BIRD WATCHERS

What a perfect time of year to become a bird watcher! There are so many wonderful fiction and non-fiction books about birds, as well as crafts, finger plays, books, and games. I know some of your parents will enjoy making bird watchers and doing some of these activities.


Bird Watchers 

You will need paper towel rolls, tape, a hole punch, and string to make these "bird watcher" binoculars. Cut the paper towel roll in half and tape together. Punch 2 holes at the top and tie on a string that can easily fit on and off the head. Take a nature walk and see how many birds you can identify.

P.S. A teacher shared this website where children can learn to identify birds and their calls. It's so engaging even for adults like me!
https://www.aaastateofplay.com/50-bird-species-sounds-they-make/?fbclid=IwAR3JkCpq5zt33DNG-QVeSDSR5Hku-c5PUKiYVRXh_17xvRjEZ_7AzcksUkw


Paper Plate Birds and Nests
Let children make birds or nests out of paper plates similar to the ones in the picture.




What’s in the Egg?
First, brainstorm all the different animals that come out of an egg. Now, you’re ready to make a flip book called “What’s in the Egg?” Fold a sheet of paper in half lengthwise, then fourths and eighths. Open and cut the crease to the middle fold. Fold in half to make 4 little flaps. Children draw eggs on the front of each flap. Open the flaps and challenge children to draw 4 different things that might come from an egg. When they hold this book up to the light, they will see their little critters inside the egg.

SHHHH! DON'T WAKE UP THE BIRDIES!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfZuGmjlyPMBirdies 

Don't Wake Up the Birdies!
Way up in the sky (Put hands in arm pits and flap arms
The big birdies fly. like a bird.)
Way down in the nest (Make a nest by cupping hands.)
The little birds rest.
With a wing on the left, (Wiggle left arm like a wing.)
And a wing on the right, (Wiggle right arm like a wing.)
The little birds sleep (Put head down on palms as if sleeping.)
All through the night.
SHHHHHH! (Put finger over lips.)
DON’T WAKE UP THE BIRDIES!
Then up comes the sun. (Put arms over your head.)
The dew falls away. (Bring down palms.)
Good morning! Good morning! (Put open palms around your head.)
The little birds say.

Sing and Act
Let children dramatize this song. Choose one child to be the mother or father bird. Let the other children be the baby birds.

Lunch Sack Nest
Open a paper lunch sack and roll out and down until you reach the bottom and it looks like a nest. Children can roll play dough eggs for the nest, or they can make a bird from two tissues for the nest.

*Make the shape of a tree on a bulletin board. Staple the nests in the tree and then let children make birds out of construction paper to go in the nests.

*Staple on a pipe cleaner handle to the lunch sack nest and you've got a little


Bird Nest Snack
Give each child a Rice Crispie treat to mold into a nest. Put a few jelly beans in the nest and place a marshmallow “peep” on top. (Yeah, I know this is total junk and you probably can’t do it at school, but my grandkids enjoyed making these for our Easter dinner last year.)

LEARN ABOUT BUTTERFLIES DAY

I bet you didn't know that March 14 was LEARN ABOUT BUTTERFLIES DAY. Find out more at: http://allthingsbutterflies.com


No matter how old you get, the life cycle of a butterfly will always be nature's magic! There are so many learning opportunities from caterpillars and butterflies: comparing and contrasting fiction and non-fiction books, saying finger plays, writing books about the life cycle, art projects, dramatizations... Let's get started with a song.

Butterflies
(Tune: Up on the Housetop)
First comes the butterfly (Hook thumbs and flutter fingers.)
Who lays an egg.
Out comes a caterpillar (Wiggle index finger.)
With many legs.
Then the caterpillar
Spins and spins (Roll hands around.)
A little chrysalis
To sleep in. (Place head on hands.)
Oh, oh, oh! (Fingers around eyes.)
Look and see.
Oh, oh, oh!
Look and see.
Out of the chrysalis, (Hook thumbs and flutter fingers.)
My, oh, my!
Out comes a (Move butterfly fingers all around.)
Beautiful butterfly!

