Librarianism Chronicles

Chinese New Year

2012-01-22T12:16:00.001-06:00

Tomorrow is Chinese New Year. If you're hoping to explore the lunar calendar beginning with students, read on for links and ideas to make the day a success.

Start by learning about Chinese New Year traditions through a holiday read-aloud of D Is for Dragon Dance by Ying Chang Compestine. This story follows a boy and girl as they prepare for Chinese New Year, introducing symbols and traditions in an alphabetical list.

Introduce the Chinese Zodiac with a beautiful printable from Jan Brett.

Let students use the chart to figure out which animal will be associated with this year. Then let them find which animal is associated with their birth years. Challenge students to find patterns in the chart, such as how many years will pass before one of the animals is repeated.

Finally, allow students to make their own paper dragons using a template from Kaboose and a piece of crepe paper streamer. Just decorate the dragon face,

cut out the masterpiece,

and attach the tail.

We used a stapler, so there was no waiting for the glue to dry.

Find out more about Chinese New Year history and traditions at A China Family Adventure.

Leap Year

2012-01-15T12:01:00.000-06:00

2012 is a leap year, in which February will have 29 days. Get students involved in this infrequent occasion by learning the history and traditions of the day.

Leap Year was established in Rome by Julius Caesar in 46 BC after Cleopatra introduced him to Egypt's more accurate calendar. To learn more about this Leap Day love story and the history of Leap Year, read the National Geographic News article, "Leap Year: How the World Makes Up for Lost Time." Scholastic has a shorter, slightly simpler article about the day that would work for younger students.

Then find out how Leap Day has been celebrated in different places throughout it's history. One tradition holds that Leap Day is an occasion for ladies to propose to men, as shown in this century-old Leap Year postcard.

Etsy

In 1904, the New York Times reported a Leap Year Dance in which the women wore linen collars while men carried bouquets and other feminine accessories.

In 1988, the little Texas/New Mexico border town, Anthony, declared itself to be the the Leap Year Capital of the World and began holding their Worldwide Leap Year Festival, a quadrennial Leap Year birthday celebration.

Introduce students to one the most famous Leap Day stories, The Pirates of Penzance, by way of the San Francisco Opera Guild's Teacher's Guide and Resource Book. The guide includes a kid-friendly summary of the story as well as lots of information and activities related to the opera in which a boy born on February 29 must wait until his 21st birthday (which won't occur until he's in his eighties) to be set free from his apprenticeship as a pirate.

After studying the history of the day, tie in math skills as well with Scholastic's Leap Year Math Quiz. It's also a great day for practicing skip-counting by fours. Play Cat Man Math Blues for a fun variation on the usual recitation. Just scroll down the page to the Skip by Fours section. I found this fun song by way of Mrs. Woody's Wonders, where you can find lots of other Leap Day links.

Keeping Track of Goals in the New Year + FREE printable

2012-01-07T17:58:00.001-06:00

January always feels like a chance to forget about feeling guilty and start doing things better than in the past. It's a perfect opportunity to get organized and prepare to succeed. To get the year off to the right start, I found a few printable tools for keeping up with important dates, and I made some some new organizing tools, which I'm going to share with you!

Visit Red Stamp to find two free printable 2012 year-at-a-glance calendars. This is perfect to help you and your students see the big picture of the year ahead.

I also printed out a yearly birthday calendar, so that I can keep better track of family and friends' birthdays this year.

You can get this easy-to-edit download free from The Project Girl.

To keep up with other commitments in the new year, get one of these printable agendas. Then, check out more tools for accomplishing New Year's goals.

I've always used a spiral-bound academic planner for keeping track of all my work responsibilities, but household management is a whole different monster. To keep up with all of our chores and goals, I made up a weekly tracker.

To get your own copy of this Weekly Chore and Goal Chart, click HERE. It has room for two people to track weekly chores and goals. On the right side you can mark off your eight cups of water and daily exercise as well. At the bottom, there's a place to plan a weekly dinner menu.

I also made this second version that includes two weeks of chores and goals for one person. Get the Two Week Chore and Goal Chart HERE. This version could be be slipped into the front of a student's binder to keep track of weekly responsibilities.

Winter Solstice Observation Sites

2011-12-22T09:25:00.000-06:00

Newgrange

Today is Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. With modern electric lights and heated homes, this day usually passes without much notice. But, thousands of years ago, this tipping point, after which the sun begins to linger longer each day, was an important time for celebration. We can get a glimpse at the ancient infatuation with the calendar's briefest day by looking at artifacts and monuments from the annual solstice festivities.

Newgrange

Newgrange, Ireland is one of the world's most famous locations for observing the Winter Solstice. Inside the 5000-year-old earth-covered mound is a long passageway into an ancient temple. On the morning of the annual Winter Solstice, light shines through a roof-box down the passage and into the the buried chamber, flooding light over the room for seventeen minutes.

BBC

Stonehenge is an ancient monument in England where more than 1000 people gathered this morning to view the solstice sunrise, which aligns neatly between some of the landmark's giant stones.

Egyptian Tour

In Egypt, the Karnak Temple is an important Winter Solstice site. At dawn, the sun shines through the eastern door to illuminate the sanctuary. As the sun rises, it appears to emerge from the temple into the sky.

Astronomy magazine via RockArtBlog

The Western hemisphere also has ancient artifacts that reveal Winter Solstice observations. In Phoenix, Arizona, the Winter Solstice sunset illuminates rock art created by Hohokam Native Americans.

LA Times

Several of the Spanish Missions in California were also built to align with the Winter Solstice sun. This morning at San Juan Bautista, the solstice sunrise flooded the altar of the 200-year-old church.

Free Christmas Bookmarks

2011-12-20T09:24:00.000-06:00

One of the best things about having vacation from work or school is the opportunity to read. Cold and rainy weather on days without deadlines creates the perfect setting for staying in with a good book. To help inspire holiday break reading, check out these printable Christmas bookmarks.

These bright Christmas tree bookmarks from ZiggityZoom are perfect printables for holiday storytime.

Eat Drink Chic is offering these more traditional gift tags that could double as winter-reading bookmarks. In fact, any of the printable bookmarks would make excellent gift tags or gift toppers, especially if you are giving books.

These cute snowmen bookmarks are available to print at Heather Ozee Designs.

At Shiny Happy Art, you can print these free angel tags, which can be used as bookmarks, gift cards, or even table place cards.

Instant Nativity

2011-12-17T10:46:00.003-06:00

Christmas commemorates the birth of Jesus, the son of the Christian God. Reenacting the Bethlehem nativity scene of his birth is one of the oldest Christmas traditions. Get your own instant nativity set from Marloes de Vries.

This full-color set that I discovered through How About Orange is ready to go. Just print, cut, fold and enjoy. There is also a blank set of foldables that students can color in with their own designs. Kids can use the mini-puppets to act out the Christmas story.

Winter Holidays - Celebrations of Light

2011-12-15T23:42:00.001-06:00

Now that the weather is chilly and nightfall is arriving so early in the evening, candles and lights are a welcome remedy to the darkness. Since ancient times, light has been a huge part of many winter celebrations and holidays around the world. Let students explore the role of light in familiar and foreign traditions this holiday season.

December 13th is St. Lucia Day, which is celebrated in eastern Europe, Scandinavia, Italy and some Caribbean countries. Candles are an important symbol on St. Lucia Day when they are often used in wreaths, either as decoration or as a candlelit crown for the traditional Lucia procession.

Students can create their own candlelit crown with instructions from Kiddley.

Yule was first celebrated by the Norse, but its traditions have been incorporated into Christmas and other winter holidays. In many cultures, festivals took place as long as the yule log burned -- often up to several days since the large, slow-burning logs were selected.

Visit Pretty Little Things to learn how to make mini Yule logs out of cardboard tubes.

Hanukkah is another celebration of light that is observed by Jewish people for eight days each winter beginning on 25 Kislev. Candles are lit on a menorah in remembrance of the miracle oil that burned at the temple in Jerusalem for eight days after it was reclaimed from Greece.

Creative Jewish Mom has instructions for this recycled cardboard menorah craft.

Younger students can practice ordinal numbers while counting the eight days of Hanukkah.

Christmas lights have been used to decorate trees for hundreds of years. Visit White House history to learn about the first White House Christmas tree that used lights to decorate its branches in 1895 during Grover Cleveland's administration.

Challenge students to design a Christmas light decoration using repurposed materials, like this tomato cage Christmas tree I made. To make your own, just flip a tomato cage upside-down and then wrap it with lights and garland.

Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year. All around the world since ancient times festivals and celebrations have included lights on the day with the fewest hours of sunlight.

Make a solstice mobile with Cre8tivegirl's printable.

Students can compare and contrast the celebrations after learning about each one.

Cabin Fever - Sixth in the Wimpy Kid Series

2011-11-17T16:51:00.001-06:00

This week, the sixth Diary of a Wimpy Kid book was released.

With an initial printing of six million copies, Cabin Fever is the biggest book of the year. The publisher's confidence is not surprising, since kids (and lots of adults) just can't get enough of Jeff Kinney's illustrated realistic fiction series.

If you'd like to get more than pleasure reading out of this kid-pleasing story, download the Cabin Fever Event Kit from Abrams Books Academic Resources collection. You will also find the Diary of a Wimpy Kid Throughout the Year packet, which includes more learning activities to go along with the series.

After reading, let students act out their favorite scenes using printable masks from Wimpy Kid Club.

Find out about the Wimpy Kid book that you can read online, wimpy cupcakes, and wimpy printables here.

Hear wimpy music and see Cheese Touch cupcakes here.

Learn about a wimpy online game that matches the snowed-in Cabin Fever theme perfectly here.

And, if you've already torn through Cabin Fever in the last three days, don't despair. There is going to be a seventh book.

Thanksgiving

2011-11-11T18:46:00.001-06:00

Thanksgiving will be here soon. Many students and teachers are running on fumes at this time of year. Keep your eye on the prize while keeping the learning going with these fun ideas.

Combine math and art with Almost Unschoolers' pumpkin pie fractions. The roundness of the Thanksgiving dessert favorite makes it a perfect manipulative for understanding and practicing basic fractions.

Then help students understand that there's more to the Thanksgiving story than three days off school full of family, food, and football with their handprint pilgrim mural. After printing the 26 adults and 27 children to represent the pilgrims who survived the first year in the New World, students can label them with names from their pilgrim stories.
Check out the Magic Tree House Research Guide: Pilgrims for more information about the first Thanksgiving.

You can also include a musical connection with this catchy and amusing Thanksgiving song, "Turkey from Albuquerque."

Make Your Own Origami Yoda

2011-10-11T19:29:00.000-05:00

Back in March, I wrote about Tom Angleberger's awesome Origami Yoda promotion, through which I acquired this super-cool signed-by-the-author origami Yoda

and this rad illustration.

My Yoda already made two guest appearances in book talks! In August, my friend borrowed him to give a talk about the book--one of twenty chosen this year for the Texas Bluebonnet Reading List--to the librarians in our school district. Then, last week, Yoda co-starred with me in this interview video, which I used to promote the book, and our upcoming book fair, to my students.

The script is available from the Scholastic Canada Book Fair site. It can also be read by a pair of students. If you want to skip the acting and get straight to building excitement about the novel, check out Scholastic's teaser video.

The book ties in perfectly with Scholastic's fall book fair theme this year: To the Book Fair and Beyond! As we prepare for our fair at the end of this month, my classes are focusing on fiction and non-fiction portrayals of outer-space. Since this book features a famous fictional space traveler, it was a fun story to kick off the theme with my 3rd-5th grade students. After the book teaser, students got a chance to make their own origami Yoda using the simple, one-page tutorial from the Origami Yoda blog.

