Follow your passions!

My dad was a high school football coach and the town's physical education director. He was an amazing man who taught many things to many people. 

Most of all, he taught me the importance of being passionate about some things.

Everyone needs to be passionate about something. Having passions and hobbies benefit us in many ways:

1. Stress Relief: Engaging in activities you love helps relieve stress and provides a mental break from daily responsibilities. Hobbies like painting, gardening, or playing sports can be calming and therapeutic.
2. Personal Growth: Hobbies allow you to learn new skills, challenge yourself, and grow as an individual. They can also build self-confidence as you achieve milestones or improve at something.
3. Creativity and Expression: Passions give people an outlet to express their creativity. Whether it's through music, art, or crafting, they provide a way to communicate emotions and ideas that might be difficult to express otherwise.
4. Sense of Purpose and Fulfillment: Being passionate about something gives you a sense of purpose and fulfillment. It helps you feel accomplished and motivates you to pursue personal goals.
5. Improved Mental Health: Many studies show that people who actively engage in hobbies and passions are more likely to experience higher levels of happiness and mental well-being. Hobbies provide joy, distraction, and a sense of achievement.

Many of us are passionate about many things! It's lovely when one of our passions is also our chosen career, but in most cases, our passions won't pay the bills. As teachers, we are probably passionate about teaching. (Why else would we do it?) But I'll bet most of us aren't passionate about everything to do with the job. Plus, I'm sure there are plenty of other passions among us. 

Our students need to develop passions and hobbies for the exact same reasons. I'm sure you're already seeing some of these passions appearing in your classroom!

We all know those kids who are passionate about sports:

Not only are many little ones participating in many of these sports, but many also enjoy watching them! Despite my dad being a football coach, I've never been a big football fan, but I sure do love watching the Red Sox!

If you have any sports fans in your classroom, try some of these sports-related skill-building games: 

Sports Learning Games

I'm pretty sure you know which kids in your class are passionate about visual arts!

There may be a few who haven't figured out what they're passionate about yet. As teachers (and parents), it's up to us to expose them to many things so they can begin to develop their own passions.

The performing arts are my personal passion! I'm a big musical theater fan and love a good song and dance! Yes, I can sing, act, and even tap dance!

Many students, particularly some of the shy ones, seem to come alive when performing! These kiddos really benefit from group songs, reader's theater, and presenting research or sharing in front of the class.

Who doesn't love exercise? 

Even though I'm not athletic, I love many forms of exercise, and I'm sure your students do, too!

As teachers, we hope your students develop a passion for reading, but this isn't always true. 

We can help them learn to enjoy reading by directing them toward different kinds of reading. 

Writing can also be a passion for many people. (As a blogger, you probably know that I'm a fan of writing!))

Sometimes just offering a different kind of writing helps them learn to enjoy writing!  

If you're looking for more ideas for writing in the classroom, try some of these:

Writing Resources

I'll bet you know plenty of people with a passion for cooking!

Although cooking isn't typically part of the classroom curriculum, it's a wonderful experience for many children in so many ways! For one thing, most recipes include math and reading directions. Plus, it's a life skill! Cooking has its own reward: you get to eat what you make!

There are many rewards in gardening. My dad (the football coach) often came home from coaching a game and would find solace in his garden.

Children LOVE gardening; some of those little ones have "green thumbs!" Growing a garden can be very educational and bring great joy.

Most kids LOVE animals. I think I've had one or two students who were passionate about horses in every class I've had. My sister was one of these, and we both went to horseback riding lessons frequently. To this day, she still owns horses.

After a couple of months of school, you can probably name the pets of most of your students, right?

Who doesn't love nature? There are several benefits to being outside in nature, including improved mental health, improved memory, improved sleep, and even boosting Vitamin D levels!

Here are a couple of articles about the benefits of nature:

Nurtured by Nature

How Can Nature Benefit My Mental Health?

How Connecting With Nature Benefits Our Mental Health

In other words, get those kiddos outside! 

In case you're interested, here are a couple of posts I've written about my dad:

What does a non-athletic girl learn from a football coach?

