Puppies Quiet Book

Puppies!

  Puppies!

Puppies!

 

               On one of my excursions,   I was wandering around JoAnn Fabrics and saw a darling piece of flannel fabric with these cute little dogs.  They were so colorful with friendly facial expressions.  I could not resist buying a yard.  I knew it would be perfect for my next quiet book.  By purchasing fabric with cute graphics, I can spend less time constructing my quiet books. 

          Five little dogs of different colors would be great for color recognition and matching. 

         I cut around the dogs and zig zagged the matching colors back to back.  I was lucky enough that the dogs were facing in opposite directions so they could become two sided dogs.

          Each puppy needed a bed of the same color to sleep in.  Little pockets felt were sewn on for the dog beds.

       I added a light purple dog dish with water and food just in case the puppies get hungry!  As you can see the little yellow pup is having a snack from their dog food dish.  Yum!

      On the back cover a red dog house was added.  All the dogs can fit into the dog house.

       There is a snap at the top of the dog house so all the pups can fit in.

         
       A handle made from ribbon was added along the binding so the book can be easily carried by small hands.

     
           Today I have linked up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for the Five for Friday weekly Linky Party.  I enjoy reading Kacey's blog. She has so many great ideas for the classroom. Check it out!

www.doodlebugsteaching.blogspot.com

    
  Please leave a comment if you have an extra minute. I'd love to hear from you. Enjoy your day!

Beti

Ice Cream Cones

  I scream,
you scream, we all scream  for  
ice cream!

   What child doesn't like ice cream? Of course I wanted to make an ice cream play set for my granddaughters imaginary play. While shopping at JoAnn Fabrics, I ran across this darling piece of flannel material with sparkling ice cream cones. Perfect!  Of course I bought a yard!

   
       I hope you can see the little sparkles on the delicious ice cream. I think the sparkles make the ice cream so inviting!  The smallest cones are about 2 1/4 inches tall , while the tall four dip cones are about 3 1/2 inches.  The perfect size for little hands to feed to a favorite doll or friendly stuffed animal. There are 18 different varieties, some with sugar cones and some with cake cones. Some cones are soft serve and some are scooped. Of course don't forget the sprinkles or the cherry on top!  

     First, I cut four of each cone. I wanted to make two sets.
The material was matched wrong sides together, zig zagged  stitched, and trimmed. As  each cone came to life,  I smiled and knew they would be enjoyed and played with. Each was cuter than the next.  No sharp edges for my little ones to get hurt. 
                   Just soft ice cream fun.

     Using Altoid tins, a piece of felt was glued to the lids with tacky glue.  Then some left over felt ice cream was glued to the felt.   Now we have a little storage case for all of our ice cream. 

COMPARE AND CONTRAST
     Even though all the cones are different, you can still have your child find       similarities. 
  * Find all the cones with a cherry on top.
  * Find all the cones that have one scoop if ice cream.
  * Find all the cones with blue ice cream. 

      These little ice cream cones and their tin carrying cases were so much fun to make. You don't have to be a great seamstress to make something like this.  Just the energy to cut, match , and sew.  I'm sure your little one would be happy to help in the matching process before you do the sewing. Get your kids involved in any project,  and they will feel more connected when it is done. Hopefully, they will have ownership and pride in their new toy and want to keep it all together and not lose any of the pieces.

     I do hope that I have inspired you to make a simple toy for a child in your life to play with.  Nothing fancy, just hours of imaginative play. 

   Please leave a comment.  I'd love to read your thoughts.

Enjoy this beautiful ICE CREAM day!

Beti   

Loyalist or Patriot

       We have been diligently working on discovering the differences between Loyalists and Patriots living in the colonies.  My students got together in groups to discuss the differences and similarities.  We also talked about things that each group might say in relation to the idea of independence from Great Britain. This brainstorming session lasted about ten minutes.
         I found this freebie from Ginger Snaps. It worked very well for my 5th graders.

It was perfect for our comparison purposes.  Here are a few examples our my students' work. I gave the choice of either drawing a portrait, using a photo copy from a book, or printing a picture from the internet.  I found some paper with an interesting border to add a little more interest.  My students went to work in class.

                
        I was pleased with their knowledge and their work.  

What topics are compared in your class?  What strategy do you use?
 Please leave a comment. 
ENJOY your day!
Beti

Compare & Contrast- Continental & British Armies

        To wrap up a chapter on the American Revolution, my 5th graders worked to compare and contrast the two armies. Much reading and discussion helped the students to understand the differences between the Continental Army and the British Army.  My kiddos then picked up a piece of loose leaf and a small sheet with pictures of two soldiers.( I never pass out papers anymore. I place any papers that  my students need on a table, and my 5th graders form a one-way street to pick up their work materials. Now, no one ever says, "I didn't get that paper or worksheet!")  The paper of the soldiers was cut in half to separate the two.  Then they were glued onto the loose leaf.  

This was my demonstration piece.

     The directions were given to bullet point information specific to each army. Here are a few examples of student work. 

          As you can see, each child had a different list but with basically the same information.  They also colored the uniforms and some added backgrounds.  I was very pleased with the completed classwork. 

   How do you have your students compare and contrast?

Today I linked up with Forever in Fifth Grade  for

 Show and Tell Tuesday. 

Stephanie has wonderful ideas to share.

 www.foreverinfifthgrade.blogspot.com

Please leave a comment.  Your ideas are very helpful. Come back again soon.

Keep calm and be happy!

Beti

Show and Tell Link up

          Thank you to  Stephanie from Forever in Fifth Grade for setting up a Show and Tell link up this month!

 Hop on over to her blog!
 foreverinfifthgrade.blogspot.com

     We have been working on events leading up to the American Revolution in my 5th grade class. 

      We had read the book You Can't Make Them Behave, King George!   

by Jean Fritz. Then the students worked on character traits using this worksheet.

    A discussion of who were Loyalists and Patriots was another topic of discussion.

  
      Enjoy your week and the end of the school year!
  Beti

My Amarilis

     Wordless Wednesday- My Amarilis
                    One of my wonderful students, Emma, gave me an amarilis in a lovely flower pot. I placed it on my desk and the kids gathered round.  Of course I had to add a ruler so we could measure the flower's progress.

Two of my students have taken on the job of measuring and recording the growth.

   









  

     Finally my amarilis is growing.  I know that the bamboo in the background makes it look like there is more growth. The next picture will hopefully be a better shot of the plant.
     The shoot on the left hand side of the plant is the flower pod.

 The growth in the last three pictures is within 24 hours!  It's Friday.  My 5th graders will be amazed on Monday when they see how much the amarilis has grown.

   Monday morning was a real surprise!

       On Tuesday the kids had a day off, but the teachers had meetings.  So I came into my room and this is how much the amarilis had grown.  I added an additional support and measuring stick. By the afternoon I had to tie the plant for support.

Notice the two blossoms.

  What are some things that you measure in your classroom?

I'll keep you posted on the flower's growth with more pictures.
Please leave a comment.  I love to read what others are doing in their classrooms.

Happy Spring!

www.kinderkraziness.blogspot.com

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