Children will easily remember their city and state when you sing them to “Yankee Doodle.”
Here I am in name of state
Living happily!
All my friends and relatives are
Nice as they can be!
City, I love you!
City, is my home!
State is my state
And for this we celebrate!
Brown Bag Special (Diane Landoll, Lawton, OK)
For parents who work, send projects home in a brown grocery sack marked “Brown Bag Special.” Include materials, patterns, and directions for what you want them to make. The child will be so excited to take the bag home and the parent will feel positive about what they have contributed to your classroom.
Blessing (Deanna Hofmeister & Tami Zwaschka, Mankato, MN)
Here’s a sweet blessing to the tune of “Twinkle Little Star.” (Although you can’t use this in a public school, you could use it in a church school or with your children at home.)
Thank you, thank you, Lord we pray
For this food we have today.
We love you so very much.
God bless every one of us.
Thank you, thank you, Lord we pray
For this food we have today.
Recall Bears
Connie Cook cuts out bear heads and writes story elements (Who? What? When? Where? Why?) on them. Children pick a bear before the story and then answer it after the story.
Shoe Tying Journey (Allison Caspers, Oak Grove Lutheran)
Kindergarteners know how to navigate the web, but many do not know how to tie shoes. Get a suitcase and put an old shoe in it along with the poem below. (Allison uses two suitcases.) Each night a child gets to take home the suitcase and practice tying the shoe. When they have completed their “Shoe Tying Journey” they receive a PASSPORT OF ACCOMPLISHMENT for learning to tie their shoes.
*There are several sites online where you can download free certificates.
1-2-3-4 – Tying Shoes
Let’s get ready to tie your shoes.
Over and under. Now, what to do? (Pull strings tight.)
1. Make a loop that looks like a tree. (Make a loop with right string.)
2. The other string is a rabbit you see. (Hold up left string.)
3. The rabbit goes around and in a hole. (Take left string around loop and stick
in the hole.)
4. Pull the loops tight and there is your bow! (Take both loops and pull.)