The Pigeon has to go to school, but to be honest, he's not happy about it. In fact, he's panicking. Loaded with what-if questions, he's working hard to get out of going. "What if I don't like school?" "Will finger paint stick to my feathers?" "Why does the alphabet have so many letters?" "What will the other birds think of me?" "What's up with those heavy backpacks? I'm a fragile … [Read more...]
Animal Habitats – Fun Activities for Kids
Animal habitats are so diverse. When I think about all the different spaces where plants and animals thrive, I'm truly in awe. Animals, and their ability to adapt within changing ecosystems, are full of surprises. Any unit around animals is never a hard sell for children. From cute and cuddly to fast and fierce, kids love them. So learning about where and how they live in nature is an easy … [Read more...]
MLK Day Activities for Kids
Every January, I'm on the lookout for new MLK Day activities. This can be a challenge when you teach the littles. His work, and the events leading up to the civil rights movement, are really big ideas for first graders. One of the best ways to support kids with this topic is through rich, thoughtful discussions and I usually turn to picture books to help me get started. One of our favorites is My … [Read more...]
5 Reasons Joke Books Belong in a Classroom
There weren't a lot of joke books available to me when I was kid. However, I'll never forget a small roll of jokes I got from a cereal box when I was nine. After brushing off all the Crunch Berries, I unrolled the long piece of paper to find about a dozen jokes written just for kids. I practiced the jokes over and over until I could deliver them perfectly for any guest my parents would allow me to … [Read more...]
Vocabulary Activities and Games for Kids
Vocabulary activities are an important part of literacy planning. Because they play a fundamental role in reading comprehension, planning kid-friendly lessons is essential. Children learn the meanings of most words indirectly, usually through everyday experiences with spoken language. However, other words are learned through careful instruction. So what does that look like? WAYS TO DEVELOP WORD … [Read more...]