"FUN" SHINE CAN

Ask your students to bring an empty can made from plastic or cardboard (Crystal Light, Pringle’s, icing).  Select 25-30 of the activities below (or create your own) and run off copies for each child.  Children can decorate their cans and then cut the activities apart and put them in the can.  Send the can and letter home at the end of the school year so children can do the activities with their parents over the summer.

Dear ______,

        

Lucky me to get to spend this special year with your child!

(Child’s name) has worked hard and has grown in many ways.  One of my favorite memories is (something unique about the child).

I appreciate all the support and encouragement you have given

(child’s name) at home.  Behind every great student is a great family!

Saying good-bye is bittersweet.  “Bitter” because I will miss (child’s name), but sweet because I am so proud to have been a part of his/her life!  Please keep in touch because I know the future holds many wonderful things for your child and your family!

Here’s a “Fun Shine Can” with lots of great activities to do with your child this summer.  Remember to read and laugh every day!

Fondly,

(Teacher’s name)

Sample Activities:
*You can download 100 of these at drjean.org/May, 2009!

Read a story with your parents.  Tell what happened at the beginning, middle, and end of the story.  What do you think will happen next?

Play a rhyming game.  How many words can you think of that rhyme with “can”?  “Pot”?  “Book”?  “Coat”?  “Sheep”?  “Like”?

Trace around your hand and your foot.  What can you make out of them?

Count as high as you can.  Can you count by 2’s, 5’s, and 10’s?

Ask your parents to teach you a song they learned when they were your age.

Look in your kitchen pantry.  How many labels can you read?

How many ways can you move?  Can you hop, skip, jump, gallop, tiptoe, walk backwards?

Can you draw a circle, oval, square, rectangle, and triangle?  What other shapes can you draw?

Write a special letter to someone in your house.

Look at some of your baby pictures.  How have you changed?

Find something that begins with these letters:  B, H, S, M, L.

Draw a picture of your neighborhood.

Make a list of 5 things that are non-living.  Make a list of 5 things that are living.

Do you have a library card?  Visit your library and check out some books.

Do a job around the house.

Write your name on a piece of paper – first, middle, and last.  What are your initials?

How many toes does your family have?  How many thumbs?  How many noses?

Read a book together.  Retell the story in your own words.

Tell someone your whole address.  What city do you live in?  What state?  What’s the name of your country?

Have someone call out these letters, and see if you can write them:  W, J, B, K, N, S, T.

How many eggs are in a dozen?  How many days in a week?  How many months in the year?

Act out the opposites of these words:  hot, up, tall, fast, loud, front, sad, over, top.

Draw a person and put as many body parts as you can.

Can you say your phone number?  Can you write it?

Help your parents cook something for dinner.

Sing the alphabet song.  Can you sing it backwards?

THANKS, THANKS, AND THANKS AGAIN!

Everybody wants to be appreciated!  Here are some clever ideas for awards you can give volunteers or school helpers at the end of the year.  (Do a search of “candy bar awards” and you’ll be amazed!)  Here are a few examples:

Kudos Bar – “Kudos to you!”

Snickers – “Nuts about you!”

100 Grand – “A million thanks for all you did!”

M & M’s – “You’re marvelous and magnificent.”

Mint – “You ‘mint’ the world to us.”

Hershey’s Kisses – and Hugs, too!

Lifesavers – “You were a lifesaver this year!”

If you’re not into sweets, here are some other ideas:

Pen or Pencil – You were the “write” stuff for us this year!

Apple – You’re the “apple” of our eyes.

Banana – We are “bananas” for you.  Thanks a bunch for all you did!

Play Watch – Thanks for giving us such a good time!

Lotion – Thanks for your “gentle” helping hand this year.

Pack of Flower Seeds – Thanks for helping us grow!

Extra Gum – You always went that extra mile.  Thanks!

Box of Crayons – Color your summer happy!

Pack of Nuts – The children are nuts about you!  Thank you!

Roll of Tape – Thanks for always sticking in there with us!

