Election Day Options for Little Learners

I'm tired of watching the attack ads on TV, my phone ringing constantly, getting flyer after flyer in the mail, and the signs all over town. Luckily, this campaign season is almost over. Thank goodness!

 I also think it's important to teach the importance of the election to the little ones. But in a gentler, kinder fashion.

We vote for our favorite indoor recess game! See the above image or see HERE for this freebie for Election Day. It includes ballots, graphs, and suggestions for the day.

We've been working on common and proper nouns, so I've cooked up this matching game with an election theme. I find ANY special day makes learning more fun, doesn't it? This set has several options, including a board game. You can learn more about this set HERE, or by see the image.

Kids always need brain breaks, and squeezing in a little patriotism doesn't hurt! See the image or see HERE to download this Dollar Deal!

Here are a few books I've found with an election theme.

(These are Amazon affiliates.)

Vote 

Duck for President
Amelia Bedelia's First Vote

Don't forget the Patriotic Music!

(These are also Amazon affiliates.)

America's Favorite Patriotic Songs

Songs of America

Kid's Dance Party Express: Songs of the USA

God Bless the USA: Kids Sing Songs for America

How do you honor election day with your little ones?

Seven Strategies to Help Children Remember Spelling Words

Some children remember sight words easily, but there are others who have a hard time remembering the spelling of words that don't follow the rules. 

Here are a few strategies, based on research, that will help kiddos remember spelling words.

1.  Spell it aloud! The act of saying the letters along with hearing the letters helps the pathways form in the brain.

2. Get them moving! Studies show a connection between movement and memory. Students can bounce a basketball while spelling, jump while spelling, or even do interpretive dance while spelling the words. 

3. Integrate Music! Ever notice how you can remember song lyrics from years ago that you never even tried to memorize? Music is closely connected to memory! Make up a little tune to the spelling of the words, or have the children make it up!

4. Integrate the Arts! Have the children write the spelling words, then make up a design around them. Or, you could have them paint their words! Don't forget the performing arts: they could dance their words or act out their words!

5. Color code! Brains really connect to colors! Have the children write the words using one color for vowels, and one color for consonants. 

6. Hands-on! Use blocks, toothpicks, pipe cleaners, or other manipulatives to create the words.

7. Get social! Get the kiddos to have conversations about their words. They can talk about the letters that follow the rules, and the letters that DON'T follow the rules. (Add color coding to this one, and that doubles the chance they'll remember the spelling!)

Want more ideas?  

This is a set of task cards with 48 color and 48 black and white task cards that can be used with any spelling list!

These cards contain activities based on brain research that include integrating the arts, multi-modality, and multiple intelligences. This set of sight word practice task cards is perfect for a word work center, homework, or extra practice in any setting. 

For more information, see: Brain Friendly Spelling Task Cards.

In case you want to see how these Spelling Task Cards work, here's a sampler: Spelling Fun Task Cards Sampler

Or grab it for free by signing up for my helpful emails HERE.

How do you help children remember Spelling words?

Even or Odd? A Game for Two Students

I played a game with my students this week, since we were studying even and odd numbers. 

I remember doing this activity as a child.

I don't remember what we called it.

I don't remember much about it at all, so I shared with my students what I remembered, and made up the rest.

 

 

It worked.

Here's how we did it.

1 .Children chose partners.

2. The partners decided who would represent even, and who would represent odd.

3. Players stood facing each other with one hand behind their back.

4. One partner said, "One, two, three, shoot!"

5. On "shoot," each player shoots out 0, 1, or 2 fingers. 

6. Both players determine if the total fingers is even or odd, and that player gets a point for that round.

7. Play continues until time runs out, with players keeping track of how many points for "even" or "odd."

A more advanced version: use up to 5 fingers for each draw.

Another way: use dice, add them, odd or even gets a point. They can keep tallies on a whiteboard to keep score.  Playing cards would work, too!

All my games end with a handshake and the words, "good game!"

I had all my students playing with partners at the same time. Of course, I had to join in the fun since I have an odd number of students. We now play this game often as part of our Morning Meeting or as a Math warm up!