Dinah.com/Dinah Zike Academy

08/08/2026

For all that we're kindly commenting on the blog if The DZ Academy, STEAM Garden, and Dinah Zike were affected by the recent flooding; Dinah has given an update on her July post. Thank you all for your well wishes, prayers, and kind words of encouragement for our company and the Texas Hill Country.

"July has been a difficult month in our area. On July 16, 2026, the Guadalupe River rose 31 feet between 5 a.m. and 8 a.m. In 2025, the river crested at 37 feet and slightly below this in 2026, but the most recent flooding was more widespread and there has been much more property damage in Comfort, Texas. Thank you for your help and concern! -Dinah"

https://www.steamgarden.com/post/july-2026

For more information on supporting the ongoing flood recovery efforts, families of those affected directly, and other donation efforts you can visit the Hill Country Alliance link page:

hillcountryalliance.org/flood-relief-and-support/

July has been a difficult month in our area. On July 16, 2026, the Guadalupe River rose 31 feet between 5 a.m. and 8 a.m. In 2025, the river crested at 37 feet and slightly below this in 2026, but the most recent flooding was more widespread and there has been much more property damage in Comfort, T...

08/06/2026

We're headed back to school already?!

For our elementary teachers we are sharing Dinah's free download of our back to school Grandstand Foldable® here!:
https://dinahzikedownloads.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/gshx1010001enc_backtoschool.pdf

Video of assembly here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d61WMqonLNI

One sheet of 8.5” x 11” paper makes one GrandStand.
Print GrandStands on index- or cover stock-weight paper in color or black/white.

THINGS TO DO:
GrandStands can be used on a table or desktop, or they can be glued, stapled, or push-pinned onto a bulletin board.
1. Use this GrandStand to feature one word or a stack of sight word flashcards.
2. Write a student's name on the blank writing line.
3. Make and display term flashcards from featured literature, spelling lists, and/or a chapter in a content-based text.
4. Use in stations or work areas to feature teacher-written notes, instructions, or questions. Use half-sheets of 8.5”x 11” paper or notebook paper as cards.
5. Use this generic GrandStand display to name things or areas in a classroom -- featured book nook, quiet zone, observation area, art table, health center, and more.
6. Share selected student writing or drawings for all to see. Have students write or draw on half-sheets of 8.5” x 11” paper so they will fit on the stand. If whole sheets of 8.5”x11” paper are used, fold them in half. Before displaying the folded sheets, have students write their name and/or draw a cover picture on the front of the folded page. Fellow students can remove the folded sheet, open it, observe its contents, and place it back on the GrandStand.
7. Select special student worksheets to be folded in half and placed on GrandStands. Encourage other students to look at this featured work during the day.
8. GrandStands are teaching aids that can be used to display many different forms of print including Internet print, quotes, current events, rhymes, riddles, and fun facts.
9. MiniBooks and Side-by-Side Books can also be featured on GrandStands.

STORING GrandStands:
When made using index-weight paper, GrandStands last for several years.
Store vertically in a Box Book in your LOCOmotion Box Library (made from cereal boxes).
Store vertically in plastic or cardboard magazine holders.
Store multiple sets of Grandstands vertically in a copy paper box.

07/12/2026

So much is happening in Dinah's STEAM Garden! Here's some of her May 2026 post:

"(second to last pic) These photos illustrate why we grow hundreds of pipevine plants each year. Maybe someday we will have enough food for all of the ravenous caterpillars emerging in our gardens. When we get this many hungry mouths to feed, we cover and protect denuded plants (to allow them to grow back), and we uncover tubs of plants that have lush leaves. We continue alternating this process of covering and uncovering to make sure we have enough food for the number of eggs laid. The caterpillars in the right photograph are being moved to tubs of lush leaves. Trying to keep enough food for the number of butterflies we attract and the caterpillars they produce seasonally is a constant worry, but well worth it when pipevine swallowtail butterflies emerge at the end of metamorphosis."

Read more STEAM, pollinator and science information that Dinah shares about her garden in her blog!

https://www.steamgarden.com/post/may-2026

06/23/2026

Come visit the STEAM Garden for this special event!
https://www.steamgarden.com/news-1/join-us-for-a-traveler’s-guide-to-texas-gardens-book-signing

06/12/2026

In honor of Juneteenth Emancipation Day, here is the free Dinah Download for a two tab template from Notebooking Central® Downloads Page!

https://dinahzikedownloads.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/juneteenth-emancipation-day.pdf

Some examples for timeline events/dates for Juneteenth Notebooking would be:

Historic timeline of this significant day starting with...

January 1863: President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.

1863-1865: Slavery continued in Texas. Slave owners moved to TX from other states.

April 1865: The Civil War ended when General Lee surrendered to General Grant.

June 1865: General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas with troops to free the 250,000 slaves in Texas. Two months after the war ended, most slaves had not been freed.

June 19, 1865: “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.”

December 1865: 13th Amendment abolished slavery in America.

1865-present: Juneteenth celebrations spread across US.

1980: Texas was the first state to declare Juneteenth a state holiday.

2020: 46 states recognize Juneteenth as a holiday.

(Download templates like this can be found at downloadablfoldables.dinah.com Or you can make your own in Dinah Zike’s Notebook Foldables for Spirals, Binders, and Composition Books.)

05/30/2026

In honor of the rare blue micromoon Sunday we wanted to throw it back to one of our freebies from Dinah this week! You can teach moon phases, lunar cycles, waxing and waning, and much more with Dinah's free Moon appearance shutterfold noteboking download!

https://dinahzikedownloads.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/d-nc-s110-0025-en-b_prediciting-the-moons-appearence-1.pdf

05/27/2026

Here's a little digital tour of Dinah's STEAM Pollinator Garden! Where to park, what you'll see, and how to enter the garden through the Simply Comfort store!

🌿 Hi! We're Dinah Zike Academy's STEAM Pollinator Garden!We invite you to discover the STEAM Garden in Comfort — a beautiful educational destination in the ...

05/11/2026

It's time for Dinah's STEAM updates in the garden! This month she talks about the flora and fauna that are showing up for spring!

https://www.steamgarden.com/post/april-2026

"April 4, 2026
This granddaddy of a spiny fence lizard (Sceloporus olivaceus) is trying to warmup after a passing cold front dropped temperatures. (I was able to observe blue patches on the sides of his underbelly, so I know it is a male.) This species of lizard is native to several southern states and northeastern Mexico. Note his long toes and claws. This is a perfect foot for climbing trees, telephone poles, and fences. This is an example of a diurnal, arboreal, oviparous, insectivorous reptile that we enjoy seeing in the garden!"

She also shares some great news about the garden being published (we'll share that here later!) and some of our new STEAM exhibits for kids!

04/20/2026

IT'S SPRING IN THE GARDEN! Finally! Dinah's STEAM March 2026 blog post is up!

https://www.steamgarden.com/post/march-2026

"Today, we saw our first caterpillars of the year. These two Gulf Fritillary larva have plenty of food since they are the only diners on our rapidly growing, well-established Passionflower plants. I noticed we have six new passionflower seedlings coming up volunteer at the base of this plant. We lost a couple of new pipevine plants that were growing on a north-facing fence, so we will replace them with these free newcomers."

03/21/2026

Spring prep, tons of work, new exhibits, and lots of new updates from Dinah on her February Blog!
https://www.steamgarden.com/post/february-2026