Items filtered by date: June 2011

Calendar Paper Chain

Young children have a difficult time grasping calendar concepts especially the concept of time.

My students were forever asking: "When is the party, fieldtrip, or other special day?”

To help them actually VISUALIZE this, I designed a calendar extension called our Monthly Paper Chain.

Here’s how to make one:

• I count how many days in the month and make a color-patterned paper chain.
• We are learning ABAB or ABC patterns in September, so I start with an ABC pattern.
•  
• I choose red, yellow and lime green to represent the 3 colors of apples, because we will also be studying apples for a science unit.
• Each month I pick different colors that somehow match the month.  i.e., in October I choose black, orange and purple and continue with the ABC pattern.

•  Every day we're in school we take away (subtract) a paper chain.
• I review this math terminology with my students.
• I also ask them if we have more or less, if our chain is getting longer or shorter, if it’s greater or less than etc.

• We rip off the weekend ones too.
• My students love tearing off the chains so that's why I included Saturday and Sunday.

• We count forwards and backwards, (in English and Spanish).
• We also identify the pattern.
• The children identify the colors in English and Spanish.

• I have them look for any paper chains that have stickers on them.
• These denote a special day that we are looking forward to, like a theme day etc.
• We then count how many more days 'til we get to wear our costumes, have a special visitor, get to go on a fieldtrip, or have our pictures taken, etc.

• Besides all of the great math extensions, the paper chain also acts as a cute decoration.
• I've included a little blackboard that you can run off and laminate and hang from the top of your paper chain.


• There’s a page of monthly icons (Some are pictured on the right; September's apple is pictured on the blackboard above.) that you can change each season or month if you want.


• Simply add a piece of Velcro to the back of each piece, with the opposite Velcro button stuck on the corner of the hanging blackboard.

• Make your paper chain personal by making a copy of your class picture and putting it on the back of the slate.
• You can add the caption:  Who is here today?

• Click on the link to go to “How many days are left in the month?” paper chain things so you can view or print them.
• Be sure and pop back tomorrow when I’ll have another back-to-school tip for you!

Until next time…

Do you have a classroom management tip that you find helpful?  I’d enjoy hearing from you! diane@teachwithme.com

22 pages. A fun way to learn or review numbers and number words as well as practice a variety of skills and standards.

27 pages. A fun way to count to 100-Day!

Themed Ideas Continues With Trains & Apples

Trains:

We’re On Track & Chugging Our Way To 100-Day!

• I also used this in my hallway for many years because I wanted to cover shapes, colors and the rainbow pattern as well as counting to 100. 
•  My year-long theme revolves around having a “Can-do” attitude  based on The Little Engine That Could, so having a Counting to 100-Day train was perfect.

•  I put this up in the middle of a hallway wall by the restrooms as well.
• I keep the 6-different shaped pieces in 6 envelopes in a basket by my calendar, for easy access.

•  Children tell me what color and shape -train car we need to put up by looking at the train and figuring out the pattern.
  

• I have a “Who’s Turn Is It?” 2-pocket basket filled with Popsicle sticks with students’ names on them.  One side is labeled “Had a turn” the other “Needs a turn”.
• This basket is by the envelope basket.  I pull a stick out and see whose turn it is to tell me the color and shape, write the number and put the shape car on the wall.

•  Click on the link to view/print the 100-Day Train & things I have to match it.

Apples:

• I also do apples along with my train.  I ordered the magnetic poster from Really Good Stuff that has the magnetic numbered apples. 
•  I have a huge steel door in my room so I put the poster on that and divided the little apples into 10 snack baggies so that I’m not searching through a zillion apples each day.

• I keep these baggies clipped to the door with strong magnetic clips.
  

• As soon as my students come into class we go through what day it is, and add an apple to our tree.
• We count up to that many numbers. This all only takes a minute or two and by that time the announcements come on and we’re ready to move on to something else.

•  You can make your own simple apple tree out of bulletin board paper and use apple stickers each day.

• As soon as you’ve made a group/set of 10 that child circles it and writes the number under it.
• That way you can count your way to 100 by 10’s.

•  I do a huge apple theme in September so it’s fun to be doing things with apples that relate to counting up to 100-Day.

• Then on 100-Day I have all sorts of apple-related things to help celebrate the day as well.
• Click on the link to view this cute packet.
• Counting to 100-Day The Apple Way!

• For a FREE 85-page 100-Day Unit click on the link.
• For a FREE 100-Day Bibliography click on the link.
• For  a FREE Making 100-Day Class Books click on the link.

• Isn’t it fun being able to download for free?
  

