Dappled sunlight on a tarmac road
The days are much shorter and we are seeing more sunsets before bedtime here in San Diego. Sunsets make me think of the beautiful children's book "Sky Color" by Peter H. Reynolds. It's a story about a girl who doesn't have blue, so she paints the sky using other colors. Here is a fun process art project based on this book, great for kids age 3 and up. If you want to learn more about the benefits of process art you can read my old blog post about it here.After reading another children's book call
Hello Everyone! We had one of the best number sense weeks we've ever had! We worked very hard on number patterns up to 120. Because we were also in the middle of a plant unit in science, I decided to use "Tops and Bottoms" by Janet Stevens, as a theme for some number pattern activities as well. I have shared my Tops and Bottoms unit before, but I've added this math component for you to download and print. Here are a couple of pics. If you are interested in trying these activities with your kids, CLICK here for the printable download. The unit also includes a huge measurement component!!! For the past couple of weeks we have also been busy trying our hand at writing realistic fiction pieces. We are following Lucy Calkins fairly closely. As inspiration, we are reading a lot of realistic fiction literature, and I think the kids are getting the hang of it. I put together a mini unit with posters, planners, and checklists. Here are a few pics. Here's the link to the printable !!! Finally, this coming week we will be working on author's message in stories. I chose "The Empty Pot" by Demi. It is such a lovely story about honesty and bravery. If you have not read this yet to your kids, do it now!! I put together another little mini unit to accompany this story. The unit will help kids see the value in such a piece. I am so looking forward to using this with my kids this week!! Here's the link! CLICK HERE!!! Well, that's all for now!!! I hope you have a wonderful week that is filled with the JOYS of watching your kids learn!!! Thanks for stopping by!!! Joyfully! Nancy
10 fun science experiments for kids to learn about the Sun, the light, the solar power, the relationship with the earth,... Wonderful STEM activity ideas.
Here is an interactive book to compliment a science lesson on shadows. Students can complete this book during a lesson on shadows. Last page in the book could be used as an informal assessment for students to draw the sun, themselves, and where their shadow would be on the ground. ...
This summer has been HOT! I love the heat, but this is getting crazy! These 100+ degree days have made it almost too hot to enjoy outdoor activities except
These light experiments are great science lessons for 1st graders! Aligned with NGSS, the resource also includes books and related activities.
Artist: Kurt Shaffer Subject: Abstract Style: Modern & Contemporary Product Type: Gallery-Wrapped Canvas Art Made in USAThis ready to hang, gallery-wrapped art piece features streaks of sunlight rippling in dark lake water. Kurt Shaffer has been a self-taught photographer since age 13. He continues to learn the fine art of photography, especially in this fantastic digital age. Though Kurt does not manipulate his fine art photography, digital enhancement is a valuable tool in his business. He states that if he were to change anything in his work it would be to make it look more like it was when he took the original photo. Kurt's love of the earth feeds his photographic creativity and defines it as his truest form of therapy. When photographing people, capturing the nature in his subjects is Kurt's intent and what he strives to do. Giclee (jee-clay) is an advanced printmaking process for creating high quality fine art reproductions. The attainable excellence that Giclee printmaking affords makes the reproduction virtually indistinguishable from the original piece. The result is wide acceptance of Giclee by galleries, museums, and private collectors. Gallery wrap is a method of stretching an artist's canvas so that the canvas wraps around the sides and is secured a hidden, wooden frame. This method of stretching and preparing a canvas allows for a frameless presentation of the finished painting.
A collection of differentiated story writing ideas, tips and free templates to encourage and support emergent writers in the primary classroom.
