372K views, 5.2K likes, 234 comments, 1.8K shares, Facebook Reels from Mrs. Arensberg: Last summer I taught SEL to a pre-k-5th grade summer camp and these jellyfish cups were a HIT! These could be a...
Having a set of fingerplays in your toolbox of teaching skills will enrich your early childhood environment. Here's a quick look at ways you can use fingerplays in your classroom! Today, I am joining Pre-k Pages and Prekinders to bring you 15 fabulous fingerplays and facts. Each of
If you are looking for a fun camp craft idea for scouts or a summer craft for tweens, then this soda straw weaving bracelet is perfect! Read on to see how to do straw weaving. Your child will love making colorful yarn bracelets.
CREATE GIANT KID SIZE SPIROGRAPH DRAWINGS
Escape rooms and breakout activities are all the rage right now! And for good reason; they encourage movement, collaboration, and problem solving. These activities tend to be geared toward older kids, but what if I told you they are awesome to use with younger students, as well? I've taken the concept of an escape room and simplified it to make it appropriate for Pre-K and kindergarten students. Each game has options for playing as a whole group, small group, or even individually. Depending on the activity, I also offer options for differentiating as needed. I made them flexible enough that you can play them in one session, or over several days, depending on the amount of time you have and on the attention span of your students. Each game has a story line to follow, so kids can really engage with the activity and activate their imaginations. I chose a specific skill to target with each game, making this is a great way to give kids a chance to practice and demonstrate understanding of a certain skill. Escape the Apple Cider Stand focuses on matching numbers to quantities. There are four activities: matching cards with pictures of apples to apple crates with numbers, writing numbers of objects in a ten frame (options for writing and tracing included, depending on the level of your learners), filling ten frames to match numbers, and a "write the room" activity to match the number of objects in each picture to the correct numeral. Find it here in my shop or here in my Teachers Pay Teachers store. Escape the Pumpkin Patch focuses on rhyming. There are four activities or puzzles for students to solve: matching rhyming pictures, generating rhymes, finding objects that rhyme, and a rhyming "write the room" activity. (Find it here in my shop or here in my Teachers Pay Teachers store.) Escape Room: Thanksgiving! works on sequencing. The story is about preparations for Thanksgiving dinner, and the activities focus on ordinal numbers and putting steps in order, which is great for building listening comprehension skills. The activities are cut and paste sequencing, putting step cards in order, pocket chart sequencing activity, and a "write the room" activity. (Grab it here in my shop or here in my TPT store.) Escape the North Pole may be my favorite one yet! What 4- or 5-year-old kid wouldn't love to be part of a story about helping Santa get ready for Christmas? This escape room focuses on shapes. The four activities are identifying and coloring by shape, drawing shapes (includes an option for tracing for kiddos who need it), matching shapes, and a shape "write the room" activity focusing on shape attributes (with an option for differentiation included). Get it here in my shop or here in my TPT store. These activities are so much fun, and I really tried to make them as simple as possible for you, with no special locks or boxes required. All you provide are some manila envelopes to hide the clues and puzzles in. And of course, each one includes clear setup instructions. More great escape rooms are in the works! Check out my growing bundle to get the 4 listed here, plus 8 future breakout activities, for one low price! The price will go up each month as a new escape room is added, so buy early to save the most money! I hope you enjoy trying out these activities with your students; I would love to hear how it goes in your classroom!
Song Index
Because your kids are always in the pursuit of happiness. And hey, they might learn from these too (but don't tell them that)!
DIY Song Cubes to help children learn music "old favorites" and practice finding and keeping the beat; for preschool, pre-k, and kindergarten.
Items Needed: Yarn or String Craft Sticks We Believe in Being Honest PDF (*FREE* on Teachers Pay Teachers ) We Believe i...
Use books to teach socials skills such as problem solving sharing, friendship, conflict resolution is so important in the primary classroom.
Children will have a blast with this hands-on, sensory science activity. Don't be surprised if your older kids want in on the fun, too! Sensory Blindfold Science Experiment This experiment is all about exploring the different textures of various materials. It's a fun way to explore the sense of touch with preschoolers and young
The study of animals has always been very popular with kids. That learning can be extended in the summer and on vacations with some fun craft activities. Here are a few the kids might like. Mammal Crafts Just click on the links below to get directions for each of the mammal crafts pictured above plus some mammal book recommendations for the kids. Paper Bag Dog Craft Paper Bag Cat Craft Paper Bag Bat Craft Construction Paper Bat Craft Origami Whale Craft Have fun!
