2012 – Page 3 – Patties Classroom

Rules of the School (School Bus Project)

School Bus Art project made from a painted egg carton top.

A great way to start kids thinking and learning about the SCHOOL RULES is making a School Bus out of yellow, painted, tops of egg cartons.

It took a while to collect enough egg cartons from everybody’s house to make the school bus art…but we had enough after a week.

I copied these cute School Bus Bookmarks with jokes on them too. The link is at Activity Village.

Then I had the kids do an acrostic poem after we brainstormed ways to write some of the school rules within sentences starting with S-C-H-O-O-L. They did a pretty good job.

We added our kid pictures that I took with Photobooth as the kids sat in a chair facing forward with a yellow paper background, with faces turned toward me. (like they were riding on a bus)
They each chose 3 friends, and their own picture and glued them to a strip of black construction paper.

Then the kids added round black wheels with white stickers and a brad, and made their own hexagon stop signs with red paper. We talked about all the school rules and why we have them. And they tried to incorporate phrases of our SOAR SCHOOL RULES into some of the letters of the acrostic SCHOOL poem.

Our SOAR SCHOOL RULES ARE; 1. Safe inside and out 2. On Time and On Task 3. Accept Responsibility 4. Respect Self, Others and Property. Learn Create Love had a really cute printable for making a yellow school bus. So I cut yellow paper out in a bus shape and after we painted the tops of the egg cartons we added the yellow bus shape to make it 3D.

Then I found this cute School Stationery with a school bus and lots of kids on it. So I had the kids rewrite their sloppy copies of their acrostic S C H O O L poems after I edited them.

They turned out really cute. What do you think?

Football Season Art and Writing

Well, we have the good old BYU Cougars versus the University of UTAH Utes rivalry happening this weekend.

Are YOU going to ROOT for my team?

This little girl does….Go BYU! GO, FIGHT, WIN!

Over the loudspeaker this morning at school our principal played the BYU fight song instead of the school song. It was so funny because it took me a few minutes to realize what song was happening. I thought at first it must be a mistake…..

I usually try to do something fun in the classroom, to take a vote on who the kids think will win the game this weekend. It’s a BIG DEAL around these parts. I think, secretly that Utes will take it, but I still will root for BYU. I was a student there many years ago and 2 of my kids went there too. So we bleed blue at my house.

So in honor of the rivalry game today, I made my husband some football pancakes for breakfast to go along with his sausage and eggs. Cute right?

http://www.makingfriends.com/friends/f_football.htmFootball Player Printout.

So today one of the teachers has a UTES Football Knome, and she had one of her 6th graders run it down to the principal’s office during the “fight song” to counter his BYU enthusiasm. He thought that was kinda funny too.

Here are some of the football player art we did this year.

The paper legs were just out of newsprint. The kids pictures are inside the helmets. And of course, they did their favorite team’s jerseys and cheer outfits.

What is YOUR favorite football team? Cougars? Utes?

Lots of BYU BLUE represented for sure! Rise and Shout the Cougars are OUT!

The girls had a “pom pom” added to their outfits…..

The boys had a football added to their outfits…… I know, I’m not very PC am I?

Ya just gotta love those “cleats” now dontcha?

A free printable of the FOOTBALL subway art is below. It’s cute at the house for a football party, and it is cute on a bulletin board too!

I hope the Utes don’t blow us away! I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

Cute Football Player color and cut-out activity great for little kiddos….

One more thing I found that I thought would be a fun thing to do for my grandkids to keep them busy during the games coming up. They love to color and cut out things like paper dolls. So how about a paper football player? Maybe in team colors! Making Friends.com has the download.

Football Subway Art

HERE is a Football Printable We’ll have fun doing some football writing this year too. More pics to come soon! Football helmet printables football helmet printables HERE. I hope you are enjoying football season as much as we are! Go Fight WIN!

Paper Bag Scarecrows for Fall

Happy Fall, Ya’ll! How many have their Thanksgiving Turkeys all up? I made my “What We are Thanksful For” turkeys last week. This week I’m going to make some Scarecrows.

I’m using brown paper bags, wiggly eyes, 6 colors (RED, GREEN, ORANGE, YELLOW, PINK, BROWN) of construction or butcher roll paper, a stir stick from Home Depot and some crumpled or shredded newspaper. Optional is plaid scrapbook paper and some sunflower seeds for the little flower on the hat.