This lesson is intended for preschool, but there are new printables here that could be used for early elementary also. Saul was not nice to the Christians. Saul was also called Paul and he grew up in Tarsus. He was a Jewish leader and was very smart. He was glad to see people being put in prison because they believed in Jesus. Saul was still following the Old Testament rules. Saul was in Jerusalem, and he went to the high priest. He wanted permission to bring back anyone that was teaching about Jesus. He wanted to make sure the Christians were in prison. Saul went from Jerusalem to Damascus. It would take Saul and the other men with him several days to arrive in Damascus. It was close to noon, and they were close to Damascus, when suddenly a light came shining around Saul from heaven. The light was brighter than the normal afternoon sun. Saul fell to the ground and Jesus said to him: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” Saul asked, “Who are you, Lord?” And the Lord answered, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” Saul was shaking! He was amazed and asked, “What do you want me to do?” He was told to get up and go into the city and then he would be told what to do. The men that were traveling with Saul just stood there speechless! They heard someone talking but couldn’t see anyone! Saul stood up and opened his eyes, but he couldn’t see anything. The other men led him by the hand and took him to Damascus. He was there for three days. He couldn’t see and he didn’t eat or drink anything. Saul did a lot of praying. He had some time to think about what he had been doing. There was a disciple named Ananias in Damascus and the Lord came to him and told Ananias to find Saul of Tarsus on Straight Street. He is praying and waiting for you to come. Ananias replied that he has heard of Saul of Tarsus! He is putting Christians in prison. Jesus told Ananias that He has picked Saul to tell others about Him. Ananias did what Jesus told him to. He went to see Saul. He laid his hands on Saul and told him that Jesus appeared to him on the road to Damascus and sent me to give your sight back to you. Immediately something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes and he could see. Saul immediately stood up and went to be baptized. Scripture for this lesson is Acts 8:3; 9:1-19. I knew I needed to make a map for this lesson, since the kids love them. The stand-ups are great to use for review also. Issues with my PDF maker created the front page with one of the pictures messed up, but all the printables are perfect. Anyway, this includes the color and black & white. Click here to download. These Flip Books are quick and easy and great to use for review. Just one page to print and you can prepare them, or the students can. This includes the color and black & white. Click here to download. My students love using the Dot Markers. We have them use the Dot Markers first so they can dry before the end of class. This download includes the black & white for the students and a completed color version for the teacher's visual. Click here to download. Where is Saul? Song with a one-page visual. Just print on cardstock, fold on dotted line and it's ready to use. Just turn around as needed. Click here to download. Click here to print the lesson. Click here to download the updated visuals. Not all are shown. Click here to download the pictures to color. (These are the same as the visuals but are black & white.) Click here to see the early elementary lesson and printables including a Tri-Fold Visual.
I have been doing a Light and Shadow unit with Grade 3-4. They are currently studying this in science and I am reinforcing it with their art studies. We started off doing these Notan studies. So simple yet so effective. MATERIALS REQUIRED: - heavy drawing paper - mat or rectangle for tracing around - pencil - white and black disk tempera - reference photos - black sharpie - paper for mounting if wanted PROCEDURE: I gave the kids a little talk about light and shadow. I then talked about tonal value, what it is and how it can help you make amazing art. For this project we discussed 3 values, lightest lights, darkest darks, and a mid tone. I gave each student a piece of paper and a mat. I asked them to trace around it 3 times with a pencil. I passed out a bunch of reference photos, landscapes, simple still lives, all had high contrast and all in black and white. They used the white of the paper for the light value (no paint). Black tempera for the dark and mixed a grey for the mid tone. At school I had them in separate containers. We went straight in with paint, no pencil sketching. As they finished one study, they found another photo they liked and did the second, and then a third. I asked them to focus on shape and value, not to worry about detail. When they were done I asked them to retrace the rectangles with black sharpie. Finally you can cut them out leaving a white border and mount on coloured paper. Here is some student work but it hasn't been trimmed and mounted yet. Great work Grade 3-4!
Having strong mentor texts for small moments is really important as you launch your unit. These are 8 great books for teaching writing to...
Using a poster of "The Kite Runner," this handout helps students to recognize all of the components of the average movie poster. It also includes key questions that will guide your students to create meaningful and purposeful posters. I used this project with my class after reading "A Thousand Splen...
