Inauguration Day only comes every four years, so it’s likely that your current students don’t have any memories of the last one because they were too young, or they were old enough to know it was happening, but not old enough to really care too much. Since our next Inauguration Day will be one week from today, I’ve created a word search for you to print off and use with your students. You will find a list of words that have to do with the inauguration, which provides an excellent teaching opportunity as you go over the words and what they mean– and how each word ties to a Presidential Inauguration.
The holidays are over, the excitement has died down, and you still have several days left of winter break. Routines are out of whack, kids are riding on a post-holiday sugar rush, the days are all blending together, and parents are completely and utterly exhausted. Maybe that’s just happening at my house? Just my kids? Hmmm. Well, at any rate, I’m sure there are at least a couple of you out there that understand the winter break blues.
When the days are cold, there’s not any snow to play in, but the backyard is muddy from the rain storm a few days ago, what do you even do with your kids? Here’s a few ideas to try that will hopefully let you regain some of your sanity and provide your kids with something fun to do. Oh, and as a bonus, your kids just might learn something while they play, too!
Color Scavenger Hunt
This activity is great for kids of any age, and can be done while you sit and catch up on laundry, clean the bathroom, cook dinner, or even sit and read a book. Pick a color, then send your kids on a mission to find something in the house that is that color and bring it to show you. The catch? They can’t make a mess, can’t bring you something that is breakable, and must put the object away where it belongs before moving on to the next color. This game is simple, requires no set up, and is easy for all ages. A win-win all around!
Picture Hide and Seek
This does take a little bit of prep work, but I promise it’s worth it and your kids will love it. Print off or draw several small pictures and cut them out individually. Next, create a paper that has the same pictures, or, if your kids can read, write the names of the objects you have printed or drawn. Then, hide the individual pictures around the house. Depending on the ages and abilities of your kids, you can choose how difficult it will be to find the pictures. Give each of your children a copy of the paper that has all of the pictures on it and send them on their way! To make it more challenging, give them a time limit. To make it easier, have them work in teams to find the pictures. There are many ways you can adapt this activity to fit the needs and ages of your children. You can do all themed pictures— sea animals, foods, sports, cartoon characters, etc. Another way to do this activity is to put your older children in charge of drawing and hiding the pictures for their younger siblings. So many fun ways to play!
Click the button below to download and print a copy of the Hide and Seek I created. Print one page to cut up and hide, and one copy for each child that will be participating. If you want to repeat this activity another day, I suggest putting your children’s copies in a sheet protector so that they can be reused. (Please only print and use for personal or classroom use.)
This is similar to the color scavenger hunt, but instead of assigning your kids a color to go find, have them find an object that begins with a letter of your choice. The same rules apply— no messes, no finding something breakable, and everything must be put away before moving on. This is a great activity for older preschoolers or younger elementary aged kids who are learning beginning sounds and letters.
Rhyming Game
Another twist on the color or letter scavenger hunt, this game requires your kids to find something that rhymes with a word that they are given. Say you give them the word “cat”. They must then search the house to try find an object that rhymes with that word— perhaps a hat, a bat, or a mat. This variation is great for younger elementary kids and up who are able to rhyme.
Fortunately, Unfortunately
I wish I could take credit for this game, but I can’t. I saw this idea on Instagram @playfulheartparenting. This is another game that requires absolutely no prep work and can be done while you do just about anything. You start the game by saying, “Unfortunately, …” and fill in the blank with some sort of ridiculously silly situation. Your child then counters back with, “Fortunately, …” and fills in the blank with another silly situation that “fixes” the situation you presented them with. You continue this, countering back and forth, building a silly story together. This gets kids thinking outside the box and gets them to think about how to respond to a funny situation. It might look something like this:
“Unfortunately, I got a flat tire on my way to the dentist.”
“Fortunately, I was almost there and my dentist used his tooth fixing tools to fix my tire.”
“Unfortunately, he didn’t clean his tools after he fixed the tire, and then used them to fix my tooth.”
“Fortunately, I have a super strong immune system and the dirt and germs didn’t make me sick.”
“Unfortunately, though, the tools were black from fixing my tire, so now my teeth are black.”