I also like to use some plaid scrapbook paper to make a patch or two on the hat and outfit in coordinating colors. If you let the kids choose their fall colors for the hat it looks cute with a plaid patch on it. I would add a little sign under the neck that says, “HAPPY FALL, Y’ALL!”

Fall Scarecrow Art

Add a little sunflower made from yellow triangles and a brown circle to the hat and cut and glue the face of the scarecrow onto the flat part of a brown bag and add the wiggly eyes. Draw the eyebrows and a smile on with black marker. Make strips of yellow butcher paper for the hair. Stuff the scarecrow with newspaper strips or shreds. Put glue on the stick and stuff it inside the shreds.

I love the little black crow on the hat too. It’s cute. So kids will be able to choose a sunflower or a crow.

Then close up the bag and put a rubber band around it. Add ribbon or torn fabric around the rubber band. Make up signs and copy them on tan or yellow cardstock and cut out then attach to the neck with a pin or glue. Add hair strips to top of head.

ABC Teach has some cute writing paper to use for a scarecrow story. I’m using it to have the kids write “WHAT I LIKE ABOUT FALL”.

Then make a sailor hat out of fall colored butcher paper. Glue on top of head. Add a plaid patch to the hat. Have kids write acrostic poems about “F-A-L-L” or “AUTUMN” to go with the scarecrow art. A compound word activity is also

HERE at ABC Teach.

Some cute paper with a scarecrow on top can be found here at Activity Village. There is lined and dotted lined paper to write Fall and Autumn Acrostic Poems.

I love this one from Oriental Trading. What a cute scarecrow!

Scarecrow (Tune: I’m a Little Teapot) I wrote this little ditty!
I’m a little scarecrow short and fat
Stuffed together with a big straw hat!
When the crows come ’round
to gobble my corn
I shake and I shout
In the Early Morn!

So Clap and Stomp
and snap and HOP
till (clap) those scarecrows (stomp) all fly(snap) OFF! (hop) fly off!

5 Crows All Shiny Black (Tune: 5 Little Speckled Frogs)
5 Crows all shiny black
Sat on a scarecrow’s back
Eating the most delicious corn (caw, caw)
Scarecrow winked and shouted “BOO!”
Scared those crows and away they flew!
Now there’s only 4 black shiny crows (caw caw)

repeat with 3, then 2, then 1, then none.

I will show the kids all these designs for faces with the pink cheeks, triangle noses and the sunflowers and hopefully, theirs will all look a little different and unique. We’ll see. A cute coloring page that I’m going to add some math problems to the back is Here at Fun Pages for Kids. And the head is HERE.

I’ll post pictures when we are done this week. In the meantime, Happy Fall, Y’all!

Ipads…How Do You Use it in the Classroom?

Hey! I got an Ipad from my principal this week. I am just now getting familiar with it. What I’d like to know is what kinds of math games would be good to use with 2nd and 3rd grade kids’ math skills? What are your favorite things to do with your Ipads in your classroom?

I’ve learned about Pick a Stick. And the app where kids can write using their finger. But give me more!

But other than that, nobody had any games to share. So I’m using my blog to find teachers who will share ideas on how they use Ipads in their classrooms. I would especially like math or spelling games 2 kids could play together. How do YOU use your Ipads?

12 MATH Addition Games for Centers and Differentiation

Math Workshop Adventures made this poster for kids to go to the 4 centers for math I used as my inspiration. Thanks guys!! I do a free choice for centers and just have a game at each of 5 areas of the room that I use for reading centers, so no need for a poster. But it’s a great way to get started!

I believe in math centers AND in finding time to make some differentiation. And I compact 2 worksheets into one day in their regular math work so that I can give a totally different, challenging worksheet one day a week, in the same strand of math we are studying. That leaves Friday to do some activities, games, or writing projects in math.

So while the regular kids may do 5 pages of independent math work in a week, my kids do 6 in class, 2 at home for homework, and the higher level kids do an extra sheet with higher level math weekly. And they ALL DO GAMES as fast finishers or on Fridays. So it is a challenging classroom. You can have fun AND give challenge and differentiate in your classroom too!

I still have kids who struggle all year, just like any teacher does. So I work with them during independent while my high and medium kids get done and play some of these games. And once a week while kids are playing center games I work with just my high kids for a half hour. That makes it doable for me. I usually work with high kids on Mondays after independent work has started.

