Starting a cooking club is a no-brainer. Kids love food and enjoy the responsibility of making it and sharing it with others. Learning to cook builds confidence and independence. However, starting a successful cooking club can be intimidating at first. … Read More
Neat ideas for crafts parents can do at home with their kids, complete with ideas for every age group.
Classroom Freebies Too is more freebies for more teachers!
These STEAM activities are perfect for homeschool classes or co-ops. Put science, technology, engineering, and math into hands-on homeschool STEM learning.
Howdy! I am Mr. Greg from The Kindergarten Smorgasboard. My real name is Greg Smedley-Warren. I have been teaching for 11 years. I spent a year teaching fifth grade, two years in second grade and am now in my 9th year in Kindergarten. Kindergarten is my passion and my calling but honestly, that wasn’t how it started. When I was moved to Kindergarten (not voluntarily!) I called my mommy and cried. But on the first day, I fell in love and knew that Kindergarten is where I belonged. I have remained in Kindergarten ever since. I plan to never leave the classroom as the kids are what drive me to continue my growth as a teacher and person.
Celebrating this great earth of ours is such a fun thing to think about- especially in a STEM classroom! We have so many activities we do in preparation for Earth Day in April- but really a lot of these projects will work all year long! Join me with this post as we explore
There are so many benefits to cooking in the classroom, especially for students with special needs! What better time is there to try some fun cooking projects with your class, than at the end of the school year? But wait...cooking in the classroom can require a lot of prep, and where do you get your
26 fun cooking with kids recipes from A to Z, inspired by the fruits and vegetables featured in Lois Ehlert's book, Eating the Alphabet.
Graphing and Data Analysis in first grade can seem daunting but it is actually a really fun math concept because it is so visual. Kids "get ...
Gossip and rumors seem to be a natural part of human interaction, but that doesn't mean it's okay! This lesson engages students in super relatable "what would you do" scenarios.
Fluency is such an important component of reading. Low fluency rate may not always be detected until late elementary or early middle school. Suddenly, a student is expected to read more curriculum in a short period of time, and is not able to keep up with his or her studies. This is one area of reading that I wanted to tweak so my students would be well prepared. I realize that in order to increase a student's fluency rate, he or she needs to practice reading. I reflected back to my personal experience of joining a book club. My book club read a different genre each month . . . i.e. we didn't read chick lit. each month. I thought this must be what it's like for my students. You know, reading a book that's not really your personal taste. Whenever the genre wasn't my taste, it took me all month to read it. Most months I would have a cram session a couple of days before my book club met to finish the book. UGH! This must be what my students feel like! I decided to do something a little different to help my students. On Wednesdays, students are encouraged to bring a book of their choice to school. It can be a book they checked out of the library or one of their personal books. If they don't have one, they may check a book from my class library. I give them 20 minutes of time to read in class. Then we meet in book club groups. Students are grouped differently each week. Sometimes we meet according to the genre of the book. Other time I will have students meet in groups of 3 and do a book talk, mini-commercial about their book. Each student has a Book Club folder. I attached the assignment sheets (below) in the 3 prongs in the folder. I made each student a Book Club booklet. I cut construction paper in half, put copier paper in it, and stapled it together. The assignments are numbered. Each week, students complete an assignment about the chapter they read at school. Some weeks I assign a specific assignment, other weeks I let students choose their assignment. I found these assignments from different websites, but I'm sorry I can't remember which one or I would give him or her credit for the great ideas. Please let me know if you know the source. Book club is making a difference! I'm sure the key factor is CHOICE! Choice of book and some weeks they have choice of assignment. Below are the forms I use:
STEM Elevator Challenge- Build a cranking elevator to lift a heavy load. A perfect challenge for Halloween, Easter, or any time!
Use these 101 after school club ideas for kids to help you form your own club. School clubs are a great way to help kids develop a number of skills such as social, problem solving, and critical thinking. Whether you are looking to start a math club, science, club, theatrical club, or even a sports based club this is
Hello darlings! It's Amy from That Teaching Spark and I am honored to be an author here at All About 3rd Grade! Keep coming back for more valuable posts specifically for 3rd grade teachers! I have 15 days left of school! How about you? These seem to be the most tiring and trying days of the year. Kiddos are getting rambunctious and we have tons of testing, grading, packing, and surviving to do! But I don't want to just survive the end of the year! I want to enjoy my last days with my kiddos! Every few days I try to throw in a fun and engaging STEM activity. FINALLY science is getting its due and districts are now pushing STEM, when it used to be the subject that wasn't paid much attention. I LOVE science and am so glad there is finally a push for it in elementary schools! STEM activities are meant to be inquiry based activities. Students must work together to solve a real world problem. These kinds of hands-on investigations are open ended and require students to work towards a solution or a product in their own way. And guess what? This kind of learning opens up all kinds of higher level questioning and thinking strategies. And the best part? The teacher is just an observer and occasional guide. That's right. Your kiddos are the ones taking charge of their own learning! So what can you do to keep your kiddo engaged the rest of the school year? All you have to do is... 1. Gather the following materials. 2. Give your kids the problem to solve. 3. Give them a time limit (20-25 mins. average) 4.Watch their little minds catch fire! Kite Construction Problem Construct a kite that will rise and stay up in the air the longest. Materials: (just ideas) different weight and sizes of paper tissue paper plastic bags Popsicle sticks string tape glue Smores Oven Problem Create an oven that will melt the chocolate to create Smores. Materials: zipped locked bag foil marshmallows graham crackers chocolate (outside location that can be monitored throughout the hour or day) Water Cycle Problem Create a water puddle that takes the longest to evaporate. Materials: (just ideas) cups water (same amount of water for each group) chalk to mark the start timer Parachutes Problem Construct a parachute that will stay in the air the longest. Materials: (just ideas) different weight and sizes of paper tissue paper plastic bags string tape glue hole puncher paper clips (for weight) Spaghetti Tower Problem Create the tallest structure. Materials: spaghetti marshmallows (make it a challenge with different sizes of marshmallows) Learning Happens in the MESS! There you have it folks! A few tried and true STEM activities to keep your little rascals learning right up until the very last second of school! All you have to do is gather the materials and watch their investigating minds. Don't freak out if things get a little messy. Learning happens in the mess. They can clean it up later! Do you have any tried and true STEM activities? We'd love for you to share in the comments!
