried about where I went as long as Dick was there beside me.

There were many vacant lots all over, in my neighborhood. We were living during the Great Depression, which meant that a good many people didn't have the money to build a house or buy a lot to build it on. There was a big vacant lot just behind our house, but we needed two vacant lots -- side by side,  Dick's science experiment we would do this afternoon.

Last week Dick had asked Mom for the empty baking powder can, she just emptied.  He already had another one.

"Goody, Mom, I can use that can.  I just need a hammer and nails.  I already have the ball of string.

You can help me, Jacque.  "

I watched Dick take a hammer and a nail and make a small hole in one end of the can.  Then he threaded a long, long string through one end and made a knot.  He took off the lid of the can on the other end and laid it aside.

"This will be the telephone I talk into, Jacque.  You hold the receiver.  "

I held the other red baking powder can, and he did the same thing with hammer and nail.

          

"Why such a long, long string-- between the two cans,” I asked.

          

"You'll see,” he said with a smile.

          

Dick and I soon headed out the back door, down the alley and I knew we were scouting for two vacant lots, but Dick had already looked around the neighborhood and found the two he'd need.  We soon came to them.

"I'll stand in this lot and you go to the very end of the other lot, “Dick told me, " and when you talk into this can, you don't have to shout or speak very loud-- but you have to hold the string just as tightly as you can.  "

I followed his instructions. When he raised his left hand, I knew I was to start speaking.

         

"Hello Dick,” I began speaking softly."  Our phones don't have a number.  I'm happy the sun is shining and that we aren't playing baseball.  Can you hear me okay?  I'm pulling the string just as tight as I can."

"I can hear you just fine.  See our little cans are working out.  This is fun.  I'm glad. "

So the experiment worked! Have you ever made a telephone like this? Do you know how it worked? This would be a great experiment to try over the summer when you have time on your hands and you want to use a little curiosity. You might even ask Dick’s question, “Why?

This story will be included in a forthcoming book, Grandma and Me Stories by Olive Leaf Publications. All rights are reserved.