1-2-3 Come Fill A Pail Of Fun With Me

Double-Duty! Writing Prompts and Bulletin Boards

I love this time of year.  Standards have been taught, assessments are pretty much done, and I'm looking for some fun pre-summer things to plug in.  

Students are anxiously waiting for summer vacation so why not cash in on that enthusiasm and use it as a writing prompt?

I like to incorporate writing with a bit of art to turn these lessons into "craftivities". 

Students seem to enjoy them more, creating awesome results and I have an instant bulletin board or hallway decoration when things are starting to look a little sparce.

Make A Bucket List!

I'm happy to report I've achieved just about everything I've wanted to accomplish in a college notebook "bucket list" and that's a wonderful feeling.  I now have mini-bucket "to-do" lists on a daily basis which triggered this idea.

These colorful sand pail buckets make an adorable bulletin board or hallway display, or can simply be sent home with your students.  If you're homeschooling they are perfect for a summer scrapbook page.

Run off my masters on a variety of brightly colored construction paper and give students a choice of colors.  Make sure children choose a DIFFERENT color for their pail and shovel as it makes a nicer contrast and more colorful bulletin board.

Students CUT out their pails and write their name on the back of them.  Children also cut out their shovel and write their name on that as well.  If you want to make this even more of a keepsake, add their school picture to the shovel as well.  Cut two, 2-inch strips of complimentary-colored construction paper, and glue them together. Mine are 22 inches long.

Glue the ends to the back of the pail on either side, for a 3-D handle. I looped mine down so that it crossed over the written paper, and then I folded the right end down.

Have children brush on Elmer's school glue to the oval section of their pail and then sprinkle on play sand. Set the pails aside to dry.  You could also simply cut oval shapes using sandpaper.

While the pails are drying, students write their "bucket list" of all the things they want to do during the summer and then glue the list to the bottom of their sand pail.

Mount the pails on the bulletin board or wall with the shovels leaning against them.  Use light brown paper as a background so that it looks like a beach or big sandbox.

Two or three paper seagulls suspended from fish line, flying overhead, complete the picture.  The caption:  Our Summer Bucket List! You could expand this idea and have a "not fun" bucket list for another day of writing.

This would be a list of things students have to get done over the summer that they don't really want to do, like clean their rooms, do yard work, etc.  For these buckets and shovels they would pick colors they don't like. 

Click on the link to view/download Summer Fun Writing Prompts  Thanks for visiting today.  Feel free to PIN away.

"People don't notice when it's winter or summer when they are happy." -Anton Checkov

I'm Going To Have A Whate Of A Good Time...

This is along the same lines as the "Bucket List" and "Having A Ball" writing prompts above.  

A little bit different twist to the "Bucket List" activity in the first article, is to use a beach ball instead of a sand pail.  Run off my master and have students fill in the writing prompt: "I'm going to have a ball this summer doing..."

Children have the option of writing their list on the balls and then coloring them, or cutting out brightly colored pieces of construction paper and gluing them to the beach ball like a puzzle and then writing on them.

The easiest way for them to do this, is to give them two copies of the white beach ball and three 5x7 sheets of 3 different colors of construction paper of their choice.

One of the white beach balls will be their template, the other one they will lay on top of a piece of construction paper and cut out the desired colored piece and then glue it to the white template.

After they have glued all of their pieces down, they write their prompt: "I'm going to have a ball..." and then cut out their beach ball.  Students write their name in a pretty colored marker around the small circle on the ball.

Put royal blue paper on your bulletin board, gently scrunch up some light blue tissue paper and arrange it in long rows to look like waves and then staple it across the board.

Tuck the beach balls in and on top of the waves.  Purchase 3 beach balls at The Dollar store, blow them up and suspend them with fish line from the ceiling.

Write: Having A / Ball This / Summer! on 3 different index cards.  Use a thick black magic marker.  Put scotch tape on the back of the index cards and stick them to the beach balls.

If the balls spin around so that you can't read them, make another set of cards for the backs of the balls.

If you want to do the pail as well as the beach ball, then have the beach ball be about friends they are going to do things with.

