1. How did ThemeDay.Com get started?

Mary Zinn-Beiting, M.Ed. started the site in August 2000.  She is an educator with a passion for planning thematic units and an interest in using technology in the classroom.  She and her students always looked forward to the special days planned throughout the year.  The countdown and the excitement over these days  were not only rewarding for her, but for her students as well.  She decided to spend more time planning day-long thematic units that could stand on their own or be integrated into longer thematic units.  The response from fellow teachers was overwhelming, so they are now available on the internet for all educators to access.

2.  Why is ThemeDay.Com a subscription web site?

Mary has left the classroom to work full-time on the site with her small staff.  With the expenses of maintaining and creating the site, it was not possible to be a free web site.  The site prides itself on being free of advertising, which can cause clutter and make it confusing to navigate.  Subscribing to ThemeDay.Com can be compared to  buying lesson plan idea books in teacher supply stores.  To pay less than .40¢ per theme is worth having everything needed for a day of fun and engaging learning.  All the research and planning have been done.  

3.  What's the best way to prepare for a ThemeDay?

Read over the lesson plans, view the related sites, and review the related literature lists in advance.  Decide on the plans you are going to teach and gather the materials.  Some of the lessons call for specific books, which may need to be collected from your library or an outside source.  Build some excitement over the upcoming day with your students.  The higher their anticipation, the more motivated they will be to engage in the learning activities.  You may want to send a note home to parents to let them know of any items the children should bring to school or a special color or outfit they should wear for the planned day.

4.  Why is ThemeDay targeted toward Kindergarten-2nd grade teachers?

Hopefully, ThemeDay will expand to reach the middle to upper elementary grades as well.  However, preschool and 3rd grade teachers may easily tailor the lessons to fit their students too.