1-2-3 Come Do Some Election-Themed Activities With Me  

When it comes to the election, it's often difficult to find simple and appropriate activities for little learners, which are quick, easy and fun, as well as educational. 

Because of that, I designed some interesting craftivities I think you and your kiddos will enjoy.

First up is the elephant-donkey dangler. Younger kiddos can simply make the “dangler” with several “topper” options to choose from. As you can see by the photograph, there are a variety of ways to put them together.

I knew this was a “winner” when my 4-year-old grandson saw my samples and exclaimed, “Cool. Can I make one?”

He just turned 4 but is very adept with scissors, so I guess if he enjoyed it, perhaps your preschoolers could also make a dangler.

However, I designed this for kindergarten & 1st grade as an art activity, and as a writing prompt for older students 2nd-5th.

Older kiddos can opt for the square “topper” with the star on it, then choose one of the following writing prompts to jot down on the back of it:

* If I could vote I’d be voting for
____________ because . . .
* It’s important to vote because …
* I can’t wait ’til I can vote because …

If you want to mix some non-fiction reading and research into this activity, have students find out the interesting history of the donkey & elephant that are used as symbols to represent the Democratic & Republican parties.
They can write their findings on the back of the topper.

Another option is to have students write the pros and cons of each nominee on the back of their respective animal.

It’s hard to believe in today’s world that not everyone was allowed to vote in the past, so another interesting writing prompt would be for students to find out when and how Afro Americans and women won the right to vote. 

Next up is a writing prompt craftivity that can be used during an election year, or for Presidents Day as well, as the prompt is: "If I Were President..."  

Whenever I add a bit of craftiness to our writing block, my students can't wait to get down to business; so I'm often creating simple "headers" to add some extra pizzazz to generate excitement.

Give your students a choice between the 2 White House "topper" options, which they color, trim and glue to the top of their border paper (To add variety to your display, there are 3 choices.)

I've included black & white patterns as well as color templates, so that you can quickly and easily make a sample to share.

Finally, I wanted to reinforce the alphabet and our study of the letter Vv, as well as build some vocabulary in a fun way, so I designed the "Vv Is For VOTE!" craftivity. 

Younger kiddos can simply make the donkey-elephant “Vv is for vote!” craft. Scatter them on a bulletin board or punch holes in the heads and dangle from the ceiling or as a hallway wall border, then follow things up with the matching worksheet.

The star paper that I used for the letter V is also included.

Since Vv is also for vocabulary too, older students can write as many words as they can think of that start with the letter Vv, then write them on the back of the letter, or jot them down on one of 2 bookmark-size strips, which can be glued to the bottom of the letter.

I’ve included a completed sample for you to share, as well as a list of 61 nouns that begin with the letter Vv, which children should be familiar with.

Another option is to color the boy or girl page and mount that to the bottom of the letter, after completing the writing prompt: “It’s important to vote because …”

There are also 5 other prompt ideas your students can choose.

The writing prompt worksheets come in black and white, as well as full color, so that you can easily make a sample to share.

I’ve also included 3 “badge buttons” students color, cut, trim & wear. 

Today's featured FREEBIE is a set of "It's Time To Vote!" games.  Study analog and digital time with these election-themed games.

Packet includes:

• * Several games
• * Clock spinners
• * Analog clock
• * Traceable digital time cards to the hour and half hour and a ...
• * Blank analog clock cards to be filled in as an assessment or skill practice.

Well that's it for today.  Thanks for popping in.  The color here in Michigan has reached its peak, so time for a nice break to go rustle through some of those vibrant colors.  Wishing you an inspiring, nature-filled day.

"Let your life lightly dance on the edges of time, like dew on the tip of a leaf." - Rabindranath Tagore

1-2-3 Come Do Some Coin Activities With Me

Today's blog features some of my favorite coin activities, which will help your students learn to identify the penny, nickel, dime, quarter, half dollar and dollar. 

