3 Awesome Ways to Use Unsplash (with a bonus anti-bias activity!)

Hey everybody! I'm super excited to share a little bit about one of my favorite websites, Unsplash! 

Unsplash is an awesome website with free pictures that you can use without running into copyright issues. 

Yes, I know what you're thinking. Who cares about copyright issues?! Why can't I just download free stuff off of Google? 

• Reason #1: Teachers aren't automatically exempt from copyright laws just because they are using things for educational purposes- the law is more complex than that. Learn more here. 
• Reason #2: Unsplash pictures are actually very high quality and often yield better results than a Google search.
• Reason #3: Using sites like Unsplash gives you an opportunity to model safe, fair, and honest use of technology for students. 

Have I convinced you yet? If not, read on to see some the great reasons why I love using Unsplashed. 

1.) Creative Writing Prompts: I am reminded of the opening scene of Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book- 

"There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife." 

Good writing can provoke powerful images in a reader's mind. Why not try letting good photography provoke powerful writing? Consider using your summer "vacation" to collect your favorite Unsplash images for use in writing warm-ups. 

Photo by Michael Dziedzic on Unsplash

2.) Math Warm-Up: I've used this with my students tons of time, and it works great! Choose a picture that demonstrates real life examples of whatever math principle you will be focusing on for the day. OR choose a picture that could help set up the context for a word problem you will be working on. 

Photo by Lottie Griffiths on Unsplash

3.)  Point of View and Perspective: This is a theme that weaves its way into various literature and social studies standards. A few well chosen pics demonstrating different perspectives of the same object could start a great conversation with students. 

Photo by Denys Nevozhai on Unsplash and Photo by Howard P on Unsplash

BONUS! Unpacking stereotypes: One of my favorite TED talks is by Chimamanda Adichie. She talks about the danger of a single story- the danger of using one narrative to describe a whole race, gender, culture, language, or people. Pictures can be a simple, uncomplicated way to both challenge and recognize single stories. 

Photo by Daniel Lloyd Blunk-Fernández on Unsplash and Photo by Vincent Camacho on Unsplash

Take the pictures above for instance. If the only thing we knew about Mexican and Hawaiian cultures came from these two photos, then we'd have a pretty incomplete and even inaccurate understanding of them.  But what if we had other photos as well? Photos from the past, photos from the present, photos of people who consider themselves part of the culture (government leaders, celebrities, ordinary children and adults, etc), photos depicting everyday life as well as specific cultural traditions or celebrations. Such photos could help us recognize the danger of a single story (or in this case, a single photo). 

Interested in this idea, but don't know where to start? Start with what would be most relevant in your own classroom: 

• Focus on the cultures and issues most relevant to your students or most relevant in the communities where you teach. 
• Encourage students to informally challenge the images they come in contact with (Ex: Well I'm Mexican, but I don't celebrate the Day of the Dead). 
• Have students create their own albumn designed to shatter stereotypes that people may have of their own culture, race, gender, religion, family, etc. 

Got any other ideas for using Unsplash images in your classroom? Drop them below! 

5 Free Ways to Keep Your Kid's Brains from Melting This Summer

Wondering how to get your kids off the couch and up and doing something (literally anything?) Here are a few ideas of educational things you can do to keep your kids busy and engaged this summer.

1.) Sign your kids (and yourself!) up for library summer reading programs: The best thing you can do for your kids during the summer is encourage them to read diverse books across genres and across grade levels. Summer reading programs are a fun way to provide kids with a bit of extra incentive to read. Have some avid readers in your family? Sign up for multiple programs at multiple libraries, if possible. Consider also any other educational programs your library might have, such as STEM-themed classes for children or videomaking/art classes. You can also check out this list of businesses that also offer free rewards for summer reading. 

2.) Keep review materials on hand: This will look different for every family. Some parents like to have scheduled "school time" during the day, where their kids review content for the coming school year; other parents prefer to let their children enjoy their short break without structured review time. Regardless of your style or preference, it's a good idea to have interesting review materials your kids might go through when bored. You'd be suprised how many kids I've seen voluntarily do math problems or write a story for "fun". Here are a few ideas of where to get educational materials: 

• Old math, writing, or science notebooks from the past year: Bonus if you have old worksheets from older children that could be used to "challenge" younger siblings.
• Online math or literacy games: Your kids probably played these during the school year and might be intersted in playing them at home, too. Check out Duolingo, ABCya games, Prodigy, or FunBrain. 
• Review workbooks: If you ask around your neighbor or check at a dollar bookstore, you could probably get one for free or cheap. Or, check out this list from VeryWell Family. 

3.) Play, play, play! Research backs up what common sense already tells us: kids benefit from unstructured play time. Here are a few ideas to make sure your children are getting adequately time to play: 

• Unstructured play: If your kids attend a day care, then they already have an amazing opportunity to play with children with diverse interests, abilities, and ages. When choosing a day care, choose one that allows for unstructured play time as well as structured play activities. If your kids don't attend day care, consider connecting with other parents for play dates or simply letting your kids loose in a public park (most kids will make a friend!) 
• Board Games: Family board game nights are a great way to authentically use various "academic" skills, such as counting, addition, subtraction, multiplication, reading, critical thinking, and problem solving. 
• Outdoor play: Such play is healthy for children's physical, mental, and emotional health. Go to the park, the beach, the lake, the mountains- it doesn't really matter as long as you and your kids are having fun! 

4.) Take advantage of vacation opportunities: Vacations are rich opportunities for family learning. Consider visiting a free musuem, historical monument, or national park if it fits in with your travel plans. Is a vacation not in the plans for this summer? Look for free virtual field trips that would interest your child, or do Zoom calls with extended family that you haven't seen for awhile. 

5.) Give children time to pursue passions: Schools are often overly focused on literacy skills and mathematical fluency. Give your kids a chance to learn about other rarely taught subjects in an authentic context. Here a few things that your kids might be interested in: 

• Geography: Maybe try geocaching, explore Google Earth, or do a city-wide scavenger hunt.
• Environmental Science: Do a home recycling project or join a water/electricity conservation effort.
• Art: Painting, coloring, origami, etc
• Coding/Technology: Try this website with your kids. 

Whatever your plans for this summer, I hope you enjoy every minute of it!