F is for First Grade made this rotation schedule for her math groups. It would help you begin. After awhile I would think it would become automatic.

MATH CENTER GAMES WHEN FINISHED WITH REGULAR MATH WORK:
I am always adding to my math games and centers and I spend time on blogs and on the internet finding games on every math strand. I probably make a new one at least once every few months. So it is not overwhelming, but I built up my centers over the years of working on making them. I leave 1 language arts center and 1 math center at each of my 5 tables/center areas. (rug, round table, long table, word work table, magnet filing cabinets center). So I never have to worry too much and I only change centers every 2 weeks. It is all free choice too. Morning fast finishers go to language arts games, afternoons during math they go do the math games at the same table.

ADDITION MATH
HERE are a few of my favorites in Addition, good for 1st or 2nd graders.

1. Dot Dice Addends from Investigations. If you don’t have the Investigations book here is another free downloadable from Kindergarten Crayons. I made little dice out of foam cut into inch pieces. I made from 1 dot to 6 dots on each square using a fat, black, Sharpie marker. They are in baggies by color so they don’t get mixed up. Kids use 2 or 3 of the dot dice to make the colorful sum on the left end. The white part is for laying the 2 or 3 dot dice out. Or you can just buy dot dice. It’s fun and they love it.

I made up a baggy of green, a baggie of red, yellow, orange etc. It’s easy to make them just watching T.V. one night with 3 or 6 different colors of 40 cent foam from Hobby Lobby. Use a round Sharpie marker for the dots on 1 inch pieces. Cheap!

2. Bump Addition (Can make different ones for Holidays) Link HERE for game and Sunny Days in Second for more great game ideas. Lots are free and downloadable.

3. Make 15 free printable HERE. Thanks to Fun Games 4 Learning. She has lots of games too.
$Fifteen Math Board Game$
4. Parking Lot Games (see the link to Happy Brown House’s Blog. She has lots of cute ideas HERE. Or another link I used is at Mathwire. or HERE for a Domino Parking Lot Game.Roll the dice and add up the dots. Drive your car into the parking lot with that answer. First person to fill up their Parking Lot is the winner!

5. Addition Games from Blogs and Pinterest (go crazy here!) Or lots of great games Kids Count 1234.

6. Addition Bingo- You can make a class set or a center set of 5 boards. Check out these links at Donna Young.org to make them as hard or as easy as you want. Or purchase a set at a Teacher’s Supply.

7. Head Full of Numbers- roll 3 dice. Third dice is a plus or minus or multiply sign so just play with the plus sign first of the year. Set the sand timer and have the score pad ready to record the number of unique equations each player makes using the numbers rolled.

8. Doubles Plus 1HERE or Fish Plus 1 or Fish Plus 2. This is a good game to get kids to be able to add 1 and 2 in their heads. Instead of making a pair of the SAME number, they make a pair by 2 numbers that are only 1 apart (7 and 8, 2 and 3 etc.) or if going for Fish Plus 2 it would be 8 and 10, 2 and 4 etc. Use number cards up to 12 or 20, or decks without the face cards.

9. Sum Swamp. This is THE MOST POPULAR game in my classroom, bar none. Kids love it. I actually have purchased 2 of them it is always played all year. It is $20 bucks on Amazon. Money well spent.
Sum Swamp Addition and Subtraction Game
10. Flash Card Partners- Kids love doing this as partners. I flash you a card and you add it up. Then you flash me a card and I add it up. Easy. Just start easier cards at the first of the year, harder cards or subtraction later in the year. Multiplication for high kids.

11. Math Fact Concentration or Flip 10 above. Put number cards out like a concentration game. Decide if you are adding math facts of 10s or 9s or whatever. Then take turns picking 2 cards that will make 10. Then it’s the next guy’s turn. 2-4 can play this game. Find tiny sets of number cards and copy on pastel card stock. I have about 10 of these games made up in baggies. Or use UNO cards sets from Target.

12. Addition Facts Jenga. I have a Jenga game in a baggie the kids use for this. The directions and print outs are free and here at Teachers Pay Teachers.

13. Give me 5 or Give me 6. Oceans of First Grade Fun has a game you could vary to get kids to memorize their 5s and 6s math facts. You could change a few numbers and make it work for learning 7s, 8s and 9s too.

