Happy Presidents Day!

Wow, I just survived Day 100 and Valentine's Day on the same day. (We had a blast, but boy, am I run down!)

Monday is Presidents Day! I plan on spending most of next week celebrating our presidents as well as our country! 

If you've been following my blog, you know I have a strong sense of patriotism, and feel children should take pride in their country. I also LOVE teaching social studies and mapping skills.

Here's a fun resource that I made that includes 3 fact mini-books. One is on George Washington, another is on Abraham Lincoln. Plus, it's been updated to include President Joe Biden! It also has a mapping activity, finding places related to these presidents. Click the image for the resource.

President's Day Mini-Books and Mapping 

Here's another resource to review the difference between most of the patriotic holidays we have throughout the year: Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, Constitution Day, and Veterans Day.  I don't know about you, but my little second-graders struggle to remember which one is which! 

Patriotic Holidays

Of course, you'll be needing brain breaks! Here's one more fun resource!

Patriotic Brain Breaks

 

Looking for some books to read?  Here are some fun ones! (These are Amazon affiliate links, which means you'll help me earn credit at Amazon, but at no cost to you!)

Who Was George Washington?

A Picture Book of George Washington

Who Was Abraham Lincoln?

Just in Time Abraham Lincoln

The Everything Kids' Presidents Book: Puzzles, Games, and Trivia - for Hours of Presidential Fun

Basher History: US Presidents: Oval Office All-Stars

So You Want to be President: The Revised and Updated Version

Have Fun with the Presidents: Activities, Projects, and Fascinating Facts

Here's a fun collection of Presidents Day Activities. It includes a compare and contrast activity comparing the 2 different presidents. There is also a game to practice syllables, a graphing activity, a mapping activity, and an opinion writing activity. Click the image or click here for the link!

 

Mapping, Comparing, Syllables, and Opinion Writing with a President Theme!

If you're looking for more, I do have a whole USA Bundle that includes the above items and several others here (at a HUGE discount, of course!

 USA Bundle.

 

Here are a couple of related blog posts that might interest you:

• Learning About the USA
• 5 Patriotic Options for Veterans Day or any Patriotic Holiday 
• Hooray for the USA 
• What Would You Do if You Were President?
  

If you have the day off, have a great one!  (Be sure to thank George, Abe, and the rest for the day off!)

Valentine Fun

 What is it about Valentine's Day that's so much fun for kids? 

They're not involved in romance, so that couldn't be it! 

 

We give them some class time to exchange some silly cards. Well, that's definitely fun. And there's all that candy... plus, it's something fun during the "longest" month of the year!

Yes, I know, February is really the shortest month of the year, and around here we have the last week off. But for those of us in New England who are totally sick of the winter cold by this point, February is the "longest" month of the year! Valentine's Day is a nice break from the mundane.

Well, as I was strolling through the Dollar Store yesterday, I saw packages of plastic heart containers. Immediately I started thinking about what I could do with them in the classroom. (Do "normal" people stroll through the Dollar Store and try to find stuff they can buy for their jobs?)

I found myself thinking of the activity I did last year with Easter Eggs, and I thought I'd adapt it to Valentine Hearts.

I made Valentine Synonym or Antonym Match Up.  I can't wait to show the kids!  I even found some shiny red bags to put the pieces in! 

Speaking of Valentine's Day, be sure to check out this fun resource: Valentine's Day Mini-Books!

There's a mini book with Valentine's Trivia, and a mini book for the children to list all the things they love!  Plus, it comes with directions on how to fold and cut the mini-books.

 

Here's my newest treasure! If you're a fan of Boom Learning like I am, you'll love this one: Valentine's Day Fun Facts Trivia

Do you have a day off or a meeting coming? These activities are one way to continue keep the children engaged and learning, without making extra work for you! 

Valentine's Day No Prep Activities

I have one more activity to show you:  it's a math facts board game:  Have a Heart Math Facts Game! It practices basic addition and subtraction facts. The kiddos can play just addition, just subtraction, or combine both!

I can't blog about Valentine's Day without mentioning my very favorite Valentine's Day book: Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch!  This book will warm your heart, without a doubt. It can actually be read any time of year, but it's a MUST-READ for Valentine's Week!

• Somebody Loves You Mr. Hatch

I love children's books!  I can't resist once I start looking at books, but here are several more with a Valentine's Day or a LOVE theme.  Be sure to click on each book for a link to Amazon to learn more about that book.  (For the Love of Autumn is another one of my all-time favorites - Patricia Polacco is an amazing author!) Each link is an Amazon affiliate.

• Happy Valentine's Day, Mouse (If you give..._

• Olive You!: And Other Knock Knock Jokes You'll Adore

• The Night Before Valentine's Day

• Junie Be Jones and the Mushy Gushy Valentine

• For the Love of Autumn

Have a great Valentine's Day!  I hope your kiddos LOVE the day!