• Be sure and check back tomorrow when I’ll revisit another fun and fair way to pick a partner and learn report card standards at the same time!
•  You’ll LOVE the versatility of Pear Pairs!

 Do you have a back-to-school activity you’d like to share?

I’d enjoy hearing from you. diane@teachwithme.com

Using A Theme To Count Up To 100-Day

Having a theme in place is a fun way to manage what you’ll do on 100-Day. I have several suggestions in this two-part article to help get you thinking.

Caterpillars:

We're Wiggling Our Way To 100 Day!

• Is a cute way to count up to 100-Day.
• Make a copy of my caterpillar head out of emerald green construction paper.
•  Add wiggle eyes, a pink pom pom nose, some pipe cleaners for antennae, stickers for cheeks and draw in a magic marker mouth and you’ve got yourself a beautiful bug.

•  Cut 50 yellow and 50-lime green cirles from my template to make100-segmented body pieces.
• Have students vote on a name for their caterpillar creature.

•  Each day choose a child to write that day’s number on either a yellow or lime-green circle and then add it to the growing body of your caterpillar.
• Hang the caterpillar in the middle of a hallway wall, close to the restrooms.

•  That way, when students are using the bathroom, you can review patterns and count up to whatever number you’re at, while you wait for everyone to finish.
  
• On 100-Day you can have gummy caterpillar-worms as a special treat/snack!
  
• Click on the link to view/print 100-Day Wiggles and the things I have related to him.

Butterflies:

• Our second graders study Monarch butterflies in September. 
• I don’t do butterflies ‘til April, but I thought it would be fun to whip some “Fluttering Our Way To 100-Day” stuff together as I LOVE LOVE LOVE butterflies!  If you do too, maybe this is the theme for you!

•  Perhaps you’d like to toss in a butterfly thing or two with your caterpillars!  After all, metamorphosis could have taken place in those 100 days of counting!  How cute would that be!
  

• Simply draw a big jar (use clipart) on construction paper and cut it out.
• You can make your jar out of light blue or gray paper and the lid can be wrapped in aluminum foil.  This is a photo of my firefly bug jar.
• Put my poster (see photo above-left) above or beside your jar.
  
• You can make this poster 3-D by cutting two sets of butterflies.
  
• Glue only the thorax to the bottom butterfly; fold the wings up and wahla "flying butterly!"
  

•  Buy 100 butterfly stickers.
• Each day choose a student to add a butterfly to the jar.
• 
• On 100-Day choose a “pick me” Popsicle stick that has your students’ names written on them and that child gets to take the poster home as a 100-Day prize!

•  Click on the link to view/print some Counting to 100-Day Butterfly things.

•  Just like the blog before, I’m endeavoring to keep things brief, so I have another mini-sub article after this one.
• Keep scrolling down if you’d like to see more tips on this topic and read about trains and apples as  themes for counting up to 100-Day!

Completing The Main Article

With These Last Two Ideas Numbers 5 and 6

Stamp your way to 100-Day!

Make a 100-Day Banner/Pennant:

• Simply make a template from my pennant master if you want to make smaller banners out of regular size construction paper.
  
• A small banner will fit about 50 stamps on one side so you'll have to print both sides.
• If you use extra-large construction paper, you can stamp just the front.
• It's a good idea to make a sample to show students what the end result will look like.
  


• Trace the the banners on a variety of light-colored construction paper and then cut them out.
• Write students’ names in glitter glue or puffy paint for extra pizzazz.

•  As a center activity, each day have students get their pennant from the “pennant pile”.  This is a safe place (The lid from a copy paper box used as a basket, works great. Place it on a window ledge or shelf).
•  They take their pennant to the stamping center and put the stamp-for-the-day on it.

• The stamps can be seasonal.
• If you’re studying apples, have an apple stamp. Pumpkins are great for October.

•  Students decide if they want to use different colored stamp pads or have their banners be all one color.
  
• I chose brown ink for mine.
  
• If a child is absent make sure that you or a student helper stamps theirs.

•  I have a zillion stamps so this is no problem.  If you don’t, ask other teachers if you can borrow theirs just for the day.
• You can also combine stamps and stickers, or have students copy and draw a secret symbol that you put on the board for that day.

• On 100-Day everyone should have 100-Stamps.
• Really Good Stuff has a 100-Day stamp perfect for that last day  (“Way Cool!”)

•  For my 98^th day I have a caterpillar with wiggle eyes because we wiggled our way to 100 day. 
• On the 99^th day we metamorped into a butterfly and have fluttered our way to 100 Day.  Let your students make a 3-D butterfly for their banners so the butterflies look like they are popping off the page and flying!

