I’m gearing up to do my first giveaway. I plan on starting small, until I figure out the best way to run a giveaway. Make sure to check back later this week to get in on the fun!
P.S. If you’ve ever run a giveaway and have some tips you’d like to share, please comment below! Thank you!
A few days ago, I wrote about the Children’s book, Rainbow Fish, by Marcus Pfister. Click here for the original post. I found a few more fun activities that can help you continue your focus on social skills and high morals.
Retell the story and act it out using decorated clothespins as scales (source).
Glue pieces of tissue paper and googly eyes onto paper plates (source unknown).
Decorate old CD’s with sequins and glitter (source unknown).
The Children’s book, Rainbow Fish, by Marcus Pfister, has always had a special spot in my heart. From the time it was published in 1992, I have loved the illustrations, and especially the morals (sharing and humility brings happiness). The author has since published many more books that teach about character and social skills (click here for more information). I think these books are perfect for classrooms, especially since schools are being given more and more responsibility for teaching children basic character and social skills. So here are a few activities to do after reading the book. Use each activity as an opportunity to discuss these character traits and social skills with your class.
Trace hands and make fancy fish (source).
Create a class wall piece showing the qualities of a friend (source).
Paint bubble wrap and then press it onto paper like it’s a stamp (source).
As teachers, we encourage kids to become readers. I just recently learned that the first Saturday in February is National Take Your Child to the Library Day! Most public libraries do something to mark the occasion. Check with your local library for details. Take the opportunity to promote this in your classroom and community so we can improve literacy in our society!
Here’s a super cute idea one elementary school librarian did to help encourage kids to use the library’s resources. It’s name is Zoinks the Answer Alien.
Every week, Zoinks asks a question that encourages kids to do research in the library. For example, the question might be “what year was Charlotte’s Web published?” or “what country is directly north of Moldova?” When the kids find the answer, they write it down with their source and “feed it” to Zoinks. If they’re correct, they’re entered into a weekly prize drawing. Such a cool idea! (Go to the Source for more info).
Author/illustrator, Chris Gall, is my neighbor’s brother. Since I first met him and learned about his books, I’ve been impressed.
My favorite book, Dinotrux, has been a huge hit with our second graders. Dinotrux is a 32-page book that takes place in a fictional prehistoric age, when the world was ruled by Dinotrux, creatures that were part trucks, part dinosaurs (with species like the Craneosauraus, Garbageadon and Tyrannosaurus Trux) plowing and bulldozing their way across the terrain. I recently learned that it’s going to be made into a DreamWorks CG movie (potentially as early as 2018)!!
So if you haven’t had a chance to read it to your class, snag it from the library! You can use it to teach the value of writing, i.e. movies, TV shows, songs, and most ideas start out as writing!
I recently found this adorable children’s ebook (from the California’s FIRST 5 program) called, Potter the Otter: A Tale about Water. It’s written in English and Spanish and include cute illustrations and some activities at the end to help kids see how much better water is for our bodies (compared to juice or soda pop). In the story, little Potter teaches his animal friends the benefits of water. This is a simple, quick read that has a big lesson for all of us, children and adults alike!
Click here for the downloadable/printable PDF ebook: Potter the Otter-ebook-eng_spn
Thank you to Diane for submitting this fun book report poster. It’s legal size (paper) worksheet and is great for lower grades (or as an easy project for upper grades). Great end of the year project (present on your favorite book from the year) or as an end of the quarter/semester project.
Click here for the Word Doc: Book Report Poster- legal size
I recently made a similar page that’s formatted to fit regular 8.5″ x 11″ paper. Here’s the PDF: My Book Report – Squarehead Teachers
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