Integrating the Arts in Kindergarten

Kindergarten has changed so much since I was in Mrs. Ryan's half day class back in the 80's. Kindergartners have gone from playing house to being expected to read and write by the end of their first year in school full time. While I could debate the merits and pitfalls of these changes at length I prefer to focus on how to incorporate more of this creative energy alongside the push for academics.

I was fortunate to teach in schools that still had full time art teachers that saw my students on a weekly basis so I knew they were getting solid art instruction regularly, however I feel that in kindergarten especially the need to practice writing, painting, coloring within the lines and cutting with scissors is essential for fine motor development.  One of the ways that I integrate arts alongside my instruction is through the use of paper crafts, often called craftivities, that accompany our read alouds, comprehension and writing work.

These crafts require students to really focus their attention to building strong scissor skills which help in so may aspects of a child's development.  If you have an administrator or even parent that is less than enthusiastic about your cute little paper crafts lining the walls and wants to know how this could possibly be helping students, then I have a little one page info sheet that you can quietly slip into their mailbox or backpack. (Click on the image to download a printable copy.)

If you need some really great advice for helping those kiddos in your class that have never picked up a scissors before entering your classroom and you don't know where to start with them, Mama OT is a FANTASTIC resource for parents and teachers, I use lots of her ideas with my 3 year old all the time.

Here are just a few of my favorite craftivities. Click on the pictures for the printables!

 

 

Thanks for reading and happy crafting!

Turkey Time Traditions {with Amber from The Sunny Side of Second Grade}

Hey y'all!! Welcome back for another selection of our Turkey Time Traditions. Here you are hearing all of our favorite Thanksgiving ideas, lessons, crafts, and more! I hope you are enjoying yourself just as much as we are enjoying sharing with you.

We have been spending our time talking about everything Thanksgiving the last several days, and we will continue into next week. One of the second grade social studies standards we like to focus on for this theme is comparing various interpretations of the same time period. Perspective can be very difficult for our little sweeties to grasp. This year, my team and I took a different approach to help with this.

We found these books to help us:

We started out by introducing the theme with the book The First Thanksgiving and exploring the Scholastic's The First Thanksgiving. After a needed brain break on Go Noodle, we delved into day one of the lesson plan: The Pilgrim perspective. We read through the book, Giving Thanks, but we only read the perspective of the Pilgrim, Resolved White. (Day two consists of re-reading the story but this time from the Indian, Dancing Moccasin, perspective)  We held partnered discussions on what it was like to be an English Colonist in 1621, mapping out our thoughts on chart paper.

We then used the anchor chart as our graphic organizer for our writing activity:

The kiddos really loved writing a story about what it would be like to live as a pilgrim in 1621. The story can then be attached to construction paper. They can color pilgrim shoes to glue to the bottom of their story when they are finished.

If you are like me, you like crafts around the holidays. These are just a few of the crafts we completed this week. It was so much fun having a Pilgrim day and an Indian day. Monday we plan to take what we have learned and bring it all together using a Venn Diagram and some compare and contrast fun!

The Indian fact headband was created by me, but you can find these sweet Pilgrims and Indians here.

If you are looking to add some free writing fun to your Thanksgiving plans this week, look no further. Download my free Walk Like a Pilgrim activity! I know your sweeties will love it as much as mine did.

{Click on the image above to get your copy}

An InLinkz Link-up

Tons of End of Year Ideas!

I can just taste it...it's almost here...and for some of you a lot faster than it is for me. The end of the year is still some time away weeks wise, (students go till June 26th), but still...time is FLYING and I know it will be over before I know it. 

The end of the year is a trying time as well. Kids love to go bananas and we go bananas over the kids! I think it's survival of the fittest at this time of year.

I'm here to share with you some end of the year ideas that I've done versions of in the past, and plan on implementing this year as well. 

TREASURE BOX AUCTION

If you do a money management system, or even if you don't and give students some sort of currency (tickets..etc.), this will be just a bucket of fun!

I like to try to put much of my left over treasure box items up for auction. Basically, students have saved money that they haven't used for other things...some have more, some have less. I lay out all the items that are going to be bid on. We go over the rules of a silent auction and students can either raise their hands or hold up an object such as a Popsicle stick when they want to bid on something.