There are also instructions for more detailed Yodas as well as other Star Wars favorites.

If you plan to share Angleberger's novel with your students, also check out this fun idea.

This Vintage Chica used a clever turn of phrase to turn origami Yoda into Valentine notes. The green, not-mushy nature of the geeky-in-a-good-way cards means they're perfect encouragements to send any time of year. Students could make them for each other, substituting pal or friend or homey for Valentine.

Free printable masks

2011-10-06T22:41:00.002-05:00

With Halloween carnivals and class parties right around the corner, it's time to start planning a costume. Masks are an easy approach to taking on a new role. Check out these print-cut-wear masks for instant costume fun.

At many schools, students are only allowed to dress as storybook characters. This Junie B. Jones printable mask certainly fills the bill. Also check out my favorite character, Skippyjon Jones. Click the keyhole to get into Skippyjon's closet. Then click on teachers to find the mask and lots of printable activities.

If you are looking for more traditional Halloween characters, visit Goobitsa, Brian Gubicza's illustration site.

Find bunches of options at ClassroomJr. Categories include animals, monsters, and masks from different cultures.

Let students explore their inner superheroes with printable masks from Disney, including Captain America, Iron Man, and this cool Incredible Hulk mask.

Hoot Owl Stories, Crafts and Fun

2011-10-01T14:18:00.000-05:00

Fall officially began this week (although, on the day our air conditioning didn't work, it definitely still felt like summer). Despite the weather, the start of fall gets me thinking about squirrels and owls and other forest critters. This week, my students and I read and learned about owls. It was lots of fun. Here are some of the owly stories and activities we did plus a few extras.

The grey and orange owl mask in the photo above is a free printable from AnimalJr.com, where you can also find spider, cat, and bat versions just in time for Halloween. All four designs are also offered in black and white, so students can decorate their own. I wore the mask and used an owl hand puppet to build excitement about the topic.

Owl Babiesis a beautiful 1992 picture book by Martin Waddell and Patrick Benson about three owlets who don't know where their mother has gone. Kindergarten listeners relate easily to the anxiety and eventual reassurance experienced by the owls in the story. The dark setting in the illustrations helps students understand that owls are nocturnal animals.

Little Hoot is another great owl-themed picture book written by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and illustrated by Jen Corace. Little Hoot just wants to go to bed at night when his friends do, but his parents have other ideas. Students will relate to bedtime disputes, and they can compare and contrast their desire to stay up late with Little Hoot's wish to turn in early.

After the read-alouds, we used these popsicle-stick owl puppets for an owl counting song. Templates for the little owls are available at Sunflower Storytime*, where you can also see adorable examples of them all made up. Then visit Mel's Desk where you can find the words to the song, Hoot Owl Count.

Next, students got to make owls to take home. I used the simple owl template and idea from Woman's Day. Kindergarteners enjoyed the craft and especially loved getting to smell the sweet candy corn noses.

If you haven't had enough owl excitement, visit Feeling Inspired to get these free printable owl bookmarks and book plates.

Also checkout the Owlygraphic novel series by Andy Runton.

At Runton's site, you can find six free Owly comics in downloadable pdfs. Each of these nearly wordless comic stories features Owly and Wormy's friendship and adventures. Older elementary school students seem to enjoy this series. Reading wordless stories helps students understand visual cues and sequence of events. Teachers can encourage students to make predictions about what the characters are thinking. Readers can even create text to accompany the stories. See for yourself just how cute Owly and Wormy are in their online animation.

*This post originally included a link to the wrong site for the owl templates. Thanks so much to Leah from Sunflower Storytime for pointing out my mistake!!

Learning about Wildfires

2011-09-06T19:38:00.000-05:00

On Sunday, 63 wildfires ravaged more than 30,000 acres of parched Texas land. You can see the huge plume of smoke that filled the air in Navarro County, where I was visiting over the weekend.

Right inside the city, it seemed as if the fire must have been very near. Another fire was visible from the other direction as I took this photo.

The skyline has been similar across the state all week and around the country all summer. In most cases, wildfires are caused by people. Help your students understand how to avoid causing accidental fires.

Kids can visit Smokey's Outpost to get fire prevention ideas from Smokey the Bear.

The site includes information and interactive activities to help kids remember how to prevent wildfires.

Students can practice map skills while learning about fire prevention by tracking current wildfires on the Large Fire Incidents map.

Then, visit the Texas Forest Service site to get printable fire safety coloring pages. Also check out Smokey's Resources, where you can find a printable activity booklet with wildfire prevention information and a Smokey the Bear puppet theater.

The materials are available in color or black and white. Students can use the stick puppets and theater to act out the fire safety tips they've learned.

Then help students understand responsible water use, which is also important during long periods of drought.

Hunger Games

2011-08-29T21:10:00.001-05:00

For those of you who (like me) are sad about not having a Hunger Games book to kick-off the school year, now that the trilogy is complete, here are some activities to hold you over until the movie debut.

First, if you haven't seen the Hunger Games movie mini-trailer from MTV Video Music Awards, then run, don't walk, (well really just click) to see the brief but suspenseful footage.

Then, skip over to Scholastic's UK Hunger Games page to play some choose-your-own-adventure style games.

The text-based games are exciting, and will keep students reading longer than they realize while building interest in the book series. The site also has cool trailers for each of Collins' three books.

Scholastic's U.S. site also offers several downloads related to the series, including a Catching Fire bookmark

and recordings of Suzanne Collins reading excerpts from The Hunger Games and Catching Fire.

If all that's not enough, iTunes is offering a free download of Rue's mockingjay call. Be forewarned, the four-note whistle may leave you wanting more.

Your Organized Classroom: Free Printables

2011-08-28T17:48:00.000-05:00

Organized classrooms are happy places. As you are setting up systems for the beginning of this school year, don't reinvent the wheel. Save time by making use of fantastic printable organizers you can download and use right away.

Get this away-from-the-classroom chart and several matching organizers from The First Grade Parade.

Then check out this transportation list (to manage what is quite possibly the most important organization issue of the first week of school: getting everyone safely back home each day), as well as student information forms and a volunteer questionnaire.

Get a large set of these book basket tags from Beth Newingham's site.

Visit the classroom organization page at Kelly's Kindergarten to get a huge set of labels for organizing the collections a classroom requires.

Visit Second Grade Shenanigans to get four colorful cover pages for an organized teacher's binders.

Also check out the music-themed number printables, which could be used to create a number line (1-50) or label students' desks and cubbies.

Visit Simple as That to get printable reading log covers and filler pages, as well as

this matching Dr. Seuss bookmark.

Bulletin Board Ideas

2011-07-30T12:01:00.000-05:00

With another school year right around the corner, it's time to put up bulletin boards. If you're still searching for a just-right theme for one of your classroom displays, check out these great ideas...

This fun picnic presentation by seesuestitch uses paper plates as backdrops for outstanding essays. You can save yourself TONS of time by planning out nice looking bulletin boards that will stay up all year. Just change the student work samples or other contents from time to time in order keep the display relevant to new topics through the school year. Find tips for getting student work on display and then back into take-home folders without any staple or tape frustration in past articles.

Looking for a classroom management display idea? Malone.janet has some great bulletin board ideas including this too-cute behavior tracking system.

Her method of numbering the little pockets is perfect for classrooms that see lots of different groups of students. At the end of class period, the behavior for each seat number can be quickly assessed and reported to homeroom teachers or parents as necessary. Then, a helper could change every pocket back to green for the start of the next class.

You can also get more behavior management board ideas here and here.

Smurftastic Foldable Puppet

2011-07-25T23:31:00.000-05:00

If you have caught a case of Smurf fever, scurry over to Toy-A-Day where you can get your very own free print and fold smurf puppet.

I'm looking forward to comparing and contrasting the new movie with the cartoon I loved as a kid. Finding the similarities and differences in things is a great critical thinking skill. Then, with the adorable foldable puppets, students can retell and reinvent Smurf stories to their heart's content.

Harry Potter

2011-07-15T19:30:00.001-05:00

If you're heading out to see the final movie in the Harry Potter series, get into the spirit with homemade butterbeer from Hello My Name is Heather.

Also check out her tutorial for the mini broomsticks.

Then, print these cut-and-fold Harry Potter glasses, and you'll be ready for the show.

But It's a Dry Heat

2011-07-15T12:28:00.001-05:00

For the last couple of weeks, my husband and I were on a road trip across the southwestern U.S. All over the eastern side of central California, we saw these signs.

Instead of rows and rows of agriculture, the land was filled with singed grass and parched earth cracking open in the dry summer heat. A change in the state's irrigation systems caused hundreds of farms in the area to be cut off from the water supply.

This summer drought is affecting huge stretches of the southern U.S., leading to wildfires and fireworks cancellations.

U.S. Drought Monitor

On our trip, we saw a car fire that ignited the whole thirsty field beside it.

To get your students involved in water conservation, start by helping them understand water supply. Check out The Watershed Game from University of Minnesota's Bell Museum of Natural History to learn about how we are connected to all the water around us.

A quiz for novices is followed by four intermediate quizzes with interactive panoramic pictures.

Then visit King County, Washington's groundwater resource page, which includes an adorable animation featuring two groundhogs who explain the water cycle and the importance of groundwater.

The video is super catchy, explains exactly why it's important to be a good citizen when it comes to water, and is cute enough for adults to endure several viewings if necessary.

If you have a theatrical bunch of learners, try out this water cycle readers' theater script from Enchanted Learning. My students enjoyed using simple popsicle-stick puppets to distinguish their roles. Wild Olive's free Fair Weather Friends patterns for rain, sun, snow and wind would be a good start for representing the characters.

Let students decide how to depict the other roles.

Use literature to help students understand the historical significance of drought in the United States by reading the 1998 Newbery Medal winner Out Of The Dust by Karen Hesse.

This free verse poetic novel is a young teenager's journal of her life in the Oklahoma Dust Bowl during 1934 and 1935. The story's descriptions are very vivid. Early in the story, Billie Jo explains how her family sets the table:

"I place plates upside down, glasses bottom side up, napkins folded over forks, knives, and spoons. When dinner is ready we sit down together and Ma says, 'Now.' We shake out our napkins, spread them over our laps, and flip over our glasses and plates, exposing neat circle, round comments on what life would be like without the dust" (p. 21).

When you read Hesse's story, you can imagine that you're there with grit between your teeth as well.

Also check out The Storm in the Barn by Matt Phelan, a spooky graphic novel set during the Dust Bowl.

Visit the publisher Candlewick Press' site to see a short video about the book. This book is recommended on the 2011 Texas Bluebonnet list for 3rd-6th graders.

Make Lemonade

2011-06-25T00:04:00.000-05:00

flickr: jbcurio

Summer is the perfect time for lemonade stands, and lemonade stands are a perfect way to practice lots of important skills. Math for business planning, art and creativity for stand design. Get the most of out your lemonade stand experience with a few great resources.

Combine economics and art history with the NOT your Grandma's Lemonade Stand lesson plan from the Council for Economic Education. Students will analyze Norman Rockwell's Lemonade Stand illustration and learn about producers & consumers, opportunity costs, and supply & demand while running a cyber lemonade stand.

Then, get started with a real lemonade stand of your own.

Find recipes, a decorating tool and more at LemonsToLemonade.org. This site also provides all the information you need if you want to setup your lemonade stand to raise money for a charity.

Then visit funkytime for some fun lemonade trivia and super cute free printable lemonade labels, recipe cards and drink flags.

