Inspire the kids to create with 100 Invitations to Build, a free printable filled with fun & unusual building materials inspired by Iggy Peck, Architect.
Inquiry-based learning sounds like a phrase that begins in the classroom. But allow me to show you some simple ways you can integrate inquiry-based learning into your every day to inspire more meaningful play at home.
Make learning fun! A creative community mapping activity for children. Use simple materials to create an interactive map of local landmarks.
In simple form, inquiry-based learning is more of a student-directed way of learning rather than teacher-directed. In some cases, teachers may set the general framework for learning, but for the most part, the learning is based on the students questions, ideas and passions. But how do you provoke those questions in the first place? Inquiry-based
If you are getting started with inquiry, you may wonder where to start and how to prepare for something that is student-led. Although using an inquiry
Another year has come to an end! This last week we just enjoyed the friendships that were cultivated this year. As they played, here are some explorations that started popping up! If only we had more time so that we could inquire about them further! Transient Art: The patience and thought process behind some of these designs were awesome! A "Can You Build It?" Challenge: I loved their interpretations of some of these structures! Exploring Balance: I have been encouraging this exploration all year, but they just became interested in it this past week! Dancing: This was a very spontaneous interest that popped up that could have been a very fun inquiry! They were ballroom dancing, ballet dancing, and break dancing! The kids started giving each other lessons! They had to give and follow multiple step directions with each other. And it was also adorable to watch! Oh the things we could explore if we just had more time! These kids had so much curiosity and looked at everything as something to explore further. The room is packed up for another group of kids to add their personal touch. I wonder what it will look like next year? It always makes me sad when the personality the room had from our group is gone and it is all so bare. I will miss them so much but it is time to let them go and become first graders at new schools. I know that they will be successful because of all of the 21st Century Skills they have developed this year! They are super! Parents, I hope you all enjoy the video! We watched it together no less than 10 times in our room. I wish you could have heard all 30 of them belting out that song! It was their favorite....even more than "Let it Go!" I will miss you all. Have a wonderful summer!
Traditionally, curriculum maps are developed based on one, golden goal: meeting standards. In my experience and research, standards are not only different in different parts of the world, but oftentimes are limiting or inaccurate representations of the big picture of what students need to learn in a
Use STEM engineering activities in elementary school as a fun, engaging, and meaningful way to tackle the Next Generation Science Standards.
Construction themed activities and centers inspiration is HERE! Get out your planner, and let’s plan a ton of fun and engaging construction-themed activities your little learners (Preschool, Pre-k, and kindergarten)...
This freebie includes 5 signs for your classroom's block center. Your students can challenge themselves to see if they can build a house, a pyramid, a castle, a city, and a bridge!ALL IMAGES USED WITH PERMISSION.*****************************Looking for more ways to keep your preschoolers engaged? Tr...
I used to have my classes co-create an alphabet, but I truly did not understand the philosophy behind it when I first started. I thought it was more about having things in the room that were created by children. More for aesthetics than anything else. Because of this, I have had the same co-created alphabet up for the last four years. It was beautiful and the kids did such a great job. I thought of it as preserving history to keep their hard work up there. Now, after reading more about the reasoning behind it, I realize there are more important reasons for co-creating an alphabet with each class. When the kids work together to make it, they take pride in the product that they collaboratively made. They were part of the whole process! They decided together what they wanted it to look like, what art mediums they wanted to use and what should be on it to represent each letter. When they see the finished product, they feel as though they did something important! They feel a sense of pride. They are more personally invested in the product. Because of this and the memories of working on it together, they tend to use it more. Here is the process of co-creating our Alphabet this year. First we started learning the letters. We focus on a letter and a friend in our class ever day for the first month of school. This gets us familiar with the letters and sounds and to make connections with our names and our friends names. Then the kids came up with a list of things in our room that they have used or noticed to go on the word wall. Pardon the messy handwriting! I was writing things down quickly! They wanted to make the backgrounds colorful and chose water colors to paint them. They also were adamant that they have glitter on them so we decided to make the letters out of glitter. Our next step was to add things that began with each letter to help us find and learn the letter sounds. We checked our list and started taking pictures of our friends and objects to add to our chart. Here is an example. We taped them onto our backgrounds and voila! We have our letter wall! We left room on each one so that we can add each sight word as we learn them. That way they can use this wall as a tool to help them spell sight words and their friends names correctly. They can also find the pictures with the sound they hear when they are trying to spell a word but don't know what letter makes that sound. They will use this wall to aide them in learning independently. It was after creating this word wall with the kids that I noticed how important it is for each class to create their own. They were so proud and I see them using it all the time. It truly is personal and has meaning for them. SaveSave
Looking for a fun Preschool Construction Theme for kids? Check out these 16 Hands-On Construction Learning Activities for Preschool or Kindergarten.
