SING, PLAY, AND BE HAPPY TO BE ALIVE!

Dear Friends,

I’m going to sing, play, and be happy to be alive, so my blog is going to take a vacation for a week.  I’ll be back with lots of fantastic ideas you can use to start the New Year on December 26. 

My daughter, Holly, sent this email several weeks ago, and I thought it might be a meaningful reminder to all of us this holiday season.  My wish for each of you is that every day for a few moments you can forget about the gifts, bills, cooking, and shopping and find time to sing, play, and be happy to be alive!

Wishing love, joy, peace, and hope to all of you!  Dr. Jean

Tonight KJ and I did his last week's homework together. He had to read a story and answer some questions about it, trying to get to the theme or main idea, which I'm totally in favor of since my college students struggle with this skill. However, the story was the old fable about the grasshopper and the ant, retold. On the back, the worksheet tells parents that the theme of the story is "Be sure to work hard and save up for bad times." Okay. No problem. But in the story the ant works all summer: "She did not have time to sing and play." And what about the grasshopper? "He was happy to be alive and spent every day doing all of the things he wanted to do... He sang his grasshopper songs and played in the summer rain..." What a beautiful thing! Shouldn't we all try to be a bit happier to be alive? Shouldn't we sing and play more often? We work way too hard in this country, mostly to buy more stuff that we don't need anyway. As KJ and I were reading this story together, it struck me that our country is way too much like the ant--the ant on overdrive! We've worked and accumulated so much stuff that we don't have any time to play. And the poor grasshopper--the ant doesn't even share any of her food with him! How mean! Is that the kind of message I want to give KJ, that he shouldn't bother to help people who need help? That it's probably their fault anyway? So after he told me the "theme"--which he could do without blinking--we talked about how sad the story made me because I really like the grasshopper and I think we should all be happy to be alive, and I think we should help people when they need it. He said, "Yea--if the ant went to Disney World she probably wouldn't even go on any rides. She'd just be running around trying to find seeds and stuff and she'd get stepped on because there are way too many people at Disney World." And I thought that was pretty funny!  So here's to being a little bit more like grasshoppers (especially in elementary school)!

BEAUTIFUL THOUGHTS

For many of you, tomorrow is your holiday party and then the good times begin.  For others, you still have a few more days next week.  Valium might be nice for you today (just kidding!), but here are some beautiful thoughts instead.

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.  Norman Vincent Peale

Christmas, children, is not a date.  It is a state of mind.  Mary Ellen Chase

What is Christmas?  It is a tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future.  It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow with blessings rich and eternal, and that every path may end in peace.  Agnes M. Pharo

I wish we could put up some of the Christmas spirit in jars and open a jar of it every month.  Harlan Miller

The only blind person at Christmastime is he who has not Christmas in his heart.  Helen Keller

Christmas is doing a little something extra for someone.  Charles Schulz

God bless us, every one!  Tiny Tim

BRING BACK THE BLOCKS

Finally!  The pendulum has swung about as far as it can in terms of pushing academics and I see a movement back to the basics of childhood.  You’ve got to read this article in the NY Times.

         nytimes.com/2011/11/28/nyregion/with-building-blocks-

         educators-going-back-to-basics

Imagine parents with all the money in the world taking a class to learn how to play with blocks with their children!  (Gee, I could set up a model kindergarten class for those parents and call it a childhood spa where they could pay $1000 to come and play!  Sounds like good therapy to me.)

I don’t know who came up with the idea to remove blocks from kindergarten, but they should be ashamed of themselves!  Froebel would roll over in his grave.  The more high tech and plastic our world becomes, the more children need natural elements like wooden blocks.  When children play with blocks they develop motor skills, spatial awareness, math concepts, problem solving, language, social skills, creativity, and so much more.

Oh, the joy of finding wooden blocks under the tree this year!  Blocks don’t need batteries, won’t break, and can grow with the child.  Last year after the gifts were unwrapped, K.J. went back to play with his old friends -the blocks!

ODDS AND ENDS

Today is like going to the refrigerator and using up all your leftovers because I’m going to share a few “leftover” ideas.

Fund Raiser

The school where a friend’s daughter goes in Charleston did this fund raiser last Saturday.  For $10, parents could drop their kids off at the school for six hours of babysitting.  They served the kids pizza, had a movie, had games, played outside, etc.  Talk about a win/win!!  The kids had a BLAST being with their friends and PLAYING and the parents had time to do their shopping and errands.

Game Day

Margaret Carabba and Alison Power from New Jersey have GAME DAY every Friday afternoon.  They set up stations with different games and then rotate the children through centers every 15 minutes.  They invite parents to come help play the games, which is a great idea for the parents and the teachers.  (Or if you didn’t have parents that could help you might get a few 5^th or 6^th graders to come to your classroom.)  Alison and Margaret relate games to standards.  Just think of all the math skills, oral language, social skills, etc. children can develop with games.