Or, if you're making regular (non-pink) lemonade, go to Tricia-Rennea to get free printable labels, stickers and price tags that can be customized with your text. Also check out her free printable lists and recipes cards with a lemon theme.

Also visit Alphamom to get the printable banner and flags that set the scene for this festive lemonade stand.

If you want to offer lots of exciting lemonade flavors, check out the printable labels at j.bartyn design.

For more lemon learning ideas, visit Katherine Marie Photography.

Summer Road Trip

2011-06-20T18:39:00.000-05:00

Summer vacation is a great time for hitting the road to go explore a new place. Vacation planning is a fun way to reinforce geography skills. Let kids prepare for the trip by visiting Roadside America to find odd roadside attractions you are going to pass along the way.

The planning stage is also perfect for using math skills to plan the gasoline budget using AAA's Daily Fuel Gauge Report and Fuel Cost Calculator.

AAA

Chart-reading skills are important for all core subject areas, and AAA's gasoline guide is full of them. Students can compare prices by region or state, compare the current average price to last year's, or compare fuel efficiency of different car models.
If you're up against a looong stretch of road between site-seeing breaks, keep boredom at bay with a little preparation. Visit Lil Sugar for printable license plate BINGO cards and other activities.

Then visit The Whimsical Fig where you can get more free printable car games like this alphabet game record-keeper.

Road trips are also the perfect occasion for enjoying an audio book. Visit Books Should Be Free where you can access bunches of free audio books like The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett and Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne.

What are your favorite road trip highlights and boredom busters?

Mr. Popper's Penguins

2011-05-29T12:06:00.008-05:00

I suppose summer is a perfect time for reading Richard & Florence Atwater's 1938 story, Mr. Popper's Penguins, since the gaggle of cold-weather creatures in this book are being raised by an absentminded house painter in middle-America.

Read the first few pages of this 1939 Newbery Honor book courtesy of publisher Little Brown.

The book's happy story is accentuated by Robert Lawson's charming and detailed black and white illustrations. Lawson's illustrations in They Were Strong and Good; earned the 1940 Caldecott.

Lawson, Mr. Popper's Penguins

Don't be afraid to bring some penguin fun into your warm climate as well! Hurry and read the Atwaters' original tale before you go see the very modern Jim Carrey movie version.

Popper's Penguins trailer

(Or see the movie and then read the classic book). Either way, similarities and differences between the novel and the film will be easy to spot, making this story a perfect theme for a compare and contrast activity.

Visit Children's Book-a-Day Almanac to find out more about Mr. Popper's Penguins and the Atwaters.

Bunches of comprehension activities for Mr. Popper's Penguins are available at Homeschool Share. The dozens of printable penguin activities can be used individually or in a lapbook format.

See photos of these printables all put together and in use at the homeschooling blog, Walking by the Way.

You can find this Mr. Popper's Penguins vocabulary list and several more vocabulary printables at Classroom Jr.

Refuel from all the hard work with this adorable pear penguin snack from Kiwi Magazine's "Play With Your Food" article.

Then find more penguin fun ideas here.

New Wimpy Kid Coming in November

2011-05-26T22:21:00.003-05:00

In March, after author Jeff Kinney's fifth book, The Ugly Truth, and second movie adaptation, Rodrick Rules, had been released, he told CBS, "I'm definitely planning more books. I don't feel like I've told all the stories that can be told about these characters." For Wimpy fans who've been waiting on the edge of their seats, the promotional image above, from publisher Abrams, says all there is to say. No title or cover art have been been released; just this frosty six. But this teaser does promise that in November 2011 the sixth installation of the hugely renowned Diary of a Wimpy Kid series will debut.

While you and your students wait for November to arrive, take advantage of the anticipation to encourage students to write a description of the book they imagine when they see the frosty six. Then, they can create a cover design for the Diary of a Wimpy Kid 6 book they predicted.

Transport yourself to a chilly climate this summer as you visit the Wimpy Wonderland at Kinney's website Poptropica.

The game was released just before the sixth book was announced and matches the wintry theme of book six press release. Experience Greg's snowed in town as you help him find his little brother Manny.

Find out about about cool Wimpy cupcakes and how to read the first Wimpy Kid book online. Then learn about Cheese Touch cupcakes and how you can listen to songs by the story's fictional rock star Joshie.

Mother's Day Family Tree

2011-05-08T18:54:00.001-05:00

My Gran as a little girl with her parents and siblings.

Today is Mother's Day, a perfect time for talking and learning about family. Let students think about who their mom's mom is and who her mom was, and soon enough you'll be mapping out an entire family tree.

Begin by reading Joan Sweeney's Me and My Family Tree; for a straightforward explanation of ancestry and how to organize family history in a tree graphic.

Then let students begin writing out their own family's past using one of the free printable trees from Family Tree Templates. Make sure no one feels left out with the Family Tree Kids! Junior Toolkit, which includes free templates for step-families, adopted families, and a cemetery transcription form (a great activity to help kids relate to family visits to the cemetery.) Also check out their free digital tree-maker, which students can use to create their family tree using the computer.

Encourage kids to collect family photos to bring the bygone characters to life.

Then, try your hand at a 3D photo tree like this one from Stumbles & Stitches.

Earth Day: Revamp, Repurpose, Reuse

2011-04-17T19:16:00.004-05:00

When I was a kid in the eighties, we learned about the 3 Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. But, in those days, we spent most of our time talking about just one of those Rs. Recycling was new to lots of communities. The ideas of buying beige, recycled filler paper or of separating cans and newspapers from the rest of the trash were new and a lot to get used to. But, the other parts of the plan are just as important.

This year, for Earth Day, spend some time talking about reusing the things we normally discard. Use your old juice mix containers to contain a collection.

Or, save empty cans and jars to use for gift-giving later.

Get students into the spirit of reuse by reading Antoinette Portis' Not a Box, about all the exciting ways a cardboard box can become so much more.

After the read-aloud, let students get creative and design new purposes for old boxes using the Not a Box printable from Harper Collins. Click Book Activity under the Downloads section.

Finally have students collect discarded items and craft their own conservation inventions.

**Check out the BBQ grill I reused as an herb garden at Urania's Inspiration.

Peter Rabbit and Puppet Shows

2011-04-06T20:00:00.002-05:00

Easter will be here in just a few weeks. This time of year gets me thinking about rabbits. All my favorite bunnies are trouble-makers. There's the lovable wascaly wabbit, Bugs Bunny,

and I always get a laugh out that snide little Happy Bunny with the rude stickers and cards.

My love of rambunctious rabbits also extends to literature. Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit, from The Tale of Peter Rabbit, can scarcely keep himself out of trouble with Mr. McGregor's garden tempting him all the time. Visit PeterRabbit.com to see the classic stories and characters in a whole new light.

Peruse the virtual pop-up book interface to watch video clips, play games, and make crafts. Then make and watch a personalized Peter Rabbit puppet show.

Enter a few bits of information, and then the virtual puppet show will play including references to your student.

After enjoying Potter's stories and the accompanying activities, let students create their own puppet show.

This activity requires no instructions. Give kids puppet and watch them go. They will create stories and characters and plot twists, and they will have fun! If you don't have puppets, there are plenty of cool printable/craftable puppets online.

Egg on Your Face: Egg Dyeing and other fun

2011-04-02T17:34:00.003-05:00

Egg decorating is an old tradition found in many cultures worldwide. In South Africa, archeologists have rescued 60,000 year old ostrich eggshells adorned with decorative markings.


Scientific American

Keep this long-standing artistic tradition alive this Spring.

You can create this cool plaid effect using strips of tape and several colors of dye. I started with this tutorial from Martha Stewart, which recommends adhesive vinyl for stenciling. Instead I tried out some stickers and tapes I had on hand. None of the stickers I tried stuck very well, but I had success with strips of blue painters tape.

1. Cut lots of strips of tape about one centimeter wide.
2. Prepare all your dyes using your preferred method.
3. Wrap eggs with several strips of tape and then dip into first color of dye.
4. After the amount of time suggested in the dyeing instructions, take the eggs out of the first color and allow them to dry a little on a cooling rack or other raised surface.
5. Unwrap strips of tape from egg to reveal blank white lines. Wrap new strips in the opposite direction.
6. Dip eggs into second color. Repeat drying process after appropriate dyeing time.
7. Unwrap tape and reveal plaid eggs!

When your real eggs are all done, decorate virtual eggs with the Incredible Easter Egg Designer at IncredibleEgg.org.

After all the decorating enjoy a good rabbit story or a great Easter egg book, and mark your spot with an Egghead bookmark from Issa at TipJunkie.

Print out the page of nine unique markers, cut around the tongues or teeth, and enjoy an egg-cellent story.

Wimpy Kid at it Again

2011-03-20T14:31:00.002-05:00

In just a few days, the second movie inspired by one of Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, Rodrick Rules will open in theaters across the U.S. Author Kinney is featured in today's issue of Parade Magazine.

If you're excited about the new movie and the Wimpy Kid books, you're not alone. The book series has sold over 47 million copies domestically and many more internationally; the series has been published in 30 languages. Whether you're anticipating the new movie release or just getting into Kinney's journal-like series, visit WimpyKid.com to see the Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick rules movie debut countdown and check out lots of fun, wimpy activities.

Then, listen to the new song by Joshie, Rowley's favorite fictional pop star. For other wimpy ideas and online access to the entire first Wimpy Kid book, check out these ideas I published in November, when book five, was released.

Play Wimp Yourself 2.0 (which is actually exactly like Wimp Yourself 1.0 but still fun) to give your wimpy self a new look. The Wimpy Kid Movie site promises more Rodrick Rules games are to come, so check back after the movie comes out on March 25th.

In the mean time, play a round of Cheese Touch and check out The Party Animal blog's Cheese Touch cupcakes for snack time inspiration.

If you and your student readers have read up all five Wimpy books and are just waiting for the rumored #6, bide your time with some similar, kid-approved series.

My students can't get enough of the Dork Diaries books by Rachel Renee Russell. Also written in a journal format, this series is also realistic fiction about adolescence. Students can visit the Dork Diaries website to create their own comic online.

Another favorite is the Amelia's Notebook series. Marissa Moss has written more than a dozen books, some about elementary school and others about middle school, in the hand-written journal format.

After enjoying some of these series, encourage your students to keep their own journals like the main characters in the books to reinforce writing and reflective learning skills.

Origami Yoda

2011-03-12T23:09:00.001-06:00

A few days ago, I wrote about the Texas Bluebonnet Reading List. One of the books included on the 2011 list is The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger, an illustrated novel about school, preteen dances in the cafeteria, and taking advice from a fortune-telling paper Star Wars character.

At the Origami Yoda site, Angleberger is offering a free signed Origami Yoda to anyone who sends a self-addressed stamped envelope and a nice note.

This offer reminds me of the Free Stuff for Kids book I had in elementary school. I spent lots of afternoons writing off for stickers and other freebies by mail. Today, I mailed off this photo of my husband who loves Yoda. Now, I am excitedly waiting to receive our very own Yoda from Angleberger.

This would be fun activity to build anticipation before reading the book. Students, who tend to be more familiar with digital communication methods, will also benefit from practice writing and addressing a traditional letter.

Mardi Gras - Fat Tuesday - Carnival

2011-03-06T12:52:00.003-06:00

This Tuesday will be Mardi Gras, the last day before Lent brings forty days of sacrifice for Catholic people. Share the traditions of this lively holiday with your students this week.

