Education Resources Blog

THERE (not their, or they're) is no way around it - homophones are tricky...and the English language is full of them!

What does a compliment cost? Nothing! When you give someone a compliment, not only are you making them feel better, you get a little happiness boost from the good deed as well. Teaching our students about spreading kindness is an invaluable life lesson, and this activity is an easy, fun way to do it!

When big feelings take over, it's tough to take a step back before exerting an emotional response to a perceived issue. As students learn and grow in their social-emotional development, the best help we can provide as educators is giving them the tools and tips necessary to work through these big feelings in a productive way. As adults, we have all heard the "count to 10" or "sleep on it" suggestions to prevent reacting irrationally when we're angry, but there are lots of coping mechanisms that are great calming techniques. And because many students are visual learners, and repetition is key for retention, we've got some visuals for you!

Regulating emotions is tough - for all of us. And understanding (and accepting) what's in and out of our control is a powerful tool to help. In our students, learning to control feelings is an important lesson that will guide them through decision-making, personal relationships, and cause-and-effect consequences - both now and throughout their lives. And because we at VariQuest want to continue to help you fill your teacher toolbox with valuable learning - and in this case, social-emotional learning - supports, we've designed this fun coloring activity as a picture diagram of recognizing things both in and out of an individual's control - to help with this learning process!

You put lots of time and effort into the materials you create for classroom activities and discussion. Wouldn't it be great to use them over and over again, while maintaining cleanliness and sanitization standards?

With all of our advances in the science field and access to more research tools than ever before, we have come to learn more about our human activities' negative impact on the earth. So how can we teach our students to preserve and protect it for future generations? Ecosystems is a science unit that will spark a child’s interest in our earth and the ever-present need to make it better for all living creatures. Complete with a "write-the-room"-style assessment and “All About” posters to create and share with others, students will participate in discussions on ways the class can work together to have a positive impact on the earth. As we at VariQuest put a spotlight on kinesthetic and project-based learning, this unit provides hands-on activities and games that will make the discovery of ecosystems more meaningful.

We're talking a lot about virtual needs and resources these days, but what about needs for those who NEED to be in-person? We at VariQuest are corresponding (from a distance, of course) with friends and family who are on the front lines of fighting this pandemic in healthcare facilities, and a common need at these places was around mitigating confusion via signage. People showing up to schools and hospitals need to know where they can and should go, to get the essential food pick-up and emergency care they need. And we thought - we can help with that!

Did you know? When you become a VariQuest customer, you don't just receive hardware + software. Of course, that part is pretty great...because...THOUSANDS of templates, graphics, cutouts, and collections? Kind of a big deal. But VariQuest customers have access to so much more - and one of those benefits is the VariQuest Resource Center - with exclusive content, INCLUDING a bunch of additional free posters to download and print on your Perfecta® Poster Design System! If you're a VariQuest customer and not using these visual aid posters already, log in right now and download! And if you're not a customer yet, well - let us show you just a sampling of what you could be enjoying!