Bookmark It! You Hold A Spot In My Heart...

I don’t post more than 2 articles in one day, but with Mother’s Day just around the corner, I wanted you to be able to look at all of these ideas at once, and decide which ones, if any,  you’d like to do with your students.

They were all huge hits with my Y5’s as well as the mommies.  I set them up as independent centers and they did quite well.

Since they only take a brief amount of time you could actually do all of them and tuck them in the "Pocket Full of Love" or if you don't do that, simply put them in a lunch bag or their folder to tote home.

I find that “paper love” is just as much appreciated as anything else a child puts together.

After all, the above activities were made with TLC, used their skills, which included reading a story, (no small accomplishment!) used sign language to express their affection, serenaded them with a song, and now make a bookmark their mom will certainly find useful!

How cute is that?

Click on the link to view/download the MOM bookmark.

Finally, Where Are The Flowers, is an easy reader that reinforces spatial directions.

The last page deals with the word "behind". Behind the door is the message "Happy Mother's Day!"  Making it a perfect "read-to-me" booklet for Mother's Day, truly a special gift for any mommy.

Click on the link to view/download Where Are The Flowers?

Do you have a Mother's Day idea you'd like to share? I'd enjoy hearing from you. diane@teachwithme.com OR...feel free to post a comment here, especially if you use one of my ideas. 

Thanks in advance for taking the time.  Feel free to PIN anything you think a parent or fellow teacher might find helpful as well.

I hope you can visit tomorrow for more teaching tips, 'til then take time for the 3 R's: Refresh, Relax, and Rejuvenate.

Mother’s Day Bookmark:

• This is a fun center activity that students can put together quickly.  It makes a nice tuck-in for the cards you may be making.   To make it extra special have students glue their student photograph to the back message.  Laminate them and then tie a ribbon or yarn bow and staple it to the top for an extra-special touch.
• Simply print off the bookmarks. Using a paper cutter, trim them and have students glue them to strips of yellow, blue, green or red construction paper.  Run off the message memo and have them glue it to the back of the bookmark and then trace the words, sign it and add their photo.   Click on the link to view/print the Mother’s Day bookmark masters.

What’s the tallest flower in the garden?

• Demonstrate the comparative adjectives tall, taller and tallest by having students make 3 flowers using green-colored straws for stems.  You can pre-cut the two shorter straws to expedite things, or add a math extension by passing out rulers and telling students how long you want these two straw-stems to be and then have them measure and snip.
• If you have a Big Lots store in your community, they have huge pastel colored straws that make the “tallest” flower even more fun to make. 
  
• Use a flower punch to make fancy centers for your flowers or simply run off my flower pattern on a variety of colored construction paper and have students cut them out. 
  
• Punch holes in the centers with a hole punch and then carefully insert the blossom.
• Run off leaves on green construction paper.  Each student needs 2 leaves for the short flower, 4 for the medium, and the tallest one, unless you are using the giant straws and then 6 leaves look nicer.  This can be a lot of cutting for little ones, so you may want these pre-cut and simply make a template and cut 5 at a time. 
  
• Stick the leaves to the straws using glue dots.  I’ve also made labels if you want to have students affix those as well.  Click on the link to view/print the tall-taller-tallest flower activity sheets. 

Flower Power Math:

Students look at the number inside the flower and then color that many petals, and match the uppercase flower to the leafy lowercase stems on the bottom in these springy-skill sheets.  I’ve made a blank tulip page for you to make more letter combinations if you want.  Click on the link to view/print the flower skill sheets.

Small, medium and large frogs on a log:

• Students glue pre-cut brown construction paper to a toilet paper roll and then add log-like details with a brown or black marker.  The frogs will be poked into the log so they can be used as a subtraction manipulative.  Poking holes with a protractor can be time consuming so you may want this done ahead of time.
• To expedite things you can send t.p. rolls, construction paper, directions and a sample home with a child whose parent has volunteered to help assemble projects at home.  The parent can simply staple on the construction paper and then poke holes for you.
• All children have to do then, is add the details and cut out their frogs.  You can add wiggle eyes to one of the frogs for a bit more pizzazz.  If you don’t want to make this an interactive art project you don’t have to poke the holes.  Simply add tabs to the frogs and have them glue their frogs to the log, or for younger children have them cut out the frogs as ONE unit and use only one toothpick, to simplify things.
• I’ve made two styles for you to choose from.  Run them off on construction paper so they do not flop over.  I use scotch tape to stick a toothpick to the backs of the frogs so that students can poke them into their log.
• This manipulative is great to use with frog stories and songs that have frogs jumping into ponds.  As you read the story, or sing a song, a group of students can stand in front with their logs and take a frog away (subtract) as he jumps into the pond.  Count the remaining frogs left on the logs and then continue.  Many stories/songs involve 10 frogs so you could make your own teacher manipulative using a paper towel tube, so that you have room for 10 frogs.  Click on the link to view/print the frogs on a log masters.

Etc.

For more fun spring art and activities check my 98-page May Art book.  I also have a 78-page Frog Unit as well as an 83-page Flower Unit chock full of wonderful lessons to keep your students actively learning!

Why not become a gold subscriber and get all of these things at no additional charge and enjoy an entire year of fun with new things added each month.

 Whatever you’re up to, I hope you have a marvelous May doing it!