Whimsy Workshop Teaching

Whimsy Workshop Teaching

Teacher Clip Art, Literary Resources, Classroom Ideas

STEM Exploration Outside the Classroom

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We’ve decided to embrace the idea of STEM in our classroom.
We’ve also explored STEM outside of the classroom! This is where creativity flourishes and students feel the freedom to be themselves and let their natural curiosity lead them.
 

 
Since almost everything we’ve done this year has fallen under the category of “integrated learning”, I’m not surprised that my students have completely embraced STEM projects.
Projects that integrate science, math, engineering, art and more? Sounds fantastic, especially when we bring it outside where [Read More…]

Number Bridge No-Prep Math Game – Bright Ideas October

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Today I’m sharing one of my favorite no-prep ideas for math or spelling.
All you need is paper and crayons.
I call it Number Bridge.
 

 

This simple game can be adapted to any grade level, but here are the basic rules to play for my little ones.

That’s all there is to it!
This is great practice while making the number board themselves, and more practice creating the bridges. Each student will have a uniquely different board, and it’s a great tool for [Read More…]

Games for Math and Phonics

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Using games and game boards for phonics instruction is now an integral part of my teaching.
It’s old school, it’s not original, but it’s just so reliable and engaging that I keep going back to it year after year. If you’re not using game boards like these ones, for phonics and math, consider it a no-prep present to yourself!
 

 
Board games are one of the very best ways to practice math every day in a fun way. My students quickly become independent [Read More…]

Strategies for Teaching New Concepts To Anxious Students

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When introducing a new topic of learning, especially in math, I notice the anxiety levels in some students rise significantly. The more anxious students in my class begin to fidget and look uncomfortable when they see something unfamiliar because it falls outside of their comfort zone for known success.
 

 
 
These students are afraid to try and fail; since school is all about introducing new concepts and embracing the learning process, this is quite a problem. Here are some strategies I use in [Read More…]

Math Apps for the Classroom

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I am always on the hunt for new math apps to use for class, and I’m particularly happy when I find some that are simple and effective.

 

I attended a professional development session about math apps, and I’ve collected the most popular ones  for primary classrooms.  These were recommended for K-2 classrooms, and they are between $0-$5.

Click on the name of each app to see more information.

 

Name: Math Tappers

Skill: Addition with fixed sum (ie. friends of 10) Choose the sum on the [Read More…]

Snowy Day Art Tutorial

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Here’s another fun and easy art project for those long winter days!
It’s all done with ripped paper, which gives the finished piece a unique look.
 
 
 
You will need:
1 sheet per student of colored blue and white paper (of the same size)
assorted colors of scrap paper
white hole punched paper
glue
cotton balls
 

First make the snow bank. Rip the white paper sheets roughly in half slowly, making a wavy line. Both sides of the white paper can then be used to create a snowbank. Just [Read More…]

Integrated Learning In Primary

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Increasingly, integrated learning is becoming fundamental to teaching. Many schools are moving away from the traditional “single subject blocks” model to a multi-subject, project-based model.

 
Here’s a quick video from Edutopia to explain the benefits of this approach.

Click for Introduction Video

Project-based learning is perfect for this kind of approach. Why? Within each project there are multiple problems to solve. Each problem is drawing from knowledge of various subject areas.
Our school adopted Genius Hour as another way to facilitate project-based integrated learning. [Read More…]

Making Assessment Fun

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Assessment can be difficult for both teachers and students, depending on how it’s done.
 

Here’s a super simple little trick for assessment that I call Hop Across the Pond. It can be used for a lot of different things, but I use it mostly for assessment of students’ sight word knowledge.

I used to ask my students to read through a list of sight words and tick off the ones they knew; I’d use this for reporting and to know which words to [Read More…]

Math Board: Daily Practice

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When I taught Kindergarten, we always took time to do our daily math board as part of our Calendar routine. This was a way to practice so many essential math skills every day. We covered how a calendar worked, place value, basic addition and a lot of work with a 100’s board.
When I moved to teach grade 2, I created a Daily Math Board for our class to use for older students.

The idea of a daily routine is the same, [Read More…]

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