Spring Time Activities

Can you believe it is already the end of the school year?  I can’t!  It seemed like yesterday that I was setting up my classroom and welcoming my second grade sweeties!  I am actually sad to end this school year.  I have had such a fabulous class.  I am going to hate to see them go.  Our school is rezoning, so many of our kiddos are going to a new school next year.  I always love when my former students come back to give me hugs in the morning.  I am going to miss that from them. 

Not only is this year already going fast, but it is going to go by even quicker since we were off school this whole week unexpectedly.  Katy received a HUGE torrential downpour this past week and our city was flooded.  We were very blessed and did not receive any damage or flooding to our home, but there were many that did.  During our week off, we were stuck inside as it continued to rain.  Needless to say, I was very productive!  I got a lot done around the house and some online projects done too!

Flooding in Old Katy (Photo credit - The Katy Times)

I wanted to share a few of my favorites…

My A to Z Countdown to Summer was inspired by another teacher on my team.  She said that she used to do something like it at her old school.  I got to searching online for something, but could not find what I needed.  So, like I always do, I created something to fit my classroom!  The kids LOVE it!  It is a great way to wrap up the year, and a fun way to count down the days until summer break!

Since many of my kids are different religions, we don't really do Easter stuff.  So, I decided to create some spring activities.  My kids LOVE to use QR Codes.  They love to use iPads anytime really!  I made these "Spring Into..." activities as a review game.  You can use this as a "Scoot" activity or just as task cards.  I use mine during math station time, so I need it fairly quiet.  I just print them out and laminate them.  If you run out of time to cut them out or don't want to chance losing any of the cards, just print them out and put into a clear page protector!  They come in color and blacklines.  They also come in a variety of styles (they are even available without the QR Codes!).  I teach second grade, so these are problems up to 1,200.  

   

Here is also something that will be fun to do at spring parties or for something fun to do when the kids are getting a little antsy!  Use plastic chips or even candy as bingo pieces.  There are two versions. One of them is a full color page (or half page) that is ready to go. The other is a DIY set where the kids color in the icons and paste them anywhere on their bingo grid!  Both are awesome, and my kids really enjoyed it.  They ask me all the time when we will play bingo again!

These spring projects were so fun to create!  Especially since I had amazing clip art from one of my favorites, Kate Hadfield!  I have had so many compliments on my bingo cards when I use her clip art!  Be sure to stop by her store and check out her fabulous art work.  I have really loved looking at how she creates her items...so interesting!  If you are ever looking for great artwork, you can shop her online store above or her TPT store!

Another thing I worked on during our impromptu week off was my new United States Symbols Packet.  This was so fun to put together!  I actually made it after I taught this objective in school.  I needed something that was more engaging and fun for the kids.  I can’t wait to use it next year!

And finally, the one that I am so excited about…. digital papers!  FINALLY!!   My husband has been working on these on and off for about a year (yes, I said a year!).   We are a great team.  I think up the stuff, he creates it, and I put it together to offer to my customers.  So fun!  I love that I can start using these in my products now.  I won’t even tell you how much I have spent in digital papers over the last few years.  It’s crazy!  If anything, making these should save me some money!  LOL!

I hope you enjoy these products as much as I do.  As always, please let me know if you have suggestions or special product requests.  Happy spring!

Apps and Websites That I LOVE!

Graphics by Kate Hadfield & Whimsy Clips

Since Valentine's Day is right around the corner, I thought it was fitting to let you in on some apps and websites that I LOVE to use in my classroom!

The first app that I LOVE is called Nanzoo. This one I discovered while teaching time with my kids.  The great thing about this is that there are different levels: easy, normal, and challenge.  We used challenge because our second grade objective is teaching time to the minute.  The kids loved this.  It is great because you can either read the time and set the clock or look at the clock and set the time.  It is also self-checking.  I liked doing it in partners because the other person could tell their partner what he or she saw was incorrect if they got it wrong.  This was a great peer tutoring moment!

Another great website that I LOVE to use all the time for brain breaks and for indoor recess is GoNoodle.  You can use this for fun or for relaxation.  One time, I had a lesson that was super fun and exciting for the students.  I was noticing that they could just not calm down.  So, I threw on a Go Noodle yoga video and that did the trick!  They also love when they can use this for indoor recess or when we take a break in class.  They were thrilled when they learned that the Whip/Nae Nae was on there!  That is currently their favorite!  They also love when they get to upgrade characters.

