What kid doesn't love parachutes? My boys have gotten so many of those parachuting army men as party favors, I've lost count. And forget trying to untangle the strings. (Ain't nobody got time for that!) The weather may not have been on our side, but with so many rainy days this summer, eventually you just throw caution to the wind and do outdoor activities anyway. And so it was the day we made DIY parachutes. Making these was simple. We had all the supplies we needed around the house. What You Need Disposable plastic (or paper) cup Plastic garbage sack String (we used some tightly twisted yarn) Paper punch Scissors Tape Measure or yardstick How to Make It First we punched holes in the top of the plastic cups, just under the rim. You'll need to punch four holes equal distance apart (approximately). Next we cut one plastic kitchen garbage sack into a 14-inch square. Since we made two parachutes, we measured and cut the bag with it flattened (i.e. two plies) so we had two squares with only a few cuts. Now we cut four 14-inch lengths of string for each parachute. Our oldest son gathered a corner of the plastic square and tied one length of string to it, leaving only a small tail. He repeated this with the other four corners. Then we tied each string to a different hole on the cup. (TIP: Try to keep the tails all the same length so you don't get a lopsided parachute.) Now all that was left to do was to go to a high place and drop those puppies. My sons perched on the landing of our deck and later our yard's play set. They LOVED watching them gracefully float to the ground. My oldest son tucked the parachute in the cup and dropped it to see what would happen. It sank to the ground with lightning speed. That's gravity for ya! How Does a Parachute Work The cup glides slowly down thanks to something known as air resistance (or drag). When air gets under it, the plastic parachute fans out for maximum coverage; this air resistance slows the fall of the object tremendously. This great activity came from Patricia A. Staino's wonderful book Magic Moments: Super Science with Your Kids. Check it out!
A Hawaiian Lei reminds me of summer... the cool breezes, flowers in bloom and sounds of the waves crashing on the beach. And, whenever I'm doing a craft with my kids, I like to teach them something at the same time. So, here is the definition of "Lei" according to Wikipedia :
Here's a collection of screen-free activities that tween boys (ages 9 - 12) will go for! Hobbies, crafts, jobs, games, etc.
Last week was finally our first week of school. It was great!! I was thinking about posting some of the cool things we did and realize...
December always seems to be the month for "Best of" lists. So, with my almost 8-year old son's help, I've compiled this collection o...
God's Word in My Heart scripture copywork; copywork all about love. Perfect for Valentines Day or anytime of the year.
This idea is actually a gem that one of my students thought of years ago! This fun trick will get students as young as Kindergarten to stop chatting! It's one of my favorite classroom management tricks!
I was strolling the aisles of the Dollar Tree the other week and came across this super adorable frog fly swatter! That was just enough motivation to pull out the fly swatting activities! Of course, any old fly swatter will do, but geez…. he’s just so cute! Many of my kindergarten friends are just learning […]
Are you overwhelmed by the amount of Behavior supports there are available out there! Are you looking for that particular one you need to help you manage behaviors and maintain structure in your cl…
My kids love to travel. They are great in the car but they constantly tell me that their favorite part of going on a roadtrip is seeing what I've found to keep them busy. First some tips for a road trip no matter what age:
One teacher chose to show her students how to treat others is a truly unforgettable way, and I'll be passing it on to my kids for sure.
This is a challenging 5th grade Pop Art project for art teachers wanting to infuse literacy into their art lessons. Reinforce onomatopoeia words by studying Andy Warhol's prints and Roy Lichtenstein's comic strip artwork with benday dots. Combine collage, printmaking, and hand lettering techniques into one art lesson!