Use them for your coin studies, or plug them in with your Presidents' Day lessons.

In the Poster & Game Packet,  I’ve included pocket chart cards, flashcards, strip puzzles, large posters showing both the front and back of the coin, plus “How Many?” posters, which show how many pennies make up each coin.

There are also cards to play Memory Match and “I Have; Who Has?” games, as well as several “I Spy a Coin!” whole-group game sheets, which can be used as an assessment too.

I've included smaller versions of the posters, plus a bookmark, that students can keep in their math journals to use as a reference tool, plus  a certificate of praise for 4 as well as 6 coins, with two size options.  

Another way to quickly and easily reinforce coins is with the "Coins On A Roll"  Dice Game Bookmark packet.  

You can explain the directions, or hang up the rebus poster.
Afterwards, they have a nice bookmark to keep in their math journals.  

I truly believe that when children really take a look at the various coins, checking out similarities and differences, that they will latch on to information that helps them remember which coin is which.

A visually fun way to do that, at the same time getting in some comparison-contrast writing, is with a Venn diagram.

Children can work independently, with a partner or in small groups to analyze and evaluate each coin using the various Venn diagram worksheets.

For younger students, do this as a whole group activity, where they come up with the answers and you jot them on the worksheet. 

The 45, "Fix The Sentence" cards, are also an interesting way to review coins, and practice reading, as the cards are packed with  Dolch sight words.

They are a quick, easy and fun way to review all sorts of facts about US coins, which will help students differentiate, so that they can remember which coin is which. 

At the same time students are practicing end punctuation and capitalization, along with a few math concepts.

There are a variety of sentences that need a period, exclamation point or question mark.
Proper nouns, as well as the first word, need to be capitalized as well. Have students use a dry erase marker to make corrections.

After you read and correct the sentences as a whole group, have children choose X number of mini cards to fix independently, by writing the sentences correctly.  

Finally, I designed Lincoln's Log Cabin.  It features a brand new, shiny penny to help reinforce the fact that Lincoln's face is on that coin. 

Older students can practice skip counting by 5s or 10s (the logs are numbered), while PK kiddos use the logs that are numbered 1-10.

I’ve also included 4 worksheets, as well as 2 writing prompts, along with blank templates so you can mix math with literacy.

Assign a prompt, give students a choice, or have them make up their own, gluing their completed worksheet to the back of Lincoln’s log cabin.

For a nice hallway display, punch a hole at the top and suspend from the ceiling. 

Today's FREEBIE is a set of "I Spy" a letter worksheets, featuring Abe Lincoln and uppercase letters, as well as George Washington and lowercase letters.

Well that's it for today.  Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you found something useful here to help enhance your study of coins and Presidents.

"Money won't create success, the freedom to make it will." -Nelson Mandela

1-2-3 Come Do Some Presidents' Day Activities With Me  

Because February is packed with so many special celebrations, I do President's Day throughout the week and tie Presidents in with our study of coins. 

Recognizing a penny, nickel, dime and quarter are part of our report card standards, so I designed some quick, easy and fun ways to practice. 

Here are four of my students' favorities. 

The coin “Popsicle stick puppet paddles” are a simple way for me to review various facts about the coins, as well as whole-group assess.

Students need just two Popsicle sticks, as they glue the penny & nickel back-to-back, and the dime and quarter back-to-back.

Since size is one of the ways my kiddos differentiate the coins, I designed the coins on a background circle.

Children color, cut and glue to the top of two different colored Popsicle sticks.  I’ve included small, medium, and large pattern choices.

They can simply write the names of the coins right on the sticks using a marker, or have them trace, trim and glue the labels.

Teacher reads clues from the poster.  Kiddos hold up their coin “puppet paddle” when they know which coin is being described.  You can see at a glance who is having difficulty.     

Number puzzles are a quick, easy and fun way for students to practice sequencing numbers from 1 to 10, counting backwards from 10 to 1, as well as skip counting by 2s, 3s, 5s & 10s.