Speaking of Heroes

I'm sure you recognize many of your students in the passions and hobbies I've listed, but I hope you also recognize some of your own passions. Plus, these lists are only the beginning!

What are your passions?

Answering in Complete Sentences

Getting students to answer questions in complete sentences is no easy task, is it?

 

 

Here are some hints on making it easier on the kids! 

Let's say the question is "What is your favorite food?" 

Teach them how to use the words from the question to start off their answer. 

"My favorite food is..."

Another question could be, "How can you show kindness?" 

"I can show kindness by..."

Or perhaps you could ask, "How could you help someone who forgot his lunch?"

"I could help someone who forgot his lunch by..."

Here's one more example: "What animal would NOT make a good pet?"

"An animal that would NOT make a good pet is..."

It's important they get plenty of opportunities to hear this process before they go to the next step.

Now they need to get more involved! Instead of just hearing it, they need to practice orally.

I find this works well as a whole group, as in Morning Meeting. Ask one question to the group, and have each student tell their answer in complete sentences, using words from the question to start their answers. 

It's a good idea to review how they'll be starting their answers:

"My favorite food is..."

"I can show kindness by..."

"I could help someone who forgot his lunch by..."

"An animal that would NOT make a good pet is..."

As they are practicing, make sure the questions are interesting and fun, so they will be more interested in sharing their answers! (Plus, it's fun for the rest of us to hear their answers!)

Be sure to compliment those who elaborate on their answers, rather than simply one or two words. This is our end goal!

"My favorite food is spaghetti."

or

"My favorite food is spaghetti, with meatballs and lots of cheese on top."

"I can show kindness by helping."

or

"I can show kindness by helping someone who doesn't understand their math, or gets hurt on the playground."

"An animal that would NOT make a good pet is an elephant."

or

"An animal that would NOT make a good pet is an elephant because it would cost too much to feed it, and it wouldn't fit in my room!"

See what I mean?

Here's where you add the paper! 

Here's my little trick: have them meet with a friend and tell what they're going to write, word for word! Seriously, if they are going to write the language, they need to be able to speak it first! In fact, when they're first starting this skill, I might have them meet with a few partners before they sit down with the paper. (This is a trick I use with many aspects of writing... tell it first!)

I usually make a point to meet with a few children that I anticipate might struggle with this. 

Once I get those "strugglers" going, I'll check in with others to keep them on track.

Once they're ready, it's time for them to practice this skill without the guidance. It's a great way to start the day: post a question for the day, and have them answer it in complete sentences while you take attendance and lunch count.

It's still a good idea to have them practice orally with a friend before writing. 

Then, after they've written, sharing is encouraged!

Going back to revise after sharing is also encouraged!

I find the best way to encourage children to answer questions fully is to share the best ones. I'll go through the papers, find some that are well done, and share those to the whole class. I make sure I choose several different examples that show a variety of ways to answer.

Are you ready to start asking questions? 

I happen to have plenty of questions, based on fun daily holidays:

Here's the bundle: Daily Morning Meeting Greeting Activities for the Whole Year

 

Each month is also available separately:

September Morning Meeting Greeting Activities, October Morning Meeting Greeting Activities, November Morning Meeting Greeting Activities, December Morning Meeting Greeting Activities, January Morning Meeting Greeting Activities, February Morning Meeting Greeting Activities, March Morning Meeting Greeting Activities, April Morning Meeting Greeting Activities, May Morning Meeting Greeting Activities, June Morning Meeting Greeting Activities, July Morning Meeting Greeting Activities, August Morning Meeting Greeting Activities

 

The July edition is free if you want to give it a try!

Look at all you get!

 

 

Each month has a page to display, a page to write on (with the same question), plus, a link to a related Boom Learning Daily Trivia activity! (Great for centers, fast finishers, and Gifted and Talented challenges!)

Plus, these make great backgrounds for virtual learning! 

(Although, we're hoping we won't need those again!)
 

Five Ways to Get Them Learning OUTSIDE!

Here in the northern hemisphere, we are enjoying the spring weather!

We still have to teach. but we might as well teach while enjoying the beautiful weather and getting those kiddos outside! Here are some of my ideas!