While we still aren't quite sure what the new school year is going to hold, many teachers are beginning to prepare for situations where they and their
Today I'm sharing one of my favourite tasks for building community in the classroom. Students are able to share an important aspect of themselves (the story of their name) with the class and with me, their teacher. Through this task we are also working on important skills, like reading comprehension, writing, and reflection. Day 1 To begin, I asked my students to write any name they wish they had on a sticky note. They then placed it in a mason jar. I read my class the story "The Name Jar" by Yansook Choi. We stopped at several points in the story to predict, make connections, infer, and ask questions. At one point, we paused in the story so that students could journal about the name they wrote down on the sticky note earlier: - Did they choose their own name? Or another? - Why? - If you chose another name, where did you hear that name before? Day 2 At the end of Day 1, students were given homework. (Stick around to the bottom of this post for a chance to get your own copy of this sheet.) I make it very clear, that while names all have meanings, your family may not have chosen your name for that reason. They might not know the meaning, and you can choose to look it up with your family if you wish. I also focus a lot on nicknames and your own feelings about your name. While I've never taught a student in foster care, or one who was adopted, I do think it's important to mention that this could be a touchy task in those situations, so be sure to know your students first, and modify as needed. Students use the homework task, and the journal write from the previous day, to write "The Story of their Name". Some possible options to include are: - who you are named after - the meaning of your name - a name you'd rather have - your feelings toward your name - nicknames you may have - the person (or people) who chose your name - how your name was chosen This piece of writing is then self, peer, and teacher edited, and a "good" copy is made. Day 3 I found this excellent step-by-step self-portrait from "Art Projects for Kids". I modified the task so that instead of drawing the left or right side of their face, they would draw the top half. Students find that folding their page into quadrants as she suggests is very helpful. Under the document camera I demonstrate each step, and students copy, adapting to their own facial features. Each student gets a mirror to look in to help them personalize. The final pieces are put on a bulletin board for display. Students also coloured in a bubble letter version of their names to complete the display. (I used the font KG Red Hands Outline for this.) Day 4 Once we've completed the task, the last job is to reflect on our work. I pulled some elements from our Arts Education curriculum (very relevant regardless of where you teach) for students to self-assess on. I've used the proficiency scale language our school has moved to for all reporting. A few students found it helpful to complete their reflection while looking at the finished product on their bulletin board, but most didn't need this. Want a copy of both my homework and reflection pages? Follow the image or button below to grab your copy. Take Me to the Free Download Pin this post.
A printable LEGO workbook is a fun kids activity that's a perfect boredom buster to spark creativity at home or in the classroom.
Please Note: All images seen below are of my students artwork only. These photos/lessons are not posted in any particular order regarding the flow of my curriculum. Abstract Self-Portrait Paintin…
My son has some favorite foods that he'll always pick over the others. One of his most favorites is Easy Oven Baked Taquitos. And that boy can pack 'em away!
Looking for war room prayers for your child? Use these Scriptures to pray over your children & get our Scripture cards to use in prayers for your children.
TEMPLATES NOW AVAILABLE! CLICK HERE FOR INFORMATION! Sight Word Practice Box I am so excited to share this with you all. I created it this weekend after feeling disorganized with the "system" we were using to help my son practice his sight words. I feel like we have a great collection of ideas, but keeping
Allow these words of encouragement for your son to help strengthen your relationship. Try as you may, it's always a strong desire for a parent to want to encourage a son each and every day.
FREE Pre-Handwriting Practice Pages
These 110 my son is my strength quotes and I love my son quotes are inspirational quotes for son...
Beautiful devotions for teen boys that will help guide them to God's word and equip them with wise decision making skills for the future.
These cute coloring and sorting pages can be used to introduce color words and color distinction to little learners. Included are 10 color pages and 5 sorting activities. Click HERE for the free download! Need a book to go with the activities? Check out some of our favorites: *Contains affiliate links. See my […]
Classroom management is one of those things that can make or break a teaching career. It’s a bigger deal than I think I even realized when I first started teaching. The lack of it can steal your joy quicker than butter melts on hot toast. People who have it can make miracles happen with students...Read More »
Struggling knowing how to parent your ADHD child? This article will fill you with clarity and give you ideas that require no punishments or rewards. Read about how I put Ross Greene's CPS method into action and learned how to parent my ADHD child.
I thought it was time to share some alphabet activities for preschoolers. Alphabet activities and How Wee Learn definitely seem to go hand in hand! I have shared with you oodles of letter activities before AND a (rather lengthy) post about why I don't actually suggest teaching letters in ABC order. But I have not
Every year, at the beginning of Kindergarten we begin learning the color words. If you are like me you own the color word CDs and sing them over and over until you can't stop. Then you sing them at home, in the shower, in your head all the time! The good news is: They work! Kids learn how to spell their color words very easily when they learn it in song. (Funny, that actually works for almost anything.) I was growing tired of my old color word poem charts in my classroom and decided to make new ones. I thought I would share. Enjoy! They are a FREEBIE!
Discover effective ways to teach sight words to children with dyslexia. Explore to learn more about sight words and access resources for teaching them.
Preschool through 3rd Grade NO PREP Packets! February is such a FUN month! Kids LOVE Valentine's Day and using that holiday to teach core skills and
It’s rare to hear anyone say they loved middle school. Even people with positive memories never tout it as the best years of their life. Simply put, it’s an awkward season. It’s a time of constant changes, social shake-ups, swinging emotions, and intense pressures. If I’ve learned anything from working with adolescent girls, it’s how hungry this age group is for comfort and reassurance. I hear it in their voices and see it in their eyes whenever I speak to a…
Emotional dysregulation can feel overwhelming for kids and caregivers. Here's how to help a dysregulated child regain balance.
