How to hold scissors: Cute method to teach a child how to hold scissors: Thumbs Up Alligator!
Paul stayed 2 years preaching and teaching in Ephesus. Here is a sin object lesson that teaches repentance with scripture from Acts 19.
Learning Printables For 2 Year Old - Get these printables for your toddler you can do at home! These are fun and easy printables for toddlers!
Pencil Names - Name Building Practice Printable comes with eight editable pages, containing two pencils. Each pencil has pieces for two letter names up to nine letter names. Getting Pencil Names - Name Building Practice Printable
I love these fun ways to teach the alphabet to my toddler! So many ideas for crafts, fine motor activities, sensory bins, and more - plus free printables! #alphabet #letters #preschool If you're teaching your toddler the alphabet, you'll want to check out this huge list of playful alphabet activities for 2 year olds!
FREE printable Symmetry drawing activity for preschool and kindergarten kids. A fun art and math activity in one! Kids will complete the symmetrical pictures by drawing the other half.
Are you looking for free preschool curriculum? This is the ultimate list of free preschool curriculum to help you make the best choice!
You have 30+ indoor activities for toddlers at your fingertips! All simple, low prep and ready for your active toddler today!
I got this idea from my peer teacher, Nina. It's a great way for students to share about themselves. I think it would be perfect for a first day of school activity. I would start by having the students first write the numbers. Later, once we have learned about multiplication and division, I would have them create the equations. Finally, they can put it all together in time for Open House. It can be easily adapted for the younger grades by using addition and/or subtraction. It can be adapted for older grades with exponents, multi-step problems, and including fractions or decimals. Thanks to my friend Nannette for inspiring me with her sample.
Listening and following verbal or oral directions is an important skill that many students lack. You may relate to Charlie Brown's teacher after going over step-by-step directions. Students often hear the sound the teacher's voice is making, but fail to tune into the meaning of the words. When students aren't actively listening, they miss important information that can impact their academic AND behavior in the classroom. One way you can help your students practice active listening so they will follow directions is with a fun activity called Listen and Draw. Listen and Draw is a great activity to do with your class at the beginning of the year when you are teaching class procedures. Include these with your plans after breaks as a warmup plus a good reminder about practicing listening and following directions. Grab a free copy of FREE Listen & Draw - Following Directions Activity. Sources to make my blog post graphics can be found HERE. Click HERE to read my blog's disclosure statement.
Looking for activities to do at home with a 2 year old? Look no further because we've got you covered with 20 awesome at-home activities.
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!
First Week Watercolor Portraits 7 comments Back to School, Bulletin Boards, Self Portraits, Tutorials Every year, my second graders paint a watercolor self-portrait. It is truly my most favorite first week activity of all time. After sharing this picture of this year's portraits on Facebook, a sweet reader asked if I had a blog post about them. Well, it dawned on me that while I have shared my annual self-portraits many times, I've never really shared them exclusively in a post. So, here goes! Every year, I have my students paint a self-portrait during the first week of school (an idea I learned while student teaching many moons ago). I hang these portraits in the room, for the entire year. They really brighten up our space and they are such a joy to look at (this is a picture of my students' portraits from last year). I am not an art teacher and I believe that kids should be encouraged to take risks, so when I task my students with painting their portraits, I pretty much let them "have at it." Don't worry, it isn't a total free for all. I do model the process and I also share examples from years past, like the ones shown below. I just make it very clear that I don't expect their paintings to look like an actual photograph. ;) I always begin by pointing out how much of their body/self they will be painting. I tell them to think about the pictures they see in their yearbooks and how those pictures only show people's heads and shoulders. I explain that they will include only their head and shoulders in their paintings. I then show them examples from previous years (sometimes students move and they get left behind, so I have a few on hand). Once the students understand what it is that they will be including in their portrait, I model the drawing process on the board. I discuss how large the head should be in relation to the paper and show them what this looks like. From there, I show them how I draw a neck and shoulders, hair, and facial features. I apologize that I don't have a photo of this, but essentially, I model and narrate the process, one step at a time. And, then...it's