Spring Writing

This is a fun writing prompt for Spring!  I make jelly bean templates and put them in my writing tubs with colored construction paper.  The students trace and cut out a jelly bean shape.

This shape becomes the focus of an illustration that CANNOT be a jelly bean!  It's so fun to see the wheels start to turn and watch my kiddos use their creative juices!  We then write to one of these prompts...

A jelly bean is not a jelly bean when it's a _________________.

This is not a jelly bean! It's a ______________.

Then we had to decide what our jelly bean, wasn't!  Each child created a picture using the shape and completed the frame sentence:

My kiddos had so much fun with this little writing assignment that I'm thinking about adding to independent literacy tubs for the remainder of the year.  I'll add different shapes each week and let their imaginations go wild!

 And of course, my personal favorite....MARIO!

The Magic Egg!

I want to share a little art project I enjoy doing with my kiddos every Spring!   Like most great projects, we start with a wonderful book!

After reading about Babushka and her beautiful eggs, we make our own! 

We start with a plain circle and draw shapes and squiggles.  Then we colore each shape or space a different color.  We try not to have two touching spaces be the same color. 

Then we carefully cut the circle into strips about the same width as our pinky fingers.  We make about 6 cuts, which gave us 7 strips!  We cut the strips over our background paper so they fall in order on the paper.  Then we glue them down onto the background paper, leaving small spaces in between each strip!

Viola!  A circle becomes an egg...like magic!

These cuties wanted to make a second "magic egg" and work together!

 

I'd love to know if you try this art activity and how it goes for your students!

Comparing Numbers!

 I'm busy planning for the week after Spring Break...that's right...I'm on Spring Break!  Woohoo!  I need a break from the classroom to take care of some things around the house and spend some quality time with my sweet girls!

We have been comparing numbers and working on greater than, less than and equal!   After Spring Break, we'll continue comparing numbers and practice balancing equations.  This is the balance I use to let the kids build equations.  They can see the results right in front of them.  It is very concrete and provides a great visual for students.

Then we do some independent practice in our math tubs!

Students use flower manipulatives (Dollar Store!) and number cards to build the balanced equations 5+0=2+3.

This is part of my Bunny Balancing Math Unit. 

Thanks for checking in!