There are two rather new books and an old favorite that I'm recommending this month as must-haves for your collection, or at least to check out from your local library and read to your children!

November’s New Book Recommendations:

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The Gist:

It’s the story of the pilgrims. From their start on the Mayflower to their Thanksgiving celebration with the Indians.

Why I love it:

• Finally, a book that tells a bit of history in an easy to understand way so that my Y5’s can grasp it. I loved the factual information presented in a brief telling of the tale. Just enough to hit the main points.
• Ms. Lloyd’s artwork is realistic, so that it fits the story and gives a wonderfully graphic presentation of what life was like back then, yet the colorful illustrations still captivate a young child.
• I love the rhyming text. I know that’s extremely hard to do and I appreciate it all the more when telling a bit of history because it holds my little one’s attention. I also like to pause when reading, so that they can fill in the next rhyming word. Her choice of words made this relatively easy for them to do.
• Because we teach in the public schools we have to be careful sharing our Christian beliefs. The pilgrims came to the new world because of religious persecution. Their faith in God was very important to them. A big part of Thanksgiving was that they were grateful to God for seeing them through and blessing them. I liked that Ms. Shore’s work showed this in her repetitive line: “Thanks be to God for …”
• I’m thankful this book came along!  Its rhythmic-lyrical verse makes it fun to read and the lovely illustrations are the exclamation point to the entire wonderfully written piece.
• You can check Diane out on her website at www.dianezshore.com & visit Megan online at www.meganlloyd.com
• Click here for Scholastic's teacher's guide for this great book!
  

#2 T Is For Turkey 

By Tanya Lee Stone   Click on the link for Tanya's site 

Illustrated by Gerald Kelley

Price Stern Sloan $4.99

The Gist: It’s an alphabet book that’s told in the form of a play so that you can learn about the history of Thanksgiving. At the end of the book is a short informational blurb that’s the complete story of Thanksgiving; great for a newsletter.

Why I love it:

• The characters of the play are children.  Mr. Kelley, the illustrator, draws them in a cartoon-like fashion that’s appealing to children.
• The letters of the alphabet are bolded and are a different color than the regular black text so that they pop out at the audience. The word that the letter depicts is also in that color.
• The text rhymes. Because I teach 4 & 5 year olds I LOVE rhyming books. They are fun to read and rhyming is one of our report card standards. Letters are too, so I’m nailing several things here with one story. Again, I pause so that my student can fill in the rhyming word, and because of Tanya’s easy word choices, this was relatively simple for my Y5’s to do.
• There were enough words to add a bit of historical information about Thanksgiving as well.
• It’s a nice big size yet less than $5.
• It’s a quick read and will hold a young child’s attention at the same time reviewing quite a few of the things they need to know! Just a fun way to learn a bit more about Thanksgiving.

Magic Tricks:

• I have an adorable stuffed turkey that I put in the dove pan.
• I Xerox off the cover of T is for Turkey, put it in the pan and produce the turkey.
• He asks the children if they know the letters of the alphabet. Can they sing the ABC song?
• I put a little paper turkey into my change bag with the number 26 on it and pull out a string of uppercase letters written on the little turkeys. Since the story only shows uppercase letters, I stick with reviewing them. Click here to make your own turkey string.
• We then sing the ABC song. I have a laser that lights up and I choose a child to use it as a pointer. They point to the letters above our chalkboard as we sing them.

November’s Book Of The Month:  An Old Favorite!

I Know An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Pie

By Alison Jackson  Clcik on the link for Alison's site.

Illustrated by Judith Byron Schachner

Age 3-8

Puffin Books $6.99

Gist: It’s a take off of I Know An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly. This is a Thanksgiving version where a skinny old woman starts out by swallowing a pumpkin pie and continues to devour the entire meal! With every mouthful she grows more enourmous ‘til she finally “floats” out the door to join the Thanksgiving Day parade!

Why I love it:

• I collect various versions of the original and I so enjoyed a Thanksgiving twist! I read the “Fly” one 1^st when we study spiders in October, so it’s great to follow up that favorite with another in November. It gives me an opportunity to have a math extension by graphing which story my students like best.  I've included a graph in the "Little Old Lady Fun" printables below.
  
• I LOVE the ending! We have a mini discussion of who watches the parade and what their favorite balloon is.
• In all the various versions of this folktale I’ve never seen the little old lady getting fatter. Judith’s illustrations are hilarious. My students giggle at how big she’s growing and I like that visual concept. Anyone eating all that ought to get bigger!
• She simply does a great job putting a new twist on an old favorite. There aren’t that many Thanksgiving books out there that hold a Y5’s attention that are a quick read. This is one of my favorites because of that.

Art Project/Game: Feed The Cornucopia.  For more easy and adorable Fall art projects check out my November Art & Activitiy Book, Turkey Art & Activity Book, or my Scarecrow Art & Activity Book  for oodles of FUN!

Click here for directions & templates

Skills Sheets: Click here for some Little Old Lady fun.

Story Telling Tips:

• I have done this several ways. I own the Little Old Lady puppet and sometimes haul her back out to use again, (We feed her the pieces.) or I simply use my laminated pieces on my flannel board so that we can sequence them again after the story. Here's how:
  
• I bought an extra book, laminated the pieces that my Little Old Lady was eating, cut them out and put a piece of Velcro on the back. Any piece that was on the back of the page, I made a color copy of on my printer.
• I passed the pieces out to my students. When we came to that “food” in the story, that child came up and fed the puppet, or put that piece on my flannel board.
• After the story, we reviewed what she ate, I re-passed out all of the pieces and we tried to sequence them again. My students really do a pretty good job with this.
• I have my students further participate by repeating any repetitive line in the story like: “I don’t know why she swallowed the pie…” etc.

Magic Trick:

• I sprinkle some cinnamon & pumpkin pie spice in my dove pan, I put the lid on and produce a big piece of pumpkin pie. Some of my students have never tasted pumpkin pie! I have enough plastic spoons to give everyone a little taste. 
  
• I LOVE "The Little Old Lady" spin-off's, and have quite a collection.  In fact, I've written some of my own, complete with an old lady you can easily print off and laminate.  Your students will enjoy "stuffing" her with letters, shapes, colors, numbers, and even the months of the year!  Click on the link to see my collection of Little Old Lady booklets.
  

Click here for the NOVEMBER BIBLIOGRAPHY of BOOKS

Be sure and check all of the FREE easy readers for this month in the article after this one!

How Do You Get Kids' Attention So You Can Quietly Transition?    

The latest buzz on several of my mail-rings is how on earth to get these children's attention so you can get them to transition and do so quietly.  There were quite a few questions on how to get the students  to line up and stay quiet in the line as well.   I decided to sit down and write a list of all my super-duper-shutter upper's that I have used in the past that I've either thought up, found on the web or learned from other teachers. 

     In about a half hour I had over 70 helpful tips!  One needs to lay down some ground rules from day one so that you have a bag of tricks of how to get your students' attention in the first place so you can get them in a line. I've included those as well.  You can imagine that this would be pages long, so I've made it into a nice little booklet for you to print or save. 

     I'd like to get to 100 tips, as always, if you have something that works for you, that's not on my list, I'd LOVE to hear from you! diane@teachwithme.com  Hopefully this will help all of us from (as one poor teacher put it) getting ready to rip our hair out!

     Click on the link to print or save a copy of 70+ Tips For Getting Your Students' Attention So You Can Transiton!

All these files are pdf's. If you don't have Adobe Reader on your computer you can download it for free here; http://www.adobe.com/  Sometimes Internet Explorer says: Cannot open this file. Simply click on the link again and it will open it. Still haven't figured that one out! Enjoy! If you have any other problems please contact us! diane@teachwithme.com

 What's A Tasting Thanksgiving Feast?

