5 Summer Activities to Keep Kids Sharp during School Holidays
5 Summer Activities to Keep Kids Sharp during School Holidays
I realize that parents and teachers alike are afraid of the dreadful summer slide and yet at the same time we want our kids to learn through play and discovery.
Here are some resources that I have created to solve this dilemma. They are academic, yet fun and many can be completed while on the beach or while hanging out at the pool or actually anywhere, anytime.
So, here you go...ENJOY and have a great summer! Don't forget the sunscreen!!!
⛅ Here is where you can find them ALL! Summer Fun
⛅ Here is where you can find them ALL! Summer Fun
So...before I give you my BIG FUN Sea Creature IDEA, I am going to list some easy fun ideas that can be done on a rainy day or any day! These are tried and true ideas that I have used with my own kiddos in years past! I do think they are a bit better than being tethered to an electronic device all day!!!
1. My kids and I loved making popsicles out of various juices...actually sometimes we used various sodas or pops, but in today's world that is a no...no...so here is a pin I found that gives you many ideas to chose from...Oh BTW if you have small paper cups and popsicle sticks from the craft store on hand,you will not have to use or use fancy molds and the kids can partially freeze and layer the pops.
2. Now this one is daring, but I did it with my younger kiddos, but you do need to be present and watching...well...I guess you need to present and watching for most of these ideas!! I used to have the kids get into their bathing suits and play in the bathtub with water toys. They LOVED it and it was almost as good as being in a pool...perhaps not quite as fun, but none the less a fun time in a pinch!!!
Of course I would be right there watching and splashing with them!!!
3. Finger painting with food or make your own editable pretty good tasting finger paint...
I have also "painted" with pudding, peanut butter, raspberries, blackberries and yogurt...Oh and if you want to add a little learning...give the kiddos sight words to write or sentences!!
4. Fruit and Veggie Prints: Cut some old fruit in half and dip it in paint. Then stamp it onto white paper, tee shirts, white napkins or pillowcases for some fun creating!! Apples, pears, oranges, peppers, celery,lemons, limes, orange sections,carrots and potatoes work great!! I am sure you can think of a few more!! i would suggest putting a fork through the top as a handle for stamping. There are so many examples on Pinterest that I decided to give you a link to all of them...WOW!
5. I have a zillion ideas, but this post would be way to long. So...Now..it is time for the Sea Creature Idea...actually Jellyfish fun idea!!!
First: You will need plain white paper plates cut in half with 4 holes punched across the bottom. I used pipe cleaners and had the kiddos connect them to the paper plate by threading and twisting the pipe cleaners. You will also need an assortment of beads, macaroni/pasta, cut up straws and anything that you can find that has a whole through...buttons might work as well. We also used google eyes, but beads or buttons work too! To add a sensory piece for Kinders I used the large fuzzy pipe cleaners, which you will see as the kids are working.
Then they decorated the front of the paper plate (names on the back) and began to thread the beads and pasta onto each pipe cleaner. Everyone was able to do this...some with a tiny bit of help!
BTW...you could have heard a pin drop during this activity...if you try this at home it MAY be a little different! Ha ha!
Next we added eyes!!
This is what we had...some VERY Cute Stingy Swirly Moveable Fun Jellyfish!!
Add a little phrase, some cute fish with names and it becomes...
A BULLETIN BOARD!!! or for home add another pipe cleaner and it can...
Hang from a light or the ceiling and decorated your child's Room or playroom!!
I hope you have many sunny days this summer, but if you need a filler...Why not try one of these fun ideas??? Don't forget to comment with some of your favorite ideas!
Are you as tired, but as intrigued as I am with all the different types of spinners there are everywhere you go and the fact that they get hundreds upon hundreds of new shipments practically everyday? I have seen sports themed spinners, USA spinners, Light Up spinners, black, tie-dyed and rainbow spinners to name a few! I have to admit...they are mesmerizing!
Mention the s-word and right before your eyes someone says, "Oh, I have one right here!" They do have a purpose, but they are also the 2017 craze like Pokemon cards, Cabbage Patch Dolls and all the other toys you HAD TO HAVE when you were younger. They have been banned from schools and I am sure many teachers are a bit crazed, for lack of a better word, at how many of their students own a spinner. They can be purchased everywhere: AMAZON, 5 Below, Learning Express, Hallmark, Wawa, 7-Eleven and I might just set up a stand in my front yard!
Today my grandson was off from school and we went to Learning Express to spend a gift card he received for his birthday and what did he pick out? You guessed it a Tri-Spinner and a Bi-Spinner with cases to hold the various spinners one has...now mind you as of today, May 5, 2017...he has about 5 different spinners and has even made a few with coins and bearings, but this is what he wanted and it was HIS money!!!
