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5 Days of Indoor Recess? 5 Ideas to Try!

No matter where you live, I'm sure you've had instances where the kiddos couldn't get outside to play. We've had snow, sleet, rain, and even wild animals keeping the children inside. And we all know how those kids (and adults) are when they can't get outside to play!

5 Days of Indoor Recess? 5 Ideas to Try: Here are some suggestions for those days when the children really need to get moving and shake things up!

Yet, we have to keep teaching! 

No worry, there are things that can be done to keep the children learning AND keep them from getting frustrated from lack of exercise.

Here are a five ideas:


1.  Transition! No matter how fascinating our lessons are, kids need to move their bodies.  Every time I notice them struggling to pay attention (about every 5-8 minutes according to research) I will change things up.  If they are at the rug, I'll have them go to their desks. If they're at their desks, we'll go to the rug. If they're at the reading table, I'll have them go get a book or a paper. Getting up to move grabs a few extra minutes to the lesson.

2. Brain Breaks! Sometimes a simple walk across the classroom isn't enough. They not only need to move, but they need to think about something else for a while! Playing imaginary basketball or playing the air guitar to a FUN song gives their brain as well as their body a change and a workout.  They get their blood moving as well as their imagination. 

3. Go Noodle! I'm sure you have heard of Go Noodle by now! My kiddos LOVE it! It is free (although you can pay for even more fun stuff) and there are numerous videos that are fun and get the kids moving. Most teachers who use it are in love with Go Noodle! (I admit, I'm one of them!)


4. Shake it Up! Although in a dream situation, the first week back after a break should be settling back into a schedule, that didn't happen for us this week. Usually I use the "shake it up" strategy when things have become stagnant and the kiddos need a change. Here are a few ways I shake things up without sacrificing classroom order and management:
 
  • Change their seats - they always love to see who their new "neighbors" are!
  • Reverse the schedule ( if your school allows)
  • Change the groupings 
  • Bring out a new set of books (my kids get so excited when I bring out new books!)
  • Start a whole new topic in Science or Social Studies

5. Glitter! When all else fails, bring out the glitter! Glitter not only makes a good incentive, but it's just plain cool! I brought out the glitter on Friday afternoon as a reward. After 5 days of indoor recess, they were still smiling, gave their all on the computer tests, and had learned 2 digit subtraction with regrouping! Now THAT is a great reason to bring out the glitter!

My kiddos had been working on goal setting for 2015 using THESE freebie foldables by Rachel Lamb.
5 Days of Indoor Recess? 5 Ideas to Try: Here are some suggestions for those days when the children really need to get moving and shake things up!

I think they needed glitter, don't you?

How do you survive after too much "inside" time?


5 Days of Indoor Recess? 5 Ideas to Try: Here are some suggestions for those days when the children really need to get moving and shake things up!

January Resources

I'm dreading going back. I've enjoyed my morning ritual of having a cup of coffee, watching TV, and browsing Facebook and teacher blogs while in my jammies! I'll have to say good bye to all that when our vacation ends.

January Resources: books, videos, and resources for teachers for the month of January including winter, science, social studies, and Martin Luther King Jr.

But the good news is: I get to see the kids again! Plus, there's a lot of fun stuff that can be done in January! (Well, besides testing and Progress Reports!)
 
First of all, it's winter. Now I've never been crazy about the snow or the cold, but the kiddos love playing in the snow, and I love their enthusiasm. Therefore, I look for opportunities to include winter themes in my classroom. Let's start with books! (Each is an affiliate link to Amazon for more information!)

Here are a couple of fun resources to help the kids practice the basics in a fun way.

 
HERE is a link to the winter video on Brain Pop Jr. Don't you love the way they put sophisticated concepts into language the children can understand?

Besides winter, there are a couple of days that are important. We have a day off for Martin Luther King Jr. in a couple of weeks. Besides making sure the kids know why we have the day off, I think Dr. King was an amazing man. I always spend some time talking about Dr. King, and love the innocent passion I always get from the kids each year. "They couldn't use the same bathroom? That's...just...so...wrong!" They are amazing!


HERE's a link to the Brain Pop Martin Luther King Free movie! 

A lesser-known holiday: Friday January 9th is National Static Electricity Day. It's handy that it lands when the air is so dry, since it gives us plenty of opportunities to explore static electricity! (I suspect that was intentional, but I know nothing about how National Static Electricity Day came to be!)

Speaking of electricity, did you realize Ben Franklin's birthday is January 17th? Now he's an interesting guy! 

 
I love all the little holidays. Brain research tells us that children need novelty to learn. Well, all these little days are a great way to bring novelty into the classroom! See this resource for more of these fun little holidays! Click here: 

January Resources: books, videos, and resources for teachers for the month of January including winter, science, social studies, and Martin Luther King Jr.