SeeSaw is another one that I LOVE!  This is a great digital portfolio for the kids to store their work in.  I love it because I can keep tabs on center work and it cuts down on paper consumption.  For example, this past week, we did the moon phases using Oreo cookies.  I had them place the cookies on the different moon phase circles and then take a picture of it. This way, we didn't have to mess with gluing on the Oreos or turning in their work.  They took a picture and uploaded it to their account. We also use this a lot for math games.  Many of my math stations don't have recording sheets.  They either just record in their math journal or show their work on their white board.  Then, they snap a picture and upload it to their SeeSaw account.  It is cool too because it can even do videos where the kids explain the steps that they take to solve a problem.  I only teach math and science, but my partner uses it a lot for word study sorts and for writing!  You can even let parents access their child's account.  It can also be used for documentation!

The next one is another app that I use for math.  I LOVE it for my low kids that are still struggling with fact fluency.  This one is called Make Ten Plus.  It is a great review for my high kids that are practicing on quickness, and they kind of think of it as a race!  They see how fast they can get the facts.  It is kind of like Tetris where it stacks up as time progresses.  Kids see a number and have to click on the other number that would make it a ten fact.  For example, if they saw "2", they would have to click on "8."  

Kahoot is an app/website that I use a lot too.  It does take a little time up front to create an online test, but it is SO worth it.  Be sure to check out my blog post on the I Teach Second Blog about this!  The kids LOVE this app because it is so interactive and they love that they get to take a "quiz" on the iPad instead of do a worksheet review.

Lastly, I teach an inclusion class with special education students in my room.  I also have a few dyslexic and dysgraphic children in my class.  Through an advertisement on Facebook, I found an app called SnapType.  I LOVE it!  It allows me to take a picture of a worksheet or upload a PDF and have the kids fill it out by typing in all of the answers.  You can also it the microphone button on your device and it will record the words you say.  This is a huge time saver and it also helps avoid lots of frustration with my kids that have a very difficult time writing or getting their thoughts down on paper. Then, the student can save his or her work and even email it to you! You can grade it and print out a copy to send home too!

I know many of us get in a rut or don't really know what other good websites or apps are out there, so I hope this was helpful.  Be sure to stop by my TPT store and check out some other stuff that you might fall in LOVE with too!!

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New Year's Activities

I can’t believe January is already here!  I actually love January!  I love to look back at the year and think about how this next year can be better!  It is a fresh start.  I am already starting to think about how this second semester of second grade will be different than the first.  How am I going to make students more excited about learning?  How can I help students be more accountable for turning in work?  How can invest more time with those little sweeties that are struggling?  I have spent a few minutes (ha!) on Pinterest over the holidays and have some things in mind!  I am looking forward to my amazing students coming back to school and finishing the second half of the year strong!

 

Mystery Picture

When they get back in January, I always like to do a cute New Year’s activity with them.  I made this great mystery picture that I can’t wait to use!  You can't go wrong with mystery pictures!  

Gift Tag

I also thought it would be a cute idea to have a little present on their desk to welcome them back and to celebrate the new year!  All you need to do it print out this tag in color or black and white and attach a ring pop and a Hershey’s Kiss to it!  You can purchase the Ring Pops in bulk on Amazon or at your local dollar store! 

New Year's Headband

We have an extended learning time that we use to tutor students, do make up work, and kids are pulled for special classes such as speech or reading intervention.  During that time, my kiddos are going to make this cute sentence strip headband!  This is a BLOG EXCLUSIVE!!  The students that don’t get to make it will get to do it the next day for morning work.

New Year's Resolution Cards

We will also talk about what a New Year’s resolution is and what they want to do differently this year.  At our school, the staff has to come up with one word.  Last year, my word was “service.”  I think that I could have served more, but I do feel like I have fulfilled that word.  This year, my word is “travel.”  I think I am off to a good start because I already booked a getaway weekend for my husband and I.  It was his Christmas present, but it is also my birthday present and Valentine’s Day combined!  I am also going to encourage my students to come up with one or two words.  
 

Some examples might be read more, learn to tie my shoes, play outside more, use technology less, learn to cook. get more organized, etc.  These could be school or home focused.  I envisioned a mixture of the two.  We are going to write these down on index cards and post them around the room as a reminder each day of how we can make this year even better than last!

I hope you all have a blessed and prosperous New Year as well!  Many blessings to you and your family, students, and friends!

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