By featuring a penny, nickle, dime, quarter, half dollar and dollar coin on the puzzles, they are also a way to reinforce differences, to help students identify and remember the various coins.

Print, laminate & trim and use as an independent math center.  I've also included trace & write ones as well, so that students can color & cut up their own puzzle. There are 42 coin puzzle options in all. 

Next up, is the "Money Matters Mobile".    There’s nothing like a “hands on” craft to get my students excited about learning something new.  This craftivity will help your kiddos learn to identify the fronts and backs of coins.

I’ve also included coin templates for the half dollar and dollar, and scanned in a real dollar bill, then adjusted it to use as a header for our mobile, giving our “dangler” a bit more color. 

Finally, the "Flipping Over Coins" is another crafty option.  I truly believe this visual helps students differentiate, helping them to remember which coins are which.

I not only wanted my kiddos to be able to identify the coins, but tell a little bit about them. In so doing, they have additional ways to remember each one.

I've included a variety of options for you to choose from, including a 4-coin flip up, as well as one with 5 coins.

Students color, cut and glue the coins to the front, then snip on the dashed lines to make a "flap" which they flip up to reveal the name, color and value of each coin, as well as which president appears on the coin.

Finally, they tally how much it's worth, as a fun way to get in a little more math practice.  

Today's featured FREEBIE is a sweet "You are cent-sational" craft, which would be fun for students to make after they have learned to identify all of the coins.  

To add some writing, have students write why they feel they are "cent-sational" on the back.  To tie the craft into Presidents' Day, have them choose a President that they felt was awesome and write why they think he was the best.

Well that's it for today.  Thanks for stopping by.  The wind is howling outside my office window, but the sun is shining in; so I might venture out in this 2 degree weather, or not . . . Wishing you a super-duper day.

"Believe you can and you're half-way there." - Teddy Roosevelt

1-2-3 Come Study Lincoln and Washington With Me!

If you're still looking for some quick and easy activities for President's Day on Monday, you've come to the right place.

My Y5's loved making and wearing crowns, so I whipped off one that takes just a few minutes to put together.  Run off the Lincoln & Washington template. 

Students glue it to a sheet of red or blue construction paper and trim around the edges.  Cut 3 inch wide red or blue construction paper strips the length of extra large construction paper.

Staple a strip and 1/2 together to make a quick headband.  Students glue their Lincoln/Washington picture to the middle. Measure a strip to fit snuggly around the student and staple so that the picky points are on the outside.  This way the band won't scratch or get caught in hair.

If you don't want to make a crown, this picture makes a nice poster.  Hang and use as a writing prompt for students to write about which President they like the best and why.

Click on the link to view/download the President's Day crowns. 

Another simple President's Day activity will help your students understand the concept of comparison and contrast.

Whenever I teach this form of writing, I always introduce it with a Venn Diagram.

I've included a Venn diagram so students can compare Lincoln to Washington, or Lincoln to Kennedy.

There's also a trivia sheet to help students think of ideas.

Click on the link to view/download President's Day Venn Diagrams.

Finally, I always liked to have a few Tabletop worksheets for students to do.  Since some of my kiddo's were still struggling with upper and lowercase letter identification in February, I continued to play "I Spy!" games.

They are a quick and easy way to whole group assess, and students love doing them.

Simply run off the Lincoln and Washington templates.

Have a quiet child start the game by calling out a letter.

Children search for the letter and circle it.  As soon as they've found it, they shoot their hand in the air.

A quick glance around the room will ascertain who knows their letters and who doesn't.

You can walk around glancing at papers, while children are searching for letters, to make sure they are circling the correct one.

Click on the link to view/download Lincoln and Washington "I Spy A Letter" worksheets.

 For more President's Day activities, click on the link to go to that section of my site.

Thank you for visiting.  Feel free to PIN anything you think others might find helpful.

"Try not to over think things, lest you create a problem that wasn't there in the first place." -Unknown