Sensory Play: Kinetic Sand

Good morning!

Now that I'm the mom of a toddler and baby, I am finding out how important sensory play really is. Sensory play includes any activity that stimulates a young child's senses of touch, smell, taste, sight and hearing, as well as anything which engages movement and balance. Sensory activities facilitate exploration and naturally encourage children to use scientific processes while they play, create, investigate and explore.

Enter a few sensory play essentials:

- Splat Mat because I am Type A and so is my toddler.

- Kinetic Sand (scented is really fun)

- Cookie cutters

We had a lot of fun with these color coded cookie cutters I found on Amazon. The colors correspond to the holidays, so we tried to focus on yellow for Easter/Spring, but of course Violet was into every single one! And we needed to go through them all. We practice flattening the kinetic sand and pressing the cookie cutters in to make shapes. Then we decorated some of the shapes with more kinetic sand rolled into snakes or balls.

I also picked up some sand tools that were fun to incorporate to make bigger balls, tweezers to pick up small pieces, and little melon-baller type tools for some fine motor skills work.

Check out some pictures from our experience below. Also, we were sequestered in the bedroom while the baby napped - hence the Splat Mat! (I think it is meant for under the high chair, but neither of my kids have been too messy while eating and it is perfect for crafting anywhere without a mess!

Mentor Text Alert: Jabari Jumps

Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall is an amazing picture book! It is great for teaching skills such as persevering through a challenge, facing your fears, and supporting each other. The text will lend itself well to discussions around fears that kids may have and how they can overcome those fears either on their own or with support.

In this book, the boy is so excited to jump off the diving board, but then he realizes that he is quite frightened. The book explores how he overcomes this fear and ultimately has success. It really does demonstrate to kids that they can do anything.

Common themes include: courage, perseverance, supportiveness, and so on. Remember, any theme can work as long as you have evidence from the text to support it!

Included below is a sampling from this text. I highly recommend adding it to your library ASAP! (Also, my version is from First Book marketplace. Check it out for discounted texts for teachers in Title 1 schools. It is the best!)

Piccolina Kids Trailblazers Shirt

Piccolina Kids is my new favorite place to shop for Violet. Check out the Malala shirt I am planning on putting in her Easter basket this year, along with a few texts to read together! They can be a little more expensive than I tend to spend on kids clothes, so here is a referral link. Full disclosure, if you spend $40 you get $10 off, and so do I. Also, there are some killer sales going on right now!

Click here for $10 off Piccolina Kids!

Versatiles: A Photo Essay

My previous post talked Versatiles in the classroom, but also with your own kiddos. Here is some more photo evidence of a real life child loving learning and how they work!

In the photo below, my daughter is using them for beginning reader practice. She places the plastic case on top of the questions (top of the page) and answers (bottom of the page). 

We line up the tiles in number order on the carpet (Also good practice for 1:1 correspondence, counting, and identifying numbers, for our littlest ones). 

As she answers each question and finds the correct answer, she puts the corresponding tile on the correct answer. 

When she finishes the page, she locks the plastic case, flips it over, and checks the answer key on the bottom of the page. If she's right, there is a pretty design on the reverse side. If she's wrong, she will notice that he picture does not match the answer key and need to fix something.

BY the way, Piccolina Kids is my new favorite place to shop for Violet. Check out that RBG shirt she is rocking while learning her initial sounds! They can be a little more expensive than I tend to spend on kids clothes, so here is a referral link. Full disclosure, if you spend $40 you get $10 off, and so do I. Also, there are some killer sales going on right now!

Click here for $10 off Piccolina Kids!

Have you tried Versatiles in your classroom?

I know - an oldie, but a goodie!

I first used Versatiles probably 12 years ago in my first fourth grade classroom. (You heard that right, my first fourth grade classroom. I have had 3 fourth grade classrooms over the years and literally moved my classroom more times than I can count.)

Versatiles are numbered plastic tiles that fit into plastic cases that lock. They come with workbooks or question cards. In the photo below, my daughter is using them for beginning reader practice. She places the plastic case on top of the questions (top of the page) and answers (bottom of the page). We line up the tiles in number order on the carpet (Also good practice for 1:1 correspondence, counting, and identifying numbers, for our littlest ones). As she answers each question and finds the correct answer, she puts the corresponding tile on the correct answer. When she finishes the page, she locks the plastic case, flips it over, and checks the answer key on the bottom of the page. If she's right, there is a pretty design on the reverse side. If she's wrong, she will notice that he picture does not match the answer key and need to fix something.

I love that Versatiles are self-checking, easy to use, and easy to implement at any age. In my third and fourth grade classrooms, I had a station with Versatiles and question cards relating to whatever we were currently working on. Nowadays, living the instructional coach life, I am using them with my two-year old and loving it. :)

Mentor Text Alert: An Egg is Quiet

Time! Never enough, right? I find myself working hard to focus on cross-curricular units, read alouds, lessons, anything to tie Science and Social Studies into every other subject because there just isn't enough time in the day.

