SWEET TALK

You gotta LOVE February and Valentine's Day if you are a teacher! And I'll help you with your February lesson plans over the next few days with ideas that you will LOVE!

Text Talk
Conversation hearts were the beginning of text talk. According to a little research on the web, “Sweetheart” candies have been around since 1901. In the past decade the sayings have been updated with phrases such as “TEXT Me” and “LOL.” Although over 100 years old, it’s good to see these little candies alive and well. Here are some adaptations for using them as a springboard for learning.

Sweetheart Math
Conversation hearts are good to sort, count, read, pattern, add, subtract, and eat!
*Estimate how many will be in a bag. Count. Graph the ones that are the same. 

Matching Game
Make a game by cutting paper hearts out of construction paper. Write like phrases found on candy hearts (such as “Kiss Me, “Cool One,” “WOW!” “Cutie Pie”) on two of the hearts. Glue one to a file folder and then have children match and read the ones that go together.

Heart Necklace
Let children make their own paper hearts, hole punch them, and then string them to make a necklace. Encourage them to think of their own phrases they would put on candies. (WOW! Trace, write, hole punch, and string - lots of small motor skills!)

Bringing Home a Valentine
(Tune: “Baby Bumblebee”)
I’m bringing home a valentine for you, (Cup hands and move them to
One that says, “I love you.” the beat in front of your body.)
I’m bringing home a valentine for you
With a great big hug, and a (kiss) (kiss), too! (Hug self and then kiss
in the air.)
Softer….hum

*Download this book to go with the song at drjean.org.


Mouse Bookmark 

Cut a heart about the size of a child’s hand from red construction paper. Fold in half. Open. Tape a 6” piece of string in the middle. Glue closed. Draw a nose, whiskers, and ears on the heart as shown to make it look like a mouse. Use for a bookmark.

Here's a video where you can watch me demonstrate these activities:

https://youtu.be/d4om_IAcVmw

WILL I SEE MY SHADOW?

Groundhog Day is Monday!

Groundhog Day – February 2nd
(Tune: “Say, Say, My Playmate”)
February 2nd, (Hold up 2 fingers.)
Is Groundhog Day.
Gather round his hole (Make circular motion.)
To hear what he’ll say. (Place hand by ear.)
Will spring be early
Or late this year?
Watch and listen
To what you’ll hear.

If he sticks his head out (Make a hole with one hand.)

On a sunny day (Stick the index finger from the other hand
His shadow will frighten him (up through the hole and wiggle.)
And he will say,
“I’ll go back in my hole (Tuck finger in your fist.)
And go back to sleep.
You’ll have winter
For six more weeks.”

If he sticks his head out (Make a hole with fist and stick up finger.)
On a cloudy day
He’s not frightened
So he will say, (Wiggle finger.)
“I think I’ll stay out
And the weather should clear.
Spring will be here
Early this year.”
*You can download the book at drjean.org.

Cup Puppet
Let children draw a groundhog or download one off the internet. Staple to a straw. Punch a hole in the bottom of a paper cup and insert the straw in the cup. Raise and lower the groundhog as appropriate in the song.



Sidewalk Shadows
Go outside on a sunny day and have children stand with their backs to the sun. Let them make silly motions and play “Guess what I am?” Give them chalk and let them trace around each other’s shadows.
*Draw shadows at 10, 12, and 2 and compare.

*Play shadow tag where they try to touch each other's shadows.


Where’s the Groundhog?
Cut twenty 4” squares out of heavy paper. Write high frequency words, math facts, letters, numerals, etc. on the cards. Glue a picture of a groundhog on a 3" circle. Have the children sit on the floor in a circle. Mix up the cards and place them face up on the floor. Identify the numeral (etc.) on each card as you place it down on the floor. Tell the children to turn around. Hide the groundhog under one of the squares. Children turn back around and try and guess where the groundhog is hiding. One at a time children call out a number and then “peek” to see if the groundhog is under it. The first child to find the groundhog gets to have a turn hiding it. The game continues as children hide the groundhog and then try to discover his whereabouts.

Dramatize
Invite children to dramatize the groundhog peeping out of his hole. What if it's sunny? What if it's cloudy?

Note! Visit groundhog.org for more great ideas!

THE KITTENS' MITTENS

This was always one of my favorite flannel board stories to tell my children. They learned rhymes, colors, sequence, and oral language without realizing it!

Note! After I told this story I gave each child a small paper plate and I poured a little milk on it. They put their hands behind their backs and tried to lap up the milk like little kittens. This was many years ago, but I bet some of my students still remember being kittens better than the worksheets!

Materials: You will need a small piece of brown, white, black, red, blue, green, orange, purple, and yellow felt. (You can also use colored paper and attach a small piece of Velcro to the back.) For my flannel board I glued a piece of felt to the front of a file folder and stapled the sides. I stored the mittens in the flannel board and glued the words to the back.

Directions: Cut small mittens from the felt. You will need two of each color. Place the mittens on the flannel board as you tell the story below.