And so on. You can continue this game for as long as you wish. You can establish ground rules such as no making fun of other people, no naughty or potty words, and nothing about hurting other people or yourself. It is a game that is totally customizable for your family and your needs. It’s fun and gets everyone laughing.
Hopefully these ideas give you something to do over the next few days of winter break. If anything, hopefully they will allow you to slow down and enjoy some time with your kids before you send them back to their teachers!
As promised, here are some fun books that involve other winter holidays: Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. I really enjoyed reading and learning more about these holidays. I hope you will too!
Simon and the Bear: A Hanukkah Tale by Eric A. Kimmel; illustrated by Matthew Trueman
Simon sets out on a journey to get to America. He is lucky enough to get the last ticket on the boat, and sets sail. Tragedy strikes when the boat hits an iceberg and sinks. Simon finds himself stranded on the iceberg, alone, with just his knapsack. In his knapsack, his mother had packed latkes, fish, boiled eggs, a dreidel and a menorah and candles. Simon wishes for a Hanukkah miracle. He is found by a polar bear who brings him fish each day and keeps him warm. He is finally rescued and taken to New York, where he finds a job so he can earn money and bring his family to America.
How Do Dinosaurs Say Happy Chanukah? By Jane Yolk and Mark Teague
Another darling book in the How Do Dinosaurs… series, this books goes through what not to do and what to do during Hanukkah celebrations and how to properly behave and celebrate. Filled with fun illustrations, this book is engaging and fun for all ages.
Li’l Rabbit’s Kwanzaa by Donna L. Washington; illustrated by Shane W. Evans
Li’l Rabbit is feeling left out and useless during his family’s Kwanzaa celebrations. His grandma is sick, and he wants to do something to help her have a great Kwanzaa. He ventures out in search of the perfect things to make the Karamu extra special. He runs into several friends while he is out on his search. He comes up empty handed and is feeling defeated. When he arrives back home, he is surprised to find that all of his friends and family have pulled together to create a wonderful, memorable Karamu.
Seven Spools of Thread: A Kwanzaa Story by Angela Shelf Medearis; illustrated by Daniel Minter
A family of seven brothers lives in a small village in Ghana. The are constantly arguing, and their home is never peaceful. After their father dies, he leaves them an inheritance, but with the stipulation that they must find a way to turn seven spools of thread into gold, and that they must never argue again. If they can do this by the time the sun sets, they will be able to divide the inheritance amongst themselves. If not, the inheritance will be given to the poorest villagers. The brothers head back home, determined to make gold out of the thread. They learn that they must work together to accomplish what they need to. Using the seven principles of Kwanzaa, the Nguzo Saba, they come together and create beautiful things with their spools of thread. They learn that working together in peace is the best way to work.
Happy reading, and Happy Hanukkah and Kwanzaa to all who celebrate!
If you’re looking for a fun book to read with your kids (or students if you’re still in school!), look no further! When I was looking for books to review and share with you, I learned that there are a TON of Christmas books! I could never even come close to reviewing all of them. So, after reading several, I narrowed it down to just a few.
The Not Very Merry Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen; illustrated by Dan Hanna
Pout-Pout fish gets so caught up in finding the most perfect gift for each of his friends that he finds himself unable to decide what to get them. He soon learns that it’s not about giving the most perfect gift, but giving from the heart that matters most.
Tough Cookie: A Christmas Story by Edward Hemingway
A Christmas sugar cookie is sad to learn that he tastes terrible, can’t run fast like the gingerbread man, and can’t build his own gingerbread house. He tries to “fix” the things that he thinks are wrong with him, until he learns what he is supposed to be. He finds his place and celebrates knowing who he really is.
The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore; illustrated by James Marshall
There’s nothing changed with this classic Christmas story, but the illustrations are darling and incorporate all the pets of the house.
Cookiesaurus Christmas by Amy Feller Dominy & Nate Evans; illustrated by AG Ford
Cookiesaurus Rex is a determined Christmas cookie. He thinks he should be the cookie that gets set on the plate for Santa. With every other cookie that is chosen to be put on the plate, he finds a way to knock them off the plate, all while causing a mess and trouble each time. It’s not until the end that he discovers that the humans of the house have a special place, just for him, that is even better than Santa’s plate.
