Music Monday-You Are My Flower

One of my dear friends and favorite people, Shelley, introduced me to Elizabeth Mitchell. Her music is so wonderful I am going to spotlight a c.d. each week this month. (September... yes I know it is still August but I'm thinking ahead!)


The first album I recommend is: You Are My Flower.


There are many delightful songs on this child friendly album. There is a great rendition of This Little Light of Mine, Shoo-Fly, and Jingle Bells (among others). My daughter's favorite song on the album is number 3: John the Rabbit.

My favorite song is number 7: Little Sack of Sugar. My family and I sing this song to our little guy daily while playing with him. The chorus is: "Jiggle, jiggle, jiggle, jiggle. Tickle, tickle, tickle, tickle. Little sack of sugar I could eat you up..." If you have a baby or toddler you MUST listen to and familiarize yourself with this perfect song to sing to your "little sack of sugar". *WARNING: It is the kind of song that EASILY gets stuck in your head; but at least it is a happy, fun song.

Food Activity - Making Butter

This activity can be done at home or in a classroom setting and it is sure to put smiles on faces.

What you need:

Clear glass jar with secure lid

Whipping Cream



What you do:

Pour the whipping cream into the jar.

Put on the lid and make sure it is tight.

Shake.

*There are recipes that recommend adding salt and other things, but my experience has been that this works just fine.*

Placement of children:

Have children sit on the floor in a circle.

This can be done as a whole class activity along with a lesson about having unity in the class and working together to help each other. This can also be done as a family to teach the same thing. In either case it is a good idea to have a little chant or sing a little song as you go around so every child has the same amount of time to shake the jar (I usually allow about 10 seconds per student to keep it moving around the circle). I have also done this where I read a story or put in a story on a c.d. so I have my hands free to count down time for each child with my fingers so they know when it is time to pass the jar to the next child.

Once the butter has been made, simply scoop some out and put on any yummy bread of your choice. The butter doesn't have a lot of flavor but children enjoy watching the change from the liquid to solid form.

Happy buttering!!!

Quick Tip - Art vs. Skill-Focused-Projects

Quite often people who work with children confuse art and skill-focused-projects as the same thing. (There are a plethora of skills, but for today's post I am referring to skills usually associated with art.) Each have their place within a classroom or home setting but they are NOT the same and therefore the terms should NOT be used interchangably. In my classroom I not only teach them separately (although many projects are a combination of both) but I use those two terms with the children so they can learn the difference.

Skills: following directions, cutting, cutting along a line, glueing, coloring INSIDE the line, drawing straight lines, drawing shapes, etc.

Skill Focused Projects: a classic example of a skill focused project that is often confused as "art": handing children pieces of construction paper with pre-drawn lines on them, telling the students to cut out the objects on the paper, and glue the cut pieces of paper together... all of the students end up with almost identical "creations"...snowmen, frogs, teddy bears, lions, etc.; the only difference is the quality of cutting, glueing, and placement of the glued papers. I am not anti skill-focused-projects; they have a place in a child's development and should be used (in fact I will post some good ideas for those I have used in future posts), but DO NOT CALL THE END RESULT OF THESE PROJECTS "ART"!

Art: any activity where children can use self expression to create something. Yesterday's post about music art, is art... they used self expression to create drawings or paintings. Another example of art is giving students modeling clay and allowing them to mold/sculpt it into something, and depending on the type of clay used, they can also paint it once it has dried. It is okay and in fact good to teach skills while completing art projects, if children ASK for some pointers it is okay to provide some feedback and guidance...but let each student's art be a creation of their own. Sometimes it may be hard to stop yourself from saying something when you see a child using a medium in a way that is different to you, but bite your tongue and allow them to explore (provided they are not ruining furniture or the medium itself so it cannot be used again in the future when applicable). That is the best way for them to learn.

Here are a couple of books I have used either as is, or as a springboard for other SKILL-FOCUSED projects (yes I know that the one says art activities...but you now know better):




Here is a book I have used either as is, or as a springboard for other ART projects:




Happy Projecting!!!