Ice Cream Cone Coupon – You’re the best scoop!  Thanks!
Gold Fish - We "O'fishally" thank you!

*Hint!  Add children’s drawings to all of the above!

IDEAS GALORE! Part 2

Rhyming Hunt  (Sara Christensen)

Chant while tapping your lap and then clapping:

            We’re going on a rhyming hunt and I know what to do.

            I need to listen well and rhyme a word with you.

Teacher:  Cat  (Teacher calls on a student to say a rhyming word.)

Student:   Hat 

Dance and Point - Tape words, letters, numbers, etc. around the room.  Play some music so the children can dance.  When the music stops the children point to a word.  The teacher calls on students to read their word.

Magic Pointer (Lana from Minneapolis)

To help children learn high frequency words, choose a magic pointer and wave it across a word as you say (with expression);

            Magic pointer, magic pointer, where will it land?

            I don’t know where it will land?

Point to a word for the children to read.  After a few weeks, the children get to take turns with the magic pointer.

Where’s Bear? – Write sight words on the sides of cups.  Put a teddy bear counter under one of the cups.  The children say a word and the teacher lifts the cup to see if the teddy bear counter is under that cup.  Tally who finds the bear and count who has the most, least, etc.

*This activity has endless possibilities.  You could use it for letters, numerals, math facts, etc.  You could also hide seasonal objects or treats under the cups.

Marshmallow Mouths – To teach the kids how to walk in the halls quietly tell them to put a marshmallow in their mouths and give them a real marshmallow.

If You Can Hear Me  (Susan Paulus)

If you can hear me, clap once.

If you can hear me, clap twice…

Transitional Breathing (Katie Saucier)

Smell the roses – hold a pretend bouquet of flowers and smell them.

Blow out your candle – hold up one finger like a birthday candle and blow it out.

Put Your Shoulder on a Wall!  (Martha Carlson)

Line Up Song

Put your shoulder on the wall.

Find a square and put your tootsies in it.

Handwriting Song  (Tune:  “This Old Man”)

Sit up straight, put your feet on the floor.

Angle your paper and write some more.

Sit up straight, put your feet on the floor.

Angle your paper and write some more.

Walking Motions (Stacy Hermann)

To make sure kids are quiet while walking in the halls, have all the students make a certain motion.  For example, they could tap their shoulders when walking.

Line Up Words (Libby Huettl)

Give each student a sight word that they put on a chart.  On the floor are words on electrical tape.  That is where they line up for the day.

*Creep Track - This is made from a shower curtain.  Put sight words in pockets.  Children crawl across and slap their words with their hands.

*Use window markers to write on windows.

*Write words with white crayons and then watercolor over the words.

Read to a Star (Kim Potter)

Purchase plexi-glass picture frames that stand up at the dollar store.  Print pictures of famous people (Justin Bieber, Obama, etc.) and put them in the frames.  Children sit and read to the picture of their choice.

Flip Book – Make a flip book as shown.  Draw an egg, tree, cave, or other animal home on the front flip.  Open and draw a critter that you would find in that habitat.  Hold up to the light to see your little critter in its home.

IKEA – Recycle boxes that are used for picture frames.  Children can put numerals in order, sort sounds, etc.

Sign Language  (Michelle Green)

Check out this super website for sign language.  You’ll find a links for key phrases, letters, numbers, etc.

http://usinsurancenet.com/family-health-reference-to-asl/ .

Throw It Away! (Janine Conway)

If children come in grumpy, ask them to throw their negatives away in the trash can.  (Model taking imaginary things off your body and putting them in the trash.)

Mirror Talk – If children talk ugly to a friend, then tell them to go talk like that in the mirror and see how it feels.

 

Talk to your hands – If children are wiggling their hands, ask them to please talk to their hands and tell them to be quiet.

And here’s a hand for all of you who shared!  Thank you!!!!

