1-2-3 Come Make A "Tee-rrific" Father's Day Card With Me
As I stated in yesterday's article, I tried to make time so that my Y5's could create something for their dads for Father's Day. I know the end of the school year is often hectic, so I wanted to make several quick and easy "craftivities" that you could choose from, that would easily plug into your day.
A bit of interesting fun, but also educational. (Heaven forbid that we can't justify every little thing we do!) I'll be making several other Father's Day cards this week in the hopes that you can give your kiddos more than one option, as not all dads golf etc.
You could make up 2 to 3 examples and ask them what they want to do, then run off the appropriate number of each "craftivity". If you're lucky enough to be out of school, you can hopefully file these away for next year.
As with yesterday's "dynamite dad" card, the "My dad is 'tee-rrific' golf card" is also a writing prompt. Explain the "tee-rrific" play on words to your students. Brainstorm why they think their father is a terrific daddy.
List their ideas on the board as you review spelling. When students have completed their final draft they write it inside their golf ball card.
Run off the golf ball and inside circles on white construction paper or card stock. Run the tees and pennants off on a variety of colors of construction paper. Students choose, trim and assemble them to make their Father's Day card.
Younger students can simply do the craft or dictate their thoughts to a room helper, while older students complete the writing prompt. Adding a student's photo makes things extra special.
So that my card flipped open to reveal the writing, I hinged the 2 circles together with a small piece of tape stuck to the left side.
Glue the ball card to the top of your tee. You don't really need the pennant, but I thought it added extra pizzazz and fit right in with the golf theme. I glued the flag at a diagonal slant to the back of the ball.
Likewise, you don't need the grass, but I thought the 3D effect gave it that finishing touch. Simply fold a small piece of green construction paper in half.
Have students make cuts at the top, being careful not to slice all the way through; crumple the edges and then glue the tip of the tee inside.
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"I am indebted to my father for living, but to my teacher for living well." -Alexander the Great
1-2-3 Come Get Your Groove On With Me!
Since the end of the year activities have been so popular, and since some of us have a lot of snow days to make up, I continue to design some interesting things to keep your energetic kiddos occupied, and your sanity in place.
Friday was hippos; today it's all about cows. Have you heard the "moos?" "We're Moo-vin' To A New Grade!" I know that's a bit corny, but I really like diddling around with word play. Once my older students caught on to my craziness, they enjoyed it too.
There are several ways to do this "craftivity." You can simply have your students color the cow, cut him out and mount him to the writing prompt, or for a little more hands-on, run off the patterns on construction paper.
Students trim, glue their cow together, and add details with crayons. For extra pizzazz, I glued my sample to a sheet of checkered scrapbook paper.
Since students are moving on to a new grade, I thought it would be a good idea for them to reflect on that for awhile, before they complete their writing prompt page.
Later, have them share their cows, so they get a chance to air their feelings, and you have an opportunity to reassure them.
If you didn't catch the hippo article, I suggested that a great way to share, would be to ask a teacher in that grade, if your kiddos could come visit and read their work to their students.
This gives them a chance to meet a new teacher, see that room, (perhaps even a different section of your school) and hear from the students in that grade, what they enjoyed the most about it. Your students could also ask the older kids some questions. I think it would be a wonderful experience for all.
Afterwards, give your students a bookmark celebrating their accomplishment. I've included templates in color as well as black and white. There's a set for kindergarten through 3rd grade, plus a blank one to fill in with whatever.
Completed projects look great hanging on a hallway wall, or on students' lockers.
I've included a poster to hang by their work or print two and glue them back to back and suspend from the ceiling.
Click on the link to view/download the Moovin' and a Groovin to a New Grade packet.
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"Teaching kids to count is fine, but teaching them what counts is best." -Bob Talbert
1-2-3 Come Do Some End Of The Year Activities With Me
As you're winding down the school year, and looking forward to a well-deserved summer vacation, are you still in need of a few things to plug into the last days of school?
Because of the crazy winter, and the necessity for quite a few make up snow days, the home stretch may be a bit longer for some, so I've been busy designing lots of interesting end of the year activities.
Today it's all about hippos. I love drawing them. Since being done with another school year is certainly something to cheer about, I thought the play on words "Hip Hippo Ray!" would be appropriate.
I used it for a 100 Day packet and I'm revisiting that theme with "Hip Hippo Ray I'm On My Way!" where students complete the writing prompts about the next grade that they'll be in.
Here's How To Make One: Run off the hippo's head on a variety of colors of construction paper, along with the matching mouth section.
Students choose a color and then add some finishing touches with crayons. Wiggle eyes also look cute. Give students a color choice for the bows as well. Girls can put their bow on top of the hippo's head, boys can use it as a bowtie.
There are 3 pages to choose from for the writing prompts. Personally I would do all of them, as they are pretty simple.
This would be a nice Daily 5 activity. There's also a blank page to use for autographs.
Staple the pages together at the nostrils and then glue just that portion to the hippo's head, so that their "booklet" flips up.
