Is this the cutest
thing you’ve ever seen? Last week
when I was in Springfield and Joliet the teachers shared some super creative
ideas, and this is one from Ashley Swedell. She puts shoes on the bottom of her table legs so children
can practice tying when they finish their work.
Hello, Friends!
Punctuation Dance (Ashley
Swedell)
There’s a song on
my Better Bodies and Brains CD called “Hello, Friends!” Ashley wrote it out on chart paper and
the kids make the following movements for the punctuation.
Commas – clap
hands
Exclamation point
– hands up in the air
Question mark –
hands on hips
Period – pull
hands back
Hello, Friends!
Hello,
Jell-o!
Hi there, grizzly
bear!
How are you,
caribou?
I’m fine,
porcupine!
What’s up, buttercup?
Not much, coconut!
This is how our
day begins.
Nice
to see ya, tortilla!
Hi, hi, pumpkin
pie!
How’ve you been,
dolphin?
Just great, rattle
snake.
What’s shakin’,
little bacon?
Not a lot, tater
tot!
This is how our
day begins.
Bonjour, dinosaur!
Good day, blue
jay!
Howdy, brownie!
Welcome, bubble
gum!
Hola, cola!
Yoo hoo, tennis
shoe.
This is how our
day begins.
Give me five,
dragon fly.
Shake a hand,
rubber band.
Here’s a hug,
doodlebug.
Wave to me,
bumblebee.
Come on in, my
friends
With a smile and
song
This is how the
day begins!
Problem
Resolution (Carrie Thouvenot)
After students
resolve a problem they fist bump, hand shake, high five, hug, and walk away
happy.
Where Is the
Bear? (Betty Schmitz)
This is a book
that will help students with positional words. Take pictures of them holding a stuffed bear above their
head, behind their back, beside them, etc. Write a sentence on each page with the child’s name and the
position of the bear. “The bear is
on Aiden’s head.” Let children
take the book home to share with their families.
I was invited to sing at Dubois Elementary in Springfield last week. What precious children!!! They made me the coolest poster with alphabet letters. At the bottom the kids laid on the floor to spell out "Thank you Dr. Jean!" One little guy rolled up like a ball to make the period!
