St. Patrick's Day Roll and Cover Addition

I have probably said this several times before, but I love using holidays in the classroom. I especially love using them as a theme. I use books and videos to make sure students understand the holiday, but to make the holiday fun I use games and other activities. 

St. Patrick's Day is one of those holidays I use. I spend the week focused on activities using the St. Patrick's Day theme. On the actual day that we celebrate St. Patrick's Day, I love setting my classroom desks in the shape of a shamrock, adding green construction paper, and providing students with a fun gift bag. 

During the week, I use several games. One of the games I like to use is my St. Patrick's Roll and Cover Addition Boards game. Every time I use this game, my students have so much fun with it, which is the reason I decided to share this game with you. 

This game is an interactive game in which students focus on addition. I place a huge emphasis on using doubles, so it is really exciting to see my students adding two and even three numbers using doubles and other addition strategies.

This game is so easy to prep that I am able to have my whole class play at the same time. I have them play as partners giving everyone a game board and a page of shamrocks. I cut up a pot of gold page for each group to share. As I mentioned, it is a fun game that my class always enjoys playing. 

If you are interested, you can check out this St. Patrick's Day Roll and Cover Addition game in my TPT Store. 

St. Patrick's Day Roll and Cover Addition

You can also visit my TPT Store to view my other resources. 

Mrs. Navarre's TPT Store

Teaching Groundhog's Day in the Classroom

 

Groundhog’s Day (Feb. 2) is an easily overlooked holiday. It is one of those holidays that kind of sneaks up on you, and even if you do decide to teach it, it is almost too late. Well, this packet is perfect for that last minute decision to include this holiday in your already busy schedule.

It is important to me to make the classroom experience unique and exciting for my students. I know that that is not always possible, but holidays are a perfect chance for me to step it up for them. I love when students say, "This was the best day ever!" Okay, so maybe they don't exactly say that about Groundhog's Day, but they do enjoy it. If I took it a step further I know that it would be one of their favorites. Instead, I keep it kind of simple, yet different from the normal daily routine. 

I like to start the day off by having a big sign displayed that says, “Happy Groundhog’s Day.” I usually just write it on the whiteboard in different color markers. I have some posters from Weekly Reader that I like to have hanging up as well.

Once my students are settled, I explain that it is Groundhog’s Day and then I tell them a little about this holiday. You can easily Google it, but here are a couple of easy-to-use websites that you might like:

Britannica - https://www.britannica.com/topic/Groundhog-Day

National Today - https://nationaltoday.com/groundhog-day/

Once they have a quick idea of what Groundhog’s Day is, I show a YouTube video that shows whether Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow or not.

As the day progresses, I use other resources that I have collected over the years along with my Groundhog's Day packet in order to keep with the Groundhog's Day theme. This packet includes a simple art project in which students learn to read a poem and use their groundhog to pop out of its hole. There is also a making words activity, a word search, and a finger puppet retell with facts.  

The puppet retell is a fun activity that allows students to learn some facts about the groundhog and then use their finger puppets to share the facts with a friend. They can use their puppets to share other facts that they have learned as well. 

These activities are a great way to keep students engaged as they learn about this holiday. The wonderful part about it is that they are still growing in various academic areas. 

Click on the link if you are interested in checking out this resource. 

Groundhog's Day Resource Packet

Happy Groundhog's Day!

Christmas Pillow Boxes and Santa Bag Gift Idea

This year I wanted to do something a little different for Christmas. My children and grandchildren are all getting older, so it is getting more difficult to choose gifts for them. I wanted to find a way to have fun with the gifts, so I decided on Christmas pillow boxes and Santa bags. 

I came up with this idea after seeing some Christmas pillow boxes on Amazon. These boxes are small envelopes that kind of puff up when you push them together and fold in the ends. I went ahead and ordered them. They came in a set of 60 with 12 different designs. They were a great price at $7.99. I got them in about six days. I bought some candy, little gifts, and some Santa Christmas bags. Originally, I wasn't sure of the size bag I needed, so I bought two different sizes. The bag you need will really depend on how much you want to put in them. 

The next thing I did, was I went to the bank and got some bills in different denominations. This is going to be the main gift for my family, so I got enough $1's, $5's, $10s, and $20's. I already had some coins. 