Start by reading Mimi's First Mardi Gras from Pelican Press, Alice Couvillon and Elizabeth Moore's detailed account of a little girl's first experience at Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Readers will learn about local traditions like beignets for breakfast, Mardi Gras Krewes, Second Line Dancing, and parades with beads, cups and doubloons. This story is long, but Marilyn Carter Rougelot's beautifully detailed illustrations will engage attentive audiences. If the story is too long for your time frame, the illustrations alone can supplement a description of New Orleans Mardi Gras traditions.

After reading the story, let students make shoe box Mardi Gras floats or masks using the traditional Mardi Gras colors: green, purple and gold. Listen to streaming Mardi Gras music from Basin Street Records while you craft.

Finish up your study with a Mardi Gras treat. Learn to make a King Cake and then retell the tradition that says the person who finds the tiny toy baby inside the cake will host the next King Cake party.

Texas Bluebonnet List

2011-02-27T17:43:00.004-06:00

Here in Texas, the state library association creates an annual reading list for 3rd-6th graders called the Bluebonnet Reading List. The best part about the Bluebonnet list is that any student who reads five or more of the books gets to vote for their favorite. The book that receives the most votes state-wide receives the annual Texas Bluebonnet Award.

Check out my 2011 Bluebonnet promotional prezi.

If you haven't tried prezi yet, do it. It just takes a little while to get used to the functions, but then you have lots of exciting new options to help your presentations get and hold viewers' attention.

The most recent winner was The Uglified Ducky by Willy Claflin. The modern retelling of The Ugly Duckling earned 43,146 votes from Texas students. If you're looking for a well-rounded list of new books, the Bluebonnet list is usually a good place to check. Last year, my students and I enjoyed picks like Squirrel's World by Lisa Moser and The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau by Dan Yaccarino.

This year, I am especially looking forward to reading Imogene's Last Stand by Candace Fleming, The Extraordinary Mark Twain by Barbara Kerley, and Black Elk's Vision by S.D. Nelson.

If you live in Texas, which Bluebonnet books are you excited about this year? If you live in another place, which lists to do you turn to for interesting new books?

Free Black History Month Cookbook

2011-02-12T18:39:00.001-06:00

February is Black History Month. If you use any Coca-Cola products, you can get a free commemorative cookbook via My Coke Rewards. Celebrate the Taste of Black History includes recipes by Chef G. Garvin, poems by Brooke Campbell an illustrations by Kadir Nelson. You can view the contents of the book on the promotion website.

This book would make a fun addition to a study of award-winning illustrator Kadir Nelson who has contributed to beautiful books about Jackie Robinson, Harriet Tubman, Coretta Scott King, Joe Louis, Michael Jordan, and Negro League Baseball.

Once you sign up with My Coke Rewards, enter blackhistory, the promotion code for the cookbook. Then you will need product codes from three Coca-Cola items.

Valentine's Printables and Fun

2011-02-05T05:00:00.001-06:00

Valentine's Day will be here before we know it. Here are a few Valentine's printables and ideas that I found too irresistible to ignore.

Deck out your learning space with this adorable Valentine's garland from Skip to My Lou. Just print the graphics on pastel card stock to create this conversation-heart-inspired decor.

If you have a lot of broken crayons that have fallen out of favor, this punny Valetine is a winner. My students love to help sort broken crayons into groups by color so that I can make and deliver new ones that are swirly and fun-shaped like the ones above.

Make this age-old idea a new Valentine tradition by following Chef Messy's tutorial. I'm a sucker for a pun, but these cards are too cute, reading "Happy Valentine's Day for CRAYON out loud!"

If you're hoping NOT to give out candy but still want to share a treat, check out this iPod cracker pack craft at Everything That is Nice.

These printable Valentines from One Charming Party are full of school-age sentiments. Just print, cut, personalize and share.

Snowflake Bentley

2011-02-04T10:08:00.002-06:00

Today we are having a Texas snow day! As you can see, it's more of a slightly icy day, but any weather this cold is confusing for poor, unsuspecting cowboys.

If you are cooped up indoors with kiddos to occupy, spend some time learning about Wilson "Snowflake" Bentley.

Snowflake Bentley was a snowflake enthusiast from Jericho, Vermont. Fascinated by snowflakes as a child, Bentley convinced his parents to save up for a special microscope-camera. Each year, he carefully collected snowflakes to photograph using his unique camera.

Get students interested in Bentley's work by sharing Jacqueline Briggs Martin's story Snowflake Bentley. Snowflake Bentley won the 1999 Caldecott Award for it's illustrations by Mary Azarian. Find curriculum connections for the story when you visit Briggs Martin's site.

After reading the biography which includes a few of Bentley's snowflake photographs, explore so many more at SnowflakeBentley.com. You may be surprised to learn that students (especially those in warm climates) don't realize that real snowflakes are even more detailed and beautiful than the paper ones we make in class. If your little learners can't get enough, visit Caltech's Snow Crystals site to see more snowflakes, watch snow flakes form, perform snow activities and experiments, and find out if it's true that every snowflake is unique.

When it's time to take a break from reading, let students create their own snowflakes with this recycling-craft tutorial from Alphamom. Then click back over to SnowflakeBentley.com to play a snowy version of memory.

Images from SnowflakeBentley.com, Jacquline Briggs Martin, and Alphamom.

Penguins!

2011-01-25T19:47:00.003-06:00

There's something about penguins that makes them irresistible. The way they waddle so awkwardly in their tuxedo-like skin and then slide and dive and swim gracefully is just intriguing. While it's cold outside, celebrate cold-climate life with a penguin storytime.

Antarctic Antics by Judy Sierra is a fun book of rhyming poems about Emperor penguins. Share a few or a bunch of the poems depending on the amount of time you have, but don't worry about loosing students' attention. Sierra's poems have a catchy cadence, and each one is cram-packed with bits of true information about penguins' habits, features, and adaptations. The illustrations and endearing poems will engage little listeners, but older students will enjoy the rhyming science as well. This book could also make a fun introduction for a life science lesson. Read one of the poems, "Regurgitate," at Judy Sierra's site.

Your Personal Penguin by Sandra Boynton is a happy penguin friendship story that can be appreciated by all ages. The best part about this book is that it comes with a cool musical version of the story that's sung by Davy Jones of The Monkees. Visit the Workman Publishing site to hear the song, download the song, or see this neat video of Davy Jones recording "Your Personal Penguin" in the studio.

I have shared this book and song with students for the last five years, and it has never failed. Young students especially enjoy singing along with the song and waddling like a penguin.

After the read-aloud, take advantage of the theme to teach a geography lesson.

Use this interactive map to show where penguins live around the world. Students can click on the red areas to find out lots more about the types of penguins indigenous to each area.

Visit Penguins of the Antarctic by PBS to see this cool, interactive map of penguin distribution in Antarctica. You can use the map to compare the locations of different types of penguins on the continent.

Finally, let students make their own personal penguin with this super simple shape craft. First, students glue a small white oval onto a large black oval. Discuss the colors and shapes as you go along. Next, two small white circle make the penguin's eyes. Finally, students use three small orange triangles to make a bill and feet. All they need is a little glue. I think glue sticks are less messy, so that's what I like to use.

If you have extra time, students can use crayons to add more details to their penguins.

Winter Storytime

2011-01-21T18:03:00.001-06:00

Cold days are an especially great time for reading good books. This winter, I have run across a couple of wintery books that make super read-alouds. Both of these stood my two-fold, read-aloud test. First, the book must hold the attention of large groups of elementary students of various ages. Second, and perhaps more importantly, it should be fun (for the reader) to read, even on the 18th or 25th time through.

Winter Woes by Marty Kelley, is a funny rhyming story about a very worried boy planning how to spend a snowy day. This story has mega kid-appeal. My students love watching the boys' imaginative story about being so cold his boogers freeze when his nose runs.

Robert Sabuda's Winter's Tale has a totally different, but equally powerful, appeal.

If you've read any of Sabuda's pop-up books, you know you're in for a treat. This book depicts winter scenes filled with forest animals surrounded in shimmering snow and ice. My students literally ooed and awed as each page opened up to reveal its 3D paper artistry.

Before indoor recess leaves you fit to be tied, share one of these books with your weather-bound learners. Then let me know what book is your favorite winter read-aloud.

Free Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Materials

2011-01-09T20:24:00.000-06:00

Check out MLKDay.gov, The Corporation for National Community Service's Martin Luther King, Jr. Day page, to order free bookmarks, sticker, posters and other materials to help you share the upcoming holiday with your students.

Then read my Martin Luther King Day article from last year to find links and resources for teaching about Martin Luther King, Jr. and the holiday that commemorates him.

Image from MLKDay.org.

Free Printable, Foldable Calendars

2011-01-05T20:11:00.001-06:00

Here in the midst of winter and at the very beginning of a new year, it's the perfect time for a wintery printable calendar. Visit the Curiosity Calendar of the Month Club to find this amazing printable, foldable Yeti calendar.

CuriosityGroup.com

As a bonus, you will get a Yeti limerick along with the easy-to-construct foldable. After having an abominable snowman sighting of your own, then look forward to eleven more months of adorable 3D calendars.

2010: The Numbers

2011-01-01T18:55:00.001-06:00

Hello 2011! 2010 was an exciting year. I wrote my 100th Librarianism Chronicles post. I got a new job as a school librarian, and I finished another semester of my MLS program, ending the decade on a good note. So, as we leave a great year behind, here are the Top 10 most popular Librarianism Chronicles posts of 2010:

1. Mythology and The Lightning Thief

2. Force and Motion

3. Chemistry and Chameleons

4. Bulletin Board Shortcut

5. Printable Vintage Valentines

ggmossgirl

6. Period Costume Paper Doll

doe-c-doe

7. Springtime Butterflies

Bugs and Fishes

8. More Free Printable Valentines

Style Crush

9. Classroom Organization Printables

Instant Displays

10. Tools for New Years Resolution Success

Love.Obsess.Inspire

High Five: Author's Sites

2011-01-01T00:44:00.002-06:00

Visiting an author's website can be a fun way to learn more about books you like and the people who wrote them. Lots of authors offer information about themselves and the books they've written. But, some author's sites go the extra mile. Here, in alphabetical order, are my five favorite children's book author's sites and why I love them.

1. Jan Brett
Jan Brett is the author and illustrator of dozens of books for children. Each of Brett's books are jam-packed with beautiful, meticulously detailed drawings. At JanBrett.com, you can have lots more fun will Brett's amazing illustrations. Visit the Activities, Coloring Pages, and Murals links to find hundreds of free printable gems that correspond with and use characters from Brett's books. The amazing offerings are FAR too many to list. A few cool examples are bookmarks, calendars, murals of her books' scenes, math flashcards, and this fantastic Chinese Zodiac Chart.

2. Dav Pilkey
Dav Pilkey is best known as the author of the Captain Underpants series about two fourth graders and a superhero who is really the nice alter-ego of their grouchy school principal. Captain Underpants and Pilkey's many other books are featured at Pilkey.com. Pilkey's site is designed in keeping with the imaginative, irreverent style that made kids fall in love with his books. Visit the Groovy Games pages to find bunches of online games featuring Pilkey's characters, and check out Junk, Stuff, and Thingies to find coloring pages, e-cards, music, and Pilkey's entire first book, World War Won. Find even more goodies by visiting the Duh? and New Stuff links.

3. Judy Schachner
Judy Schachner is the author of Skippyjon Jones, one of my most favorite picture books. At SkippyjonJones.com, visit the Downloads page to find cool wallpapers, worksheets, and coloring pages. Click over to the Teachers page to find curriculum connections, a readers' theater script, and other activities to go with the Skippyjon books. Also check out the Videos and Games pages.

