Inspire Your Girls (and Boys, Too!)

March is Women's History Month! 

There just aren't enough role models in our lives for girls. But they need encouragement and inspiration just as much as the boys do!

March is a great time to explore ways to inspire your girls, since it's Women's History Month! Here are some books to share with your girls (and boys, of course!)

• A is for Awesome: 23 Iconic Women Who Changed the World
• Herstory: 50 Women and Girls Who Shook Up the World
• She Persisted: 13 American Women Who Changed the World
• Shaking Things Up: 14 Young Women Who Changed the World
• Bold and Brave: Ten Heroes Who Wom Women the Right to Vote
• The Book of Gutsy Women: Favorite Stories of Courage and Resilience

The right words at the right time can really inspire many to improve their lives and become successful.  Here are some of my favorite quotes from women, appropriate for children.

 These are great words for girls (and boys) to think about, aren't they? 

Yes, we're expected to spend time teaching reading, writing, and math, but getting kids to think about their future and their own impact on the future is pretty important, isn't it? 

Kids need to learn about the power of their own voice, don't they?

I love to have the kiddos talk (or write) about what they think some of these quotes mean. They make great Morning Meeting prompt!

These discussions are a great way to start the day. Perfect for morning meetings!

Seriously, don't you want your students to think about this?

I have a set of 50 of these quotes, available here:

Inspirational Quotes by Women to Read and Discuss 

How you inspire your students to be the best they can be?

Space Balls: Build Community and Team Building as Well as Imagination and Concentration!

Space Balls: 

It sounds like something odd, but it really is as simple as can be!

 

Space Balls are balls that are made up of nothing but space!

Space Balls is a great game for team building, but also works on focus, concentration, and imagination! It works well in morning meeting, or any time of day they need a break.

To start, establish what a space ball actually is: a ball made of space! Since you can't see the ball, it's important to show the size, shape, and weight of the ball by the way you hold the ball. 

Then, slowly pass the space ball around the circle. 

Students should watch to see that the ball maintains its size and shape. 

For many students, that's enough for the first time.

Later, or on another day, introduce a "new" space ball, and review the concept by passing the ball around the circle again. Make the new space ball somewhat different from the first one. (smaller, heavier, etc.)

When the ball completes the circle, it's a good time to break the group into groups of 2 or 3 to play catch with the space balls. (Have some fun passing out space balls to each small group! Encourage their creativity by asking what sort of ball they want, then slowly taking that ball out of your "box" for them to see!)

Another option is to toss the space ball to someone across the circle. (See photo at top.) In these cases, remind the children to show the size and shape of the ball, remembering to maintain the size and shape.

On another day, introduce the idea of changing the space ball. Model squishing the space into a very small ball, or stretching it into a very large ball. The space can also become quite heavy (grunting is encouraged) or it can become quite light like a balloon. The students' hands and body language should always show the size, shape, and weight of the space ball, so their partner can follow. 

Now it's time to let the children be creative: pass a space ball around the circle, letting children change the space ball any way they want to.  The students should be very clear in taking the space ball from the previous person, maintaining its shape, then showing the group how they are changing the space ball.

 I'll bet you (or your students) can think of more variations of "Space Balls!" 

Can you think of a way to include curriculum concepts?
Please share these variations in the comments!

You might even see them playing it at recess time!

 

Looking for some other team building games?  

•  60 Team Building Games and Activities

 

Looking for something that can be used for socially distant or remote learning? 

•  20 Socially Distant Team Building Games 
  

 

 

Side note: the teacher in the photo above is my daughter playing space balls with her students at summer music camp! She has her own blog, Me vs Rent!

What Do You Love About Yourself?

What do you love about yourself?

We often ask children what they love about people in their lives. What about themselves?

This is a fun idea for a morning meeting discussion topic, a writing prompt, a homework assignment, or just a casual question. It's a great idea to get the kids to search for their own personalities and build some self-esteem.

It's a good idea to start off by giving a good example. Get them to think about specific personality traits, and encourage the children to celebrate themselves!

What do I love about myself? 

Here are a few things:

1. I am a team player.

2. I always do my very best.

3. I am loyal and caring.

4. I am sensitive to the needs of others.

5. I am a survivor.

What do you love about yourself?

Five Finger Gratitude

Do you want to be happy? 
Do you want your students to be happy?

I've read from several sources, the key to happiness is showing gratitude. (See THIS ARTICLE for example.)

We as teachers know that happy children are in a better state for learning, aren't they?

Here's a trick that the kiddos love: Five-Finger Gratitude!

It's a great activity to do during morning meeting, in between subjects, right after recess, or at the end of the day. 

The children (and teachers) just need to count their blessings on their hand! It shouldn't be tough to come up with 5 things, and the more they think of their five, they can come up with more and different thoughts of gratitude daily!

It's a good idea to let the children share their thoughts as often as possible. They can share whole group, small groups, or with partners, but sharing is important.

Another option: give the children Gratitude Journals! Any notebook will do, and the children can put these labels on the covers! 

Gratitude Journal Labels

Of course, teachers can keep a gratitude journal, too! The children LOVE to hear the teacher's thoughts!

Be grateful!
Be happy!

Three Words About Your Weekend!