Here's a video my webmaster made with photographs of the life cycle:
http://bit.ly/drjeanCaterpillar

Here's a video with illustrations:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=In_akp9Fxbc


Drama
Let children act out the life cycle of a butterfly. First, they lay on the floor in a ball. Next, they crawl around like caterpillars. Can they spin around and make a chrysalis? Finally, they can spread their wings and FLY!

Baggie Butterfly
Make a butterfly by tearing up little pieces of colored tissue paper and putting them in a zip lunch bag. Gather up in the middle and twist on a pipe cleaner to make the body and antennae. Attach a string for flying.

Smoosh Painting
Cut butterfly shapes out of newsprint. Fold in half. Let children drop paint with a spoon or eye dropper on one half. Fold and rub. Open to view your butterfly.



Life Cycle Flip Book
Make a flip book for the children to illustrate the life cycle of the butterfly.

Tell the lifecycle of the butterfly with a stick, a bean, and pasta. First, take children on a nature walk and ask them to find a stick that is as long as their arm from their wrist to their elbow. Glue the bean to the left of the stick for the egg. Next comes a spiral pasta for the caterpillar. Then a shell pasta for the chrysalis. Finally, a bow shaped pasta for the butterfly.

COOKING UP A NURSERY RHYME

You know it makes me sad that so many of you are not allowed to cook in your classrooms any more. When I think of the cooking experiences I had with my students it makes me smile. One of my favorite memories was when we were making pizzas. I said, “Let’s put them on the pan so I can bake them.” Floyd, a precious red head said, “That’s O.K., teacher, I’ll just eat my raw!”

Years ago a teacher sent me these recipes to tie in with nursery rhymes. I wish I could remember who to give them credit to! Even if you can’t have food in your classroom, you might enjoy making these with your own child, a neighbor, a scout troop, or a grown friend! They are too "sweet" to be forgotten!

Ole King Cole’s Coins
Every king has a treasure trove filled with coins so why not make these healthy coins to fill up your students.

Ingredients:
Fresh carrots
Sour cream
Dill

Have the students wash and scrub the carrots with a vegetable brush. Now slice them up so that they look like coins. Chop up the dill and mix in the sour cream for the students to dip.


Name Cakes

After singing the ABC’s the children can eat them with me!

Ingredients:
Rice cakes
Peanut butter, cream cheese or frosting
Alphabet cookies

Find the letters of you name and place them on the table. Spread the topping of your choice over the rice cake and press down the letters of your name into the topping on the rice cake. These name cakes were alphabetically delicious.

Muffin Man Zucchini Muffins

The Muffin Man didn’t have this recipe in his cookbook but now you do.

Ingredients
½ cup grated zucchini
1 egg
2 Tablespoons of oil
¼ cup of honey
¼ cup of grated lemon peel
¾ cup of flour
½ teaspoon of baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cinnamon

Add the first five ingredients and mix well. Now add the rest and pour into muffin tins that have liners added. Bake at 400 degrees for twenty minutes. I’ll bet the Muffin man steals this recipe.

Jack Horner’s Thumbprint Biscuits

Jack Horner stuck his thumb in a plumb, but your children will get a kick out of sticking their thumbs in a biscuit.

Ingredients
Canned biscuits
Grape jelly

Give each child a biscuit and tell them to stick their thumb in the middle. Let them fill the hole in the middle with a spoonful of grape jelly. Bake according to directions on the package. Have your children say, “What a good (boy, girl) am I!


Moon Pizzas

The cow jumped over the moon and the astronauts landed on the moon. This recipe will add a whole new dimension to the rhyme or a study of the solar system.

Ingredients
English muffins
Pizza sauce
Shredded mozzarella
*Pepperoni, olive slices or cheeses shaped liked stars or moons are optional

Toast the English muffins ahead to time - especially if you like your pizza crust crunchy. Now spread the pizza sauce over the surface of the moon (English muffin) and add the mozzarella and other toppings of your choice. Bake at 350 degrees until the cheese melts.

