All AboutRecommendations

Books, tools, conferences, apps, and more recommendations.

3 Books I Loved in 2015

One of my goals for 2015 was to read 48 books. Out of those, here are 3 that you might enjoy, and that tangentially relate to gifted education:

Creative Coloring Books

I recently took a trip to New York and visited the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art. In the gift shop they had a series of fantastic coloring books based on famous artists, including: Dali, Van Gogh, and Monet.

Game Recommendation: Qwirkle

Every veteran teacher has a well-stocked board game closet for those special days. Qwirkle is a great addition to your arsenal.

Classic Paintings for your Classroom

Exposing students to great pieces of art is an easy way to enhance a lesson, provide a visual way to practice a skill, and educate our students beyond the prescribed curriculum. Here’s a list of works that you can easily grab and use in your class.

Summer Reading: Book Edition

Here’s some summer reading recommendations of books you can actually touch! No real theme to these, except that each one challenged my understanding of kids and made me rethink the way I approach learning.

Summer Reading: Digital Edition

The internet is a treasure trove of fascinating and inspirational reading material, but how can we keep track of it all? Here are three tools that I use to tame the wild web and set up digital reading system.

A Book For The Trivia-Obsessed

There’s a type of gifted kid who is simply filled to the brim with “did you know” trivia. If you know a student like this, then have I got a book recommendation for you! “The Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things” explains how objects, customs, and sayings got their start.

A Creative Coloring Book (For All Ages)

A few years ago, my young niece picked up interesting coloring book while we vacationed in Mammoth Lakes, CA. This is no “stay within the lines” book, however. Titled Scribbles, this book is filled with nearly 400 creative, divergent, and open-ended thinking tasks.

Review: Orientation

“Orientation” is a unique sci-fi novel specifically written for gifted children as a tool for learning about their social and emotional needs. I’ll open with my highest praise: I wish someone had given me this book when I was in elementary school!