The Saga Continues...

When I first started this article I had no idea there was so much history about the flag.  It was fascinating doing research and finding a lot of new trivia that I didn't know! 

I ended up breaking down this article into 4 parts and spending an entire week making the separate sections.   I hope you find it as interesting as I did.

I think you can use this information for a variety of studies in your classroom, whether it's for the end of the year as you're winding down or at the start of the school year and just learning how to say The Pledge of Allegiance.

I think it's important for young people to know about this important symbol of our country. 

The Flag Changes:

The flag changed again after Vermont and Kentucky were admitted to the Union in 1791 and 1792.

Two more stars and two more stripes were added in 1795. This 15-star, 15-stripe flag was known as the “star-spangled banner” that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the poem that later became the U.S. national anthem.

His teacher said he would give him a better grade if Congress would choose his design.  Robert took it as a challenge and sent his handmade flag to Rep. Walter Moeller.  The rest is history!

Robert's flag is still flying  and the only flag in America's history to have flown over the White House under five administrations.  Even tho’ Heft has been offered $350,000 for the flag he sewed many years ago, he’s not parting with it.  Check it out by clicking on the link above.

For a time line showing the different flags click on the link. Time line of US flags 1 For another interesting time line click on the second link. Time line of US flags 2

If you'd like to know when each state joined the union click on the link for a cool US map showing the statehood of each one, as well as how our flag looked at the time. This goes from 1777 to 1960 when the last state of Hawaii was added.  Statehood Map & Flags

The multiple flag picture above, is an oil painting of the US historical flags. It is courtesy of the Wikimedia Commons files. Click on the link to view their history of the flag article.

Flag Videos:

I also found a YouTube video showing the 28 flags that have been officially used by the USA, with The Star Spangled Banner playing as background music.

It's a nice video to show as a culmination of this quick history of our flag and great for SmartBoards.  Click on the link.

There's also a nice YouTube video of our current flag flying in a variety of photographs.

For a bit of history of our flag that gives credit to Hopkinson click on this link.

An American Minute describes what the colors of our flag mean.  I didn't know that the colors were symbolic, so I checked.  This is also debated.  It seems controversy arose because of an excerpt misconstrued about the Seal of the United States. The description is about the seal's colors,  NOT our flags.  Click on the link.

Robin Williams As The Flag is an older video that I enjoyed. Short and with his usual satirical humor, but then I'm a fan of Robin.

Flag Folding:

Folding a flag is very important.  I had seen this ceremony done several times in my life, none more poignant than at my dad's funeral.

He was in the army and it was important for my mom that he had the traditional rifle salute as well as the flag folding ceremony.  It was very beautiful.

Click on the link to view/print how this is done, and then demonstrate it to your students.  They will be amazed.  Then take it a step farther, print copies of my flag, and let them try their hand at folding a small paper flag. Click on the link to view/print small flag. Use thin, inexpensive paper to print the flag so that it won't be hard to fold, as students need to glue a flag to both sides.  In order to tuck in the end I had to fold the corner of my paper.  Directions of how to fold a real flag.

Quick video of how to properly fold the flag.

Interesting YouTube video of a 3rd grade teacher's invention to help students learn how to fold the flag this is good except that the student did not tuck it in correctly when he was done.

Flag Games:

Click on the link to play a fun game called “Patriotic Pairs”. There are 3 levels.  While at this Veterans’ Affairs K-5^th site, try your hand at several other games and activities.  Try and beat my score of 198 playing “Beat the Blocks”.

Careful! This could be addicting! I also liked Creative Coloring, and if you like, you can make a medal at this site as well.

Lil Fingers has a fun Flags & Symbols Memory Match game. Click on the link to play.

Flag Etiquette:

The Kids for our troops site offers some rules of etiquette for our flag. More in-depth etiquette can be found at American Family Traditions.

I had no idea there were so many rules.  Did you know that our flag can't be dipped to show honor to any person like other flags can, nor can it be buried with a person.

The Traveling Flag:

Our flag has gone on many adventures, from the North Pole to the moon! To find out about its interesting travels click on the link.   Robert Peary actually left pieces of the flag along the way to the North Pole!

Now that you've read up on the flag, take a FLAG QUIZ to see how much you know! Click on the link to see how brilliant you are.

I hope you found this article interesting.  I sure enjoyed learning new things about our flag!

I wish you a Happy Flag Day, and as many of our presidents have been fond of saying when they conclude ...

"God Bless You, and God Bless America!"

Be sure and read the next article about The Pledge Of Allegiance for more activities for Flag Day...

The Pledge of Allegiance

Flag Day just wouldn't be complete without saying or learning about The Pledge of Allegiance.

If you'd like to teach your students how to sign The Pledge of Allegiance as well as say it, click on the link.

Francis Bellamy wrote the pledge in 1892 as a poem for children, but the vocabulary is NOT kid-friendly.

I think the vocabulary of the pledge is pretty much over most young students' heads.

I often find them saying "invisible" and thinking that as well, when they are saying the pledge, so I think it's important to define these words for your students and not just have them memorize something they don't understand. 