It was important to me that my family not forget the true reason for Christmas, so I also wanted to include Christmas (Christian) messages. I typed some up and had planned on putting them in the pillow boxes on their own, but they kind of stuck to the inside of the box, so I decided to fold them in with the money. I've included the link below in case you are interested in using my Christmas messages, but you can probably think of some good ones on your own. You could also just handwrite a message or a special note. 

After I filled the Christmas Pillow Boxes with different items, I put them in a bag. I decided on the Santa bag because it was so cute. I was only able to fill it with eight pillow boxes, but that was enough. Each envelope had a fun surprise, so I'm sure my family will enjoy it. 

For this post, I only put together one gift bag, which is for my son. I want to pick up a couple more little things for my grandkids before I do their bags. I will need to remember to write their names on Santa's hat, or beard for the rest of my family. I had fun filling the Christmas pillow boxes and putting the Santa bag together. I am really happy that I was able to include a Christmas message.

I hope that you like this special gift idea. I wish you and your family a very Merry and Safe Christmas. May God bless you always! 

Here is the Google Link to Christmas Messages (PDF)

Christmas Messages PDF

Update: This is a post from a couple of years ago. The bags were a hit! This year I am doing Christmas Eve Pajama Boxes. I have a YouTube video that you can view if you are interested. 

Christmas Eve Pajama Boxes

Another cute idea that I did a few years ago is the Snowman Tower Boxes. They were really a fun project. Of course, my family loved them. I have included the link to the blog post and a couple others that you might like. 

Snowman Tower Boxes

Holiday Gift Idea for Co-workers, Friends, Teachers, Ect.

Cozy Christmas Gift Idea

Snowy Owl Art Project

If you are looking for a cute owl art project for the classroom, this one is great. It is easy and fun. I like teaching about bats, spiders, and owls during this time of the year so this got me thinking about this project. This is one of the art projects that I like to use, especially as we start moving into colder weather. The funny thing is that I have been planning on doing this post for a long time, but have never got around to it. I looked at the date of this picture and it is dated 2015. Well, today is the day! Here are the directions for making this super cute art project. 

Material:

Black construction paper for the canvas

Orange, white, and black construction paper for the eyes and beak

Brown paper bag or other brown/tan paper

White paint (yellow is optional)

Black Sharpie and white crayon

Cut up sponge pieces

Clothes pins (optional)

Directions:

1. I like to have the pieces for the eyes and beak already pre-cut. Recruit a parent volunteer for this if possible. 

2. Pour paint on a plate and set out the sponge pieces. If you want it to be less messy, I recommend attaching clothes pins to the sponges. 

3. Have students write their names on the back of their papers. Using a white crayon is a good idea. 

4. Have students begin their art project by tearing a strip of brown paper or a paper bag to look like a small tree branch. They can crumple it up and then flatten it for special effects. Then have students glue it onto their paper towards the bottom so that they have room for their owls. Once they have their branch on their paper they can use a Sharpie to draw the lines and tree knots (circular spots)on the branch. 

5. Now students are ready to start their sponge painting. Have them use the sponge pieces to make a circular body and head. I like to put three owls on the branch, but two or even one is fine. If you are using yellow paint you can also have students add the moon.

6. After the owls have dried for a bit, students can glue on the eyes and the beak. If you didn't have time to cut up the pieces ahead of time you could have students do this on their own. It adds to the uniqueness and cuteness. You could also have them paint the eyes and beak on if you prefer to do it that way. This can be done with a Q-tip, but make sure the sponge paint is pretty much dry or students will have a mess. 

I hope that you and your students have fun with this project. Art is such a great way to get kids thinking. I love it!

I have another owl art project that you might also be interested in. You can click on the link to read that blog post. 

Owl Art Project

If you are teaching about owls you might be interested in this science reader that I have on owls. It is available on my TPT Store. 

Science Reader - Owls

Art projects are always part of the unit I am teaching. It just seems to bring everything together. I'm sure that there are plenty of owl art projects out there, but these two have always been my favorites. I know that you will love them. They are both super cute. Enjoy!

The Story of Max the Scarecrow

Well, I’m happy to say that I have just published my first book. Wow! I can officially say that I am an author. For those of you who are interested, it is really not that difficult and I suggest learning more about self-publishing on Amazon.
 

