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Thursday, March 28, 2024

SINGULAR AND PLURAL

Standards may come and go, but singular and plural forms of nouns will always be in the curriculum. 

Singular and Plural
Write the name of common classroom objects on the board. Cover the end of a fly swatter with white paper. Write the letter “S” on the paper as shown. Children take turns adding the “s” to the end of the words and saying the plural. Can they use it in a sentence?



Blocks
Cut paper the size of rectangular and square unit blocks. Write common nouns on the rectangles and tape to blocks. Write “s” on a square and tape to a square block. Children read nouns and then add the “s” block and read the plural.



Unifix Cubes
Place sticky dots on cubes and write letters on them. Make a list of common nouns. Children make the words with the cubes and then add “s” at the end and read the word.


Singular and Plural (Tune: “This Old Man”)
One is book, 2 are books.
One is cook, more are cooks.
Add an “s” to the end of a word
Makes it plural, haven’t you heard?
One is toy, two are toys.
One is boy, more are boys.
I’ll say a word, then you add an “s.”
You make it plural - do your best!
Car Star
Dog Log
Cat Hat
Ball Wall
Coat Boat
*Let children suggest other words to sing in the song.


T-Chart
Children draw a T-chart on a sheet of paper. On the left side they write the singular form of nouns. On the right side ask them to write the plural form. Can they read the words?



Oops!
Make up inappropriate sentences and when the children hear you say something wrong they can say, “Opps!” Have them repeat the sentence correctly.
Teacher: “We have 12 boy here today.”
Children: “Oops! We have 12 boys here today.”

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

WHAT'S A NOUN?

Every sentence has a noun, so let's find out more about them!

The Noun Song
(TUNE: She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain)
A noun is a person, place, or thing. Yee haw! (Fist in air.)
A noun is a person, place, or thing. Yee haw!
A noun is a person. (Point to a person.)
A noun is a place. (Point to a place in the room.)
A noun is a person, place, or thing. (Point to a place.)


Wacky Sentences
Write nouns and picture clues on 5 index cards and verbs on 5 index cards. Place them in lunch bags labeled “nouns” and “verbs.” Children choose a noun card and a verb card and write a sentence using the words.

Hint! They love to use nouns with their teacher’s name, principal, and other stars.


Noun Sort
Fold a sheet of paper into fourths. Write “people, animals, places, things” in the sections. Give children old newspapers and catalogs and ask them to cut out pictures of people, animals, places, and things and glue them in the appropriate section. Can they label their pictures?



Noun Hunt
Give children a clip board and challenge them to find all the nouns they can in the classroom. They can write the words or draw pictures.
*For homework ask them to make a list of the nouns in their home.


Noun Names
Make name cards for the students in your class from 8” sentence strips. Write each child’s name and glue their picture on the card. Use these for writing prompts in a center.

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

BUTTERFLY MAGIC

Some things never lose their magic (fortunately) like the life cycle of caterpillars to butterflies!

Caterpillars
Let's go to sleep (Wiggle fingers.)
The little caterpillars said.
So they curled up (Cross fingers and
In a chrysalis bed. close hands as if praying.)

They will awaken (Open fingers slowly.)
By and by,
And each one will be (Clasp thumbs and
A lovely butterfly! wiggle fingers like wings.)

Here are two life cycle projects that take a little time and effort, but they are something your students never will forget.


Pasta Butterfly
Materials: stick, rice, corkscrew pasta, seashell pasta, bowtie pasta, craft glue

Directions: Look on the playground for sticks or have children bring one from home. The stick should be as long as their foot. Have them glue a piece of rice on the left end of their stick to represent the caterpillar's "egg." Next, glue on a corkscrew pasta for the "caterpillar." Glue a seashell pasta on next for the "chrysalis." Finally, glue a bowtie pasta on the red end of the stick for the "butterfly." (They might want to color the pasta with markers before gluing it in place.) Encourage children to describe the life cycle of the butterfly using their stick.

Hint! You could also use a bean for the egg, fuzzy yarn for the caterpillar, cotton ball for the chrysalis, and tissue paper for the butterfly.