4. Marilyn Scott-Waters
Marilyn Scott-Waters is the author of The Toymaker and The Toymaker's Christmas. TheToymaker.com is filled to the brim with printable fun. Click over to the Free Toys page to find a long list of detailed, colorful illustrations to print and play with. Finger puppets, stationery, a fairy wand and a bunny bowling set are among the prizes Scott-Waters offers. Then check out the Holidays page to get printable activities for holidays through the year.

5. Shel Silverstein
Shel Silverstein was an amazing multi-talented artist who has been one of my favorite authors since I was in elementary school. Over ten years since Silverstein's death, students still can't get enough of the unique and usually silly poetry in A Light in the Attic and Where the Sidewalk Ends. ShelSilverstein.com has tons of cool resources for kids and adults including e-cards, online games, animated poems, Poetry Month activities and lots more.

Images from JanBrett.com, Pilkey.com, TheToymaker.com, SkippyjonJones.com.

High Five: Contingency Plan Tools

2010-12-31T13:21:00.001-06:00

The end of a year is the perfect time to reflect and regroup, recalling the best ideas, tools, and strategies of the year in order to make use of them in the future. Looking over my last year, I have compiled some lists of the things I have found to make my life as an educator simple. As we approach the new year, I will be sharing this series of High Fives.

When you work with children, you know that having a plan B is just as important as plan A. Many beautifully planned activities have to be suddenly abandoned due to unexpected technical difficulties, unpredictable student disinterest, and other impossible-to-expect obstacles. The last thing an educator wants is to have a room full of bored students. As has been said for centuries, idle hands are the devil's workshop. When things go wrong, and the little hands in front of me are beginning to look for mischief, I pull out one of these no-fail, no-prep-required tools. Then, while students are occupied, I can focus (some of) my attention on writing passes to the nurse, restarting computers, or otherwise handling whatever excitement has come up.

1. Shortcuts by Jeff Harris

My very first post on this blog in 2008 featured Jeff Harris' weekly learning comics called Shortcuts. Harris' cool activity pages are published each week in lots of newspapers around the country. Cut these out and laminate them for easy-as-pie independent learning. Wet-erase markers (such as Vis-a-Vis) seem to work best for us. Just a spritz of water and a paper towel leave these ready to go for next time. To extend this activity, check out the Shortcuts Teaching Guides page which includes ideas for turning the comics into a full-fledged lesson. This page also lists the topics that will be featured over the next few months, meaning you can plan ahead to include a Shortcut in a future lesson.

2. Sesamestreet.org

The Videos page on Sesame Street's website has 1000 segments from Sesame Street episodes going back decades. If you're like me, you can recall parts of your own favorite episodes from childhood, and you are likely to find those classic clips. This fall, I was teaching students about community heroes, and I remembered the "People in Your Neighborhood" song. Turns out the site has several of these segments featuring all kinds of helpers like a grocer, a lifeguard and a dentist. But, the best part of this tool is that once you get it started, it doesn't require any other adult attention. For example, if you type Kwanzaa into the Search Videos box, many related videos will appear as results. Once you press play on the first video, it will play through. When it ends, the next video from the search results will begin and so on. Once the search results are exhausted, other clips will play. This can mean several minutes of problem-solving time available for the grown-up.

3. Puzzles

Jigsaw puzzles help students develop problem solving, logical thinking, and spatial relation skills. They also help with students' hand-eye coordination, perseverance, and cooperation (when shared). But the best thing about puzzles when you're in a planning pinch, is that they are ready to go. I pick up puzzles, as well as the next two items in this High Five list, at dollar stores and in Target's Dollar Spot. If you help students build a habit of checking their area for stray pieces at the end of each playtime, these $1 puzzles will last through many, many uses.

4. Flash Cards

Flash cards often get a bad reputation. However, I have had great success letting students have free play time with the colorful flashcard sets you can buy at Target and the dollar stores. My 5th grade students loved to challenge each other using Solar System or World Landmarks sets (both from Target). Students love to stack up all the cards they answered correctly and marvel at their own success. In no time, learners will memorize tons of facts of the sort that are frequently featured on standardized tests. I always let students make up their own rules for flash card play. This keeps the activity pretty stress-free and creates time for me to handle other dilemmas.

5. Dry-Erase Activity Mats

Target's Dollar Spot also frequently has these dry-erase activity mats that come with their own marker and eraser. Each page is two-sided and focuses on a specific topic. I have used these for Math, Science, Social Studies and Foreign Language reinforcement. Like the activities above, these mats are totally independent and require basically no preparation. If you lose the little foam eraser or the little marker, students can use dry-erase markers and paper towels to continue playing and learning.

Sesame Street image from Sesamestreet.org. Flash card image from Monkey See Monkey Do. Wipe-off map image from The Snail's Trail.

3...2...1 -- Holiday Countdown Calendars

2010-12-19T20:43:00.001-06:00

With just a few days between here and Christmas, there is a shared mood of anticipation. Kids and adults alike are distracted from daily routines by thoughts of travel, food, family, and gifts. When an exciting event is just around the corner, countdown calendars can be a fun way to mark time until the main attraction.

Since I was in school, I've enjoyed marking the corners of my calendar pages with little numbers and then crossing them out each day as winter, spring, and summer breaks approached. Turn this practice into a fun tradition by making a countdown calendar you can use and reuse.

This felt Christmas light version from Elsie Marley conceals a small treat for each of the December days leading up to Christmas.

This coloring calendar from Alphamom is customizable and simple. There are two free templates available to print and make your own. One has 24 windows, and the other has eight. These templates are perfect for Christmas and Hanukkah, but they could also be customized for any other event: the twenty four days before a birthday; the last eight days before school starts.

d.Sharp has an envelope calendar idea with free printable numbers. The tutorial suggests filling the envelopes with small treats or activity ideas. This system could easily be customized for various holidays and events by changing the amount of envelopes and the treats and activities inside.

This library pocket variation by The Crafting Chicks is also completely customizable and also comes with free printable numbers.

The advent garland tutorial recommends filling each pocket with an activity idea like making hot chocolate or driving around to look at lights.

Oh Happy Day has a long list of fun ideas for a holiday activity calendar. It might also be fun to let students make up their own ideas for the activity cards, leaving just the order of events as a surprise.

Images from Elsie Marley, Alphamom, dSharp, The Crafting Chicks.

Christmas Bookmark / Ornament / Puppet printables

2010-12-09T00:14:00.000-06:00

Baby it's cold outside, so while you're cozy indoors, scurry over to Wild Olive to get this fantastic set of holiday printables along with another nativity set. Both bunches of holiday characters would make perfect decorations, but they can also be used as bookmarks. Just print and cut to have festive placeholders for students' books. Also, as Mollie suggests, these would make whiz-bang puppets when glued to popsicle sticks. Students could write and act out stories for the Christmas characters.

Image from Wild Olive.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

2010-11-09T22:52:00.002-06:00

The fifth book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, The Ugly Truth, was released today. My students cannot get enough of the Wimpy Kid. Each of our library's copies of all four Wimpy Kid books, in English and in Spanish, has a hold list a mile long. Bunches of students pre-ordered The Ugly Truth through our recent book fair. So I figure I'd better do as the Romans and get wimpy.

Begin by re-imagining yourself as a wimpy kid. Visit the Wimpy Kid website's Wimp Yourself page to create an image of your inner-wimp.

Get the Book 4 Event Kit to get several printable Wimpy Kid games including a Secret Word Game that works like Scattergories.

Students can make their own comics online at Make Beliefs Comix. Then, find worksheets that correspond with the series at Scholastic.

To get started reading right away, go to Fun Brain where the original Diary of a Wimpy Kid book is available to view online.

If you need a snack after all of that fun, get inspired by these Wimpy Kid cupcakes at Momma D and Da Boyz.

Images from WimpyKid.com, FunBrain, and Momma D and Da Boyz.

Something Squirrely

2010-11-05T22:31:00.002-05:00

Squirrels, with their big bushy tails and little acorn-holding paws, are one of the fun things about autumn. If you're feeling squirrely, check out a few fun squirrel stories to read and share.

Squirrel's World by Lisa Moser is one of my new favorite read-alouds. Squirrel is active and eager to help his friends or just spend time with them. But in the midst of all his excitement, Squirrel manages to get in the way. Students listen and laugh at Squirrel and his silly mistakes.

Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend by Melanie Watt is another funny squirrel tale. This book is better to share with a small group than a crowd, because it contains lots of funny side notes that a crowd may not be able to see. In Watt's story, Squirrel must face all sorts of fears in order to make a new friend and not be lonely any more.

To keep the squirrel theme going while learning about signs of autumn, check out Leaf Trouble by Jonathan Emmett. Pip Squirrel is experiencing his first fall, and he's very worried about all the leaves falling off of the tree he and his family live in. Students will giggle as Pip convinces his sister to help him collect ALL the leaves that have fallen from their tree and try to reattach them. They will also learn about a natural cycle that occurs in trees each year.

After all the squirrely stories, enjoy a squirrely song. You can see the lyrics and hear the tune for "Grey Squirrel," a traditional children's song, at Kids' Music Town. My students thought this song was hilarious, especially the "shake your bushy tail" part.

Then check out The Crafty Crow's round up of squirrel crafts including this pine cone cutie from Family Crafts.

Spook Your Space

2010-10-24T13:37:00.000-05:00

With Halloween just a week away, it's time to kick your spooky spirit into full gear. If you are teaching about or celebrating the haunted holiday this week, check out these easy thematic ideas to put on the finishing touches.

Tricia-Rennae is sharing these adorable candy corn place cards courtesy of Shy Socialittles party shop. Although these are intended to clarify where guests should sit at dinner, without the little feet, these smiling candies would be great as name tags. Punch holes in the tops, and these could be strung into a fun and festive garland. Also, you could cut each candy shape in half to create any sort of matching game. One side could be a capital letter while the other shows the lower case, or one side could have a word beginning while the other has an ending.

Once the scene is set, enjoy Dav Pilkey's The Hallo-Wiener, a story about making friends and Halloween fun.

This story is silly and fun, and it makes a great read-aloud. While the moral unfolds, students will enjoy Pilkey's colorful and comical illustrations. Adult readers may also enjoy this story which includes a classroom full of dog students whose tie-wearing dog teacher is reading a book called "Dogs Who Hate Fleas and the Fleas Who Love Them."

After the story, visit The Hallo-Wiener page at Pilkey.com where you can find a quiz for the book as well as a coloring page, a word find, a crossword puzzle, and a promise that two more books featuring Oscar the dachshund will be coming out soon.

Images from Tricia-Rennea and Pilkey.com.

Xtranormal Fun

2010-10-12T22:26:00.005-05:00

As a teacher, I have spent lots of time being frustrated about last-minute software incompatibilities that have turned a lesson I spent nights preparing at home into a huge waste of time. When the computers at work don't have the same programs or versions I use at home, all my hard work becomes worthless. For this reason, I am a huge fan of all the cool new free web-based tools that can replace (and often improve on) tried-and-true for-purchase software.

Today, my favorite tool is Xtranormal. This program lets you make a cartoon with customizable characters, scenery, sound effects, camera angles and more. Just type in the text your want the characters to recite, add in gestures and expressions, and click Publish.

Check out my very first movie! It's a book fair promotion.

This would be a fun tool to freshen up an otherwise less-than-thrilling lecture. Students could use this tool to create book reports or presentations. Once you publish, you can just copy the link to your movie and paste it anywhere you want to share.

The only downer with this program is that users have access to other people's movies. Students could easily meander onto the Watch Movies page and view whatever content other users have posted. Students' use of this site may need to be monitored closely.

Monster Bowling

2010-10-11T21:11:00.012-05:00

If you are preparing for a fall carnival or looking for a fun physical activity for this time of year, monster bowling is the perfect solution.