Writing a book really wasn’t part of my plan when writing the Story of Max the Scarecrow. I was just thinking about fall themes and decided that I wanted to do a PowerPoint video for YouTube. I decided it would be about a scarecrow.

As I was thinking about my story, I decided that I wanted to write a story that supported Social and Emotional Learning (SEL). After I finished my story, I decided that I actually liked it enough to try and publish it. I was especially motivated by this since I would like to see more stories for young learners directed towards SEL.

In the story, about Max the scarecrow, we learn that he is a hard worker, but he is sometimes kind of lonely. We are able to see how Max explores his feelings, solves problems, and makes good decisions. Max also meets some friends that show empathy and work together as a team.

As part of the book/video, there is a “Think and Discuss” section. You are able to use the questions to more directly focus on SEL. In the video, you are asked to pause the video to give students time to respond to the questions. In the book, you have both the questions and possible answers. I say possible because I really wouldn’t want to limit students in how they interpret and respond to the story.

You have probably figured out after reading this post that I followed through with making a video of Max the Scarecrow. I am providing the link for you to view and use in your classroom.

YouTube - The Story of Max the Scarecrow

Also, I am providing the link to my book in case you are interested. It is available in both paperback and Kindle versions, but of course, the paperback is more suitable for the classroom. 

The Story of Max the Scarecrow - Book

Please feel free to check out both of these resources. I hope that you find them helpful. 

Teach Young Learners About Fall

The weather has been really hot this week, so it is kind of strange to be thinking about fall, but it is just around the corner. With fall on my mind, I just want to say that I think that it is important for children to learn about the different seasons, plus it is fun, so I definitely include the seasons during each part of the year. 

Fall is a great time of the year and usually the first season that we teach students about. This is logical of course since it is normally the first full season of our school year. Some might think, "What is there to know or teach about fall?" It is a season, that is it, but this is not true. There are plenty of things that our students need to learn or at least think about. These include the changes in weather (cooler), clothing (sweaters, light jackets), nature (leaves, plants die, fall fruits, temperatures around the world), and also fall holidays. 

There are many fun ways to teach about fall. Using the fall theme during this time of the year, both in classroom decorations and your curriculum keeps students thinking about fall throughout the season.

There are a lot of fall books that you can read in the classroom. These books may focus specifically on fall in which they talk about the temperature and the colors of the leaves, but there are many others that go along with a fall theme (apples, Halloween, pumpkins, bats, spiders, owls, Thanksgiving, etc.). 

There are a lot of good books, but one of my favorite fall books is “The Little Old Lady Who Wasn’t Afraid of Anything.” It is a Halloween book. If you don’t already have it, I recommend adding it to your collection. My students always enjoy chanting along as I read it. You can also find a song version on YouTube, which I like to use after I have read the book.

The Little Old Women Who Wasn't Afraid of Anything - Song

It is easy to make the fall theme part of your classroom with practice pages and games. This is a time in which students are able to learn more about fall or just have more time to think about it. You do want to be sure to teach the word “autumn” so that students learn that this is another word for fall.

Here are some resources that you might be interested in using with your fall unit.

Fall Poem Freebie - Fall is Here!

Fall Themed Activities

It is Time for Fall Reader

Fall Matching Game

Fall Double Digit Addition and Subtraction

Fall Ten Frames

Activity days are a really fun way to teach students about fall. You can team up with one or two other teachers to make this a special event for all. Each teacher can be responsible for three or four different activities. This may include reading, art, math, science, and writing activities. You can usually recruit some parent helpers that are willing to take part in this Fall Activity Day.

Having detailed directions for each center activity is helpful, especially if you are recruiting parents that don’t normally help in the classroom. I’ve shared an example of my math center activities. You can get a PDF copy if you are interested. 

PDF Math Centers

Art is always a fun activity for students, and there are plenty of art ideas that you can find on Pinterest. Here are a few easy ones that I like.

Fall Tree – I like to have students draw their tree trunk and color it rather than paint it. This makes it easier for students to simply add the leaves without smearing the paint colors. After students have finished drawing the tree trunk they can add the leaves using fall colors. The leaves can be added using cut-up sponge pieces, Q-tips, and/or cotton swabs.

Scarecrow Directed Drawing – Most students really enjoy directed drawing. Some students are a little intimidated by it, but after telling them that we are just having fun, they usually feel more comfortable and are willing to give it a shot. Provide extra paper for those who are not happy with their first attempt. Model slowly, step by step, how to draw the scarecrow. Then have students color their pictures and add any other fall thoughts they have. Once students are done with their scarecrow you can have them write about it.