Click on the link to view/print my Pledge Definition Booklet

Making learning the Pledge Easier:

There's a wonderful book called The Pledge of Allegiance by Sampson and Martin that I read before I teach my students the pledge. This also comes in big book form.  You can get it used on Amazon for only $1.98 + $3.99 for shipping and handling.

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They break the poem down into easy-to-understand "kid-friendly" language.

"I pledge (A pledge is a promise) allegiance to (Allegiance is loyalty) the flag (A flag is a symbol that stands for a place, a thing, or an idea. Making a promise to a flag usually means the same thing as making a promise to whatever the flag stands for.)."

The book also covers some of the history behind the pledge and the flag. The illustrator, Raschka's patriotic red-white and blue collage work, does an excellent job depicting ideas like liberty and justice in a unique way with a deft stroke and a few scraps that children can easily understand.  i.e. for “Allegiance is loyalty." children see a dog wagging his tail.

After reading this simple, yet respectful book, students have a handle on the meaning of the words and the feelings they should have when saying them.

After I explain what the pledge means,  I  help my students learn the words, with the help of a story and pictures, by reading Scholastic's book The Pledge of Allegiance. This book also comes in a Spanish edition.

Click on the link to view/print The Pledge Of Allegiance writing skill sheet, a flag to color, flag slap bracelets and several other flag skill sheets.

For an I can say The Pledge certificate, click on the link.

I also have an easy reader entitled: My Flag.  It includes 12 skill sheets and has 3 different endings you can choose from. Click on the link to check out this fun cut and glue booklet.

Why not become a subscriber and be able to print everything at no additional cost for an entire year.

The Man Credited With Writing the Pledge:

Francis Bellamy:

When I was researching Francis Bellamy I found some interesting trivia as well. 

'I didn't know that there was controversy around the fact that some argued he was not the sole author of the pledge.

Some say that The Pledge of Allegiance never would have been written and promoted if The Youth's Companion had not existed in 1892.

Daniel Ford, the magazines owner and editor, are pretty much forgotten.  He was a successful businessman who knew how to interest both children and their parents in reading.

The Youth's Companion magazine from 1892 -1929 promoted the Pledge of Allegiance. They claimed that  James Bailey Upham, (Ford`s nephew) along with staff at the magazine helped write the Pledge.

Have you ever wondered why there’s a flag flying at all the public schools?  You can give credit for that to this same magazine’s ad campaigns for that as well.

One very successful ad urged students to write The Companion to receive 100 cards stating: "This Certificate entitles the holder thereof to one share in the patriotic influence of a Flag over the schoolhouse."

The cards, sold for only a dime, and brought in the ten dollars to buy a flag that was sold by the magazine. The Board of Education was asked to furnish the flagstaff.

This campaign resulted in about twenty-five thousand schools buying the American flag in the year 1891.

Later, flying the flag over schools became law.  To read more about this very interesting magazine and the history it played in The Pledge of Allegiance click on the link.

If you'd like to read more about Francis Bellamy click on the links. Bellamy 1 discusses the argument of who wrote the pledge. Bellamy 1

Bellamy 2 gives you his bio as well as an interesting excerpt in his own words of why he chose the words he did for The Pledge of Allegiance.

They also have a photo of children doing the "Bellamy salute."  The practice of this salute was later dropped by the instruction of then president Roosevelt, as this same salute was picked up by Nazi Germany.

That's why to this day we hold our right hand over our heart when we say the pledge! Amazing the things you can learn when researching to write a blog article!  I need to be on a game show or something.

I hope you learned some things as well and that you enjoy learning as much with your students as I do with mine!  Have a wonderful time celebrating the Red White And Blue.

As always, if there's an idea that you do with your students, I'd enjoy hearing from you. diane@teachwithme.com

Patriotic Projects

If you're still counting down the days 'til school ends, or if you're a busy mom home schooling or just looking for something to do with your little ones, I hope these activities provide you with some fun under the sun.

If you're not celebrating Flag Day, tuck them away for the 4th of July, next year's Memorial Day or for when you want to do something when you're teaching The Pledge of Allegiance! 

These art projects are fun, quick and easy and will brighten up your home or classroom for the summer!  I hope you enjoy them.

Flag Art Projects:

Popsicle stick flags:

Give students 8 Popsicle sticks to paint red and white.  These will need two coats of paint.  

Use non-painted sticks or you may need more coats. I only had the colored ones at home and even the yellow ones took 4 coats of white because the dye bled through.

 When they have dried, have them glue their sticks to a white sheet of 5x7 construction paper.  Because the paper is bigger, you won't have glue all over the place and you can trim the flag later when it is dry.

I use Elmer's wood glue because It is a bit thicker and it adheres to the sticks better, but regular works too. I find that little ones apply liquid glue so much better with a Q-tip dipped in a dollop that's in a small paper plate than squirting from a bottle.

When students are done, have them raise their hands so you can use another Popsicle stick to butt up against their rows to make sure they are even.  Let dry and then trim paper around the edges.

Children can now paint a blue rectangle in the upper left hand corner. When that dries they can add white dots with a Q-tip.

These make a cute magnet if you want to add a dollop of glue and a nickel-size magnet to the middle, or varnish them and use for a summer coaster. 

Keepsake Flag Handprints: Paint student's hand red, white and blue and press on a sheet of yellow construction paper.