The three little kittens lost their mittens, their brand new mittens of blue.
Let’s help the kittens look for their mittens so they won’t go, “Boo hoo!”
We found some mittens just right for kittens by the bedroom light.
“Boo hoo, the mittens are not the right mittens for the are colored white.”
(Place white mittens on the flannel board.)

We found some mittens just right for kittens in our school backpack.
“Boo hoo, the mittens are not the right mittens for they are colored black.”
(Put up the black mittens.)

We found some mittens just right for kittens in the washing machine.
“Boo hoo, the mittens are not the right mittens for they are colored green.”
(Time for the green mittens.)

We found some mittens just right for kittens by the puppet clown.
“Boo hoo, the mittens are not the right mittens for they are colored brown.”
(Now the brown mittens.)

We found some mittens just right for kittens under baby’s bed.
“Boo hoo, the mittens are not the right mittens for they are colored red.”
(Put up the red mittens.)

We found some mittens just right for kittens by the crayon that’s orange.
“Boo hoo, the mittens are not the right mittens for they are colored orange.”
(Orange mittens)

We found some mittens just right for kittens by a box of Jello.
“Boo hoo, the mittens are not the right mittens for they are colored yellow.”
(Yellow mittens)

We found some mittens just right for kittens by the maple syruple.
“Boo hoo, the mittens are not the right mittens for they are colored purple.”
(Purple mittens)

We found some mittens just right for kittens in a tennis shoe.
“Hooray, the mittens are just the right mittens for they are colored blue!”
(Blue mittens)

Hint! After children have heard the story several times, encourage them to fill in the missing color word. You could also pass the mittens out to the children and let them hold up mittens at the appropriate time in the story.


*Hide mittens around the classroom for the children to find. Ask each child to find one mitten and then match it up with a classmate who has the same color of mitten.

*Sing the song about “The Three Little Kittens” and then let the children act out the song. Choose one child to be the mother and three others to get down on all fours and pretend to be the kittens.


Want to download the story?

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1SnEagA4jljN2NWVWJwM19ENDQ/view?usp=sharing

MITTEN WEATHER

IS IT MITTEN WEATHER WHERE YOU LIVE?

Mitten Weather
Thumbs in the thumb place (Stick out thumbs.)
Fingers all together. (Put fingers together.)
This is the song
We sing in mitten weather. (Wiggle palms left and right.)
When it is cold (Wrap arms around self and shiver.)
It does not matter whether (Shake head.)
Mittens are wool (Hold out right hand.)
Or made of finest leather. (Hold out left hand.)


Mitten Applause
This is a quiet way to teach the children to applaud. Thumbs up and palms open facing each other. Pretend to clap stopping about 2" from each palm as if wearing mittens.


Visual Matching
Cut mittens out of a wallpaper book or wrapping paper. Cut two out of each pattern and then mix them up. Give children clothespins to clip the matching ones together. Introduce vocabulary to describe various patterns, such as “stripes,” “checked,” “plaid,” “solid,” “polka dots,” “animal print,” etc.

*Make mitten matching games with upper and lowercase letters or with pictures and beginning sounds.

*Make mitten matching games with antonyms or snynonyms.

*How about a matching game with math facts and answers?

Hint! Hang a piece of string between two chairs so the children can hang up their matching mittens.


Kitten Game
One person is “Mama” or “Papa” cat. “Mama” or “Papa” go out in the hall while the teacher selects 3-5 students to be their kittens. All students put their heads on their desks. The students who are kittens begin make quiet “meowing” noises. “Mama” or “Papa” cat must walk around the room and try to identify their kittens. When a kitten is found that student puts her hand in the air. The last kitten to be found becomes the new “Mama” or “Papa” cat.


Mitten Art
Let children trace around mitten patterns and cut out two. Can they decorate the mittens with crayons or markers so they look exactly the same? Hole punch around the sides of the mittens and sew with yarn.
Hint! Wrap the end of the yarn with tape to make it easier to sew.

The Mitten
Select several different versions of “The Mitten” and read them to your class. Compare and contrast stories and illustrations. Let the children vote on their favorite.
*This is also a delightful tale to dramatize. A blanket on the floor works just fine as a mitten.

SNOW MEN AND SNOW LADIES

Toys and fashions come and go, but snowmen are never out of style. They might melt, but they will never go away!


Five Little Snowmen Finger Play
Five little snowmen fat. (Hold up five fingers.)
Each wore a different hat.
Along came the sun and melted one. (Bend down one finger.)
Now, what do you think about that?

Four little snowmen fat… (Hold up four fingers.)
Three…Two…One

Cut snowmen out of felt as shown. Place a different colored hat on each one. Remove one snowman as each verse is said.

*Place the flannel board and snowmen in a center so children can practice saying the rhyme and make sets.

*Make a simple flannel board by gluing a piece of felt to the front of a file folder. Staple the sides. Store pieces inside and glue a copy of the poem to the back.


