I've decided that since I love to learn new things, I am going to record one fascinating new fact I learn each Friday. I will post it here and also post it in my classroom.
My facts today come from my husband who was watching a show on Hulu Plus called I Predator. This particular episode was about lions.
*Lions can jump 35 feet! (The lion can outjump Olympic long jumpers!)
*A lion's canines are exactly four inches apart...the same width as a buffalo's throat, making for an easy kill.
*You can tell a lion's age by the color of its nose. Its nose darkens as it ages.
Have you learned a fascinating fact this week? What is it? Be sure to leave it in a comment...or better yet...blog about it and then put the link in the comments!
Friday, August 17, 2012
Monday, August 13, 2012
Kids Rules
A new decoration for my classroom:
Love these rules! Plan to talk about them regularly and help my students to live by them.
Friday, August 10, 2012
Car Trips
Summer is nearly over. This post would have been better at the beginning of the summer...but alas, I was enjoying my time off with my family so much that I didn't blog.
Summer is a time when many people (my family included) takes long car trips. This can be hard with young children, so I figured I would share some ideas to keep kids busy during these long trips.
1. Movies... if you have a portable DVD player or a built in one (or other device that can play DVDs). We sometimes will rent one or two from Redbox which can be returned to a Redbox location in another city or state. I also like to check movies out from the library (free!). Of course, there are other electronic possibilities as well...any kind of handheld device might be used for games or other activities.
2. Books on tape or CD... again, the library is my best friend. We check out books on CD from the public library to listen to as we drive. Harry Potter is a great series to listen to. My children also loved the Sisters Grimm series. They have enjoyed The Gecko and Sticky series. Along with others.
3. Kids' atlases... Buy (or check out from the library) some childrens' atlases, especially ones with pictures and facts. Then as you are driving from place to place, have them read about the state or states you are traveling through.
4. Buy postcards in each state or area that you travel through. Then have your children write a note about what they have seen and done and mail it to a friend or family member.
5. Bring along lots of blank paper so kids can write, draw, make up comic books or create their own paper dolls or paper airplanes.
6. Sing kids' songs. The library is a great place to check out both fun and educational CDs to listen to on road trips. Some of my favorite traveling memories as a kid were of my family belting out silly kids' songs as we drove.
7. Buy a few new toys to take on the trip with you. These can be surprises or you can let your kids pick them out. My sister has her children earn "money" for each 1/2 hour that they behave on the road trip and then they can spend their "money" in her "store"...a little bag or box of items she's purchased for the trip...items like magnetic paper dolls, hot wheels cars, an etch-a-sketch, coloring/sticker/activity books, travel games, or whatever your child will like.
8. I read this idea in Family Fun magazine a couple of years ago. I no longer have the issue to give exact credit...but you can hang up a string through your car and then every time you go a certain distance, move a little car along the string to represent the distance traveled. For example, every 50 miles, move the car two inches along the string. (You will want to measure the string and figure out the distances in advance.) Then your kids can see visually how much progress you have made and hopefully won't be asking, "Are we there yet?" when you've barely left your house. :)
9. License plate games: Look for license plates from each of the fifty states as you travel. You can work together as a family or turn it into a competition. You can just shout out the plates you see or you can create a list of the 50 states and try to mark each one off as you see it (or make tally marks to show how many times you see it.)
10. Another license plate game: Use license plates to practice math. Have your child add or subtract (or even multiply) the numbers on a license plate... For example, my license plate has the numbers 1 and 4 on it. It could be 4-1 = 3. Or 4+1=5. Or 4 x 1 =4. If the plate had 9, 6, and 3, then there would be even more choices... 9 + 6 +3 = 18 or 9+6=15-3=12 and so on.... This could be used for mental math practice (done in the child's head) or they could write the numbers down and solve it. You can choose which operation they should use (+, -, or x) or let them choose.
11. Have them complete math or language arts practice pages in a workbook. I sent home the math workbooks we used this past year and there were quite a few pages that were not used. (Many other teachers do this as well.) Kids can complete a few pages in the workbook. Or some workbooks can be purchased at the dollar store, Walmart, book stores and so on. Or rather than a math workbook or reading workbook, buy them a book of puzzles or other fun activities. Often these include math or reading practice and kids don't even realize it.
12. If your child isn't prone to car sickness, then have your child read.
****
I hope that some of these activities will make your next car trip more enjoyable. I'd love to hear if you have activities you use on car trips that I haven't mentioned. I've shared some other ideas for making car trips fun and educational on a previous posthere.
Summer is a time when many people (my family included) takes long car trips. This can be hard with young children, so I figured I would share some ideas to keep kids busy during these long trips.
1. Movies... if you have a portable DVD player or a built in one (or other device that can play DVDs). We sometimes will rent one or two from Redbox which can be returned to a Redbox location in another city or state. I also like to check movies out from the library (free!). Of course, there are other electronic possibilities as well...any kind of handheld device might be used for games or other activities.