Butterfly Puppet
Materials: old sock, markers, coffee filter, food coloring, eye dropper, pipe cleaner, safety pin

Directions: Several days before doing this activity ask children to bring in an old sock from home. First, let them decorate the outside of the sock to look like a caterpillar. They can use markers, pompoms, etc. 


Next, prepare a butterfly using a coffee filter. Children fold the coffee filter into eighths. Using an eye dropper, have them drop colored water onto the coffee filter. Open and dry. Scrunch up in the middle and fasten on a pipe cleaner for the body and antenna.



Turn the sock inside out and pin the butterfly inside. Children can begin the story about the butterfly by inserting their hand into the sock. For the "chrysalis," have them begin turning the sock inside out. As the butterfly emerges, the children stick their hand in the sock to reveal the butterfly.




Baggie Butterfly
Make a butterfly by tearing up little pieces of colored tissue paper and putting them in a zip lunch bag. Gather up in the middle and twist on a pipe cleaner to make the body and antennae. Attach a string for flying.

Butterfly Bites
Children will enjoy assembling and eating this butterfly. You will need celery cut in 4" pieces, cream cheese, and pretzel twists. First, spread cream cheese in the hollow part of the celery. Insert two pretzels on either side for wings.


Monday, March 25, 2024

HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW?

Spring is in the air and it's time to do a little planting!



The Planting Song
(Tune: “Farmer in the Dell”)
Let’s all plant some seeds, (Pretend to dig with a shovel.)
Let’s all plant some seeds.
Hi, ho, it’s spring you know,
Let’s all plant some seeds.

The rain begins to fall… (Have fingers fall like rain.)

The sun warms the earth… (Hands over head in a circle.)

The seeds begin to grow… (Make a fist with one hand and bring the other hand up through it.)


Growing, Growing!
What does a seed need to grow? Brainstorm with the children and write their responses on the board. Take five cups and draw the following as shown:

soil, water, sun, air
soil, water, air
soil, water, sun (Put in a jar so it doesn't get fresh air.)
soil, sun, air
sun, air, water

Plant several bean seeds in each cup. Encourage the children to predict what will happen. Observe. Evaluate predictions after several weeks.


Seed Hunt
Have children hunt for seeds in their kitchen at home. Bring these in and plant them in clear plastic cups filled with potting soil. Be sure to label. Water and watch.

Seedy Snack
Popcorn, sunflower seeds, pickles, and strawberries! What do they call have in common? They could all be part of a seedy snack. Let the children brainstorm all the things they eat that have seeds.

Planting Jelly Beans
Invite children to think of other things they would like to plant, such as jelly beans or pennies. Place a paper towel around the inside of a clear plastic cup and fill with soil. Plant the jelly beans and pennies between the cup and the soil so the children can observe what happens. Water and place in a sunny window.


Newspaper Tree
My kids always loved to watch me make this newspaper tree. Open three sheets of newspaper and lay on the floor as shown. Roll up and tape. Cut down several strips from the top about 8” long. Reach into the middle of the roll, grab the center, and slowly pull up. Tae daa!

      

Sunday, March 24, 2024

FLOWER POWER

Learning to recognize and label plants, insects, and other objects they study about is a good way to integrate writing and science. With this song learning the parts of a flower will be much easier. Children will also be amazed about the parts of a flower that they eat!

Parts of a Flower (Tune: “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes”)
Flower (Hands around face.)
Stem (Point to neck.)
Leaves (Stick out arms.)
And roots (Touch feet.) –
Leaves and roots.
Flower, stem, leaves, and roots –
Leaves and roots.
All it takes is sun (Hands up in circle over head.)
And showers (Wiggle fingers down.)
And a seed (Hold out palm.)
Grows into a flower. (Spread fingers of right hand up through left fist.)

Flip Book
Make a flip book where children can label the parts of a flower. To make a flip book fold a sheet of paper into eighths. Open and fold in half. Cut down the three creased lines to the middle to make flips. Turn vertically as shown. Write “Flower," "Stem," "Leaves," "Roots” on the four sections from the top to the bottom. Open and draw the appropriate part of the plant under each label. Don’t forget to draw the seed!



