This grinning gobbler can hold a dinner napkin or student writing—a list of thankful thoughts, a story of thankfulness, or a Thanksgiving Day poem—to be shared at mealtime. In either case, the tiny turkey makes a supercute and thoughtful addition to a Thanksgiving Day table! Have older students measure and cut the needed paper strips…
Student Activities
When I Grow Up
If everything had gone according to plan, today I’d be a firefighting fisherman with a large and amazing pickup truck for a primary vehicle and a Formula 1 car for getting things done on the weekend. Also, I’d have a helicopter pilot’s license and live in Australia. But the best-laid plans of our childhood are…
Lost-and-Found: An Observation
One of the most traumatic events of my young life occurred in first grade. One day in the middle of autumn, at dismissal, I watched a classmate disappear out the door wearing my snorkel jacket. We both had them; many in our school did. Ours were both navy blue. But as I stood holding my…
Favorite Classroom Themes
Favorite Classroom Themes This morning, I had my first cup of hot chocolate of the season. It’s finally gotten chilly enough here in North Carolina for a hot beverage in the morning to taste pretty soothing. (Being a Michigan native, I’m all about cold weather—bring on the sweaters and scarves!) “Hot Chocolate” is actually one…
Halloween Evolves: 1973–2013
In the time of wide lapels, enormous cars, and disco music that we fondly call the 1970s, going to school on Halloween without wearing your costume was about the biggest faux pas a kid could commit. And the only night more exciting than Halloween was the night before Halloween, which we called Mischief Night—an evening…
Fall Leaf Activities!
What can you do with fall leaves (besides walk through them and listen to that fabulous crunch, crunch, crunch!)? If the October/November edition of The Mailbox Preschool magazine is any indication, the answer is a lot! Here are some of the things we did with fall leaves—and you can easily implement them in your early…
Do You Follow?
We never really get following directions, do we? Let’s admit it. Even as adults, we’re about as good at following directions as we were when we were children. There really hasn’t been much improvement. You there at your desk at Groveland Elementary in Minnetonka, you can protest as loudly as you want that I am…
Paper Bag Owl
I love five-ingredient cooking recipes, don’t you? Well here’s a five-ingredient craft idea that makes me smile. All you need is a paper lunch bag, cupcake liners, an orange paper triangle, a marker, and glue. Put them all together and look what you get—a cute-as-a-button bird that’s versatile and adaptable. A student can fill her…
Reading, ’Riting, Running
We were not always the smartest kids on the bus. I’m thinking back to 1975 here. Still, I don’t think that changes the fact that we were foolish to think a pile of leaves stretched across the road was enough to prevent the school bus from getting to our stop. We tried, but the leaves…
“Graphing” to Know You!
Do you include getting-to-know-you graphing activities in your back-to-school plans? It’s such a great way for students to learn about each other and you too! And it’s easy. Simply post a two-column graph grid labeled with “Yes” and “No.” Write your name on a sticky note and ask each student to do the same. Then…