Snowman Puppet
Cut a snowman out of heavy paper and decorate with markers. Cut a circle for the nose the width of your index finger. Cut another circle the size of your index finger out of a cup. Match up holes and tape the snowman in place. Put your hand in the cup and stick your index finger through the hole as you repeat the rhyme below.

A chubby little snowman
Had a carrot for a nose.
Along came a bunny
And what do you suppose?
That hungry little bunny
Looking for some lunch
Ate that little snowman’s nose
Nibble, nibble, crunch! (Slowly pull your finger back into the cup.)

Flo The Snow Lady
*Cut a snowman shape out of the front of a file folder. Decorate like a snow lady. Insert orange, red, blue, green, yellow, purple, and white paper. Glue the words to the rhyme on the back. As you tell or sing the chant remove the paper to reveal a new color.

(Tune: "Happy Birthday")
My name is Flo.
I'm made out of snow.
I can change my color
when I twitch my nose.

Make Flo orange, red, blue, green, yellow, purple, and end with white.

I can be many
colors it's true,
but being myself
is the best thing to do!


This was one of the cutest ideas I ever heard about to make a winter day FUN! Peg Caines (Greensboro, NC) shared it with me several years ago. Peg did it with her children, but I think it'd also be fun for teens or adults. What a perfect way to encourage children to cooperate, collaborate, and problem solve!

Build a Snowman
Peg said she gave each group a snowman kit with a construction paper hat, nose, buttons, and mittens. There was also a crepe paper scarf, a roll of masking tape, and a roll of toilet paper. (It took them awhile to figure out what to do with the toilet paper.)

Snowman’s Mystery Word
Draw a snowman on the board. Think of a word or phrase and put blanks for each letter. Children guess letters (similar to Hangman). The teacher writes the letters on the appropriate spaces. If a letter that is not in the word/phrase the teacher erases part of the snowman and puts the letter in the “trash pile.” Can they decode the word before the snowman is erased?



Disappearing Snowman
Draw a snowman on the board. If children are noisy or are not following directions explain that you will erase part of the snowman. Erase one part of the snowman throughout the day as a reminder. It won't take long before all you have to do is pick up the eraser and they'll be quiet!!!

WRANGLE RANCH FOR A WINTER DAY

 Yeehaw!  I just played my first video game and I'm addicted.  This is the cutest darn game you've ever seen!  It's fun for children and for "old ladies" like me!  If you like animals and you ever wanted to live on a farm, this is the game for you because you get to "wrangle" livestock with a lasso and take them safely to the barn.  The music is awesome because it was composed by my favorite grandson - KJ!  

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/wrangle-ranch/id6756438113

SNOWING ARTS AND CRAFTS

http://bit.ly/drjeanWinterFun

Snow Dough
You can use any play dough recipe for snow dough. Simply omit the food coloring and let the children knead in iridescent glitter to make it sparkle. (My favorite dough is: 2 cups flour, 2 cup salt, 2 TB. cream of tartar, 2 TB. vegetable oil, and 2 cups water. Mix ingredients together in a pan until smooth. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture forms a ball and sticks to the spoon. Cool and knead. Store in airtight containers.)
Note! Make sure children wash hands before and after playing with dough.


Snow Flakes
Let children fold coffee filters in half, then fourths and eighths. Cut little “bites” out of the folded edges. Open. You can make colorful snowflakes by coloring the coffee filters with water soluble markers before cutting them.

Hint! Make snowflakes out of newspaper, tissue paper, wrapping paper, and other types of recycled paper.


Snow Prints
Let children draw winter scenes on blue construction paper with crayons. Give them white paint and a sponge or Q-tip to “make it snow.”


Positive and Negative
Fold a sheet of construction paper in half. Cut three semi-circles similar to the one shown on the fold. Open. Explain the positive and negative shapes. Use the snowman cutouts for some of the games mentioned yesterday. Tape wax paper to the the back of the negative design as shown. Let children decorate and the hang on a window.

Ice Skating
Give each child 2 paper plates. Demonstrate how to place these on the floor and put one foot on each plate. Slide your feet as if skating. Put on some waltz music and let the children skate, twist, and turn. Play “freeze.” When you stop the music children must “freeze” in their positions. When the music begins again they may continue to skate.


Snow People
Instead of drawing snow “men,” encourage children to paint or draw snow ladies, snow children, snow pets, and other characters.


Sock Snowman
You will need a white tube sock and some fiber fill for this project. Children stuff 3 large handfuls of fiber fill into the toe of the sock to make the snowman’s body. Tie off with yarn or string. Stuff 2 large handfuls to make the middle section. Tie off. Stuff 1 large handful for the head and tie off at the top. Invert the top of the sock and pull over the head for a hat. Children can decorate with markers, felt scraps, etc. Encourage them to name their snowman and tell a story about what they would do if it were real.

Icebergs
Fill plastic containers with water. Add food coloring and freeze. Place these in your water table and tell the children they are icebergs. Add walruses, polar bears, and other plastic arctic animals.