I met some great teachers who shared some clever new ideas with me.
Ice Fishing (Deb Wintle)
Change the traditional "go fishing" game to ice fishing for a winter treat. Put the fish in a bucket and add a stool so the children can sit and fish.
Note! Some of your students in warmer states might not know what ice fishing is, so this would be a good time to learn about it.
*Funny! One of Deb's students explained that their teacher "went to a singing contest with Dr. Seuss!" Don't you love how a teacher conference and Dr. Jean get twisted up?
Categories
This is a great game if you've got a few extra minutes in your day.
Form a circle and begin this pattern:
slap,slap (slap thighs twice)
clap, clap (clap hands twice)
snap, snap (snap fingers twice)
The teacher begins by naming a category. As you go around the circle, each person must say a word in the category. It could be rhyming words, colors, fruits, adjectives, or any concept that you are working on.
Bubblewrap Words
Write sightwards on small rectangles of bubblewrap. (Use a permanent marker and write on the smooth side.) Place these in a bag and pass around as you play some music. When the music stops, the child holding the bag pulls out a word, reads it, and then gets to pop all the bubbles.
I even had time to do a concert at Beech Street School before heading to the airport.
