3 pages.

This craftivity provides great fine motor-cutting skill practice.  The packet includes a traceable template with answers, as well as a "bristle box" where students write their own thoughts of how they take care of their teeth. 

3 pages.

Practice cutting skills; review circles, triangles and dental hygiene all at the same time, with this writing prompt craftivity.

4 pages.

Run off the heart pattern on a variety of pastel colors of construction paper, or for more pizzazz, print it off on patterned scrapbook paper that has a plain flip side.  Students cut out their heart and then fold it on the dashed lines, creating an envelope!  Encourage students to write something inside,  or give them a poem or writing prompt.   I've included a page of suggestions.

6 pages.

You can simply have children cut on the bold line of their folded paper (they will be amazed to see they have created a whole heart when they unfold it) or you can have children cut the heart and "scrap" paper in half and glue them to another sheet of paper to make a positive-negative reverse piece of art. 

14 pages.

For a creative writing prompt for Valentine's Day, have students choose a friend to make some "paper love" for.  Children complete the prompt: Why do I like you?  Let me count the ways... When they are finished, they color the picture. 

21 pages.

Make writing a bit more fun with these 3D hearts, featuring three different writing prompts.  Packet includes 15 writing prompts and heart pattern + sample photographs. 

1-2-3 Come Do Some More Valentine's Day Activities With Me

To help build vocabulary, each month I added themed words to our word wall.  There are a ton of words that are associated with love and  Valentine's Day, so I decided to make an alphabetical list and came up with 240. 

There are 2 covers for a Valentine Dictionary, so that students can think up their own word list, and then look up and record any new words from mine that you want your students to know. 

This makes a wonderful Daily 5 word work activity.  Click on the link to view/download the Valentine Vocabulary packet.

Another interesting way to practice words and letters is with my tri-hearts.   You can use the template in a variety of ways. 

The photo shows: upper and lowercase letters (Put one on each side and then flip open to reveal a picture of a word that starts with those letters.); compound words, contractions, as well as equations.  

I've also included an owl valentine your students can make. Click on the link to view/download the Folded Heart packet.

For more writing practice, have students pick a holiday and compare it with Valentine's Day.  I've designed 12 holiday Venn diagrams for your students to choose from, plus a blank one for them to add something different. 

When they are done with their Venn diagram, have students complete the writing prompt: My favorite holiday is ... because ...  Click on the link to view/download the Valentine Venn Diagram Writing Prompt packet.

Finally, I had a few special requests.  Kara, from Florida, needed some valentine themed puzzles for her young kinders to do on party day.  Laura Strickland's clip art is so adorable, that I designed 20 different puzzles, that will help students count forwards and backwards, as well as skip count by 10's to 100. 

I've included 3 black and white puzzles for your kiddos to color, cut and take home; or they can glue their puzzle pieces to a sheet of construction paper, leaving a small space inbetween each piece.  The results are an interesting mosaic work of art and make a cool bulletin board. 

Besides using the puzzles for a center, have students choose a partner and play "Speed" to see who can complete their puzzle first.  You can also make puzzle flip books.  Choose 3 puzzles, mix them up and then staple the top section to the numbered puzzle grid. 

Students decide which puzzle they want to search for, and flip each strip 'til they find the correct one that will complete their choice. Click on the link to view/download the Twenty Valentine's Day Puzzle packet.

Theresa, from Kansas, requested some heart-themed clock cards. This was also on my "to do" list, so I got busy.  The cards include digital as well as analog times to the hour and half hour.  (Common Core State Standard: 1.MD.3)

Use the cards for whole group assessing, flashcard reviews, or a bulletin board.  Make extra sets; cut them up and use for puzzles and games such as Memory Match and "I Have; Who Has?"  

I've included blank clocks so students can fill them in, as well as a clockless set for you to program with whatever. Click on the link to view/download the Heart-Themed Clock Cards.

Thanks for visiting today.  Feel free to PIN away. 

"Education is the key to unlocking the world; a passport to freedom." -Oprah Winfrey

1-2-3 Come Do Some Chinese New Year Activities and Crafts With Me.

There never seems to be enough time in the teaching day, so things like social studies and science don't get covered all that much anymore, if at all.  This is truly a sad state of affairs, because our children are not as well-rounded as they used to be, when life was simpler and no one ever heard of CCSS or standardized testing.

For this reason, I really try hard to design things that cover the standards, while at the same time plugging in a few of the more fun extras.  One of my Y5's favorite theme days was our Chinese New Year celebration.  It was a great way to have my students learn about, compare and contrast another country.  They were fascinated. 

Even if you don't have time for an entire unit, many of the following activities can quickly and easily be added to your day.   If nothing else, simply read several books about Chinese New Year during your story time, and have children locate Asia and China on a map.  

If you need some help finding a story, click on the link for a list of 53 of my all-time favorite Chinese books.  

I think you'll find it quite helpful, as it's a comprehensive annotated bibliography, where I explain and comment on each book. 

It took me zillions of hours to put it together, and that was after I spent some time sorting through my huge collection, but I thought it was time well-spent, as most people are not that familiar with multi-cultural books.    

I've also designed 4 Chinese bookmarks to pass out to your kiddos.  Click on the link to check them out.  

You can find a few of these stories being read on YouTube as well. A personal favorite, is Tikki Tikki Tembo.  

My Y5’s were delighted when I repeated  Tikki’s very long full name, and wanted to learn it themselves.  Click on the link for an excellent animated version of this popular folktale.

Another wonderful YouTube fairytale video is The Story of Nian. It’s just 3 minutes and explains the meaning behind many of the Chinese New Year beliefs, because of this mythological half lion-half dragon.

This year, Chinese New Year is being celebrated on Friday, January 31st and runs for 15 days, which ends on our Valentine's Day, so there's plenty of time to try and fit something cultural into your lessons.  

