Animal Bookmarks

        Bookmarks

 
            I saw a cute idea for a bookmark. GoNoodle had these free bookmarks sent in an email. I thought that they were so cute and very easy to make.  We could whip these up in no time at all!  Well, you know how kids are, it always takes a little bit more time than we expect, and some kids are finished in no time at all! 

          The pattern shape was traced and printed for my students.   Of course I knew my 5th grade kiddos could  make these their own in no time.   I put out a variety of colored construction paper, foam shapes, and the pattern. A few simple instructions and my amazing kids did the rest.
     

OOPS! Sorry... upside down!  But so CUTE!

           As soon as we they were finished, these generous children decided that they would give their bookmarks to our 1st grade Buddies.  My students quickly scampered down the hall to the 1st grade room and found their buddies.  They were a big hit!







    

   A cute easy project is always a nice thing to have in your back pocket, especially for our friends, the substitute teachers.

   

      This could be a fun project to go with your summer reading program. The little bookmarks could be designed to go along with a favorite or current book this summer. 

    Enjoy the beautiful day!

Please leave me a comment if you have a chance

Beti 

     

Horn Book

 

Horn Books          

             As part of our Boston Tea Party Day, my partner, Kathy, had the students make horn books in their Language Arts class. Each child came to school dressed in colonial clothing. She took the kids back to colonial times and showed  them how to write their ABC's in 

    fancy script!        

 
   We wanted the students to understand that for colonial students  handwriting was a very important  skill. We emphasized that there were no computers or keyboards for people to use. So, handwriting was a very important part of communication.

    Then they talked about memorization passages and the meaning old sayings. A horn book template was given to each student.  They were able to choose what they wanted to write and how to decorate their own horn book.

              An activity like this helps the children get a feel for life 300 hundred years ago when our country was just beginning.  

          One of my students brought in a horn book that her father had made when he was in 5th grade.  The kids thought it was very cool.  Someone took the time to cut out wood to make this wonderful project for some very lucky children.  

     I want to give a huge shout out to all who help our children learn about our American past.  Thank you for all the things that you done for me and the rest of the children in our schools! 

Beti          

New England Colonies Map Flip Chart

      Map Flip Chart


         To wrap up our study of the New England Colonies, I thought I would do a flip chart in the form of a map.  As I have said before, my 5th graders really enjoy making and using flip charts as a review in my Social Studies classes.  

     
   The base sheet for the flip chart is basically a nap of the New England Colonies.  I indicated where the glue should be applied when the tabs are ready to be added.  The second sheet has the individual colonies with the dotted lines the form the flaps.


  The kids colored the the colonies before they cut out each piece.

       Finally,  the colony pieces were glued into place.
Under each colony flap, the students wrote important information such as founder, reason for founding, date, and names of settlements for each individual colony.

      As you can see, students were able to use their book and notes to collect the correct information. Rhode Island is a very small space, so many students wrote their information in the area surrounding the little flap.  The flip chart will be clipped into the students'  Social Studies dou-tang for review for the assessment.

I hope you have a wonderful day. Please leave a comment, I'd love to hear from you.

   Beti

Matchbook Summaries

  

  Matchbook

Summaries 

 

  I was reading Melissa's blog, "Got to Teach".  She had posted a fantastic idea, Matchbook Summaries.  You should check out her blogpost on Matchbook Chapter Summaries for Novel Studies...
www.gottoteach.com

     Thank you, Melissa, for sharing your idea.

    I used Melissa's idea in my Social Studies class as an end of the chapter wrap up.  We just finished a chapter on early exploration.  So I thought this would be perfect. 

     I started explaining the project with a mock up and a rubric.  Melissa had a rubric which I edited to meet the needs of my unit. Instead of chapter summaries, I had the students write short four sentence summaries of each section in the chapter.

      My kiddos took off running full speed ahead. Each student took four index cards to begin with.  We did some paper folding so the matchbooks would be the same basic size. The section numbers titles were written on the small flap of each index card. They began writing their section summaries on folded index cards. I suggested that all the summaries be completed before they started doing the matchbook cover illustrations. At the end of our first work session, every student got an envelope to store the index cards.  The envelopes were stored in class so nothing would get lost.  I am happy to say we had no tears due to lost work. 
    At the beginning of the next class, each student would retrieve their envelope, get more index cards if needed( 14 matchbooks in all) and continue working.

