HOW ABOUT A DATE?

                                        

I'm so excited!!!  I just got confirmation of my workshop locations for the upcoming school year. As you can see, I'll be all over the USA, and I hope you'll be able to join me.

Minneapolis, MN November 1, 2016
Louisville, KY November 15, 2016
Pittsburgh, PA November 30, 2016
Fort Worth, TX December 6, 2016
Houston, TX December 7, 2016
Las Vegas , NV. January 31, 2017
Salt Lake City, UT February 2nd. 2017
College Park, GA February 15, 2017
Omaha, NE March 1, 2017
Cincinnati, OH March 13,20147
Murfreesboro, TN April 18, 2017
Alcoa, TN April 19, 2017
Grand Rapids, MI April 25, 2017

Go to sde.com for details. I promise I'll do my best to put a song in your heart, a smile on your face, and lots of new ideas in your hands!

    

And here's a perfect song for the beginning of the school year.

I’m a Little Kindergartener (Brenda Hall)
(Tune: “I’m a Little Teapot”)
I’m a little kindergartener (first grader, preschooler, etc.)
Kind and smart. (Touch index finger to brain.)
Here is my hand. (Extend one hand.)
Here is my heart. (Touch your heart.)
When I get excited I want to shout – (Wave arms in the air.)
All my joys come tumbling out! (Roll arms around.)

DISCOVERY BAGS

                        
How many cloth bags have you collected at conferences this summer? Don't throw them away or shove them in a closet. Look at these ideas for giving them another life in your classroom.

What? conference bags, old briefcase, backpack, etc.

How? Make “discovery bags” with some of these materials:

Concept Bag –Put objects that are the same color, shape, beginning sound, etc. in the bag

Theme Bags – Collect books about a particular theme. Add pencils, paper, crayons, and ask children, “What can you find out?”

Tell Me More – Put an object in the bag and give the children clues. When they guess what it is, take it out of the bag and encourage the children to describe the object. Keep saying, “Tell me more!” as they use more adjectives to describe the item.

Writing Portfolio – Put paper, envelopes, sticky notes, pencils, pens, colored pencils, stickers, scissors, glue, and other writing paraphernalia in the bag.

Math Kit – Add a calculator, ruler, minute timer, counters, toy money, tablet, pencil, calendar, and other math related objects to the bag.

Science Kit – You will need an old white dress shirt (short sleeve) and safety goggles to make a science kit. Write “scientist of the week” on the pocket. Add paper, pencils, a magnet, magnifying glass, and book of science experiments to the kit. One child each week gets to be “scientist of the week” and take home the bag on Monday. They choose a science experiment and practice it at home with their parents. On Thursday, they return the kit and present the experiment to their classmates.

Happy Bag – Fill the bag with a special book, puppet, game, flashlight, and other small toys. Use for emergencies to make children happy.

Art Portfolio – Place construction paper, markers, crayons, glue, scissors, play dough, and other art media in a bag for individual creative activities.

Take Home Teddy – Put a stuffed animal, spiral notebook, and pencil in a bag. Choose a different child to take home the back each evening. The child writes or dictates a story to their parents about the bear.
*Just for fun add a toothbrush, pajamas, and other items for the bear.

Take Home Activities – Send home games, books, puzzles, and other activities children can work on at home with their parents.

Hint! Wouldn't discovery bags be a super project for parent volunteers?

SHOW ME YOUR BADGE!

                                
I was cleaning off my desk this morning and found a few name badges from conferences I attended. You’ve probably got one yourself in a drawer. You can also purchase these at an office supply store. Here are some interesting ways to recycle those old name badges in your classroom as you provide PURPOSEFUL PRACTICE FOR AUTOMATICITY (aka repetition).

Skills - Choose skills you are working on (letters, words, numerals, colors, shapes, etc.) and wear them in the name badge. Sing this song to the tune of “If You’re Happy and You Know it:”
If you can read this word, letter, shout it out.
If you can read this ______, whisper it out.
If you can read this ______, spell it out.
If you can read this ______, shout it out.

Here’s another chant to reinforce skills.

Teacher says:
I know color, numeral, shape, etc. 

