Tag: elementary

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Happy Birthday, America! 250 Looks Good On You!

I’m a big believer that birthdays ought to be celebrated and seen as a special occasion rather than treated like “just another day.” I mean, it’s a day to celebrate and honor the gift of someone or something being part of this world, so shouldn’t it be treated as something special? As we get closer to Independence Day, I’ve thought a lot about America and the fun things we do to celebrate her every year– fireworks, parades, festivals, concerts, barbeques with family and friends, and other kinds of get togethers with people we love. There are so many ways to celebrate our wonderful country!

Besides taking an entire day to celebrate America’s birthday, it’s fun to find engaging and educational activities for our students or kids to do in the days leading up to the Fourth of July. This year is even more special because America is turning 250 years old– and that’s really something to celebrate! Below you will find a collection of ideas you can use with your own children or with your students if school is still in session for you! These activities can be used and adapted for many ages.

  • Patriotic sensory bins- Use food coloring to dye white rice red and blue, then the three colors of rice together to create a red, white, and blue sensory base. Add in plastic stars, beads, coins, and miniature flags to make a fun patriotic themed sensory bin.
  • Print off and use the patriotic word scramble or I-Spy page found here.
  • Take a drive around town and keep tally of all the flags you can see as you drive. You could even create a “worksheet” to use before hand with space to tally how many flags you find of different sizes (small, medium, and large).
  • Teach your kids or students about the significance of the Declaration of Independence. For older kids, go into more depth about the meaning behind some of the most powerful phrases from the document.
  • Learn about the signers of the Declaration of Independence.
  • Have students write a “break up letter” from America to England, including what England did to cause the break up.
  • Research Independence Day celebrations from across the country. Talk about the different ways people celebrate the birth of our nation.
  • Read the words to the Pledge of Allegiance together and talk about what they mean. Do the same for the National Anthem.
  • For older kids, have them create some sort of artistic representation of what makes America who she is. Is it the people? The food? Music? Landscape? 
  • Create a timeline of events that lead up to Americans declaring independence.
  • Have students write a letter to America from England begging for forgiveness and to come back, including promises to change the things that had driven Americans away.
  • Take a look at this post to find more patriotic ideas!

Happy Independence Day! We hope you enjoy celebrating this great nation and that you enjoy the time with those you love!

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Read & Do: Practice With Following Instructions

One of the life skills that we teach and regularly practice with our students is the ability to follow either written or verbal instructions. Sometimes following instructions exactly is incredibly crucial– like when you’re doing an intricate chemistry experiment or assembling a bed, and other times– like when you’re making a peanut butter sandwich or coloring a picture, precision isn’t quite as necessary. Regardless of precision needed, learning to follow instructions is an important skill for all students to learn. 

To help your students practice this skill, I’ve created a set of four “Read and Do” worksheets. Three of the pages contain a picture and a set of instructions. Students read each instruction and complete the task. One page is a create your own “Read & Do” where students can write their own set of instructions, then trade with a classmate to have them follow the instructions. 

These worksheets give students a fun way to practice following specific instructions, simply for the objective of practicing following instructions. They provide a low-risk opportunity to practice this skill, as precision isn’t crucial. This activity is recommended for grades 1-3, but early readers could also benefit from its use. If you are wanting to have your students practice following verbal instructions, you can simply read them out loud to your class.

These worksheets are free to download, and are for personal or classroom use only. Do not resell, repost, or claim as your own.

Read & DoDownload
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Bringing Real Life to the Classroom

As teachers, we have the honor and privilege of helping our students develop critical thinking skills as well as other skills that will help prepare them for their futures. We can create meaningful and lasting impacts on our students by being intentional about what we teach. The 7 Cs of Education provide teachers with seven important areas to teach to help our students be good thinkers, good students, and good humans. We’ve covered six of the seven so far: Critical Thinking, Creativity, Collaboration, Communication, Computer Literacy, and Cross-Cultural Understanding. The final “C” is kind of a culmination of the previous six, and encompasses a lot of aspects of each previous “C”. The seventh and final “C” of education is Career and Life Skills.

So much of what we do and teach in the classroom can be classified as a career and/or life skill. Thinking critically, learning to collaborate, and learning to effectively communicate are all great skills for students to learn, as they are skills they will use as they become adults and enter the workforce. Becoming computer literate is also an essential skill to have in today’s digital world. While these skills are often easy to naturally integrate into our curriculum as we teach other information, others must be a bit more intentionally taught. Skills like how to write a resume, create a budget, and how to sew on a button typically aren’t seamlessly blended in with group projects or essays. 