Book Report My 8-year-old finished reading “The Magic Faraway Tree” by Enid Blyton. In fact, she read twice, it is a beautiful story of great imagination and adventures of the children …
Jesus is the Light of the World Lantern The finished product! All the kids loved this project. Jesus is the Light o...
Today we are going to learn about some simple physics by doing simple and easy science activity i.e. Refraction of light. This activity is so quick and I really wondering how I missed this experiment this long to explain or show my kids and make them Wowww!! This is one among the 10 min STEAM […]
PDF Activities: You've heard of the story, The Day the Crayons Came Quit? Now, there' a new story, The Day the Crayons Came Home! Book Review.
Looking for an engaging Bible Lesson to teach your students about the light of the world? This resource contains 2 lessons to teach your students how Jesus is the light of the world and how your students can also be a light to others. Your students will enjoy starting the lesson with an engaging activity about the importance of light followed by a lesson with graphic organizers, mazes, and key verse coloring sheets and posters. What is included in this resource?? Introductory lesson on Jesus healing the blind man and being the light of the world. (John 9:1-12) Main Lesson: focus on being a light in the world. (Several engaging activities with little prep to begin the lesson: Matthew 5:13-14) Graphic Organizers about light Mazes (2 levels) Lightbulb organizers Key Verse Coloring Sheets (2 verses: Matt.5:13-14: John 8:12) (3 Versions: NIV, NLT, & KJV) Key Verse Coloring Posters NOTE: Check out the preview to see the various organizers and activities How Can I use this lesson? Bible Class Whole group or small group Sunday School Children's Church Homeschool Lesson Ideal for Primary Classroom 30 to 45 minutes with activities NOTE: This lesson has several different engaging ideas to begin the main lesson, a few of them take some additional prep time, but one engaging idea allows for this lesson to be a simple print-and-go lesson. Looking for more Bible lessons for primary grades? Check out the 1st/2nd grade Bible Lesson BUNDLE Fruit of the Spirit Bible Lessons Looking for more Bible Lessons MORE BIBLE LESSONS Reader's Theatre Bible Story Bundle
Sky Color by Peter H. Reynolds celebrates the creative process with endearing illustrations and simple, but powerful words.
It's time for kinders to learn the importance of the sun! In this 22-lesson unit, you will find tons of ways to incorporate fun into learning! This download includes: - 18 written lessons, with 19-22 being review {The lessons include an objective, access prior knowledge, introduce new information, apply information, and a mini check for understanding. Each lesson also has an extension} - 7 Vocabulary Posters - 20+ Activities, Including Crafts, Games, Experiments, and Worksheets - Over 50 Journal Pages that you can pick and choose - A Review Bingo in B/W and Color, with optional prompts and markers - A Certificate for Finishing the Unit! Common Core Standards Addressed: 3.1.a Investigate, explain, and describe that the Sun provides heat and light to Earth. • Explain that the sun provides light and heat. • Describe temperature differences between standing in the Sun and the shade. • Recognize that it is warmer and brighter when the sun is visible. • Describe changes in the day/night cycle. • Relate the Sun’s position to planet Earth in pictures. 3.1.b Analyze and interpret temperature data between day (when the Sun shines on our area) and night (when the Sun does not shine on our area). • Record and interpret daily temperatures during the day and night for a week’s time. • Predict why temperatures at night are lower than during the day. • Compare and contrast temperatures taken at night and during the day. • Justify why the temperature is higher during the day by drawing or writing. • Justify why the temperature is lower during the night by drawing or writing. • Recognize that the process of day and night is a pattern. 3.1.c Investigate and communicate findings about what happens when the Sun’s light is blocked. • Identify reasons when and why the Sun’s light is blocked (e.g., shade, clouds, curtains). • Explain that it gets darker and colder when the sun’s light is blocked. • Predict what happens if the sun’s light is blocked for long periods of time. - Explain how people make decisions about where to live based on temperature and how much Sun that place gets. - Explain how students make decisions about activities to do at recess based on the light and heat from the Sun (e.g., reading in the shade to stay cool; avoiding a metal slide because it is too hot). 3.1.d Investigate and communicate the effect of varying heat and light on the growth of plants through a scientific study. • Construct a simple experiment to investigate the effects of light/heat (Sun) on plants. • Describe what happens to plants without sunlight. • Explain the effects the environment has on plants. ****Thanks for visiting my store and feel free to ask any questions or address any concerns!****
Discover famous short stories with surprise endings. This list includes links to read some of the stories online.