     It's a "little dab 'ul do ya!" and a whole lot less stress when you're dealing with little kids who are picky eaters.  A Taste Feast is simply a spoonful of this and that. Delegate the fixin's to the parents via a sign up sheet and all you have to do is slip in a CD and monitor the procession.  You can check out the individual handouts and pick and choose which to print, or if you like everything, click on the link at the end and print or save the entire Tasting Feast file.  Enjoy!  Here's how:

Thanksgiving Tasting Feast

• Celebrate the Wednesday before vacation.
• To feed an entire class of 20, have parents sign up at Open House  to bring the following:  Click on the link for a copy Thanksgiving Feast Ingredient Sign Up.
• You could also leave this sign up sheet out at parent-teacher conferences. Click on the link for a 
• sign up sign.
• Send a reminder note home of who signed up for what a few days before feast day. Click here for a copy of the reminder note.

Stuff for the Feast


• 1 pound of deli sliced turkey (This is cut into 1/4ths while it is in a stack)
• 1 box prepared Stove Top dressing
• 1  20 oz can of corn
• 1 bowl of mashed potatoes
• 2 jars of turkey gravy (For potatoes)
• 1  20 oz can of squash
• 1 large pumpkin pie (Each child gets a little scoop)
  
• 1 can of whipped cream for pie (Just a squirt next to the pie if they want)
  
• 1 can of cranberry sauce
• 1 mini-cornbread muffin per child
• 1 gallon of apple cider or juice . (We have had parents who have brought in cider and juice and then graphed which we liked the best.)
• Optional: Venison Sausage or a tiny piece of meat
• You may also want to add seasonal Dixie cups, paper plates, napkins, and folks to your list.
  

         Things To Do...

• Send a note home asking parents to come help serve your Thanksgiving Taste Feast. Click on the link for a copy. Thanksgiving Taste Feast  Note Home
• Send a reminder note home the day before the feast reminding parents that they signed up to help. Click on the link to view/print a copy.
• Have children sign a “We are thankful for your help card”  the day before, and  send it home with the parents who came to help.  Click on the link for a copy. Thanksgiving Taste Feast  thank you card.
• To avoid "I don't want any!"  tell your students before hand, that they will TASTE everything; and then if they don't like it, they don't have to eat it.   You could make exceptions with whipped cream and gravy.
  
• You'll be amazed that some children have never tasted squash, cranberries, cider or pumpkin pie!
  
• Some children will also want more. There might be some leftovers, but before you start giving them, you need to know if there IS enough for seconds, so ask for a show of hands and then decide whether you will go down that road or not.  Remind the children that this is just a Tasting Feast.  There should be enough apple juice/cider for seconds.
  
• Parents put things in cafeteria oven to warm (potatoes, squash, gravy) after lunch has been served.
  
• Do this in the afternoon in place of your snack time, the last thing before you go home. 
• If you have made paper bag Native American vests and head bands as a class and Pilgrims hats and collars like I do, have children pick a Pilgrim or Indian word out of a basket and then wear either their Indian paper bag vest and headband or their Pilgrim hat and collar to the feast, depending on what word they picked out of the basket. You could give them a choice, but I think you'd have a feast of Native Americans. 
  
• A long sheet of brown butcher paper is laid down on a little used hallway floor to be the “Table”. 
  
• Everyone sits "Indian-style" criss-cross-applesauce to eat.
  
• You could also use a section of floor by the wall in the cafeteria if it's not being used.
• Play a Native American CD for background music.
• Adults serve just a tiny “spoonful-taste” of everything.
• When everyone is finished have your students sing: We are thankful, We are thankful.  For your time,  for your time.  We are very thankful, we are very thankful. We love you. We love you. The tune is to Brother John I made it up to sing whenever anyone comes in to help us.
  
• Parents stay and clean up.
• Take the children back to the classroom and graph their favorite and least favorite foods.
• If you had both cider and apple juice,  graph their favorite. Click on the link for graphs.  Thanksgiving Graphs.
  
• Run off thank you notes and send home with parents who came to help.
  
• Tuck a Happy Thanksgiving Note in your students' Take Home Folders/backpacks. Click on the link for a copy. And...
  
• Bid everyone a "Happy Thanksgiving!" Now go home and have a wonderful relaxing long weekend so you can get ready for Christmas!  Wahoo!!  Does planning ever end?
• Click on this link to print or save the entire Thanksgiving Tasting Feast printables.
  
• 
• The next day have your students make my Thanksgiving dinner booklet. The cover is a paper plate complete with a plastic folk and spoon. Sam's club sells silver ones that look very realistic!
  
• Fasten them on with glue dots! Click on the link My Thanksgiving Dinner Booklet 
  
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Quick, Easy and Fun Thanksgiving Games

Do you need some games to spice up your math time for November? Try these!

Native American Games:  This is my adaptation of  two Native American games used as math extensions.  For  background on these games check out this fascinating link. Native American Games

Pebble Toss

Materials:

• 2 bags of smooth stones (I buy them at Hobby Lobby or The Dollar Store. Watch for the 50% off sale at Hobby Lobby and you can get them for a $1 or go online and get their 40% off any one thing coupon.)
• 3 different kinds of stickers. If you can find Native American symbols that would be great.  I initially wanted turtles, bear paw prints and eagles and had to settle for stars, leaves and butterflies!
• Small Ziploc baggies
• Optional: Clear nail polish or varnish if you want to paint them so the stickers will stay on longer.  I simply tell my students that I want the games to last forever so that my next year’s students can have fun playing the games too, so PLEASE don’t pick at the tickers or peel them off!  There WILL be consequences if you do!!!

 Directions:

Prep:

• Make up 6 games so you have a class set for 30 children to play. If you want to make more games, children can play in groups of 2 or 4, other wise students work in teams of 6

• Each game has 6 stones.

• Each stone has 3 kinds of stickers. I used butterflies, leaves and stars.
• Make pairs of the stones. There will be two stones with stars, two with butterflies and two with leaves.
• Put stickers on all the fronts of the 6 stones.
• Put stickers on only 3 of the backs of the other stones; which means that a pair of butterfly stones will have a butterfly on both sides of one stone and a butterfly on only one side of the other stone.
• Run off copies of score card so that each child has one.
• Children form their groups, and sit in a circle. They decide who goes 1^st. and then play in a clockwise motion.
• A butterfly stone is worth 1 point.
• A star stone is worth 2 points.
• A leaf stone is worth 3 points.
• A blank stone is minus 1 point, so you have to subtract a point from your total.
• If you toss three blank stones you have to minus 3 points from your total.
• It could be possible that a child might toss 6 blank stones; they would then have to minus 6 from their previous score. If they did not have enough points from the time before they would be carrying a negative total. This is a bit difficult to explain, and rarely happens so I wouldn’t worry about it unless the situation arises, then come to the rescue, rather than confuse the entire group with an explanation. Children take turns scooping up the stones and tossing them on the carpet.
• They look at their stones and add up all their points. Then they add up all the blank stones and subtract that number.
• They record this number in the box on their paper, and pass the stones to the next child who does the same thing. Click on the link for a recording sheet.  Native American Recording Sheet
  

• They do NOT add their points at this time.  I pass out calculators at the end of the game for a little calculator practice and everyone adds up their column.
• The child with the most points is the winner. You could have a grand champion of the entire class too!
• Set a timer for a certain amount of time. When it rings the game is over.

 Where’s The Nut? Moccasin Game

Materials:

• Brown construction paper
• Scissors
• Laminator
• Small Ziploc Baggies

Directions:

• Run off the master so that you have a class set.
• Click on the link for a Moccasin Game master.
• I have my students play in groups of 2 or 3. Each game needs 3 moccasins and a nut, or you could put 3 nuts in the baggie giving all 3 children a nut, because they like to hold their own, and it speeds the game along. 
• Laminate the pieces and cut them out.
• Put each game in a baggy.
• Children take turns hiding the nut under a pair of moccasins while their partner’s eyes are closed.
• Remind students that there is NO peeking.
• Children guess where they think the nut is.
• If they guess correctly they put an X on a nut on their tally sheet.
  
• The child with the most X’s is the winner.
• Set a timer for a certain amount of time; when it rings the game is over.
• Have children total up their number of X’s.
  
• I've made this easier because I've put the nuts in rows of 10 so they can count by 10's up to 100.
  
• Run off a few extra sheets in case a child happens to get that high!  It's never happened in my class.
  