Art Activity-Music Drawings

Two things children love: free reign coloring and music.
Free reign coloring and music=music drawings.

Step One: select fun lively music - one of my favorites for this activity is a c.d. my sister gave me- Herb Alpert's Whipped Cream and Other Delights-one of the great things about this music is that it is likely different from music many children are typically exposed to and every child I have played this music for has had a good time listening to it...even a few students who usually keep to themselves can't help but move to the rhythms.





Step Two: play music and let children dance to music in any way they see fit (without hurting themselves or others.. this can be difficult in a classroom setting so lay out expectations of keeping enough distance between peers that they can stretch out their arms without touching anyone, they must sit out for a song if they can't do this...)

Step Three: stop music and provide each student with a large piece of paper and markers, crayons, or for a lot of fun...finger paints (I like to get messy)!!!

Step Four: explain to children that they can only use their coloring tools on the paper when the music is playing and that they are supposed to "color to the music". Do NOT even attempt to explain what that means. Let the children engage in self expression and discover their own interpretation of what it means.

Step Five: play music and watch the children have fun. After a minute or so on a song I switch to a different song to keep the children interested by hearing different songs.

Step Six: have the students show what they did and allow them to verbalize what they did, IF THEY WOULD LIKE. Self expression is personal. Some children won't want to share so don't make them. Giving them the freedom of choice will help these children enjoy self expression activities because they dont' have to worry about what other's will think of their creations.

*A variation of this is to pour washable finger paint in shallow pans outside on a sidewalk or other large paved area. Have the children take off socks and shoes, step in the paint them dance around to the music (best if children are wearing shorts or skirts). Giving students different colors and assigning groups of children to specific colors will make great TEMPORARY sidewalk art. After it has dried have the children look at the footprints and challenge them to select and follow a trail of footprints...which could also lead to a science activity about animal tracks and trails.

Home Book Activity-The Kissing Hand

In a previous post I suggested some books for the start of the school year. I have a tradition that I do every year at the start of school with my daughter. The morning of the first day of school we take a few minutes together after she is all ready for her day and read The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn.





-In the story the raccoon is nervous for the first night of school (since he is a nocturnal animal and goes to school at night... side note: children love seeing the pictures of the animals going to school outside at night). His mother kisses his hand and says that it is a "kissing hand" and that whenever he misses her he can use his kissing hand to remember that his mommmy loves him. The illustrations in the book show a red heart in the center of the palm of his "hand".

While reading the book I kiss her hand and speak to her just like the mother speaks with her son. Then when the book is over I draw a little red heart with a marker on the palm of her left hand (since she is right handed so it doesn't rub off as fast) so she has a little reminder that her mommy loves her. Then when we say good-bye at school one of the last things she does is show me her kissing hand and the little heart on it. In this picture she was a little shy to show me in case someone in line was watching so she put it right up to the camera so no one could see.


*Also if you like The Kissing Hand there is another kissing hand/Chester book by Audrey Penn called A Pocket Full of Kisses. This is a great book about a new baby in the family. Chester learns about his mother having enough love for Chester and his little brother.

Quick Tip - Family vs. Parents

Okay so this is admittedly a rant, but at the same time, if you haven't thought about it before, here you go!
When addressing the adult figures in the lives of your students in person as a whole group (perhaps at back-to-school night) or in written form (in newsletters and other correspondence) address these people as "Families" NOT "Parents." I have worked with some "old-schoolers" who insist that they don't have to change their ways because of issues in their student's homes and therefore always use the term "parents" even though these adults may be grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. My stance... who cares?! If you take the focus off yourself (i.e. Well children "should" be raised by their parents so I use "parents" or I don't have to take the time to change a word on my standard letter I use every school year) and place the focus on the appropriate people, the students, you will realize that it is okay and actually GOOD to be sensitive to the little people. Aren't we supposed to be educators and don't we teach about feelings?!
*Side note, I always use the term "students" when I write my newsletters and in any written correspondence. It is just an easy way to reinforce roles, I am the teacher and the children are students, we all know they are children but sometimes families forget that you are viewing them as students.
**Additional side note, in my blog I say children and students, and often parents or sometimes even just mommies, but it is my blog, not my classroom ,so I can be as inconsistent as I would like, but when I am NOT blogging, I use families and students. :)