It's the year of the horse, so if you do an animal unit, your students will enjoy learning about the Chinese zodiac creatures.

The Chinese typically don't refer to this celebration as Chinese New Year; instead, the festivities are known as Spring Festival 春節 or Lunar New Year 農曆新年 because their year is determined by the Lunar Calendar. 

The Chinese aren't the only ones who observe it either. From late January to mid-February, Korea, Vietnam, Japan and other countries celebrate Lunar New Year too.

A fun way to add a bit of Asian flavor to your day, is with these Chinese dragon alphabet cards.  Use them as flashcards, a bulletin board boarder, independent center or for group games. 

I've included a 3-page tip list of things you can do with the cards.  After laminating, cut up an extra set and make puzzles. Click on the link to view/download the Chinese dragon alphabet cards.

Although China does not have a set of alphabetical letters like we do, it is possible to write your students' names in Chinese. 

I found an awesome site "Free Chinese Name Translations" where you simply type in your kiddos names and they appear in lovely Chinese characters!  The photo shows what my name looks like. 

I copy and pasted my family's names in a document, so that I could shrink or enlarge them.  I had such a great time diddling around here; my brain was going 90-miles an hour, thinking of fun things I could do with these.

A few names "could not be found" (my sister Kathie, for example) but you could adjust the spelling and see if that helps. Kathy did work.  I simply corrected the spelling on my copy.  If that doesn't work, you could also try a child's middle name.

These can be made into bookmarks, a certificate of praise, nametag, flag, greeting card, lantern, fan, or shrunk to make the center tag for a necklace, button, or magnet.  The photo shows the fan I made. 

To make one, enlarge the name card that you made, by cutting and pasting it into a Word or Pages document.  I dragged the image to the full size of the length of the paper.  Leave at least 2-3 inches of white border on the bottom when you cut it out, or your name won't show up.

When students are done, staple the bottom and gently pull apart.  "Fan-folding" is an excellent fine motor skill that my Y5's really enjoyed doing.

Another quick activity your kiddo's could do when they were done with lessons, is to color a Chinese picture.  Click on the link for the Chinese ChildBook site. 

It has a large variety of Chinese New Year prints including these cute little Chinese children.  Any of them could also be folded to make a prety fan.

Another simple way to add a splash of China to your day, is by playing some of their soothing music while your students work.  There's something very calming in the melodic music that chinese instruments create. 

I'm listening to "Music From The Tea Lands" as I blog.  It's especially meaningful because 2 of our sons were born in Korea.  If you don't have a CD, click on the link to hear 25 minutes of tranquil sounds from China.

As your students come through the door, wish them a Happy New Year in Chinese, and then teach them how to say: " Gong Hey Fat Choy." (gung-she-fah-tie) 

After several hours of research, I made up a page of information that includes several ways to say Happy New Year in Chinese, as well as links for you to hear how it should sound, plus the Chinese characters that make up these greetings. 

There are also some great links of Chinese children singing Happy New Year.  This informational sheet is in the Chinese Bookmark packet. Click on the link to grab this FREEBIE. Choose which ever bookmark you like the best and tuck one in your students' desks or backpacks. 

That’s it for today.   I have so much more to share, but I don’t want these blog articles to get too long. Be sure and pop by tomorrow for some more great Chinese New Year Activities.  Feel free to PIN away.

“A child’s life is like a piece of paper on which every person leaves a mark.” –Chinese Proverb

Making Class Books For President's Day!

President’s Day is coming soon, Monday the 20^th.  I have some fun activities chock full of standards for you.

Students will enjoy writing so much more if they know their page will become part of a class book.  I think they take a little more pride in their work.

After you laminate and collate their pages into a class book, read it to the class by having each student share their page. Let them know ahead of time that you will be doing this.

Work on books in class, or send them home as a home-school connection for parents to work on with their child.

My Washington and Lincoln Fact Book is a quick and interesting way to learn a few things about both presidents in a side-by-side comparison method.

Students trace the sentence, write the main word, cut and glue the matching picture and then read the booklet via the picture clues.

There is a math graphing extension included.

Click on the link to view/download the Washington and Lincoln Fact Book.

Share with your students the responsibilities of the President of the United States and then have them complete the writing prompt:

If I Were President... Children illustrate their page and teachers collate them into a class book.  Adding student school pictures makes the books even more personal. 

There are 2 graphing extensions to this book as well. 

Click on the link to view/download If I Were President class book.

Washington or Lincoln Comparison Class Book allows students to decide which president they liked best and then write why. There’s a graphing opportunity here as well.

Click on the link to view/download Washington or Lincoln Comparison Class Book.

Facts About US Presidents is a nice mini research-computer lesson where students find three facts about the president of their choice and list them along with a picture and at least 2 sources. 

Teachers compile these into a class book as well.  A list of all the Presidents and the terms that they served are included.

Click on the link to view/download Facts About US Presidents.

Finally, I made a packet of 12 “Just for fun” skill sheets, including 2 similarities and differences worksheets.

(It’s a report card standard to recognize similarities and differences and so hard to find worksheets to assess this, so I’ve included them in all of my units.) 

Plus a complete the pattern worksheet (also a standard that’s hard to find practice sheets for.)

There’s a cute “Happy President’s Day” paperclip bookmark, that makes a cute gift from the teacher, included in this packet as well.

It could also be a quick center activity.

Click on the link to view/download Washington & Lincoln's Skill Sheets & Activities

I got the idea for them from these paperclips from Sherry’s Blog Altered To Perfection. 

Click on the link to see her creative things.

For a fun center activity, pop back on Friday to see how to make Lincoln and Washington’s hats!

Scroll down for yesterday's President's Day mobiles and past PD articles!