Don't forget...
January Resources: books, videos, and resources for teachers for the month of January including winter, science, social studies, and Martin Luther King Jr.

If you enjoy celebrating individual days, you'll love January Morning Meeting Greeting Activities! I'm trying to make your life easier by writing your morning letters for you. Each day includes the full date, something to celebrate on that date, and questions designed to get the children thinking! These can be used for discussions or writing prompts, and can be used occasionally or as a daily morning routine. Plus, they will be updated each year!
January Resources: books, videos, and resources for teachers for the month of January including winter, science, social studies, and Martin Luther King Jr.

Here's another look at the individual pages!

January Resources: books, videos, and resources for teachers for the month of January including winter, science, social studies, and Martin Luther King Jr.

 
You may also be interested in this creation: Science and Social Studies Printables for January. There are activities for winter, Ben Franklin, static electricity, Martin Luther King Jr, mapping, and making timelines. See the image below for the link. (Be sure to download the preview for more details!)

January Resources: books, videos, and resources for teachers for the month of January including winter, science, social studies, and Martin Luther King Jr.


I've also put several January items into a bundle that has pretty much everything you'll need for those first few weeks back! 

This image gives you some ideas about what's in it, but if you want a closer look, check out my preview here: January Bundle or see the image below.
January Resources: books, videos, and resources for teachers for the month of January including winter, science, social studies, and Martin Luther King Jr.
 
Enjoy your January!

January Resources: books, videos, and resources for teachers for the month of January including winter, science, social studies, and Martin Luther King Jr.

Don't Blame Santa!

I've heard a lot of teachers blaming the holidays for the struggle many children have in school this time of year.

Don't Blame Santa! Here are some reasons why the children struggle this time of year. It's not really Santa's fault!

I suspect it's not the holidays that are making it tough for them to concentrate. I think it's a couple of other things.


1.  These little guys have been pushing since August! They've had a couple of long weekends, but they really haven't had a real vacation! They're due for a break!

2.  The days are short. They get up in the dark. By the time they get home from school, the sun is pretty much down. Not only are they not getting outside to let off steam, but so much darkness robs them of Vitamin D, and makes them sleepy!

Some of my little guys can barely hold their heads up during the day! 

I had a little girl today looking lost, so I asked her what she was looking for. She said she couldn't remember. (I admit, I do that all the time: walk to the other side of the room, then can't remember why I walked over there, but I blame old age!)

Honestly, I think the holidays are the only thing that hold them together! The promise of fun activities, Santa's watching to see if they're good, seasonal literature and games... there's still some great learning happening, despite their low concentration.

They'll be back on track after a good rest. We have almost 2 weeks off coming up, if we can make it through 4 more school days!

...but I'm not blaming Santa! He's the one who's helping them hold it together!
Don't Blame Santa! Here are some reasons why the children struggle this time of year. It's not really Santa's fault!

An Educational Winter Art Project

I love a craft that ties into something educational.  

I also love a craft that allows room for individual creativity. 

An Educational Art Project: turn a snow man art project into math problems! The best part? You can keep it up after the holidays!

This time of year, we have to pull all the stops out to get them enthusiastic about learning, so we did this art project.

The kiddos made snow people with snowballs for each of the letters in their names. They made a math equation to represent their names, then decorated the snow people. 
 
An Educational Art Project: turn a snow man art project into math problems! The best part? You can keep it up after the holidays!

Sorry, I had to cover the last names. Middle names were optional, but several wanted to include them. 


An Educational Art Project: turn a snow man art project into math problems! The best part? You can keep it up after the holidays!

Look closely at this one: the third snow person is sad because the wind blew away his hat! Don't you love their imaginations?

An Educational Art Project: turn a snow man art project into math problems! The best part? You can keep it up after the holidays!
Here's another, aren't these adorable?
An Educational Art Project: turn a snow man art project into math problems! The best part? You can keep it up after the holidays!

One thing I really like about these: I can hang them in the hallway now, and I can keep them up until January!


An Educational Art Project: turn a snow man art project into math problems! The best part? You can keep it up after the holidays!


Thanksgiving Resources

Wow, Thanksgiving is practically upon us!  

Can you believe it? After that, Christmas, then another year! Life, please slow down?

Thanksgiving Resources - books, videos, resources, a dollar deal, and a freebie, all with a Thanksgiving theme!
 
Well, I want to spend the next 7 school days celebrating Thanksgiving. It's a great opportunity to "throw in" a little history, as well as enjoy the things for which we are grateful!