Learning life skills can be something new and fun for students. It’s out of the norm, and is a fun change of pace. It’s easy to see real world application of these kinds of skills, which makes them more motivating to learn. Below are some fun ways to incorporate life and career skills into our teaching:

  • Have students fill out a job application.
  • Students can learn and practice the basics of resume writing.
  • Let students design their “ideal” life– house, car, job, etc. Then have them research how much money their job would bring in, and have them calculate if it would be enough to support the lifestyle they want. Be sure they include the cost of utilities, cell phone, groceries, and any other “extras”. This is an eye opening activity, especially for high schoolers. 
  • If you’re a sewing teacher, teach students the basics of sewing on a button, mending a tear, or hemming pants.
  • Have students do mock interviews– ask other teachers and school employees to come conduct the interviews.
  • Let students practice making a phone call to make an appointment. This is something that scares a lot of people, but is a great skill to practice!
  • Ensure students know how to properly address an envelope.
  • Help students plan and make simple meals or snacks.
  • Assign students some questions to ask to another classmate. No texting, no emailing. Just good old face to face communication. You’d be surprised at how difficult this is for some kids who are used to doing all communication through their devices.
  • Help students learn how to place an online order.
  • In science class, teach students what chemicals can and cannot go together– some chemicals are very toxic when mixed.

When students can see real life application for what they are learning, they become so much more invested in their education. It’s important that we help our students become the best learners they can be. To do this, we must expose them to a variety of subjects, skills, ideas, and processes. The 7 Cs of Education provide a great outline of skills to teach to our students– skills that will not only help them succeed in school, but in the “real world” as well.

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Are Specialty Classes Really Worth It?

Learning to play the recorder in 4th grade was one of the highlights of my elementary school years (though I’m sure my parents weren’t quite as enthusiastic as I was). I remember proudly bringing home my instrument and music book, and squeaking out “Hot Cross Buns” every night as my family covered their ears and pretended to be impressed. I was sure I was going to be the best recorder player there ever was. Turns out I was definitely not the best recorder player, nor was I anywhere close to being so! But even though my recorder playing skills have greatly diminished, and I no longer have the need to play the instrument, the time I spent learning and practicing wasn’t wasted time. Rather, it was time spent learning a new skill, understanding basic music theory, and learning to devote time to practice every day. 

Every now and then, there will be a push to end all “specialty” classes in schools– classes like music and art. Usually the reasoning is lack of funding, lack of resources, or a shortage of qualified teachers. All of those are valid reasons to cut programs, but one must consider the impact of eliminating programs like these. Is it worth the fallout that comes when students don’t have access to these classes? Is the money that would be saved really significant enough that it’s worth putting these programs on the chopping block? I would guess that the majority of teachers would say that it’s not worth it, and that these specialty programs should stay. 

There are so many benefits to providing art and music education. Both areas have been proven time and time again to stimulate parts of the brain that simply are not reached as deeply by typical academic subjects. Music and art encourage creativity. They provide opportunities for students to express themselves. For many students, music and/or art becomes therapeutic. It becomes a way for them to express their feelings and emotions. Music and art are powerful tools. 

Many students don’t have access to formal art or music education outside of school. Extra curricular classes like these can get expensive, making it impossible for many families to provide those opportunities for their children. When these programs are available at school, however, it gives everyone an equal chance to learn in these areas, and that’s simply something that cannot be ignored. 

Art and music education also benefit students by crossing over into other content areas. Students who understand rhythm and beat might have an easier time learning poetry. Art education can stimulate the creative process, helping students think deeper and more critically. Art can also lean into history as students study different artists and styles of art. Various artistic techniques can be used when creating dioramas, presentations, posters, and models. Music can be incredibly useful as students memorize material for other classes by creating songs with the information they need to know. 

So yes, these extra programs do cost money. But the benefits far outweigh the costs. How can you put a price on something that does so much good? I don’t think you can. I don’t think you can accurately predict the lasting impact that these kinds of specialty programs can have on kids. They are invaluable, and absolutely should remain in schools. I cannot even imagine a world without art and music– both bring so much beauty to life!

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Summer Learning

Learning doesn’t have to (and shouldn’t!) stop over the summer. It’s always a great idea to keep kids’ minds attentive and active. Doing so gives kids a chance to review the skills they already know, learn new skills, and to take a break from screens. It doesn’t take much, and it doesn’t need to take a long time, but a little practice a few times a week can go a long way. 

Summer learning doesn’t need to be fancy to be effective. Reading practice can be as simple as reading a story together then talking about it afterward. Science practice can be done by stepping outside at different times during the day to observe the different positions of shadows as the sun moves. Math practice can be as easy as taking a walk around the neighborhood and counting and tallying how many trees, birds, bikes, etc. you see while you walk. 