• Graph the results and award a certificate to the grand champion.

 Nuts over acorns counting game

Materials:

• Copy  paper
• Brown crayon
• Dice
• Timer

 

Directions:

• Set a timer.
• Children choose a partner and take turns rolling the dice.
• They X off as many acorns as are dots on the dice.
• If they roll a 1 they lose their turn.
• Play ends when they have X’d off all of their acorns or the timer rings.
• The child with the most X’s is the winner.
• Click on the link for an Acorn sheet.

 What’s Under the Acorn Cap?  Smilie Face Color Game,

Materials:

• 12 acorn tops per game.
• Rainbow colored smilie face stickers. They come in a pack of 720 for only $1.99. I use them for a zillion  things. Staples sells them.
• Snack baggies
• Timer
• Background: (I have a plethora of oak trees in my neighborhood so I had to think of something to do with all the acorns. Thus the many crafts with oak leaves etc. I just think acorns are so darn cute! They are great to just put in a crystal bowl or fall basket with some broken cinnamon sticks, cranberries, and baby pinecones splashed with a few drops of cinnamon spice oil.  mmmm mmm good!)

Directions:

Prep:

• Gently wash the acorns and set aside to thoroughly dry.
• I use a hair dryer to speed things up and make sure all of the dampness is out of them.
• Put a rainbow sticker inside each cap.
• Use 2 of each color.
• Really press it down.
• Each game needs a set of 12 acorns.

The next day…

• Set the timer.
• Children play in groups of 2.
• This is like memory match.
• Place the acorns face down.
• Children decide who will go first.
• The 1^st child flips up the acorn and shows their partner what color it is and states the color. I’m teaching the colors in Spanish as well, so I have my students say the color in Spanish too.
• Then they try and find a match.
• If they do they get to keep the pair of acorns and score a point.
• Play continues ‘til all the acorns are won, or the timer rings.
• The child with the most acorns is the winner.

      If you live in a place where there are lots of acorns you can make up a center game with upper and lowercase letters and another one with numbers with matching dots. You need 52 acorn tops for the ABC game and 22 Acorn tops for the 0-10 matching #’s to dots game.  I keep these in 2 big Ziploc baggies. This is an activity the children can choose to do when they have accomplished their Table Top work. I used the small white dots that they sell at office supply stores or Wal-mart. You could also use colored ones and cut them down.

     Whatever games you’re playing with your little Pilgrims and Indians I hope you’re having a turkey-riffic time!  As always, if you have a game that you do; we’d love to hear from you! diane@teachwithme.com

You will LOVE LOVE LOVE these adorable "Kids In The Kitchen" fun activities this month  They are some of my favorite family traditions and recipes.  They also make a nice food-craft for your students if you're looking for something fun to include for your Thanksgiving Feast Day Celebrations at school, or just a nice treat for your children the day before the big holiday weekend to wish them a Happy Thanksgiving.

Grama Karis’ Gum Drop Apple Turkeys 

• 5 tooth picks
• 1 apple (body)
• 10 multi-colored gumdrops (1 has to be red for the wattle.) (feathers)
• 1 raisin (eyes)
• 1 Hershey kiss (head)

Background: Every Thanksgiving the guys would go deer hunting and the women would putz in the kitchen getting dinner ready. One of the things we’d do with the children while we were “watching” the turkey was make these adorable Gumdrop Apple Turkeys. Grama Flohr would bring all the supplies and each child would design their own gumdrop feathers so they could have a darling turkey sitting next to their plate.  At about the time we were getting finished with our creations the men would come home all red-faced, orange-clad and exuberant with tales of a near miss or a bull’s eye. After they’d shower it was time to eat, drink and be merry around a very thankful table.  I sure miss Grama K and those special memories. I hope you can make a gumdrop turkey and start some memory making of your own. It’s a wonderful family tradition.

Directions:

• Put two gumdrops on a tooth pick and put it in the back of the apple.
• I put 4 feathers on the turkey, but 5 also looks nice.
• You can make each feather have the same color gumdrops or you can have different colored gumdrops on each feather as shown in the picture.
• Put one gumdrop on a tooth pick (neck) + a Hershey kiss (head) and put this tooth pick on the front of the apple.
• Cut a red gumdrop in half and stick it tot eh kiss.
• Cut a raisin in half, and then in half again and stick these to the kiss for eyes.

Tootie Frootie Turkey 

• If you’d like to make this affordable to do with your class, as well as a cool math extension, do it with cereal. Children can sort the Tootie Frootie’s and make their feathers and neck all one color, like mine in the photo, or they can make all sorts of color patterns AB ABC or even ABCDEF as there are 6 different colors of Tootie Frooties! Tootie Frooties are made by Malto Meal. They are only $1.99 a bag as opposed to a more expensive box of Fruit Loops.  Send a note home asking parents to have their child bring in an apple. You could also ask 3 parents to donate a bag of Hershey kisses, Tootie Frooties, and candy corn.

Ingredients for ONE turkey.

• 6 tooth picks
• 34 Tootie Frooties  (feathers & neck) (6 for each feather.)
• 1 apple (body)
• 1 raisin (or yellow frosting) (eyes)
• 1 red jelly bean or gum drop (wattle)
• 5 pieces of candy corn (To hold feathers on toothpicks)
• 1 Hershey kiss. (head)
• Optional: Yellow frosting in a tube (For eyes.)

Directions:

• Stick 6 toothpicks in the back of the turkey a Tootie Frootie space apart from each other.
• Slide Tootie Frooties on the toothpicks.
• You can sort them and put one color on each toothpick, or choose to make a pattern.
• Put a toothpick in the front of the apple in the center.
• Put 4 Tootie Frooties on this toothpick.
• Slide a Hershey kiss on top of the Tootie Frooties.
• Cut a red gumdrop or red jelly bean in half and stick it to the kiss.
• Cut a raisin in half, and then in half again and stick these to the kiss for eyes.
• Or, using a toothpick, dot on two eyes with yellow frosting.

Pilgrim Hat Cookies

• 1 Round cookie  ( I use the kind that are chocolate on one side and vanilla on the other and have frosting in the middle.)
• 1 Large marshmallow
• Chocolate frosting
• 1 Cheerio or 1 yellow Tootie Frootie (buckle)
• Popsicle sticks.

Directions:

• Frost the chocolate side of the cookie with the chocolate frosting. I have my students use Popsicle sticks.
• Put some frosting on the bottom of the marshmallow.
• Press it down on the frosted cookie.
• Frost the marshmallow so it is completely covered.
• Press a Cheerio or Tootie Frootie into the bottom center of the Pilgrim hat, so it looks like a buckle.

Cornucopia Thanksgiving Snack Mix:  Buy sugar cones (The kind you put ice cream in, and fill them with this mix. They make nice party favors at your Thanksgiving table, or you could ask several room moms to make them as a treat for your students.) I tie my cones with a sheer fall colored ribbon. You can buy a bolt for a Dollar at Michaels or JoAnn Fabrics. I put the mix in a baggie then rubber band it shut and tie with curling ribbon.

• Sugar Cones
• Pretzels
• Candy corn
• Chex Mix
• Raisins
• Sunflower seeds
• Pumpkin Seeds
• Goldfish Crackers  
• Reese’s Pieces

Diane’s Indian Corn Cookies (My very own invention)  If you want to do these as a class snack activity, ask parents to send in the ingredients.

Ingredients:

• Cookies that are oval shaped. I used Keebler’s new Vienna Fingers. They are $2.99 for a package of 30.
• Yellow frosting. $1.69 a can
• A bag of Reese’s Pieces or Fall-colored M&M’s  $2.59 a bag (on sale)
• A can of LaChoy rice noodles. $1.35 a can

Directions:

• Students spread frosting on cookie with a Popsicle stick.
• Children press candy pieces into the frosting.  Each child needs 10 pieces. (5 different colors).
• Students press rice noodles in the top to look like corn husks.