The other thing I always do is A.D.D. Math (Arithmetic Developed Daily) in the next grade up. When I taught regular ed I would do the current year and then halfway through the next grade up year’s book. It has a word problem a day and we would do 2 days worth in about 12 minutes. This takes up the first 10 minutes of my morning. Check it out HERE. Then they silent read so I have a chance to reteach some of the kids judging from corrected previous work, and help others who are stuck on something, 1 on 1. I really love ADD Math.

I remember when my own son was struggling with 5th grade math. His teacher laughed when I asked her if she ever remediates his lack of understanding. She said “Oh no, I am doing a pre-algebra group for my high kids, I don’t have time to remediate”. I understood that my son would never get help from her and hired a twice a week, $30.00 per hour tutor for him that afternoon. He struggled in math for years after that and had to always have summer school.

I think that teacher did not understand best practices and just simple good teaching. You should NEVER leave your low ability kids hung out to dry just to address your high kids OR VICE VERSA. So doing math centers is at the very least engaging your higher level kids while you have time to work with the low kids. But I think I have found a good balance that doesn’t make me want to pull my hair out, either. I will share subtraction in September so check back.

What are YOUR Birthday Gift Ideas for Students?

Here is my Birthday Corner in my classroom. These balloons are made on colorful cardstock. I give students a giant Pixie Stix with a cute Balloon Happy Birthday card attached for their birthdays, along with a sucker and a birthday bookmark and hat.

I get the Pixie Stix from Sams Club every year online. They come in a package of 50 so you can either use them up in 2 years or else split a package with another teacher.

I just staple the balloon to the paper part of the Pixy Stix at the top.

Get your Giant Pixy Stix from HERE at Sams Club.

I have birthday balloons and also birthday cupcakes blown up giant for the top of the Pixie Stix. They look so bright and colorful in the corner of my classroom. The kids also get to wear a birthday crown (I have a selection of 3 styles for them to choose from).

Get your Happy Birthday crowns HERE at Amazon.

Lastly, they get to choose a sucker and a Happy Birthday bookmark from the little Happy Birthday box. They are very spoiled on their birthdays. I got these cute suckers from a candy factory near my home. They have 2nds I buy in a giant bag once a year for $5.00.
12 Jumbo Swirl Candy Lollipops
Here is a copy of the Balloon I used. I copied it once. Then cut out the balloon. Then I cut out and added the Happy Birthday to the inside (cutting off the string). I copied a bunch on many different colors of cardstock colored paper. Then I cut them out and stapled them to the Pixy Stix top. I add a little bit of curly ribbon in rainbow colors to them. It is really colorful and pretty. Link is HERE at Twisty Noodle.
Balloon Coloring Page

Inside the box are the suckers and the Happy Birthday bookmarks

I found the green, metal vase at Hobby Lobby a few years ago. I put some Happy Birthday stickers on it. I think you can find these also at Michaels Art Mart. It’s a cute teacher gift and it adds a lot to this corner of my classroom! What are YOUR Birthday Gifts for your students?? Leave a comment below!

My Classroom Library Reorganized

My library was kind of a mess this year, my 18th year. I’ve tried lots of ideas but mostly I had used those white magazine boxes for housing my book sets. Then I put “apple” stickers on them. It was a real mess.

My pink section…lots of picture books and topic sets and author studies in my classroom library.

So one day, I decided to spruce up the library. I wanted it to look cute. I wanted pink, green and blue book bins. And I found them at Hobby Lobby. I want kids to be able to put books back but I’ve never been super successful. I’ve tried the colored dots on the books. I’ve tried author’s bins. Now I’m going to numbers on books and on bins. That will be much easier.

The rug, my teacher chair, the easel and my green sets of book bins from Hobby Lobby! .Lots of order and variety in my classroom library now!

Hobby Lobby had all these sweet bins that were sturdy and only $2.99. Now I’m cheap so dollar store prices are better, but their book bins are as sturdy as I wanted. But I did buy a dozen in these same colors. I’ll add another shelf of books. I still have like 3 boxes full left. (I know…books are my teacher weakness)

I have 2 sections of blue…lots of fun books in this section….and some cute camp chairs for reading in the classroom library.

The Dollar Store bins were rectangular with no holes. They came in the same 3 colors; hot pink, light berry blue and lime green. So CUTE. Then I needed to find some cute labels for my new library. I have lots of series in my classroom. In my opinion, that’s what gets kids hooked on reading.