5 More Sleeps ’Til Christmas by Jimmy Fallon; illustrated by Rich Deas
The excitement of the Christmas countdown is almost too much for one little boy to handle! As he counts down to Christmas day, he thinks that he is so excited to sleep each night as he watches the snow, thinks about what gifts he might receive, and more. The illustrations are darling and detailed in this fun Christmas book.
Holiday themed books are just so much fun. They bring an added element of fun and magic to any holiday! Next week, I’ll share a few books that spotlight other winter holidays. See you then!
The days before Christmas can be pure chaos in the classroom or at home. Excitement reigns, and kids can hardly wait for Christmas to come. If you need a quiet minute, print off this word scramble and have your kids or students work through it!
As this is a free resource, please only use it for classroom and personal use.
Lesson plans: the bane of many teachers’ careers. They can be tedious, time consuming, and honestly, a bit of a pain to prepare. A seasoned teacher may be able to go without a structured, written lesson plan, but for many not-so-seasoned teachers, this isn’t the case, and a written plan is very helpful. So, with that being said, what makes an effective lesson plan? There isn’t one right or wrong way to plan a lesson, but there are certain components that should remain fairly consistent from one lesson plan to the next: objective/goal, lesson materials, timeline, assessment, differentiation, and closure.
Objective or Goal
Every lesson should have some sort of end goal in mind. When we begin with the end in mind, it allows us to plan our activities, lessons, and assessments accordingly. When we know what goal we want to reach, we can more effectively plan how we are going to reach that goal. Most states have a set of core standards that teachers are to cover over the course of the school year. The objective or goal for the lesson is a great place to list the core concept(s) that will be covered in any given lesson, and to prepare lessons that will effectively meet the concept(s) being taught.
Lesson Materials
It’s a great idea to list the materials you will need for a particular lesson. Some days, you will only need a textbook and copies of a worksheet. Others, you may need art supplies for students to use to complete their assignment. Whatever it is that you need, it’s very helpful to write down the things you need to gather. It serves as a great reminder, and even the act of writing it down can give your mind the reminder it needs. In the event that you have to unexpectedly leave your classroom, it will also help the substitute know what supplies they will need.
TImeline
Creating a basic timeline of activities and information to be covered can help the lesson move smoothly. It’s a good idea to avoid jumping around from topic to topic; having an outline of events can greatly aid the continuity and overall smoothness of the lesson itself. Creating a timeline can also help you prioritize what you’d like to cover during the lesson. If it’s important to get a particular topic covered during the day, planning for that to be the first thing you teach can help ensure that happens.
Assessment
Another very important part of lesson planning is to plan for assessments: how are you going to know that students “got it?” That may look like a formal assessment in the form of a test, quiz, or worksheet. It could also look like a question and answer time the end of the lesson, where you obtain verbal confirmation of knowledge from your students. It could be a quick walk through the room as they take notes or work on a project. The assessment portion of the lesson will vary from day to day, from lesson to lesson. It doesn’t need to be a big, grand assignment, but there should be some kind of way to make sure you know that your students got something out of the lesson.
Differentiation
Not every student learns in the same way. What resonates with one student may not resonate with their classmate. It is also crucial to consider students who have IEPs, 504 plans, or other needs. Building this into the lesson plan will help remind teachers to take those students into consideration and to plan ahead for those needs that will arise. Everyone deserves a chance to learn, and some just need a little extra help and guidance… and that’s okay!
Closure
Every lesson has to come to an end, so there should be some form of closure. Having smooth transitions from one lesson to the next can help students better follow your instruction. Many times, the assessment is a good time to provide closure for the lesson. Having students fill out an “exit ticket” as they end the class is a great way to close the lesson and also get a quick idea of what they learned for the day. Doing a quick verbal review and a quick reminder of things to come is also a great way to close out a lesson. Smooth transitions and nice closure help students to move on to the next activity, assignment, lesson, or class.
While there really is not one set way to lesson plan, these few things are great elements that every plan ought to include. Planning out a lesson sets you up for a more successful lesson and helps to avoid potential chaos. Preparation is key, and can set a great example to your students!
