MARCH MARCHES IN

March winds will be blowing soon. Here are some ideas to put in your lesson plans this month.

Five Little Kites
One, two, three, four, five little kites (Hold up fingers as you count.) Flying up in the sky (Fly fingers in the air.)
Said “hi” to the clouds as they passed by, (Pretend to wave to clouds.)
Said “hi” to the birds, said “hi” to the sun, (Wave.)
Said “hi” to the airplanes, oh what fun. (Wave.)
Then “swish” went the wind, (Move hand down in a
And they all took a dive: swooping motion.)
One, two, three, four, five. (Hold up fingers one at a time and count.)

Click to download book

Click to watch video

Paper Plate Kite

Cut the inner section out of a paper plate. Decorate the rim with markers. Glue tissue paper streamers to one side. Punch a hole and tie a piece of string on the other side. Go outside and run to make your kite fly.

Kite Experiments

Let children make kites out of lunch sacks, plastic bags, and other materials. Have them predict which one will fly best. Experiment to see which one is best. Why did some work better than others?
*This might be a good family project.


Kite Tales

Ask each child to write a story about what it would be like to be a kite. What could you see? What could you hear? How would you feel? What would you do?

Here is a video about kite tales.

Lion or Lamb?

Explain the quote, “March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.” Every day ask children what kind of day it is, and then let them color a “lion” or a “lamb” on the calendar. Graph "lion" and "lamb" days and compare at the end of the month.

ALEX MAY MARCHES IN WITH TWO NEW VIDEOS

My amazing webmaster Alex May has created some videos in English and Spanish.  I hope your children enjoy them!

Watch video in English

Download English cards for video

Watch video in Spanish

Download Spanish cards for video

Have fun and keep on singing!

MY BONNIE BOUNCE

You probably all know the song "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean." You'll be surprised how much exercise you get as you stand up or sit down every time you say a word that starts with the /b/ sound. Join me on this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ONWTT-JFu8

Warning! One teacher said her kids loved it so much they kept begging to do it over and over. She said she could hardly walk up the stairs when she got home!

My Bonnie Bounce (Tune: “My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean”)
My Bonnie (Stand up.)
Lies over the ocean.
My Bonnie (Sit down.)
Lies over the sea.
My Bonnie (Stand up.)
Lies over the ocean.
Oh, bring (Sit down.)
Back (Stand up.)
My Bonnie (Sit down.)
To me.
Bring (Stand up.)
Back (Sit down.)
Bring (Stand up.)
Back (Sit down.)
Oh, bring (Stand up.)
Back (Sit down.)
My Bonnie (Stand up.)
To me, to me.
Bring (Sit down.)
Back (Stand up.)
Bring (Sit down.)
Back (Stand up.)
Oh, bring (Sit down.)
Back (Stand up.)
My Bonnie to me. (Sit down.)

A little faster…
Super fast…


You can also move and release wiggles in a confined space with this song.

Chair Can Can

Have children sit in their seat, bounce their feet to the beat, and make the following movements.

Bend right knee and then kick. (Right leg up and kick out.)
Bend left knee and kick. (Left leg up and kick out.)
Cross kick right and then cross kick left. (Kick feet in opposite directions.)
Rainbow arms from left to right. (Swish arms in a big arch.)
Bounce your feet up and down as you rainbow your arms.
Right heel up. (Put up right heel.)
Left heel up. (Put up left heel.)
Open and close arms like an elevator door. (Open arms out and together.)
Hands on the sides of your chair and lift and sit. (Lift body.)
Lift, hold, hold, sit. (Lift, hold for several seconds, and sit.)
Kick right leg out straight and the left leg out straight. (Kick straight leg.)
Wave arms high in the air. (Arms up and move back and forth.)
Take a bow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIOSRvmYp94

How about a new video from Alex May?

https://bit.ly/drJNeurobics

PUNCTUATION PAYS

What Is a Sentence (Tune: “Where Is Thumbkin?”)

What is a sentence?

What is a sentence?

A complete thought.

A complete thought.

It starts with a capital letter.

It starts with a capital letter.

And ends with a punctuation mark.

And ends with a punctuation mark.

Punctuation Sticks
Use jumbo craft sticks or paint sticks for this activity. Draw a “.” “?” and “!” on the end of each stick with a marker. Write simple sentences on the board. Take one stick at a time and place it at the end of a sentence. Children practice reading with that expression.