IDEAS GALORE FROM IOWA, MINNESOTA, AND THE MARYLAND SHORE! Part 1

Class President (Maggie from Wayzata)

Every day select a new class president and vice president.  They both have special responsibilities, like leading the morning meeting, passing out snack, etc.

*Write a class constitution together during the first weeks of school and sign it.

Paper Doll Bears (Donna)

Let children use clothespins to match up shapes, colors, numbers, etc. on paper bears.

Attention Grabber  (Julie Navratil)

To quietly and quickly get the students’ attention whisper:

If you can hear me…touch your nose…pat your head…rub your tummy..

If you are going to have a Q (stick out right hand),

Then you have to have a U (left hand out).

Because a Q and a U stick together

Like glue (clap your hands together).

Picture Perfect (Beth Schmitt)

When you are getting your picture taken turn to the side and put one foot in front.  You’ll always look skinnier!!

When You Finish Early…(Rana Webster)

When you finish early, tell the children to “write your teacher a message.”  They can practice writing and it makes them feel special.

P.S.  Always write a note or reply back.

Example:  Can I be at the art center today?

Odd and Even Milk Count  (Mary Petron)

Use craft sticks with students’ names to do the milk count.  Count by 2’s as you hold the sticks in one hand.  If one is left over, the kids will know it’s odd.

Find a Partner (Jean Doroff)

You will need a deck of cards with aces through nines.  Select pairs that equal ten.  Each child gets a card and finds a partner whose card makes ten.

*You can also do by colors.  Red ace with red nine or black ace with black nine.

Mathematical Thinking Bag  (LaRae Dill)

Kids take home a bag with instructions to share their mathematical thinking with the class.

Number Story – Bring in items to model the story.

Number Collection – Show a number in different ways.

Number Estimation – Bring items for the class to estimate.

Journey Song  “Don’t Stop Believing”

B-R says /br/ in bride.

B-R says /br/ in bride.

C-H says /ch/ in church.

These are the special sounds – they go on and on and on and on.

Don’t stop reading. 

Hold on to those special sounds.

Countdown Chain (Julie Krebs)

At the end of the year make a countdown chain.  Each    student makes one link by decorating a strip of construction paper with their favorite memory of kindergarten.  Each day as they rip off a link, the child who wrote that memory reads it to the class.

Dime Store – Each child has a plastic egg for their bank.  Each day students earn one penny for a good day.  After 5 pennies, they exchange for a nickel.  After 5 more pennies, they exchange for a dime.  Now they can “shop” at the Dime Store (a box filled with garage sale and donated goodies)!

Locker Pockets (Kari Redding)

Put fancy library pockets on the kids’ lockers.  Make several sets of tongue depressor sticks with letters, numbers, popcorn words, etc.  Put a stick in each “locker pocket” before leaving at the end of the day.  (Differentiate for students who need more advanced skills.)  In the morning the children take their stick out of the locker pocket and tell the teacher what it says as they come in the room. 

*Have them write what’s on their locker stick on the message board.

*This is great for half-day kindergarten when you have to make every minute count.

MEMORY BOOKS AND MOVIES

These ideas are a little easier than the Class Yearbook I shared yesterday!

Memory Book – Run off copies of a memory book for each child to color and fill in the missing information.  Here are some suggestions:

1st page – “My Memory Book” with teacher’s name, school, year.

2^nd page – “This is me.”  (Child draws self –portrait.)

3^rd page – “This is my teacher.”  (Child draws teacher’s picture.)

4^th page – “Here are my friends.”  (Child draws friends.)

5^th page – “My favorite thing at school is...”  (Draws favorite activities.)

6^th page – “Something I’ve learned this year…”  (Draws accomplishment.)

7^th page – “When I grow up I want to be…”  (Draws future self.)

8^th page – “This is my handprint.”  (Trace around child’s hand.)

You could also have children draw their favorite sport, color, book, song, food, etc.

Autograph Book – Cut paper in fourths.  (I like to use colored paper.)  Have children count out 10 pieces.  Hole punch and tie with a ribbon.  Children walk around the room and get their friends’ autographs.  

