GREAT TEACHERS 120

KISS PRINCIPLE - KEEP IT SIMPLE!

Quiet Creatures (Jennifer Olayo)
You’ll need a large pompom, small pompom, googly eyes, and a foam heart or flower to make a quiet creature. Glue the small pompom to the large one for a nose. Add eyes and stick the heart on the bottom for feet. Children take out their quiet creatures during quiet activities. If they talk they lose their creature. When they finish they can whisper quietly to their creature.

Birthday Do Dah (Mary Lehman
(Tune: “Camptown Racers”)
Our friend name is age years old
Do dah, do dah. (Wave scarf up and down on “do dah.”)
Our friend name is age years old
Oh, do dah day.
Let’s all shout “hooray!”
It’s a special day.
Our friend name is age years old
Oh, do dah day.
*Take scarves, streamers, or just wave your hand as you “do dah” the person’s age.

Ear on the Door (Shannon Kennady)
Put a big ear on the door and when children start to tattle say, “Tell it to the ear.”

Tattle Stopper (Linda Rossiter)
Pick up some old tax forms at the library. When children start to tattle hand them a form and tell them to fill it out and then bring it back to you.

*You'll have to save this idea for December!
Letters to Santa (Shannon Kennady)
Have children write letters to Santa and then let older students (class buddies) respond to them. Put the letters in the freezer and then take them out and return them to the children. Explain that the letters are cold because they just arrived from the North Pole!

If You Can Hear Me (Susan Paulus)
If you can hear me, clap once.
If you can hear me, clap twice…
*Continue until all children are engaged and listening.

Transitional Breathing (Katie Saucier)
Smell the roses – hold a pretend bouquet of flowers and smell them.
Blow out your candle – hold up one finger like a birthday candle and blow it out.

Flip Book

Make a flip book as shown. Draw an egg, tree, cave, or other animal home on the front flip. Open and draw a critter that you would find in that habitat. Hold up to the light to see your little critter in its home.

Sentence Structure (Lisa Ruff)
Make the love sign with your hand. Your thumb is the capital.
Your pointer finger asks if it makes sense.
The little finger is a reminder for the punctuation mark at the end.
Check to make sure you LOVE your sentence. You need all three fingers to love it!

Hall Chant (Melanie Griffin)
Teacher: Are your hands ready for the hall?
Students: Yes, yes, yes they are. (Put hands behind back.)
Teacher: Are your feet ready for the hall?
Students: Yes, yes, yes they are. (Stomp feet.)
Teacher: Is your mouth ready for the hall?
Students: Mmm, mmm, mmm. (Mouth closed.)