Fun Hall Passes

While wandering the aisles of Wal-Mart (I knew there was something I had to have, I just hadn't found it yet), I found a selection of plastic character kids cups with straws. I found one shaped like a robot and knew I had to have it.  I have a robot theme in my classroom and knew I could use it someday.  Well someday happened the first week when I realized I didn't have a hall pass for the class.  I grabbed the robot cup, pulled out the straw and fed the cord of a lanyard through the hole.  Voila!  Instant hall pass.  Not a bad deal for  $.97!  My students fell in love with the little guy and named him "John" for obvious reasons.  Now they ask if they can take John for a field trip which is code for a bathroom visit. I found the pumpkin a few weeks back and traded him out for October. They named him "Jack". I am looking forward to having a different buddy for each month.   Now to figure out something to do with the straw!

Waterbottle Aquariums

Substituting the last week of school is an adventure.  Especially when it is kindergarten!  The teacher's lesson plans indicated that we were to make an aquarium.  I was given toilet paper rolls, aquarium rocks, shells, and some ocean-themed stickers.  Here's what I came up with!

Each student was given a toilet paper roll covered with construction paper (much prettier than brown!).  The students were given the stickers to create an aquarium scene.  We allowed them to choose a max of 10 stickers.


I looked for water bottles with as few ridges as possible.  I found this brand at Vons with the sparkling water.  I recruited my family and a few other teachers to drink the contents (lots of bathroom runs that day).  I washed and dried the bottles and used Goof Off spray to remove the residue from the labels.

Cutting the bottles was easier than I anticipated, I just took the lid off and squeezed the center and cut straight across the top line.

The students put a handful of aquarium rocks in the bottom half of the bottle then placed their toilet paper roll aquarium scene in the center of the bottom half of the bottle.  The students added a few decorative shells.

An adult put the top half back on over the bottom half of the bottom snugly.  Some squeezing in of the sides is necessary.  There is about a two inch overlap of the bottom and top.  We used clear packing tape to keep the top and bottom attached.

The finished project was a hit with the students, the parents, and the teacher I was subbing for.  She asked for a sample so she could make them next year!

Sweet Coordinates!
Teach coordinates by using a shoe organizer. Explain that each pocket represents a coordinate on an xy grid.   Put a piece of candy in each pocket.  Ask the students to name a coordinate then if correct they may get their piece of candy.  Naming coordinates has never tasted so good!

 

Penny for your thoughts?

I was sub teaching for a terrific 2nd grade class.  As part of our social studies lesson the teacher had copies of Time for Kids for each student.  I had never heard of this publication but it makes sense - kids need to be aware of world and national events explained at their level.  We had the Feb. 8, 2013 edition, Time for Change?

The students read the article about the penny and whether or not it should stop being produced.  The article simply presents both sides of the discussion.  After we read the article I asked the students to vote whether or not to keep the penny.  It was 25 to 5 to keep the penny.

Next the students stood on opposite sides of the classroom depending on how they voted.  We called those for the penny, "Penny Lovers", and those against, "Penny Killers".

I asked students on each side to state why they were for or against the penny.  It was interesting to see how many students made their decision without having a real reason.  The main reason the students didn't want to lose the penny is because they would miss it.

After several students on each side were given an opportunity to speak everyone went back to their desks.  I asked the students to raise their hand if they bought lunch that day.  About half had.  I then asked how many students brought in dollars and coins to purchase their lunch.  None had.  They had all used their account.  We talked about our parents and how often they use dollars and coins rather than debit cards.  Most use debit cards on a regular basis.

I encouraged the students to talk to their parents about the penny and whether it should stay or go.  The next day we talked about the conversations with their parents about the penny.  Some were surprised that their parents voted differently than they had.  Many parents had not heard that anyone was considering doing away with the penny.

The students liked "teaching" their parents about the issue.  I will definitely use www.timeforkids.com in my classrooms in the future.  If I have access to technology, the videos would be great also!

Etch A Sketch in the Classroom

Bringing the Etch A Sketch into the classroom and improve hand/eye coordination. Select or create a maze and print on a transparency.  Size the maze to your particular Etch A Sketch screen.  Cut the transparency to fit easily inside the screen.  The maze can be adjusted horizontally or vertically to fit neatly.  Add a level a difficulty by including several levels of mazes as well as a circular maze for more advanced students.  The maze can be put upside and backwards to make it fresh each time the student uses it.  You can cut a manila folder and glue 3 sides to the back of the Etch A Sketch for maze storage.  Here are some maze options to get you started.  Have fun!

Easy

Medium Difficulty 

Most difficult