Movie - Make a video of your students singing, working in centers, and doing other things they 

like best at school.

YOU

Take a photo of yourself with each child.  Fill their name in the poem below and

glue it to a card with the photo.  Present it to them the last day with a hug!

You’re a very special person

And (name), you should know

How I loved to be your teacher.

How fast the year did go!

Please come back to visit me

As through the grades you grow.

Try hard to learn all that you can.

There is so much to know!

The one thing I tried to teach you

To last your whole life through,

Is to know that you are special

Just because YOU ARE YOU!

A YEAR TO REMEMBER FROM A TO Z

A teacher in New York shared this idea with me years ago.  It’s going to take a little work, but it will be something children will treasure the rest of their lives!  You will need to assemble photographs of the children, as well as pictures you’ve taken throughout the school year.  Take 26 sheets of paper and write a letter on each page.  Glue pictures of the children on the page their name begins with.  Next, sort through the pictures and glue them on appropriate pages.  (I’ve give you some suggestions for each letter below.)  Label the pictures and run off a copy for each child.  Use card stock for the front and back cover and bind.

                  A- apple tasting, art, alphabet, “Alligator”

                  B- “Bear Hunt,” blocks, birthdays, books, bus

                  C- computers, caterpillars, counting, cooking, CLIFFORD

                  D- dinosaurs, dancing, drawing, “Days of the Week”

                  E- easel, exercise, eating, exploring

                  F- friends, fall, first day of school, “Five Little Monkeys”

                  G- GINGERBREAD MAN, games, graphs, gym

                  H- Hundred Day, Halloween, holidays, handprint

                  I- ice and snow, insects, “Itsy Bitsy Spider,” “I can___”

                  J- jack o’ lanterns, journals, jump rope

                  K- KISSING HAND, kites, kindness, “Katalina”

                  L- letters, library, “Lettercise,” lunch, LEO

                  M-“Macarena Months,” music, math, magnets

                  N- nests, nursery rhymes, names, numbers

                  O- oceans, outside, “Over in the Meadow”

                  P- pizza parlor, P.E., puzzles, painting, “Peanut Butter”

                  Q- quiet time, quilts

                  R- reading, rainy days, running, rabbits, “Rime Time”

                  S- singing, spring, shapes, senses, science

                  T- “Tooty Ta,” turkeys, teeth, tests, TACKY THE PENGUIN

                  U- upside down, under, umbrellas (April showers)

                  V- Valentine’s Day, VERY BUSY SPIDER

                  W- word wall, writing, winter, “Wally Acha,” weather

                  X- “X” marks the spot (treasure hunt), X with body

                  Z- zoo field trip, zigzag art, “Z” end of the year

*Use the name of the school, teacher’s name, etc.

                 

Here’s a poem for the cover:

We’ve learned and played in many ways,

But now the year must end.

Here’s a book to remember special days,

And all your kindergarten (first grade) friends!

Hint!  If you don’t have photographs, let your children draw pictures for your book.  

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL!

Mothers love their children.

            Teachers do, too!

Mothers sing to their children.

            Teachers do, too!

Mothers read books to their children.

            Teachers do, too!

Mothers guide and discipline their children.

            Teachers do, too!

Mothers help their children learn everything they can.

            Teachers do, too.

Mothers comfort their children and dry their tears.

            Teachers do, too.

Mothers give their children hopes and dreams.

            Teachers do, too.

Mothers want their children to be happy.

            Teachers do, too.

I am reminded of a sweet book called GOOD BYE, MR. CHIPS that was about a teacher at a boy’s boarding school in England.  As Mr. Chipping was dying, someone remarked that it was sad that he never had children.  Mr. Chips’s perception is similar to what teachers everywhere feel:

            I thought I heard you saying it was a pity... pity I never had any children. 

            But you're wrong. I have. Thousands of them. Thousands of them...             

            and all boys.

Every teacher is a mother, so I wish a special day to each of you!