VOTING DAY

Tomorrow is the second Tuesday in November and the official “Voting Day.”  I know many schools will be closed tomorrow, so today is the perfect time to discuss what it means to be an American and the privilege that we have to vote.  Here are some good questions:

         How old must you be to vote?

         Can men and women both vote?

         Do you have to pay to vote?

         What does “secret ballot” mean?

         How do you determine who wins?

The “majority rules” is a key concept to our democracy and something that you can practice in your classroom on a daily basis.  Let children vote on the game they want to play, the song they want to sing, or the story they want to hear.  The teacher will still be in charge by selecting two or three options (the outcome of which will achieve her goals), but the children will buy into the idea because they have some voice in the matter.  Voting can also contribute to the feeling of community and team spirit in your classroom. 

In my kindergarten I set up a cardboard box on a table to be the voting booth.  Children took turns checking off a class roster as their friends voted in the booth.  The ballot had two options for each of these categories:  game, story, song, and snack.  There were picture clues along with the words so children could “read” and mark their choice.  A shoebox became the ballot box and the excitement increased as we tallied results at morning meeting.

I remember in my history of education class that the purpose of schools in the United States was to “educate to perpetuate a democratic citizenry.”  You can plant the seeds in your classroom today and every day by providing children with the opportunity to vote!

VETERAN'S DAY

VETERAN'S DAY WILL BE CELEBRATED ON FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, THIS YEAR.

Veteran’s Day

(Tune:  “Danny Boy” - HAPPY EVERYTHING CD Disk 1))

Today’s the day we celebrate our veterans,

The men and women who fought for our great land.

We’ll raise our flags and hold a moment of silence

And we will carry poppies in our hands.

Because we want to thank you for your service;

You traveled far to keep us safe at home.

You fought with pride and honor for our country.

Our veterans, oh how we love you so.

Here’s the link to download this book:

www.drjean.org/html/monthly_act/act_2007/11_Nov/1booksNov/veteransDay2007.pdf

Our daughter Holly wrote this song and I can hardly sing it without getting goose bumps!

Vocabulary – What is a veteran?  For homework, have children interview their parents to find out about veterans in their family.

Poppies – Take three 7” circles cut out of  red tissue paper and fold them like a fan.  Twist a green pipe cleaner around the middle.  Open layers to resemble a poppy.  Do a search on the internet to discover why the poppy is symbol for Veteran’s Day.

Guest Speaker – Call a local military recruiting office and invite a guest speaker to share with the children what it’s like to have a job in the armed forces.

NAEYC UPDATE

If you ever get the chance to go to a conference in Orlando – GO!!!  It’s the best place for a conference in the world.  I just returned from the NAEYC Conference and it was awesome.  Attendance was down, which is not surprising, but the enthusiasm of the teachers was up.  Loved, loved, loved meeting all the teachers from across the United States and other countries.  That’s why I do what I do!  And I would do anything to help you enjoy your job and help give children a smile and a happy childhood!!!  And that’s the truth from the bottom of my heart!

We were blessed with great weather, and I was blessed to get to present with my daughter Holly.  Of course, Kalina and K.J. came along and got a taste of “Disney Magic.”  My husband had a special day at Universal Studios with K.J. and now my husband can’t stop talking about the Harry Potter ride.  It must be out of this world! 

 Kalina in her Minnie Mouse dress and K.J. in his Thing Two shirt.

We stayed at the Hilton Convention Center and it was incredible!  The facilities, pools, views, and food were outstanding.  But, it was the friendly staff that made our trip so wonderful.  From the parking attendant to the housekeeper to the front desk…everybody had a smile and acted like they were happy to be working there and making our visit a memorable one.  Those people probably all have problems like the rest of us, but they put a smile on their faces and did their jobs.  Every day when you go in the classroom you have to be part actor or actress.  Leave your worries outside, put a smile on your face, and act like you are luckiest teacher in the world!  Pretend like it’s going to be the best day ever and your feelings will follow!!!

MONTHLY MUSIC MIX

Did you know that each month I offered a “monthly music mix” with a wide variety of songs that you can introduce to your class?  There’s always a song for gathering the children, transitions, phonics, math, movement/fun, and special holiday and seasonal picks.  Here’s where you’ll find some tunes for this month:

www.drjean.org/html/monthly_act/act_2009/06_Jun/pg07.html

Here are two examples of simple tunes that teach.

Pencil Grip

(Tune:  “Where Is Thumbkin?”)

Where is Pointer? 

On the top. 

Ready to write.  

Start at the top.

Where is Thumbkin? 

On the side. 

Ready to help

Your pencil glide.

Where is Tallman? 

On the bottom. 

Keeps the letters

Where you want ‘em.

Five Little Letters

(Tune:  “Five Little Ducks”)

Place five magnetic letters on the board before you begin singing.

Seven little letters went out one day

Over the hills and far away.

When the teacher called /m/, /m/, /m/, /m/,

Only the letter “M” came back.

Continue with other letters.

*Hint!  Those "letter pops" that I wrote about several days ago would be great to use with this song.

TURKEY TALK

Here's a great handshake for you to use to greet your students this month.  One person opens her palm to make the feathers on a turkey.  The other person makes a fist, sticks out her thumb, and places it inside the palm to resemble the body and head.  Gobble!  Gobble!