Instead of stars, have them add some dots or X's  of white with a Q-tip. 13 looks nice, but I find my Y5's get carried away and forget to count and they have LOTS of dots! 

I use the flag print for the July handprint page in the Keepsake Handprint Calendar Book if I make one to give as an end-of-the year gift. 

I'm not big on triple painting little ones hands.  It's pretty difficult to manage 3 brushes and colors before the paint dries on an impatient 5-year-old. 

I can barely do one color on my grandson who is one, and it's hard to keep his hand open; forget more than one color with him! 

I made X's for the stars. I only have 12 which really doesn't make any sense historically, but when I thought of adding 13 it just wasn't going to look that good artistically.  You may opt to have your little ones just make dots as making an x with a Q tip was even difficult for me.

The other thing you need to remember is that you have to paint their RIGHT hand.  I'm whipping this together over the weekend so that I could take a picture for the blog, and because I'm right handed, of course I'm painting my left hand, and then when I pressed it down, the flag was backwards. Sigh...

Click on the link for a cute poem I wrote.  To make this into a card, fold a sheet of construction paper in half, glue the student's handprint to the front and the poem inside. Have children sign it at the bottom.  Flag handprint poem.

Rip & Tear Flag: Have students rip and tear strips of red, and blue construction paper to a sheet of white construction paper.  You can opt to give students 13 star stickers for the 13 original colonies like one of the first flags, if you want to teach a bit of history, but if you have a lot of kids, that's a lot of stickers, and if they are young, that's a lot of sticking. 

On the photo I used a medium star punch and had them glue 6 stars onto the blue canton.  I told them that was how old they were going to be on their next birthday. 

You could also arrange 5 stars in a circle like the Betsy Ross flag and then have the children count by 10's to 50 (the number of stars on today's flag) to get the point across. Basically, my students knew that there were stars and stripes on the flag and that the flag was red, white and blue.

Run my template off on white construction paper. 

Click to view/print the rip and tear US flag art project template.

When you print my master you'll have to trim off the edges.  Cut 1- inch strips of blue construction paper, and 1/2 - inch strips of red construction paper.  The 1/2 - inch strips will fit perfectly on the master; I purposely designed it this way so that it would be easy for a little one to fill a stripe. 

A small glue stick also runs perfectly along this stripe so that they can rub glue on only the stripe that they need to. 

If you want to stay true to the 13 stripes and use this as a factual-learning art project, then you'll need to cover the last "My Rip & Tear Flag" stripe.  I didn't do that in the photo. 

Younger children get tired so you may want to opt for one less stripe as well.

Each child will need 2 blue strips and 4 & 1/2 red ones.  I have my students work on a sheet of scratch paper.

Remind little ones to skip every other stripe so they have an ABAB (red-white-red-white) flag pattern.  Sometimes they get carried away with the glue stick and put glue on the white stripes. 

I tell my Y5's to rip up their strips first and make 2 colored piles of their torn pieces.  When they have completed that, then they can rub glue on a stripe and press their torn "square" of paper on the glue.

Remind them to rub glue on the paper, not on the "square".  Some children will try to do the latter and they will get their fingers all sticky; this is also more difficult and time consuming.

Make sure they press hard or their paper squares won't be stuck when they lift up their flag.  Remind students that they should fill in a stripe completely.

When they are working on the rectangular portion of their flag I tell them it's OK to go off the paper if they need to and that they can trim off the edges with a scissors when they are done. 

Remind students that they can overlap the pieces.  Make sure you make a sample so that you have a finished project to show them. 

I do "rip & tears" all year because they are such a great way to practice and strengthen their fine motor skills, but if you haven't torn strips, you actually need to demonstrate this to little ones or they will have a hard time knowing how to rip.

When they are ripping up their strips of paper, remind them that they should look like little squares.  Some students will want to glue down an entire "stripe". 

I give my students red and blue markers and have them write their name on the bottom in an ABAB (red-blue-red-blue) pattern.  They think this is pretty cool.

My Flag: You can send this home with parents to do with their child, or you can do it in class with them. 

Children design their own personal flag and write in information about themselves on the white stripes. 

How many stars on the flag equals how old they are.  This is sort of like a glyph.  Children's school photo goes inside the rectangle, along with the stars. 

The rectangle instead of being the regular blue is their favorite color.  The stripes are white + one of your school colors.  Click on the link to view/print directions and a note home. My Flag Art & Writing Project

Red-White & Blue Triple Stars:

 These can be run off and made as a sort of award where the "I know my flag facts!" is seen in the center star. 

You can also flip that small star over so the printing doesn't show and glue a student's picture there or write their name on them, and use these for another purpose. 

Punch a hole in the point, pull a piece of yarn through and let students lace red, white and blue pieces of cut straws on for a patriotic necklace. 

You could also alternate the straws with pony beads.  There are 6 color combinations. 

Run the master off on red, white and blue construction paper and give students a choice of what pattern star they want to put together.

Click on the link to view/print a copy of the master. Patriotic Triple Stars

Patriotic Windsock:

There's a patriotic windsock posted in the Arts-Crafts and Activities section for the month. Click on the link to check it out.

Patriotic Pinwheels:

I LOVE making pinwheels with children! They are super easy and come out fantastic. 

