1. Put Letters In Alphabetical Order. Dump out letters A-Z on the floor or a table and have your child line the letters up in the correct order. If they don’t know the whole alphabet yet they can practice with just the beginning half or the first few and add more letters later. 2. Match Uppercase and Lowercase Letters. Write…
Fun Group Games That Allow for Social Distance
With schools starting back up around the globe educators are looking for fun games that can help students run and getting their “wiggles” out while still maintaining social distance. Most districts are still recommending that students: Keep 6 feet apart Do not touch others Do not share equipment Here are some games I’ve been playing all summer with students. Some…
5 Ways To Differentiate Instruction and Support Every Student
Differentiating instruction isn’t just about giving students more or less work than others. Students who have mastered a topic or skill don’t need to be forced to do double the math problems than everyone else. They have already mastered the concept. Instead, higher level students should be directed to move beyond what the class is doing. To try something more…
Moana Week! 7 Ways To “Visit” The Beach This Summer
Summer is such a great time to learn about the ocean, beach, or Hawaii! If your kids love the Moana movie you can even incorporate that into your theme. Here are some great Moana/beach activities to try out with your kids. Moana/Hawaiian books: The Mighty Maui Makes A Friend Maui describes his many accomplishments as a demigod. But there is…
Beat The Heat! 6 Activities To Learn About The Sun
Summer days are long and sunny. You may be tempted to hide inside in the air-conditioning but there are a lot of great experiments and learning opportunities you can do centered around the Sun. Here are a few of my favorites. Create a Sundial The Sun can be used to tell time, direction and seasons. For older students you can…
Engaging Strategies for Teaching Short Vowel Words.
Once your child is able to recognize letters and their sounds the next step is to learn to read 3 letter words with the consonant, vowel, consonant pattern. These are words such as: man, fan, bat, cat, mop, fun. Here are some printable word lists. Teaching short vowels can be done in a variety of fun ways. Here are my…
Resources For An Amazing Pirate Unit! Argh!
Pirates are so much fun to learn about. I especially like doing this unit as the weather gets warmer in late Spring or Summer. Pirates are fun and interesting to children but they provide a lot of meaningful learning topics! Start by reading some pirate books from your local library. My Favorite Pirate Books There are soooo many awesome pirate…
Ways to Socialize Virtually
Even though we are all stuck inside right now, we still need social interaction. Whether you live alone or with your spouse and kids, chances are you’ll want to reach out and interact with others outside your home at some point. Here are some creative ways to have fun with friends and family while still practicing social distancing. 1. Make…
Save Your Sanity! 12 Simple Activities Your Kids Can Do At Home
Kids are going to be spending a lot of time stuck at home over the next few weeks. The key to keeping them engaged and not driving you crazy is to provide a variety of different activities for them. Don’t sit them in front of technology all day (even if they are on educational websites). That much screen time is…
Great Games for Your Classroom
The games/activities below can be used with any grade, any vocabulary list, in any subject. Slap! This is a great game to reinforce vocabulary. Line 3-4 pictures up in a row on your smartboard (or just print pictures and stick to the wall). Bring up two students at a time. The teacher says a word and the students try to…