     The second step was to work on the illustrations for each matchbook cover.
The art work had to represent the information written in the summary.

 

    The  final step was to work on the cover of the file folder. The students decided if the illustration would be horizontal, vertical, or split in half depending on the layout of the folder and matchbooks.

       The children were very interested in the project that was completed in school by the majority of my 88 students. I was extremely impressed at all the hard work my students put in completing their matchbook summaries.  One girl ask if we were going to make one from every chapter. 

     Hi kids, do you see any of your work? You did a great job!

     Thank you again, Melissa, for sharing this super project. My 5th graders loved it! 

   Please leave a short comment if you have a minute.  I would love to hear from you. 
  

Beti

Think Spring

        

Think Spring!

      Look for the purple striped bunny on the desk.  Isn't this bunny shape so basic but yet so cute?  I found these paint chips  in the paint section of our local hardware store. Wouldn't they make an adorable matching game for our younger children?   They would also make a great art project.  

     Just imagine many colorful bunnies sitting in blades of green grass or resting in a large Easter basket surrounded by lots of colored  eggs?  Your kinders or firsties would love creating a picture similar to that.

        If you are working with young children who are learning their colors, you could say,  " Please find the pink bunny or yellow bunny."  Numbers or rhyming words could be written on each colored section. There are so many possibilities.

      This young man is working on cutting out a cute yellow striped bunny. So many children need practice cutting. These would be very colorful for young preschool or elementary age students.

We were in the process of making Easter baskets to donate to a local food pantry.  This will make a cute tag for each basket.

 I linked this page to Teaching Blog Addict
 http://www.teachingblogaddict.com/2015/02/the-last-freebie-friday-of-february.html

For  a Freebie Friday  

Please visit this blog for lots of great teaching ideas.

Leave a comment if you have the time. I love to hear from you.
Beti

Animal Bed Tins

Animal Bed Tins

            I love making little things for little children to play with.  These little felt animals are so perfect for little hands and fingers. Eye hand coordination and manual dexterity certainly needs to be developed in young children.  This is a great you for quiet time or interaction between children.

   

         Left over felt and mint tins are a good combination for a little summer project.  During the summer our family will be getting together for a week long extended family summer vacation.  I told my nieces that we would do some craft projects.  I thought that these might be a good jumping off place to get us started. Some years have been so very nice Up North in Michigan, but some have been cold and rainy.  You have to prepare for both.

       So, I made these little animals that the kids could play with. Possibly the older girls might make more for themselves. Basically, an egg or oval shape for the body and some small scraps of felt for the arms, legs, and ears.

        

    
                    Today I am linking up with Tara at 4th Grade Frolics for 

Monday Made It! 

Check out all the great links and ideas.

www.4thgradefrolics.blogspot.com 

I gave this penguin a fish.

    
       I started out sewing them by hand.  The little brown bear is hand sewn,  All the others are mostly done on my sewing machine. 

       Here they are tucked into their little beds. They each have a tiny pillow, sheet, and blanket made from felt scraps.

Raccoon

Brown Bear

Wise Old Owl

Of course the bunny needed a carrot!

                     This tiny bunny would make a darling addition to any Easter basket this year.
    
   My nieces and nephews enjoyed playing with their new little friends. Tucking them into bed each night was a great way to end a busy day while on vacation.

 I saw this idea, Bedtime and Picnic Playset  on www.jenimadeit.com

Please leave a comment if you have a spare minute. I'd love to hear from you.

 Enjoy your day!

Beti  

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Bunny Finger Puppets

Make way for Bunnies!

         Bunnies are 
        so much fun! 
       Since Spring and Easter are on the way, I thought I would make some finger puppet bunnies for my nieces and nephews to place in their Easter baskets. 

            These little guys are made from scrap felt and embroidery floss.  They are 2 1/2 to 3 inches tall, depending on the length of their ears. Each one is different from the others because I don't used a pattern. Their facial expressions give each a different personality.

