Add a little pizzazz to your lessons with some United States History Activities that your students will love!

Ella, 1st grade Reese, 1st grade Aven, Kinder Campbell, Kinder Izzy, Kinder Jolie, Kinder Kaden, 2nd grade Kate, Kinder Lauren, Kinder My classes looked at the illustrations in the children's book, Solo by Paul Geraghty. It's the story of a young penguin who is left alone in the icy Antarctic for the first time. My students drew their penguins on pale pink construction paper so they could see their white chalk pastel shading for the penguin face and body. Heads were done in Sharpie or charcoal. Since a little goes a long way with charcoal, I had my young students keep the charcoal stick on the table and just run their pointer finger along it to add shadows. This prevented penguins that were completely smudged in black. For the backgrounds, snow beneath their feet was painted with white and pale blue acrylic and sky with liquid watercolor and salt (always a crowd pleaser). The last touch before their cut penguins were glued to their backgrounds was a splattering of watered down white acrylic to create a snowy atmosphere. Nice job kids! Miss Mary

Are you ready for the month of March? We are all geared up for some fun learning this month! Our March NO PREP packets are done and we are ready to go!

The start of spring and the windy weather we have been having always makes me think of Kites. We don’t usually have much luck when we try to fly our own kites, but we have had fun crafting some very pretty ones. When Emily was little we make a Triangle Shape Kite, but this time we tried something a little different. To make our kites we used Bleeding Tissue Paper, cardstock, straws, yarn and some colored construction paper. The girls always love working with bleeding tissue paper, it has a somewhat magical property to it which is always fun. If you have never tired it before we definitely recommend it. First, I cut out cardstock in the shape of a Kite and then Juliette got to work with the bleeding tissue paper. She covered the paper with a little bit of water then placed the pieces of bleeding tissue paper over the water. They like to brush over them with a little more water to make sure they are sticking down to the paper well. Once the paper is covered to satisfaction we just set them to the side and let them dry. Now for the fun part, Juliette pulled off all of the bleeder paper to see the beautiful colored design that was left behind…MAGIC!!! To put the kites together we cut pieces of colored straws to glue horizontally and vertically across the kite. Then we glued on a long piece of yarn and construction paper bows for the tail. Juliette was very excited to help me glue it together with the glue gun. Since we have had a hard time gluing straws to paper in the past I figured this would be the best way. For another windy day project check out the Windsock Craft we made to go with the book The Wind Blew. Follow our ADVENTURES on Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter!

Tracing Lines - Worksheets For Little People As your little one learns how to write, tracing lines is a great activity! And there are benefits to it too! Line tracing is one of those activities that develop your child's control of the small muscles in his/ her hands (fine motor skills). Tracing will teach your child to make the precise movements that are necessary for forming letters. Tracing improves hand/eye coordination. Line Tracing By Age Line tracing is predominantly for little ones as they learn how to write. It's therefore perfect for toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergartners. Your child's age and

Looking for fun Preschool Zoo Theme Activities for kids? Check out these 16 Hands-On Preschool Zoo inspired Learning Activities and Crafts for Preschool or Kindergarten.