Great books and fabulous art projects go hand-in-hand! All kids can develop a love for reading and my goal is to help them find the right book. Struggling readers and writers require special attention and support; check out my blog for ideas!
These light experiments are great science lessons for 1st graders! Aligned with NGSS, the resource also includes books and related activities.
Science experiments and picture books about the science of light & shadows - inside or outdoor activities perfect for preschoolers, kindergarten and elementary grades!
This afternoon, as I browsed through old folders, I came across these beautiful photos. Of course, I've seen them many times, but today...
Marie Osmond shares on Facebook a personal story about President Thomas S. Monson, a lesson on listening to the Spirit and doing all that is on the Lord's to-do list first.
The end of the school year signals the beginning of summer for many students. This is the perfect time of year to teach about the sun and have some “fun in the sun” performing learning activities outdoors! These hands-on activities are perfect for keeping young students engaged and learning those last few days/weeks of school. […]
This mentor text post includes ideas and activities on how to use Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett to teach the theme of kindness to primary grade students.
Help Students understand Hansberry's drama A Raisin in the Sun through comprehensive themes, conflicts, interactive lesson plans with StoryboardThat.
Have you seen this book? I love Sky Color, by Peter H. Reynolds. All of his books are inspiring and speak to creativity. We read this book in my kindergarten classroom last week and started really looking at the sky. Winter, in the Pacific Northwest, does not always lend itself to a sky study. WeRead More
Here’s a simple craft and retelling activity using an empty crayon box to go with the popular children’s book, The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt. There’s even a free printable to help you get started! Follow my Children’s Book Activities Pinterest board! (This post contains affiliate links.) The Preschool Book Club is back this …
This week my students presented projects that they had been working on for the past 2 and half weeks. They had to create a Cereal Box Biography for Black History Month. They got to chose a famous African American, read a biography about that person, and then create the cereal box project. The front of the box had to have a picture of the person, along with a name of the cereal that had something to do with the person. The back of the box had to have a written report about the person including certain details like what the person is famous for. Then on one side of the box they had to list the person's "ingredients" which were 5 character traits that described the person along with a sentence about why that character trait fits the person, and then the other side of the box had to have a timeline about the person, the first entry had to be when the person was born and, if the person was dead the last entry had to be the ate of death and they had to include at least 6 events in between. You can find the directions for this project on my TpT page by clicking HERE They LOVED this project and did a really good job! I have also included a few pictures of some of the finished products. Here are some pictures of my favorites: This one is Shaquille O'Neil - the student named his cereal Dunkers and he said they are basketball shaped. Even though this one seems pretty basic, it was done by my student who has Asperger's Syndrome so I was very proud of the work he did on this. Here are the character traits he included This is his time line. This one is Louis Armstrong - Loopster Notes LOL This one is Bob Marley LOL Love love love the name - Rasta Wheats Finally - my absolute favorite - Rosa Parks Love the name - Oats of Rights The quote from Rosa Parks says "Our mistreatment was just not right, and I was tired of it" She went all out, she added copies of nutrition information and the Whole Grain checkmark LOL She even put a box top for education on the back of the box, like on real cereal boxes On the last page of her report she even put a coupon for $1 off Oats of Rights cereal (Love this girl!) Here are her ingredients And her timeline I just loved this project and the kids did too. This week coming up I am going to be assigning them a new project - they will be doing a Presidential Portrait where they will be doing a report and poster about a president. I will post that when those are finished as well.