They are thrilled with the results; you can do them for any holiday and the supplies are inexpensive; + they spin when you blow on them which is an added bonus!

You can get scrapbook paper at all kinds of stores, so finding a patriotic print was no problem. 

I looked for one that was printed on both sides (it's a bit more expensive), but I couldn't find any that I liked, so I simply cut a smaller square of solid red copy paper and glued it to the back. 

The result was a wonderful contrast that made my pinwheel even sturdier. 

For extra pizzazz you can glue a bright red or blue rhinestone over the brass brad using a thick glue dot. 

I like to poke holes in a straw with a protractor and insert the brad backs because straws are a lot less expensive than wooden dowels and I don't have to worry about children poking themselves. 

They work just as well as dowels, if you want to poke your pinwheel into a potted plant.  Just hold on to the bottom, so you don't bend the straw. 

If you want to put it in the ground, make a hole with a stick first. Use my masters to make an easy pinwheel.  Click on the link to view/print them. Patriotic Pinwheel

If you're done with school and out and about, I hope you're having a nice time relaxing and can tuck these ideas away for the fall when your students are learning The Pledge of Allegiance,  whatever you're doing, I wish you all a wonderful Flag Day!

Be sure to read the next article on other activities you can do to celebrate our flag. 

Until next time, I salute all of you who are true to the red, white and blue!

Proudly Flying the Stars and Stripes. 

I wanted to whip together some things for Flag Day.  Some schools will be out before the 14th, but others go longer because of snow day make up, or they are year round,  some are already starting their summer school programs, or perhaps you home school and simply want to teach your little ones about the flag. 

I remember after 911 factories couldn't keep up with the demand for flags,they were being flown everywhere; it was truly amazing.  

Who Designed The Flag?

I always surf the net for background and history to get ideas.

I found a tremendous amount of interesting information about our flag, everything from the controversies and debate about who designed it: Betsy Ross or Francis Hopkinson to the numerous designs that were actually flown throughout the years.

I love folklore, so I like to think that Betsy was truly asked by George Washington to sew the flag with the circle of 13 stars, but later it was Hopkinson who designed another flag that was adopted by The Continental Congress. 

There seems to be enough proof for both arguments, especially Hopkinson who had to submit all sorts of things to get paid.

According to popular legend, the Philadelphia seamstress who made flags for the navy, was acquainted with George Washington.

As you know he was the leader of the Continental Army.  The story goes, that in May of 1776, Washington and two representatives from the Continental Congress visited Ross at her upholstery shop and showed her a rough design of the flag.

Although Washington initially favored using a star with six points, Ross advocated for a five-pointed star. They were skeptical, but the gentlemen were won over, when she quickly folded a scrap of fabric and with one quick snip of her scissors produced a perfect 5-pointed star.

Thus we have a five-pointed star on the flag... or so the legend goes.  Click on the link to view/print Betsy Ross's 5-pointed star magic trick!

For a Betsy Ross page you can color online as a nice independent computer center, click on the link. Online Betsy Ross Coloring Page

For a regular Betsy Ross coloring page click on the link.

For a coloring page for a Betsy Ross Flag + other flags through 1960 click on the link.

The Betsy Ross star circle flag and the 13-star Hopkinson flag clipart is courtesy of the University of Oklahoma site.

They also have all of the state flags if you’re looking for a project. They give permission for teachers to use their clipart for educational purposes, provided you link back to them.

To color an original 1776 flag click on the link.

Unfortunately, historians have never truly been able to verify these charming events.  The story of Washington's visit to the flag maker became popular about the time of the country's first centennial, after William Canby, a grandson of Ross, told about her role in shaping U.S. history in a speech given at the Philadelphia Historical Society in March 1870.

What is known is that the first unofficial national flag, called the Grand Union Flag or the Continental Colors, was raised at the request of General Washington near his headquarters outside Boston, on Jan. 1, 1776.

This flag had 13 alternating red and white horizontal stripes and the British Union Flag (a predecessor of the Union Jack) in the canton. (Blue part of the flag.)

The Continental Congress approved the first official national flag, also known as the Stars and Stripes, on June 14, 1777. The blue canton contained 13 stars, representing the original 13 colonies, but the layout varied.

Although nobody knows for sure who designed the flag, many believe it may have been Continental Congress member Francis Hopkinson. He was a lawyer, and Congressman from New Jersey, who also signed the Declaration of Independence.

I thought it would be fun to have students read about Betsy Ross and Francis Hopkinson and decide for themselves which story they believe. 

Have a discussion and then graph the results.  You can also do a Venn diagram of the two flags, either Betsy's or Hopkinson's or a 1700's flag to the current flag. Click on the University of OK site and choose your flags.  Click on the link to view/print the Betsy Ross/Francis Hopkinson graph and Venn diagram of their two flags.

I spent several days researching many sites to find what I felt to be kid-friendly and informative.  To read more interesting history about the flag, Betsy Ross and Hopkinson click on the links.    Hopkinson Site,  Betsy Ross Site,  Flag Site,    US Flag Site,  United States Flag Site   

Be sure to read part 2 of this article to continue learning about our flag!