To add to the fun, and to get some gross motor and verbal acuity activities in as well, toss around a real beach ball. 

The student who catches it shares what they will do this summer.  When they catch the ball have students write their name on it with permanent marker.

After everyone has had a turn, pull a student's name out of a basket of names.  That student wins the beach ball!

Click on the link to view/download Summer Fun Writing Packet

Scroll down for yet another summer writing prompt: Having A Whale Of A Good Time...

Stop And Think!

Who needs a stop sign?  You do; if you're like me.

Scenario: I'm assessing at a table and I have my other "zillion" students working independently, but still have a few who are coming up every few minutes to interrupt to ask questions, tattle, etc.

Assessing takes longer, I forget where I'm at, the child being assessed can't focus; you get the picture.

Solution: This little stop sign.  
Explanation: I remind my "independent workers" ahead of time, that I am assessing, short of death, blood, and sickness I am not to be interrupted.  

Of course in their eagerness, they will forget, so I explain:
"In case you forget, I will hold up this reminder sign.  What does it say? STOP. What does that mean? STOP in your tracks.  STOP and think. Is this an emergency? if not, STOP what you were about to do, which is what? Interrupt; instead, go back and sit down. Don't STOP working!"

This has been extremely effective for me.  I simply watch out of the corner of my eye for approaching offenders and hold up the sign. They immediately retreat without any words spoken.

I also have one taped to a Popsicle stick.  I hold it up whenever I want the students to immediately STOP or freeze in their tracks.  

As soon as I see everyone frozen, I give directions.  I tell them that if they can do it in 15 seconds there is a reward.  They LOVE trying to beat the clock as well as "freezing".

Usually the reward is a scoop of popcorn kernels in the popcorn jar.  When the jar is full they get popcorn and an educational video like Magic School Bus.  The reward has also been filling in letters that spell something they are working for like Hot Chocolate, Extra Recess, Play-Doh, or Free Play Center Time etc.

Click on the link to view/download the Stop Sign

Thanks for visiting.  Do STOP back tomorrow for more ideas and teaching tips. 

Do you have one you'd like to share? I'd enjoy hearing from you. diane@teachwithme.com or feel free to post a comment here. 

Thanks in advance for making time to do that. 

PIN away if you see something on the site you think might be helpful or interesting to someone else. 

Remember to STOP and not only smell the flowers, but plant some!

A New Twist On "There Were 10 In The Bed":  Subtraction In Action!

Are you doing A Farm Theme or do you want to review simple subtraction with your students?

This cute little booklet will help out.

Simply make a teacher's edition to read, or run off a copy for all of your students to trace, solve and write the subtraction equations in their booklets.

The adorable ending switches to addition.

After reading the story, chose 10 students to lie on the floor and chant the "There were 10 in the bed" verse. The child on the end "moo-ves" over and leaves the barn 'til only the calf is left.  Play until all of your students have had a turn.

Your students will really enjoy "seeing" subtraction in action.

Click on the link to view/download There Were 10 In The Barn

Thanks for stopping today.  I hope you can moo-ve on over tomorrow too, for more ideas and tips.

Feel free to PIN anything you think might help or be of interest to others.

Do you have a farm-related idea, or one that helps your kiddos learn subtraction or addition that you'd like to share? 

I'd enjoy hearing from you. diane@teachwithme.com or feel free to leave a comment here, especially if you use one of my ideas.  Thanks in advance for your time.

Scroll down for article #2 today FIREFLIES!

Remembering To Be True To The Red White And Blue

Are you looking for an appropriate activity to plug into your lessons for the Friday before Memorial Day?

The My Flag booklet is perfect for your Daily 5 or a whole group reading/writing activity.

Students TRACE and then WRITE key words; learn important facts about the flag as they cut and glue matching pictures to the appropriate sentences.

Numbers that are associated with the flag are also reviewed and practiced.

There are 3 endings to the booklet, which allows you to make it appropriate for a variety of patriotic holidays including Memorial Day.