Mentor texts are the easiest way to do this! Read alouds are research-based for fostering a love of learning, developing vocabulary, increasing comprehension, and exposing kids to new topics, as well as developing a strong classroom community, of course. So, why not tie in your Science and Social Studies content while you're at it? Sneaky, but it works!

An Egg is Quiet is just one example of a book that touches on life cycles, camouflage, adaptations, and more through a beautifully illustrated picture book. Kids will love listening to the story, but they will read it again and again and again as well, soaking up all of that juicy Science content. Check it some snippets below!

Happy reading!

How do kids become better readers?

How do kids become better readers?

They read.

How do kids develop a love of literacy?

They read.

How do kids develop their vocabulary?

They read.

How do kids develop their imagination?

They read.

How do kids learn to value books and stories?

They read.

How do kids develop their focus and concentration?

They read. (Anything! Picture books, baby books, chapter books, etc.)

How do kids learn the difference between real and make believe?

They read.

How do kids further their language development?

They read.

Read to your kids every day. (We read 5 books minimum after each meal, and 5 books minimum before nap or bed. That's just read alouds.) Let them explore books. You might have to get comfortable with some books getting ripped or "loved" beyond repair. Sometimes that happens. Encourage them to read to each other, even if it is reading the pictures or retelling the story if they are not yet ready to read the words. Read every day, as much as you can. That's my Ted Talk. :)

Using Math Manipulatives: SUM BLOCKS

Hi everyone!

Math manipulatives bring abstract concepts to life for students in the elementary classroom. They have tremendous benefits and should be incorporated into every lesson, whether that is a model or a hands on experience for your learners. Sum blocks are something I recently purchased for my daughter and I am already obsessed and can definitely picture them being used in multi-aged classrooms.

Basically, they are wooden blocks. They are shaped like numbers, 1-10. The numbers are sized according to their value. For example, a ten block is equivalent to a seven block and a three block stacked on top of each other. Get it? Perfect for those kiddos learning what adds up to ten! Additionally, I noticed right away, coming from teaching second, third, and fourth graders, that these block will perfectly demonstrate multiplication and division. Use them for repeated addition! Three 3s are equivalent to a nine block! 3 x 3 = 9 and 3 + 3 + 3 = 9! Amazing. I just love giving kiddos that visual representation of tough concepts. No more simply memorizing and relying on skill and drill. Give the kids a picture in their mind and teach for deeper understanding.

But that's not all. These blocks come with challenge cards to incorporate into your math station rotations, or even STEAM or STEM times during your school day. Heck, the kids will want to use them at recess - they're that cool.

So, go check them out. I got them on Amazon. They are pricy when you think about how they are just wooden blocks. But they will be useful for years.

How do we connect with our students in a virtual education setting?

Hi everyone!

How do we connect with our students when we are working with them in a virtual setting? Here are some ideas to build that strong foundation for trusting relationships!

1. SNAIL MAIL

Send your students post cards, letters, or cards to say hello and drop a compliment! I stocked up on blank greeting cards every year and usually put them in my classroom mailboxes, but this is the same idea. When my students received a handwritten note, they were thrilled. Many parents told me that the kids kept their cards on display in the house, others kept the cards in their desks at school as a reminder that they are respected and loved. Send them mail! They'll go nuts, I promise you.

2. MORNING MEETING

Responsive Classroom is just good teaching. I love it. I love that our staff has been trained in Responsive Classroom! Morning Meeting is a cornerstone of the program, focusing on social emotional learning. Teachers express that Morning Meeting sets the stage for kids and teachers to connect, develop respect in the classroom, and bond. We all know kids work hard for teachers they connect with AND LIKE. 

So, keep it going. Maybe not every day, but try to have a class meeting once a week on Zoom or Google Meet. Get the kids together.Use fun activities like, "Would You Rather?" or  "This or That?" Make it fun so the kids participate and want to come back for the next meeting. If you can't have synchronous meetings, use a platform like flipgrid to record themselves and watch their peers. We did this last spring and had a theme each day: Minute to Win in challenge Mondays, Talk About It Tuesdays, Would You Rather Wednesdays, Think About it Thursdays, and Free for All Fridays!

3. BE ORGANIZED, STRUCTURED, and CONSISTENT

If the kids understand your expectations, know what they need to do in your class, and feel comfortable asking you questions, you're winning. At our school, we're using the same style choice boards across grade levels, everyone is using Google Classroom, and grade level teams have decided on the same organizational styles for their Google Classrooms. Consistency is key.

Let me know in the comments how you're connecting with kids during virtual teaching!