Teaching about kindness and acceptance is always time well spent, especially at Christmas. Here’s a fun and FREE activity to share with your class!
Santa’s long beard is filled with acts of kindness for children to complete. The tasks are simple, such as “Smile at as many people as you can today” or “Give a compliment”.
Students trim each task off of Santa’s beard as the task is completed! This makes for wonderful discussions as students share their experience and feelings after [Read More…]
Teachers have so many goals each year. While many focus on academics, others focus on social skills. Honestly, this is essential as students build relationships with classmates and become positive community members. Therefore, I strive to make my classroom a place where students feel safe, appreciated, and respected for who they are. This is why my classroom motto is simple. It is “Be Kind. Work Hard.” While this is a focus all year long, there are some special ways to [Read More…]
Looking for some fun and easy Christmas crafts for class? I have some ideas to share!
Here are some cute little winter craft ideas that my grade 2 students tried this year.
WREATH CRAFTS
First, you can make this simple curled paper wreath with just a few supplies. All you need is one pipe cleaner (or wire) bent into a circle, and some green paper strips and red pom poms!
Want a copy of the step by step pictures for your art files? Click [Read More…]
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…]
Do your students love directed drawing? Mine do!
WHY DIRECTED DRAWING?
There are lots of reasons to try directed drawing with your students! Here are a few skills and benefits:
practice with following directions
practice close attention to detail
fine motor development
increased stamina in focus and attention
self-expression and communicating ideas
growing skills in drawing and appreciation of art
perfect for celebrating seasonal content and decorate the class
an easy writing center to switch out each week
a fun activity to do at home! Send the link to parents and [Read More…]
Penguin alert!
Does your class study arctic animals? Do you research penguins or other arctic animals? I have a great simple penguin craft to add to your lesson planning.
We make these cute penguins every year and they are always fun, simple and hilarious.
If you’d like to try them, follow the pictures below. You won’t need a lot of supplies – just orange, black and white paper. You’ll need some glue and scissors, and that’s it!
I have been collecting the [Read More…]
I’m always looking for fun and easy crafts at Christmas.
This is one of my all time favorites.
There’s no mess – but have lots of supplies because students will want to make several of these.
Click to download this FREE quick tutorial to add to your Christmas Art file:
3D Christmas Tree
Free Multicultural Christmas [Read More…]
