JUST FOR YOU!

Oh, yeah!  You've got a long weekend!  I hope you have something special planned just for YOU!  This time of year you need a break, and your students do as well.  This might be a good day to:

         Go for a long walk.

         Paint your toenails.

         Visit a local farmer’s market and cook fresh veggies.

         Go bargain shopping.  Oh, what deals you can find this time of year!

         Go to a basketball game, hockey match, etc.

         How about a movie?

         Visit a museum.

         Look in your newspaper and see what’s happening in your own backyard this weekend.

Hmmmm!  All of those things look so interesting I think I might try a few myself.  Today’s the day to PLAY!  Come back tomorrow and I’ll have some more ideas for your classroom next week.

P.S.  Look what came in the mail yesterday!  What a great example of informative writing and an opinion from kindergartners.  I did a concert at a school several weeks ago and these were the thank you notes with their favorite songs.

IT'S FRIDAY! IT'S FRIDAY!

Someone commented this week that you should do what “they” tell you to do the first four days of the week and Friday you should shut your door and teach the way you want to.  That’s pretty good advice, don’t you think?

When I taught first grade in the 70’s the Friday Fairy visited my class each week.  You don’t know the Friday Fairy?  She would fly in while the children were eating lunch and put a little piece of candy in each of their desks.  (The fairy was actually a 5^th or 6^th grader.)  I’d probably go to jail now for doing that and giving kids sugar!  However, there might be some adults walking around right now who have a fond memory of that little treat.

Here are some other ways to celebrate Friday!

The Friday Dance

Come on, everybody and take a chance.  (Step back and forth as

It’s time to do the Friday dance.             you snap your fingers.)

Everyone get up on your feet.                       

Clap and get the Friday beat!                      (Clap hands.)

It’s Friday!  It’s Friday!  It’s Friday!  Yeah!   (Hands in the air and

                                                                dance around.)

Friday Free Time

The last 15 minutes on Friday let the kids take off their shoes and do whatever they want!

Game Day

Invite children to bring board games (NOT video games) or card games from home and play the last 30 minutes of the day.

Sit Where You Want

Friday afternoon let children switch places and sit wherever they want.

Chew and Write

To encourage writing about what they learned during the week give each student sugar free gum to chew.  They can chew the gum as long as they are writing.

Jamboree

Get together with another class or all the children on your grade level and sing!  A different class could be in charge of this event every week.

A GIFT FOR YOU!!!

My sweet friend Mary Amoson from Sharing Kindergarten

and I have a special gift for you on Valentine’s Day!   

Here are 38 Gift Card Rewards for YOU!
All the work has been done so you just have to run these gift cards off, cut them apart, and put them in a bag for a special treat for your students.

We hope your day is full of LOVE and all things good!!!

Click here for this free download.

STEPPIN' UP TO INFORMATIVE WRITING

Step books are the perfect vehicle for informative writing.  Here are a few ideas for integrating them with science, math, and social studies.

Steps to Make a Step Book

Place two sheets of paper on a flat surface.  Pull the top sheet about 1 ½” below the bottom sheet.  Fold backwards.  Turn over, adjust the fold, and staple.

Two sheets give you four steps that can be used for:

Seasons

Life cycle

Layers of the rain forest

Sets, words, numerals

Sequence – first, next, then, last

Main idea and supporting details

How to…

Three sheets will make a six step book that can be used for:

School, city, state, country, continent, planet

Five senses

Rules

Who?  What?  Where?  When?  Why?

Four sheets make an eight page book for:

Days of the week

Planets in the solar system (My-Mars, Very-Venus, Eager-Earth, Mother-Mars, Just-Jupiter, Served-Saturn, Us-Uranus, Noodles-Neptune)
Color spectrum (Roy G. Biv)
Continents

P.S.  Someone just sent me this link to a FEEL GOOD video called Kid President Pep Talk.  If you haven't seen it yet, it will make your day and reaffirm that we are lucky to be around kids each day!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-gQLqv9f4o&feature=player_embedded

HOW ABOUT A POTATO HANDSHAKE?

Here are a few more ideas the teachers shared last week in Illinois.

Potato Handshake (Alicia Grant)

Potato – hit fists

French fry – open hand and spread fingers apart

Dip it – turn hand down with fingers toward the floor as if dipping in ketchup

I Have – Who Has?  (Betsy Martin)

You will need a blank deck of 22-26 cards.  Put a dot on the first card so the child with that card will know to begin.  On each card put a statement and a question similar to those below:

I have 4.  Who has 2 more?

I have 6.  Who has l less?

I have 5.  Who has 2 of me?

I have 10.  Who has 10 more?

Shuffle the cards and pass out for the students to line up as they read their card.

Paper Clip Book
This is similar to the book I make with a popsicle stick.  Cut two sheets of paper in half.  Stack.  Make two holes on the fold about 1 1/2" from each end.  Insert a rubber band in one hole and attach to a large paper clip.  Insert the other end of the rubber band in the other hole and fasten to the paper clip.  Taa daa!

