WE LOVE OUR FLAG!

We will celebrate Flag Day on June 14, but here’s a song you can sing all year to prompt your class before saying the Pledge of Allegiance.

We Love Our Flag
(Tune: “Farmer in the Dell”)
We love our flag.
We love our flag.
We love America
And we love our flag.

Red, white, and blue,
Red, white, and blue,
The colors of our country’s flag
Are red, white, and blue.

50 stars of white
On a field of blue
Stand for 50 states
Where we live, it’s true.

Thirteen stripes
In red and white
Stand for the colonies
For freedom they did fight.

We love our flag…

* Use the words in the song to explain the meaning of the stars and strips.

Here’s the link to download the book:
http://www.drjean.org/html/monthly_act/act_2007/06_Jun/1booksJun/WeLoveOurFlag.pdf

AmeriCANS
Check out this video to learn another song about our flag. The last verse is my favorite:

We are all Americans
And so we always say I CAN!
We try and do our best
Because we are Americans.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuhI_GXyF90

Flag Etiquette
Teach children flag etiquette and the importance of not dragging the flag on the ground.

Design a Flag
Give children a sheet of white paper and the scrap box and let them design their own flags.

SUMMER SCIENCE

Make your playground or backyard are your very own science lab this summer.

Discovery Walks

Go on a walk and have children touch various objects. “How does it feel?”

Have them close their eyes and try to identify objects by their sense of touch.
*Take a listening walk where children close their eyes and try to identify different sounds in the environment.

Class Tree
Let the children “adopt” a special tree on the playground. Vote on a name for your tree and then take photos of it in different seasons. Read stories or sing songs in the shade of your tree.
*Draw pictures of your tree or write descriptions. (Great for non-fiction writing.)

Dirt Detectives
Use magnifying glasses and sticks to dig in the dirt. What is dirt composed of?
                        
Human Sun Dial
Have one child face north at 9:00 in the morning. Mark where they are standing and draw their shadow with chalk. Have the child stand in the same spot and record their shadow at various times in the school day.
*Play shadow tag where children try to step on each other’s shadows.

Cloud Watch
When there are cumulus clouds in the sky, have the children lay on their backs and look for animals and other objects in the sky.
*Let them draw pictures of clouds with white paint and a Q-tip on blue paper.

Melt Down
Give each child a paper cup with an ice cube in it. Who can make their ice cube melt fastest?
*Color the ice cubes with food coloring.
*Draw with ice cubes on the sidewalk.

Sit and Watch
Children can use a hula hoop or 7' piece of string for this activity.  Lay the hula hoop on the ground (or make a circle with the string) and sit inside.  Encourage children to sit quietly and use their senses to observe their habitat.
*Give them paper and a pencil to draw or write observations

SUMMER MATH

Math is real and concrete and hands-on and all around us. Let's go outside and count, measure, sort, and learn!

Note!  Remind children to never pull living things off plants.  Only collect things on the ground for these activities.  Encourage them to return items to where they found them when you are finished with them.

Number Hunt
Take several lunch sacks and write different numerals on them. Challenge children to make appropriate sets from objects in nature to go in the bags.
*Have children return the objects to where they found them.

Geometry
Draw basic geometric shapes (square, triangle, rectangle, oval, rhombus, circle) on 6” cardboard squares. Let the children take the shapes and match them to something in nature with a similar shape.
                       

Measurement

Give children a piece of string or yarn 5” to 8” long. How many things can they find that are shorter than their string? Longer? The same?

Counting
Children can count trees, fence posts, toys, bushes, and many other items in their yard or on the playground.
*Have them estimate how many and then verify their guess by counting.

Patterns
Collect 5 or 6 leaves, rocks, sticks or other natural objects. Place a leaf, then a rock, a leaf, then a rock. “What will come next?” Let children make up their own patterns with objects in nature.

Sorting
Ask children to collect different natural objects such as rocks, leaves, etc.
(This will vary with the season and your habitat.) Put their objects together in a big pile. Ask the children to put the objects that are alike together. What was their sorting rule? Can they sort them another way?

Addition and Subtraction
Add and subtract using natural objects.
Make up number stories using sports. For example: My team had 3 runs and we scored 2 more. How many in all?

Seriation
Collect sticks of different lengths and have the children put them in order from smallest to largest.
*They could also seriate leaves, rocks, etc.
                              
Dot to Dot
Take chalk and write numerals 0-20 randomly on a hard play surface. Children start with zero and run, hop, march, or skip to each numeral in order.
*Adapt the amount to the age of the children.

SUMMERTIME READING

Whether you teach summer school, work at a camp, or have children at home, a major goal will be to encourage them to read and write this summer. 

                      

Love a Library
The library is a magical place that will open a world of books to children. When children get to choose their own books, it’s a powerful hook to get them to read. Most libraries have summer reading programs, as well as puppet shows and special events.
*Hint! Let children decorate a cloth bag to store books from the library. Keep it in a special place to encourage children to be responsible.

Noises Off
Have a quiet time each day when all devices are TURNED OFF. If you don’t make this a priority and routine, it won’t happen. Not only should you expect your children to read, you need to enjoy a book and be a good model for them. In the book THE SMARTEST KIDS IN THE WORLD, an interesting finding was that parents who read with their children and modeled reading had a positive impact on academic success.