Eating Plants
Discuss what parts of a plant you eat. What roots do you eat? What leaves? What stems? What flowers? What seeds?
*Divide a sheet of paper into fourths and label, “seeds,” “roots,” “stems,” “flowers.” Have children write or draw different foods they eat from each category.




Dirt Pie
Yeah, I know this isn't very healthy, but I'm sure somebody out there would like to do it at home or summer camp.

Saturday, March 23, 2024

JUMP INTO SPRING


You just can’t help but smile and have a spring in your step these days. And speaking of steps and springs reminds me of how much fun I had jumping rope as a child…and then teaching my students to jump rope. For some of the children it was easy, but other children really had to work at it. Being persistent and not giving up is a good thing to learn. Jump roping also encouraged social skills, motor skills, and oral language. It’s good for the body and the brain!

Note! I'm shaking my head because 25 years ago I never had a parent complain about the words in these rhymes.  Today you might need to change "Bathing Beauty" to "Goldfish Beauty" and "Bubble Gum" to "Raisins, Raisins," or "Cinderella" to ... oh, forget it!!!!😜

*You could also use these on a rainy day. Just have the children get a pretend jump rope and jump along as you say the rhymes.

*You can jump on two feet or alternate jumping on feet.

Bubble Gum
Bubble gum,
Bubble gum in a dish.
How many pieces
Do you wish?
1, 2, 3, 4, 5…

Bathing Beauty
Bathing Beauty
Thinks she’s a cutie
All she wears is bathing suities.
If you jump to 24, you will get an extra turn.
1, 2, 3…24

Cinderella
Cinderella dressed in yella.
Went upstairs to kiss her fella.
Made a mistake and kissed a snake.
How many doctors did it take?
1, 2, 3…8

Engine No. 9
Engine, engine number nine
Going down the railroad line.
If the train jumps off the track
You will get your money back.
How much money will you get?
1, 2, 3, …10

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, turn around.
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, touch the ground.
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, read the news.
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, tie your shoes.
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, go upstairs.
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, sit down in your chair!

Blue Bells
Blue bells, cockle shells, eevie, ivy, over.
I like coffee. I like tea. I like you to jump with me.


Here's my "Jump Rope Rally" video so we can jump together!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Y1UBTOFEzA

Do you remember any jump rope rhymes? I’m sure if you asked Mr. Google you could find hundreds to add to this list. But, watch the words because some of them might be a little inappropriate!

Jump Rope Rhyme Book 
It might be fun to give children copies of the rhymes and let them make a book of jump rope rhymes. They could illustrate these and use them for independent reading.

Friday, March 22, 2024

SPRING ARTS AND CRAFTS

Spring Crown
Give child a sentence strip and invite them to draw signs of spring. Let them collect small objects they find on the ground, such as leaves and flowers, and glue them to the crown. Adjust to crowns to the children's heads and staple.


Popcorn Tree
(Tune: “Turkey in the Straw”)
I looked out my window (Hand over eyes.)
And what did I see?
Popcorn popping on my cherry tree. (Hands on hips.)
What a surprise spring left for me.
Popcorn popping in my cherry tree.
Pop, pop, pop, pop, pop. (Wiggle hips to the beat.)
Pop! Pop! (Jump up twice.)

Sing faster…faster…super fast!


Trace around the child’s hand and arm on a sheet of paper to resemble a tree trunk. Color or paint the tree. Glue popcorn or cotton balls on the branches to look like blossoms.

Hint! If you shake popcorn in a sack with a little dry red tempera it will look like pink blossoms.


Flower Bookmark
Grow into a book with this idea! Each child will need to collect small flowers, petals, and leaves outside. (Remind them to only take things off the ground and never pull live flowers from a plant!) Give each child 2 pieces of self laminating paper cut in 8” x 2” strips. Children take the back off one sheet and place it sticky side up on the table. After they arrange their natural objects, they place the second sheet on top and seal. 

Hint! You can also use wide packaging tape to make these book marks.


Rubbings and Prints
Give children a plain sheet of paper and an old crayon. Remove the paper from the crayon. Demonstrate how to place the paper on top of flat objects, such as leaves and petals and rub with the side of a crayon. 



*Have children find interesting natural objects on the playground. Dip them in paint and then press on paper to make prints.