Turkey Treats

Ingredients:

• 2 round cookies (I use cookies that are chocolate on one side and vanilla on the other and have frosting in the middle.) (I’ve also seen these done with Oreo cookies where they take them apart and use this frosting or Nila Wafer cookies.)
• 1 malted milk ball (head)
• 1 Rolo (body)
• 5 pieces of Candy Corn (feathers)
• 1 red jelly bean (wattle)
• chocolate frosting
• 1 raisin (beak)
• Yellow frosting in a tube
• Toothpick

Directions:

• Frost the bottom cookie, chocolate side up.
• Press the Rolo into the frosting so that it is towards the front of the cookie.
• Put a dab of frosting on top of the Rolo.
• Press the malted milk ball onto the frosting so that it sits on top of the Rolo.
• Cut the jelly bean in half and stick it to the malted milk ball.
• Cut the raisin (beak) in half and stick it above the jelly bean. (wattle)
• Using a toothpick dab on two yellow frosting eyes.
• Frost the bottom of the second cookie.
• Press the 5 candy corns on the outside edge of the cookie in a fan shape.
  
• The candy corn should have the pointed end pointing down.
• Press this cookie up against the Rolo and down into the frosted bottom cookie.
  
• An easier version of this is to skip the Rolo and the malted milk ball and use a Hershey Kiss instead.  The Kiss is the head of the turkey.  I like this version better.

Background: When I was an aide helping teach 2^nd grade at Grand View school in Grandville, a room mom, Sheila, made these for tour students as a pre-Thanksgiving treat.  They LOVED them!

Chocolate Pumpkin Guts   Sounds awful tastes yummy! Ingredients: Filling: • 8 oz. cream cheese • 1 egg • 1/3 cup of sugar • Orange food coloring • 6 oz chocolate chips Cupcakes: • 3 cups of flour • 2 cups of sugar • 1/2 cup cocoa • 2 tsp of baking soda • 1/2 teasp salt • 2 cups of water • 1/2 cup +  2 tbs vegetable oil • 2 teasp cider vinegar • 2 teasp vanilla Directions: Filling: Combine cream cheese, egg and sugar in a bowl.  Blend in orange food coloring.  Stir in choclate chips.  Set filling aside.

Cupcakes: Combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; set aside. I use a large bowl. Combine water, vegetable oil, vinegar and vanilla in another bowl.Combine both bowls and stir.Fill cupcake inner halves with batter, then place one teaspoon of the filling at center. As  the cupcakes bake the batter will rise to surround the filling..  Preheat the oven to 350º.Bake for about 25 minutes.The orange “pumpkin guts” should ooze from the center to the top of the cupcake making a nice orangey contrast against the brown chocolate. Mmmm mmm good. These colors look lovely on a fall table. Wilton has some great autumn cupcake papers with fall leaves on them, as well as Happy Thanksgiving picks to poke in the top. Too cute, and just the finishing touch! Turkey Hand Print Cookies Ingredients: Pre-made sugar cookie dough ( I am not a baker so I need easy maintenance.) Handprint cookie cutter Chocolate frosting 1 rolo for the head 1 piece of candy corn for beak 1 jelly bean or gumdrop cut in half for the wattle. Raisin for eye or a dot of yellow frosting Multi-colored sprinkles raisins for tor the wing. Directions: Roll sugar cookie dough out on floured surface. Cut out cookies with the handprint cookie cutter. Make sure you spread the fingers as they will rise and fuse together as mine did in the photo. Place on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350º for 8-10 minutes. Let cool. Children decorate with chocolate frosting. Add a rolo for the head, a candy corn beak, and red jelly bean or gum drop for a wattle and a raisin cut in half for an eye. Use colored sprinkles, or candy corn for the feathers. Add raisins to make a wing.  Click here to see bigger pictures in pdf form of the above photographs. Turkey Leftovers: And if you're looking for something not quite so sweet, like what to do with the turkey left overs, these are somethings I do: Make panini’s on your George Foreman with the turkey leftovers. Add a slice of swiss cheese and their favorite "fixin's".  My husband and I love them; or put the meat in a soft shell taco, spread on some cream cheese and sliced olives and mmm mmm you have a yummy turkey wrap.  Or shred the turkey, add some barbecue sauce and serve on a croissant.  I’ve also diced up the turkey and made it into a quiche. Or how about something to go with your turkey: Sweet Potato Casserole With Marshmallows This is my husband Daniel’s favorite. My daughter Kelli also requests that Mom Henderson bring it as her something to pass dish when we get together for the holiday. Ingredients : • 1 (40 ounce) yams, drained (I cut them up.) • 1/2 cup brown sugar • 1/4 teaspoon salt • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon • 1 egg, beaten • 4 tablespoons melted butter • 1 (16 ounce) bag miniature marshmallows   Directions:  .Heat oven to 350º Mash yams in a large bowl and add brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, egg, and melted butter. Mix well. Place 1/2 mixture in baking dish. Top with a layer of marshmallows, then add remaining mixture. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and top with remaining marshmallows. Bake for another 10 minutes or until marshmallows are lightly browned.   Yummy! Whatever you're makin' or bakin' in the kitchen with your kids, I hope it's turkey-riffic and that these ideas will give you some wonderful memories to keep you warm through the holiday!  Happy November!

Grocery Bag Ghosts:
Ask each child to bring in a white plastic grocery bag. (Bring in a few of your own for those who forget.)
Have them cut a large square or rectangle out of the side that has no writing on.
This is a bit tough with safety scissors, but it doesn't matter if the edges are jagged because that effect makes the "ghost" look cool.
It cuts easier if you tell your students to use the tips of the scissors and "snip" small sections.
When they have made their rectangle/square, have them crumple up the printed side (great fine motor skill) hiding as much of the printing as they can.
Have them crumple it into a ball. This will be the "Head" of the ghost.
Place the "ball-head" in the middle of the plain white plastic piece. (You may want to add a piece of scotch tape to keep their ball together. If an adult is helping the tape is not necessary Make your sample ahead of time so you have one to show the children, as well as a sample in front of them, so you can show them how it is done.)
Gather the plain plastic around the ball head. They can fasten it with a rubber band if they are handy enough.
I come around and tie an orange ribbon bow around the neck.
You can add wiggle eyes with glue dots or you can give them a black permanent marker and have them make two dots for eyes. Warn them not to make them too big and that they should be the same size. Some little ones get carried away with the markers and make huge eyes and then add noses and mouths and don't follow directions. They look better with just eyes. I have also run off my students' school photo and cut them into ovals and had them put their face on the other side of the ghost.  You could hang them on a b. board flying around tombstones with the caption: ___________'s boo-tiful students flying through October lessons!

Glue Ghosts
The other ghost activity is also a quick and easy project. Write every child's name on a sheet of wax paper.  Give them a blob of tacky glue (Elmer's works too, but is not quite as thick) and have them swirl it into a ghost. ( I use Q-tips) Let dry 24 hours and gently peel off the paper.  You can poke a hole in the top and string a lacing sting through it to make a ghost necklace. I've also painted macaroni white and had them string their "bone"-beads to this.  Students can add two eyes with a marker. You could also make a pin.

Keepsake Cuties
My favorite ghost is one where I trace their foot with their shoe on. I call them "Spooky Soles" They glue it behind a gray tombstone that they cut out. I run off stickers that say RIP (Really Important Person) and they put that on their tombstone and write their name above it.  I give them two glue dots and two big wiggle eyes and they have an adorable keepsake. I punch a hole in the top and hang them from the ceiling. The poem I wrote says: Here's a little ghost he says boo! He's extra special because he's traced from my shoe! I type that up in a little square. They cut it out and glue it on their ghost.

Sweet Smelling Ghosts: Make a ghost from a dryer sheet. Give each of your students a dryer sheet.  These can be used or new.  Using a pencil, have them draw a ghostly shape on the sheet and then cut it out.  Sometimes this is a bit difficult with a safety scissors so have them make short cuts and snip around their shape.  They can add wiggle eyes with glue dots, or carefully use a black marker to make the eyes.  Because a dryer sheet is absorbent remind them not to rest the marker on the sheet.  Write their name on the bottom with an ink pen.  Using a needle and thread, tie a long loop to their ghost’s head, and let them fly it around the room.  After they are done playing, hang them from the ceiling or in the window.