Hands-on Force and Motion Exploration This is a fun activity I set up one morning for my kids; it's one that requires little input from you because they will quickly come up with many ways to set it up. What you need: marbles or balls scale train tracks, car tracks, etc. tape measure (optional) I gathered marbles and small balls and we weighed them on a kitchen scale to see which ones had the greatest and least mass. We then set up two heavy marbles of different mass on the wooden train track (you could use car track, or something like clear tubing, or whatever else you think of!). We put the lighter marbles of the same mass on the incline and let them go and watched what happened when the lighter marbles hit the heavier ones. We then lined up a lot of marbles close together and let a heavy marble go and collide with them. Ask your children what they think will happen. They might be surprised to see the transfer of momentum. Weighing the different marbles and balls. Setting up the experiment. We used a tape measure to see how far the different marbles would go. We tried it with lots of marbles! You can set it up any way your child wants to try it. We even tried with a huge wooden ball. This was such a big hit that they asked to do it over and over again! ---------------- This activity was something I did with my children when they were quite young (preschool age), but what a GREAT activity for learning about force and motion in a hands-on way. The physical activity is fun for younger and older kids alike, and you could even ask upper elementary school children to predict how far different marbles will roll based on their mass.
Try the exploding lunch bag experiment for an awesome baking soda and vinegar reaction to set up outdoors for kid.
Make a simple guitar and set up fun and easy sound science experiments for kids. How do sounds sound different in different rooms.
I think last week's Creative Preschool Collaborator's theme of learning about the body was probably my favorite theme yet. Each of us came up with really different and really creative ways to teach young children about the human body! Here's a recap of all 5 bloggers' awesome ideas! 5 Ideas for learning about the body! Let's learn about the body! Rachel from I Heart Crafty Things came up with this really fun Roll To Draw a Body Game. I love how she combined art and science! You could also join in the fun by printing out a copy for yourself and racing the kids! Jamie from Handmade Kids Art taught her kids about the body by making a "Heads shoulders knees and toes" music video with them. Doesn't that sound fun? Definitely check out her post for technology tips and a super cute music video! Let's learn about our hair! Katie from A Little Pinch of Perfect shared 3 super fun ideas for teaching preschoolers about hair. I won't give away all of the great ideas, but let's just say one involves RAINBOWS! Oh yeah! Let's learn about the skeleton! Amanda from Artsy Momma came up with 5 awesome skeleton and x-ray crafts! Whoa! Her post is chock full of ideas. I'll bet you could make them all with materials that you already have at home. Let's learn about the brain! And lastly, Chuck and I had fun learning about our brains with these 5 low-prep brain activities. Like Amanda's activities, you probably have all the needed materials at home! Let's keep in Contact! Like kids crafts and activities? Then you'll definitely want to check out this awesome craft ebook! And, you can always find fun ideas on my Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter accounts! (Or subscribe to my email mailing list by filling out the pink bar at the top of your screen.) Happy learning, friends!
How does sound travel? This sound experiment for kids helps show how we hear using a slinky and also a tuning fork experiment.
Enjoy a week of summer science camp with these fun summer activities and games for kids. Cool science experiments for preschoolers to elementary.
Simple DIY water xylophone takes a couple minutes to make and is a great sound activity, experiment, and music activity for kids too!
We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post. Please see policies for more information.Every once in a while something will come along that gets the boys excited and has them trying it over and over again to anyone who hasn’t seen it yet. This is one of those things! Luckily,
Writing your name in binary code on a bracelet or necklace makes great STEM fun for kids! Plus more fun STEM learning activities for kids.
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.
Pyramid Catapult: This project is born from the idea of making a mini catapult that doesn't require any glue, but is just as sturdy and high-performing as other designs. You can find the lesson plan, 1-page project sheet, and more project ideas at STEM-Inventions.com
What to mail your child at camp, ideas for care packages
All set? You bet! Looking for funny attention-getters for your class? Look no further – here you’ll find brilliant class attention-getters that kids will love.
Learn about the Roaring Twenties with this FREE printable 1920s for Kids Reader to learn about American History for kids
Learn how to build a catapult! This STEM activity is so fun for kids and needs just a few simple supplies! Plus learn history in the process.
Springtime means changing weather which means it’s the perfect time for our Weather Research Project! For our weather unit, we use our Weather Research Project! Cloudy With A Chance Of Mea…
Every year, each grade level team hosts an Author Study evening for our students and families. For the past several years, we’ve featured Kevin Henkes. Here’s a 3-page resource pack to send home with your students! Please click here to read more and download your own packet. Thanks! Jen from Positively Learning You Might Also Like:Everyday Math ... Read More about Author Study: Kevin Henkes
Fun baking soda experiment for kids. Make a baking soda powered boat using an old water bottle, baking soda and vinegar.