Book Recommendations-First Day of School

The first day of school is a big deal, especially in the primary grades. The way a teacher looks, speaks, presents her/himself and what is covered sets the tone for the school year. In the primary grades children are often clinging to parents prior to the first bell ringing. Reading stories at the start of class is a great way to help them forget about their worries as they are swept away in a good book. In a future post I will list possible first day activities and a basic first day lesson plan. For today, I will just cover some books that you may want to consider adding to your library or at least checking out from the library to have on hand.

I know that there are many first day books on the market but these are just a few that I have used in my classroom:



First Day Jitters follows a girl through the morning of her first day of school. She doesn't want to go to school but a man, who appears to be her father, continues to make her get ready and eventually drives her to school while encouraging her that people will be nice to her. At the end of the story the reader finds out that the girl is actually the teacher. After the book is over I share with the students that I felt like that teacher this morning, because I was nervous too. We then have a discussion about feeling nervous the first day of school. This tends to break the ice with the students when they realize that others in the class, including the teacher, is nervous. This gives everyone some common ground. *A side note, quite often some of the young sensitive children will be overly nice and try to give me some encouragement and comfort at the end of this discussion. It is a very sweet experience.


Another good book to include in your first day pile is Oh, the Places You'll Go! Most children are already familiar with Dr. Seuss which helps them feel comforted by something familiar. The pictures in this book are imaginative and fun for all children. After the book is over I give a brief run-down on some of the places (field trips) and activities (art projects, themes, parties, etc.) we will go on/attend over the school year. It is important during this BRIEF introduction that the teacher is animated and friendly. Children read the moods of teachers very easily; therefore if the teacher is excited the children are likely to be excited.


Perfect for Kindergarten, Chrysanthemum is about a little mouse who loves herself and her name until the first day of school when children make fun of her name. At the end of the story she loves her name again and those who teased her are now envious. Children respond well to this story. I use it when we discuss classroom expectations and we discuss feelings. Then as things come up (as they are likely to, especially with girls) you can refer to the book which tends to help.


Often students have parents at home missing them the first day of school. This is the story of a little racoon and mother who are nervous about missing each other on the first day of school. She gives him a kiss on his hand to help him think of her while he is away. I do an activity with this book the first day (this will be described with my first day of school lesson plan mentioned above). As a mommy, I also read this to my daughter the morning of the first day of school.


Probably not suitable for primary grades (at least not kindergarten and first grade), but a must have for upper grades. The Teacher from the Black Lagoon is a about a boy who falls asleep on the first day of school and dreams that his teacher is a monster that does horrible things to the students in his class. He is relieved when he wakes up to find he has a nice (non-monster) teacher.
Happy Reading!!!

Classroom Management - Naming Tables

I know that many, if not most, in the primary grades are used to giving tables names so you can call on an entire table to line up, put chairs up, etc. Many teachers give their tables color names (red table, blue table, etc.), some use shapes (circle table, triangle table, etc.) and some give numbers or letters (A table/table A or Table 3).

My favorite way to name tables is to use the name of authors and/or illustrators. I decide on the people I want to highlight (I do more with these individuals but will descibe in a future post). Once I have my list (i.e. Dr. Seuss, Maurice Sendak, Barbara Park, etc.) I center a picture of each person on poster board (about 8.5"x11") with their name under the picture in large easy-to-read print. Then on either side of the picture I place pictures of familiar characters from their books. For example the Barbara Park would have pictures of Junie. B. Jones on the poster board. (If you are doing this with older grades for, say, rows or clusters of students you could use pictures of book covers or even just names of familiar books.) Then when I call tables I say "the Park table" or "the Barbara Park table" (or even just "Park," in a rush).