I call this "paper love" and have gotten lots of positive feedback from families.  One of my all-time favorite compliments was from a mom who popped in to say hi and shared: "Mrs. Henderson, the best thing you taught Tyler was how to love.  Do you know he still leaves me little notes on my pillow!"

I sometimes tell my students to take their "paper love" out of their backpacks and leave them somewhere.  It makes writing something more exciting, and then telling them to think of a fun place to leave their work makes it an adventure. 

You just need to get into a child's head for a moment to make things different and interesting.  Anything can become fun if you give it a new twist. Children enjoy mystery and making things for their families.

When I think of summer, I think of watermelons; and when I look at a slice of watermelon I see a smile.  This is a cute way to review small, medium and large too. 

For a refreshing and special snack time, ask a parent to donate a half watermelon and give everyone several chunks to munch on after they complete their card. 

Students can color in the seeds or give them a black stamp pad and make the card even more special by having them stamp their fingerprint in the middle of each seed. 

Have children add X's and O's for hugs and kisses and then sign their name on the green rind. 

You can either use tradition red and emerald green construction paper, or give them a choice of hot pink and lime green as well. 

You could also add the student's school picture next to their name if you wanted to, or take your class outside and photograph each child playing on their favorite playground equipment, with a big smile of course, and then have them glue the photo to the back of their watermelon slice for a nice end-of-the-school-year keepsake.  Click on the link to view/print the watermelon card

Patriotic Windsock: Since Flag Day is just around the corner, (June 14th) I like to toss in some red-white-and blue activities as well.  Did you know that Flag Day was first celebrated by a school teacher? It was a Flag Birthday.

Some teachers have a star as one of the shapes they study so this is a nice review of that.

A stripe is a rectangle and the windsock is a cylinder 3D shape, which is a report card standard for many.  I like to make several windsocks during the school year. 

It helps reinforce this concept in a fun way and helps children grasp the vocabulary word cylinder rather easily.

You'll need some yarn, a hole punch, stapler, construction paper, scissors and a glue stick to make this project. Click on the link to view/print the directions and pattern for a patriotic windsock.

Nature Alphabet Book: Your students should now know the letters of the alphabet if they're kindergartners, so why not celebrate and have a review by doing a nature alphabet book.

Run off my block letters and pass one out to each of your students.  Try to match up student initials with a letter, or put them face down on the floor and have each child scamper to pick one up and identify the mystery letter they will do.

Send the note home to parents explaining the project, or go on your own nature walk and have children collect things.  

Students can try and find things in nature that begin with that letter, look like that letter, or simply collect anything and collage their letter.

Mount each page on a different sheet of colored construction paper for each one, collate your class book and read it to your students. 

If you want to make it sturdier, cover the top of each page with a sheet of contact paper.

This makes a great keepsake that new students will enjoy for years to come.  You can do another nature book in the fall with your new students and compare and contrast the different kinds of things that they find. 

Click on the link to view/print the Nature Alphabet Book and note home.

When I went looking for things for my sample page, I found some huge leaves.  I decided to write notes to my students telling them that I hoped they had had a fun time on their walk. 

You could write LEAF LETTERS for any reason, or you could collect some huge leaves and have your students compose their own leaf letters using word-wall words.

Have A Super Summer!  Notes For Your Students:

If you'd like to send a note home to your students wishing them a super summer, I've designed 4 for you to choose from.  Click on the link to view/print them.  Student Summer Notes.  I also included 2 in the  June/July 72-page Apple Bytes. 

For more fun things to do, check out the Books of the Month for June.  I've got some fun things to do for Father's Day. 

The FREE easy reader booklet of the month is in the article after, it's entitled My Summer Senses, and the FREEBIE of the month is There Were 10 In The Barn.  Click on the link to check it out.

Whatever you're doing with your sweeties this summer, may it sizzle with excitement as you kick back and enjoy school being out.

As always, if you have a fun idea you'd like to share, I'd enjoy hearing from you. diane@teachwithme.com

I don't have a big list of books for summer because we usually let out the first week of June depending on snow days.  Sometimes we go to the second week of June, as is the case for this year; we are out the 10th. 

I don't want to forget Father's Day, so I make sure we take a day to cover that, with some stories, making time to whip a gift together as well. 

My students are always too excited about anything we make to tuck it away and save it, so I know that they will give it to their dad's as soon as they arrive home. 

In this changing world, I make sure that everyone has a daddy so no one feels left out. If they don't, I adapt things to suit the child's home life.

One of my favorite Father's Day books is...

Title: My Daddy and Me  (I was surprised to find out that there are quite a few books out there with this title.)

Author: Amy Sklansky 

Illustrator: Ard Hoyt 

Price: $3.99

The Gist:

Daddies and children play through the seasons in this simple story of love between parent and child. Drawings of all different kinds of fathers and children accompany a simple text.

Why I Like It:

It's a great way to teach description and metaphor: "We go together like honey and bees, like peanut butter and jelly, like hide and seek. Whatever the weather, we go together."

There are 4 or 5 different sets of fathers and children. The children are both girls and boys so that all of my students can relate.

They do different things around the various seasons, like a picnic, a day at the beach, camping, raking leaves, splashing in the rain, skating in the winter park and just being together, so it's a nice review of the seasons and different things you can do during them. 

