The holidays are over and spring break looms far in the distance. Are you looking for ways to add some creativity to your daily activities to beat the winter blaahs? After all, January is National Creativity Month.
Start off the new year by integrating science and literacy daily. Unlike the diet and workout plan, this is easy to do!
Need ideas?
It’s a great time of year for forensic science. Kids love to dust for fingerprints, evaluate mystery powders, and look for clues. In the Fuddlebrook book, Who Stole Herman Tweed?, Herman, the classroom hamster, is missing from his cage. After reading the story, create your own Herman Tweed mystery. Place a note, mystery powder, fingerprints, and footprints around your crime scene area. Yellow crime scene tape makes the area even more authentic! Students can observe, analyze, infer, and eventually conclude who the guilty culprit is! It might even be the teacher!
Want to take it a step further? Host a Sherlock Holmes Day. Here are some fun facts for you to share:
- Holmes never said, “Elementary, my dear Watson.”
- Sherlock Holmes didn’t wear a deerstalker very much.
- The name Sherlock means a bright-haired, fair haired, or short-haired person.
- Even Sherlock Holmes didn’t always get it right. He comes up with a wrong theory in one case.
Still want more? Read the Quirkles book, Inquisitive Inman, and have students solve the mystery of Ippy’s indigo spots.
Snow, polar bears, penguins, and cold weather are certainly not the only January topics to explore. It’s time to get creative in your winter lesson planning!
Happy January! Make this month your most creative yet!