Lunch Bag Loonies:  I love that lunch bags come in colors. White is perfect to make a ghost. Have your students shove a white plastic grocery bag in the top of the bag. Twist the bag so you make a "head" . Tie it with a piece of orange ribbon and wahla instant ghost! Now have your children cut 2 inch strips all the way up the bag to the neck of the ghost. Add 2 black eyes with a marker and a nice smile and you're done.  You can add a loop of yarn to the back of the ribbon if you want your loonie lunch bag ghosts flying down the hallway suspended from the ceiling. Too cute!

Batastic Bats: Give each of your students a sheet of wax paper the size of a sheet of copy paper. Have them write their name on it. Give each of them  a coffee filter. Have them paint it black.  Set aside to dry.  After they are dry have them paint the other side black.  When they are dry cut the coffee filters in half.  These are the bat's wings. Fasten them together by twisting them and then fastening them together with a piece of scotch tape.  Cut ovals out of black construction paper 3 inches tall. This is the body of the bat. Give one to each child. Have them fasten it to their pair of wings with a glue dot.  They can add eyes and a mouth with a white crayon or chalk, or you can give them 2 glue dots and a pair of wiggle eyes.  Punch a hole in the top of the head and tie with a loop of yarn or fish line. Hang from the ceiling and watch your bats flutter in the breeze.

Coat hanger Creations: You can make lots of things out of a wire coat hanger.  Have each of your students bring one in.  Or if your husband is like mine, you'll have a class set--no problem.. Demonstrate how to pull it lengthways, then sideways, then criss-cross to get the "permanent" kinks out.  Show your students how to shape their coat hanger into a circle.  Then have them decide if they want to make a spider, pumpkin, cat, skull or moon.   Lets say they want to make a harvest moon. Using a Q-tip have them dab tacky glue on top of the circle.  Lay a sheet of yellow tissue paper on top of the wire.  If you want the tissue to look darker and be a bit more tear resistant, you can add another sheet to the top. Simply put another layer of glue around the circle on top of the first tissue.

I suggest letting it dry if you're working with little ones. If you're working with older students they can trim the tissue around their coat hanger leaving a half inch "hem". Some glue will have dropped over the edge which will be perfect because you are going to have them fold the "hem" over.  That's it. Remind students to be very careful not to rip and tear their tissue paper.  Cut out an orange construction paper pumpkin. Add a green construction paper stem and draw on a Jack-O-Lantern face with a black crayon or marker. Glue the pumpkin to the bottom middle of the tissue paper moon.  Put the glue on the back of the pumpkin and gently press it to the coat hanger.  If you want to make the coat hanger into a pumpkin, glue orange tissue paper on the coat hanger following the directions above, then glue black construction paper geometric shapes on it to make a face.  If you want to make a spider or cat head, glue black tissue paper on the coat hanger and add 4 construction paper strips of black paper to each side of the hanger to make a spider and some eyes. Add two black rectangles to the top of the coat hanger for a cat's ears + facial features. For a skull, cover with white tissue paper and add facial features with a black marker. Hang your creation in the window.  Happy Halloween.

If you'd like to make a ghost pencil for your little "punkins" to write with all day, simply plop a small Styrofoam ball on the eraser end, add a Kleenex and two squares of tulle. Tie with a piece of yarn and you've got a "spook-tacular" writing utensil they're sure to go bats over!

Click on the link if you'd like to see the Blog Pictures up close in a PDF. Halloween Project Pictures.

Baby Food Jar Luminaries: After you have reviewed with your students the things they learned during Fire Safety Week and made them promise once again to NEVER EVER play with fire, candles, lighters or matches, you can have them paint a baby food jar luminary. Write their name on the bottom of the jar with a permanent marker.  They can paint their jar white and make a ghost, orange and make a pumpkin, black and make a cat, green or purple and make an alien or monster. The paint goes on the OUTSIDE. The tea light is dropped on the inside.  After their base coat is painted, make sure they have no glass showing, cover with varnish to make it shiny, unless you have already purchased a gloss paint.  Let dry.  Draw examples of faces on the board and have students paint a face on their luminary. Have students make little cards that say: "You light up my life with love. Happy Halloween to you!" and tuck them in their candle cup. What a nice surprise for their family.  

Have the children bring in an empty cereal box. Cut out big sheets of grey construction paper in the shape of a tombstone and have them glue it to both sides of the box. Children write their name on the box with a black marker and put all their goodies from the day in it. Makes for a nice and easy take home tote!

Now that you're done with crafts it's time to get the wiggles out! What could be better than some Halloween Movements?  Can you flap like a bat, roll like a pumpkin into the night or walk like a mummy? Click on the link to view/print a copy of this cute list that will have your students shaking their bones 'til they finally "turn around. Sit down. Hands in lap, that's that!"  Halloween Movements

If you'd like to sing 10 Little Ghosts to the tune of 10 Little Indians why not paint each of your student's index fingernails with White Out. Add 2 black dots for eyes with a Sharpie and they have a spooky pointer for the day's activities. White Out does not easily wash off so they'll have their ghostly pal for most of the day. 

I have lots of other super fun ideas for your Halloween Party including 24 games and decorating tips in my Halloween Mini Unit. Click on the link to check it out. It's only $1.59 for 81 pages of spook-tacular fun! Halloween Book

If you're looking for some great interactive read alouds to tickle your students' funny bones then you'll want to read them Halloween Stew,  Halloween ABC's and ABC Haunted House.  They all come with student editions that are perfect for reinforcing the alphabet and concepts of print.  I've also designed some "Easy Readers" with kindergarten sight words where the children read, trace, and write the sentence. In some cases they even unjumble the letters, cut them out and glue them to the appropriate pages.  Children really enjoy putting these little booklets together.  They pack in a lot of different skills and standards in a fun way.  Halloween Triangles,  Let's Go Trick Or Treating, and My Trick Or Treat Booklet Click on the links to check them out.

Halloween Game Time: Even when I'm playing games at my Halloween Party I want to nail my report card standards, so I made up Numb Skulls. You can use this as a simple skill sheet (I never call them worksheets, who wants to do work! I refer to my table top lessons as skill sheets or fun sheets!) or have them play a game and shake a Halloween Bottle.  During the month of October I buy the mini water bottles so I can make a class set of Halloween game bottles for my students. I save them and refill them with tap water and a teaspoon of vegetable oil.  I put 3 drops of  food coloring into the bottle. You can get Fall Colors starting in September. They have 4 bottles to a set: Forest green, orange, burgundy and black. I also use the regular food coloring so I have lime green, yellow and purple. Put in a teaspoon of vegetable oil and some Halloween confetti. Party stores have a huge selection and the Dollar Store sometimes sells Halloween confetti 4 packs stapled to a card. The vegetable oil makes the confetti float.   I also sprinkle in some orange glitter and drop in one dice. Whenever my students played dice games they were always making lots of noise and losing the dice under the tables and on the floor.  By putting them inside a bottle I solved both problems. Plus it's lots more fun for them to shake.  I seal the bottles shut with Aileen's tacky glue and for added protection put a piece of orange masking tape around the caps as well.  Children then shake up their Halloween bottle, check the number of the dice on the bottom and put that on their Numb Skull.  If they are doing subtraction, they use the larger number first.  They solve their equation and X out that many teeth on their skeleton's head! Lots of fun!  When they are done with the game they get to take their Numb Skulls and Halloween bottles home.  I keep an extra neutral set of bottles in my classroom for everyday use.

I also have them play Halloween Match. It's like the old card game "Snap". With this set of cards you could also play Memory Match or make an ABC Booklet. Click on the link to view/print off the games + directions for both the Numb Skull and Halloween ABC Match Games.

Whatever you do, I'm wishing you and your little "punkins" a howling good time! Happy Happy Halloween! I hope it's simply delightful!

If you'd like to tuck a Happy Halloween certificate into your students' backpacks, or give to your own children, click on the link. Halloween Certificates.  I've made 4 different styles.  There's 2 on  a page for easy copying + a page of "slap" bracelets.  11 on a page.  Run them off, cut them out and tape this Happy Halloween message to their wrist! Enjoy. and have a....