Read with Me If…  (Betsy Martin)

This idea makes it seem like the students are special and they “get” to reread with the teacher!

Read with me IF you…like chocolate ice cream

                                  like broccoli

                                  are pretty

                                  have pants on

                                  are wearing red

Shiny Pennies (Judy T.)

Let the kids clean pennies with ketchup.

Signs for Transitions (Mary Barney)

While waiting to use the restroom, sign a spelling word or high frequency word.  This will focus children’s attention in a positive way.

Welcome Mat (Rhonda McAlpine)

Students choose a gesture from a mat on the floor before entering the classroom. 

Wave – wavy line

Hug - heart

High Five - hand

Smile – smile

Finger Signals (Cecilia Navata)

1 = bathroom

2 = water

3 = garbage

4 = tissue

5 = question

Hang loose (thumb and pinky extended) = Me too!  That was my answer!

Read aloud connections = hook index fingers together

Squash a Bug (Katie Hitchock)

Draw bugs on a clear shower curtain with a Sharpie.  On the underside tape flash cards with letters, math facts, words, etc.  As students walk across they step on the bugs and say the letter name, make the sound, say the sum, etc.

Phoneme Beads
String beads on a pipe cleaner or shoe lace.  Children can slide a bead for each phoneme they hear as they segment words.  
Hint!  I put a green bead at one end and a red bead at the other end to encourage children to go from left to right as they sounded out the words.

TABLES WEARING SHOES???

Is this the cutest thing you’ve ever seen?  Last week when I was in Springfield and Joliet the teachers shared some super creative ideas, and this is one from Ashley Swedell.  She puts shoes on the bottom of her table legs so children can practice tying when they finish their work.

Hello, Friends! Punctuation Dance  (Ashley Swedell)

There’s a song on my Better Bodies and Brains CD called “Hello, Friends!”  Ashley wrote it out on chart paper and the kids make the following movements for the punctuation.

Commas – clap hands

Exclamation point – hands up in the air

Question mark – hands on hips

Period – pull hands back

Hello, Friends!

Hello, Jell-o! 

Hi there, grizzly bear!

How are you, caribou?

I’m fine, porcupine!

What’s up, buttercup?

Not much, coconut!

This is how our day begins.

Nice to see ya, tortilla!

Hi, hi, pumpkin pie!

How’ve you been, dolphin?

Just great, rattle snake.

What’s shakin’, little bacon?

Not a lot, tater tot!

This is how our day begins.

Bonjour, dinosaur!

Good day, blue jay!

Howdy, brownie!

Welcome, bubble gum!

Hola, cola!

Yoo hoo, tennis shoe.

This is how our day begins.

Give me five, dragon fly.

Shake a hand, rubber band. 

Here’s a hug, doodlebug. 

Wave to me, bumblebee. 

Come on in, my friends 

With a smile and song  

This is how the day begins! 

Problem Resolution (Carrie Thouvenot)

After students resolve a problem they fist bump, hand shake, high five, hug, and walk away happy.

Where Is the Bear?  (Betty Schmitz)

This is a book that will help students with positional words.  Take pictures of them holding a stuffed bear above their head, behind their back, beside them, etc.  Write a sentence on each page with the child’s name and the position of the bear.  “The bear is on Aiden’s head.”  Let children take the book home to share with their families.

I was invited to sing at Dubois Elementary in Springfield last week.  What precious children!!!  They made me the coolest poster with alphabet letters.  At the bottom the kids laid on the floor to spell out "Thank you Dr. Jean!"  One little guy rolled up like a ball to make the period!

THEY'VE TAKEN AWAY OUR SONG

I recently heard from a colleague I worked with years ago.  We both remarked that we were lucky to be teachers when "KIDS" were the most important thing.  Here's a little thought for this Sunday...

We used to paint pictures with all the colors in the rainbow.

We'd build castles and birthday cakes in the sand.

We took walks and looked for feathers, or when it was cold we’d catch snowflakes on our tongues. 

Now we sit and do worksheets.

We used to play dress-up.  “I’ll be the mommy and you be the baby.”

We’d build the biggest skyscrapers in the world with blocks.

Outside we’d run like wild horses and play boys chase girls.

Now we stand in formation and do exercises.

We used to talk and giggle and laugh a lot.

We’d bring our special treasures from home for show and tell,

And we’d whisper secrets in our teacher’s ear if she’d promise not to tell.

But nobody has time to listen to us now.

We used to have cookies and milk.

Then the teacher would read us a story.

And then we’d lay down on our rugs and listen to some pretty music.

But now we have to stay on task and work on our standards.

The teacher used to hug us and smile when we said or did funny things.

She said we were so wonderful and creative.

When we got hurt she’d hold us or rock us until we felt better.

Now she says we have work to do and mumbles something about a big test.

It’s just not the same being a little kid anymore.

I guess we’ve got to be grown up like our parents for a long, long time.

Maybe when I’m thirty-five I’ll get to finger paint and make snakes with clay.

I’ll do what I want to then.

We used to play.

We felt special and important.

We’d sing and we’d dance.

They’ve taken away our song.