Teachers
are so generous to share ideas with me at my seminars. However, translating their notes isn’t
always that easy as you can tell from the photo.
These
ideas are almost like seeds that you can take and grow into your own activities. As a teacher once remarked, “Teachers
don’t steal ideas. They harvest
ideas!” Help yourself to this
garden of ideas!
Hidden
Words – (Melanie Goodwin)
Place
sight words inside Easter eggs and hide.
Children have to write a sentence with the words they find in the eggs.
National
Geographic Kids Website (Melanie Goodwin)
This
site has amazing text, pictures, and videos and is great for teaching science
and informational text. Use it as
a springboard for writing.
Pizza
Hut – Book It! (Melanie
Goodwin)
You
can sign up and get a booklet of free coupons for a personal pan pizza. No purchase required. Great for a monthly reading reward!
Super
Visors (Melanie Goodwin)
Two
children are selected to be “advisors” for the day. During guided reading/workstations students ask a partner or
one of the “advisors” before sitting in the “waiting chair” to ask the teacher. “Ask three, then me!” They have to wait until the teacher can
get to them and often leave because they figure it out while waiting. This really helps eliminate disruptions
during guided reading!
Mr.
Tuttles (Karen Campbell)
Take
a mirror and put a hat/head on top and add arms and legs to create “Mr.
Tuttles.” Children tell Mr.
Tuttles their tattles!
Altoid
Boxes (Joan Watts)
Fill
Altoid boxes with plastic letters and use for small group work. Have children pour out their letters
and then spell “rat” in the box.
Tell them to close the lid so their neighbor can’t see. Share when everyone is done.
Hallway
Chant (Nikkie Grabeel)
I
had a little wiggle
Deep
down inside of me.
I
tried to make it stop
But
it wouldn’t let me be.
So
I pulled that wiggle out
And
threw it like a ball
And
now (teacher’s name) knows
I
am ready for the hall!
*A
secret student is picked from craft sticks and the line leader and caboose
watch the secret student in the hall.
If that student is well behaved the class gets a tally mark. If the tally marks beat the teacher on
Friday the class earns extra center time.
kerpoof.com
This
is a fun website and it’s free!
Lots of games, cards the kids can make, etc.
Class
T-Shirts (Dandridge
Elementary)
This
school uses ice cream money to provide a free T-shirt for each child in the
school. Each class has a different
color so kids are easy to spot when they wear their shirts on a field trip. The back of each shirt says, “Be a
buddy, not a bully!”
End
of Year Gift (Julie Bright)
Ask
each child to bring in a pillowcase. Use a T-shirt transfer to put this saying on the
pillowcases:
Now
I lay me down to sleep.
I’ll
count hands instead of sheep.
Of
all the friends I made
In
(teacher’s name) first grade.
The
students use fabric paint to put their handprint and write their name on all
their friends’ pillowcases.
Collaborate
and Listen (Mandy Hitson)
Use
this idea from Vanilla Ice to get kids’ attention.
Teacher
says – All right, STOP!
Children
respond – Collaborate and listen!
I
Won’t Pick My Nose No More (Dorothy Zentz)
(Tune: “It Ain’t Gonna Rain No More”)
I
can pick my friends.
I
can pick up my toys.
I
can pick my coat off the floor.
I
can pick up my feet to a marching beat
But
I won’t pick my nose no more.
No
I won’t. I say I won’t.
No,
I won’t pick my nose no more.
I’ll
use a tissue just watch and see
And
you’ll be so proud of me!
Scooby-Doo
Game (Mary Marsionis)
On
index cards write letters, shapes, word wall words, etc. Put Scooby-Doo stickers on some of the
cards. Students pick a card and
say the letter, word, etc. If a
student gets Scoopy-Doo everyone says, “Rut row!” At the end roll a die and the kids with that many cards are
“winners!”
B
and D Discrimination (Mary
Marsionis)
Children
use left hand to make a “b” and right hand to make a “d.” Say “big dog” to remember “b” and “d.”
Insects
(Katheryn Lambert)
(Tune: “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes”)
Head
(point to head)
Thorax
(point to chest)
Abdomen,
abdomen (rub torso).
Head,
thorax, abdomen, abdomen.
Two
antennae (wiggle index fingers by temples)
And
six legs (three fingers extended on each side)
Head,
thorax, abdomen!