 

 

 

How do you get your students attention so they can line up and then stay quiet while they’re in line?

This month on my mail ring I’ve heard all sorts of complaints about students transitioning, particularly their behavior or lack of it, in the hallway. They seem to be lost in the Twilight Zone doing everything from pushing and shoving to talking non-stop!  What’s a teacher to do?  Here are some possible super-duper-shutter-uppers for those days when you’re ready, as one teacher put it, to “rip-your- hair-out!”

Setting the stage is crucial:

• When you want to get your students’ attention to transition you must already have done a few things.
• I explain the rules for transitions and we have practiced them from day one. My students know what is expected of them.
• I have a designated signal to gently warn them 5 minutes before a transition, that their current activity will be ending soon.  I ring a lovely sounding chime.  If a bell being rung for Pavlov’s dogs successfully worked for him, I figured a chime would work for me, and it does.
• Then, 5 minutes later, a timer rings signaling that activity is done. Children know that they are to clean up and that they will be transitioning to another activity. They also know that they have 5 minutes to do so. A second timer rings to let them know that their 5 minutes of clean up time is over. If things weren’t cleaned up, they have a consequence. i.e., toys not put away they don’t get to play with.  This teaches them responsibility. I use encouraging words as they clean up. “I like how Kelli is helping.” “Two minutes to go. Good job.”
• The activity that they are in is posted as an icon on the board. That icon is then taken down and put in a basket. Visually seeing this lets children know what they were doing and that it is now over.

• I also have a play clock on the board that I can move the hands to the time this activity will be over.   I announce to the children that this activity will be over when our real clock looks like our play clock.  It gets them used to telling time, and associating their activities to a time frame.

• I play up-beat music while they are cleaning. It gets them going. We also sing a clean up song before I put the music on. I challenge them to finish cleaning up before the music stops, which is before the timer rings.
• I make it a competition, and post their previous clean up time, challenging them to beat it.  They are very competitive and desire to beat their last time.
• Make clean up a game. Children can become vacuum cleaners or scrap monsters. See who can pick up the most toys, garbage whatever, and then get to wear the king and queen clean up crowns for that hour.
  

• For variety, on some days make their movement part of the fun.  Fly like a bird to put away toys, walk like an elephant to put away supplies, buzz like a bee to throw away garbage.
• When time is getting close, to speed things up I might say: "I'm closing my eyes! Let me know when I can peek." "Can I peek yet? Are you all cleaned up? " "Hurry! I need to peek. I can't wait any longer."

• Many of us now have 20+ children in the class. One line is no longer feasible. So I suggest dividing your class into two groups and having two lines. Put those two lines on two different sides of the hallway so that they are on separate walls. Things will be quieter. You may also want to rethink bathroom time and not send children all at once. It is still a good idea to have an adult monitoring the hallway. I never leave a group of children unsupervised.
• Make sure you are giving clear, concise, and do-able directions.  Instead of telling children to “line-up”, “clean-up,” or “get ready for gym class,”  say exactly what you want them to do, i.e.,,  “put your papers in your locker,” “put the puzzles away.”
• Be sure you pay attention to your vocabulary as you tell students where to go and what to do.  Do they know what the “reading center” is, or what “make a circle” means?  Using appropriate vocabulary that your students understand will help reduce confusion during transition time.
• Give your students behavioral expectations. “We are going to go to computers. We’ll need to walk quietly in the hallway, so let me know with a thumbs up or high five that you are ready to go.”
• Use lining up as an opportunity to practice listening skills and basic report card standards. Be creative; think of new ways to line your students up so things don’t get boring and you have a variety that keeps their attention. i.e., Line up if your name begins with K, if you’re wearing purple, if you’re birthday is this month.   Children are listening, concepts are reinforced, and not everyone is rushing to the door.  You can vary this by putting various themed-concepts in a basket.  Pass the basket around and have each child choose a card or piece. Then say: “All the number 1’s line up (numbers) or all the triangles line up (shapes) or all the red balls line up (colors) or all the vowels line up.” etc.
• Don’t let a few spoil it for the rest of the group. Pull those students out that are being obnoxious and make them practice lining up and staying quiet while you send the rest on to special, lunch, recess etc. If you’re not lucky enough to have a room helper that day, snag an adult in the hallway or haul everyone back to the room and call the special teacher and see if they can come get your class, or grab an older student loitering in the hallway, or call the office for an aid etc. I find that the unruly munchkins settle right down when they’re singled out and are missing lunch/recess etc. It’s also easier working with a smaller group.
• Don’t give in or lower your expectations. If you expect absolute quiet you WILL get it. Be consistent and follow through.
• Don’t go faster than your students can keep up either.  I notice that some teachers have noisy lines because they are walking at such a fast pace their little ones can’t keep up without running. This causes lots of commotion.
• Daily routines and transitions are an important part of classrooms and your sanity.  By implementing songs, chants, routines and transitions, you are providing students with constant reminders of your behavior expectations in a fun way!  We all need a bottomless bag of tricks to add to our classroom management repertoires, so here’s a list of some tried and true methods to help you sing, cheer, chant and tip toe your way to a happier and better run classroom and line in the hallway!  Click on the link to view/print this helpful list of ideas.  Transition Tips
• I've also made up a transitions in the Classroom Checklist. How are you doing? Click on the link to view/print a copy of that. It might help you fine-tune those center chaotic moments.
  
• Click on this link to view/print the Entire Article with Transition Tips and Classroom Checklist

The Tip List has 74 tips. I'd love to make it all the way to 100 giving teachers more fuel to put out those "rip-your-hair-out" fires! So take a moment and send me what works for you! Thanks in advance and have a great day getting the ants out of your students' pants!

diane@teachwithme.com

 

Here's Some Ideas!    

     October is Fire Safety Month and what a great idea to plug that in to your fall activities! Just last year one of our kindergartners saved the day when his family’s trailer caught fire and he was the one who ran next door and dialed 911 because of what he had learned two months before! Wow! Really makes you stop and say “That lesson was time well spent!” when life gives you a reality check!

 Here are some things that I do:

• I collect cell phones and other real phones that my family gives me and that I find at garage sales. When people realize that I’m getting them for my students to practice dialing 911 they sometimes give them to me free! I keep them in a big tub and my students “play” all year long with them. I have them sit in a circle and we practice passing one phone around so I can watch the numbers that they dial and make sure that they are pressing a 9 and not a 6. We really work on those 2 numbers all month long. I make sure that they know only to dial this number in an emergency.  The fire fighters who come share with us that they get a few calls from children in October “practicing” their new-found skills to see if that number really works!

• This month’s FREEBIE is a darling little booklet entitled: The Flame On My Candle. It’s the perfect tie-in for explaining the importance of not playing with matches.  Click on the link to print a free copy.
  

• I take a picture of each one of my students wearing the firefighter costume. I bought this after Halloween and keep it in our dress up box.  We have an Ellison puzzle die cut. Putting a puzzle together is one of our Y5 report card standards so I trace the pieces to make a template and run these off on white paper so each child has one to lay their photo pieces on. Then I put their photo under the Ellison press and it cuts it into puzzle pieces. I put the 4x6 white template and their photo puzzle pieces in an envelope with a sticker on the front that says: Who ‘Ya Gonna Call? They are so surprised when they put it together and discover that the fire fighter that they call is themselves! It’s a wonderful keepsake for them.

• Our Kent City Fire Department is great at coming out and showing all of the children the truck, what’s on it and dressing up in all of their gear and showing them how they look sort of scary because they have to bundle up so they can fight the fire, but to not be afraid of them and to never run and hide. I take all sorts of pictures and we make a book and bulletin board display. For the b. board I simply make a big flame and collage all of the fire pictures hither and yon and have black die-cut letters at the top warning them NEVER to play with fire.