After students have shared their work with the class, hang them in a row along a hallway wall. Your caption could be: "Hip Hippo Ray! We're Looking Forward To 2nd grade in a big way."
A fun way to have your students share their hippos, would be to ask a teacher in the next grade if you could visit their class for 10-15 minutes and listen while your students shared their feelings about being in that grade.
The older kiddos could then talk about what they enjoyed about being in that grade and dispel any worries or anxieties your students may have had. It also gives them a chance to meet another teacher and see the room they might be in next year.
I've also included a "Hip Hippo Ray it's the last day alphabet hunt. Students "spy" something that begins with the various letters of the alphabet, and color that letter when they find it. On the back of their paper they write the numbers 1-26 in a list, so that when they find a letter, they can write down the word associated with it.
After students have completed their activities, you can give them a bookmark. I've made them in color as well as black and white. They write their name on the top.
If you teach preschool or kindergarten, and have a graduation, I've included patterns to make a "Hip Hippo Ray! It's graducation day hippo.
Their writing prompt is why they are proud of themselves. Include a graduation photo for that finishing touch.
As with the above packet, I made matching bookmarks. Click on the link to view/download the Hip Hippo Ray packet.
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“What a teacher writes on the blackboard of life can never be erased.”
1-2-3 Come Build Self-Esteem With Me
"Filling buckets" seems to have really caught on in a lot of schools. I know we have this program in our school as well. The idea is to encourage positive behavior. Children catch on fast and see how easy and rewarding it is to express sincere kindness, appreciation, and love on a daily basis.
With that in mind, I wanted to think up a quick and easy end-of-the-year "bucket filler" so to speak, that would help promote a child's self-esteem. Thus the Classmate Compliment Cat Craftivity was born. (Try to say that tongue twister three times!)
Here's How:
Run off the lined paper pattern. Students accordion fold it following the lines. This provides wonderful fine motor practice. Students color and glue their cat to the top of the folded paper.
Pass out a different color marker/pencil to each student. Children pass their "compliment cat" to another child to write something nice about about them on one of the accordion-folded sections.
They continue passing 'til everyone has signed something on every child's cat, finally ending up with their own.
So students get a special compliment from their teacher, make sure you are part of the signing, Add the finishing touch by having students glue a piece of colorful bulletin board boarder to the top.
Give students time to read the nice things their classmates had to say about them, then have children accordion fold their papers back up and fasten with a paperclip to take home.
Skip refolding and let the compliments dangle; display them on a bulletin board, (cover with paw print wrapping paper) or hang in a long row on a hallway wall. Your caption could be "A purr-fect way to end our day." or "'Paws"ing To Write."
The packet also includes a bookmark that you can pass out to everyone after they have completed their projects.
Click on the link to view/download the Classmate Compliments Cat Craftivity packet.
Finally, if you're new to the "Fill A Bucket" idea and would like to add this to your teaching bag of tricks, click on the link for a sweet "Fill A Bucket" song by the Learning Station.
This link has all of the Fill A Bucket books for children, with some free resources, coloring pages, puzzles, and activities.
My personal favorite is their alphabetical bucket filling checklist.
Thanks for visiting today. Feel free to PIN away. If you're looking for more end-of-the-year activities, click on the link to zip on over to that section of my site.
I always end with some sort of matching quotation. While looking for one, I found this cute quote-card that fits the idea of giving compliments and filling buckets perfectly.
Blessing to you and yours, today and always!
"
1-2-3 Come Write About Summer With Me
I'm not sure about you, but I was always looking for some fun things to do the last few weeks of school. Lessons had been learned, assessments were done, and things were winding down, as my students' energy was reaching an all-time high.
If you find yourself in similar circumstances, I think your students will have fun making a pair of sunglasses and thinking about their summer plans, so they can write about them. The title of this FREEBIE is Shades Of Summer.
Brainstorm with them about the things they'd like to see and do over vacation and write their ideas on the board.
Run off the sunglasses template on a variety of colors of construction paper, or for real pizzazz, use scrapbook paper. Give children a choice and then have them cut them out.
To make this activity even more special, take a photo of each student wearing goofy sunglasses. I got mine at a party store. I was looking for the jumbo-sized ones, but couldn't find them. I thought that would be extra silly and add fun to my photo shoot.
Print the pix and cut them into oval shapes, so students can glue theirs to the right lens of their pair of sunglasses.
Print the lens pattern and trim. Make a template out of an old file folder. Trace once and then cut 3 to 6 lenses at a time.
Each student needs a dark right lens, as well as however many white lens pages they need to complete the writing prompt: "what I'd like to see and do this summer..."
So that the words "Shades Of Summer" would show up, I chose a light black, but gray, silver, and brown also looked sharp.
Run off this template, rough cut, and give each student one of these "title lenses" to trim and glue on the left hand side of their sunglasses.
When they have completed their writing, students collate and staple into a booklet, so that the dark lens cover, flips over to reveal their writing. Children glue on their photo, and using a white crayon, write on their name, and glue the booklet to the right side of their sunglasses.
