Learning with Pokemon – Lesson Plans

Does it seem like everyone around you is obsessed with Pokemon Go? If your kids are into it, or the original Pokemon, why not add a Pokemon spin to their learning with Pokemon lesson plans?

Mathematical Thinking used Pokemon characters to work on math skills through buying characters or building a Pokemon deck. So smart (and the printables are on her site).

You’d have to do some more research, but there’s a picture at Funky Junk comparing Pokemon characters to real animals and plants. It might be fun to study the “real Pokemon” in a nature unit.

Homeschooling Mommy Bot had some ideas for a Pokemon unit study, but she never produced the ebook she had planned for it (kids move on to new things so quickly). Still, her ideas are good ones you could research yourself or have your kids study. There are a couple more ideas for Pokemon learning games having to do with math and writing at Game Informer. Or have kids make their own Pokemon cards, like the kids at the Shards did.

If you have a group of kids to work with, this Poekmon game from Education World will get them moving and doing math.

These are just for inspiration unless you have your own printables to share, but there are some great ideas at ESL Printables for adding Pokemon to lessons about reading, colors and the parts of the body. Some of them would be pretty easy to re-create with some images from the internet or by taking pictures of character cards.

And if you’re willing to pay a little for some Pokemon-related learning, there are some great products at Teachers Pay Teachers, too. Lots of math, of course, but also writing, science, ice breakers and bulletin board ideas. You could do a whole Pokemon classroom!

Have you ever done any learning with Pokemon? I’d love to hear about it.

[Photo via Funky Junk.]

Check out these Pokemon Activity books.

Next Plan Idea:

Pokemon Learning Activities and Crafts

If you want to teach kids the basics of Hanukkah in the classroom or at home, the picture book Hanukkah by Lesléa Newman and illustrated by Rotem Teplow is a nice place to start.

The book explores the Jewish holiday through the eyes of Lior, a boy whose name means “my light” in Hebrew, which is appropriate for talking about the Festival of Lights.

The book goes through all the preparations the family does, including cleaning, setting the table and cleaning the menorah. It talks about what the menorah symbolizes and the Hanukkah story of the oil in the Holy Temple of Jerusalem lasting for eight days when it should have only been a one-day supply.

The meaning of the letters on the dreidel are also explored, in that when you are in Israel they have a different fourth word (the letters symbolize the Hebrew letters for “a great miracle happened there” or, in Israel, “a great miracle happened here”).

Because the story of Hanukkah involves oil, a lot of the foods that are eaten during the celebration are fried in oil, such as latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiyot (fried jelly doughnuts). Other foods mentioned include challah, noodle kugel and sour cream and applesauce, which are served with the latkes. Family and friends drop by to share their food, light their menorahs together and play dreidel (the game is explained in the story). It also talks about how the candles are lit through the eight days and what happens at the end of Hanukkah.

The book includes Hanukkah blessings in English and Hebrew and talks about the lunar cycle of the Hebrew calendar, which is why Hanukkah is sometimes celebrated in November and sometimes in December. It also talks about why Jewish holidays are celebrated beginning at sunset rather than in the morning.

Other topics covered include Hanukkah greetings; how to spell Hanukkah; how to make an edible menorah and an tzedakah box (to collect money for charity); recipes for latkes and applesauce; and a more detailed story of Hanukkah than is included within the story of the book. There’s also a quiz to see how well you were paying attention.

This sweet little book is a quick read and a cute overview of the basics of Hanukkah and what the symbols, foods and games mean. It’s a great book for classrooms or at home for sharing basic knowledge.

About the book: 48 pages, hardcover. Published 2024 by words & pictures, suggested retail price $14.99.

Comments

Kerrie McLoughlin says
January 24, 2022 at 1:12 pm
Thanks for the mention! I’m finally back in the blogging-about-homeschooling game again, and I updated that post. Never had time to do it myself (I was writing other books!), but I found a great Teachable course, which I’m hoping to try out and write about with my 12 yo son.

Next Plan Idea:

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