Whimsy Workshop Teaching

Teacher Clip Art, Literary Resources, Classroom Ideas

Pop Up Santa Art Tutorial

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Christmas has the best art projects, including this cute pop up Santa!
Aren’t they fun? Students draw their own eyes and mouth, so each Santa is completely unique and wonderful! The rest of the Santa is made by simply cutting out the templates and gluing the pieces together. He pops out, but can also be made flat, if you prefer!

SIMPLE MATERIALS FOR SANTA
All you need is the printable templates, paper, scissors and glue!
pink: face and nose
red: hat
white: hat and beard
blue: background [Read More…]

Directed Drawing Videos – Reindeer

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Do your students love directed drawing? Mine do!
Read all about how I use directed drawing and writing prompts, and even directed drawing VIDEOS with my class!
 

DIRECTED DRAWING VIDEOS
Using Directed Drawing videos is a fun new way to practice drawing with your students! It saves a lot of teacher time by being no-prep – just give students some paper and pencils, press PLAY, and students draw along with the video! You can pause whenever you like, and replay the video at [Read More…]

Christmas Kindness Around The World

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I strive to make my classroom a place where students feel safe, appreciated and respected just as they are.
My classroom banner says simply: “Be Kind. Work Hard.”

These ideas are reinforced all year long, but there are some special ways that we spread kindness in December for Christmas.
 
 

RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS
Each year we take the month of December to really focus on Random Acts of Kindness and caring for each other. If possible, I enjoy getting families involved. A few years ago [Read More…]

Christmas Kindness

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Teaching about kindness and acceptance seems more important than ever, especially at Christmas.
Here’s a fun and FREE activity to share with your class or children.
It’s very easy: just cut out and assemble the two pieces of Santa’s loooooong beard.
Students give Santa a trim each day – after completing the act of kindness written in each section.
Choose the version you want: PDF or  EDITABLE PowerPoint file (add your own acts of kindness to each section).

 

 Some ideas for use:
 *Print the black and white version for students [Read More…]

Books That Teach Friendship and Social Skills

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Our class spends a LOT of time learning social skills, problem solving, friendship and conflict resolution. This helps to create a peaceful environment where learning can thrive, and we do not have to spend the majority of our time solving interpersonal conflicts. We use interactive lessons from The Kindness Classroom SEL curriculum, along with many of the books listed below to reinforce concepts.
 

Click on any cover to see details of the story.
 
Llama Llama Time To Share by Anna Dewdney

Franklin Plays the [Read More…]

Father’s Day Directed Drawing Ideas

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Looking for some new ideas for Father’s Day?
I’ve got two Father’s Day ideas for you – and they’re free!
 

FATHER’S DAY DIRECTED DRAWING
Do your students love directed drawing?
Parents just love the personal touch of a drawing made by their child.
It’s a simple ideas but such a wonderful keepsake!

Students just follow the steps to draw themselves and their Dad.
Then they color it in, and write about it using several writing prompts.

 
MAKE YOUR OWN CARDS
Do you have your own ideas for Father’s Day?
Do [Read More…]

Mother’s Day Gift: Borax Crystal Necklaces

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Looking for more Mother’s Day ideas? Add some Borax to your shopping list!
Try these Mother’s Day pendants and add a little SCIENCE to your project!
Students are so excited to see the crystals grow, and then add string to make a crystal necklace that mom will love!
MATERIALS NEEDED
The materials for this craft are simple:
Borax
Glass jar
Hot water
Pipe Cleaner
Wire
Pencil or stir stick
Measuring cup and spoons
Food Coloring (optional)
String

 
HOW TO MAKE IT
1. Bend the pipe cleaner into a spiral shape. Attach a plain piece of wire [Read More…]

Flower Rings Craft Tutorial

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This flower art project took my class by storm!
It began as a little spring flower craft, and soon spread through our class, then the classes down the hall as students saw the results and wanted to try it, too! 
If you’re looking for something to keep little hands busy, this will do the trick. And they look so cute!

FLOWER RING MATERIALS
 *pipe cleaner
*a pencil
*glue
*a pom pom.

HOW TO MAKE IT
 The petals of the flower are made by twisting the [Read More…]

Directed Drawing For Math!

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Most of my students have a good understanding of our math concepts, but could definitely use some practice with basic math facts and speed of recall. Fast recall of facts will help them in later grades when the concepts become more complex. Daily repetitive practice helps with speed of recall, but that’s not always engaging for students. This is why I began using Math Pictures every day.
 
 

Question:
How can we make basic math facts practice more engaging and fun?
Answer:
Integrate your math practice [Read More…]

Simple End Of Year Ideas

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How do you celebrate the end of the school year? Are you always collecting new ideas?
I’ve tried many different ideas over the last 20+ years, and today I’m sharing some of my favorite and most successful ideas.

 
END OF YEAR MEMORY SHIRTS
Students bring an older t-shirt to take part in this activity. (I usually grab a few extras at the dollar store for students who forget.) Slide some cardboard inside the shirts and ask students to write their name using Sharpies or [Read More…]

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