Rabbit Trap
“If you want to catch a rabbit, you have to have a rabbit trap.” And, if you want children to read, you have to create a unique place where they will want to read.
*Let children decorate a cardboard appliance box to be a “book clubhouse.”
*Put pillows and stuffed animals in a small plastic pool so they can “dive in” and read.
*Make a tent and let them read with a flashlight.
*Brainstorm other places that would be fun to read.

Treasure Hunt Story
Prepare clues that will lead to a “treasure story.” (This is a special book that you have hidden outside.) For example:
1. A treasure hunt is so much fun. Near the swing is clue number one.
2. Clue number two should be easy, too. At the top of the slide is something for you.
3. Clue number three you will find in a tree.
4. Now it’s time for clue number four. Look for it by the storage door…
Tape the clues around your yard or playground ending with the spot where the “treasure story” is hidden. Encourage the children to help you read the clues and follow the directions. Find a shady spot outside and enjoy reading the book.

Paper and Pencils
*How about a spiral notebook or diary where you encourage children to write each day?
*Give children paper and envelopes to send letters to relatives and school classmates.
*Involve children in making shopping lists, chore charts, and other print activities.
*What child won’t want to write if you give them sticky notes to make labels and reminders?
*Clipboards and markers are good for a car trip or walk in the neighborhood. 

                   
Busy Box
Fill a shoebox or plastic tub with scrap paper, pens, pencils, markers, hole punch, scissors, glue stick, stickers, lunch bags, envelopes, silly putty, etc. When you have to fix dinner or need a break, get it out and encourage children use their imaginations.

Chalk Talk
Chalk can provide endless writing and reading opportunities.
*Children can decorate a paved surface for a birthday, Father’s Day, or other event.
*Children can practice writing words or drawing shapes.
*Draw a hopscotch design with chalk on a paved surface. Write letters or numerals in each section for the children to identify as they hop and play.

Reading and writing should be a JOY, not a chore. The trick is finding the right book that they will WANT to read and finding something they WANT to write about.

Happy reading and writing!!

12 DAYS OF BACK TO SCHOOL

Goodness gracious! It's almost the middle of the summer and I'm laughing because some of you just finished the school year and some of you will be starting in a few weeks. Whether your start date is in August or September, I've got some great back to school ideas for you over the next few weeks. I'll be busy singing and dancing with teacher friends at my workshops in Texas, West Virginia, Michigan, Tennessee, and Kentucky, but I've prepared these posts ahead of time for you.

Wishing you happy summer days!

DAD'S DAY

Father’s Day isn't until June 21, but here are a few ideas for those of you who like to plan ahead.  Your students, children, and grandchildren can all use these to make it a special day.

Breakfast in Bed
Give each child a 2 ½” circle and ask them to draw their father’s face when he is sleeping. Glue this to the top of the flat side of a paper lunch sack. Next, cut 4 ½ ” x 6” pieces of plaid or striped wrapping paper or wallpaper. Let children glue this to the sack under the sleeping head so it looks like their dad is in bed. Finally, let children make a card with this poem:
            Breakfast in Bed
            Since it is Father’s Day
            I have something to say.
            Don’t lift your head.
            Have breakfast in bed!
            In the bag you will see
            Breakfast prepared by me!

                              
Let children make muffins or another breakfast goodie and place it in the bag. Punch a hole in the top and tie on the card with a piece of ribbon.

Shirt and Tie Card
Fold a sheet of paper in half. Cut in several inches from each end about 1” down from the fold as shown. Bend each corner down to look like the collar of a shirt. Add buttons, a tie, and a special message inside.

Belt or Key Rack
You will need scraps of wood (2x4x10 works well), nails, and hammers for this project. Let children decorate the wood with paints or markers. Next, let them hammer 4 or 5 nails in the wood. Attach a hanger to the back.

Tie Holder
Let children cover a cardboard roller from paper towels with masculine wrapping paper. Insert a 24” piece of string and knot the ends so it can be hung from a nail to hold ties.

Note! This is a great opportunity to talk about different kinds of families. Some children may not have a father living with them, so those children can make a gift for a grandfather, uncle, or other special friend.

IT'S JUNE!

Some of you are happy campers because school is out, but some of you still have weeks to go. No worries because my June website will be up all month and you’ll have plenty of time to create a “back to school” kit with ten free things. 

                                   

You’re going to love the transition packet created by Kristina from Texas. She used some of my old chants, but she also added some great new ideas of her own. The download has an introduction about transitions, as well as QR codes so you can hear Kristina and I sing and say the rhymes. You can turn these into a book or tape them around your classroom for a quick reminder.

Her call backs are contagious!

Teacher: Ready to rock

Children: Ready to roll

Teacher: Ba da bup ba ba

Children: I’m loving it

Teacher: Your turn

Children: Let’s learn 

                                     

I think it would be helpful to introduce one each day as the “secret signal” for your class.  Shhh! Explain that nobody else in the school will know about it. Post it on the board and practice reading over it and responding. Everyone will want to participate to prove that they "know" the secret signal for the day!