I LOVE the Olympics! I have always loved the Olympics, and I get very excited when it's an Olympic year. The summer Games are my favorite, especially the gymnastics and swimming. The Olympics is also a high-interest topic for students. The summer Games are a perfect theme for the end or beginning of a school year, and it's a great theme for summer school, as well. When I have a theme that I'd like to teach but is not in my curriculum, I always start with guided reading. I am very lucky to have a Reading A-Z subscription through my school district. On the Reading A-Z site, there are several different books that are leveled and perfect for an Olympic theme. My favorite is titled Summer Olympic Events and is available in levels H, K, & Q. In my Gold Medal Literacy resource, I have two mini books that I also use: The Summer Olympics and Where in the World is Rio de Janeiro? They're perfect, because students can highlight and write directly in their books. The nice thing about those little books and the A-Z readers is that they come with comprehension activities and worksheets. My Gold Medal Literacy packet is loaded with word word and writing activities that can help you run a mini-unit on the summer Olympics. I used it during the last week of school, and my kids had a blast! They're definitely excited for the Games in August. You can find my Gold Medal Literacy resource here. Over the years, I've collected Olympics trade books as I've found them. They are kind of few and far between, at least the good ones are. I've linked up a few of my favorites and a few on my wish list. (These are Amazon affiliate links.) What Are the Summer Olympics? I LOVE this series! Magic Treehouse: The Hour of the Olympics- Excellent for guided reading or as a read aloud. Ancient Greece and the Olympics: Nonfiction Companion G is for Gold Medal- I love the variety of information in this book. It's not a great read aloud, but it is perfect to add to a themed bookshelf. Elympics- This one looks really cute, although I do not own it. How to Train with a T.Rex and Win 8 Gold Medals- I think this one looks so cute! Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World's Fastest Woman- There are tons of great biographies about Olympians, and this one is one of my favorites. Excellent book! Olympia the Games Fairy- My girls love these fairy books, so this is a good one to add to the bookshelf. It is always chosen. ...and if you're looking for some more fun ideas for teaching about the Olympics. Click on the photos to access the link. (image and link to The Chaos and the Clutter) (image and link to Classy Mommy) (image and link to Fun-a-Day) My summer Games math resource on TPT. Math and Literacy together!

Here are several summer music camp activities you can do with group classes or camps over the summer. They can be use with a group of different ages.

So many fun sports crafts and activities to do during a week of summer camp! Sports Week is a great theme for kids of all ages!

I have written three different lists of themes to be used for themes weeks. 100 Summer Camp Themes 100 More Summer Camp Themes Those themes are meant to encompass all of camp, from crafts to special events, games to meals. THIS list, however, is meant to give you ideas for theme days. Fashion Themes Many […]

One way I keep students engaged is to take them outside, so here are some of my favorite activities for teaching math outdoors.

Team building activities for kids are not only fun but also essential for their social and emotional development. These activities involve collaborative tasks that encourage children to work together towards a common goal, fostering communication, cooperation, and problem-solving skills. Whether

Summer is a season of sunshine, warmth, and relaxation. It's also a great time to capture your own image through self-portraiture. Whether your students are in kindergarten through 5th grade, drawing a self-portrait can be a fun and rewarding way for students to express themselves and document their unique features. In this fun and easy drawing guide students will draw themselves living their best summer lives!

It’s Grade School Wednesday here on KidMin Mama and I am happy to share a new series with you! Our Kid’s Ministry has recently started our “Grow Series”. A series all about how to grow as a follower of Christ. […]

Art projects that are fun for kids and bring in big bucks for your school auction!

Team building activities for kids are not only fun but also essential for their social and emotional development. These activities involve collaborative tasks that encourage children to work together towards a common goal, fostering communication, cooperation, and problem-solving skills. Whether

Engaging Summer Olympics Activities includes art projects, printables, books, online resources and more for learning about and engaging with the Summer Olympics

Our kids love, love, love scavenger hunts. They always ask for one when we are darting out the door on our way to an activity or when I have a gazillion things happening. I made a

Summer Packet Send home this Summer Packet at the end of the year for parents and students to work on during the summer, if they choose. Many parents

These incredible sidewalk chalk ideas for kids will easily bust through summertime boredom with fun games, learning activities, & cool chalk art creations!