SURPRISE!  SURPRISE!

Here's a special bonus today.  Alex May (webmaster) has just completed a new video for you in Spanish.  I can't wait for you to share it with your class!

A Tu Ti Ta Video - https://bit.ly/drJTuTiTaYT

A Tu Ti Ta Cards https://bit.ly/drJTuTiCardsEspanol

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NURSERY RHYME CRAFTS

Jack and Jill
Trace around the puppet pattern on heavy paper. Challenge the children to make the puppet look like “Jack” on one side and “Jill” on the other side. Attach a straw and use as a puppet.

What happened after Jack fell down? Here’s more to the story!

So up got Jack
And said to Jill
As in his arms he took her.
You’re not hurt, brush off that dirt.
Now, let’s go fetch that water.
So up got Jack and
Up got Jill to fetch that pail of water.
They brought it back to mother dear
Who thanked her son and daughter.

Humpty Dumpty
Give children the oval shape and scrap paper. Have them tear the scrap paper into little pieces and then glue it on the oval to make a collage. Attach a stick and use it as a puppet.


What happened to Humpty Dumpty?
So the good children got
Some tape and some glue
And they fiddled and faddled
Til’ he looked like new.
Then they carefully placed him
Back on the wall
And said, “Humpty Dumpty,
Please don’t fall!”



HUMPTY DUMPTY'S TROUBLES
How about some new Humpty Dumpty rhymes? Thank you Alex May (webmaster)!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7X1r5fT-BM


Here's a version where the children can fill in the missing rhyme.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJiVJyGWb_A


Baa Baa Black Sheep
Cut the sheep and the tops of the 3 bags of wool from the front of a file folder. Insert colored paper starting with black. Remove the black paper and then fill in the appropriate color word. (This would be something for the teacher to make and use with the children.)
Baa baa green sheep
Have you any wool?

Would you like patterns for the above craft activities?

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1SnEagA4jljTHpaLUk4MXVJY1k/view?usp=sharing


Websites
Here are some good websites where you can download free nursery rhyme posters:
curry.virginia.edu/go/wil/rimes_and_rhymes.htm
enchantedlearning.com
prekinders.com

HAND OF KNOWLEDGE AND CHARACTER GRAPH

Need something new to replace a worksheet?

Hand of Thoughts 

Children trace around their hand and write a story element (Who, what, where, when, why) in each finger.

*Children write five things they learned from a science or social studies lesson.


Character Graph



Draw the outline of a body similar to the one shown. Label with “see,” “hear,” “think,” “say,” “feel,” “go.” After reading a story use the character graph for children to recall details.


Star of Knowledge

Make a large star and write a concept in the middle. Children add facts and details in each point of the star.

*Write a number in the middle and five facts that equal that number.

VERBS, VERBS, ACTION WORDS

If you can DO it, then it's a verb!

Verbs, Verbs, Action Words 

Verbs, verbs, action words
Things that you can do.
I’ll say a word, and if it’s a verb,
Show what you can do.
Run (Children run in place.)
Fly (Children pretend to fly.)
Dog (Children shout, “That’s not a verb.”)

Continue calling out verbs for the children to pantomime.


Charades
Let children take turns acting out verbs as their classmates try and guess what they are doing.


Pass the Story
Write verbs on index cards and place them in a sack. Have the class sit in a circle and begin passing the bag around. The first child chooses a word and begins the story by using that verb. The second child chooses a word and adds to the story with their word. Continue passing the bag as children add to the story using a verb from the bag.



Catch and Tell
Have children think of an action word in their head. The teacher throws a ball or beanbag to a child. That child states the verb they are thinking of and then passes the ball to another friend. Children continue passing the ball and saying verbs.

Say What?
Write simple verbs on the board. Invite children to come up and add different endings for their friends to read and then use the word in a sentence.

*Cover the end of a fly swatter with white paper. Write different endings on the paper (ing, ed, s). Children place the ending by verbs and read the new word.