Here’s a fun way to practice simple addition. Color the sections of the turkey based on the answer to the math fact written inside the section. It’s about the right level for kindergarten or first grade. Click here for the free printable PDF: Thanksgiving Color by Number- simple addition PDF Enjoy!
Click here for more fun and free Thanksgiving stuff for kids! Like what you see? Help support this blog of entirely free stuff for teachers by sharing it with your friends! Thanks!
Have your students participated in the mock national presidential election? This is a cool opportunity to discuss national government and the responsibility of citizens to vote. Voting is extended through 3pm PST, Tuesday, November 6, to accommodate voters in regions affected by Hurricane Sandy.
Click here to learn more.
Have a safe and spooky Halloween!
Am I the only one who can’t stand when kids bring toys to class (or who make toys in class)?! Well, I have finally found the solution! A toy graveyard! I made a box with a foam skeleton on it and labeled it “Toy Graveyard.” I put it on a top shelf where no kids could get into it.
When I saw toys in my classroom (or paperclips bent into shapes that were distracting my kids), I walked over to the student, and without pausing what I was saying, simply held out my hand. The students knew they had to surrender the toy and I would walk over to the toy graveyard and put the toy into the box. I did this without ever making a fuss or calling lots of attention to the toy. My students knew that the toys in the graveyard may or may not come back to life at the end of the year, but not seeing me throw it in the trash seemed to make it easier for them. (I never did end up giving things back at the end of the year unless the student remembered it and asked for it specifically on the last day. This is how I’d make sure they got back things that were important to them.)
This picture is of the toy graveyard my friend uses in her classroom. She randomly had this big can and re-purposed it instead of tracking down a small box.
It’s probably one of the best I’ve come up with (not to brag or anything). 🙂 What’s one of the best teaching ideas you’ve ever had (or heard of)?
I don’t know about your school district, but in my first school district, I was not allowed to ask parents for anything. That’s right. Nothing. I couldn’t even send home a “wish list”. So needless to say, nobody donated tissue boxes to my classroom and I couldn’t spare a cent of the $250 I got for my classroom as a first year teacher. So I came up with another solution to tissue boxes: a roll of toilet paper. I was able to get rolls from the custodian and he even mounted a roll holder to my wall! We made sure to get a holder that stopped itself after a few squares so my kids wouldn’t be able to TP my classroom (sigh… kids…). I know it’s not fancy, but it took care of the problem.
This gallery contains 11 photos.
Keeping classroom library books organized can be a really big challenge. Most systems that organize books (and KEEP them organized) take some effort up front. There are many ways to organize your books (author, reading level), but one of the … Continue reading
I’m always looking to incorporate goofy or holiday things into my lessons. So when I saw this, I just had to snap a photo! One teacher paired Halloween monsters with writing and art to teach alliteration. Each student first chose a letter and used only words starting with that letter to describe a monster they had made of construction paper. I’m not exaggerating when I say this was one of the most fun bulletin boards I’ve ever seen… not to mention it’s a way fun Halloween writing project!
Squarehead Teachers 