All kinds of fun pointers in the classroom library for reading the room or reading my big books.

I remember getting TOTALLY HOOKED on Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books as a kid. I read the whole series of both and then I was a library rat. So I placed my books into series boxes. That’s been a good plan.

Takehome Backpacks in the classroom library on tons of subjects….fun activities included like computer games, paint sets, clay, word searches, dot to dots, puzzles and puppets. I have 22 Take Home Backpacks that I’ve made up. I’ll blog about them very soon.

So I found some cute series labels for classroom libraries for FREE! Check them out at Swimming into Second HERE. I’m busy making my labels and organizing my books, so I’ll show the AFTER pictures next week when I’m in my classroom. I’m just going to enjoy my last week of summer…. (sigh) It’s been a wonderful one. 😀

Classroom Decorating FunI

I was playing around on Pinterest last night and look what cute ideas I found! I love these pencil cans just using old veggie cans spray painted in bright colors. They will match my cute classroom!

I found this on Pinterest. I’ve been saving cans for something! NOW I know what I’ll do with cans in the classroom!

And I have a bunch of these in my classroom, but they are VERY OLD and drudge looking! This would totally give them a cute face lift on the CHEAP! (and what teacher doesn’t like cheap stuff, I ask you?)

This was on Pinterest too! This would definitely give my teacher bins a fresh look wouldn’t it?

My favorite one though is this Subway art. I think it would make a really cute teacher gift for coworkers on their birthdays. Just find a cute white frame and a colored matting. DARLING!

I might even put one of these darling subway art for the classroom in my grandkids’ playroom. SUPER CUTE! I love the bright colors too!

Cute School Subway Art Printable Have fun decorating your classroom! I’ve only got 3 more weeks!

Hobby Lobby has Christmas Ornaments

I just got back from Hobby Lobby and guess what I saw there? Rows and Rows of Christmas Ornaments! And they must have been there for at least a few days (end of July) because they had like 3 rows of stuff already set up. What is up with that? Christmas in July?

Hobby Lobby racks and racks of Christmas Ornaments in July!

I love having all the fall stuff up because I am getting kind of excited for Back to School. I have done a lot of work in my classroom this summer redoing some of my bulletin boards, rearranging the set up and redoing my classroom library.

And at HOBBY LOBBY I even loved seeing some of the Fall and Thanksgiving colors and fall leaves everywhere and pumpkins and ribbons and statuary and things.

Isn’t this cute? This would be a darling BACK TO SCHOOL welcome wreath for your classroom.

September Ninth blog has a tutorial AND a You Tube on how to do it with 2 packs of 24 crayons. It’s all done with a glue gun and some scrapbook doo dads.

I went into Hobby Lobby for Back to School supplies. But Christmas stuff already? That is just a little bit C R A Z Y! What do you think?

Making Play Dough for Back To School Fun

I love to have scented play dough for my kids. I use these little Rubbermaid containers and give each student a hunk of clay or playdough the first day of school. We call it “Fast Finisher Playdough” and it helps the first few weeks of school when I am doing lots of ability assessments.

Here is a fun recipe for a Kool-aid Play Dough that is colored AND scented a yummy flavor! Just tell the kids it is NOT for EATING. (Especially if you have little kinder kids….lol)

I’m making some Koolaid Playdough for Back to School Fun!

The KOOL-AID comes in so many colors and flavors now it will be fun to pick up a package of each one. Then I can split the recipe between two colors and make a half batch of all 6 of the colors of the rainbow!

All these colors and flavors of Classroom Playdough would be a lot of fun to choose from!

It’s so delicious smelling! You actually could eat it….but don’t……just play with it…..it’s pretty cool…..Here’s how I make it:

KOOL-AID PLAY DOUGH RECIPE

2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup salt
2 pkg kool-aid (unsweetened)
2 tablespoons cream of tarter
Mix together then add in:
2 cups boiling water
3 tablespoons oil

Mix 3-4 minutes or until cool. Then knead and store in an airtight container in refrigerator.

I think I’ll try making purple and yellow Playdough for Back to School Play Dough fun too!

I think my class kids will love this for the first day of school and I KNOW my grandkids will love making it with me! I’m going to make a batch of each color. Mmmm!