Friday, March 1, 2019

Valentine Fun Using Physics


2-14-2019
This year the students created balanced hearts using the forces of physics. This was so fun! I had planned on them balancing the hearts on water bottles but they came up with their own ideas. I used Babble Dabble Do's lesson which can be found on TPT.
                                                 
Tips: I had students use scrapbook papers and traced and cut those and the arrow tips the day before.
Instead of gluing the sticks I had students hole punch two holes. It worked great! We had made Valentine bags the day before so all materials were stored in their bags. This made it really easy to do the final touches during our Valentine party!

Friday, January 26, 2018

Friendship Bulletin Board

I got this idea off of Pinterest! Super easy! First the students brainstormed words that define friends and family. I had groups of 4 make posters of all the words they could generate. I remind them to check spelling. I quickly check spelling and hung their posters around the room. Next, students write their favorite friendship words generated from the posters onto a 10 x 16 piece of white construction paper. They need to pick 20-30 words to fill the page. They can add little hearts if they like. I gave them a 6 x 6 red square and showed them how to cut out a heart. Then I had them trace their arm and hand on blue 6 x 18. To really make it pop have students outline the heart and arm in black before they glue down on white. Last, mount the white onto a black 12 x 18 piece of construction paper. Whole lesson took about an hour or so. Have fun!

Sunday, September 17, 2017

The Best Dollar You'll Ever Spend!

The Best Dollar You Will Ever Spend
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Charlottes-Web-Visual-Text-Support-3015289



We found a wonderful surprise this week as LeAnn is prepping for the start of school. Scholastic Book Club is offering the beloved classic Charlotte's Web by E.B. White for an unheard of price of $1.00 a copy. That right! Just a buck! All of a sudden a class set is very affordable...and very teachable (as in practically no prep!) with our latest Charlotte's Web resources:
A Series of Unfortunate Events


Why not create a brag tag that puts a positive spin on an “unfortunate event” that students may find worrisome, scary or just not normal? We came up with several ideas: extreme weather, lockdowns, fire drills and power outages all made the cut. But there are so many calamities in education that go unnoticed and really ought to be recognized with their own special brag tags…

Brag Tag Categories We Didn’t Do

Apocalyptic Events: 
Bio hazards (especially containing urine or uranium)
Anything to do with North Korea (the clip art could just be the haircut)
Zombie/vampire/werewolf takeovers and the accompanying merchandise
Climate change (a catchall category responsible for bad traffic, bad weather, bad hair, bad moods, bad Internet service, etc.).

Classroom Catastrophes: 
Puddles of unknown origin (also filed under biohazards)
Any bodily fluid no longer inside said body
Lice infestation
Working air conditioner—but only when outside temps are 60 degrees or below
Drop-in observations by anyone over four feet tall
Inside recess
Rodents mistaken for Despereaux
Spiders mistaken for Charlotte
Cancelled Fun Stuff which of course becomes fun once it is cancelled
Fidget spinners
Cell phones (theirs, not yours)
Helicopter parents
MIA parents
Parents who are teachers
Parents who are not teachers
Kids who eats boogers.

Just for Teachers (you deserve a brag tag…cuz you won’t be seeing a raise):
Didn’t curse even though sorely tested,
Unsuspecting parent took over the Scholastic book order
Day after Halloween is Student-Free Day
Staff meeting cancelled due to lack of interest
Back to School Night is over for another year!
You added a mid-year student who tests high on state testing
Your biggest behavior problem just changed schools.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Brag-Tag-Unfortunate-Events-3392940

Sunday, September 10, 2017

Never Forget....

Tomorrow is September 11th. We're sure you remember that day and the horror as it unfolded. For your students, however, 9/11 is ancient history. It is our job as educators to keep the memory alive and there is no better way than honoring the first responders who, then and now, put their lives on the line to save others.

Our product to commemorate 9/11 is free. Please share it with your teacher friends.it honors the day in a sensitive, age-appropriate and positive way.
While you are downloading this we would love it if you would follow us on TPT!

Thursday, September 25, 2014

Life Science Name Bug Art Project

This is an easy project making imaginary bugs out of a student's name written in cursive. Write name on the fold,cut out and decorate. Label with real world bug parts and display. Easy, no prep and fun!

Wednesday, September 10, 2014



For all teachers, there was a time in their lives when 9/11 had no more significance than 9/10 or 9/12. In 2001, the world changed horribly and not one of us will forget where we were when we heard the terrible news. Our students, however, weren’t born yet. We wanted to teach the importance and meaning of this date in age-appropriate ways. Last September, our Thank A Teacher TPT store was brand new. We wanted to create a product that teachers would feel good about using with their elementary and middle school age students. Our idea was to focus on the First Responders, the true heroes of 9/11. The response was amazing. We had over 2000 downloads by teachers. The assignment involved writing about First Responders in our communities and lives. Then teachers could share the letters and artwork with local fire departments, police etc. The men and women who received these letters were so touched by the kid’s gestures of appreciation and support. We were thrilled that our product generated such a huge outpouring of love, thanks, and remembrance for the First Responders of 9/11/2001 and their successors.