PD #2 LETTER BEARS

 

Click to view video

If you’ve never made my Letter Bears you are going to be thankful when school starts if you make them. They are a perfect way to transition children and reinforce skills at the same time.

What? construction paper or colored card stock, scissors, markers

Why? letters, colors, numbers, shapes, sight words

When? Large group transitions, dismissal

How? Cut 26 bears out of the construction paper. Write upper and lowercase letters on all the bears. Mix up the bears and then sing this song to the tune of “Twinkle Little Star” as the letters are revealed:

Dd bear, Dd bear, what do you see?
I see Kk bear looking at me.
Kk bear, Kk bear, what do you see…

Focus children’s attention while they settle down for a story or lesson with the letter bears.

*Use the bears as a transition activity. Dismiss children to line up, wash their hands, etc. when the letter that their name starts with appears.

*At the beginning of the school year make bears with the children's names. For younger children use their names and photos.



*For younger children make color bears or shape bears.

                                

*Use the bears to reinforce other skills, such as the numerals 10-20 or sight words.

            

*Hide the bears around the classroom or playground for the children to find and identify.

*Each month make a similar game using seasonal cutouts. Adapt to different skills you are working on each month.

Click here to download the bear pattern.

IT'S SUM SUM SUMMERTIME!!!

Several years ago I did a “Summer PD” (professional development) every day for a month. These were short little videos with some of my favorite ideas. I’m going to rewind those blogs this coming month so you’ll have materials that you can create for your BACK TO SCHOOL KIT.

I like to think of my blog as an “antique” store with OLD ideas that are valuable because children need hands-on and fun activities now more than ever.  I invite you to pick, choose, adapt, and make these ideas work for you.

I know that the past two years have been STRESSFUL and FRUSTRATING. Make a commitment to yourself that each day when you go back to school that you are going to SHUT YOUR DOOR and do something FUN every day just because…just because you want to.

DON’T GIVE UP!

DON’T LET THEM TAKE AWAY YOUR JOY!

SING A SONG, PLAY A GAME, HOLD HANDS AND DANCE, LISTEN TO THEM, TELL A STORY, GIVE THEM FREE TIME INSIDE AND OUTSIDE.

WHAT AN AMAZING OPPORTUNITY YOU HAVE TO HELP EACH CHILD BELIEVE FOR ONCE IN THEIR LIFE THAT THEY ARE SPECIAL AND IT’S TRULY A WONDERFUL WORLD!!!!

 

 Click to view Day 1, July PD

CLIP IT

Why? letters, sight words, names

What? jumbo craft sticks, clothes pins, markers (Sharpies work best.)

How? Write the letters of the alphabet on the clothespins. Write words on the craft sticks. Children match letters and clip them on the stick to make the words.

*Use these at the beginning of the year with children’s names.

*Place in a center for children to practice sight words or spelling words. As a follow up ask students to write the words.

                                                     
Hint! Store these in pencil boxes.

If you’re going shopping this week here are some supplies you might want to get for the projects I'll be demonstrating the rest of the month:
Spring clothes pins
Shower curtain liner (opaque)
Fly swatter
3 pairs of white cotton garden gloves
Jumbo craft sticks
Magnetic letters and numbers
E6000 glue (I LOVE this stuff! It’s the best craft glue ever!)
Sharpie markers
File folders
Clear sheet protectors
Visor
Toy cars
Swing trashcan
Bathroom cups

Hint! If you don’t want to make these yourself, you can save the ideas to give to parent volunteers when the school year begins.

P.S. I am so grateful to all of you who read my blog. Believe me, writing this is a task of love. So many teachers have touched my life and shared with me over my 50+ year journey that it’s PAYBACK time. The truth is, writing this blog keeps me from getting dementia. Seriously, what would I do if I didn’t do this? So thank you! Thank you!

OUTDOOR SCIENCE

Make your playground or backyard your very own science lab.

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.


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.

COOKING UP A RHYME

You know it makes me sad that so many of you are not allowed to cook in your classrooms any more. When I think of the cooking experiences I had with my students it makes me smile. One of my favorite memories was when we were making pizzas. I said, “Let’s put them on the pan so I can bake them.” Floyd, a precious red head said, “That’s O.K., teacher, I’ll just eat mine raw!”

I have so many old/antique files that I just can't make myself delete.  Today I've got some recipes I found to go along with nursery rhymes and songs.  Even if you can’t cook in your classroom, you might enjoy making these with your own child, a neighbor, a scout troop, or a grown friend! You might even have some parents that would enjoy preparing these foods with their children.

Ole King Cole’s Coins
Every king has a treasure trove filled with coins so why not make these healthy coins to fill up your students.

Ingredients:
Fresh carrots
Sour cream
Dill

Have the students wash and scrub the carrots with a vegetable brush. Now slice them up so that they look like coins. Chop up the dill and mix in the sour cream for the students to dip.


Name Cakes

After singing the ABC’s the children can eat them with me!

Ingredients:
Rice cakes
Peanut butter, cream cheese or frosting
Alphabet cookies

Find the letters of your name and place them on the table. Spread the topping of your choice over the rice cake and press down the letters of your name into the topping on the rice cake. These name cakes were alphabetically delicious.

                         
Muffin Man Zucchini Muffins

The Muffin Man didn’t have this recipe in his cookbook but now you do.