So as all he-- breaks lose in schools and the craze that is supposed to calm the soul has been deemed as a distraction to many, there is a solution to the craziness especially at the end of the year...USE IT AS A TEACHING TOOL...yes you read that correctly and here are 10 ways you can do this with your kiddos...I guess what I am saying is to have a Fidget Spinning Day.
1. Have a contest using a timer to see whose spinner can spin the longest. Start out with pairs and then the winners will proceed to the next round. Keep it going until there is one winner.
2. Graph the results of the time it took for the spinners to spin and stop and then find the mean, mode median and range of the times.
3. Make predictions based on what they know about spinners and see who can come closest to the amount of time the spinner will spin. So the students, predict, then write the actual time and last, find the difference.
4. Calculate which surfaces( floor, blacktop, wood, desk, metal surface etc.) support faster or slower spins. Which surface made the spinner spin faster, explain your thinking? Does the spinner spin longer on a surface or in your hand? Explain your thinking. On one finger or between your fingers? Explain your thinking. Which kinds of spinners spin the fastest, slowest and graph and compare the results.
5. How many spinners can you spin on top of each other? Graph the results.
6. Have your students spin their spinners and see who can focus using their spinners while reading to self, listening to a read aloud or doing math( try your best not to get distracted by their spinners spinning). Evaluate the experiment by having them answer questions about the lesson taught. Then have them write an opinion piece on spinners about help or hinder students' concentrate.
7. Write to persuade by having students write you a letter convincing you or the principal that students should or should not be allowed to bring spinners to school.
8. Write a piece on how to spin a spinner correctly.
9. Write an opinion piece on which spinner is better or is the Bi-spinner or Tri-Spinner better and why they feel that way.
10. Create a game that can use spinners in some way. Have each team or partnership write about his/her idea, make it and present it to the class and play it!
I hope you find these ideas helpful...you know the old saying: "When in Rome do as the Romans" and "If you can't beat them, join them." Well...my new saying is: "When the spinner spins, spin along with it!
And I have freebie for you that you can print and use and GUESS WHAT? It contains some of the ideas above...what more could you ask for!!
Happy Teacher Appreciation Day and have a little fun with spinners the last few weeks of school! Keep spinning and smiling!
I am NOT a certified English Language Learner Teacher, but over the years I have had many ELL students in my first and second grade classrooms. Perhaps because I grew up in a family where my parents spoke 2 languages, I had a keen sense for understanding the difficulties that these children or, more so, parents may experience. I grew up hearing 2 languages but not speaking 2 languages. In fact my paternal grandmother only spoke a few words in English: "Hello Dolly and That's a nice!" So you knew exactly how she would respond to your plea. " Grandmom, I fell and hit my head!" "That's a nice, Dolly!" To say the least it was interesting growing up when grandparents came to visit!
Having taught so many ELL kiddos, I came to realize what works for these learners also support all learners, but there were some special ideas I used to support my English Language Learners in my classroom. I think my grade partner and I became the targeted teachers for ELL students because we just seemed to be able to collaborate with ELL parents in a way that they felt included and active members of the classroom community. Our ELL teachers would "push in" and "pull out " as needed and we were a fine tuned engine chugging along the road of learning together.
So here are some ideas or tips that I have used throughout my 30 +years of teaching to support English Language Learners in my classroom.
1. Label the Classroom
Every year, a few weeks into the school year, I would read the story The Alphabet Tree by Leo Lionni. After we read the story, we came up with a list nouns or people, places and things we noticed around the room, i.e, flag, desk, chair, etc. I would write the words on index cards and children would draw pictures to show the word. Then together we would tape them to the objects around the classroom. Now, this was something I have done forever with my first graders to support environmental print and emergent reading, but I came to realize how important this was for English Language Learners, not only in school, but also to send home. ELL students need reinforcement through visuals to better understand vocabulary. This resource, Labeling the Room for English Language Learners for Home and School, was created to support students at home and at school. Of course we still labeled more than what is included in this resource.
2. Using Synonyms, Gestures and Pictures When Presenting Materials
A simple word like bat seems so easy, yet it has a few meanings. This can be so confusing to a child learning to speak English...in fact...English is one of the hardest languages to learn. So when this word is used, it is important to have the class chat about the word, describe the meanings and if you have pictures to support vocabulary use...even better! Think about some of these words: cut, pen, ring, rose, cold, bark, fly...you get the idea....not only is this important for Language Learners, but also for learning vocabulary in general. Using multiple words when giving directions so all children can understand what is meant is another important tip. I am very animated when it comes to speaking so if I say think...I point to my head...when I say listen I pull at my ears...stop...I put my hands up...so these kinds of gestures to support vocabulary understanding came natural to me...YES...I am Italian!! Moving to an area of the classroom or pointing to an object that contains the activities or the book to work with can aid in understanding as well.