Are You Ready for Day 100?

Holy cow, Day 100 is right around the corner! 

 

There are loads of ideas on Pinterest and teaching blogs all over the internet. The hard part is choosing the best stuff without having to spend a month on Day 100!  

In the Common Core State Standards, most of the second grade focuses on Numbers and Operations in Base Ten. Day 100 is a great day to celebrate the concepts of Place Value and Base Ten. Luckily, most of these activities go right along with these standards for this level!

Last year I posted about my tradition: Day 100 Caroling!  We really do go from classroom to classroom and sing a song. I wish I could share all the songs I've collected, but they're not mine to share, but I'd be glad to share my own: 100 Days Smarter. I think it's a nice reminder of all the work we've done so far this year! Plus, music, movement, and fun are all ways to help the brain remember things! Day 100 Caroling is one thing that kids tell me they remember about being in my second-grade classroom.

Here's an activity we've already been playing for a couple of weeks, since it's directly related to what we're working on in Math. (Adding and subtracting with 2 digits.) They really need to master the idea of adding and subtracting tens, and this freebie game is doing the trick!  Beanie Toss to 100

For some of my kids, I need to challenge them with more complex computations. This game is a popular one, and makes them think. With my second graders, I have them figure out the number they're waiting for ahead of time, but older kids probably wouldn't need to do that. I Have... Who Has...? gives the children practice figuring out compliments of 100.  (57 +  = 100)

Color-Coded Number Grid There are tons of games that can be played on the Number Grid! My favorite is simply Race to 100 with dice or Race from 100 with dice. The children roll two dice and proceed along the number line from 0 to 100. The subtraction version has them starting at 100 and counting backward to 0. The conversations that go along with these games are as valuable as the number grid itself. For more of a challenge or a quicker game, use 3 or 4 dice!

Again, with second graders, I want to celebrate 100 with more than just counting to 100. This game gives the children practice adding and subtracting 100 to 4-digit numbers.

Mental Math 100 Game

Want to make your life easier? Grab this bundle! It's got a little bit of everything, for lots of math levels and interests! 

Day 100 Games and Activities for Older Students

 

And, of course, a few books for the occasion! Explore each image for an affiliate link to Amazon to learn more about the book! I never miss an opportunity to include literature in my math lessons.  My students love books!

 

• 100th Day Worries
• Fancy Nancy: The 100th Day of School
• 100 Days of Cool
• The Night Before the 100th Day of School

I find Day 100 brings much excitement from all levels. How will you be celebrating Day 100?

Memorial Day: A Day To Remember

Memorial Day in America is a day to remember those who gave their lives for our freedom. 

Many people also enjoy the day with a long weekend, parades, cook outs, and the beginning of summer.

When I grew up, Patriotism was strong in this country. 

Most of our parents remembered World War II, and it was clear how lucky we are to be Americans. Our parents taught us the importance of being Americans. We learned all the words to all the patriotic songs, and sang them proudly. We knew how to care for our flag, and we knew we were lucky to be born Americans.

It seem that many Americans have forgotten the joys, privileges, and responsibilities of living in a free country. So many Americans are angry, and are blaming our government. Many Americans don't even know the words to The Star Spangled Banner, or even how to show respect for the American flag. I try to teach my own students to be proud of their country. I teach them what freedom means, and how they live in a land where they can choose what they want to be! I read Patriotic books and I cry.

• A is for America
• America is...
• The Wall

Although I'd say we are definitely due for a long, relaxing weekend, you'll bet I'll be reading these books and showing videos like this one I found which explains Memorial Day to children, with pictures of American Memorials and just enough history for little ones to understand.

 

I'll also be singing Patriotic Songs with the children, as I do on most holidays. I found this great website that has lyrics and background music for most of the favorites, and it's all free!

I found some great ideas for celebrating patriotic holidays on the Scholastic Website. These ideas would work for any of the patriotic holidays, not just Memorial Day. 

Since my little ones sometimes struggle to remember the differences in many patriotic holidays, I made up these lists to help remember the importance of each occasion as well as some ideas for celebrating each. See the image or HERE for your resource.

Planning on doing some patriotic writing this Memorial Day? You can download this writing paper resource HERE!

Here's one more resource that can be used for any patriotic holiday: Patriotic Brain Breaks!

I also have a "Reading Comprehension for Active Learners" Resource which is perfect for Memorial Day. It has informational text, text questions, sketching, and brain breaks, all related to the USA. Check it out here: Freedom Isn't Free: Learning About the USA for Active Learners.