The illustrations are a classic pen and ink style, reminiscent of Norman Rockwell's work.  He's one of my favorite artists because of the "old-fashioned real-world" America he tried to capture.  I feel this kind of "happy-joy" from Ard Hoyt's illustrations as well.

Story Telling Tips: Have a discussion before you read the book. Ask your students what is their favorite thing that they do with their daddies, what do they like best about their dads? Explain as simply as possible what a metaphor is.  When you are reading, pause before you read the rest of the metaphor and see if they can fill in the rest of the comparison: "We go together like peanut butter and _____________."  

Writing Extension: Have children complete their own page and illustrate it.  My daddy and I go together like _____________ and _______________.  Tell them you'd like them to be original and think of something special and not use any of the metaphors that were used in the book. Collect the pages and make a class My Daddy and Me book. Click on the link to view/print a sample page for your students to fill out. 

Amy Sklansky has a wonderful website with teaching aids including writing extensions for this book. Check it out by clicking on the link.

Art Activity: This book makes a nice Father's Day gift.  I often buy a "kiddie-lit" book about fathers, for my son Jason to read to my grandsons Jeremiah, Gabriel and Joshua.  It's also nice to make a homemade card. I like to have my students include coupons as a fun tuck-in.  Click on the link to view/print the masters. Daddy Card & Coupons

Magic Trick: I show the children that the dove pan is empty. We toss a yellow paper bee into the pan.  I put the lid on. The children say: "My daddy and me go together like bees and honey."  I take the lid off and a small jar of honey is inside.  We later have teddy grahams and honey for our snack.   

You could do the same with peanut butter and jelly if you wanted to, or you could produce the Reese's Pieces that look like M&M's.

As I've said before, I incorporate magic in my teaching as a method to grab students' attention, introduce literature, teach all sorts of subjects, report card standards, and vocabulary words. Click on the link to view some magic videos.

 For a list of other books I read for June, click on the link to view/print a copy of my bibliography for this month.  Bibliography for June

Picture of Amy Sklansky from Amazon.com

I hope you make time to escape and relax with a good book when school is out.

Happy reading! Have a super summer soaking up the sunshine.

Be sure to check out the writing prompts to make some quick and easy class books for the end of the year on the main blog.  Click on the link if you're interested.

If you want a special day to celebrate in June, check out Brownie Locks and the 3 bears.  I find her site invaluable for getting ideas of what's going on so I can think up fun things for you to write about!

Monthly Observances:

It’s Country Cooking Month! You’re in charge of making the entire meal.  What are you fixin’ to fix?

June is Perennial Garden Month.  Your garden has just won an award.  What award did it win and why?  OR… if you were given $10,000 to make a dream garden what would you buy and what would your garden look like?

It’s National Camping Month.  You can go anywhere you want.  Where are you going and whom are you going with?  How long will you be gone?

It’s National Candy Month. What’s your favorite candy; why?  OR describe your favorite candy using all of your senses.

It’s National Smile Month.  Write about the top 10 things that make you smile and why.

Weekly Celebrations:

It’s National Headache Awareness Week the 5^th-11^th What people or things or activities give you a headache?

That week is also Sun Safety Week.  What are your favorite things to do under the sun?  OR…. You and some friends are at the beach, suddenly there is an eclipse of the sun, then the radio announces that the sun won’t be coming out again.  All of a sudden it’s very cold and it’s the end of June!  Why is this happening? Solve the mystery and finish the story.

It’s Superman Week the 10^th – the 13^th.  You can have 3 super powers to help Superman and be Super-student.  What are your powers? How will you help?

Daily Celebrations:

June 1^st is Go Barefoot Day.  Where would you like to run barefoot if you could run barefoot anywhere and anyplace in the world and why would you go there, and who would you go with?

The 1^st is also Say Something Nice Day.  Write about something nice you will say.  Who will you say it to and why?

June 4^th is Do-Dah Day a salute to silliness!  So what’s the silliest thing you’ve ever done?  OR the school is planning a silly contest.  Winner gets $500.  What do you plan to do to win?  What will you do with the money?

The 4^th is also Drawing Day.  If you were an artist and could really draw well, what would you draw and why?

June 5^th is Hot Air Balloon Day:  Up Up And Away…where are you flying to and who are you going with?

June 6^th is D Day: What is D day, and why should we remember it?

June 7^th is Daniel Boone Day:  Would you like to go back in time to the day when Daniel Boone lived and be a pioneer?  Why or why not?  OR…Pretend you are living on the frontier.  What does your home look like, what’s a day like in your life?

June 8^th ice cream was first sold in the United States. What is your favorite flavor? Describe how it tastes.  Think of some adjectives that describe an ice cream cone and write a descriptive sentence.  Write a metaphor and a simile using an ice cream cone.

It’s June 12^th and it’s Loving Day: What do you LOVE so much that you just can’t live without and why?  OR…who in your life do you love the most and why?  OR…if you could design your perfect mate what would they look like, what qualities would they have, what would they do for a living, how would you meet them?

June 12^th and 13^th is Raggedy Ann & Andy Day:  Write a story involving these famous dolls.

