I saw this conflict resolution page up in a classroom and thought it had some good ideas:
Tag Archives: Homeschool
Soil as a Helper

A friend of mine recently requested this printable/foldable. Here’s what she says about it: “This is a graphic organizer that students use to put the uses of soil. Students draw or write in each box a use. The sides fold so it’s similar to a brochure. This type of handout could work well also with vocabulary terms. For example, put the terms on the outside. On the inside, put the definitions.”
Click here for the free printable PDFs:
Soil As A Helper
Soil As A Helper – with border
Octagon-Octopus
I was recently working with a student to help them remember shape words (quadrilateral, pentagon, hexagon, etc). When we got to “octagon,” we somehow came up with this drawing and it seemed to really click with him. So I snapped a (rather lame) picture of our drawing in hopes that this idea might also help another student out there somewhere.
How do you help your students remember these shape names?
Cinco de Mayo Activities for Kids
Let me first just state this before showing you the crafts I found that I like: Cinco de Mayo is NOT the Mexican Independence Day. The Mexican Independence day is September 16. Click here to view my worksheet about the history of Cinco de Mayo.
Ok, here are some fun crafts for Cinco de Mayo:
Craft this quick pinata sun-catcher!
Fold an origami Cinco de Mayo doll!

Cool Reading Corner
A teacher friend in Utah snapped this cool photo of a first grade classroom’s reading corner. How cool!
Have you seen cool classrooms? Get permission from the teacher and send me a photo!
Be sure to check out my second giveaway! Two lucky readers will each get $20.00 worth of your favorite downloadable “nerdly fun & educational games” from Nerd in the Brain! Also check out Nerd in the Brain’s monthly freebie!
Gumball Machine Art Project
I also saw this gum ball machine art project at my cousin’s house. The 3rd grade teacher had each kid trace a CD a third of the way down their paper. This served as the glass ball that holds the gum balls. Then they talked about how to show overlapping things (like the gum balls) in artwork and proceeded to make the gum balls. Some kids traced quarters or counting markers (the red and yellow ones used for math), but my cousin didn’t want to. Instead he free-handed it. 🙂 They used pastels to color in the machine and the gum balls, and used watercolor to fill in the background. They also added a shadow to the machine.
Looking for more fun? Check out my second giveaway!
George Washington Craft
I was recently at my cousin’s house and saw this awesome craft idea. It’s George Washington! Their 2nd grade class used cotton balls for his hair and a doily for his neckerchief. Simple, cheap materials, and cute. What’s not to love?!
Don’t forget to check out my second giveaway!
Mask Art Project for Upper Grades
This project would have been SO COOL to try with my sixth graders! It’s a geometric paper mask that would be awesome when colored/painted. There’s a free printable and directions at this website. I would try it on your own first before attempting it with your class. Also, be sure to remind your students that they will only get one printable, so go slowly and carefully through the project. This project will definitely take more than one class period, so be sure to plan time for it and get a plan of how to preserve each student’s pieces in between sessions. In addition, make sure kids are proficient with using scissors first. This could be a cool end-of-the-year activity. These are so cool!