            Each little bunny has his or her own little tin box house or bed to snuggle in at night.  Of course they need some carrots to munch on when hungry.

       If you have any extra felt around your house, give these little furry friends a try. This might be a good project for some beginner sewers before Easter. 

       Have fun waiting for Spring to come. 

Beti  

Bunny Peg Dolls

Hippity Hop!

       It is never too early to see some cute little 🐇 bunnies hopping around. Easter and Spring are a few weeks away.  The bunnies are everywhere! I was walking around Target and Oh My! Bunnies everywhere!

           Now is the time to make some Bunny Peg dolls to place in those Easter baskets.  I used clothes pins to make my peg dolls.  It is so much less expensive to use clothes pins than the wooden pegs from the craft store.

         To begin with, I sawed off about an inch from the bottom of each clothes pin. Some a little more, some a little less.  This way each peg doll can have its own personality and character. I know some people like to standardize and make items to exactly to the pattern.  I am more of a "free hand" crafter not using an exact pattern.  I look at an example for inspiration and go from there to design something.  Pinterest gives me such great inspiration to work from.

           After shortening the clothes pins, sanding is the next step.  I have to make sure that each peg can stand on its own.  My sawing isn't always very precise!
The head also needs to be rounded a bit.  But it doesn't have to be perfect.
Just make sure the rough edges are nice and smooth.

       The bunnies are given a good coat of white paint.  When I think about it, bunnies could be tan, light brown, gray, or even pink.  Eyes, nose, and mouth were fun to do.  They each have a cute little expression different from the next.
I suppose I could have put on whiskers, but I an not the best with fine lines.  So, no whiskers for these bunnies!

      Each got a pink tummy, tail, and little pink and white paws with sprigs of green grass. These could be different colors such as tan or gray. I gave the girl bunnies tiny flowers on their heads and the male bunnies received bow ties just for fun!  

       After all the painting was complete, they were given a coat of gloss varnish to seal the colors. For the finishing touch, small felt ears were glued on to the heads.  Some have pom pom tails glued on their backsides.

       Each bunny has its own little Altoid box with felt blanket to sleep in. Here this  peg doll bunny has a finger puppet friend to play with.  They are sharing an Altoid box with an Easter egg and carrot in case they get a bit hungry.

       Please don't forget the real meaning of Easter when making these little bunnies.  Jesus Christ died for all mankind.

Beti

Skype Field Trip- Boston Tea Party

 Boston Tea Party

           As part of the 5th grade curriculum we study the events that lead up to the American Revolution.  We wanted to take our classes to Boston for the day.  The Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum was the perfect place to go.  Of course living in Michigan, the cost would be prohibitive to take all 91 students to Boston for a field trip.  A skype field trip with Boston Tea Party and Ships Museum would be a perfect choice. 

        All of our 5th graders dressed in colonial outfits in order to feel like they were part of the Tea Party. Students got a chance to interact with the historians in Boston. Each student played the part of a historical person who took part in the town meeting at the Old South Meeting House in December.

  
     As you can see, the students could individually talk to the presenter in Boston while the rest of the class could watch on the large screen. The museum sent us scripts for the students. This young man is holding his script.  In this way, when the historical person is called on to speak at the "meeting in Boston" each student responds as the person in history would have responded.

           Some students dressed in a more casual style of the typical colonial man, while others chose a outfit to represent a wealthier Bostonian citizen. As you can see in the following pictures, all citizens of Boston were represented. 

     

        Of course, there had to be refreshments.  All of our colonists drank tea and eat short bread cookies.

 Gentlemen from Boston gathered to discuss the events that took place in Boston. Here are two gentlemen dressed as Native Americans.  Could they possibly be on their way to Boston Harbor?

         A large group of colonists, ladies and gentlemen, gathered under the Liberty Tree after the skype.

The Sons of Liberty were very excited that day, planning to dump the tea into Boston Harbor.  Huzzah!

    Do you have your students wear costumes on a special day?

   Do you have any skype field trips with your class or school?

       Today I am linking up with the Five for Friday weekly linky party with Doodle Buds Teaching.

                       www.doodlebugsteaching.blogspot.com                      

Send me a comment if you have a spare minute. I love to read your comments.

Beti