Hal Raymond

Make cell model Christmas tree ornaments! Bring the spirit of learning into students lives by making these creative ornaments to hang on the Christmas tree! Students will not only learn about the different organelles of the cell, but will have something to take home and keep! Turn this into a fun display and hang them on an artificial tree in your room or hall. This is a great advertisement for your program! These ornaments are very durable, thick and could last a lifetime!

Students will think you are the craziest and coolest teacher around when you perform this simple demonstration on Valentine’s or Mother’s Day while teaching or reviewing concepts of acid/bases and indicators. You let them know that you are giving them an idea to perform for that significant other in their life during this special time. Once you set the scenario up, you take out a couple of ingredients that are found in most kitchen pantries paint them on a large sheet of paper and presto, yo

Most kids love fish! What better way to study anatomy and/or ecology than using pop-up 3D models of fish. This project is very inexpensive to make also! Students make their own and can study them anywhere! Bring out the creativity of your students! Because of the exciting topic of fish, this project will grab those students that typically are hard to reach...Students can learn the organ system of fish or use it for ecology and have students build underwater ecosystems. A great unit to study

Rip off an arm, tear off a leg and have those body parts grow into a new person identical to the original person they came from while that person re-grows a new arm and leg!!!??? Sounds like a horror movie, right? Definitely an appropriate thought for Halloween! In this activity you are going to do something similar! You will be ripping off body parts from a particular plant and having your students “grow” identical plants from these body parts! AHHHHHHHH! That’s right; your students will

From learning to eating; plant and animal cells made from gummy bears is the most favored labs of my students. And why not? After all, it does have to do with “Gummy Bears”! The trick was to figure out how to transform gummy bears into cells. I mastered the art of doing this and passed it on to my students and now to you. I had to monitor this lab very carefully though, otherwise, I may not have had enough gummy bears for the lab! Students wanted to eat them throughout class time! This

Oooh’s and Ahhh’s will come from your students when you display this illusion up! This optical illusion will play tricks on your students mind when they see ghostly hearts dancing in the air; like magic! What's really fun is to have your students try and explain what just happened!? Activities like this during the Valentine’s Holiday or for Mother’s Day really create a fun learning environment for students of any age or discipline. Students of all ages will love this demonstration. Elementa

Math recipe review game is a fun way to have students review math concepts of addition, subtraction, & multiplication of fractions. A great activity for the math common core! This game is tied to the whiteboard activity. So, in addition to gaining student insight on math concepts by having them work out problems on the white board, you throw in this fun activity that is tied to food and their favorite recipies and abra cadabra, you have just now turned this into a game! Any time you can tie

Wow! I hope that wasn’t my recipe that my teacher was following! That’s exactly what students begin to think as you demonstrate the importance of writing with detail. (Critical Writing) Your students will understand exactly why it is important to write with detail after you perform this demonstration! Not only do students learn that important concept, but they will also laugh and giggle as you perform this demonstration. I have had students say, “that was the best demonstration you’ve done

This is a Halloween activity your students will be talking about for a long time! Your students will witness Halloween pictures being cut out by a ghost! Using a solution that you mix up, you’ll simply paint (or trace) a pattern of any Halloween picture and presto, your demonstration is ready! That Simple! When you are ready to perform the trick, simply touch one little edge of the solution anywhere on the picture with a tiny flame and the picture begins to get cut out….by itself… The pic

How to Figure Density of Irregular-Shaped Objects Lesson Plan. Who has the biggest hand in class? Who has the smallest hand in class? Well, let’s find out! Bets will be wagered before you even begin this demonstration! When trying to teach the concept of figuring the density of irregular shaped objects such as rocks, cans, sticks, and other items, this activity comes in handy. Students have so much fun with this and end up trying to guess the results before the activity even occurs. They a

Instead of protecting brains, this plant grows skulls to protect its seeds! Grow plant skulls and make plant skull pencil toppers (good luck charms) to help foster in children the fun of gardening. That’s right, the plants you are going to grow with your students have pods that look like skulls, (some actually look like alien skulls!) Most kids do not like the thought of weeding a garden or having anything to do with gardening. The classroom teacher can help parents foster gardening fun by do

I have thought of ways to reduce the amount of paper used in the classroom. Disclosure statements seem to be at the top of my list for paper reduction. One way I have reduced paper is through an online disclosure and signature process. In fact, the purchase and implementation of this packet will be less money spent than what most teachers normally spend on disclosures in one year! Students can have their parents look at the disclosure, have them read and electronically sign, and then submit it

NO MORE CLAIMS OF CONFUSION! Schools that have allowed the use of cell phones in the classroom for certain activities have had instances where students have abused the privilege. Students referred to the office for multiple cell phone violations within these classrooms have used a pretty common phrase. The phrase I hear the most is: since they are allowed sometimes to use their cell phone in that class and other times not, they thought it was that time to be able to use it. They claim confus

Instead of protecting brains, this plant grows skulls to protect its seeds! Grow plant skulls and make plant skull pencil toppers (good luck charms) to help foster in children the fun of gardening. That’s right, the plants you are going to grow with your students have pods that look like skulls, (some actually look like alien skulls!) Most kids do not like the thought of weeding a garden or having anything to do with gardening. The classroom teacher can help parents foster gardening fun by do

This is a Halloween activity your students will be talking about for a long time! Your students will witness Halloween pictures being cut out by a ghost! Using a solution that you mix up, you’ll simply paint (or trace) a pattern of any Halloween picture and presto, your demonstration is ready! That Simple! When you are ready to perform the trick, simply touch one little edge of the solution anywhere on the picture with a tiny flame and the picture begins to get cut out….by itself… The pic

Deck the halls this Christmas season using this activity a day or two before the Winter Holiday (Christmas) break. I like to bring in activities that relate to the holidays and this one matches the winter holiday season! This activity plays tricks with your students minds...Your students will see a Christmas tree filled with lights like it was a ghost, floating in air! Everyone will be aw-stricken with this demonstration! I've included math activities that relate to this Christmas tree effec