Ride the Wind Day is also celebrated June 12^th.  Write a descriptive paragraph of what it would be like to ride the wind.  OR… in the wake of so many tornadoes, write about a storm that you experienced and how you felt when it was taking place.  OR…Here’s the scenario:  You’re riding in a car with some friends.  Suddenly the radio is interrupted by a series of beeps warning that a tornado is headed your way.  The sky is already getting dark and the wind is picking up.  You are about an hour from home in the middle of no where.  What do you do?

June 13^th is the Queen’s Official Birthday:  You get to be Queen for a day!  What’s it like?  Where are you queen?  What do you do for the day?  How will you celebrate?

June 14^th is Flag Day: Why do you think this is an important day?  What does it mean to you to be an American?  OR Do you think it is important to respect the flag?  Why or why not? OR What does the flag symbolize to you?   OR… Some people would like to stop saying the Pledge of Allegiance in schools.  Do you agree or disagree with that?

June 14^th is also Blood Donor Day:  Have you ever donated blood?  Do you think this is important?  Why or why not?

Nature Photography Day is June 15^th.  You have just won a photography contest.  What picture in nature did you take?  How did you go about capturing that perfect shot?

June 18^th Sally Ride was the 1^st woman in space in 1983.  If you could be the first person to do something today, what would you like to be first to do and why?  OR…  Would you like to travel in space?  Why or why not?

June 19^th is Family Awareness Day: What do you like best about your family and why?  OR…it’s summer.  What things do you and your family like to do during the summer?  OR  What are your favorite family memories?

June 19^th is also Father’s Day.  Write a descriptive paragraph about your dad. OR…How has your dad influenced you?  OR What are your favorite things about your dad? OR compare and contrast you and your dad or your dad and your grandpa.

June 21^st is the first day of summer.  You have just won $5,000 to take a dream summer vacation!  Who will you take it with, where will you go, what will you do and how long will you be gone for?

June 21^st is World Handshake Day (National Handshake Day, with a different sponsor is the 24^th ) If you could shake anyone’s hand in the world, living or dead (go back in time when they were alive…) whose hand would you like to shake and why?

The 23^rd of June is Let It Go Day.  Write a list of things you need to let go and then summarize why you need to let them go.

June 24^th is Celebration of the Senses Day.  What is your favorite sense and why?  OR if you had to lose one of your senses which one would it be and why?  OR…Make up a 6^th sense, name it, what kind of power would you have, why would you want that 6^th sense and how would you use it.

It’s Take Your Dog To Work Day on the 24^th.  You can have any dog in the world.  What kind do you have; describe them; what’s their name?  OR…you have a job and you have a dog and you are taking them to work, but something goes terribly WRONG!!!! Tell me the story of the Day The Dog…..

June 25^th is Eric Carles’ birthday.  What is your favorite book that he wrote and why?

June 25^th is also Great American Backyard Campout Day!  You are camping in your backyard and something happens! What is it?  Write the mystery story.  OR your parents allow you to have a campout party for the weekend!  Whose coming, what are the party plans?  Explain the details from the food to the activities.

The 26^th is America’s Kids Day.  You have been given $5,000 to celebrate kids.  How will you go about doing that? What kids will you celebrate?

June 27^th is Decide To Be Married Day.  Do you think you will get married?  Do you want to get married?  Why or why not?

Happy Birthday to You Day is the 27^th.  What’s your favorite birthday?  OR…You have $2,000 to plan an unforgettable birthday party.  Explain all of the details from invitations and who is coming to food and entertainment.  OR…what birthday are you really looking forward to and why?

Whatever day you're celebrating, or whatever you're writing about I hope you find joy in it!  Have a sweet summer.

To Show Or Not To Show? Good Question!

As for me and my class, I do; when it is appropriate and only for about 10 to 15 minutes. 

I usually do this on a Friday, and it is at the end of our day. 

This is something my students really look forward to.

I incorporate videos into what we are studying. 

This usually has something to do with our theme or science unit such as weather, electricity, leaves, apples, buttterflies, the life cycle of a frog etc.  

I have some super 8 to 10 minute science lessons on tape that are outstanding. I also own all of the Magic School Bus videos which I show in two parts.

My students enjoy watching their favorite stories that have been made into videos such as Goodnight Moon, Goodnight Gorilla, as well as many of the Arthur, Clifford and Berenstain Bears books. 

I choose the ones that help teach the life-lessons they need to know like not being a bully, not talking to strangers, treating people fairly etc. Many Dr. Seuss' books are also on video.  I also use video's for fire safety, counting, and the alphabet. 

I feel that this is an effective teaching and learning tool; we usually have some wonderful discussions after a video that involve even the most shy and quiet children.  

I tell my students a "secret question" I want them to be listening for the answer to.  At the end of the program I'll ask who knows the answer.  Sometimes a video is longer than the 15-minutes I have alotted.  I will show the rest on day number 2. 

Our principal has a rule that he must see all videos before we are allowed to show them to our students to make sure they are appropriate.

I've also plugged in a themed video at the end of a party day.  The lights are out, the children are exhausted and it's a nice way to sooth and calm them down; they chill and unwind.  It gives me an opportunity to clean up and pack up their things as well.  It's amazing what one can do with 10-15 minutes of quiet time.