I'll describe all the items before I begin so students can be aware of what there is and if they would like to wait out for something. Then I start with random items and depending on the quality of the item, I start the bid. For small items, it will be something like 25 cents and then go up, and prices vary for others. I usually have multiples of smaller items so I say like, "5 kids can this item." 

Then it is bidding time. I keep on increasing the price until the last kid (or kids if there is more than one of the item), standing gets it. Then we move on to other items. Some kids love to get a bunch of little things. Some kids hold on to their money for the bigger items. But I always tell them they are taking a risk holding out as well because they might not get it. Sometimes what they want gets bid on by a higher bidder, and so it doesn't go to them, so then they just bid on other things. Basically, I make sure that everyone gets something. 

End of Year Student Compliments

love using my own kids as test subjects :)

I learned this when I was student teaching 8 years ago. I put a picture of each student in the middle of a piece of paper that has spaces to write going all around the picture. The number of spaces depends on how many students there are. 

Then, we arrange our desks so that it is easy to pass the paper to the student next to them and that the rotation can be nice and circular without students getting confused as to who gets the paper next. I give each student a person to start with (not themselves), and they write one kind or nice thing about the person in the picture. They write their name after their sentence. Different color pens look good. Then we all rotate the papers at the same time. By the end, students will have written a compliment for each other student in the class and I will make sure I leave a space for my compliment as well. 

This serves as a beautiful keepsake that students can treasure forever. 

I am attaching a link to the PDF file that has the template - it will have the place in the middle for the picture and the title. You will need to add in the bubbles to write in according to the number students in your class. Enjoy!

Writing Activity

Here is a free End of Year Writing activity..."I Mustache (Moustache) You to Get Ready for (the next) Grade." I've included templates for 1-5th grades and a few mustaches to cut out and put on for a picture. It'll make a great end of year bulletin board display!

WRAPPING UP THE YEAR MEMORY BOOK

This memory book looks like a gift...hence the name. I've included a bunch of prompts for the students to draw a picture for and write about regarding something in 2nd grade. You can pick and choose which ones you want to give to the students. Then put them all together, put the cover on the top, and staple it to the gift box template. I also have a 1st grade and 3rd grade version available in the store. Click here or on the picture above to take you to the product! 

Student Awards

Sometimes it's hard to find cookie cutter awards for every single student in your class. I created this set of about 60 different versions of awards with unique characteristics so that you can find one for everyone!

You can find them HERE

I hope some of these ideas can help you as you finish up this racing year! Seriously...I so clearly remember getting prepared for the beginning, stalking teacher Instagram posts for ideas, pinning things that I would probably never look at again because I am the worst pinner organizer on the face of the planet, and just starting up a blog. And now, it is coming to the end and I hope that it goes smoothly for all of you!

Celebrating America with Tickled Pink in Primary

Happy Armed Forces Day!! I have a handful of family members that have or are currently serving in the military. Today's the day to honor everyone that serves in the military and to thank them for their service and for protecting our country. THANK YOU!!

We are out of school before Memorial Day rolls around, but a fun and very simple craft you could make for any patriotic holiday would be sparklers!

 Supplies needed:
-tissue paper
-paper straws (Target or Michaels)
-tape
-scissors

First, cut a small portion of red and white tissue paper, you don't need a whole sheet. Then start to roll it around the paper straw.

Take the tissue paper off of the straw and tape one end together. You may need to pinch the tissue paper to make it small enough so it will eventually fit into the straw.

 Next, cut slits almost all the way down the tissue paper.

 Finally, push the small end of our "sparkler" into the straw and secure it with tape if needed.

Celebrating America {with Stephany from Primary Possibilities}

There are a lot of important patriotic holidays coming up!  Make sure you follow all of the posts this first half of the month to grab up as many great ideas as you can!  I have a super easy and cute craft that you can use for any of the patriotic holidays!

You are going to need 7 bendable straws, a little tape, a paper plate, red/white/blue paint, and black construction paper.  Tape the straws together and then bend them outward to make a firework shape.  Pour some of the red, blue and white paint on the paper plate.  Don't worry if they get mixed, once you get started the paint will get all blended together anyway!  

Take the straws and place them on the paper.  You will want to lightly press down on the straws to make sure they make contact with the paper. 

 Dip the straws again and then press them down in the same spot but with the straws in a different spot.  This will give you a full looking firework!

I whipped up this writing paper that you can use to go with the craft!  There are two versions with different sized writing lines.   Click on the image below to go grab it up for FREE!