*Use
the concept of two antennae and six legs to discuss symmetry and odd and even
numbers. “We know our insects need
six legs. Should I use one leg on
this side and 5 legs on the other?
No! It would be all
lopsided!”
Swat
(Whitney Rhyne)
Write
letters, words, etc. on chart paper or board. Have 2 children come up at a time to race and find the
letter the teacher calls out. Each
child is given a fly swatter and the first one to “swat” it wins a point for
their team.
Who
Let the Letter Out? (Whitney
Rhyne)
Have
the class squat down as you begin they song. They get to “pop up” when the letter that their name begins
with comes up in the song. This is
great for beginning sounds and teaches the kids what letters their friends’
names begin with.
Vacuum
Cleaners (Whitney Rhyne)
If
you have a mess of paper on the floor allow the children to become vacuum
cleaners. They crawl or slide
around on the floor making noises and picking up the trash. They will love it!
Friendship
Tools (Liz Watras)
Use
sign language (aslpro.com) to teach children these words:
Ask
Trade
Wait
Share
Include
Stop
When
they have a problem they can use the tools and signs to work through the
conflict.
Story
Sticks (Robin Davis)
Use
giant paint sticks for retelling stories.
Put Velcro at the end of the sticks and then attach pictures. These could also be used as song
visuals.
Donut
Vowels (Robin Davis)
Make
donuts out of foam and decorate with markers. Write letters on each side of the donut. Next, put a vowel in the middle of a
small paper plate. Children place
the donut hole over the vowel and sound out the word.
Buddy
Time (Robin Davis)
Put
matching pompoms in a can and let each child draw a pompom. They match pompoms to find their buddy.
Travel
Soap Containers (Robin Davis)
Use
travel soap containers to store crayons, magnetic letters, sight words, etc.
Word
Families (Paulina Newman)
Write
endings (rimes) on the board. The
students choose a beginning sound and place it in front of the ending. If it makes sense, write the word at
the top of the board. If it does
not make sense place it in a trash can on the bottom of the board.
Ice
Cream Surprise Game (Bobbie
Blevins)
Use
ice cream cone cut outs (available at the Dollar Tree) for this activity. Write “Who?” “What?” “Where?” “When?”
“Why?” on the back of the cones.
Hold these up in a fan shape so children can pick one and tell that part
of the story. You can also write
“verb,” “noun,” “adjective” on the ice cream cones. Children pick a page in the book and identify that part of
speech in a sentence.
Tablecloths
(Angie Barnett)
You
can use flannel back tablecloths for everything. They are sturdy and won’t slip on the carpet. Just have the kids take off their
shoes.
Keypad
– If you draw a keypad children can jump their phone number, cafeteria number,
or use for number recognition.
Popcorn
Words – Write words or letters on popcorn shapes. Children jump around identifying letters or words.
Keyboard
– Make a keyboard and use for letter recognition or spelling words.
Graph
– Draw out a bar graph and use or comparisons.
Hall
Chant (Theresa Malone)
My
hands are hanging by my side
I’m
standing straight and tall.
My
eyes are looking straight ahead.
I’m
ready for the hall.
Days
of the Week (Renee Nicolo)
Hang
the days of the week on a clothesline.
Put two clothespins on the current day. You can also use the clothesline for letters, numbers, etc.
Roll
Call (Renee Nicolo)
Call
the roll in different languages. “Buenas
dias.” “Guten morgen.” “Bonjour.” “Gua-cha.”
Put
Your Finger on a Wall (Sharon
Howard)
(Tune: “If You’re Happy”)
Use
this idea to keep students in line going down the hall.
Put
your finger on a wall, on a wall.
Put
your finger on a wall, on a wall.
You’re
(number) feet tall
You’re
big or small.
Put
your finger on a wall, on a wall.
Itsy
Bitsy Spider (Sharon Howard)
After
singing the “Itsy Bitsy Spider” let children change what kind of spider it
is. It could be happy, mad, mean,
angry, silly, pretty princess, etc.
Then children decide how that spider would go up the waterspout.
Bread
and Butter (Sharon Howard)
When
you walk down the hall and go around a post or pole say this chant to the tune
of “Frere Jacques”:
Bread
and butter
Bread
and butter
Toast
and jam
Toast
and jam
Peanut
butter jelly
Peanut
butter jelly
Cheese
and ham
Cheese
and ham