Yes, I do.
I know _____. How about you?
Children repeat:
We know ______. Yes, we do.
We know ______. Just like you!

Hint! This is a great way to reinforce vocabulary words or the word of the day.

Letters, Words, Shapes, Numbers…. You’ll need badges for all the children in your room for this activity. Cut paper to fit in the badge and then write whatever skill you want your students to master on the paper and place it in the badges. Pass these out at the beginning of the day and have children walk around the room and shake each other’s hands as they say the skill. Instead of calling students by their names call them by the letter or word in their badge.

Special Event - When a child has a special event in their life, make a badge for them to wear. For example: “I’m a new big brother.” “I scored a goal at my soccer name.”
Hint! Encourage faculty members to recognize these badges.

Ask Me About - To celebrate a skill (writing their name, recognizing all the letters, reading sight words) a child has achieved, write “Ask me about skill” on the badge. For example: “Ask me about counting to l00.” “Ask me about writing my name."

B.A. and M.S. - When children show proficiency in addition, make a badge that says, “Name has earned a B.A. (Best in Addition).” For subtraction write, “Name has earned an M.S. (Master in Subtraction.)"

Expert - If you are doing a unit of study, individualize instruction by allowing children to choose a topic they are interested in. After doing “research,” they write their area of "expertise" and wear it in their name badge. Children walk around the room and ask each other questions.
*This would be great for INQUIRY HOUR.

JUST A DOT - NOT A LOT!

                                   
Just think if you were a little kid and you had never held a bottle of glue before. Wouldn’t it be fun to squeeze it all out? Remind children, “We just need to use a baby dot of glue. Not a mama dot or papa dot. Just a tiny, little baby dot.” (Be dramatic with this and say “baby dot” in a high little voice.) Demonstrate how to put a dot on a sheet of paper. “What does that look like? A little bug? A cookie crumb?” Put food coloring in a bottle of glue and use it at a center for children to practice making “baby dots.”

If you use glue sticks, you will also need to demonstrate how to use them. “If you barely touch the page you can’t see anything. That means nothing will stick to it. Press it gently down and then look to make sure you can see something. That means your paper will stick.”

School Glue
(Tune: “This Old Man”)
School glue, school glue,
Just a little dot will do.
Put a dot and spread it around.
It will hold your paper down.

School glue, school glue,
Don’t use more than a dab or two.
When it dries up, it will disappear.
Your work will look good never fear.

FINGER PLAY LAND

This will be an exciting night because Vanessa Levin (pre-kpages.com) and I have teamed up to do a special webinar on finger plays.   Here's the link:

https://www.facebook.com/prekpages/   (8 PM Easter Time)

It breaks my heart when I hear people say, "Aren't finger plays old fashion?" Well, you might call them that, but then you'd have to call chocolate chip cookies and mashed potatoes and BINGO and swings and hugs...old fashion as well. Let me share just a few things children can learn when you do a finger play. (You might want to enlighten some administrators or supervisors or parents with this information. Sometimes they just don't "get" what we do!)

Engaged – Doing a finger play is a natural way to engage children’s attention and help them focus.

Oral language – Repetition of finger plays builds oral language skills.

Auditory memory – Children activate their short term memory as they memorize finger plays.

Comprehension – Most finger plays have a simple story plot for children to follow.

Imagination – With so much time spent in front of a screen, finger plays encourage children to make pictures in their brains.

Sequence – Remembering the sequence in finger plays can help children retell stories.

Phonological awareness – Finger plays build a foundation for rhyme, rhythm and alliteration.

Eye-hand coordination – Visual connections with finger plays are important for writing and reading.

Small motor skills – Doing finger plays is like sending the fingers to the gym to exercise.

Active Learning - Multiple senses are engaged as children watch and wiggle their fingers and repeat rhymes.

Purposeful Practice for Automaticity (aka repetition) - Children will enjoy saying these rhymes over and over.

Brain Breaks - Children will be oxygenating the brain and crossing the midline as they do finger plays.  Memorizing poems and rhymes is also good for short term memory.

Executive function – Children develop self-regulation and impulse control when they participate in finger plays.