DISCLAIMER: I am offering these lessons, handouts and videos to you for free. PLEASE do not take my lessons and sell them. Because that would be super crappy of you (yes, someone is doing this. Yes, they are super crappy). Thank you. Going to NAEA in Boston next week? Need some sub plans? Y'all, I got you COVERED! Today I'm sharing my favorite VIDEO sub plans and my tips and tricks to planning for being out. There's nothing like the amount of WORK you gotta do just to take some time off. I'm here to make your life a little easier, I hope. So, without further ado, my Top Ten Sub Plans! Let me just start by saying that the sub plans I am sharing were created for my kindergarten through fourth grade kids. I ALWAYS make a lesson that's age appropriate for all my classes. This makes my prep life so much easier and the life of the sub all the better. For more tips and tricks, check out this video! Lessons like this require a lotta prep. Yeah, I will be keeping it much easier this time. More about how I prep for a sub can be found in this blog post. 1. James Rizzi Cities! This sub plan was a huge hit with all of my kiddos. They started it while I was away and I was able to easily slide back in to a low-mess/low-stress project for them to continue. Lesson, handouts and video can be found here! 2. Loud Mouth Collages! My kids thought these were the most fun ever...while I thought they were the most funniest ever. Complete video lesson and plans here! 3. A Colorful Village! Again this is another lesson that the kids work on while I'm away and we finish up with oil pastel and watercolor when I return. Easy, fun and super colorful. Video and lesson here! 4. Chris Uphues Inspired Hearts! Who doesn't love Chris Uphues and his happy artwork?! My kids love learning about him. I've not only got a video lesson but I have a short clip of an interview I did with Chris and his wife Jen. More here! 5. I am a Super Star! This lessons is so fun...it really incorporates so much, from mixed media to literacy to a good ole boost to the self esteem! I DID ask the sub to make the stars for the kindergarten before they arrived because I'm not that crazy. Lesson here! 6. Collage Monsters! Another fun lesson that the kids really enjoyed. This one required more prep than most, just an FYI. Complete details and video here! 7. Kerri Ambrosino-Inspired Still Life! Need a pop of colorful happy for spring? Try this sub plan on for size. So fun and we busted out the PUFFY PAINT! Lesson here. 8. Wings Mural! I know, you've seen it a thousand times...but the lesson originated here! The feathers were created while I was out on jury duty, I believe...and then we assembled it when I returned. Lesson and video here. 9. Britto-Inspired Collaborative! I love having the kids work on collaboratives when I'm out. It means we have a big beautiful work of art to hang when I return! Lesson video and details all right here! 10. Monochromatic Self Portraits! Lastly, here's a lesson that's always a hit: monochromatic self portraits. We love hanging these in rainbow order for a beautiful display. Have your kiddos follow along with me in this video! There are PLENTY more lessons and videos on my YouTube channel so be sure and give those a glance if none of these strike your fancy. And be sure to subscribe, I upload videos and content all the time. If you are gonna be in Boston, see you there!

We will be starting measuring when we get back from spring break. Yes, our spring break is NEXT week! So, so early! I am super excited for the break, but it will be a long stretch from the middle of March to May! We do not get any days off for Easter. Since we spent...

Do you teach tiny humans? I mean, like, REALLY tiny humans? After teacher Kindergarten and second grade for 3 years each, with a lot of subbing mixed in at times, I was forced to figure out what kinds of management strategies worked well for young learners. So, here are 7 easy ideas for managing yo

Have a chatty class? Do your talkative students get louder and louder during small groups until it feels like chaos? Do they talk when you'r...

These all about me activities for preschoolers are engaging, hands-on centers to work on essential literacy skills in the classroom!

Do you teach a Community Helpers Preschool or Kindergarten Unit? You will LOVE this fun set of pretend play learning centers and no prep worksheets.

Vocabulary instruction is so critical in today’s classroom! A vast vocabulary will help students to become better readers and writers. Vocabulary is also essential to their performance on standardized tests. Helping kids to develop their vocabulary is time that is well spent in a busy classroom. I have developed a routine to teach new vocabulary

Our five senses tot school unit was full of exploration and learning. We had so much fun learning about our sense of sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch that big sister Madelynn even joined us for a lot of our activities. Here were our plans for 5 Senses Week: And here are the details of […]

And yes, there is some pie involved in this list of Pi Day activities.

Looking for fun Weather Activities for Preschool? This set is packed with weather charts, activities, and weather worksheets you'll love.

If you are looking for some high interest teaching activities, try using animated shorts to to teach the reading skill problems and solutions.

Michaelangelo is an incredible artist that children study at school or as part of a homeschool curriculum. We spent all our art lessons in the month of March this year...

They're Here!! Adorable March First Grade Worksheets for your home or classroom. Math, Addition, Subtraction, Grammar, Writing, and so much more.

Free March 2025 calendar templates are available in printable and fillable PDF formats. Featuring blank and aesthetic designs with holidays.