Having a Word Wall in the writing station or center that has words that can be represented with pictures to support understanding is ideal. If you do not have the space for a Word Wall, individual sheets with words for writing or Anchor Charts with visuals can also work.
3. Activities, Demonstrations or Games that Use Movement or Modeling to Support UnderstandingLet's face it.
All kids enjoy moving and we all know that research shows that children learn best when movement is incorporated into learning or Brain Breaks are used to break up lessons. Movement when used to demonstrate ideas or concepts can support all learners, but most importantly ELL students. Demonstrating the verb, run, if children see someone running or run themselves, they understand the concept of running. Think how much understanding of language can be accomplished by doing and just how much fun everyone will have.
Having students model directions, rules, expectations and ways in which to use materials are all visuals that can support understanding. Telling is not always a good choice for ELL students as they may not know what you mean, but showing, modeling and/or demonstrating is so much better for all learners.
Visual Schedules with pictures as well as words; either individual schedules or class schedules posted in the front of the classroom are great ways to support ELL kiddos and ALL emergent learners. Visuals, Visuals, Visuals lots of Visuals for expectations, rules directions...everything!
4. When Possible, Bring Parents into your Classroom to Show Expectations Rather Than Sending Notes or Making Phone Calls
Back to School Night is a great time to take a few minutes to show your ELL parents classroom expectations. Use visuals for each idea you are presenting. I used a Power Point Presentation and then showed the actual item in the classroom to support understanding of my classroom structure and student expectations...samples, samples, samples..you can never have too many samples.
If necessary, I actually set a time for ELL parents to stop by and observe the class in action so they had a better understanding of how the class ran...the old saying "Seeing is Believing"...I changed to "Seeing is Understanding!"
5. HOMEWORK Club
Although this is more of a district support, it is well worth mentioning. This program was created by a grant. When you think of sending homework home, it is easy to forget that many times parents of ELL students may not read English... so homework may not get completed correctly. When assigning homework, it might be best to create adapted homework for these children, which use pictures to support understanding. However, this can be difficult. Teachers have enough on their plates and may find it difficult to create adapted homework assignments for ELL kiddos. We used to make our homework easy to complete and scripted with repetition in that you did certain things on certain nights. This made the homework easier to complete. However if you have parents who could not support their children due to language barriers, it still puts a strain on the family and on family time. YES...you could not assign homework and I know there is a lot of controversy surrounding whether or not to have homework at all, but if you district insists on assigning homework...this may be an idea to consider....Homework Club!
We provided this club for any student who needed homework support, but a majority were ELL kiddos! It was an after school program and ran for 3 days each week. We connected with our High School's Community Service Club and students came over after school to help our ELL kiddos with their homework and also reviewed concepts if there were any misunderstandings. Data, that was collected, showed that the younger students made social connections with their helpers, progress with academic concepts and their confidence soared. My grade partner and I administered and oversaw the club.
6. Building Classroom Community where Differences are Celebrated
"Diversity is the One Thing we have in Common"...one of my favorite quotes!
Celebrate differences. During Morning Meetings encourage ELL students to teach your class how to say "Good Morning" in their language and use that as the greeting for the day. During math have the children teach others how to count in their language. If the written form is different, let them explain the differences to allow for understanding. Use good ole' Google to show where each native country is located and maybe have the students or a parent come in to show a bit about their culture and country. Have an "International Day" or a "Heritage Day" and encourage parents to send in foods from their country (as long as your school allows this), These activities are not limited to ELL students.....they are open to all students...everyone comes from somewhere and has different traditions and shares different cultures. These activities will enable your students to feel connected by their differences and feel like active members of the classroom community or culture.
One last comment...One year I had 9 different countries represented in my classroom: Japan, Korea, China, Viet Nam, Pakistan, India, Ireland, Philippines and the United States!!! We had so much fun that year learning about all of these countries, traditions and cultures. ALL students in my classroom shared their heritage!!!
Here are a few resources that support English Language Learners from Sunshine and Lollipops...Click through and Check them out!!
Here is a Free Diversity Poster for you: Free Poster
What tips or ideas can you share that have worked for you with your ELL students? Please share your tried and true ideas in the comment section! Enjoy the rest of your school year!!!
