Beginning Daily 5

I am back in the classroom and have started Daily 5 with the students. They are engaged and seem to really be enjoying the new activities. Here are a few pictures from this morning.

 

This is the Math Center. We are getting ready for the 100th day of school by building structures will 100 cups! This activity has been a class favorite!!

 

 

Here is the Working With Words Center. They were making words and even used word cards to create many of our class sight words.

 

More pictures will be added soon.

 

Picture Day

Today was my first day back! And I used the time to get a few last fun things checked off my to do list. Today I took a full length picture of each child posing how ever they wanted. Then I cut out the picture and put magnets on the back. Now we have a great resource of story telling, math problems, or even organizing things such as groups, or even attendance. Here is a picture from Pinterest to show you an example:



I also took a picture of each child holding up one of our sight words. Then I popped them into a powepoint presentation. I think the kids will have a lot of fun on Monday practicing their words and getting to see their friends at the same time.

Rainbow Rice

I have dyed noodles for necklaces but never rice. So today I did! It was the same process as noodles....

 

In a ziplock bag put some rice and food coloring (I used Neon the colors turned out awesome!) then a splash of rubbing alchohol. Then SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE.
I poured the rice out onto paper towel lined cookie sheets and let dry. Once they are COMPLETELY dry put it in a sensory table and play.

My plan is to use this as part of Daily 5 and put sight word cards in the rice and the children can hunt for either a specific word or find all the words they can. I will probably either make worksheets or have the children write the words they find. So easy but a fun way to "spice up" sight word practice.

Listen To Reading Document

Another Project! (I have been busy today!)


One of the things I struggle with when having my students working on "Daily 5" is accountability. I don't have a listening center so I use the classroom computers when the children are "listening to reading." We use the amazing websites bookflix, storyline online or my youtube playlist of books (find it by clicking HERE or on my Pinterest page.)

But after the students listened to a story they started playing around on the computer, or I noticed them not watching a whole book and spending the time clicking away. On Pinterest I found a great worksheet, easy and concise for students to fill out after they finished listening to a story. The problem? I couldn't find it to print it anywhere. So.....I created my own! I love when other teachers/bloggers share printables so I try to pay it forward and share too. Note** Sometimes when uploading to google docs, now called google share, the font doesn't turn out correctly so let me know if you have any problems.

Click the link below to get your own copy and Enjoy!!

Listen to reading document

Snow Dough

Project Time Again!

This morning I worked on another project for the classroom. This one was really easy, it only took about 5 minutes, if that, and this would be a great project to do at home with young kids. It would promote math skills and have a fun product to play with in the end.

Snow Dough!

 

 

Snow dough is a soft moldable dough, think play dough, but isn't sticky its soft just like Moon Sand. You can mold it and then just as easily break it apart into its original form. Easy clean up and since it is made with baby oil it smells awesome.

 

 

How To:

 

Mix 8 cups of flour

 

1 cup of baby oil

 

 

 

That is all. See how it lends it self to an easy project even toddlers can do? Counting and mixing. (I used my hands to mix. so fun for kids) You can then add glitter or food coloring. I have read you may  even want to take it outside to make it feel cold like snow.

 

 



Here are some pictures of snow dough from Pinterest.

(I am having trouble uploading my own)

 

 

 



Quiet Critters

It will soon be time for me to return back to work after 6 amazing months with my new baby boy. Luckily, I love my job and couldn't imagine how much harder it would be if I didn't have those smiling faces to greet me each morning.

So just like I usually do in the summer, I am getting a few new things ready for the rest of the school year. Thanks to Pinterest I have found some really cute things I just had to try this year. If I have time to post them I will try to share as many as I can.

 

Today's Project: Quiet Critters

You give each child a Quiet Critter during a time that you need the classroom quiet. If a student doesn't follow the direction to be quiet then he/she loses their critter/ At the end of the quiet time all students with critters left get a small prize like a sticker. It is a nice reminder sitting on their table/desk and for those who are goal oriented this can help.

Here is how to make them. It was really fast (I made them all while the baby was sleeping and wrote this blog post too!)

 

You need Pom-Poms, glue, scissors, a sheet of craft foam, and eyeballs

 

Cut the foam into heart shapes

 

Glue on the pom-pom and eyes, and that is it!!

 

Here is my troop.

 

I have an annoying need for symmetry (ask anyone who has seen me work on a bulletin board) so there are 6 of each color, but you can make as many or as few as you would like. The kids could even make them as a craft. They would be cute at Valentine's day...hmmm that gives me an idea. We may have to make them (and red pop-poms are on sale after Christmas right now) The tricky part was sticking on the eyes, it could get a little messy for the kids but once dry they should be pretty cute.

Holiday Traditions

It has been a little while since I have blogged but I am still here!

With the holiday season here it is time to preserve those memories! I know in the classroom that every year I try to preserve the innocence and memory of this snap-shot of their lives. Thanks to Pinterest I have found many more crafty ways to do this. Here are some things you may want to try this year, in the classroom or at your home.

 

 

Print their christmas list each year and put in inside an ornament! How fun to look back in the future

 

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Hand print ornaments (salt flour and water)- this is so easy! I did it with my 3month old

 

 

reindeer fingerprints! So cute! I make the snowmen in my classroom every year.

 

 

Family Handprint tree

 

 

 

And this is a tradition I plan on starting- wrap 25 book up (they can be ones you have) and read one each night until Christmas! Love this

 

 

Christmas Eve Surprise Box. Include: new pajamas, Christmas movie, popcorn, mugs, hot chocolate, marshmallows, Christmas book. Such a cute tradition to start!

 

 

Enjoy your holiday season!