Our continuing Exploration through the Life of Jesus Has brought us to the time when Jesus performs another miracle. This time Jesus heals Jarius' Daughter. We added NEW CARDS to our DO You Know? Wall. My Expectation is for the KIDDOS to be able to answer each of these by the end of the lesson. We had three new words to add to our WORD WALL. I chose TALITHA CUMI, MOURNER and SYNAGOGUE. Those are important words for the KIDDOS to understand for this lesson to make more sense to them. We Added a NEW Card to our GOD'S AWESOME PLAN FOR MAN Timeline!! Our MEMORY VERSE was Mark 5:26! To hear the MEMORY VERSE song click on this link. Memory Verse Song Mark 5:26 This is the SONG we learned with this lesson. It is a short and simple song to learn. The song can be heard by clicking the following link. Jarius' Daughter....Song By Ronda Duvall Our VISUAL Aid for this lesson was a picture for a set of visual aid cards I purchased several years ago. I really like this picture...It had all the people that were in the house with Jesus represented and if you look through the window you will see the mourners outside! The Kiddo's TAKE-HOME project was a 3D bed with a little girl on it that they were able to make "RISE" when we practiced saying, "TALITHA CUMI." I designed the bed on my computer. Then, using various clip art I have access to I gave it a WOOD look and a quilted top. I drew the little girl a LOOOOOONG time ago...my wonderful husband scanned several of my drawings into the computer. This allows me to manipulate them for size, color, etc. If you would like to see how this TAKE HOME "works" please click on the following link. Clicking on the picture will NOT open the video. Jesus Says, "Talitha Cumi"..."Little Girl Arise." This weeks REVIEW Game was a fun BOARD GAME. We all worked together to get JESUS from the Sea of Galilee to Jarius' house. The KIDDOS answer a question from the lesson, roll a die and then move "Jesus" the number of spaces the die tells them. There are a few "bumps" in the way as Jesus makes His way to Jarius' house. As you know, the second week of the LESSON is when we REVIEW. It gives me opportunity to correct any misunderstandings. It also, gives opportunities for the KIDDOS who missed class the first week to "CATCH UP." This is the Week we SAY our MEMORY VERSE from MEMORY and We do an ACTIVITY we add to our EXPLORER JOURNAL. This LESSON'S EXPLORER JOURNAL ACTIVITY was a POCKET "BED" and a two LITTLE GIRL...The KIDDOS colored the area around the pillow and both the front and back of the little girl. They love making her get out of bed, flip around so she is smiling and then say, "give her something to eat." I am loving teaching the LESSONS on the LIFE OF JESUS. I feel like I am learning more and more!! I enjoy writing, coming up with the crafts, activities, games, etc. It can be challenging at times....but, it is always worth it when I see the KIDDOS enjoying learning events from the LIFE of JESUS!! Blessings, Ronda

Make learning about clouds engaging and interactive with these types of clouds learning resources. A great way for kids of all ages (...)

The season of gift giving is coming up! Teachers play a special part in our development and it’s essential that we show them how much we appreciate them. Math and English teachers get all the love but what about Music teachers? Music programs tend to get the short end of…

My blog post on Following Instructions, with hands-on learning activity ideas that follow instructions and easy-to-use guides, has been so popular for over a year now (Click here to see: Following Instructions), that I thought I would make Following Instructions Printables! (Click here to see: Following Instructions Printables) Here are 4 printable activities that require following instructions, using reading, rhyming words, printing practice, creative drawing, and cutting and pasting. A suggested age range for this printable package would be 4-7yrs. Copyright Terms: All printables marked with "www.rockabyebutterfly.com" are Copyrighted © All rights reserved. My printables are provided to you for your own personal use. You are more than welcome to save the files on your computer and print off copies for yourself and your own children/students whenever you would like. You may post pictures of your own children/students using my printables on your personal blog, provided www.rockabyebutterfly.com is properly credited and linked in the post. Link directly to www.rockabyebutterfly.com to share my files with others. You cannot host any of my printables on your own or other sites. You cannot upload my pdf files to your server. You cannot alter or sell any of my printables. All files are for personal non‐commercial use only. You may NOT use my items for sale or profit. By downloading and printing my printables you agree to these copyright terms.

I made these pattern block mats using Photoshop. Each mat comes in color and blackline, depending on your preference. The blackline mats offer more of a

Unlock Reading Magic: Dive into animated shorts and task cards for captivating main idea and details lessons! 📚🎬

The 89th Academy Awards ceremony, will honor the best films of 2017 and will take place on February 26, 2017. Here are some fun crafts, recipes and game ideas to keep the family entertained for hours. Crafts Walk of Fame DIY Red Carpet Photoshoot Games Oscar Bingo Printable Oscars Ballot Goodies Microphone Cake Pops Tuxedo Hotdogs Tuxedo Crackers and Cheese Fun Mocktails Caramel Corn

Read how I carried out an experiment on weathering and erosion with my upper elementary class. Students get to use background knowledge to make predictions!

Looking for a fun Transportation Preschool Binder for kids? Check out these 8 Hands-On Transportation activities for Preschool or Kindergarten.

Check out these gorgeous Romero Britto inspired art activities...