I’ve also included:

• 36 word-wall word flashcards, that you can use as such, or have students make into Itty Bitty booklets.
• 2 certificates of praise.
• 2 different graphing extensions
• An achievement poster
• A flag coloring page and
• 12 skill sheets

Click on the link to view/download My Flag booklet/packet

Also helpful, is the Flag Activities Packet, which covers the history of our flag, information about the flag, and includes links, articles, art projects, worksheets and writing activities, perfect for a patriotic-themed activity for the Friday before Memorial Day.

Click on the link to view/download Flag Activities Packet

Whatever you’re planning, I hope you have some extra time for yourself, so you can rest, relax, and rejuvenate, as well as reflect on the importance behind this special holiday.

Do you have an activity you'd like to share? I'd enjoy hearing from you. diane@teachwithme.com or feel free to leave a comment here, especially if you use one of my ideas. 

Thanks in advance for your time and visiting today.

Feel free to PIN away if you find anything on our site you think might be helpful to others.

"Encourage spontaneity...by regularly scheduling creative activities." -Art Peterson

A Facelift For The Classroom

As things are winding down at the end of the year, I always made a list of things that needed to be done “cleaning” wise, then I enlisted my students' help.

Get your students involved in this cleaning binge the last week of school.

My Y5’s LOVED helping out.  One of their favorite things to do was to help me clean the desks and chairs.

A fun way to do this is to give each student a dollop of shaving cream.  Have them smear it into a “whiteboard” and write their name, draw shapes, letters, numbers etc. on it.

It’s an easy way to whole-group assess as well.

When the shaving cream is almost gone, and the “board” has disappeared, squirt the desks with Lysol or whatever other cleaning solution that you use, and give your students paper towels to wipe them off.

The shaving cream has removed sticky residue, crayon marks, and glue stick messes + your room smells wonderful.

Buy a package of Mr. Clean Erasers.  Cut them in 1/3rds and give each student a mini sponge to get permanent ink and colored marker mess off walls, desks, chairs, and your board.

Students also enjoy pushing around a portable vacuum.  I brought mine from home.

I also gave a manipulative tub to each child to dump out.  They sorted it to make sure only that particular object was in the tub.

Anything that did not belong was put into a “dump” tub to be sorted and put away later.  When “later” came, each child took a bowl full of “stuff” and 1 piece by 1 piece put those items away in their specific tub.

My grandmother always said: “Many hands make light work!”  It really applied here, as this would have taken me hours, and the children, working as a team, made short work of it.

We also checked markers and tossed out ones that didn't work well, and sorted the crayon tubs, tossing broken ones in a tub to be melted into crayon cakes.

While spring-cleaning add zip to your room with some fresh posters and center signs.

Replacing dog-eared or torn center signs will really make things look sharp.

Click on the link to view/download center signs

Adding a few new posters will not only give your room a fresh look, but be extremely helpful to students as anchor charts.

Click on the link to viewa selection of anchor charts.  Scroll down until you find the ones you want to print.

One of my favorites is "Give Me Five".  It's a terrific behavior management technique.  Teacher says: "Give me five."  Students raise their hand and do all five of the things listed on the poster.

PIN away if you see anything you think others may find helpful.

Home-School Connections: Life Made Simpler

“What did you do in school today?” How many times have you asked your own children that question?  How many times have they answered with just a few words, leaving you wondering if they did anything?

On the other side of the coin, are you a teacher that needs a quick checklist so that you can easily communicate with parents of a child who’s on a behavior modification program, so you can let them know what they did and how their conduct was for the day?

I designed a quick home-school connection chart that’s easy to fill out.  You can simply check the circles, or get more in-depth by jotting down specifics next to the subjects.

I’ve designed one for boys as well as girls.  This form can be filled out by the teacher or by older students.

I hope it makes your life a little easier.  Enjoy!

Click on the link to view/download Today I Did Checklist Chart

Do you have a form that works for you?  I’d enjoy hearing from you. diane@teachwithme.com or feel free to leave a comment here, especially if you use an idea of mine.  Thanks in advance for your time.