• Because they saw so many things on the fire truck we sing The Wheels On The Fire Truck Go Round & Round instead of The Wheels on the Bus. The children give me things that they remember seeing and we make up the song as we go, such as the hose on the truck goes squirt, squirt, squirt; the ladder on the truck goes up, up, up, the ax on the truck goes chop, chop, chop etc.  Click on the link for a copy. Song

• This would make a great class book to make with your students.  Each child could choose one item to draw.  You could incorporate your real photographs if your fire department also came to visit.

• I enlarge the picture of the fire truck that I take with my students standing in front of it. I cut out laminated construction paper circle tires and attach them with brass brads. I choose a quiet child to hold it up and spin them while we sing our song.

• My Fire Safety Art projects are really adorable and so easy! Our hallway is jammed with all of my student’s art from ceiling to walls.  I really want to bring these messages home to the children and we have lots of fun doing them!  So do take a moment to check them out. Fire Safety Art & Activities Book. I also have a Fire Safety Unit, and 4 Fire Safety Booklets. Who Ya Gonna Call helps reinforce dialing 911. 

• For some gross motor movement, I have my students STOP-DROP and ROLL.  I cut red, yellow and orange felt to look like flames. It sticks to a child’s clothes. I put the pieces on a student’s back and have them roll around ‘til the flames fall off (they put the fire out.)

• I put 4 chairs in a square and then put a gray sheet over the chairs. I tell my students that this is smoke and ask them what they should do if there is smoke in the room. They tell me they need to crawl UNDER it. But wait! We need to test the door to see if it’s hot. No, it’s not! Ready-set-go! Crawl under the smoke. Stay low and go! Get out and stay out!

• I tell my Y5’s that in the olden days they had “bucket brigades”. People got in lines and passed pails of water to the fire. We have a relay race with two lines and two garbage cans. I gently crush up red, yellow and orange tissue paper so that my garbage cans look like they are on fire.  I have the children pass a bucket of “water” that is not filled with any water.  They start at the end of the line and pass the bucket to the front of the line.  That person throws the “water” on the fire and then they go to the end of the line carrying the pail with them and then the bucket starts up the line again.  The team that puts out the fire first (the one that gets through all of their people) is the winner.

• For a fine motor skill, I have children put the tiny Popsicle sticks on the rungs of the ladder on the side of a fire truck that I copy and laminate. It has 10 rungs. I have them choose two colors and show me an ABAB pattern. They do this activity on their tummies. Click on the link to print a copy. Fire Truck with Popsicle stick patterning ladder.

• I make my students PROMISE me they will never play with matches, lighters, or fire. We have a little I promise-pledge ceremony and they sign a skill sheet contract and then I give them a certificate. We celebrate and I give them a treat and we watch several 5 minute fire safety videos.  Click on the link to make copies.  Fire Safety Promise Contract / Skill Sheet + Certificate
• I also send a note home to parents telling them to please have a fire safety plan established with their family which includes an escape route as well as a safety checklist of things, like do they have smoke detectors and do the batteries work?  These were given to me by a fire safety service and are copyrighted so I can't post them, but I'm sure you can find some free stuff online or simply make up your own. It's great to have the parents on board.
  

      Here are some great Fire Safety Sites for your computer center: 

 http://www.smokeybear.com/

• Click on Smokey's Kids and tool around his cabin.
  
• Play Smoke Jumper and River Rage

http:///teacher.scholastic.com/commclub/firefighter/index.htm

• Click on the story and listen to the firefighter talk about HER job!
• Answer the questions and print out the junior fire fighter badge
• http:www.usfa.dhs.gov/kids/flash.shtm
• Play Escape From the Fire, Hazard House and the Matching Game
• Become a Junior Fire Marshall and print out a certificate

http://www.sparky.org/#/Sparky

• Play fun with fire trucks.
• Play Sparky’s Closet.
• Play Hot Diggity Dalmatians
• Play Dalmatianize

www.befiresmart.com/childlren/

• Watch the “Where’s The Fire?” video
• Play are you Fire Smart?
• Play Get Fire Fighter Frank Ready For Action
• Play How Fast Can You Spot Trouble?

      Well that’s just a few of the things I do to prepare my students and their families. I’d love to hear from you and what you’re doing in your classroom. So feel free to comment and share ideas with us! Wouldn’t it be great if like the little boy above you saved a life by posting an art project or idea that helped a little one remember the numbers 911 or an aspect of fire safety? All I can say is WOW!

Happy Fire Safety Month!

STAY SAFE.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do You need some Sight Word help for your kindergarten kids?  I've got some great ideas for you!  How about 72 pages of Sight Word Skill Sheets with my kid-tested, teacher approved system?  Students TRACE the word, WRITE the word, COLOR the word and then become ABCDe-tectives and "unjumble" the word, by CUTTING out the letters in their easy-snip rectangular boxes, ARRANGING them in correctly -spelled order, then GLUING them to their matching boxes on the skill sheet, where they can then READ the page! Students enjoy figuring out these simple puzzles and being detectives!

Do one sheet each day, or choose whatever words you want from a 52 alphabetical sight word listing and make a booklet for your class to work on. AND for this week only 'til the 14th of October, I'm offering this outstanding 72 page book FREE! 

It may sound silly, but I'm giving you the Sight Word Book FREE in celebration of my successful cataract surgery! So enjoy. Just click on the link and print which ever sight words that you use in your class, or print the entire thing.  After the 17th of October the book will sell for only $1.99. There's a two-page tip sheet that lists other things you can do with the cards as well.

Besides the Skill Sheet Book I've also made Mini Flashcards perfect for little hands!  I'm sure you can think up all sorts of fun things to do with them.  A pack of 52 is only .99 cents!  Click on the link to check it out. 

Here’s Some Other Things You Can Do With The Flashcards:

• Use the Mini Flashcards for games, pocket cards.
• Run them off on different colors of construction paper and laminate them.
• Rubber band them and make them into concentration-match games, and file folder games.
• Stick a magnet or piece of Velcro on the back and use them on a flannel or magnet board.
• Have children make sentences with them.
• Punch a hole in the corner and put them on a split ring. Keep the ring of cards by your Story Time chair.  Play “Flash!”

• "Flash” the card quickly and see who can “Flash” their hand up the fastest to identify what the word is. Give that child the card off the split ring to hold. whoever has the most cards at the end of a round of "Flash" is the winner.

• Have a room helper make these cards up for you
• Make non-laminated sets and send them home in a baggie for parents to help work on a word-a-week with their child. Have them post a card on the fridge.
• Put them up on the wall as your word wall words.
• Use a flash light to spy them in the dark. Paint them with glow paint and they will glow in the dark.
• I bought a big plastic laser during Halloween time and my students love using that to point to the words.
• I have them play ABCDe-tective and I toss the words all over the room and they run around and find them. We sit in a circle and they have to identify the ones they found. If they can’t they hold it up and the first one to spy it correctly gets that card.
• You can run them off on copy paper and glue them to seasonal die-cut shapes for each month. i.e., apples for September, pumpkins for October, leaves or acorns for November etc. and then display them in your room like that or decorate a tree that stays up on your bulletin board or wall all year.
• Have your students sit in a circle. Put them in a brown lunch bag or lunch box. Tell your students you are going to Munch some words for lunch. (Crunch-munch a bunch of sight words for lunch!)  and pass the bag/box. Let the children pick one out and read it.  If they read it correctly they get a sticker or an “I’m a Sight Word Smartie!" (These are Smartie candies. Sometimes I give my students a Super Sight Word  “Kiddle” and I give them a Skittle!
• Play a version of Musical Chairs. When the music stops they have to read the sight word on their chair, if they can’t they’re out.
• Play “Hot Sight Word!” Children sit in a circle. Pass around 2 or 3 sight words. When the music stops the children holding the sight words have to read them and are out.
• Play “What’s Missing?” Put a laminated circle in the middle of your circle. Put 3 sight words on the circle to start. Have the children close their eyes. Take one sight word away. Have them open their eyes and the first one to tell you which sight word is missing gets a sticker. Add another sight word to the circle and continue the game ‘til you have 10 sight words on your circle mat.
• Pass out envelopes of your sight words to each of your tables. Ask each child at the table to hold up their sight word and identify it.  If a child cannot identify their sight word, move on to the next table. The table that identifies all of their sight words gets stickers. After all the tables have been given a try, have the children put the sight words back in their envelopes and exchange table envelopes, then play again.
• Make some sentence strips up with the sight words and put those sight words in an envelope with the sentence strip. Have the children make the sentence with the words and then have them trace and write the sentence on a separate sheet of paper, or on a paper they can  eraser that you’ve laminated and also included in the envelope.
• If you think of some other things, please share and I’ll add them to our list. Thanks in advance.
  