Doing this helps children draw connections with books. It also gives students a working vocabulary of names so when they decide they like a certain series of books (many first graders and kindergartners LOVE Junie B. Jones) or find that they love books by a particular author (my daughter loves Maurice Sendak books) they have more language to effectively express to their parents or librarians which books they are looking for. I have found that when students connect with an author, they in turn want to read more from that author, which helps increase their desire to read.

Below are several pages that you might find helpful in choosing authors. Select those appropriate for your grade levels. It also helps to choose authors you, the teacher, personally enjoy!

Primary Grades:

Sandra Boynton
Jan Brett
Eric Carle
Ian Falconer
Mem Fox
Crockett Johnson
Ezra Jack Keats
Jonathan London
Mercer Mayer
Barbara Park
Todd Parr
Beatrix Potter
Richard Scarry
Maurice Sendak
Dr. Seuss

Upper Grades:

Judy Blume
Matt Christopher
Beverly Cleary
Christopher Paul Curtis
Roald Dahl
Kate DiCamillo
Jean Fritz
C. S. Lewis
Lois Lowry
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
J. K. Rowling
Louis Sachar
Shel Silverstein
E. B. White
Laura Ingalls Wilder

Great Beginner C.D.

I am a firm believer that children respond well to delightful, engaging music. A great c.d. to have in your collection is On the Good Ship Lollipop by The Persuasions. Songs like "On Top of Spaghetti" and "I'm So Glad (I've Got Skin)" are fun for children to sing and dance to when they need wiggle time or to listen to while playing games. I liked to start my mornings by playing track #3 "Good Morning to You" as a welcome song each day. It is a fun cheery song that sets a happy, welcome tone for the day.


The Persuasions: On The Good Ship Lollipop

I start the year by teaching that students need to be settled down and gathered in a circle by the end of the song each morning so we can have our morning meeting. The students became familiar with this song and enjoyed singing along. By using the same song every day for either the whole year or perhaps even a new gathering song each month, trimester, etc. children know the song well enough to know how much more wiggle time they had before they needed to be ready for the day in the circle. This also helped me have good starts to my day each day as I didn't have to start the day "nagging" students to settle down and join the circle.

*If you decide to purchase this c.d. please use the link above as it will take you directly to Jerry Lawson's website!*

First Post...WELCOME!!!

Welcome to my blog and thank you for visiting. I am so happy to have finally put this page together. As this is my first blog it will be a bit of a work in progress, so please be patient.

The Sugar 'n The Spice...
This one is two-fold: I have a daughter and I like to cook (I especially love experimenting with spices... and sugar!). The recipes included on this blog have been little girl approved.

The Snails...
Though the rhyme is in reference to little boys (my little boy is still too little to exhibit any buggy inclinations), my daughter LOVES snails, bugs, and all things creepy-crawly. I will include stories, music, art, crafts, skill-building activities, science, seasonal activities and general classroom management ideas that will appeal to boys and girls alike.

The 'n Tales...
The rhyme refers to puppy dog "tails", but for our purposes the "tales" refers to all of the children's literature recommendations, music suggestions and activities that will be as much fun for children to explore as it will be for you, the parent/teacher, to share.

I hope that you will find the resources I post on this page helpful to use with your little ones in your classroom, daycare, preschool, or home. I used to spend hours looking for websites to help me with last minute lesson planning ideas... as a beginning teacher I didn't have the money to purchase educational books on every topic but loved anything with "free" for the price tag! Now that I am blessed enough to be able to stay at home with my wee ones this is my "pass it on" for all those teachers and mommys out there who need a one stop spot to find old and new ideas to teach and have fun with your little ones.

Please feel free to use any of the items I post on here... it is all free for you!!!
Check back frequently as I will be adding items regularly.
Enjoy!
Allyoop