ABC?
Say the abc’s according to the punctuation marks.
A B C.
D E F ?
G H I J!
K L M ?
N O P !
Q R S T.
U V W?
X Y Z!

Statements and Questions
Seal envelopes and cut in half as shown to make a puppet. Make a period on one side and a question mark on the other side. If the teacher says a question the children hold up the question mark. If the teacher makes a statement they hold up the period.

Glass Pebbles
Let children use glass pebbles to find punctuation in books and magazines.
*Can they tally how many periods, exclamation, and question marks they find on a selected page?

PICNIC BOOK

Sometimes children like big books and sometimes they like little books. This book is so much easier to make when you tell the story about going on a picnic.

Make a picnic book by telling this story:

Let’s go on a picnic. First we need a picnic basket.
(Fold the paper in half.)

Next, we need hotdogs.
(Fold the paper in fourths.)

We also need hamburgers.
(Fold the paper into eighths.)

We’ll need a picnic bench to sit at.
(Open so it’s folded in half. Bring one bottom flap to the fold. Turn
over and bring the other bottom flap to the fold.)

A picnic is more fun if we share it with a friend. (Tear down middle crease
until you reach the fold.)

Now all we need is a book to write a story about our adventures on our picnic.
(Hands on top of bench, bend down, and fold around to make a book.)

  

Use for: letter books, word families
reading the room, writing the room
fact families
shape or color books
unit or theme
spelling words (picture/sentence)
friends’ names and phone numbers
opposites, story elements
original stories

Hint! Let children decorate an individual cereal box to store their picnic books.

 

Picnic Books - https://bit.ly/drJPicnicBks

Narrated version: https://bit.ly/drJPicnicNar

"STEP" INTO WRITING WITH A STEP BOOK

This is a little challenging the first time you make it, but after a few times you’ll be ready to step into writing.

Brochure / Step Books - https://bit.ly/drJBrochureStep

Narrated version: https://bit.ly/drJBrochureNar 

Layer two sheets of paper about 1” apart as shown. Fold backwards to create a step book with 4 layers.

Use for: four seasons sets and numerals
4 sentences or facts about a topic of study
sequence
two words and contraction under flap
layers in a rain forest or ocean
steps in cooking or doing an art project
letters and words that begin with that sound

 

Hint! Use more sheets of paper to create books with 6, 8, or 10 pages. (These could be used for the 5 senses, days in the week, planets in the solar system, continents, etc.)

BROCHURES

Giving children a “brochure” to write in is much more "inviting" than a blank sheet of paper.

Directions: Fold a sheet of paper into thirds to create a brochure.
*Or try this easy version: roll paper into a burrito/circle and “smush” flat.

Brochure / Step Books - https://bit.ly/drJBrochureStep

Narrated version: https://bit.ly/drJBrochureNar

Use for: 

story elements (title, favorite character, beginning, middle, end)
consonants or vowels (capital, lower case, pictures; long a, short a, aw sound)
all about me
assessment
field trip, vacation, place they’d like to visit
unit or theme (K-W-L)
sorting (pictures, letters, words, syllables)
fact families
biography (facts, accomplishments)
letters with lines, curves, lines and curves
inflicted endings
drawing a body

 

EASY PEASY LITTLE BOOKS

Instead of giving children a worksheet, you can easily make these books to reinforce reading skills, math, science concepts, etc.

Easy Fast Little Books - https://bit.ly/drJEasyFast

Narrated version: https://bit.ly/drJFastLittleNar

Lay four to six pieces of paper on top of each other. Staple the four corners. Cut into fourths, and you’ll have four little books.

Use for: days of the week (seven sheets of paper) 

Seasons (four sheets of paper)
Senses (five sheets of paper)

Sequence of a story

List of things to do

Long Skinny Books

Staple four times on the short side and then cut horizontally to make “skinny books.” Use for writing names, sentences, ABC’s, numbers, making patterns, and so forth.

READ, WRITE QUIET BOXES

Read, Write, Quiet Boxes are a nice way to blend skills with creativity and reading and writing for pleasure.

Materials: empty food boxes, construction paper, paint, art media
blank books, pencils

Directions: Each child will need to bring in an empty food box from home. Cut the top off the box and make slanted sides. Children can paint their boxes or decorate them with construction paper. Store blank books, pencils, and simple books that they can read in the boxes. Children can use their boxes as a quiet activity after lunch or if they finish their work early.