• The possibilities of activities are endless. As always, I’d love hearing how you use them with your students and any way I can improve them or anything else you’re looking for. It’s truly my desire to help.
• diane@teachwithme.com

Finally, besides the  Sight Word Skill Sheets and Mini-Flashcards, I made two Easy Reader Sight Word Booklets. Your students will enjoy completing their booklet and then taking it home to share with their families! You can imagine how excited they'll feel when they can read it all by themselves!. My I CAN Booklet uses 10 sight words; My LOOK Book incorporates 20 sight words! They also use the READ, TRACE and WRITE formular to really get those sight words in their heads in a fun way.  I post new things EVERY day so please pop by often. It's my goal to write 8 more booklets. Click on the links to check them out. A little more advanced booklet incorporates shape, color and number words + 19 sight words. It's called My Look and See Shape Booklet.  I include traceable flashcards and 5 skillsheets for practice so that your students will be reading the booklet in no time.  It also include an ABCDe-tective progress-praise certificate.  Click on the link to check out this booklet that packs in lots of skills and standards in a super-fun way!

If you're looking for a Dolch Word List for Kindergarten, click on the link. I also have a Pre-Primer Dolch Word List that I also use for my Y5's. Click on the link for that if interested. If you teach 1st grade I've also compiled a Dolch Word List for first grade as well. Click on that link for a copy. Dolch Word List for 1st Grade.

The biggest bonanza is over 300 traceable flashcards and all the Dolch Word Lists all the way up to a 3rd grade Dolch word list in a book I call Dolch Word Help. Click on the link to view/print a copy.  I've included a Dolch noun list as well as Dolch noun flashcards and their Dolch Noun matching picture cards + a tip list of how you can use all of this! I even found a fairy tale online that includes all 220 Dolch words from ALL of the Dolch lists! WOW! Click on the link for this wonderfulf reebie!  FREE DOLCH WORD HELP BOOK

If you're looking for a fun read aloud to go with your kindergarten Dolch Word list I have just the thing.  When I was working on my Masters in Elementary Education one of my reading class assignments was to write something creative for a kindergarten class using the Dolch Word List.  I chose to write an ABC book.  I really challenged myself because I wanted to see if I could incorporate the entire Dolch Word list, not just the kindergarten Dolch word list but the first grade Dolch Word List AND the second grade Dolch Word List !!!  I also wanted it to rhyme and include all the vowel sounds.  I'm a big fan of Dr. Seuss so I wanted it to be a silly sort of book using his format that my students would enjoy hearing.  Wow!  What a job!  But so fun to create and my students LOVE LOVE LOVE this booklet.  Lots of giggle time.  So check it out by clicking on the link.  It's entitled Awake To Zleep and is a real tongue twister so prepare to have fun!

I've also compiled a list of consonant blends, digraphs, and long and short vowel words. They are in alphabetical order for easy reference with some tips of what to do with the word list, a song to help teach your students vowels, an art activity to help them sort consonants and vowels and finally, a movement-chant activity to help them conquer the concept of blends in a fun way!  Click on the link for a copy. WORD LIST

Letters make up words and words make up sentences and they all make up an Itty Bitty Alpha-bit Book that's fun for your students to make and collect!  What a great way to build a child's self-esteem on their road to reading bit-by-bit!  Click on the link to learn how. You will LOVE the versatility of teaching with these mini flashcard sets!  Learn number words with Numbits, and have a blast making Itty Bitty Number and skip counting books! Click on the link to see how you can join the fun!!

I hope these new sight words for kindergarten activities, and the Dolch word information, will help you and yours.  I designed them to be time savers for you as well as great fun and good self-esteem builders. Hopefully they will help promote literacy in your classrooms.

Happy Fall Reading!

 

 

How will you be celebrating Columbus Day with your students?

Columbus Day is celebrated in Spain and America. We celebrate on the 2^nd Monday in October.

A bit of history you may not know:

Columbus was turned down many times before receiving a thumbs up for his trip from Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain. They promised much-- including land,  10% of all the revenues from the new lands, and he was to be dubbed “Admiral of the Seas” and would receive a portion of the profits, to name a few things in a very generous contract.   They didn’t really expect him to return.  Perhaps this is why they didn't really honor the contract.  Instead,  he was later arrested in 1500! After Columbus died, his sons Fernando and Diego took legal action. They battled through 1511! Court disputes continued ‘til 1790, almost 300 years from the time Columbus first set sail!

Between 1492 and 1503, Columbus completed four round-trip voyages between Spain and the Americas, all of them under the sponsorship of Isabella. These voyages marked the beginning of European Exploration and the colonization of our American continents.  Columbus, however, always insisted, even though there was a great deal of evidence proving him wrong,  that the lands he visited were part of Asia.  His refusal to see otherwise, might be the reason that America was named after the explorer Amerigo Vespucci and not Christopher Columbus.

Activities:

if you're wondering what to do with your students,  I’ve made up a few songs you can sing. You can also try, 3 Columbus Day Art Activities + an Easy Reader that’s sure to be a hit.  If you need to add a little geography to the day you'll want to print off  my Columbus Day Geography Book.  It's a Trace, Write, Cut and Glue activity.  Use it in class or send it home.  If you're looking for some table top skill sheets   to round out your morning routine, I've got just the thing!  A  maze, word find, an ABC skill builder sheet, a dot-to-dot (you choose how to count), a trace-to-pre-write, a pinch & poke, a match the columns, 2 dice games, and a ship spelling sheet!  To praise your students' efforts I also have a certificate.  Click on the link to check out this  42-page packet  Columbus Packet. This packet is free through July 2011 and then goes in the shopping cart for only .99 cents.

I save toilet paper, and paper towel tubes all year and have it on my "Save for me!" recycling list that I give to parents the first day of school, so when October arrives I have enough to make telescopes for Columbus Day. The children simply glue a pre-cut piece of brown paper on their paper towel tube.  We sit on our Circle of Friends carpet and look through our telescope and share what we think Columbus might have seen on the Ocean, and on land.  How was it different from what we see today. I bring in a real telescope for them to look in. 

Get Ready, Get Set, Read!

Besides reading a few stories about Columbus (I have several selections from Scholastic) I show them books about astronomy and tell them that captains of ships used the stars to tell where they were going.  Two books I also show pictures from are The Ships of Christopher Columbus by Xavier Pastor. It gives lots of details about the ships and includes some good pictures to share with your students. How We Learned The Earth Was Round by Patricia Lauber. It's also a great back ground book.  The author explains how people viewed the shape of the earth in early times, and describes the reasoning that led the Greeks to the conclusion that the earth was round.

Sharing:

I show my students a globe and pass around objects that are sphreres.  I explain to them that a lot of people didn't think that the earth was round.  They thought it was flat, and that if you sailed far enough you would fall off and die!  It was a very scary time when  people didn't know that others lived far away.  We take turns tossing a beach ball globe and sharing something that we are afraid of.   

Snack Time:

A fun snack if you have a parent who wants to fuss a bit, is to buy pears or peach halves.  Insert a tooth pick in a marshmallow and then into the pear or peach and you have a yummy fruit boat.

More Ideas:

To make a cute Nina, Pinta, or Santa Maria ship, Click on the link. Ships

To read a great synopsis of Columbus and view a neat slide show click on the link. This would be a wonderful computer center for the day.

To make a cool Spanish Ship click on the link.

For some outstanding Columbus Day coloring pages click on the link.  You can print them off and use them for your class or have students go to the site as a computer center and color them online!  My favorite is Columbus holding a scroll. I use it for name writing practice!   

So set sail today on your ocean of blue

and have fun making a voyage in 1492.