*With cold and gloomy January and February coming up, I think this would be a super way to end each week.

Upside Down Drawing

Lesley Falgiano of Vernon, NJ, shared this creative idea.  Tape a piece of paper under each child’s chair.  The children lay on their backs under the chair and color a picture.  Lesley said the children will be exhausted by the time they are finished and they will have used lots of different muscles in their bodies.


Push the Wall
To build upper body strength while the children are waiting in line for lunch, PE, or whatever, have them put their hands on the wall and try to push it away.  It's almost as good as doing push ups!


Flashlight Tracking
Turn off the lights and let children use a flashlight to track print.  For example, they could point to the letters of the alphabet as they sing or they could read word wall words or a chart.

GO DAWGS!

Go Dawgs! 

Cindy Conley of Harris Elementary in Duluth, GA, shared this idea when I was at the GA Kindergarten Conference a few weeks ago.  She adapted a favorite cheer of the GA Bulldogs to reinforce letters and sounds.

Goooo dawgs!  (Circle fist in the air.)

Woof!  Woof!  Woof!  Woof!  (Shake fist.)

Go A!  (Circle fist in the air.)

Apple  /a/ /a/ /a/ /a/ (Shake fist.)

Go B!  Bounce /b/ /b/ /b/ /b/

Go C….

Ribbon Ruler  Gina Skinner, Gwinnett County, GA

Ribbon with dots, frogs, or other objects.  Glue the ribbon to paint sticks or large craft sticks and use like a ruler to measure.

Paper Plate Names  (Jennifer ?)

Write children’s names on paper plates and then scatter them around the room on the floor.  Sing this song to the tune of “If You’re Happy and You Know It.”

         If your name is on a plate, pick it up.

         If your name is on a plate, pick it up.

         If your name is on a plate, pick it up and give a smile.

         If your name is on a plate, pick it up.

*This would be great the beginning of the school year for name recognition.

You could also adapt this by writing letters, words, numerals, etc. on the plates.  “If you can read a word, pick it up….if you know a letter pick it up…”

Class Pictionary

Each day choose a different letter of the alphabet and write it on a large sheet of paper.  Let the children cut out objects or draw pictures of things that start with that sound.  Be sure and label their pictures.   After introducing all 26 letters, put the pages together to make a BIG BOOK PICTIONARY for your classroom.  Don’t forget to add a page for illustrators and the publisher (school, city, and state).  You could also let the children dedicate the book and make a page that says “The End.”

OKLAHOMA IS O.K.

Hand Hug

Here’s a new handshake that Christy Wheeler from Norman, OK, taught me last week when I was in Oklahoma City.  You put right palms together with your partner and then wrap your thumbs around the side of your partner’s hand as you say, “Ahhhh!” 

O U Did a Good Job!

This is a new cheer that you can do in any state. 

Oh  - Circle hands above head to make the letter O.

You – Put hands in air to make the letter U.

Did a good job! – Clap your hands on each word.

Oh – Circle hands above your head.

S – Turn sideways and curve one arm and one leg to make the letter S.

You – Put hands in the air to make the letter U.

Did – Fists in the air as if cheering.

Todally Awesome Cheer

Squat down like a frog and say, “Todally.”

Jump up with arms in the air and say, “Awesome!”

Golf Tee Writing

This is a great idea someone shared to develop small muscles and writing skills.  Children spread play dough to make a pancake and then write on it with a golf tee.

Once Upon a Time

Here’s a cool T-shirt idea for your school from Rori Hodges at Bridge Creek Elementary.

Websites

havefunteaching.com has some fantastic alphabet videos - and it's FREE!

WHISPER WEDNESDAY

Yes, I know today is Sunday, but I wanted to put this little bee in your head for this week.  Is the noise level escalating in your classroom as you near the holidays?  Try “Whisper Wednesday” and it will be like a day at the spa.  (Well, not exactly, but it will surprise you how soothing it can be.)

Before the children leave Tuesday explain that tomorrow will be “Whisper Wednesday” and that you will only use whisper voices in your classroom all day.  (I might make up a little story about an elf telling me to do that because he has such big ears and loud noises really bother him!)  Make a sign for your door that says “Welcome to Whisper Wednesday.  Please put on your whisper voice before entering today!”  Greet the children at the door by whispering, “Good morning!  I’m so glad you’re here today!”  Sing, talk, read, and whisper through the day. 

You might enjoy Whisper Wednesday so much you will want to continue doing it every Wednesday in the New Year.