2. Books on tape or CD... again, the library is my best friend. We check out books on CD from the public library to listen to as we drive. Harry Potter is a great series to listen to. My children also loved the Sisters Grimm series. They have enjoyed The Gecko and Sticky series. Along with others.
3. Kids' atlases... Buy (or check out from the library) some childrens' atlases, especially ones with pictures and facts. Then as you are driving from place to place, have them read about the state or states you are traveling through.
4. Buy postcards in each state or area that you travel through. Then have your children write a note about what they have seen and done and mail it to a friend or family member.
5. Bring along lots of blank paper so kids can write, draw, make up comic books or create their own paper dolls or paper airplanes.
6. Sing kids' songs. The library is a great place to check out both fun and educational CDs to listen to on road trips. Some of my favorite traveling memories as a kid were of my family belting out silly kids' songs as we drove.
7. Buy a few new toys to take on the trip with you. These can be surprises or you can let your kids pick them out. My sister has her children earn "money" for each 1/2 hour that they behave on the road trip and then they can spend their "money" in her "store"...a little bag or box of items she's purchased for the trip...items like magnetic paper dolls, hot wheels cars, an etch-a-sketch, coloring/sticker/activity books, travel games, or whatever your child will like.
8. I read this idea in Family Fun magazine a couple of years ago. I no longer have the issue to give exact credit...but you can hang up a string through your car and then every time you go a certain distance, move a little car along the string to represent the distance traveled. For example, every 50 miles, move the car two inches along the string. (You will want to measure the string and figure out the distances in advance.) Then your kids can see visually how much progress you have made and hopefully won't be asking, "Are we there yet?" when you've barely left your house. :)
9. License plate games: Look for license plates from each of the fifty states as you travel. You can work together as a family or turn it into a competition. You can just shout out the plates you see or you can create a list of the 50 states and try to mark each one off as you see it (or make tally marks to show how many times you see it.)
10. Another license plate game: Use license plates to practice math. Have your child add or subtract (or even multiply) the numbers on a license plate... For example, my license plate has the numbers 1 and 4 on it. It could be 4-1 = 3. Or 4+1=5. Or 4 x 1 =4. If the plate had 9, 6, and 3, then there would be even more choices... 9 + 6 +3 = 18 or 9+6=15-3=12 and so on.... This could be used for mental math practice (done in the child's head) or they could write the numbers down and solve it. You can choose which operation they should use (+, -, or x) or let them choose.
11. Have them complete math or language arts practice pages in a workbook. I sent home the math workbooks we used this past year and there were quite a few pages that were not used. (Many other teachers do this as well.) Kids can complete a few pages in the workbook. Or some workbooks can be purchased at the dollar store, Walmart, book stores and so on. Or rather than a math workbook or reading workbook, buy them a book of puzzles or other fun activities. Often these include math or reading practice and kids don't even realize it.
12. If your child isn't prone to car sickness, then have your child read.
****
I hope that some of these activities will make your next car trip more enjoyable. I'd love to hear if you have activities you use on car trips that I haven't mentioned. I've shared some other ideas for making car trips fun and educational on a previous posthere.
Monday, June 4, 2012
Field Day 2012
Thanks to our amazing special ed teacher, Ms. Cahoon, we had a wonderful field day today. It was especially great for second grade because we just finished learning all about the continents and our field day was a "trip" around the world to play games based on the animals found on each continent. We began our journey in Europe with the terrier...as students used fuzzy, staticky gloves to carry balls (balloons) in a relay race. In North America, we played an opposum game where we passed leaking cups of water over our head.
Then we traveled to the North Pole to have dog sled races.
Our next adventure took us to_____________________ where we played tag. The kids without water bottles tried to tag those with water bottles. If you were tagged, you had to freeze until a team member sprayed you with water.
Then in Australia we did kangaroo hopping games... using potato sacks, big bouncy balls and a trampoline and hula hoops.
In antarctica, we acted as penguins and carried our eggs (a ball) between our legs to protect them. Then we reached the South Pole, and there were no animals. But it was quite cool as we enjoyed a frozen treat.
Perhaps our favorite visit was to Asia, where the elephants used their trunks to spray water into buckets (and all over the kids holding the buckets.) Everyone got soaked during this fun game.
Then in Africa, we used hulahoops.
Finally, we sailed across the oceans. We did a "plunger" relay where we used plungers to carry a ball. Then, before we headed back home to our classroom, we took a group photo. Aren't we a nice looking class?
Then we traveled to the North Pole to have dog sled races.
Our next adventure took us to_____________________ where we played tag. The kids without water bottles tried to tag those with water bottles. If you were tagged, you had to freeze until a team member sprayed you with water.
Then in Australia we did kangaroo hopping games... using potato sacks, big bouncy balls and a trampoline and hula hoops.
In antarctica, we acted as penguins and carried our eggs (a ball) between our legs to protect them. Then we reached the South Pole, and there were no animals. But it was quite cool as we enjoyed a frozen treat.