Start by rounding up empty 2-liter bottles. You'll need 9 bottles to play, but we made a few extra to have ready in case one rolls across the room during a game. Next wrap each bottle with construction paper and draw on their monster faces. Get creative. We made ghosts, vampires, skulls, Frankenstein and other monster-y creatures.

Once the monsters are decorated, you need to set up your bowling alley. We used a long sheet of butcher paper and cardboard boxes to lay out a lane.
To make this event extra festive, let students use small pumpkins as bowling balls. Have an extra on hand in case an excited bowler tosses a pumpkin with too much force and busts it open.

This activity is good exercise for the bowlers, but boy is it a workout for the person resetting the pins after each turn. Notice the look of exhaustion.
Avoid this phenomenon by allowing student helpers to round up and reset the pins after each turn.

You can bring this activity back for repeat appearances in other parts of the year by modifying the theme...Cupid Bowling, Leprechaun Bowling, the possibilities are endless.

Columbus Day

2010-10-10T17:43:00.019-05:00

On August 3, 1492, Christopher Columbus and his crew of 87 men set sail from the coast of Spain to explore the ocean to the west and attempt a journey to India.

In the U.S., the second Monday in October is Columbus Day, a celebration of the landfall in the Americas by Columbus' famous Santa Maria, Pinta and Niña. This holiday provides the perfect opportunity to teach about perspectives, cultural diffusion, and navigation tools.

Explore the background of this holiday by visiting the Library of Congress' Hispanic Exploration in America page which features primary documents like The First Voyage which depicts Columbus' farewell to Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand. Find a guide to analyzing primary sources in the LOC teacher tools section.

Also visit the Library of Congress' 1492: An Ongoing Voyage to see Columbus' coat of arms, which was printed in Christopher Columbus: His Book Of Privileges. This 1502 book outlined the rewards Columbus was granted by Isabella and Ferdinand for his successful first journey. Then explore the exhibit to see other primary documents related to the discovery of the Americas.

Explore the geography of Columbus' first voyage starting with Palos de la Frontera, Spain. Continue on Columbus' route through the Canary Islands and then to San Salvador and other islands of the Bahamas, as well as Cuba and Haiti.
Finally, check out the Columbus Monument in Barcelona, which marks the place where Columbus returned in the Niña to Spain. These photos of the monument and the port are from my trip this past summer. Seeing this spot brought new clarity to a story I've heard my whole life.

After studying all of that history and geography, let students practice map-making by drawing a map of the classroom or their route to school. Discuss navigation tools such as the compass, star charts, and the telescope. Then visit Kaboose's Columbus Day crafts page to find tutorials for telescopes and binoculars made of cardboard tubes.

Images from my collection and from the LOC.

Classroom Organization Printables

2010-10-03T15:35:00.008-05:00

One of the most important keys to a well-run class is organization. Activities happen according to a schedule, students follow routines, and everything has a place to be neatly stored. But, all those systems take lots of time, resourcefulness and ingenuity. To get started organizing your classroom or rehaul some of your old systems check out these resources for printable signs and organizers.

Instant Display has bunches of printable poster sets for all kinds of situations. You can get a whole set of palindrome posters, like the ones above, as well as continents, idioms, contraction cards, synonyms, world flags, foreign language and sign language tools, and much more.

Then visit author and illustrator Jan Brett's site which is loaded with classroom printables. Go to the printable games page to get the beautifully illustrated animal matching cards above and lots of other flash cards sets, boards games, and puzzles. Hop over to Brett's classroom signs page to get posters for learning centers. Librarians can also print Brett's illustrated Dewey decimal system posters from the library signs page. Then check out her days of the week cards, field trip name tags, and incentive charts.

Images from Instant Display and Jan Brett.

This Book Belongs To...

2010-09-25T16:24:00.008-05:00

Organizing a personal library is not an innate skill for most children. Without clear instructions and modeling, even eager helpers are likely to stack and pile books in directions and categories that you never imagined. In the beginning, just focus on getting all the books right-side-up with their spines facing out. Then you can use the organizing process to build awareness of genres and/or alphabetizing.

To instill a sense of ownership and appreciation for your classroom or home library, let little readers label their books with fancy book plates. This makes book lending simple. Friends can share books and easily remember where to return the ones they borrow.

To get started, here are a bunch of cool, free printable book plates. Print them out on sticker paper, so you can snip them apart to use right away.

Get these sweet and summery illustrated book plates from Issa at Executive Homemaker.

Find this set of colorful, animal book plates, designed by Shirley Ng-Benitez, at Frugal Life Project.

Also take a look at these fairytale perfect printable book plates from Lizzy House.

I love the cool 3D-look of the printable plates from Squish, Suzanne del Rizzo's dimensional illustration blog.

Images from Executive Homemaker, Frugal Life Project, Lizzy House, Squish.

Secret Messages

2010-09-11T20:25:00.008-05:00

As a kid, I loved codes, "secret" passageways, and optical illusions. Anything that seems to happen mysteriously is a fun experience for kids and grown-ups alike. When you're in the mood for a little seemingly unexplainable fun (or you're learning about chemical reactions), this secret message activity is the perfect solution.

Students start with a blank piece of paper, some q-tips and some acidic liquids. In my class we tried out milk and lemon juice. Using a q-tip as a brush and the liquids as invisible ink, students can draw or write any secret picture or message they'd like.
Once the painting is done, the next step is to reveal the hidden message. We started with the iron on very low, but then we ended up turning it up a little bit to make the message appear darker. The heat from the iron will burn up the acidic liquids, turning the paper dark in places that were painted.
We found that the lemon juice appeared much more clearly than the milk. It would be fun to test and compare the results of using several different "paints." This activity would also work in a social studies lesson on espionage.

Bulletin Board Shortcut

2010-08-21T11:03:00.004-05:00

With school kicking off, teachers everywhere are busy creating welcoming bulletin boards that will soon display exemplary student work. When I moved from teaching middle school to elementary school, I learned a trick that's well known among lower-grade teachers but a secret to many in the upper grades.
Instead of stapling student projects and papers directly to the wall, clothes pins can be used to attach the work examples to a row of background papers. Students will constantly create new work products, and this method allows the display to be changed just as often. I was able to use these purple background sheets for the entire school year last year. When we were ready to display something new, I just pulled down the old papers and clipped up new ones.

The plastic clothes pins pictured above can be replaced with wire paper clips, fancy plastic paper clips or wooden clothes pins which are easy to paint and repaint for each year's theme. Some large projects need two pins to keep them from curling.

More Fun Back-to-School Stuff

2010-08-13T22:34:00.003-05:00

Click over to Babalisme for this cool page of back to school labels, perfect for sprucing up lunch bags and school supplies.

Image from Babalisme.

Back to School Printables

2010-08-12T16:47:00.010-05:00

It's that time again. It's the time of the year when I creep cautiously out of my summer schedule into the alarm clock and coffee mornings of the school year. As much as I hate to give up sleeping 'til I wake up and staying up as late as I feel like all summer, there is something very fun about the beginning of the school year, full of possibilities and excuses to get new school supplies.
If you also love the smell of a fresh box of crayons and the excitement of selecting new pens and folders, then you'll enjoy these free printable back-to-school themed notecards from Tricia-Rennea.
These colorful illustrations would be perfect for lunchbox notes, teacher or carpool gift tags, or encouraging notes from teachers to students.

Then visit Don't Eat the Paste for this fantastic printable multiplication, geometry, punctuation and color wheel review cube. Print the free pdf and fold into a cube for classroom review or homework practice. Then check out the Don't Eat the Paste printable name tags.Images from Tricia-Rennea and Don't Eat the Paste.

Ramona Reading, Watching, and Fun

2010-07-13T07:45:00.007-05:00

In just ten days, Ramona and Beezus will debut on the silver screen. As a kid, I loved reading Beverly Cleary's Ramona books. I appreciated Ramona's good intentions and thought Beezus might be a little exasperating (a word I learned the first time I read Beezus and Ramona) herself. And, I was not alone. Although Ramona began in the 1950s as a spin-off character from Cleary's Henry Huggins stories, the rambunctious character became a world-wide sensation and won Cleary many awards and honors.

If you're trying to build enthusiasm before reading the Ramona books or extend learning after finishing one of the stories, check out the Host a Ramona Quimby Party link at BeverlyCleary.com. The kit is jammed full of activities including a crossword puzzle, a quiz, and a Ramona door hanger.When you're ready to dive into the first story, don't even worry about leaving home. Harper Collins has the entire Beezus and Ramona book available online for free, complete with illustrations.

Find out how well you know Ramona Quimby with the Ramona & Friends Trivia Challenge at BeverlyCleary.com. Then explore Ramona's neighborhood with the interactive map, also on Cleary's site.
After exploring Cleary's site, play Reach for the Stars on the Ramona and Beezus movie site.

After all that fun, tie in a bit of art and geography by telling students about the Beverly Cleary Sculpture Garden for Children in Portland, Oregon's Grant Park. Cleary used many real Oregon locations in her many children's books, and so the park added several sculptures of Cleary characters in 1995, including a bronze statue of Ramona.
Images from BeverlyCleary.com, RamonaandBeezus.com, and Multnomah County Library.

Free Kids' Music

2010-06-11T13:20:00.008-05:00

Summertime often means entertaining kids for long stretches of time. Whether you're a parent sharing the space of a car with children on a road trip or a summer school teacher coaxing the last bit of attention span from students, music can be a perfect solution. Check out this list of free kids' music resources.

Visit Free Kids Music to find bunches of songs for little ears available for free download. The site's front page features new offerings, and you can search for songs by artist's name.

Jitterbug is a site devoted to adult-approved "music for hip kids." Lots of modern kids' songs are available to stream from the site. Search by artist's name or category. Select the song you want to hear, and a YouTube video of the song will begin playing on the Jitterbug page.You can also select the Radio tab for streaming music chosen by the site.

Kiddie Records Weekly is a huge collection of 1940s and 50s children's records. Music and children's books from old records has been uploaded and made available for download or streaming from the site.Kiddie Records has lots of great book recordings like Horton Hatches the Egg and other Dr. Suess classics and Disney favorites like Dumbo.

Gooney Bird Kids is a blog about kids' music. They maintain a list of free kids' music downloads available from artists and companies.

Images from Jitterbug and Kiddie Records.

Memorial Day Activities

2010-05-30T08:35:00.007-05:00

Memorial Day is a U.S. holiday designated for remembering men and women who died serving in the military. The last Monday in May has been set aside since just after the Civil War, but it became an official federal holiday in 1971. The first celebrations of the holiday were called Decoration Day. Thousands of people assembled to put flowers and decorations on fallen soldiers' graves.

Visit Skip to My Lou for a printable Uncle Sam Hat pattern, perfect for this weekend or any of the upcoming patriotic holidays (Flag Day is June 14, Independence Day is July 4, Constitution Day is September 17). Just print the free pattern, and students can easily assemble their own personal American flag top hat.
Then try your hand at Skip to My Lou's Patriotic Pinwheel. Printable patterns come in small, medium and large.
When all the crafting is done, read Patricia Polacco's book Pink and Say to learn about the difficulties endured by soldiers in the U.S. Civil War.

Craft images from Skip to My Lou.

Sort it Out Engineering Lab

2010-05-23T20:32:00.009-05:00

Earlier this month, schools around the U.S. celebrated National Lab Day with hands-on science learning experiences. Students in my district completed the Sort it Out experiment provided by Try Engineering.