The Empowered Educator - Children's Cardboard X-ray 'Tablet'

My kids are so excited for the Olympics this summer!

We Are Thespians!

Learn about stars for kids with this handy, free printable Constellations Booklet to learn about star patterns in the night sky.

STEM teaching integrates the subjects of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics with a unique learning approach, presenting hands on and

These all about me, back to school art activities for kids are engaging icebreakers. Encourage creativity and build community during the first week back

Today, my classes completed the Cup Challenge! We loved it! The point of this was for students to practice their new lab team roles and develop some teamwork guidelines. Each team gets 6 cups, string, and rubber bands. Using just string and rubber bands, students must make a pyramid with the cups. No touching the ... Read more

Easy forest school activities, done-for-you forest school lesson plans and ready-made nature curriculum: save time and teach better!

Simple mental health lessons for kids, like this activity, leave even young children with something to think about in their daily lives.

This moon sand recipe is so easy to make! With only two ingredients, you'll be playing with this soft and sensory sand within minutes. Moon Sand This moon sand recipe is so much fun. The texture is soft and crumbly, but it also molds really well into different shapes. The kids thought it was the best thing ever! I've tested different kinetic sand recipes before (like this kinetic sand, this moldable play sand and this foam sand), but this one was BY FAR the best. And with only 2 ingredients it's also super easy to make. We loved how the

Use household ingredients to create fireworks in a jar! A fun science experiment for kids of all ages that illustrates liquid density.

This collection of classroom resources covers a wide span of activities for visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners. There are projects, games, videos, and hands-on crafts that are sure to delight learners of all ages. Students will learn about a wide variety of habitats from Himalayan mountain ranges to cold, brackish waters, and study animals as diverse as the American river otter and the ray-finned fish.

Get the world-famous elephant toothpaste formula recipe at Steve Spangler Science. Find instructions for our popular Elephant Toothpaste Experiment here!

Use 'pixels' and data to reveal the Summer Mystery Pictures in these coloring pages for kids.

Print this FREE 10-page Summer Q Tip Painting set to enjoy this summer with the kids! This set includes a variety of summer sheets to paint.

Teaching students about respecting personal space (and getting consent) before entering is important - "Personal Space Camp" and practicing the skills is a great way to do it!

A colleciton of leadership activities for middle school students. Get fun leadership games, leadership lesson plans, as well as student leader exercises.

Download and print this Free Camping Scavenger Hunt Printable along with three additional scavenger hunt ideas! Y'all know that I love to doodle and draw, so this worksheet has 24 different

If your kids like to make slime, they will enjoy learning how to make oobleck. You only need 2 ingredients for this fun science experiment.

Whether you're looking for a first day ice breaker or games to play at a back to school bash, this list has something for everyone!

These coffee filter butterflies are such a classic craft! I love how easy they are to make and how the bright colours of the Mr. Sketch markers blend together to make gorgeous looking butterfly wings! (Don't worry, you can use regular washable markers too). Do you remember Mr. Sketch markers from when you were a kid? I was walking down the craft aisle at Walmart last year and saw them on display -- I was so excited to see that they still make them! I opened up the package, took the lid off of one of the markers and smelled

If you're looking for fun and easy getting to know you activities for the first day of school, these ice breaker games for kids will inspire you!

These creation crafts and activities will teach kids about the seven days of creation from the Bible. Whether you are a mom, dad, babysitter, Sunday

The first week of school sure is a busy one! I work hard to balance the mandatory paperwork with games, hands-on activities and team-building fun. Even with bigger kids, it’s important to keep them moving throughout the day and providing a variety of activities. 1. Marshmallow Tower For this activity, you’ll need the following materials […]