Perhaps our favorite visit was to Asia, where the elephants used their trunks to spray water into buckets (and all over the kids holding the buckets.) Everyone got soaked during this fun game.
Then in Africa, we used hulahoops.
Finally, we sailed across the oceans. We did a "plunger" relay where we used plungers to carry a ball. Then, before we headed back home to our classroom, we took a group photo. Aren't we a nice looking class?
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Summer learning
Just stumbled across a great article about how to help your kids continue to learn throughout the summer. I will be posting about this as well, but for now, I thought I'd include the link to the article I read. It's got some great ideas.Motherhood Matters--summer activities
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
The second grade went on a field trip to Farmington Bay to learn about adaptations, wetlands, and shorebirds. It was a rainy day so we didn't get to go on the walk to see the birds, but we did drive around on the bus to see as many birds as we could. And we saw quite a few!
We saw the rookery for the great blue herons, although we didn't get great views of the herons themselves.
We saw red-winged blackbirds, American coots, cinnamon teal, mallards, gadwals, snowy egrets, avocets, Canadian geese and a few others. Farmington Bay has about 8,000 acres and 5 million birds. There are 47 types of ducks that come there. In February there are many bald eagles.
I liked seeing the snowy egrets the best, although I'm not sure why. The avocets are also quite pretty.
Here is the great blue heron, roosting on its eggs.
No one was sure what he was. He was with a group of Canadian geese, but his head was bigger and his coloring was different. Maybe he was a Canadian goose with some type of growth on his neck? Maybe he was some other type of goose? Not sure.
The avocets are colorful. Many of my students picked these as favorites.
My favorite...the snowy egret.
The kids were especially interested in the American coot because it doesn't have webbed feet and has to run on the water to take off.
After seeing the birds, we went into one of the classrooms to learn more about some of the birds and to talk about adaptations. The kids learned how different types of beaks help birds to catch different animals and even tried it out, using different objects as beaks and trying to "get lunch"... plastic plants, fish, worms, bugs, and other yummy foods.
In the second classroom, the students got to see and learn a bit more about some of the predators at Farmington Bay...coyotes, raccoons, red foxes, skunks, and muskrats. They saw some of their skulls and were able to see and touch their pelts. The teacher showed them owl pellets and explained what they are (which grossed many students out). We also learned a cute little ditty about scat. Then the students used ink pads and molds of the animals' feet to make footprints/tracks on their papers.
After returning to class, I had the students write about what they had seen and learned. They also drew pictures of the birds and Farmington Bay.
Here are what some of the students had to say (in their own words, with occasional small corrections by me of spelling or punctuation..but not word choice/grammar):
AT: "Today we went on a field trip to Farmington Bay! We saw lots of birds! My favorite was the snowy egret! They have long legs. They eat fish. It still flies even if it has long legs. The snowy egret predators are coyotes, red foxes, raccoons, and skunks!"
ER: "Today we went on a field trip to Farmington Bay.I learned that the great blue heron builds a giant nest. I saw a snowy eegret, American coot, great blue heron and Canada goose. My favorite bird was the killdeer because it would pretend to have a broken wing to save its eggs."
KI: "Today we went on a field trip to Farmington Bay. A killdeer can do a trick. First he pretends he has a broken arm when a predator comes close. He jumps then flies goes back on his nest. My favorite bird is a bald eagle."
IC: "Today we went on a field trip to Farmington Bay. My favorite bird is the snowy egret. I liked the trip because I like birds and I never seen so much birds."
JA: "Today we went on a field trip to Farmington Bay. I learned that killdeer pretends it has a broken leg and when an animal comes and tries to eat a killdeer's babies, it pretends it has a broken leg and walks over to another place. The animals goes over there and the killdeer flies and goes back to its babies."
IS: "Today we went on a field trip to Farmington Bay. We learned that a pelican uses its beak to catch fish but its mouth is full of water so it tips its mouth and water goes out of the mouth. And the pelican has tasty fish to eat. I learned that the pelican goes in groups and just the right time they all dive at once."
Monday, February 27, 2012
Daily Graphing
I have really slacked on this blog. Sorry!
One part of my morning routine is to have students vote on a daily question as they walk in the door. Then when we are doing calendar, we turn this vote into a graph. It allows us to practice a variety of graphs and tables all year long as well as answering questions about the graphs and the data. It could even be used as a springboard for persuasive writing.
Students use clothesline pins to vote. (Although I do occasionally switch things up a bit and try some other ways to vote.) There are usually 2-4 choices. Then I use their votes to create a graph...bar graphs, line plots, charts, or pictographs as these are the types of graphs we study in second grade. During calendar, I show the students the graph and ask them questions. Do more students like turkey or ham? How many fewer students ate cereal than ate eggs for breakfast? How many students like turkey and ham altogether? and so on.
The students enjoy it. We enjoy seeing what is popular in our classroom, and it is a great way to practice graphing on a daily basis.
Then at the end of the month, I bind that month's graphs together into a class book that students can read over and over again for the rest of the year.
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