I know you'll want to share this finger play with your students this month.

Mr. Turkey 

Mr. Turkey went for            (Start with hands behind your back.)

A walk one day                     (Bring right thumb out in front of you.)

In the very best             

Of weather.

He met Mr. Duck                 (Bring left thumb out in front.)

Along the way

And they talked                   (Have thumbs look at each other.)

Together.

“Gobble, gobble, gobble.”        (Wiggle right thumb.)

“Quack, quack, quack.”           (Wiggle left thumb.)

“Good-bye.”                           (Bow right thumb.)

“Good-bye.”                           (Bow left thumb.)

And they both walked back!   (Wiggle thumbs behind your back.)

Handprint Turkey – Have children place their hand on a sheet of paper extending all the fingers.  Trace.  Children turn the thumb into the head of the turkey and color the other fingers to look like feathers.  Add legs, and there’s your turkey!  You can also do this with paint.  Paint brown paint on the child’s palm, red on the thumb, and a different color on each finger.  Press firmly on a sheet of paper.  Add legs and other details.

Lunch Bag Turkey – Make turkeys from lunch sacks by drawing 6" lines from the top of the bag to the middle.  Have children paint or color the strips.  Cut on the lines to make tail feathers.  Fill a zip baggie with 1 cup rice.  Put it in the bag.  Twist the sack around the bag of rice to make the body.  Add a head and dangly feet.  Attach the recipe for turkey and rice soup and send home for a table decoration.

Turkey and Rice Soup

remains of turkey

3 quarts water

1 medium onion, chopped

1 cup celery, chopped

1 carrot, diced

1 ½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

1 cup rice

1 cup frozen peas

Place turkey in a large pot with 3 quarts water and bring to a boil.  Turn the heat down and simmer 30-45 minutes until the meat falls off the bone.  When it cools, debone the turkey and strain the broth.  Cook the onion, celery, and carrot in the broth for 30 minutes.  Add turkey meat, rice, and peas and simmer 30 minutes more.

How to Cook a Turkey - Let each child dictate how to cook a turkey.  Write down exactly what they say!  Type their recipes up and run off a copy for each child to take home and share with their families.  Or, save paper and post their directions on your class website.

SOMETHING'S COOKING!

This month at drjean.org you’ll find some of my favorite “kid-tested” recipes.  They’re simple, fun, easy, and healthy.  (Well, most of them are fairly nutritional!  All things in moderation is my motto!) 

Cooking is an ideal way to learn because it involves all five senses.  Math, language, science, nutrition, social, small motor, and emotional skills are all enhanced with cooking experiences.  Cooking as a profession has certainly been elevated in recent years with all the master chefs and cooking shows.

I know many of you struggle to find the time (and resources) to cook in your classrooms.  One suggestion might be to invite one or two parents to be “chef of the month” and come in and cook with your class.  If you can relate the food experience with learning goals (science, math, reading, etc.) your administration will be much more supportive.  It would also be good to send home copies of recipes so families can repeat the experience with their children.

Here’s an example of a recipe that is simple, economical, nutritional, and offers a wide range of learning experiences.

LETTER BREAD

You will need:

         multi-grain bread

         milk

         food coloring

         Q-tips

         butter

         toaster

Directions:

1.     Wash your hands.

2.    Take 4 cups and put a little milk in each.

3.    Add 2 drops of food coloring to each cup.

4.    Use the colored milk like paint and draw a letter on the bread with a Q-tip.

5.    Toast.

6.    Spread with butter.

Hint!  Serve with honey, jelly, or cinnamon sugar.

Adaptations:  Make shape bread, numeral bread, monster bread, etc.

CANDY WRAPPER READING AND MATH

Children can have almost as much fun learning with their candy wrappers as they actually did eating the candy!

Count the wrappers.  Challenge children to sort their wrappers.  Can they regroup them?

Use the wrappers to graph their favorite candy bar.

Look at the food value on each wrapper.  How many calories?  How much sugar?  Rank the candies by calories.

Find descriptive words on the wrappers.  Make a list of the words and use them in sentences.

Fold 2 sheets of paper in half and staple to make a book.  Children write “I like…” at the top of each page and glue a candy wrapper underneath.  This is a book every child in your room can read!  Older children could write descriptive sentences about each candy.

Use the wrappers to make a class book called “The Sweet ABC’s.”  Write alphabet letters on 26 sheets of paper.  Children glue their wrappers to the appropriate letter.  Bind pages together to make a book.

Hint!  If you don’t have a wrapper for each letter, let children suggest “sweet” words for the page.

Glue candy wrappers to a file folder.  Write a coin value by each wrapper.  Children count out the appropriate amount and place it on the wrapper.

Hint!  For young children, price the candies from 1 cent to 10 cents and give them pennies.  Make the amounts higher for older students.

Let children use wrappers to make a collage.  You could use geometric shapes for collages or you could let children make a cover for a journal with the wrappers.

Finally, take advantage of this “teachable moment” by discussing why sugar is not good for their bodies.  What happens if you eat too much sugar?  Make a list of healthy snacks that would be better food choices.