How do I squeeze all this in? Well, I always start with loads of books. Here's a collection of books I've loved. Some are fun, some are informational. I like to have a lot of books for each interest and each reading level so they all can enjoy them at independent reading time!

Thanksgiving Resources - books, videos, resources, a dollar deal, and a freebie, all with a Thanksgiving theme!     Thanksgiving Resources - books, videos, resources, a dollar deal, and a freebie, all with a Thanksgiving theme!     Thanksgiving Resources - books, videos, resources, a dollar deal, and a freebie, all with a Thanksgiving theme!     Thanksgiving Resources - books, videos, resources, a dollar deal, and a freebie, all with a Thanksgiving theme!     Thanksgiving Resources - books, videos, resources, a dollar deal, and a freebie, all with a Thanksgiving theme!     Thanksgiving Resources - books, videos, resources, a dollar deal, and a freebie, all with a Thanksgiving theme!     Thanksgiving Resources - books, videos, resources, a dollar deal, and a freebie, all with a Thanksgiving theme!     Thanksgiving Resources - books, videos, resources, a dollar deal, and a freebie, all with a Thanksgiving theme!          Thanksgiving Resources - books, videos, resources, a dollar deal, and a freebie, all with a Thanksgiving theme!     Thanksgiving Resources - books, videos, resources, a dollar deal, and a freebie, all with a Thanksgiving theme!     Thanksgiving Resources - books, videos, resources, a dollar deal, and a freebie, all with a Thanksgiving theme!     Thanksgiving Resources - books, videos, resources, a dollar deal, and a freebie, all with a Thanksgiving theme!

Books are always a great start. Movies are another fun way to enjoy the holidays!

Thanksgiving Resources - books, videos, resources, a dollar deal, and a freebie, all with a Thanksgiving theme!

See the above image for a link to BrainPOP Jr's free Thanksgiving video! Don't you love BrainPOP?

Here are a couple of movies I've found on YouTube with a Thanksgiving theme. Feel free to preview them and choose what is right for your group!





HERE are some videos from Scholastic that have been filmed at Plimouth Plantation. These are definitely worth a watch!

I try to squeeze in the holidays in all the subjects. This resource has loads of math and literacy activities with the Thanksgiving theme I'll be using these all week!


Thanksgiving Resources - books, videos, resources, a dollar deal, and a freebie, all with a Thanksgiving theme!

There are a few Thanksgiving-themed items in my November Science and Social Studies Printables!

Thanksgiving Resources - books, videos, resources, a dollar deal, and a freebie, all with a Thanksgiving theme!


There's an information mini-book about turkeys, complete with fun facts, vocabulary practice, comprehension questions, and a reflection page. (My kiddos LOVED this, especially the fun facts!)
 
Thanksgiving Resources - books, videos, resources, a dollar deal, and a freebie, all with a Thanksgiving theme!

This resource is also available as a stand-alone resource here:
Thanksgiving Resources - books, videos, resources, a dollar deal, and a freebie, all with a Thanksgiving theme!

or as part of this bundle:
Thanksgiving Resources - books, videos, resources, a dollar deal, and a freebie, all with a Thanksgiving theme!

Plus, there's a sorting activity, where the children have to decide if facts might have happened back in 1621, or if it couldn't have happened back then. Be prepared for giggles!
 
Thanksgiving Resources - books, videos, resources, a dollar deal, and a freebie, all with a Thanksgiving theme!

Here's a math game with a Turkey theme to practice those +9 facts. My kids LOVE this one!


Thanksgiving Resources - books, videos, resources, a dollar deal, and a freebie, all with a Thanksgiving theme!


Here's a simpler, freebie version of the above game:

Thanksgiving Resources - books, videos, resources, a dollar deal, and a freebie, all with a Thanksgiving theme!

I can't let Thanksgiving go by without a reference to football! When I was a kid, we always had a football game in the morning, and a turkey in the afternoon. (My dad was a football coach!)

Here are links to a couple of football games my kids love!


Thanksgiving Resources - books, videos, resources, a dollar deal, and a freebie, all with a Thanksgiving theme!


Here's a simpler, Dollar Deal version of the above set:
 
Thanksgiving Resources - books, videos, resources, a dollar deal, and a freebie, all with a Thanksgiving theme!

Here's is a favorite with my boys:  Football Past and Present Verbs! Yes, all these verbs have something to do with football!

Thanksgiving Resources - books, videos, resources, a dollar deal, and a freebie, all with a Thanksgiving theme!


 Want still more football learning? Try this bundle!
Thanksgiving Resources - books, videos, resources, a dollar deal, and a freebie, all with a Thanksgiving theme!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Resources - books, videos, resources, a dollar deal, and a freebie, all with a Thanksgiving theme!
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