Ten Seasonal Deals

It's that time of year when the special days come one right after the other, and I'm getting ready!

 

I thought I'd give you a taste of several upcoming special Days! Most of the resources listed are $1.00!

Sometimes I think all these special days are the only things that get me (and the kids) through these New England winters! 

 

The Super Bowl is indeed coming up, which means many of our students will have football fever! 

Try this: Football Game Board and Cards - Counting to 1,000.

Soon is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. (Thanks, Dr. King for all you did for peace as well as the day off!)  Here's a popular resource to get the kids thinking about justice! See the image below for Just or Unjust!

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

Many people are getting ready to celebrate Day 100, but we have another month before that happens. However, I do think Day 90 is a great opportunity to celebrate my favorite fraction! Halfway Day includes a couple of fractions to practice 1/2, and some badges for the children to wear to celebrate 1/2 way through the school year!

Ten days later, we'll be celebrating the 100th day of school!  I have a little tradition I started years ago, I take my kiddos from class to class singing Day 100 songs.  Here's a link for one of my songs: 100 Days Smarter!

Another Day 100 treat, a math game for active kiddos!  

Here's a link to this freebie:  Beanie Toss to 100!

That groundhog will be peaking out of his burrow in just a couple of weeks! (I sure hope spring comes early, I've had enough!) Check out the link here:  Groundhog Consonant - l-e Sort!

I often begin doing research projects with my students mid-year. The ABC book is a great way to present the information! ABC Book Template

Pretty soon, we'll be celebrating our presidents! Here's a fun one: Presidents Day Mini Booklets!

Here's another way to celebrate our presidents! See the image below for President Writing Prompts

And, of course, Valentine's Day is less than a month away, and the kids are getting excited about that too!  Valentine's Day Mini-Books

Wow, we have some busy days ahead of us! I hope these ten Deals will help you through!

January Deals and Treats!

Looking for some deals for January?  

I know where you can find some: right here!

January is a good time for Thank you cards! I like to start the year with a lesson on writing Thank you cards, and let the children write thank you cards to each other. They love it!

For more about the parts of a Thank You note, see THIS POST.

We celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. in January.  This is one of my favorite resources.  It really gets the kids thinking. It's an opportunity for children to decide on the fairness of decisions in their lives.  I've heard some very passionate conversations when we work on the Just or Unjust activity!

You can get this resource for free by signing up for our helpful emails HERE.

For more resources to teach about Martin Luther King Jr. see THIS POST.

Many people are getting ready to celebrate Day 100, but we have another month before that happens. However, I do think Day 90 is a great opportunity to celebrate my favorite fraction! Halfway Day includes a couple of fractions to practice 1/2, and some badges for the children to wear to celebrate 1/2 way through the school year!

I've been working on a series of No-Prep Printables. These are perfect for when you need something quickly, but want a valid learning activity that will engage the children.  Here's a sampling of Winter No Prep Activities!

January is a great time of year to decide to be happy, and you can help your students by encouraging them to be grateful! You can learn more about these Gratitude Journal Labels in this blog post: Five Finger Gratitude!

Interested in more Deals and Treats? Check out Dollar Deals and Two Dollar Treats!

Enjoy your January, and give those kiddos an extra happy greeting back from vacation!

Six Ways to Survive The Last Week Before Christmas

I'm bracing myself for a challenging week. It's a busy time of year. 

There are very few hours of sunlight per day. That really affects the spirit of many. Kids are overstimulated, sleep deprived, and downright cranky.

Here are Six Ways to Survive the Last Week Before Christmas:

1.  Bribery Works!  Yes, I've been known to resort to bribery. I would hope that children want to be good just for that personal pride, but that's not realistic. They need to earn something.  

 

This week, we're working toward a Christmas party on Thursday afternoon. I've already planned the party.  We'll have entertainment and gifts to open, and food and fun stuff. But I tell them those plans can be canceled if they don't earn the party. I've come close to canceling the party in the past, but we've always had the party. One thing to remember about bribery... the "bait" needs to be WORTH IT, or it won't work next time! (I'll be sure the Christmas party is awesome!)