•  Each child needs 3 stickers to make one.  Students put the 1^st sticker down.
• The second sticker they cut the “thorax” off so they have two wings.

•  Put the wings back-to-back on the 3^rd sticker so only the thorax (middle part of the butterfly) now remains sticky.
• Press this sticky part down really hard on the middle of the 1^st butterfly and rub it with your fingernail.  Fold each of the wings up and crease. Wahla flying butterfly!

•  If you've used extra-large consruction paper, on 100-Day give them die-cut 100-Day numbers and letters to glue on the back of their pennants.
• Wow! Everyone has a super keepsake to take home, and you have a fun way to count to 100 as they admire their banner and count the stamps and stickers with you.

•  You could also punch a hole in each corner and string their pennants up from the hallway ceiling for a few days.
• Click on the link to view/print the 100-Day banner things.

100-Day Posters:

• Purchase a poster and X things off or color them in.  Really Good Stuff has magnetic ones that you  can add “things” to.
• My poster is a gumball machine.
• I keep it on my white board.  I laminated it so that I can reuse it each year.  Everyday as part of our calendar routine someone X’s a gumball.

• On the 100^th Day of school, each child can earn a penny for my real gumball machine. They think it’s “way cool” that I bring a gumball machine to class and let them put a penny in, after they have completed their Table Top lessons.
• I tell them that they need to “chews” to be a good student all morning, stay on task and complete their work so they can earn that penny to help celebrate the day!

• They LOVE this idea and are anxious to get down to business. You can order counting up to 100-Day posters from Really Good Stuff.  
• Unfortunately when I checked, the gumball one was discontinued.
• Be sure and pop back tomorrow when I’ll be posting “Count to 100-Day with a THEME!” 
  

• Lots of creative ideas to get you excited!
  
• You'll just love wiggling, chugging and fluttering your way to 100-Day!
• If you dropped in to see "Wiggles" today he'll be posted tomorrow.  This article, as you can see, needed to be split into many parts!
  

Counting To 100-Day Continues...

Here are ideas 3 and 4

Drop something into a jar!

100-Day Jar:

• The Dollar Store sells all sizes of plastic jars.
• Buy TWO and have them be your “Counting our way to 100-Day!” jars.
• Decide what “thing” you want to count and then put them in the jar.

•  I like the look and feel of marbles and so do my Y5’s.
• I’m also fond of saying: “Don’t lose your marbles!” for a variety of reasons. (We have the games Hungry Hippos and Hungry Frogs! Arggg to the noise, but they love them.)

•  Print off my labels. One label says: Counting our way to 100 Day.  The other label says: Counters for !00-Day. 
•  Think of something easily accessible, that won’t break or spoil and is cheap.
• You might also want to consider what your “theme” if any, will be, that you are counting to 100 around.

•  Perhaps you want it to be something the children can have as a prize to be divided among them when it’s 100-Day, or perhaps you want your students to be able to eat what’s in the jar!
• Put your jars by your calendar center as it’s a nice part of the day to run this into.
• Click on the link to view/print the 100-Day counting jar things.

Add A Piece To A Puzzle Each Day!

100-Day Puzzle:

• Buy a 100-piece puzzle at The Dollar Store. I just bought a Spiderman one because my Y5 boys LOVE Spiderman and I toss him in during our spider unit. 
•  The caption over the puzzle will be “We’re caught in a web of learning!” It will be a hint about what the puzzle will be, so they can enjoy making guesses.
• Also buy a piece of tag board (They sell it there 2 for a Dollar.)

•  Put the puzzle together on the poster board.
• When you’re done, flip the puzzle over.


• Number the pieces.
• Slide the puzzle off the tag board and trace each piece.
• Number the pieces on the tag board.

• Write “Puzzling Our Way To 100 Day” on the poster, or hang up my mini poster.
• Click on the link to view/print it.

• Put 10 pieces in snack Baggies and number the baggies.
• Keep the snack Baggies in 2 large baggies in a basket under the puzzle.

•  Each day pick a child to put that day’s puzzle piece on the board with a glue dot.
• If you use peel off glue dots you can re-use the poster.

•  Since this is so easy and inexpensive I toss the students’ “It’s My Turn” Popsicle sticks in a basket, and have someone choose one. That child gets to take the puzzle home as a 100-Day prize.
• I let them know this ahead of time so that they can look forward to it.
• You can also make guessing what the puzzle is, while they are counting up to the big day, a prize thing too.

•  Scroll down if you want to see the last mini-sub article about 100-Day pennant-banners and posters!