the students' turn. I give each student a piece of white card stock (8x10 inches) to work with. Card stock is brighter and thicker than construction paper, and it just seems to hold the paint better, in my opinion. Then, they start their drawing. Sometimes, I have them draw the outline of their pictures with a black crayon (see below). When I do this, there is NO pencil involved. This helps them to really slow down and visualize before they draw because they know that they can't erase. However, this year, I let them draw with pencil first and then they traced over their pencil lines with a Sharpie. Why did I do that? I have no idea, it was just what I decided to do when I was prepping the materials, but the end result was still fab! Once the students draw the outline of their portrait, they get to paint! Using watercolor is a tricky thing for many second graders. They have a hard time always gauging how much water to use, so a discussion about this (and a little modeling) ahead of time is a good idea. Tip: No matter how much explaining and modeling you do, you'll still have a student or two that uses too much water. Let them use a tissue to blot their paper if you notice this happening. I lay the portraits to dry on the floor, in an out of the way spot. They dry within minutes here in the desert. Once they are dry, I flatten them by stacking heavy teacher manuals on them overnight. I could iron them, but my iron and I do not get along. At all. The next morning, I hang them up and admire the sight before me...all year long. :) At the end of the year, it's always fun to repeat this process. You will be amazed at how much growth your students show. Here are a few examples from last year. Amazing, right? We always get lots of compliments on our portrait display, and the kids are always very proud of them. They love seeing if their parents can guess which one is theirs, and it's fun to see how many parents get it right! At the end of the school year, I send the portraits home as a keepsake. Many parents have commented how much they love them, and they are the perfect size for framing! First week self-portraits are a great way to encourage students to take risks, have fun, and learn to use materials. Beyond that, the students take great pride in their creations and enjoy them just as much as I do, and we have something truly magnificent (that they created!) to look at all year long. :) Share It:
10 fun and easy hallway songs to prepare students to go into the hall quietly!
Mess free toddler activities to do at home indoors with 2, 3 & 4 year olds. Easy, fun minimal prep toddler learning activities for maximum engagement
Back to School Night can be the first time you meet many of the parents in your class. It is important that you communicate all of the information the parents will need to help their child have a successful school year. Here are my top tips for planning an informative and stress free Back to School Night: Have a Sign In SheetHave parents sign in on a sheet as the enter the room. This will allow you to keep track of which student's parents were able to attend. Be sure to send home copies of the
Just found out you're teaching second grade! Here's a quick start guide!
Some things that I know now, that I didn't know when mine were 2
Here are some of the projects we're working on this week at the NAEYC 2009 convention in Washington, D.C. Hard copy eBook These are fr...
Tot Homeschool for 2 Year Olds Weeks 5-8, the PDF Versions will be linked at the bottom! PDF Versions: Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8
Here are my most favorite experiments I've found for a three to four-year-old.
20 SHARES Share This! Save This! When you’re looking for arts and crafts activities for your All About Me preschool theme, you don’t need hundreds of amazing ideas. You just need five amazing ideas that you can take into your preschool classroom and immediately put into action. You only need one art and craft per …
Busy Bags are a great educational way to keep your toddler entertained. We've created 5 free printable activities for your tot's busy bags!
Print this free kindergarten assessment pack to use as end of the year testing for your kindergarten students. This is a great way to see where your students are at, and find any areas for development.
This is one of my FAVORITE art lessons for 2nd grade!! I LOVE each and every one of them!! (More info. and how they were created below! Plus a little virtual gallery walk video!) &nbs…
Kick off the school year with fun Name Games! Foster classroom camaraderie and help students break the ice on the first day.
Here is a list of 100+ easy no prep or low-prep activities you can do at home with your toddler or preschooler!
This is one of my FAVORITE art lessons for 2nd grade!! I LOVE each and every one of them!! (More info. and how they were created below! Plus a little virtual gallery walk video!) &nbs…
Need to keep your toddler occupied at home? Check out these 20+ easy activities for 2 year-olds that are simple and mess free!
A NO PREP art/language activity teachers can use any time. All you need is paper!
Learn how to teach a child to hold a pencil correctly: With an easy, fun Alligator Trick.
These 40 bargain activities are great for kids to have fun at home.