Want a resource with plenty of ideas for patriotic holidays? Try this money saving bundle with 12 different resources: Learning About the USA!

Enjoy your Memorial Day weekend, have a steak, or a hot dog, or even a veggie burger, but don't forget to remember the reason for the holiday, and that FREEDOM ISN'T FREE!

Ten Favorite Picture Books I Love to Read to My Students

Here is a list of children's books I love to read. This is just a small portion of my favorites, but they're so much fun! Each title is an affiliate link to Amazon.

1. Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens

I love reading this book in the spring when we're working on our plant unit. Even though it's fiction, it gives the children some information on which vegetables grow above ground, and which vegetables grow below ground. Plus, I've always found some great predicting skills happening as the bear and the rabbit continue their "deals". 

2.  Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes

I always read this book at the beginning of the school year. So many of the kids can connect to the little girl who wants to be good, but can't. I think it shows them it's OK to make a mistake.

3.  Memoirs of a Goldfish by Devin Scillian

If you haven't seen this yet, it's adorable! Buy a copy or two, your students will love it! This book motivates children to write from different points of view!

4.  Millions of Cats by Wanda Gag

This was the book I wanted read to me over and over when I was a child. I think I loved the repetition. My students still chant along with me when I read it.

5. Jubal's Wish by Don and Audrey Wood

This is a heartwarming book about a frog with a selfless wish for his friends to be happy. His wish doesn't come true at first, but don't worry, there's a happy ending!

6.  Somebody Loves You Mr. Hatch by Eileen Spinelli

This book is adorable (and perfect for Valentine's Day!) Poor Mr. Hatch lives a lonely life until he thinks someone loves him. Then his whole personality changes.

7.  Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina

Yes, this is another book with a repetive phrase. It's also one where the whole class not only chants along, but physically becomes part of the story. A book with monkeys... gotta love it!

8.  The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch

Robert Munsch really knows what makes kids laugh. I love all his books, but this is my favorite. It's not a typical fairy tale. It's about a smart princess!

9.  For the Love of Autumn by Patricia Polacco

This book will warm your heart. Autumn is an adorable kitten of a young schoolteacher. Very, very sweet.

10.  Oh, the Places You'll Go! by Dr. Seuss

Seriously, this isn't just for kids. I gave this to my daughter when she graduated from high school. But the kids love it, too!

I'd love to hear about your favorite picture books!

Martin Luther King Jr. Books, Videos, and Resources

I love teaching my students about Martin Luther King Jr.  

He was an incredible man, and stood for peace!

Although I'm giving away my age, I remember when he was shot. I was a little too young to understand the impact at the time. (I was far more interested in the boys than the politics of the day.) Today I can't watch his speech without tears rushing down my face.  It disturbs me to think that a peaceful man who worked so hard for non-violence was killed in such a violent way.

Literature is a valuable part of my teaching. I've read many books about Dr. King, and they always keep the children engaged.  He was clearly a powerful man. Here are some good ones: (Each is a link to Amazon.)

• Who Was Martin Luther King Jr?
• Martin Luther King Jr. Time for Kids
• National Geographic Readers: Martin Luther King Jr. 

                                    

Explore each link to Amazon to learn more about that book!  A video also grabs the attention of the children. Check out this one from Brain Pop.

Or this one from YouTube (Who doesn't love Kid President?):

Although his speech is kind of long for the little ones, this is the last part of that famous speech, and it's worth showing at least part of it to the children. I think the children will understand Dr. King's passion:

Dr.  King taught the world about peace.  Here are some children's books that help with the concept of peace. 

• I am Human: A Book of Empathy
• Kindness is my Superpower: a Chidren's Book About Empathy, Kindness, and Compassion
• Children Who Dance in the Rain: 2023 Children’s Book of the Year Award, a Book About Kindness, Gratitude, and a Child's Determination to Change the World

I also recommend this video:

It certainly tells the story of peace that I want children to learn, and I suspect it's the peaceful world Dr. King dreamed of. Plus, the lyrics are right on the screen for the kids to sing along... over and over!

Here's one more video, a song that warms my heart! It goes right along with the teachings of Dr. King, and is something children will understand:

Finally, here's one of my own resources - it's a sorting activity that's sure to get the kids talking! And their conversations defending their opinions are amazing! Plus, there are related writing papers to follow up on those rich conversations! See the image for the activity Just or Unjust?

You can also get this resource for free by signing up for my emails HERE.

Speaking of activities, I have a couple of MLK activities in this resource: Science and Social Studies Activities for January

It includes a close read about Dr. King.

A mapping activity, based on important places in Dr. King's life.

And making timelines based on Dr. King's life.

See any of the images above to see Science and Social Studies Printables for January! (There is other fun stuff in there, too!)

I'd love to see your ideas for MLK too!