Chicago Camp K Continued

I Can Read Hangers (Georgia Hagler)
Every child has a hanger hanging in the room. Whenever they read a book, they get to add a ticket to their hanger. When they reach ten they start a new strip.

Addition and Subtraction (Amy Fritz, Palatine, IL)
Put magnetic strips on the backs of coins and place them on a metal cookie sheet. Use the coins to make the date each day in as many ways as you can.

Example: September 24
            25 -1 = 24
            10 + 10 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 24

Word Hunt (Amy Fritz)
Each week students use their journal to go on a word hunt. Words must begin with a different letter or digraph each week and must be found in the classroom.

Bulletin Board (Amy Fritz)
For a fade-free background on your bulletin board use the $1 plastic tablecloths in various colors. You then only need to change the border if you wish and it lasts for years. You can also use remnants of material with fun patterns for bulletin board backgrounds.

Type It Out (Barbara Boyd, Chocowinity, NC)
Using a shower curtain, make an oversized keyboard. Students hop or step on the letters to spell color words, number words, their names, etc. Students can also use the keyboard with a partner. One student is the “checker” and says, “Back space and correct” if the other student misspells a word.

“Send” on Cell Phone (Tawana Noel, New Jersey)
If you make an oversized cell phone on a shower curtain be sure and add a green “Send” button. It will be good practice for the children to dial 9 – 1 – 1 and then press “send.”

Mother’s Day Tea (Cheryl Russo)
Make bonnets for mom from large Texas coffee filters ordered from Discount School Supply. Children spray filters with pastel liquid water colors to make a tie-dye effect. When dry, fashion filters around a circular object (such as a waste can). Put a rubber band about ¾ of the way down and arrange folds. Put masking tape above the rubber band to hold it in place. Finally, hot glue ribbon over the masking tape.

Father’s Day Present (Cheryl Russo)
Paint wooden treasure boxes (from Oriental Trading) with brown paint mixed with glitter. On a small piece of paper, each child writes or dictates why her dad (grandpa, uncle) is special. Roll it up and place it inside the box.

Kindergarten Grip (Cheryl Russo)
Thumb is dad. Pointer finger is mom. The other fingers are the “kids.” Tell the children that mom and dad sit in the front seat of the car. The three kids sit in the “back seat” when holding a pencil.

Pizza Box Story (Amber Blair, Ohio)
Take a large pizza box and line it with felt on the inside. Children illustrate pictures to go along with a selected story and use them to retell the story. Attach sandpaper on the back of their pictures so they will stick to the felt.

You can also use the pizza box for math, science (life cycles), etc.

Sparkle (Amber Blair)
Here’s a game for practicing spelling words or word wall words. Students line up and take a turn saying a letter.
1st child – “S”
2nd child – “H”
3rd child – “E”
4th child – “She”
5th child – “Sparkle” (Child shakes hands as she says this.)
6th child – Sits down.
7th child – Begins spelling a new word.

Paper Bag Portfolio (Maureen Leonard and Helen Moen, Chicago)
Fold over the bottom flap of a lunch sack. On one side write a sentence for the children to complete such as, “My favorite food is…” Under the flap the child draws her favorite food. You can also write the color of the favorite food on the top of the flap.

Interactive Books (Kokomo, Indiana)
We all fell in love with these books that the teachers from Kokomo, Indiana, shared with us!

The first book goes to the tune of “Happy Birthday.” On each page children select the appropriate color as you sing:
Here’s a crayon for you.
Here’s a crayon for you.
It’s a color crayon, Mr. Box.
Here’s a crayon for you.

This next book goes to the tune of “Where Is Thumbkin?”
Where is color fish?
Where is color fish?
Here I am.
Here I am.
Hiding in the fishbowl.
Hiding in the fishbowl.
Blub, blub, blub.
Blub, blub, blub.

This addition book goes to the tune of “The Farmer in the Dell.”
     1 + 1 makes 2.
     1 + 1 makes 2.
     Hi ho, it’s adding you know.
     1 + 1 makes 2.

ALIVE, AWAKE, ALERT! (Kayla Pappas, West Bloomfield, MI)
Wake your students up with this activity to the tune of “If You’re Happy and You Know It.”

I’m ALIVE (Touch your toes.)
AWAKE (Touch your knees.)
ALERT (Touch your shoulders.)
ENTHUSIASTIC! (Put arms up and make a V.)
(Repeat four times.)

School-Home Conversation Starters (Joy Micheletto)
At the end of the day, each child chooses a folded piece of paper that has one of the following printed on it with a graphic:

Ask me about today’s book.
Ask me about my job.
Ask me about our snack.
Ask me about where I played.
Ask me about who I played with.
Ask me about the art project.
Ask me about today’s songs.

Since the papers are folded, the children never know what they will choose. (They will soon begin “reading” it using the clip art picture.) These notes are handed to the families by the child as they get in the car to help start a conversation about their day.