A few years ago, the staff at my school began learning about inquiry research. We used the book, Comprehension & Collaboration: Inqu...
This Bug/Insect Exploration activity is fantastic for a classroom setting, a daycare or home school environment, or as an extension to your educational learning home. Children can explore how to build a bug/insect with a variety of materials. Great for a Montessori or Reggio Emilia inspired environment. Materials Included: - Sectional organizing tray - Wooden card stand - 14 laminated bug/insect cards - Chalkboard (approx 6"x8") - Clipboard w/ paper - Small river pebbles - Large black rocks - Round wooden discs - Sticks and Toothpicks - [display mat, wicker basket, crayons, and chalk are NOT included] Suggestions for use: - Place this work in a place for your child/children to easily access - Let them explore without any directions - Use this in conjunction with a Spring/Insect unit - Provide book about bugs/Insects for further exploration Important Information: - Recommended for children ages 3+ as there are small parts. If using with young children please keep a close eye on them. - Some of these materials are made with unfinished wood and may have some exposed wood splinters.
I love labs, model-building, and inquiry-based activities like any good secondary science teacher - but I also still really enjoy lecturing. Lectures don't have to be boring like the 300+ person lecture hall courses you took in college. You CAN make lectures engaging - and I am here to share with you my 4 best strategies (plus a bonus tip for all of you currently still teaching virtually #blessyou) for doing so.
It's a dog! Kids will love drawing this easy 8-step picture on their own! Helps kids learn shapes and build fine motor skills!
BUILDING NUMBER SENSE IN PRESCHOOL - why building strong number sense skills are so important and teaching ideas + resources to try | you clever monkey
A few years ago, the staff at my school began learning about inquiry research. We used the book, Comprehension & Collaboration: Inqu...
Use STEM engineering activities in elementary school as a fun, engaging, and meaningful way to tackle the Next Generation Science Standards.
We began this lesson by reading the book "Iggy Peck, Architect" by author Andrea Beaty and discussing what exactly an architect is and does. Then we looked at a Powerpoint I put together showing a variety of interestingly designed structures. As we view the images, the students and I discuss the interesting shapes and architectural details they see on the structures. Then I have the students go back to their desks and give each of them a large brown paper bag (they write their name on the bottom flap). I explain to students that using construction paper crayons and scrap paper they are to design their own buildings. How they want their building to look is entirely up to them! It can be a house, an apartment, a skyscraper, a store, whatever... At first I was a little unsure about doing this lesson with my first graders.. but I'm so happy I took the chance and did it with them! I LOVEEEEEE it! My teacher sample
Join thousands of teachers who are using our Awesome Kindergarten Math Units in their classrooms!! Teen Numbers have never been more fun. Kids can work on numbers 11-20 in this math unit. They will get to play with fun manipulatives, cute games, and enjoy numbers as they learn to recognize, count, and write them. […]
It's time for some fun geography hands-on learning! I love mapping activities and have put together a fun printable set to build a city map. This fun printable set is 15 pages long and includes 5 different
We often use loose material compositions in our classroom as a way for children to tell us what they know. We set out various mater...
The final photos from my visit to Rosa Parks Preschool: This is a child painted embroidery hoop with a fine netting. I love the multi-colored yarn that the children used to sew on the netting. A wonderful collaborative art piece made with bottle caps. Love, love. These are called “Identity Panels.” I adore child's self-portraits. […]
Ton Schulten is one of my all time favorite artists! I discovered him years ago when I found a calendar full of his paintings when visit...
