Creative Teaching » Science

The Standing-in-Line Game

Jo — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 04:21:51 +0000

It seems like my first graders and I were always standing in line: going to the bathroom, waiting for specials (PE, art, music, etc.), going to lunch, getting our pictures taken, and on and on and on. So I invented games to play that my children loved and kept them well-behaved while standing in line.

For example, I used spelling games (usually the words on our spelling list or in our unit). I would say something like, “I’m thinking of a word that is spelled ‘w-o-u-l-d’. Who knows the word?”

For a phonics game I would say, “Which letter says, ‘wa-wa-wa?’”

If a child knew the answer, he/she would raise his/her hand and quietly say the answer. I would carry little stickers with me everywhere and give the child with the right answer a sticker on the forehead, hand or arm.

If a child yelled out an answer or didn’t raise his/her hand to be called on, he/she was not a winner at that particular moment. However, I always gave children who made mistakes opportunities to try again for a sticker.

I would also ask math, science and social studies questions with our standing-in-line game. In addition, I tweaked this game by asking the children, “I wonder who can stand in line the neatest, quietest, and standing up the tallest?” or “I wonder if the boys or girls can do a better job standing in line?”

I would always use a child who was doing a great job following directions as an example. I would say, “I like the way (child’s name) is standing so still and patiently in line. Great job (child’s name)!”

This game has worked for me time and again. Not only did my class always get compliments for their good behavior in line, but it was also a great way to review material that we were learning in class.

I hope this game works as well for you as it did for me!

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Pumpkin Theme Unit

Jo — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 04:08:27 +0000

My son is going to make a pumpkin-shaped book with the following “chapters”:

Fun pumpkin facts
Pumpkin reading and comprehension
Pumpkin creative writing (with child-drawn pictures)
Pumpkin recipes
Pumpkin arts/crafts (child-made)

The following Web sites will be used:

Child-Made Pumpkin Fact Books
Wanted…Someone is Stealing all of the Pumpkins!
Farm Bureau Kids: Pumpkin Fun Facts
Halloween Online: Unusual Pumpkin Facts
Halloween Online: Pumpkin Recipes
Merced County Office of Education: Pumpkins (PDF file) (I love this Web site…it has info on pumpkins plus all kinds of neat ideas!)
Kids’ Turn Central: 101 Things to do with a Pumpkin

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Apple Theme Unit

Jo — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 23:19:07 +0000

Here are a few ideas for an apple theme unit. Our son will be making his own apple book, which will be used as a reference. More pictures to come!

Science:

Apple Fun Facts (New York Apple Country)
Apple Parts (University of Illinois Extension)
Life Cycle of Apple Trees (University of Illinois Extension)
How to Grow Apple Seeds (eHow)
Apple Trees (throughout the seasons) (Enchanted Learning)
Apple Varieties (University of Illinois Extension)

Language/Reading:

Apple Sayings/References (scroll down to bottom) (DLTK’s Crafts for Kids)
Apples in Many Languages (Enchanted Learning)
About Johnny Appleseed (DLTK’s Crafts for Kids)
Happy Birthday, Johnny Appleseed! (Education World)
Johnny Appleseed Grace (song) (DLTK’s Crafts for Kids)

Math:

Apple Baskets Division (division game) (KidsNumbers.com)
Apple Pie Recipe (Adult supervision is required!) (DLTK’s Crafts for Kids)

Child-made Crafts:

Apple Magnet (DLTK’s Crafts for Kids)
Fingerprint Apple Tree (DLTK’s Crafts for Kids)
Johnny Appleseed TP Roll Craft (very cute!) (DLTK’s Crafts for Kids)
October Bulletin Board Project (DLTK’s Educational Activities)

Writing:

Apple-shaped Paper (DLTK’s Crafts for Kids)

Here is a hand-made cover for my son’s book called Apples

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Autumn Theme Outline

Jo — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 06:45:09 +0000

September 23 is the first day of autumn! Here is a basic autumn outline that I am planning to use. Hope the information helps!

I am also planning an apple theme unit, a Halloween theme unit and a Thanksgiving unit. More info to come!

Define autumn.
Why do leaves change colors? (edHelper.com)
Maine.gov: Kids’ Page: Fall Foliage Video
What makes an Indian Summer? (Teacher Created Resources)
Go for a “pretty leaf hunt” and keep the prettiest ones in our Autumn book.
Autumn tree finger print (TeacherVision)
Understand how the four seasons relate to the rotation of the earth around the sun (Prentice Hall Geoscience Animations: Earth-Sun Relations)
KidsGeo.com: Geography For Kids – The Revolution of the Earth
Write an autumn poem.
Read fall poem: Apples4theteacher.com: “A Fall Song”
Read fall poem: Apples4theteacher.com: “Down to Sleep”
Learn about autumn leaves: KidZone: Autumn Leaves
Autumn crafts: Activity Village: Autumn Activities for Kids
CDC: Parents: Autumn Tips to Help Keep Your Kids Safe and Healthy
Autumn Fall Crafts: FamilyFun.com: Festive Fall Crafts
Creative Writing Activities from edHelper.com and Enchanted Learning

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Child-Made Pumpkin Fact Books

Jo — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 17:12:54 +0000

The purpose of child-made pumpkin fact books is for your children to have a reference book about pumpkins that they can reread in the future. I find that nonfiction child-made books are very popular during silent reading time. They are also a huge hit when they take them home to read to parents, friends, grandparents, etc.

My children titled their books, “All About Pumpkins” and created their own nonfiction books about pumpkins.
Sometimes we made pop-up books (see Simple Pop-Ups You Can Make!) or pumpkin-shaped books (see Shapebook: Halloween – Pumpkin) for the covers.
If I wanted all of the covers to look the same, and the covers were elaborate and time-consuming, I asked one of my volunteer moms or dads to put together the book covers for me. I would provide the parents with the necessary materials and they were glad to glue on googly eyes or cut out shapes while they watched TV. God bless parent helpers!!
You may want to brainstorm other titles with your children and let them pick the title they like the best for their book.
Make a book with your children on “How Pumpkins Grow”.
List ways that people use pumpkins.
Here are a few Web sites to help children find pumpkin facts:

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