Ferris Wheels, Funnel Cakes, French Fries... FAIR!

I LOVE FALL.  I love college football, the cool air, and the changing leaves that crunch underneath your feet.  But what I love MOST about Fall is the FAIR!  You can see signs of the fair in children's eyes before the last bolt goes into the ferris wheels.  There's just a feeling in the air that the fair is in town.

I've been pondering why kids love the fair so very, very much.  I wonder if maybe it has something to do with how it appeals to all five of their senses?  Their sense of touch (as they win that furry stuffed animal!); smell (you can smell the food a mile away!); hearing (the roller coaster zooming past, the carnival music!); seeing (there's so much to look at!); taste (where do I even begin?!).  Children love the fair because it clutches their attention from all angles.

While our classrooms will probably never quite measure up to the fair, imagine how much kids would enjoy learning if teachers sought to stimulate children from all angles using all five of our senses?  Our school's theme revolves around Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences theory and all teachers strive to differentiate instruction to reach all eight "smarts."  However, sometimes we get so overwhelmed with To-Do's, assessments, and paperwork, we lose sight of teaching to all learning styles.

So let's use this time of year to remind ourselves how important it is to create classrooms that are inviting for all learners, whether Music/Self/People/Nature/Logic/Word/Art/Body Smart!  Create environments that stimulate a child's sense of tasting, touching, smelling, hearing, feeling, and seeing.  Make children want to "Step right up!" and try out a new math technique or art technique or read a new book.  Make learning fun by finding your inner-child and realizing that in order for students to be engaged, they must be interested.  It's up to you to make it interesting.  No juggling, stilts, or cotton candy required.

For research purposes, I'll be headed to the fair this week. :)

 Don't Forget!
-October 7th:  PTA Bingo Night
-October 8th:  4th Grade On-Demand Writing Scores due in Moodle
-October 19th:  Gateway Meeting
-October 26th:  1st Quarter Testing - Reading
-October 27th:  1st Quarter Testing - Math (with a Calculator)
-October 28th:  1st Quarter Testing - Math (without a Calculator)