Before beginning the lab, students can be briefed on the role of engineers through the Discover Engineering website introduction and What's Engineering page. For this experiment, students begin by collecting household materials including cardboard, wire hangers, and disposable plates and cups. Then students work in teams to plan out the design for a machine that will sort coins or buttons by size.
In my classes, this phase took most of a 45-minute class period. On the second day, students request the materials they need and begin construction of their machines.
Construction in my classes took an hour or more. After students have built their machines, it's time for testing.
As you can see, the approaches were many and varied. Some of the machines worked well, while others had low accuracy rates. This creates a great opportunity to discuss the scientific method and the fact that incorrect hypotheses are just a chance to try again.

Once the machines have all been tested, students can reflect and write reports of their success rates and possible ways to improve the machines.

Since the materials for this experiment are all reused junk, this lab would tie in well with a unit on environmental science and conservation.

Organized Recycling

2010-04-20T21:09:00.005-05:00

If you and your students are recycling in the classroom, checkout Jinjerup's cheerful recycling labels. Just print on adhesive paper, cut on the dotted lines, stick, et voila!

These labels could also be printed and laminated for a sorting activity. Students can organize images of items by which bin each one should be disposed in. Older students could cut out magazine pictures to represent the things that should be dumped in each bin.

Image from Jinjerup.

Earth Month

2010-04-15T22:02:00.008-05:00

I like to approach the entire month of April as the Earth Day Season. Every year, I offer my students the Extra Credit Recycling Challenge, inspired by ReadyMade magazine's MacGyver Challenge column, wherein readers are challenged each month to create something great using an item destined for the dumpster. In return I get all kinds of crafty cardboard box cabinets and tin can pencil cups through which students learned about creativity and conservation. The latter is a required learning objective; the former is a bonus!

So, in the spirit of Earth Month, here are some of my favorite re-use projects from here and there.
Learn how to sew juice pouches into a pencil bag with Skip to My Lou's tutorial.
Or, if you have a lot of juice pouches, visit Thrifty Fun to get instructions for making this tote bag.
For a different take on the recycled pencil holder, check out Craftzine's cereal box pencil case tutorial.
Perhaps most appropriate for this time of year when school is ending and supplies have been all used up is this jump rope made of dried up markers. Visit Mommy on a Shoestring for the complete tutorial.

Images from Skip to My Lou, Thrifty Fun, Craftzine, Mommy on a Shoestring.

Bird Brain

2010-04-09T21:00:00.011-05:00

Nothing conveys the arrival of springtime more than the sound and sight of chirping birds. Set the scene for Spring learning with this bird mobile from French site Tomlitoo. Students can learn about these and other birds at whatbird where they can look up birds by name, location, shape, or color and even hear their calls.

Then get this print and fold origami bird made by Jacque Lynn Davis,

or turn an unfinished wooden bird house into a homemade bird feeder that can be remade again and again with instructions from Sewing in the Wendy City.

Images from Tomlitoo, Jacque Davis, and Sewing in the Wendy City.

Springtime Butterflies

2010-03-21T15:38:00.008-05:00

Today is the first day of Spring. To bring a little springtime into your learning space, visit Bugs and Fishes where there are step by step instructions for this butterfly garland.
With just paper doilies, construction paper, and string, students can assemble these cheerful decorations which look fantastic in the window here, but would also work great across a Spring bulletin board or hanging from the ceiling, if your fire code allows. Bugs and Fishes even provides a template for the butterfly.
Also check out this felt and pom pom mobile variation on the butterfly decoration.

Images from Bugs and Fishes.

Cracked Shell Egg Dying

2010-03-16T20:55:00.011-05:00

If you're looking for a way to spice up egg dying, try rolling hard-boiled eggs on the counter to gently crack the shell before dipping in dye. After the dyed eggs have dried, remove the cracked shell to reveal colorful boiled egg whites reminiscent of rocks.
EHow has a tutorial for this cracked shell egg dying method using natural tea-based dyes. The eggs above were dyed with regular food coloring.

After dying eggs, visit author Jan Brett's site to get this Easter egg coloring page.
Then watch Jan Brett's video about her new springtime book, The Easter Egg, an egg-decorating story.

Coloring page image from Jan Brett.

Easter Egg Fun

2010-03-15T06:53:00.006-05:00

Egg-decorating is a tradition thousands of years old. If you're looking for new takes on the familiar custom, check out these ideas from Martha Stewart.
After dying eggs, using whatever method you prefer, stick on these printable animal parts to turn the colorful eggs into springtime farm animal puppets.
Or follow this tutorial which uses basic supplies like tape and stickers to create modern egg art.

Images from Martha Stewart Holidays.

Leprechaun Paper Toy

2010-02-15T13:33:00.005-06:00

Visit Jaquelynn Davis' Digital Drawings blog to get this adorable, printable Leprechaun Toy perfect for St. Patrick's day storytelling and other fun.

Then find bunches of rainbow activities and fun in this previous post.

Image from Digital Drawings.

Period Costume Paper Doll

2010-02-15T08:35:00.005-06:00

When students are learning about bygone eras, paper dolls can be a perfect way to reflect on the culture of the time period. Check out this cool 1964 paper doll at Doe-c-Doe. Originally published by Boeing, this paper cut-out toy includes costumes for all seasons, so students can practice choosing clothing appropriate for different weather conditions. Or, kids can simply improve their fine motor skills and enjoy the funny way their grandparents used to dress.

Then check out this huge list of printable paper dolls I featured in a previous post.

Image from Doe-c-Doe.

Even More Printable Valentines

2010-02-13T07:28:00.007-06:00

If you still haven't found the perfect Valentine's cards, here are two more can't-believe-I-can-have-that-for-free printable love notes.
Hurry over to June Craft for this beautiful and free tweety-bird card that I discovered via Creature Comforts.
If that idea's not sticky enough for you,
visit Wild Olive to get her free Valentine post-it template and directions. Then students can fill in a personal message inside the heart-bubble.

Images from June Craft and Wild Olive.

Lunch Labels

2010-02-13T06:43:00.007-06:00

With just a few months left in the school-year and the stress of standardized tests fast approaching, any excuse will do for adding a little cheer to the school day.
Go to Martha Stewart's crafts page to get this super-cute lunch label download. Read through the article on this page to find tips for creating personalized stickers using your own images.
Also, check out these Thoughtful Stickers that would superbly adorn notebooks, supply boxes and personal letters.

Images from Martha Stewart Crafts.

Mythology and The Lightning Thief

2010-02-07T08:23:00.010-06:00

In a few days, children's bestseller, The Lightning Thief will make it's debut in movie theaters. If you're reading Rick Riordan's first children's book or getting ready to see Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, take advantage of the opportunity to get to know mythology.

Get reader's excited about The Lightning Thief with an audio clip of author, Rick Riordon reading an excerpt of Chapter 1. Click on author and scroll all the way down.

Then go to Puffin Books' Percy Jackson site to play Who's Your Daddy, the are-you-a-demigod quiz. Or try the Find Your Power quiz at the Percy Jackson the Movie website.

Go to the American Museum of Natural History's Ology site for kids for some mythological fun. Start by testing your knowledge of worldwide mythological creatures with the Mythic Mystery Map game.
Then make personalized Mythic Creatures of the Sea stationery.

Also check out Lightning Thief author, Rick Riordan's Explore Greek Mythology page which is jam-packed with mythology games and resources for kids.

Visit Fantasy Jr. to get Zeus and Poseidon coloring pages.
Then print a set of their Greek masks so students can make-up their own mythical adventures.

Images from AMNH Ology and Fantasy Jr.

Chemistry and Chameleons

2010-01-30T11:15:00.010-06:00

Physical properties, by definition, are easily observed. Color, texture, odor, size, shape, taste (when appropriate) of an object can be observed simply through the five senses. To experience the concept of physical properties, students can analyze rocks or chemicals or buttons and classify them by their observable characteristics.
Chemical properties, only observable during a chemical reaction, are more complicated to explore. Waiting for something to rust or tarnish is a little painstaking. Fire and explosives are mostly frowned upon in the classroom. But since regular grape juice is an acid/base indicator, testing ph is easy, safe and basically instant. When mixed with cheap and easy-to-find white vinegar or baking soda, grape juice changes color indicating the ph of the vinegar and soda.

Enter "Color-Changing Chameleons" from Deborah Schecter's ScienceART. Using chameleon patterns from the book as a canvas for the mixture means this experiment leads conveniently into a life science lesson on the reptiles and their habitats.
First students paint the page of chameleon patterns with grape juice using q-tips as paint brushes.Let the graped chameleons dry for a few hours or overnight. Meanwhile, students can make hypotheses about how the grape juice will react when painted over with vinegar or baking soda.

Once the chameleons are dry, students should leave one alone, paint one with white vinegar, and paint the third with baking soda mixed with water. Students will immediately see the acid and base turning the chameleons greenish and bluish. Students can compare the changing chameleons to the still-purple control chameleon.
After students have collected data and developed conclusions about the experiment and whether their hypotheses were correct, these colorful chameleons can become part of an art/life science lesson.

Read Chameleon Chameleon, written by Joy Cowley and photographed by Nic Bishop, to learn about chameleons habits and habitats.
Then let students cut out their chameleons and collage them on top of a colored-in habitat.

More Free Printable Valentines

2010-01-28T20:14:00.009-06:00

Visit handmade & homebaked to get these super-pleasant printable Valentine cards to print and exchange.
Also check out handmade & homebaked's tutorial and printable for these sweet Valentine's sticky-note covers.
Images from handmade & homebaked.

Printable Vintage Valentines

2010-01-22T21:23:00.007-06:00

Valentine's Day is approaching, and it's time to find the perfect cards for writing caring notes to friends and family. If you're hoping for something a little more original than the piles of licensed-character cards, check out these fantastic 1970s Valentines shared by ggmossgirl. These adorable, stand-alone notes can be printed to cut and send. Also check out this fun Valentine's activity page with a maze, finger puppets and more to print and play.

Then visit these past Valentine's ideas:

Make a display of celebrities' favorite books.
Make recycled crayon hearts.

Read a great Valentine's story. Then print a coloring page to go with the book.

Make anatomically-correct heart cards.

Printable Valentine images from ggmossgirl.

Martin Luther King Day

2010-01-17T06:23:00.018-06:00

Since 1986, the third Monday of January has been celebrated as Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in the United States. When Americans are asked to name their personal hero, Dr. King is always one of the most popular choices. I can relate to the respect so many people have for the civil rights movement leader. When I was in elementary school, I dressed up in a suit jacket and facial hair painted on with mascara to recite an excerpt of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s famous "I Have a Dream" speech for our living statues presentation.

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

To celebrate the day, let students watch a video of King's moving "I Have a Dream" speech at Holidays.net. Also check out their Martin Luther King, Jr. Day coloring pages.

Visit the Seattle Times Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement page for biographical information, photo galleries and lots of lesson ideas covering timeline skills, summarizing, reading comprehension and more. Then check out the His Words page where you can find pdfs of eight of King's famous speeches and several audio clips of MLK's original speeches.

After reading "Letter from a Birmingham Jail," discuss why Martin Luther King, Jr. was in jail at the time he wrote the famous message. Then learn about civil disobedience at Congress for Kids, The U.S. Congress children's website.

Click over to The King Center website to be reminded that service was one of the things Martin Luther King, Jr. valued most. After getting inspired by the audio excerpt of Dr. King's speech, "The Drum Major Instinct," go to Serve.gov to find service opportunities in your area. Just type in your zip code, and you will receive a big list of volunteer services needed near you.

Image from The Seattle Times MLK page.

