IN THEIR SHOES: GRATITUDE AND KINDNESS

IN THEIR SHOES

Life can be challenging. For many of us, the world has become an uncertain place. Children are especially vulnerable to the daily bombardment of tragic news, devastating weather events, and disappointment. Social media has assured us that an unsettling event experienced halfway around the world is communicated to us in real time. Shielding children from these events has also become more difficult for parents, family, and educators.

I was inspired to write my newest book, Daisy Finds a Home, as means of showing children that while things may not always happen the way we feel they should, that there are people in our lives that can help to make life better. 

Strong and hopeful are positive words that help children make it through a difficult time.

Children can also help others by remembering that each of us wears a unique set of shoes that take us on unique paths—and all paths have their own unique potholes to navigate.  For example, a friend may seem extra grumpy. Yet, that friend may have just learned that their parent lost his/her job. A classmate may be extra quiet because their best friend moved across the country.

As this is the time of year that people focus on helping others, this is an excellent time to remind children that they can help make another person’s light shine brighter by lending a hand, speaking a kind word, or helping them with an important task. By doing so, children will learn that when a person’s light shines brighter, some of that glow is also cast upon the person that helped.

Included in this blog post are three printables for children to color, cut, and use. The first is a thank you card to share with someone that has helped the children in your life. The second is a reminder to be a friend to others. The third is just for funzies!

Reminder: the eBook version of Daisy Finds a Home will be available for a free download on November 10 and 11, 2016. This read-aloud book is great for the younger crowd—kiddos under the age of 7.

Click the link to take you to the page. The free eBook download is scheduled for November 10 and 11. Thanks.
Link to eBook on Amazon

PUMPKIN PIE: THINK INSIDE THE CRUST

Can YOu Make a Whole HOle?

In the story, Pickled Pumpkin Pie: A Thanksgiving Treat, Uncle Pete definitely thinks outside the box. He has a favorite food. He is also patient and waits a long time to enjoy it.

Included in this blog post are instructions and printables to encourage your kiddos to think outside the box—or inside the crust.

So, without further delay….go ahead and have a 'HOLE LOTTA FUN!

(Reminder: The free eBook downloads will be available November 10 and 11.)

Amazing artwork by Jaime Buckley!

SUMMERTIME TRAVELS: WHAT COULD BE BETTER?

Ah, summer vacation! What could be better? 

It has been said that August is the national vacation month for the United States. From the increased traffic on the highway, I truly believe that statement is correct. August and vacation travels are definitely a perfect combination: a great way to wind down summer fun before heading back to school.

Today's blog post combines the awesomeness of summer vacation with the excitement of the soon-to-begin school year. By combining the travel destination with math and geography activities, your little ones will be eager to share their summer travel experiences with their classmates.

I have collaborated with a very talented artist, Jaime Buckley, to create a sent of printables and activity suggestions to plot, graph, compare, and discuss summer travels. Did your kiddos have a STAY-cation? No problem. Plot the local destinations that the kiddos visited:the pool, the park, the theater, museums, etc. Combine the distances for each. Your STAY-cation might end up having the highest mileage total of all the kids in your neighborhood.

Travel the World Activities

1. Use the outline of your state, region, country, or continent to plot the distance each child traveled for their vacation. Use online resources to compute the distance traveled.

2. Use the distance traveled to compare with other children in the group. This is a great opportunity to review math concepts such a ordering numbers from least to greatest, greatest to least, calculating the average, calculating the range, etc.

3. Create a bar graph representing the number of children that traveled to a particular spot.

4. Create a pictograph representing the method of travel used by each child.

5. Create a picture with the travel methods. Students can add their own picture or drawing to represent themselves.

The images and printables presented in this activity may be used for no more than one classroom or group. Credit for the artwork must be given to Jaime Buckley, artist of Pickled Pumpkin Pie by Deb Troehler.

Snow! Snow! Let the Winds Blow!

We all know the weather patterns—hot in summer and cold in winter? Or, is that correct? This year alone we’ve had temperatures in the 80s with torrential rains followed by bone chilling, pipe bursting temperatures so cold that schools and businesses were closed. These extreme weather swings took place in the month of January. Climate change is more than likely the cause of our now-familiar roller coaster weather patterns.

Why not tap into these changes in weather patterns to create a snowman glyph?

Today’s post includes instructions and printables to use with your children to practice recording and interpreting data, create and interpret bar graphs, and improve fine motor skills. As an added bonus, I am including a  set of snowflake-themed printables for you to use with the kiddos. So, when the winds are howling and the snow is blowing, you can stay inside warm and snug and still enjoy the snowflakes.

HOW WOULD YOU BUILD YOUR SNOWMAN GLYPH? 

OBJECTIVE: Demonstrate the ability to read and interpret glyphs.

*Please note that younger children may need assistance with cutting the snowman components.

MATERIALS NEEDED

Printouts provided with this lesson*

Scissors and glue

 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Prior to the activity, prepare a snowman glyph with your personal choices for the snowman components. Show your completed snowman to the children, along with the key.

Ask: Looking at the snowman that I made and the key, what do you think my favorite candy is? What type of shoes do I like to wear?

Explain that the children are going to create their own snowmen, based on their favorite things.

2. Show the key to the children. Discuss the options to use for each category.

3. Give the snowman printout and the component printouts to the children, instructing them to build their own snowman based on their choices.

4. When the glyphs are completed, children will share their choices to reinforce reading the glyph with the Snowman Glyph Key.

Snowmen and a Snow Fort

Use the completed glyphs to build a bar graph showing the total number of children who chose each component, as shown.

MODIFICATION: Children create a glyph based upon their favorite season. Create a bar or pictograph of the results.

 

 

MINTY MATH FOR KINDERGARTEN & FIRST GRADE

Welcome to December—the eternally busy month where it seems as if there are never enough hours in the day, enough hands to do the work, and enough dollars to do it with.

As refreshing as a peppermint, the posts this month will provide activities and ideas for those that are somewhat busy, those that are very busy, and those that are—Are you kidding? When will I ever find the time to do that?! busy. If you are too busy to read this blog, don’t worry— these posts will still be here in January when the whirlwind of December is behind all of us.

If, however, you fit into the first category, take the time to drop a peppermint into your cup of cocoa and check out these ideas to use that winter-fresh candy with the little ones in your life.

Whether they are the real starlight mints and candy canes or the printable versions, these sweet treats provide wonderful opportunities to practice many math skills.

Included below are printables and suggestions for practicing math skills that include counting, single-digit addition, identifying shapes, sorting, non-standard measurement, comparing numbers of objects, sequencing, and more. Created by Rainbows to Snowflakes, this candy cane and starlight mint themed resource will provide ideas and materials to use in math centers, as warm-up activities, and small group practice for kindergarten and first grade.

 

 

 

 

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