If you have older kids of your own or in your after-school program, they'll LOVE these projects!
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Cool Whip. All opinions are 100% mine. “Can we have a snack?” It’s the first thing my kids say as soon as they walk in the door. Every day, every Monday through Friday. The backpacks hit the floor and the shoes are kicked into ... Read more
Are you tackling STEM this year? Will this be your first foray into a STEM challenge? Take a look at the photo below! Y'all, that is one of the best STEM challenges we complete! It's an exploration of the ingredients of pancakes and we actually cook them and taste them and do it over and
Looking for back-to-school ideas for your forensic science class? Check out these 5 fun and engaging forensics activities for the first days of school.
There are so many benefits to cooking in the classroom, especially for students with special needs! What better time is there to try some fun cooking projects with your class, than at the end of the school year? But wait...cooking in the classroom can require a lot of prep, and where do you get your
The behavior basics book club was created to help teach students the basics of behavior through childhood classic books. Each book has activities to start the discussion and teach the behaviors to create a strong foundation in your classroom. Use this book club activity to teach students to not steal from others.. This lesson is based on the book Ricky Sticky Fingers by Julia Cook. This story is about a boy named Ricky who can’t help but steal from his friends. This story teaches students the importance of not stealing when Ricky has his own bike go missing! Want to see a detailed description of what is included? And a Video???? Read more on my BLOG! Included in this bundle: -Reading lesson plans -Anchor chart activities (b&w and color) -Reading response (writing and illustrated responses) -Directed Drawing Activities -Labels for easy organization Do you want the complete Behavior Basics Book Club? Check out the DISCOUNTED BUNDLE *****Looking for more instruction on this behavior? Check out the pairing Behavior Basics Lesson****** *****Stay up to date and keep in touch****** BLOG! Facebook Instagram Pinterest Email me: [email protected]
Blog about Easy and Fun Kid Art and Crafts Activities
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15 summer STEM activities for a hands-on, less-screen, FUN summer!
An elementary art teacher blog with art projects and lessons, DIY projects and outfit photos as well as clothing I have made myself.
Encourage language development, while fostering fine motor skills, following directions and other functional life skills. Cooking in the classroom with visual recipes, step by step recipes to foster those super important life skills, and work on those IEP goals and objectives... all at the same time!
Little 1st grade Science Thinkers is a complete curriculum that includes scripted teacher lesson plans, read-aloud books in a printable or projectible format, easy-prep science investigations and activities, assessments, anchor chart examples, and more.
I adapted this pirate ship project for two age-groups. The younger class ranges from almost-three to just-turned-four, and the older class comprises four to six year olds, plus one eight year old. …
Check out this great lesson I found on Cleverbean. Learning Intention: Create an artwork in response to the text ‘Journey’ by Aaron Becker.
source The book club at school this past month read, Teach like a Champion by Doug Lemov. Our principal selected the book for us and my son said it was because he (the principal) did not want us to teach like a bunch of losers. Thanks Mike for the vote of confidence. Teach like a Champion is a wonderful book with great techniques to engage students in discussions. The book is focused on setting the children on the right path to college. Many of the techniques are not new techniques, however it is nice to refresh your thinking once in a while. After teaching for a million years you tend to do the same thing over and over. The book is a gentle reminder that they’re other techniques to use to engage the students and get them excited about learning. Here are a couple of techniques I want to make sure I incorporate in my teaching right away: 1. No Opt Out—A sequence that begins with a student unable to answer a question should end with the student answering that question as often as possible. (Yes! How many times do you hear---Oh! I forgot!) 2. The Hook-a short introduction that captures what is interesting or engaging about the material 3. Name the Steps—teach the process slowly so the children understand what to do next 4. Exit Ticket—a single question or problem to solve at the end of class. I have seen teachers create something on Pinterest for this: source source source 5. Cold Call—call on students regardless of whether they have raised their hands Other Good Points from the Book: “Students who know more words learn more words.” Teach lots of vocabulary! “Read aloud to your student regularly.” It will teach more vocabulary and expressive language. In my opinion, I think all teachers should read this book. It is very valuable to refresh your teaching style or if you are just beginning, this is perfect to get you started.
This water whistle experiment is good to do if you have 5-10 minutes spare. EC and I had a go making between finishing homework and a music lesson.
I am going to introduce this summer art challenge to my students next week. I did this summer art challenge a couple of years ago and we had a lovely display in the fall. The parents of the kids who participated thanked me for the ideas. Whenever their kids said they were bored, they told them to pick something from the list. It’s been awhile since I updated the list of challenges, so I went over it today to freshen … Read more... →
A fun twist on the classic - pb&j! Plus, 30 school lunch ideas (mostly cold lunches!) for elementary school age kids who are in 1st grade through 5th grade.
Wake up your senses with these bright and fresh Kid-Friendly Winter Smoothies using seasonal fruits that are best eaten during the cold Winter months!
Literature Circles in the elementary classroom. How to do literature circles with 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students.