Parts of an Apple - As part of my fall unit I teach about apples, so this art project is perfect. You can have students do this project solely as a "tear art" project where they tear apart paper to make their apples. But, I actually like to provide students with precut rectangles and have them cut the corners of the red pieces of paper. I have them cut the yellow paper strip into smaller rectangles. Then I have them tear apart pieces of paper for the core and the stem. After students have drawn on the seeds and completed their apples, we write the name of the apple parts together. 

You can read more on my Apple Art Blog Post.

Apple Art Blog Post

YouTube is another resource that is very helpful. I’ve already mentioned one of my favorite stories, but there are many other videos that you can find. I have found videos about apples, pumpkins, bats, owls, past/present, Thanksgiving, and more. It is too bad that YouTube no longer lets you make playlists for kids' videos. Fortunately, I was able to save some before the change occurred. Even though you can't do this, you can save them as a “liked” video. You can also save your favorite videos to a Pinterest board. It may take a little more effort to access them, but at least it reminds you of videos that you want to use again. 

Here are a couple of “Unscramble the Word” fall videos that you might be interested in.

Unscramble the Fall Words

Unscramble the Halloween Words

I hope that I have given you some new ideas for teaching fall. Thematic learning provides a unique and special experience for students, so making fall one of those units is definitely a wonderful way to teach young learners. 

 

Using Poems to Teach Reading

We know that students learn to read through both a systematic approach to phonics and the learning of sight words. Providing students with this practice is a big part of what we do as teachers. 

Using poems in the classroom is one thing that you can do to provide students with some extra practice and help build strong readers. As students practice the poems they gain knowledge of the words. These words become sight words that students remember. They also work to apply their phonics skills as appropriate. Students gain confidence as they experience success in reading the poems on their own.  

I’ve mentioned using poems in a few of my other blog posts, but that is because using poems is a reading strategy that I feel strongly about. I like to share the strategy that I use for poems because I don't think it is a commonly used strategy and I definitely think that this strategy is worth the time.

There are many different types of poems. You can use poems for different seasons, holidays, famous people, or anything else that you can think of. When I choose a poem, I look for a poem that is grade appropriate and that has a picture that can be colored. The picture is an important part of how I use the poems. My focus is not really on what the picture is, but that it has a picture that can be colored a little at a time. 

When I teach a new poem I provide students with their own copy and then project it on a screen so that we can go through the poem together. I like to read the poem together at least two or three times. The first time we read it through just for fun. The second time that we read it we focus on keywords, new vocabulary, and talk about the poem. Then we might read it through a third time again for fun, but also with a better understanding.

The next thing I do is have students partner read the poem. You can have students work with just one partner or switch partners. Pairing a struggling reader with a more proficient reader is a good idea. You could also pair two struggling readers, but you would probably need to be the one to provide the needed support. 

After students have read with a partner I like to have students practice reading the poem on their own. They read the poem all of the way through and then they color one section of the picture. They read the poem again and then color another section of the picture. Students continue rereading the poem and coloring different parts of the picture. This can be modified for struggling readers by having them focus on part of the poem rather than the whole poem. They read the part that they are working on and then color a section of the picture. Students will usually let you know when they are ready to move on to another section of the poem, or you can make that decision.

All of this does not need to be done in one day. You can break it up and do as much as time permits. It is helpful for students to have a poem folder. This way they know where the poem is and they can pull it out when you want them to work on it. 

A poem folder is great for students to use during independent reading time or during a cooldown period. Students are already familiar with the poems and able to practice read with  success.

You might also want to consider having a poem folder with the poems that students have practiced as part of your reading center. I have found that students tend to choose reading material that they are comfortable with and often choose to partner read these poems during this time. 

I'm sure you already have a collection of poems, but maybe this blog post has given you an idea for using them in a different way. If you are looking for a quick resource to add to your collection of poems, you might want to check out my "Poems for the School Year" packet. It is a collection of poems that I have found helpful.

Poems for the School Year

Using poems is a great way to help students learn to read. They continue to build their sight word knowledge and practice using their phonics to decode words that they don’t know. The repetitive practice provides support for all readers and helps to build strong and confident readers.