I hope you can pop on over tomorrow for more teaching tips.

Thanks for visiting today.

Feel free to PIN anything you think others might find useful.

Hey Super Student Syllable Sleuths, Let's Go On A Word Hunt!

Some teachers like to make up packets to send home over the summer so that students don’t forget things that they learned over the year, or perhaps you need a home-school connection right now for those little ones still struggling with some of their letters.

I designed a fun activity called ABCDe-tective Home Alphabet Word Search.

Children trace the upper and lowercase letters, (you can also have them write them) and then scamper around their home looking for words that begin with each letter of the alphabet.

When they find one, they write it down in the appropriate spot.

There’s a blank space in the magnifying glass so students can write the capital letter as well.

This packet includes a letter home to parents explaining the project + a certificate of praise and an ABCDe-tective Achievement Poster to list the student’s names who complete the booklet, if you decide to do this as an all-class activity.

Click on the link to view/download the ABCDe-tective Home Alphabet Word Search Activity Packet.

If you like this activity, be sure and check out the other ABCDe-tective activity that’s a Classroom Scavenger Hunt.

It includes:

• A large magnifying glass template to make scampering around the room a bit more fun and "detective-like"
• A small magnifying glass template for locating and "framing" words, letters, shapes and numbers in books, charts, papers etc.
• Two detective badges.
• The ABCDe-tective treasure hunt list complete with picture icons.
• 26 upper and lowercase alphabet cards.
• Covers to make Itty Bitty books.
• 38 word wall "read-around-the-room" word cards.  These can also be turned into another Itty Bitty book.
• 38 picture cards.  Use these to play a Memory Match game, make pairs, put next to the words on the word wall, include in the Itty Bitty books and
• 2 certificates of praise.

Click on the link to view/download ABCDe-tective Classroom Scavenger Hunt

Scroll down for article #2 today, a helpful Behavior checklist.

Read To Succeed!

One of the most requested items from teachers is “easy readers.”  They say that they need more little booklets for students to work on during Daily 5 as well as ones to send home so that students can practice reading them to their families.

I like to make up easy readers that also reinforce additional standards like math, science, colors, etc. so that I get more “bang for my time buck” so to speak.

I also want my students to have an opportunity to write some of the main words in the easy readers to get practice with those skills too.

I dabble with goofy endings, or ones with a unique twist, and sometimes allow students to think of an alternative ending, so that they can use their imaginations.

One of my biggest pet peeves with many published easy readers was that they abruptly ended with no real conclusion.

This week I completed several.

My Mom is perfect for a Mother’s Day writing prompt and reinforces the use of adjectives and verbs.  Make it even more of a keepsake by having students glue their school photo to the last page.

Click on the link to view/download My Mom Mother’s Day booklet.

Several teachers wanted a booklet that reviewed the seasons.

Since many of you also study trees, I thought it would be nice to combine the two.

The Seasons Of My Tree (photo top right) does just that, with a cute twist at the end, that I’m sure your students will enjoy dreaming up.

Click on the link to view/download The Seasons Of My Tree

Who Invited The Ants To The Picnic? (photo bottom right) is a sweet pre-summer, easy reader that reinforces number words and counting to 10.  It provides an opportunity for students to write two alternative endings to the story.

Click on the link to view/download Who Invited The Ants To The Picnic

I just finished story cards for the old-fashioned tune, The Ants Go Marching.  So if you'd like to incorporated these with the picnic booklet, or teach your little ones this fun counting song, click on the link to view/download

The Ants Go Marching story cards.

I hope you enjoy these new booklets. If there’s something special you’re looking for, just shoot me an e-mail and I’ll see what I can whip together.  diane@teachwithme.com

I’ve found that if one teacher needs it, there’s sure to be many more out there who do too! i.e. I only had 1 request for some activities with an Angry Bird's theme and Angry Birds Activities & Angry Birds Shapes, are two of my most popular downloads!

Thanks for visiting; feel free to PIN anything that you feel might be helpful to a parent or teacher.

I hope you can stop by tomorrow for more tips.

Happy Reading!