I’ve created two resources you can use for math practice. The first is an Independence Day Count, Tally, and Graph, and the second is a Neighborhood Count, Tally, & Graph. These worksheets are easy to print out and use. Take them on a car ride with you, do them at home, or even sit under a tree in your yard while you do them. 

However you choose to do it, make sure to find time this summer to provide learning opportunities for the kids in your life. Learning time is never wasted time!

*** These resources are free to download, but are for classroom or personal use only. They cannot be sold, reposted, or claimed as your own. ***

Count, Tally, & Graph Independence DayDownload
Neighborhood Count & TallyDownload
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Summer Reading Challenge

Getting kids to read over the summer can be a challenge. When the sun is shining and friends are out playing, reading is often the last thing on their list of things to do. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned from being a teacher and a mom, it’s that it is always worth the effort to get kids to read. I don’t think I’ve ever said to myself, “Man, I wish I wouldn’t have had my kids read today!” Reading is always a good idea, and will always help to boost reading skills. 

Trying to find a way to encourage kids to read when it’s not for a grade can be tricky, especially for reluctant readers, but since many kids are externally motivated when it comes to “extra” learning opportunities, sometimes it helps to make it a fun experience. Offer a reward for every 5 books they read. Let them pick a book or two at the library. Let them read in a place they normally wouldn’t read. Make it fun and engaging so that it draws them in and creates an excitement for reading time. 

To help you with this, I’ve created a reading challenge you can print off and send home with your students, or print off and use with your own children. The “Summer Reading Race” is geared toward elementary aged kiddos, and the “Tic-Tac-Toe” is geared toward secondary aged kiddos, though both could be adapted for any age. 

These free resources are for classroom or personal use only. They cannot be sold, reposted, or claimed as your own.

Summer Reading Race- ElementaryDownload
Summer Reading Race- SecondaryDownload
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Once Upon A Time…

Story time might be the best time! Hear me out: your teacher calls you over to the rug, you sit criss-cross applesauce on your assigned circle, and you cozy in, ready to hear a story. As your teacher reads, she does different voices for each character, and suddenly the story has come alive, and you feel like you’re right there with the characters. It’s magical, and a core part of childhood. 

Happiness isn’t the only benefit that comes from being read to, though it certainly is a great one! Reading out loud to kids can help them in so many ways. These include:

  • Boosted brain development
  • Stronger vocabulary
  • Stronger social and emotional skills
  • Improved listening skills and focus
  • Stronger bonds between the reader and the audience
  • Reduced stress

Boosted Brain Development

When kids are read to, different parts of the brain are activated than are when they are reading independently and silently. Listening and making sense of what is being heard creates unique neural pathways, and causes the brain to really focus on what is being said.

Stronger Vocabulary

Reading in and of itself is a great vocabulary builder, but when students are read to, it gives them a chance to hear a new word, then immediately ask for a definition. They recognize that they don’t know the word, then take initiative to figure out what it means. This new word then gets added to their “words they know” list for them to practice using as they become stronger readers.

Stronger Social and Emotional Skills

When students can relate to characters in the stories that are read to them, their social and emotional skills are strengthened. They begin to gain empathy, and can learn that there are other people who feel the same feelings they feel. Students can see different social skills in action in stories– how to be kind, how to include others, good manners, etc., and can use the stories to recognize similar situations in their own lives. True text-to-self connections are made!

Improved Listening Skills and Focus

Listening and focusing are two separate skills that must both be engaged in order for students to get the most benefit from being read to. The brain will make connections as both skills are activated, thus helping students to make sense of what they are hearing. 

Stronger Bonds Between Reader and Audience

When a reader makes the story come alive by using different voices, inflections, and body language, it changes the whole atmosphere in the room. The audience is drawn into the story and becomes entranced by the magic of it. When the listeners become involved with the story, they start to form a trust and bond with the reader. Think about when you were a small child, and your favorite adult would pull you onto their lap, and you would snuggle in and listen to a story– there is a certain bond that comes through this. While teachers cannot pull all students onto their laps, they can still use literature to connect with their classes.

Reduced Stress

For some students, reading out loud to others can create feelings of stress and anxiety. They worry about messing up and saying words wrong, or if they are reading too slow or too fast. When they are read to, however, those stressors disappear. They can simply sit and listen to the story without fear of misspeaking. Even if a student isn’t bothered by reading out loud themselves, having the chance to be read to is such a calming, relaxing activity. Perhaps this is why so many adults enjoy listening to audio books!

I’m certain that there are other benefits that come from being read to, and I’m sure we could explore the above listed benefits even deeper. But the truth remains the same: reading is powerful and is incredibly beneficial to readers of all ages!