2.  Keep Them Active!  I've got some games that keep the kids out of their seats. These two games are both Dollar Deals!

Try Golfing for Tens

 

or Beanie Toss to 100

The key is to get the kids having so much fun, they don't realize they're practicing their adding skills!

3.  Try a Little Yoga!

Kids really adapt well to Yoga, and it really calms them down and helps them focus! Honestly, it helps me, too!

4. Add some music to your day!

I use this one in my classroom all the time!

 

Any baroque music makes a great calming background for the classroom!

Of course, my acupuncturist uses this background music, and I know it relaxes me!

Or, if you're looking for holiday music, this one is my personal favorite in the classroom: 

And who doesn't love this one?

5.  Let them paint!

I am always amazed at how quiet the children become when I pull out the watercolors! Of course, one needs to have an educational purpose for painting, but I really don't think creative teachers like us would have a problem thinking of something, do you?

6. Have a Game Day!

There are plenty of board games out there that are perfect for strengthening the children's reading and math skills, and some great strategy building, but be sure to keep the "learning" part a secret... they'll think they're getting away with something!  Here are a few of my favorites:

 

Apples to Apples is my favorite! It always makes the kids giggle, and (shhhh...) works some valuable thinking skills! 

Scrabble works reading, writing, and even math, as well as strategic thinking!

Uno is a classic! 

Plus, Yahtzee is a great game for strengthening math skills!

Then, of course, regular playing cards will always entertain, and make mathematical paths in the brain. (Seriously!)

Well, there are six ideas to help you through this week. I hope this helps! 

But, as all teachers know, when all else fails, be sure to keep a stash of chocolate in your desk for those particularly stressful days!

How do you survive the week before the holidays!

Bullwinkle

I love when I get something from a workshop that I can bring back to my classroom the next day!

Today we had a Staff Development Day about Math. It had some good stuff about subitizing, Rekenreks (we used to call them abacuses) and different activities we can do with the kiddos  to help build that all important Number Sense.  

 

One fun activity was called "Bullwinkle".  (Do others remember the Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoon?)  Well, it's called that because you need to put your hands on your head so you look sort of like a moose.  (One could say you look like a reindeer this time of year!)

The teacher tells the kids to hold up a number of fingers. 

There are several variations:  making the number alone, making the number differently from a partner, making the number by working with your partner, making the number with your partner without actually talking.  

I'll bet you can think of even more variations, maybe even for practicing multiplication!

I really wanted to take a picture of a whole room of teachers (and administrators) playing Bullwinkle, but my hands were 

busy making the number 15.

December Freebies

It has come to my attention just how many freebies I have for the month of December. 

Here are some of my favorites:

Hanukkah is super early this year, in fact, it's happening now! Be sure to download this Hanukkah Game Board. It can be used with skill that needs practicing: math facts, sight words, task cards. Just do a card, check, and roll your way around the game board.  

Holiday Fluency Sample is a fun way to practice reading phrases.  With holiday words, of course!

This is my very favorite holiday activity. It focuses on the classic holiday music and the storyline that goes along with it. Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker includes suggestions on which music to play with each part of the storyline. It's a great exercise in visualization, and the kids absolutely love it! Yes, even the boys! How can you miss when the setting is a place called The Kingdom of Sweets!(I've done this every year for at least 15 years!)

 

 

This is what my students are working on tomorrow: Acts of Kindness Countdown gives the kids a chance to count down the days until Christmas and enjoy the joy of giving at the same time.  Plus, everything they are giving is free!

The two resources below are NOT free, but are totally worth it!

I had to throw in my newest resources, although this one is not free. December Holidays True or False Boom Digital Task Cards This digital resource gives the students a chance to practice reading skills while learning about holidays around the world. Boom Learning digital task cards are easy to use, perfect for remote or distance learning, and fun for the students!

And here's one more new one, that's very popular with the children! Boom Learning December General Knowledge Trivia Questions and Enrichment

 

The December holidays are great fun for the students, and a great excuse for fun learning!