When teachers share new ideas with me I get soooo excited!!! And I can’t wait to put them on my blog so you can have something new to add a little sparkle to your day. I feel like a parent who goes on a trip and wants to bring home a gift for their children!
Lima Bean Letters (Keta Turner)
Lima Bean Letters (Keta Turner)
Write letters on
dry lima beans (vowels red) and add a little ghost face. Give children several beans and
challenge them to make words. This
is also a great activity for word families.
Children hold
letters or wear letter vests as they go down the slide. They say their letter sound as they go
down and then make the word when they get together at the bottom of the slide.
Relax and Read (Samantha Dawson)
Turn a chair over
and the kids can lay down and read to themselves. (They can even use their backpack as a pillow.)
Keep a Secret (Melani Todd)
Instead of saying
“catch a bubble” or “Shhh” in the hall, simply tell the children to “keep a
secret” and cover their mouths.
Theater Reading (Tamika Kemmons)
Before reading a
book, find a hand props you can make with paper or real items. Laminate these and pass them out to the
children so they can play different roles. For example, in “The Magic Hat” by Mem Fox you could make a
wand, have pictures of the animals, make a wizard hat, or make a stop sign.
Zip Bags (Erin Garrigan)
Use a zip bag as a
number line. Children can slide
the tab to add, subtract, etc.
Play “A,B,C” by
the Jackson Five when it’s time to clean up at centers. The children dance back to their seats
after they’ve cleaned up. They
must all be seated before the end of the song.
Teacher: 5,4,3,2,
1
Students: I
was talking; now I’m done.
Gel Baggies (Debbie Williams)
You will need bags
and two different colors of hair gel for this activity. Fill each bag with a different color of
hair gel. As the teacher calls out
vowels or consonants, the children trace them on the bags.
For example: consonants (trace on the orange gel)
vowels (trace on the blue gel)
Student Office (Betsy Kolznak)
Easy and durable
“offices” can be made by cutting science fair boards in half lengthwise. (You can buy these boards at Dollar
Tree.) Spray paint bright colors.
Crayon Storage (Sharon Roberts)
Use travel soap
containers to hold crayons and a glue stick.
Braggin’ Rights (Rhenee Moore and Jodi Spakes)
When children do
something special you can tell them they have “braggin’ rights” and let them
put their name on a “brag board.”