Help Your Students Make the Most of Their Break With a Summer Art Challenge Instructional Strategies % %
Who doesn't love a good science experiment? Especially one that is so easy and amazes little learners. My kiddos love to do this Liquid Rainbow science experiment together to explore liquids and the differences in their density.ObservationsTo help learners understand this experiment and give a little background to why the results happen I have them
Christian astronomy is fun to teach in your Montessori inspired homeschool! Here are lots of great crafts, activities, and printables for your kids.
Setting up an inclusive early childhood classroom is exciting, but it can be daunting when you’re first starting out. You want to make the most of every stick of furniture and every inch of classroom space–especially if your classroom is small and your budget is limited. And you want to be sure your arrangement meets […]
As Big Brother is getting older it's really interesting to see both his interests and skills develop into more specific skill sets. Lately he's been really interested in the building of things (mostly stemming from a love of Legos, Magnatiles, and our wooden railroad track.) As he leans that way I'm finding myself looking for other creative ways to develop those interests and skills. A few weeks ago he had the chance to observe a beaver dam up close with my husband on one of their nature walks. This lead to some great questions. A few days later I followed up with a drive to a local man made dam which he was able to inspect from a distance. When we came home I set up this building investigation in the yard. It was inspired by a great tinfoil river activity we did last year from the amazing book 101 Kids Activities That Are the Bestest, Funnest Ever by the team over at Kids Activities Blog. Similar to that experience, we used tinfoil to create a river (this time on our lawn.) This time we set it up on slight slope. The boys and I also collected natural materials from around the yard that might be useful in building the dam. We collected sticks, acorns, rocks, and old reeds from lilies. I added in a few non-natural materials I also thought Big Brother might want to use: modeling clay, popsicle sticks, and lumber scraps. Big Brother's goal was to be able to get his dam to hold enough water so that these three acorn boats could float. It was so interesting to watch his process, which mostly involved trial and error. First he started with just a pile of the wooden natural materials. When he observed the water move through those, he decided to try using more rocks. With each trial he would tweak his design a little, before trying again. In the end I encouraged him (although I was really trying to let it be his process to try using a little clay. I led him to the idea that he had seen mud on the beaver dams.) He started to get into the idea of building a space for the water to collect. He never quite got to the place where all the boats could continuously float, although his last design definitely best slowed down the water. He continued to tinker on his dam a few more days, and even brainstorm other materials he would like to add in. (Including trying to find some clay like mud on our property.) We'll definitely be looking for other ways to invite building experiences. What do your children like to build? This post may also have been shared at some of these terrific link parties.
Looking for the best tongue twisters for kids in English? We have compiled a list of funny tongue twisters, easy and difficult - free pdf included
These simple boat themed STEM challenges are easy, fun and great for all ages. The challenges work brilliantly for older children who can use them to
These STEM measurement activities for 2nd grade gets children to design their own paper javelin and then measure how far they can throw it. Children learn to create a paper javelin, measure distance, and practice gross motor skills.
This is an easy & fun game to help preschoolers and toddlers practice playing and recognising Do Re Mi. Great fun - especially with a real balloon!
Here's an easy science experiment that will get kids' hands burning, their minds racing, and learning something new in the process.
"No regrets." —katykaboomGet it for $26.
Learning about Norway for kids with these free printable Norway Mini Books to read, color, and learn for kids of all ages.
Fairy Tales STEM Blog Series What are STEM Tales? STEM Tales are a way to integrate literacy and STEM/STEAM activities for kids in first through third grade. The stories engage the kids, and as they read through the story they are seamlessly lead through the Engineering Design Process. Click any of the images below to read more about the STEM challenge, read this post about how to run a STEM tale challenge, or visit my Teachers pay Teachers shop where you can purchase one STEM tale, sets of 3, or 12 altogether. Goldilocks and the Three Bears Robin Hood Rapunzel Hansel and Gretel Beauty and the Beast Jack and the Beanstalk The Ugly Duckling The 3 Billy Goats Gruff The 3 Little Pigs Snow White Little Red Riding Hood The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The magic milk experiment really is magical. Kids can use the secret ingredient to make colors explode on a plate of milk. It's one of those science and art activities that never gets old!
These science experiments for kids are a great alternative or addition to fireworks during the holiday season. Check out these POPPING science experiments.
Rosie was recently going through a hitting stage .