Every Monday, we have a special topic for our Morning Meeting Share. Every Monday we share 3 words about our weekend!

 Believe it or not, it's harder for my second graders than it seems! 

Some have trouble limiting it to 3 words. They try to sum up their weekend into phrases and sentences. (I wish they'd apply this skill in their writing and speaking!)

Some actually have trouble remembering their weekend! They really can't remember what they did for the last couple of days! I've had weekends like that where everything blended in together.

Then I have others who start planning their 3 words on Friday, and are all excited when it's sharing time!

Then there are others who are so interested in the 3 words others share they can't remember what they planned to say themselves.  I admit, I've done that more than once.

One of the best benefits: It helps the children when it comes to note taking. It gives them practice choosing the important words and distinguishing them from those "little middle" words that aren't essential.

Example: "I went to Applebee's with my family. I had chicken."  becomes "Applebees, family, chicken"

or 

"I played in the snow with my sisters. We built a fort."

becomes "Snow, sisters, fort"

As the year goes on, they're getting better at it, and just in time! We're starting our big library research project!

Another advantage to this sharing?

It gives me lots of information about my students, and what is important in their lives. Plus, it doesn't take up a whole lot of class time!

What are 3 words about your weekend?

Speed Chatting!

Do you have a talkative group like I do? 

 Do you have kiddos that have so much to say they have trouble holding it in? 

Isn't it tough to find class time to let them get out what they want to say!

So I decided to try Speed Chatting. It works sort of like speed dating, without the dating part. 

I have the children make 2 circles. They partner off, and get a couple of minutes to talk! Then one of the circles shifts, and they have a new partner for chatting. They'll shift a few more times until they've had a several chances to talk.

Sometimes I give them a topic, and sometimes I let them choose whatever they want to talk about. 

Topics could be: 

• Tell about the book you're reading.
• Why do we need to regroup to subtract?
• What did you do this weekend?
• Talk about your favorite thing to do.
• Tell what you know about _________.
• Tell about a place you'd love to visit someday.
• What pet do you wish you could have?
• If you had plenty of money, what would you buy?
• What is your favorite subject in school?
• What do you wish you could have for homework?
• What do you like to do after school?
• What makes someone a good friend?
• What is something you wish more people knew about you?

I'm sure you can think of plenty more!

Right after the holidays, the kiddos were busting at the seams, wanting to tell about their vacations, staying up until midnight on New Year's Eve, and their new toys.  

We did Speed Chatting. We had to... there was no option, they were going to talk about their vacations no matter what. They needed to get it out. Either they'd be sneaking it in all day, or I'd let them get it out of their systems first thing in the morning. 

I chose to put Speed Chatting into Morning Meeting that day. 

Then they were ready to get back to work!

Honestly, I don't think kids get enough time to speak their minds these days. We're incredibly busy between testing as well as teaching an overloaded curriculum. This is a nice way to get them talking without missing much class time.

Enjoy Speed Chatting with your students! 

You'll hear some amazing stories!

Be Prepared for Giggles!

Here's a group game that will bring out the giggles in everyone! 

 

It can be played at Morning Meeting, indoor recess, or any time of day. It's called True or False?

One person is "it". That person makes two statements. One is a true statement, the other is a false statement. It might sound something like this:  "I have an older brother. I have a baby sister." The others have to guess which is the fallacy.  It sounds so simple, but when the kids try to make up false statements, the giggles begin!

Usually, it's pretty easy to guess the false statement, but that's not really what it's about. It's really about the giggles! After all, a good laugh is healthy!

 

This game can easily be played in the classroom OR in a virtual learning experience. 

 

For more team building games see: 

• 60 Team Building Games and Activities 
• 20 Team Building Games and Activities (A shorter version, containing many of the above games)
• 6 Team Building Games and Activities

See the image below or see  HERE for more evidence that laughter in the classroom is GOOD!

Pass the Clap - A Fun Game for Team Building!

A couple of years ago, I learned a fun circle game called "Pass the Clap". My kiddos really love it, and it's got many benefits!

 

 

1. It's a nice break from the regular routine.

2. It helps the children learn to work together.

3. It forces them to focus and concentrate on each other, and the game.

4. It's been known to create giggling children. 

5. It works well with all ages, preschool through adult!

If you don't believe #4 is a benefit, you'll have to read THIS post about how laughter is healthy!

So here's how to play:

To pass the clap, you must make eye contact with the "clap receiver", then clap.

That person passes the clap to the next person, and so on. 

There are a few varieties. We start simple.

1. Pass the clap, one by one, all the way around the circle.

2. Pass it around the circle, then reverse and bring the clap back to the starting point.

My students like to time how fast it takes for the clap to get around the circle. Then we time it again and see if we beat our previous time. (Which usually brings a celebration!)

A couple more variations:

3. Anyone can change the direction! This certainly livens things up!

4. The clap can be passed across the circle.

This last variation really requires focus and concentration, and plenty of team work! The children do rise for the occasion, and it's totally amazing!

 

Side note: some people don't care for the name of this game. Feel free to change it. Since I work with little ones, the name is not offensive and it's very clear.

If you like this team building game, try some of these: 60 Team Building Games and Activities.