I'd enjoy hearing what you think about this "hot topic" and how your school handles it. diane@teachwithme.com

Ice Cream Sandwiches:

In this crisis-time economy and to try and make better nutritious snacks than the packaged kind offers, have fun making ice cream sandwiches with your kids. 

This is an especially cool activity for June. {Pun intended :-) }  

Oatmeal cookies work well, but you can pick a large sugar cookie too, and if your kids really love peanut butter go with peanut butter cookies.

Sam's Club also sells a nice variety of M&M "monster" cookies, chocolate chip, oatmeal  and peanut butter cookies together if you want to make an assortment. 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup vanilla frozen yogurt (Lowfat if you want to be heart-healthy).
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 8 large round cookies

1. Soften the yogurt and mix with the peanut butter.
2. Freeze until firm.
3. Spread on 4 of the cookies.
4. Put other 4 cookies on the top to make a sandwich.
5. Put each one into a Ziploc freezer Baggie.

Frozen Fruit Pops:

Quench your kids thirst in a fruity fun way by giving them chunks of frozen fruit on mini-Popsicle sticks.  You can buy a package of 100 at most craft and Dollar Stores.

Buy a watermelon, honeydew melon and/or cantaloupe and cut up nice size chunks of fruit.  Insert a mini-Popsicle stick.

Lay the fruit on a sheet of wax paper that's been put on a paper plate. Cover with freezer wrap and pop into the freezer. Freeze 'til firm; a frozen fruity - sweet treat so good for them to eat!

Banana Blast:

Ingredients:

• 6 bananas
• 4 tablespoons milk
• 1 drop of vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Peel bananas
2. Wrap in freezer wrap and freeze until firm.
3. Cut in half and put in blender.
4. Add milk and vanilla and blend until creamy.
5. Serve in ice cream dishes, custard cups or small bowls with spoons.

Diane's Shrimp Salad:

I just finished whipping some together this week.  My husband and I love eating this salad during the spring and summer months.  

It's great for a quick lunch as an entire meal and fun to take to a pot luck or picnic.

This one is copyrighted so if you use it please give TeachWithMe.com or Diane Henderson credit

Ingredients:

• 1bag of medium sized frozen cooked shrimp (30-40 in a bag).
• 1 pkg of celery
• 2 tbs parsley flakes
• 2 tbs dried Ranch Dressing
• 1/8th teaspoon celery seeds
• 1/8th teaspoon dill
  
• 1 tbs caraway seeds
  
• 2-3 tbs Helman's real mayo ( You can add more if you like it creamier.  We are trying to cut calories. )
• 1/2 teaspoon creamed horseradish if you like some kick.
• 1 can of large black pitted olives
• 1 cup shredded carrots
  
• 1/4 sunflower seeds
  

Directions:

1. Wash hands.
2. Wash and thaw out the shrimp.
3. Cut the shrimp into 1/3rds.
4. Put in a large bowl.
5. Sprinkle the dry Ranch dressing on the shrimp and blend with your fingers.
6. Add the celery seed, caraway seeds, dill and parsley flakes.
7. Add the mayo and horseradish. 
8. Add the sunflower seeds. 
9. Wash and dice up the stalks of celery.  ( I like to cut a stalk length wise and then dice so that the pieces are smaller.)
10. Add to the bowl. 
11. Drain olives. 
12. Slice into 1/3rds. 
13. Add to the bowl.
    
14. Add the carrots
    
15. Stir 'til blended well. 
16. Chill in fridge.
17. Serve in small bowls.
    

If you're eating this as a meal it's nice to have some Rye Crisp crackers with it. Yummy!

For a few more fun ideas be sure and check out the cute Beach Party snacks that Katja from the Netherlands sent in that were posted on the main blog! Click on the link to go there.

Whatever you're whipping up with your wee ones this June I hope it is summer-super cool!

As always, I'd enjoy hearing from you! diane@teachwithme.com  and if you use our recipes please be considerate and link to our page. Thanks!

By now your students have a nice handle on some basic writing skills.  If they are wee-ones, you can brain storm some ideas during Circle Time and write sentences on the board for them to copy.

 Have students TRACE the sentences and then complete the rest of the sentence by WRITING in their thoughts on the lines and then drawing and coloring the page to match it.

 I've designed 3 booklets for you to choose from, or make it a week-long writing activity and do one every other day.

Laminate the pages and then bind the books.

 Make the class books even more personal and special by running off a copy on the photo setting of your printer of your class composite and have each student glue their school picture to their page as well as sign it.

Click on the links to view/print a copy of each one of the end-of-the-year class books.  These Are A Few Of Our Favorite Things... Class Book,   In The Summer I Like To...Class Book, Whew! It's HOT! Class Book or if you like them all, print with one click June Class Books.

You may also want to check out the FREE Easy Reader for this month entitled: My Summer Senses. It's a great way to review your study of the 5 senses.

If you're looking for another Easy Reader fill-in check out: The Colors Of Summer.

It's a nice review of the color words and includes flashcards, skill sheets, and a certificate of praise. When my students are done, we read the booklets as a whole group to reinforce concepts of print.

I take the children outside and read their class books under a shady tree while they slurp on a well-deserved popsicle. 

Happy writing, sharing and reading!