Social skills – All children can be successful with finger plays with this group experience.

Common Core State Standards – You got it! Speaking, listening, comprehension, phonological awareness all rolled into one!

Skills for the 21st Century – You’ve got those, too, with communication and cooperation.

Best of all, finger plays are FREE! They can be used to entertain children during transitions or any time you’ve got a minute or two.

*If you’ll go to my website, you’ll find 5 free videos where I demonstrate finger plays.
                                
*Go to my September, 2011, website and you’ll find a download with the words. I would suggest taking one each week and putting it on an index card. (You could also write it on a language experience chart or use it on an interactive white board for choral reading.) At the end of the week punch a hole in the rhyme and attach it to a book ring. If you’ll do this every week, in a few months you’ll have a whole RING OF RHYMES.

We are so busy trying to give children things we didn't have

that we are failing to give them what we did have!

TELL A JOKE DAY

                                                
Did you know there is actually a Tell a Joke Day? And it’s today! But, you can tell jokes any day to give your students a smile. Jokes and riddles are more than “just a laugh.” They can be used to reinforce:

Double meanings of words
Oral language
Confidence speaking in front of a group
Questions and statements
Memorization (develops short term memory)
Critical thinking

Riddle a Day
Write a riddle on the board each morning. Read over the riddle at morning meeting. Ask the children to smile if they “get” it. Encourage students to “think out loud” and explain the joke.
*You could also let the children discuss the joke with a partner.

Riddle Books
Make riddle books for the students by folding paper in half and stapling. After reading the riddle each day, have them draw or write the answer in their books. Discuss their answers.

Joke Show and Tell
Have a “joke” show and tell. Ask each student to have their parents help them learn a joke at home. Use a play microphone to let them stand up and perform their joke for their classmates.

Laugh Break
Let children tell jokes to classmates as a brain break.
Hint!  Keep joke and riddle books on your desk to use during transitions.

Class Book
Let each child contribute a joke to a class book. Write the riddle at the top of the page and draw the answer at the bottom. Cover the answer with a peek-a-boo flip.
                                      
More?
There are some good websites and apps with free jokes and riddles. Here are a few school jokes that I found at http://jokes-for-kids.com/index.html.What is the only class you can plant a flower in?
A kindergarten!

Who is your best friend at school?
Your princi-pal.

Why was 6 afraid of 7?
Because 7 8 9!

What flies around the school at night?
The alpha-bat!

Why don’t you see giraffes in elementary school?
Because they are all in high school!                                                     

A COLORING WE'LL GO!

Do you remember the thrill of getting a NEW box of crayons before school started?  Many things change in this world, but the "possibilities" of a new box of crayons never diminishes!

A Coloring We’ll Go   (Tune: “A Hunting We Will Go”)
Chorus:
A coloring we’ll go.
A coloring we’ll go.
Hi ho, it’s fun you know,
A coloring we’ll go.

Use straight and curvy lines.
Use straight and curvy lines.
With yellow, purple, green, and orange,
We’ll make our picture fine. (Chorus)

The details we will draw.
The details we will draw.
Imagine all the little things.
The details we will draw. (Chorus)

We’ll fill in the page.
We’ll fill in the page.
Use as many colors
As you are in age.

A coloring we’ll go.
A coloring we’ll go.
We’ll put them in the box and close the top
When we’re through, you know.

*Run off a black and white copy of a picture and a color copy. Show these to the class and encourage their comments. Which one do they like best? Why? Have them draw a picture using a black crayon. Then ask them to draw the same picture using all the colors.

*A good rule of thumb is to encourage them to use as many colors as they are in age. If they only use two colors you might say, “Oh, are you only two years old today?” They’ll quickly return to their seats and add a few more colors!

*Remind children before drawing to close their eyes and get a picture of what they want to create in their heads. Think about it before you begin drawing.

*How many details can you add? Can you fill in the whole page so that no “daylight” (aka paper) is showing?

*If you have “orphan crayons” (aka crayons found on the floor) you can create a special lost and found box for them.

*Altoid tins and mini m&m containers are good for storing crayons when the box falls apart.