After everyone has had a chance to read and share their completed project, scatter the sunglasses on a bulletin board. For something different, and that finishing touch, use a beach towel for the background. Just above the board, suspend a few bottles of suntan lotion from the ceiling. Caption: "We're Looking Forward To Summer!"
Click on the link to view/download the Shades Of Summer packet. Thanks for visiting today. Feel free to PIN away.
"In winter I get up at night, and dress by yellow candle-light. In summer quite the other way; I have to go to bed by day." ~Robert Louis Stevenson
1-2-3 Come Do Some Interesting "Craftivities" With Me
Congratulations! You're heading down the home stretch. The first and last month of school arrive quickly and seem to be the most hectic.
One of the things that helped me check a few more things off my "to do" list, was several "Welcome Back To School" activities and bulletin boards that my current students made for my next year's kiddos.
This served a dual purpose, as it gave my Y5's something to do when I was running out of ideas for make up snow days, plus accomplished decorating and making a few things, so I didn't have to do them by myself come August.
Here's a photo of my completed apple back to school bulletin board, with a close up of my sample. I made sure that all of these children were still in our school before I passed out the apples to my kiddos.
Since Kindergarten and Y5's had the same lunch hour it was fun for them to look for their older new friend. Simply use any apple dicut. We ran ours through a crinkle machine.
With that in mind, I thought it would be fun to design several things that your current sweeties could make for your incoming kiddos, as well as a keepsake for themselves if you wanted to do the entire packet.
The "Tree-mendous" Year craftivies include the writing prompt: You're going to have a "tree-mendous" year in ______ grade, where students cut and color a tree and then flip it up to reveal their message to the new student. What a nice surprise for them to find on or in their desk, on the first day of school.
The packet also includes a tree that they help design by tracing their hand (fingers spread to make the branches) plus part of their arm (which becomes the trunk).
The caption here is: I had a "tree-mendous" year in __________ grade.
The treetop is 3D as students cut out two, fold them in half and then glue one side of them together. Add some red circles (apples) to the flat side and have students write some of their very favorite things, people, and places that revolved around that grade. Add a photo for the finishing touch.
Click on the link to view/download The "Tree-mendous" Year packet.
Another option, with the same idea, is The "Bee-utiful" Year packet. Students make a bumblebee out of a toilet paper tube using yellow construction paper, black electrical tape (stripes), cupcake liners (wings) and a pipe cleaner (antennae).
I've included a bee pattern with a face drawn in for them to color, or they can use the oval and design their own. Add wiggle eyes for a bit more pizzazz.
Students complete the writing prompt page that says: I'm wishing you a bee-utiful year in __________. Here's the buzz about what you'll learn and then roll it up and insert it inside the TP tube.
For an easier writing prompt, I've included 2 bookmark options that can also be rolled up and put inside the bumblebee, which say: "You'll have a great year bee-cause..." or "My favorite things about 'bee-ing' a first grader:" (Fill in the blank with your grade level.)
Click on the link to view/download the "Bee-utiful" Year packet.
Along the same lines, is the larger bee craftivity, where students make a big bee with wax paper wings and complete the writing prompt: "You're going to have a great year 'bee-cause'"... in a little apple booklet that they glue to the bee's tummy.
This makes a sweet back-to-school bulletin board as well. A caption could be: What's the buzz about kindergarten?
When your own students have time to get some work done for their own bulletin board, take this one down and give everyone a bee. Click on the link to view/download the "Bee-cause" packet.
Thanks for visiting today. Feel free to PIN away. If you'd like to see some more end-of-the year activities, click on the link to zip on over to June to grab even more FREEBIES.
"Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee." -Muhammad Ali
1-2-3 Come Read With Me
Are you looking for some easy readers with a summer theme? Well, you’ve come to the right place.
My Summer Senses is a great way to review the 5 senses as well as the 4 seasons!
Students get practice tracing and writing words and use picture clues to read the sentences.
Children also get cutting and gluing fine motor reinforcement by matching the numbered picture to the box in their booklet.
There's a graphing extension and a set of 10 word-wall word flashcards for the seasons and senses as well as a certificate of praise.
Click on the link to view/download the My Summer Senses easy reader booklet.
At The Beach is another easy reader where students enjoy cutting and gluing the various things that they can do at the beach, matching the pictures to the sentences.
When everyone has completed their booklet read it aloud as a whole group, to review concepts of print.
I’ve also included a certificate of praise, 36 word-wall word cards that can be turned into an Itty Bitty booklet, and an Our Class Beach Book writing extension.
Click on the link to view/download the At The Beach easy reader booklet.
In The Colors of Summer easy reader, students trace, write and color the color words as they use picture clues to read the words.
They practice their cutting and gluing skills by matching the numbered pictures to the appropriate boxes in their booklet.
There's a math-graphing extension, 40-word wall word flashcards, and a certificate of praise + two color-word worksheets.
Click on the link to view/download The Colors Of Summer easy reader booklet.
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"When you look at a field of dandelions you can either see 100 weeds, or 100 wishes." -Unknown