Teaching Tools

Simple Pumpkin Game

Today I thought I would introduce a “card game” that you could play with your kids using a simple pumpkin template that I made.

For this game, print the pumpkin template onto orange paper (or cardstock) and cut them out either in squares or on the outside of the bold, black outline. Then write a number, sight word, letter, shape, or any skill you are focusing on at the time on the back of most of the cards. On about 1/5 of the cards write the word “boo” or some other fun seasonal word that is memorable for your child. Place the cards down with the pumpkins facing up. Your little one will pick up a pumpkin and tell you what is on the back of the pumpkin. If your little one names it right, he/she will keep the card and then you, or another player, will take a turn. But, if he/she cannot identify what is on the back of the card, he/she will have to put the card back (after you have re-taught him/her what that skill was). If your little one picks “Boo”, encourage your little one to put ALL of his/her cards back; making it very light-hearted and funny that he/she has to “start over” because of that silly “boo.”

Game Tip* Explain the rules FIRST, have a practice round second, and then play a real game third so that the rules are understood and applied by your little one before the game officially starts.

October 10, 2011 by Jessica | 0 comments

What’s in the Bag? Wait-Time Fillers

Teachers are usually prepared, or over prepared, for every minute of their day…because wait time can drive anyone and everyone involved to their breaking point. So, most teachers have a bin (or two) of time fillers just in case they need a backup plan.

This backup plan is a concept that needs to be transferred over into the “on-the-go bag” you carry with you on a daily basis because you WILL end up in a waiting room, a mess of traffic, a long line at the store (eh hem, hobby lobby), or who even knows where else.

I submit to you a few ideas worth considering other than the commonly used technology accessories: books, sketch pad + crayons, an activity book, and a mommy teacher time filler book.

I know this “time filler book” sounds silly, but I recommend taking the time to make one and here is how:

Make a word document of all the songs, finger plays, and stories you love:

1) Find, copy and paste from websites that provide all the lyrics.

2) Print and cut them out. (Click here for a starter I made you)

3) Tape them into a spiral bound index card pack.

4) Throw them in your purse or murse (“man purse” for all you daddy teachers)

** If you want to get fancy you can color code them (songs-red, finger plays-blue, stories-orange, etc.)

Then when you need a time filler, give your little one a choice! “Do you want to read a book, sing a song, listen to a story, color, or act out a story with our fingers?” I think you will be surprised how much more quickly the time passes with your little one engaged.

So today I ask you….What’s in your Bag? Share ideas that you have found helpful in your time of need! Share pictures on the Mommy Teacher Facebook Page!

Don’t have a bag? Enter the giveaway!

September 22, 2011 by Jessica | 0 comments

Pledge Your Allegiance With Your Kids

September 11th is a day that I want to recognize and commemorate by sharing the ways that I have always taught kids about our allegiance to our nation:

Even though I quoted the Pledge of Allegiance EVERY day in grade school verbatim, I still didn’t have a clue what the meaning of it was until about the 4th grade because of the higher order vocab like “allegiance, republic, indivisible, etc.” You can start introducing a wider vocabulary to kids at a younger age as long as you connect the meaning to those words in multiple ways. For the pledge (teaching about our allegiance to America), you can do this using:

Activities and Lessons

and by using the words in context more often.

The Pledge of Allegiance

Hubbard’s Cupboard has my favorite pictures for kids that are simple and that you can even incorporate into a book printable. The printables I use most are the “day 2” printables and hey, they are FREE 🙂

You can also put these pictures on cards, whole punch the corner of the cards, and put them on a binder ring to flip each card as you say the pledge.

Can I get a “God Bless America!!!” ???

September 11, 2011 by Jessica | 0 comments

Uses for a Picture Dictionary

Lately I have been staring at my little one’s picture dictionary and deciding that I am not going to let it collect dust when there ARE plenty of uses for them….no matter your child’s age!

In case you don’t believe me, I was sitting in the back seat with my 15 month old the other day and the only book I had in the back to get him out of his cranky mood was a picture dictionary that I bought at a garage sale. SO, I decided, let’s practice his oral vocabulary and build on it a little. * I know I know….only a mommy teacher would think this way. I picked it up, opened to a page with a few familiar images (ball, balloon, banana, etc.) and I started pointing and naming the images he knew with clear enunciation of each word – giving him enough time to repeat me.

He is really articulate for 15 months and has a great memory; so, I thought, hmm…I wonder how long I can make this last if I make a game out of it.
Starting with the pictures he knew, I asked him “Where is the ball?” I watched his eyes search the page, and then, a light bulb went off! He pointed to the ball and said “baaaaaaaaawwwwww” in the long, dragged out way he always says ball. I was so proud, as every biased mother would be! We did this same routine for several other pictures that he knew, for about 10 minutes, and every time we repeated this process on a new page I would introduce one unfamiliar picture.

For those of you cheering “more more!” here are some more ideas:

1) Have your little one use it as a research tool when they want to find out how to spell something “let’s find the picture under the letter that it starts with and see how it is spelled in a book!”

2) Play “I spy” a picture that is made up of the sounds /b//e//d/ or /b/ /ed/

Or I spy a picture that has that word “at” in it’s name “bat!”

3) Get ideas for a letter study….help your little one make a “B” (or any letter) poster and get ideas of what you might draw on the B poster from the picture dictionary.

4) With your little one’s eyes closed, open the book and randomly place their finger on a picture, see if your little one can sound it out without looking at the word and then check the word beside the picture to see how many sounds “matched.”

September 1, 2011 by Jessica | 0 comments

Magna Doodles of Fun

I usually like to write about activities that you can make using household materials and if household materials are only part of the material list then I usually like to suggest very cost-efficient means of getting the materials you need, but I LOVE writing tools like this one from lakeshore learning:

The magna doodle is $8.95….it’s the practice cards that get pricey, but there are so many different skill sets that you can accomodate to your little learner and just buy the practice cards that would be great skills for your little one to work on. And you don’t HAVE to buy the practice cards, you could always print activity sheets similar to the ones you like onto laminate paper and rig them onto the magna doodle 🙂

HERE is where you can purchase the lakeshore magna doodles and alphabet practice cards; simply search the site for the other skill set practice cards.