Solving the Paintbrush Problem

Posted on July 10, 2013 by Squarehead Teachers

Kids love to paint. But adults hate cleaning paintbrushes.

I recently worked with a school that didn’t have lots of funding for art supplies. But they also didn’t have good facilities with sinks for cleaning brushes. Our solution was Q-tips! At some we were skeptical about the quality of work that could be produced with a Q-tip as opposed to a paintbrush. We were working mostly with kindergartners, so we didn’t really have to worry. They were way better for making dots than paintbrushes. And it was the easiest clean-up ever! So if you’re looking for a low-budget option for paintbrushes, consider Q-tips.

Because A Little Bug Went Ka-Choo!

Posted on June 21, 2013 by Squarehead Teachers

If you’ve never read the kids book Because a Little Bug Went Ka-Choo (by Rosetta Stone), you’re missing out! It’s adorable! Click here for a short animated video of the book. There are tons of activity possibilities to go along with this book, but here’s my favorite…

Have kids write their own silly story just like it! This third grade teacher had her students write each event in the story on a different color and glue it to black paper. The projects look great and the kids absolutely LOVED reading their silly story to their peers! For younger kids, I’d recommend creating a shared writing (whole class story) in the style of this book. You might also consider having kids illustrate their story in boxes on a page (like comics). Fun, fun, fun… all because a little bug went ka-choo!

4th of July Crafts for Kids

Posted on June 20, 2013 by Squarehead Teachers

Here are some of the best 4th of July crafts and activities for children I’ve seen on the internet. Click the image to go to the original website. Happy Fourth!

From the Life of Jennifer Dawn

Fun pin wheel

More great ideas from BHG

Great list of ideas!

Lots of good links on The Crafty Crow

Here’s another great resource: 27 Blogs Featuring Easy 4th of July Crafts You Can Do with Your Kids

Great Quotes about Freedom to Discuss with Kids

Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it. ~Thomas Paine

4th of July Kids Crafts sticker

He that would make his own liberty secure, must guard even his enemy from opposition; for if he violates this duty he establishes a precedent that will reach himself. ~Thomas Paine

This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave. ~Elmer Davis

Where liberty dwells, there is my country. ~Benjamin Franklin

All we have of freedom, all we use or know – This our fathers bought for us long and long ago. ~Rudyard Kipling, The Old Issue, 1899

Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it. ~George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman, “Maxims: Liberty and Equality,” 1905

Full Throttle to the Finish (End-of-the-Year Bulletin Board)

Posted on June 20, 2013 by Squarehead Teachers

Full Throttle to the Finish Bulletin Board Printable It’s hard to keep kids motivates at the end of the year. Sometimes it’s good to have an activity that will give everyone a quick break. Here’s a bulletin board idea that will do just that. Click here to see my Back To school Bus and Just Keep Truckin’ posts (similar bulletin board ideas). First, have the students make their car (directions on the printable itself and also below).

Click here for the free printable PDF: Full Throttle Bulletin Board

Decorate your car according to these directions:

Draw yourself in the window.
Write your name and favorite number on the door.
1. In the bottom half of the car’s body, draw a picture of something you’ve accomplished this year.
If you are a boy, draw stripes in the wheels. If you are a girl, draw dots in the wheels. Use your favorite color.
Color rest of the car using your favorite color.

Once all the students finish, have each student present their car to the rest of the class. If your class is large, limit each student to 1 minute to share or allow students to only share their car with those near them. Then put each car up on a bulletin board and call it something clever (“Full Throttle to the Finish”, “Travelling Down the Road to Success”, or something…).

Summer Activities For Kids- The List of Idea Lists

Posted on June 18, 2013 by Squarehead Teachers

I’ve recently been browsing for activities to do in the summer with kids. And I’ve found TONS of good lists. Here they are:

25 Activities to Keep Kids’ Brains Active in Summer by Education World

At Home Learning Activities for School-Age Children by Bright Horizons

Summer Learning by Family Education

20 Fun and Educational Summer Activities for Kids by Rusty & Rosy Reading

Say No to Summer Brain Drain: 20 Educational Activities for Kids by Green Eggs &

20 Creative Summer Crafts and Activities for Kids by Babble (Courtesy of Disney)

14 Cheap Summer Activities for Kids by Frugal Dad

101 Fun Things to Do in the Summer by Parenting Magazine

40 Free (Or Nearly Free) Summer Activities for Kids by Centsible Life

30 Summer Activities for Kids by Lil’ Luna

Party on a Paper

Posted on June 17, 2013 by Squarehead Teachers

While going through our supplies closet, I found a big roll of banner paper. I wasn’t sure how to use it, but I knew it had to possess some serious potential for creativity. I spread it out on the ground and had each kid sit down next to it like they were at a big party table. Then I had them draw the party they were at. The girls instantly started drawing cakes and party hats, while the boys got to work making laser tag scenes (since they were “at a laser tag birthday.”) Since the paper was so long and each kid had plenty of paper, they drew for quite a while! Something about drawing on long paper is just cooler than drawing on regular paper I guess.

Just Keep Truckin’ (Mid-Year Bulletin Board)

Posted on June 15, 2013 by Squarehead Teachers

Just Keep Truckin' Bulletin Board Printable Students always like telling someone about themselves. Here’s a bulletin board idea that will do just that. Click here to see my Back To school Bus Bulletin Board (similar idea). First, have the students make their truck (directions on the printable itself and below).

Click here for the free printable PDF: Just Keep Truckin’ Bulletin Board

Decorate your truck according to these directions:

Draw yourself in the window.
Write your name on the door.
Draw each of the following things in the back section of the truck:
1. Your favorite outside activity
2. Your dream birthday present
3. Something you’re good at
4. Your favorite part about school
If you have 2 or more siblings, draw stripes in the wheels. If you have 1 sibling or less, draw dots in the wheels. Use your favorite color.
Color rest of the truck using your favorite color.

Once all the students finish, have each student present their truck to the rest of the class. If your class is large, limit each student to 1 minute to share or allow students to only share their truck with those near them. Then put each truck up on a bulletin board and call it something clever (“Just Keep Truckin’!”, “Travelling Down the Road to Success”, or something…).

Impromptu Bingo

Posted on June 14, 2013 by Squarehead Teachers

A few weeks ago, I was working with kindergartners and needed to come up with something to entertain them for about 30 minutes to buy the other teacher some time to deal with a situation. Here’s what I whipped up: Bingo!

I helped the kids draw squares on a blank piece of paper. Then I instructed them to draw (one at a time) various simple objects. “Hold up a yellow crayon. Now choose any square and draw a yellow banana.” This allowed me to review colors with them, while allowing for structured creativity. When the kids finished drawing the assigned picture, I’d have them point to something round, something flat, something shiny, etc. to keep everyone busy while the other kids finished. In previous similar activities, some of the kids would forget what their picture was of, so as a review, I asked them to point to specific pictures after drawing a few new ones. If I had wanted to review numbers, letters, etc. I could have asked them to draw a green six, or a red letter J, but I only thought of that after the fact.

We played bingo by drawing an X through the box once we played it. The bingo part of the game was a bit trickier than making the board, but everyone seemed to have a good time anyway.