These Bridge Building STEM Activities invite kids to build their own version of world bridges using blocks, LEGO bricks, or any building material of choice. Use them in the preschool block center, maker space, or STEAM bins. Try a free printable sample.
If your kid loves big work trucks, they will enjoy all these fun construction and building printables, construction crafts & activities.
Hey everyone! It's Anna from Hanging with Mrs. Hulsey! The school year is officially in full swing-- and my students are definitely feeling more comfortable with me and each other! One thing I've decided we need to focus on more is our classroom community! Here are some quick ideas to help you promote a positive climate in your classroom! Use Team Builders Team building activities are easy to implement! They don't take a lot of time, students find them to be engaging, and they are often FREE! Here is a quick list of some of my favorite student team building activities: Human Knot (Students stand in circle, reach for hands of people across the way, and then they must untangle themselves without letting go. This can also be done as a spiderweb using a ball of yarn) Tallest Tower (Divide students into groups and give them supplies like straws, tape, blocks, etc. The team that can make the tallest tower wins!) Minefield (Set up a "minefield" that students must navigate a blindfolded partner through) Hula Hoop Pass (Can be played whole class or in teams. Students hold hands and must pass through a hula hoop as quickly as possible) Switch Sides If... (Use a chalk line, rope, or tape line. Have students stand on one side of the line. Read off items like "switch sides if you like to bake", etc.) The internet provides an infinite source of team building activities! I've included a few links below: http://www.ventureteambuilding.co.uk/team-building-activities/ http://www.momjunction.com/articles/team-building-activities-will-keep-kids-busy-summer_0074763/#gref http://mommieshobbies.blogspot.com/2014/01/switch-sides-if.html?m=1 Hold Morning Meetings Time is precious in my classroom because we departmentalize. It feels like we are always on the go. However, I feel that even something as small as a weekly morning meeting would help my students develop a more positive feeling toward one another. You can read more about morning meetings for older elementary students here! I also love this product from TPT! Write Daily White Board Messages I think this is a such a simple way to start the day off with a positive vibe! The night before (or morning of) write a simple prompt on the white board/chalkboard and have students respond on the board. This will foster another sense of ownership and community. You can find white board messages by searching google or Pinterest! Here are some quick ideas to get you started: 1 Thing Wednesday-- name one thing we've done this year that you'd like to do again! I Think I Can Thursday-- what is one goal you want to achieve this year? Flashback Friday-- what is one new thing you have learned this week? Write a compliment for a classmate by their name (no repeats!) Name 3 traits of a great friend What is your favorite book you've read this year? Thankful Thursday-- what is 1 thing you are thankful for? Make it Monday-- what is 1 thing you've always wanted to create?' Top 2 Tuesday-- write your top 2 favorite things about the school year so far Compliment Circles This activity would pair well with morning meetings! You and the students sit in a circle with everyone's legs out straight. Begin the compliment circle by giving a compliment to someone. Once someone has been complimented they cross their legs. Compliments continue until everyone has received 1. I think this is a great way to encourage students to see each other in different ways! Create a Kindness Board I created this one for the visual it would provide to my students. Plus, I wanted them to point out kindness when they see it in others! This one is easy to implement: 1. Print out the letters and hang on a wall or bulletin board. 2. Print the "caught being kind" strips on various colors of paper (I used Astrobright paper). 3. Cut the strips apart and keep on hand for when students catch others being kind. 4. When students experience a kindness or act of friendship, they come and ask you for a "caught being kind" strip. They write down their experience. 5. Start a paper chain and add a new link every time someone catches others being kind! You can find this HERE in my TPT store! Here is another type of board with a similar theme (kindness): You can find these fall themed board HERE in my store! I hope you found these ideas to be useful to implement in your classroom! If you have any questions-- feel free to leave them in the comment section!
A highlight in my math class during this past month was teaching area and circumference of a circle. I'm excited to share with you a twist on the traditional teaching of this topic that made