This one is pretty obvious! They have to read every day.  Why not bring it outside? If you want to go all out, have them bring in towels to sit or lie on while reading. Other options: partner reading, or teacher read alouds!

I do find sometimes a little bribery motivation is necessary. "If you don't stay focused on your books, we will have to bring them back inside."

There are loads of engineering projects that can be done outside!  Children can use sand, grass, rocks or sticks to create all sorts of things! Here are a few ideas:

1. Create a sundial.

2. Make a tall rock tower.

3. Make a shadow creature.

4. Take tubs of water outside and maybe a few classroom materials to create "boats" that float!

This is only the beginning. If you search "Outdoor S.T.E.M." on Pinterest or google it, I'll bet you find a TON of ideas!

You'll need some sidewalk chalk for this. 

Have equal teams, and a list of math facts or math problems they can solve. 

One team member at a time takes the chalk, runs to the other end of the defined area, write the problem with the correct answer, and run back. (It's a good idea to have another adult at the other end to check their math!) 

When they get back, the next person gets the chalk and a new problem.

I suggest making the running area on grass or "soft top," and the writing area on the hard top.

They'll be so busy having fun and burning off steam, they won't even know they're practicing important facts!

Sketching is an important science skill!

Scientists need to notice details, and look for differences!

Direct students to pick a specific spot to sketch. (One with some sort of vegetation is best!)  A week later, they can go back to the same spot. As they re-sketch, hopefully they will notice differences.

3 Seasons of our class tree!
Notice the winter tree was photographed from inside the screened window!

I've had my groups choose a "class tree" in the fall, and we will often go out to sketch the tree. As the year progresses, they re-sketch, and definitely notice differences!
One little secret, I've been very good at convincing the children to choose the tree right outside our class window. That way, they can sketch from inside in the winter! (No one wants to sit in snow and sketch!)

Just like reading, story writing can be brought outdoors easily! They can continue stories they were working on, make up a story about what they see, or write nature poetry. Again, reminding the children this is a privilege helps them stay focused!

If you're interested in a little outdoor Science or Social Studies with reading and writing skills thrown in, check out this: Science and Social Studies for Summer. 

Most of these activities are designed for the outdoors, and you definitely don't have to wait for summer!

Are you ready for the big game?

If you're like me, you're taking advantage of the enthusiasm for the big game coming up!

When children are excited about something, I always try to bring it into the classroom when I can. Books are a great place to start. (Click each image for a link to Amazon.)

• The Everything Kids' Football Book: All-time Greats, Legendary Teams, and Today's Favorite Players-- With Tips on Playing Like a Pro
• My First Book of Football: A Rookie Book
• Kick, Pass, and Run
• Goodnight Football
• What is the Super Bowl?
• Football: Then to WOW!
• The Football Fanbook (A Sports Illustrated Kids Book): Everything You Need to Become a Gridiron Know-it-all
• Catch That Pass
• My Football Book
• T is for Touchdown: A Football Alphabet

There's a ton of kid-related Super Bowl videos on YouTube. Just google "Super Bowl for Kids!"

Here's one I found. The commercials are often the best part of the Super Bowl. I'm thinking I might have the children vote on their favorite. then make a graph of the voting. 

 

12 Funniest Super Bowl Commercials of all time

I'm sure you can find more YouTube videos that you can relate to classwork!

Here's a Super Bowl freebie with mapping and writing! Just explore the image.

Here's a football-themed gameboard, with 4 different games that could be played on it.

Here's a dollar version of the above game, which practices Counting to 1,000. Just explore the image for the dollar deal!

This game can be played a few different ways, and always has the children giggling! All the verbs are football-related, too! Football Past and Present Verbs.

I also have a couple of "twin" football BINGO games. This math game practices adding and subtracting tens.

Here's the literacy "twin," Touchdown R-Controlled Vowels. 

Looking for a little more math practice? Check this one out: 

Football Math Story Problems

Now here's the fun: all these football-themed resources are now bundled at a great discount!

Football Learning Fun Bundle!

With the excitement of the Super Bowl, having football-related games will keep them engaged, and they might not realize that they are practicing important skills!