Hand-Washing Bliss

2010-01-16T10:58:00.015-06:00

Teachers, parents and others who work with children, need to wash their hands many, many times every day. In the winter, this can mean brittle, dry skin. Commercial soaps have skin-softening ingredients extracted to sell as moisturizer, so they can be hard on your hands. Hand-sanitizing gels are full of alcohol, so they are even worse. Nevertheless, hand-washing can still be a pleasant experience! With warm-water and good soap, washing your hands before each activity and after every mess can actually be enjoyable.
My favorite soap is handmade by Blue Moon Soap Company. All their soaps are made with ingredients like olive oil, rice bran oil and cocoa butter, all known to soothe and moisturize skin. Scents like Mist, Nutty Pear and Mint Chocolate make you look forward to washing your hands. Knowing all their products are made in small-batches packed with animal-free, food-grade ingredients including herbs from their garden means not worrying about the trade-offs of staying squeaky clean.
Blue Moon's soaps and other products are available at a few stores, through their website, and at craft shows and fairs in various places around Texas.
Also, right now Blue Moon is holding a special promotion for the new year. Think of a soap scent you'd like to try. Then send your suggestion using the link on their home page. If you submit the suggestion they decide to make, you will receive 3 bars of the soap you imagined.

Give your hands a break. Ditch the detergents and alcohols for moisturizing, smells-so-good-you-want-to-taste-them, handmade soaps and hand-washing will become an experience you can happily anticipate.

Also check out tips and tools for teaching students about hand-washing.

Images from Blue Moon Soap.

Force and Motion Experiment

2010-01-09T07:42:00.011-06:00

As students progress through elementary and middle school, their science curriculum tends to double back, repeat and slowly build on the same topics. This means, many activities can be used with a wide range of student age-groups. Such is the case for this force and motion lab, which I've seen bring out the inner race-car-lover in both 2nd-graders and 6th-graders.

Using just a few basic materials, students build tracks and conduct race car experiments to test the effects of increasing the tracks' angle of incline and then the tracks' surface texture on the speed of the cars. We used three of the same toy cars from the dollar store, cardboard boxes, scissors, tape and a ruler. Students will also need something to prop up the tracks. In a classroom, stacks of identical textbooks are an obvious choice. If you're conducting this experiment at home, try stacked cereal boxes, DVDs or magazines.

After making their hypotheses about the outcome of the races, students should cut three equal tracks from cardboard. Ours were 1 1/2 feet x 4 inches. Then attach the tracks to the three stacks of different heights using a small piece of tape. Line the cars up at the starting line, and observe which car finishes first, second and third. Repeat this test several times, and then determine the average speeds for each track.
In my class, four groups of students conducted races simultaneously, so the different colors of the tracks above are just two different pieces of cardboard.

After the test, discuss or have students write about the outcome of the races. Were their hypotheses correct? Did the slope of the tracks affect the speed of the cars?

When that's done, save all of your tracks, cars and stack-making materials for experiment number two: How does the texture of the tracks affect the speed of the cars? This time, you will also need two texture-y materials to cover the existing tracks. We left one track alone, covered the second with aluminum foil and the third with snowy-white felt. The foil was easy to attach with transparent tape. The felt had to be stapled around the edges. Once students predict the outcome of this test, they should attach the three different tracks to stacks of equal height.

Race the cars several times, making sure to record which order the cars finish each time. Then find the average standings for each of the three tracks. After collecting the data, let students reflect on the effect of the tracks' textures on the outcomes of the races. Were their hypotheses correct? How did friction affect the car's racing times?

Tools for New Year's Resolution Success

2010-01-03T09:24:00.013-06:00

Now that the new year has begun and students have made their New Year's resolutions, check out these tools for keeping kids' goals on the track to success.

For kids who've resolved to save money for a coveted big item, print and fold this paper cupcake bank from Love. obsess. inspire.
Fold it, seal it, and start dropping in change right away.

For students who plan to show thoughtfulness and keep in touch with friends and family, visit Lemon Squeezy and print this birthday calendar printable.
After printing, help students write down names beside birth dates through the year. This chart will make remembering to write a birthday letter or make a card or gift much easier.

For kiddos who've committed to reading more in the new year, stick around at Lemon Squeezy for her super-cute bookmark printables here and here.
Then go to Orange You Lucky to print a set of three bookplates to help kids manage their book collections.

For learners who've promised to be less messy this year, get to Rubber Punkin for a huge set of organizing labels including a few pages of blanks for personal collections.
Get newly committed organizers started on the right foot by pre-labeling toy boxes and storage containers with these cheerful tags.

Images from Love. obsess. inspire., Lemon Squeezy, Orange You Lucky, Rubber Punkin.

Ring in 2010

2009-12-30T06:43:00.012-06:00

Tomorrow is New Year's Eve and the last day of the decade. If you're thinking of hosting a last-minute soiree, head to Chica and Jo for this printable, penguin invitation craft.Print, cut, assemble and deliver these charming party propositions that are to0 cute to turn down.

New Year's is a perfect occasion for practicing clock skills. In the era of digital timepieces, even big kids often need extra clock practice. Make this New Year's countdown clock from Kaboose. After constructing the clock, learners can mark the final hours of the decade.

Visit FatherTimes.net to study New Year's Eve and New Year's Day traditions in countries around the world. Make some of these global holiday activities part of your own festivity this year like the Scotish tradition of first-footing (visiting friends at midnight), the Japanese tradition of forgiving grudges or the Venezuelan tradition of wearing yellow underwear to bring happiness in the new year.
Then checkout the lyrics and history of the English-speaking world's New Year's Anthem, Auld Lang Syne. After reading about the song, read Auld Lang Syne, Joanne Findon's biographical storybook about Robert Burns who transcribed the traditional Scottish folk song and contributed lyrics to make the famous 1796 version of the tune. With all that learning done, it will be time for a snack. Sample various traditional New Year's foods, which are outlined neatly in "Lucky Foods for the New Year," from Epicurous. Eat black-eyed peas and cabbage which are thought to bring luck and money in the Southern U.S. Or gobble down 12 grapes, one for each chime of the clock at midnight, as is the tradition in Spain.

Images from Chica and Jo, Kaboose, Virtual Sheet Music, Amazon,

Sherlock Holmes Printable Paper Doll

2009-12-26T22:15:00.008-06:00

The newest movie adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes was released yesterday. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Sherlock Holmes is the most frequently portrayed fictional character in film history.

After seeing the new Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law film or re-reading some of the famous 19th century stories, check out this Sherlock Holmes printable paper doll at Paper Doll Garden. Students can retell scenes from the original stories or create new adventures for the renowned detective.

Image from Paper Doll Garden.

Hubble

2009-12-23T07:57:00.016-06:00

In 1990, NASA launched the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit around Earth where it can collect clear images of space, unobstructed by our atmosphere. In the last 19 years, Hubble has allowed scientists to discover quasars, dark energy, and the age of the universe. The telescope runs on two 25 ft. solar panels, orbits Earth once every 97 minutes, and has collected countless images of space using filters that can process ultraviolet, infrared and visible light.

Learning about Hubble fits perfectly with lessons on space exploration, renewable energy or the light spectrum. Visit Hubblesite.org to find bunches of information about Hubble's history and structure.
After students read about the telescope, check out all of Hubblesite's fun, extension activities like
tracking the Hubble's orbit, preparing for a night of stargazing, and building a hand-held Hubble.
For many students, tactile experiences like model-making aid in their comprehension of a concept. Also, understanding the relationship between a model and the object it represents is a key learning objective in some states.
The site provides three tutorials for mini-telescope construction, which you can approach as your bravery accords. In my class, we made the basic, paper model, which the site describes as "Average to Difficult." This took just less than three 45-minute class periods with about 18 sets of helping hands.

Hubble diagram and photo from Hubblesite.org

Hanukkah Hullaballoo

2009-12-09T19:25:00.021-06:00

Hanukkah's beginning is just days away. Learn more about the holiday by visiting Torah Tots Chanukah Story page for detailed explanations of the meaning and traditions of the Jewish Festival of Lights.
Students can practice "lighting" a candle each day without the hazard of fire with this colorful menorah printable from Nick Jr. Talking about the menorah is also a great opportunity to practice ordinal numbers as you light candles on the first, second, third, etc. days.

Read Eric Kimmel's The Magic Dreidles which is a Hanukkah twist on Grimm's Fairy Tale, "The Table, The Donkey and The Stick."

After reading Kimmel's story, print a paper dreidle template from Akhlah's Crafts page, so students can play the traditional dreidle game following these directions from Judaism.com. Then browse their Hanukkah books section for more ideas about what to read.

After playing the game, students can make dreidle candy boxes to fill and enjoy with step-by-step instructions and a template from Chabad.org's Chanukah page.

Images from Nick Jr., Eric Kimmel, Judaism.com, Chabad.org.

End of the World

2009-11-18T21:22:00.005-06:00

Today, I was asked, for the eleventy-billionth time, if the world is going to end in 2012. I've done all the persuading I can do alone. I need to call in the experts to corroborate my story.

Fortunately, NASA seems to have reached a similar point of exasperation with all the hub-bub over 2012, so they have graciously lent their astro-brilliance to the matter and published "2012: Beginning of the End or Why the World Won't End?" This concise article explain clearly why students can relax a little about impending doom.

After reading, visit the "2012 Doomsday Myths Debunked" photo gallery at National Geographic.

Image from National Geographic

Plant Life Cycle Activity Cards

2009-11-18T19:37:00.004-06:00

Visit Craft Jr. to get this set of printable, plant life cycle cards. Students can practice putting the pictures in order to reinforce their memory of the life cycle of plants. If you print two sets, kids can turn them over and play memory.
Craft Jr. has eight other plant-life lesson ideas accompanying this printable. Also check out the black-and-white version of the cards, that students can color themselves, and the printable plant-life mini-book and word puzzle.

Images from Craft Jr.

Thanksgiving

2009-11-15T06:48:00.015-06:00

I like Thanksgiving and the idea of stopping to think of what we have to appreciate. While I was shopping this week, I hoped to find some Thanksgiving candies to give with thank you cards. With the way holidays are commercialized, I thought it would be easy to find some little turkey-shaped chocolates. But, everywhere I went it seemed to already be Christmas. I like Christmas too, but put on the brakes. So, in celebration of slowing down a little to be thankful, I've compiled some of my favorite Thanksgiving stories and ideas.

Read Thanksgiving on Thursday from Mary Pope Osborne's Magic Tree House Series and its non-fiction companion book, Pilgrims.
In the illustrated fiction book, Jack and Annie, the series' main characters, take their time-traveling tree house back to the first Thanksgiving in 1621. The kids meet Squanto, Captain Standish and Governor Bradford and help prepare for the first harvest festival. Readers learn about Wamanoag and early colonists' ways of living. Random House, the books publisher, has a Thanksgiving on Thursday teacher's guide that includes a printable Thanksgiving Quilt worksheet. They also have a section of activities that can be used with all of the Magic Tree House fiction books.
Follow-up this story by reading Pilgrims, which rehashes the first Thanksgiving story from a completely non-fiction perspective and includes plenty of illustrations and diagrams of Wampanoag and Colonial clothes and lifestyles.
To find out more about the colonies, visit PBS' interactive history of 1628 in North America.

Then read Thank You, Sarah: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving, a biographical picture-book about Sarah Hale who helped Thanksgiving become a national holiday in 1863.
Visit author Laurie Halse Anderson's site for a Thank You, Sarah teacher's guide full of guided reading questions and activity ideas.

Then visit Danielle's Place to get instructions for Story of Thanksgiving turkey,
table-top teepees,
and bunches of other Fall and Thanksgiving ideas.

Craft images from Danielle's Place.