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Friday, June 29, 2012

Duct Tape "Offices"


How cool is this?!  A wonderful dad in my classroom made these Duct Tape "offices" out of scrap cardboard.  They are very durable, colorful, and work wonders to stop those wandering eyes during assessments!


Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Brain Food


Healthy!  Kinder Kids
Snack Suggestions

As a kindergarten teacher, I am personally dedicated to providing the children in my class with the knowledge of healthy snack choices and increasing nutrition awareness.  Eating the right types of snacks will give children the nutrients they need for good health while helping improve learning and behavior in the classroom.  Consider the suggested snacks below for classroom donations (brands may vary).  I prefer items that are all natural (no preservatives or anything artificial), organic (if possible), and items without high-fructose corn syrup.  Thank you for your help in our fight against junk food! 






Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Made by Your Teacher



What a busy summer!  Since I had plenty of time on my hands, I decided to be creative and design some products to help develop and reinforce those early learning skills.  Check out my latest at http://www.cafepress.com/handsonlearning.  Here you can find everyday items such as T-shirts, mugs, pillows, and much more, printed with those important skills.  Below is a sample of the products with activity ideas for home or the classroom.  





My ABC Apron:  Parents and children can sing the alphabet song while whisking away!  Kids can find the beginning sound on the apron for the ingredients in the recipe.  Teachers can wear the apron during ABC or phonics instruction to refer to the letters and sounds.   Teachers can choose a student to be the ABC Chef for the day and wear the apron.  The ABC chef can walk around and have other students practice identifying letters and sounds.  The deep pockets can hold picture cards or word cards.  Children can pick card and find the corresponding sound. This would be great to wear when making Alphabet Soup!


My 100 Chart Blanket:  You can take numbers anywhere!  No more papers to keep track of.  This large, warm fuzzy blanket is wonderful for kids to play number identification games at home or on the go.  Spread it out on your bed or the floor, or fold it up and take it with you on trips.  Kids can toss a stuffed animal and name the number it lands on.  They can step on each number as he/she counts to 100.  Teachers or parents can ask what number comes before..., after... or what is three more than...  This interactive chart invites children to "wrap up" those early number skills! 

My First 50 Sight Words Pillow:  I love this pillow for my reading area in the classroom.  When students are done with their work, they can hold the pillow and practice reading the most frequent 50 sight words.  They can sit with a friend and read the words to each other.  At home, kids can review the sight words without taking out boring papers.  This pillow makes a great travel pillow with something valuable on it for kids to practice.  

 
My 100 Sight Words "TEACH-SHIRT":  Teachers and parents can become a walking word wall to help have their kids learn the 100 most frequent sight words.  What a great idea for teachers to wear while having their class wait in line.  Teachers can point to words and have students choral read words.  Teachers/parents can ask students to name all of the two letter, three letter, etc, sight words.  Students can name sight words with an identified beginning sound or letter.  These "Teach-Shirts" come in multiple colors for adults and kids.


My 100 Sight Words Shower Curtain:  Rub-a-dub-dub!  Sight words in the tub!  Hang this sight word shower curtain backwards with the sight words facing your child in the tub.  Kids will have a blast squirting the words with a water gun or reading the words during those long soaks.  This shower curtain also makes a wonderful portable word wall that can be folded up and put away after use in the classroom.


My 100 Sight Words Tote Bag:  With this wonderful tote, your kids will learn their sight words by rote!  This bag will carry books or school supplies to and from libraries or classrooms.  Kids can use this tote to not only keep homework, supplies, books, and other learning materials in a convenient place, but also practice recognizing the 100 most frequent sight words.


My 100 Sight Words Pillow Case:  Twinkle, twinkle, little star.  I know 100 sight words so far!  Every night kids can use a flashlight and read the words on their pillow.  Parents can spend special time with their child reading, then locating sight words from the shared story.  Have children learn a line of words a night and add on a line the next night.