Resources for May

 May is here, and the horses are at the gate!

 

Yes, the Kentucky Derby is this week, and there's a close read about the Kentucky Derby in this resource: Science and Social Studies Activities for May!

Here are some Kentucky Derby-themed books that might interest you!

• Last Black King of the Kentucky Derby
• D is for Derby: A Kentucky Derby Alphabet
• America's Favorite Horse Race: 101 Reasons to Love the Kentucky Derby
• B is for Bluegrass: A Kentucky Alphabet            

I'm sure I'll have my kiddos wear fancy hats and find Kentucky on the map! Maybe even read a good horse book! (Images lead to affiliate links from Amazon!)

This week also brings Cinco de Mayo AND Teacher Appreciation Day. 

I plan to celebrate Mexico on both Monday and Tuesday, then celebrate teachers for the rest of the week.

Here are some Cinco de Mayo resources:

Cinco de Mayo No Prep Printables for Literacy and Math!

Here's a fun word work game with a Mexico theme: Mexico Suffixes Go Fish Game!

Of course, students may want to write about Mexico! Writing Paper with a Mexico theme!

For more ideas for celebrating Mexico, see THIS BLOG POST.

This is what I plan on doing for Teacher Appreciation:

I'm going to run off a whole bunch of these Thank You Cards, and have them fill them out for the teachers in the school! I don't let them make them out to me, since there are plenty of other teachers who spend their time helping children. (Any adult who works with children is fair game for Teacher Appreciation, even if they don't have a certificate!)

 

or perhaps you'd like the sampler?

  

For more about the Thank You Cards, see THIS BLOG POST.

Here's some fun Mother's Day stuff: Mother's Day Math!

Mother's Day No Prep Printables: Literacy and Math

And here's my traditional Mother's Day gift:

 

For more information about this Mother's Day gift, see THIS BLOG POST.

Toward the end of the month is Memorial Day. I know some teachers will be enjoying summer by then, but we're not even close yet! 

But it's not too early for Freedom Isn't Free!

Plus, try this activity to help keep track of the Patriotic Holidays!

Plus, keep them moving and thinking about the USA: Patriotic Brain Breaks!

For more information about celebrating patriotic holidays, see THIS BLOG POST.

Of course, I do like to make the lives of busy teachers a little bit easier. Here's a whole bunch of May Reading, Science, and Social Studies activities that will intrigue the children and save time (and money) for teachers: May Bundle!

What are your plans for the month of May?

Thank You Teachers!

There are so many teachers in my school that work with my little ones, I like to make sure they feel appreciated all year, but especially Teacher Appreciation Week!

 

I recently updated my set of Thank You Notes to include cards for Teacher Appreciation!

There are plenty of choices, some in color, and plenty in grayscale for easy printing. These will work well for Mother's Day, as well as the end of the school year. I encourage my kiddos to make them for all those other teachers that work with them.

If you hang onto this set, there are some you can use at Christmas as well!

If you're interested in a sampling, see this image or see HERE.

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!

My Traditional Mother's Day Gift

First of all, if you are the mom of one of my students, you'll have to click out of this screen. Sorry, you can't see this until after Mother's Day! (Or you'll just have to be really, really good at acting surprised!)

Now that I've made that clear, I can tell you about my traditional Mother's Day gift. It's something I've been doing every year for at least 15 years. It's one of those activities that's a win-win-win for everyone involved! I love it, the kids love it, and the moms love it. Plus, there's some learning going on!

 

Every year about this time I go to the gardening store and buy a flat of impatiens. I usually get a variety of colors, and I make sure I have more than enough. I brought my flat of little plants to class today just to "wet their whistle". I think every single kid in the class asked about them.

Later this week, I'll sit with small groups and repot them. I get right into the soil, asking them to loosen all the soil around the roots before repotting. There are some great conversations around the table during this process! It's always interesting to see which kids are afraid to get their hands dirty! I typically use peat pots (see below) because they can go right into the soil. Paper cups can be used as well, but must be removed before going into the ground.

• Peat pots (Amazon affiliate link)

Once all the plants have been repotted, the kids keep the plants on their desks until it's time to bring them home. Yep, that's right, the potted plants stay on their desks, beside the flags, beanies, water bottles, and once in a while, some work! 

I love to watch their faces... they come in first thing in the morning, and check the plant right away. They tend to panic if a leaf has fallen off (They know just how many leaves their plant has!) After a while, they catch on that leaves falling off is part of the process, and new leaves will appear.

There are always a few minor disasters. They all know where the dustpan is kept, and they all know how to use it. Impatiens will endure just about everything the kids can do to a plant, except a broken stem. Then it becomes another learning experience. I've learned to keep several extras for a couple of reasons:

1. Those "learning experiences" can be too distressing without a backup plan!

2. I love growing impatiens in my own garden. I usually keep the extras in the classroom for most of the year, but I do take them home and put them in my yard... they're great to grow!

I send home this information sheet on impatiens with the children the day the plants go home. 

It's also a good time to bring out some related books!

• What's inside a flower? And Other Questions About Science and Nature
• What do Roots, Stems, and Flowers Do?
• From Seed to Plant
• Lola Plants a Garden

The parents really seem to love the plants, and the kids love preparing them. It's one of those activities that works so well I keep coming back to it every year, and it's a delight each year. It's definitely a win-win-win... with plenty of learning on the side!