Ingredients
½ cup grated zucchini
1 egg
2 Tablespoons of oil
¼ cup of honey
¼ cup of grated lemon peel
¾ cup of flour
½ teaspoon of baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cinnamon

Add the first five ingredients and mix well. Now add the rest and pour into muffin tins that have liners added. Bake at 400 degrees for twenty minutes. I’ll bet the Muffin man steals this recipe.


                                                                     
Jack Horner’s Thumbprint Biscuits

Jack Horner stuck his thumb in a plumb, but your children will get a kick out of sticking their thumbs in a biscuit.

Ingredients
Canned biscuits
Grape jelly

Give each child a biscuit and tell them to stick their thumb in the middle. Let them fill the hole in the middle with a spoonful of grape jelly. Bake according to directions on the package. Have your children say, “What a good (boy, girl) am I!


Moon Pizzas

The cow jumped over the moon and the astronauts landed on the moon. This recipe will add a whole new dimension to the rhyme or a study of the solar system.

Ingredients
English muffins
Pizza sauce
Shredded mozzarella
*Pepperoni, olive slices or cheeses shaped liked stars or moons are optional

Toast the English muffins ahead to time - especially if you like your pizza crust crunchy. Now spread the pizza sauce over the surface of the moon (English muffin) and add the mozzarella and other toppings of your choice. Bake at 350 degrees until the cheese melts.

FISHY FOOD FUN

You might not be able to catch a real fish, but you can certainly 

catch an idea with Gold Fish crackers today.

You’ve got to love Gold Fish crackers. They don’t have sugar, they are not messy, they are not expensive, and they are perfect for many math activities.

Prepare snack size bags with colored fish so children can dive into these activities…

Estimation

How many fish are in your bag?

Counting

Count and see how many you have.
Did you estimate more or less?
Is it an odd or even number?

Sorting

How can you sort the fish?

Graphing 

How many of each color?

Patterning

Can you make a pattern with the fish?

Addition and Subtraction 

Make sets and join them together.
Eat and subtract. Can you make up a number story with the fish?

Catch and Eat
You’ll need large pretzel rods, peanut butter (or cream cheese), and fish crackers for this snack. Dip the end of the pretzel rod (fishing pole) in the bait (peanut butter) and see how many fish you can catch and eat.


*There’s even a website (goldfish.com) where you can learn about Finn and his friends and play games.


Rainbow Fish
After reading "Rainbow Fish," cut strips of paper 8 1/2" by 1 1/4." Cut slits half way through 1 1/2" from each end as shown. Children can color their fish and then hook the tabs to make a fish. Toss in the air and watch your fish fly!!!
P.S. Older kids could use ROY G. BIV to color their fish.

GO FISH!

Who doesn't want to go fishing on a beautiful spring day?

Have You Ever Been Fishing? (Tune: “Turkey in the Straw”)
Have you ever been fishing (Pretend to fish.)
On a bright and sunny day, (Circle arms like the sun.)
When you see those little fishies (Fold hands and wiggle.)
Swimming up and down the bay?
With their hands in their pockets (Put hands in front.)
And their pockets in their pants. (Put hands in back.)
All the little fishies do the (Hands on hips and wiggle.)
Hoochie coochie dance!

*Sing fast, faster, and super duper fast!


Catch a Fish
Staple an 18” piece of string to the end of straw. Let children make fish out of construction paper and tie to the other end of the string. They can use these as they sing the song.

Catch and Eat
Give children a pretzel rod, some gold fish crackers, and a spoonful of peanut butter. Children dip the end of the rod in peanut butter and then catch a fish.

Fish Finger Play
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, (Slowly hold up one finger at a time on right hand.)
I caught a fish alive. (Clap hands together as if catching a fish.)
6, 7, 8, 9, 10, (Hold up fingers on left hand.)
I let it go again. (Open palms and pretend to release.)
Why did you let that fishy go? (Shrug shoulders.)
Because it bit my finger so. (Hands on hips.)
Which finger did it bite? (Shrug shoulders.)
The little finger on my right. (Hold up pinky on right hand.)

Hint! Talk about double meanings of words by explaining what a "school" of fish means.

Paper Plate Fish
You will need paper plates, brad fasteners, markers, and crayons for this project. Cut a triangle out of the paper plate to be the mouth of the fish. Attach the triangle to the back with the brad fastener to make the tail. Color with crayons or paint with water colors.

Hint! Tie in "greater than" and "less than" with the fish's mouth.


Baby Fish 

Baby fish, do-do, do-do-do-do, (Open and shut index
Baby fish, do-do, do-do-do-do. fingers to the beat.)
Baby fish, do-do, do-do-do-do, (Open and shut index
Baby fish, do-do, do-do-do-do. fingers to the beat.)

Momma fish… (Open and shut hands.)
Daddy fish… (Open and shut arms.)
Giant whale… (Extend arm and leg to make whale’s mouth.)

 

Click to view Baby Fish

*Let children make up other verses, such as one about uncle fish, grandma fish, etc. Have the children suggest arm movements to do for the different fish.

And here's a new video that Alex May just created....

Click to view I Wish I Were

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:

 

Just click here.

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.

Click to view video.



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.


Parade
O.K. If you've read to the end of this blog, I've saved the best idea until last. Whenever your class completes an art project let them "parade" their creations around the room. Put on some catchy music and they can walk around in a circle holding up their work. It's so funny because they really think they are "special."


Foam Hands(Cheri Rummens, Mansfield Preschool)
Cut hands out of foam and write “left” and “right” on them before taping them above the calendar and flag. Remind the children to look and see which hand they should place on their heart before they do the pledge.