Family Tree Craft

We’re back with another craft from our friend Liam. Using handprints and footprints is the perfect way to get the babies in your daycare or childcare center involved in some cute crafting. This handprint tree is a great example of that!

For this craft, start by cutting a tree trunk out of brown construction paper and apples out of red construction paper. You will want to cut enough apples to represent each student’s family.

You can then start creating your tree by gluing your trunk into place. Next, paint one of your student’s hands green and stamp it around the top of the trunk to create the look of full branches.

While you are waiting for the paint to dry, write the names of the student and their family members onto the apples. When dry, you can glue each apple into place.

For older students, allow them to cut out the stumps and apples by themselves or from tracings you have prepared for them. They can also add on the names for their family members!

Classroom Management – 5 Ideas for Managing Noise Levels

1. Catch A Bubble – My mom uses this with her preschool students and it works like a charm. She tells them to catch a bubble and they immediately fill their mouths with air. Students will tap their friends who haven't yet caught the memo and point at their mouths to let them know what’s going on. Next thing you know, the class is quiet and everyone has puffy cheeks.

2. Call and Response – The teacher starts by saying “1, 2, 3 eyes on me.” The students will then respond with “1, 2 eyes on you!” You can even come up with your own clever phrases to use. Try using your classes favorite song. The teacher will say or sing the beginning of the first line and students have to finish.

3. Match the Clap Pattern – The teacher will start by clapping a special pattern. When the teacher completes the pattern, the students must then repeat it back. This can go on for a few rounds until you have everyone’s attention.

4. Marble Jar – Place a Jar at the front of your classroom. When students exhibit good behavior, add a marble to the jar. When they behave poorly, remove a marble from their jar. When the jar is full, your class can celebrate by having a pizza or popcorn party! Having a visual in the front of the room is a great way to keep students thinking about good behavior.

5. Whisper Challenge – Start by whispering a direction to the students. For example, “Raise your hand if you can hear me.” Those that hear you will start the reaction by raising their hands. Continue to whisper different actions until you have everyone’s attention. You can even throw in a few rewards as you go such as “the first five people to raise their hand may go to the prize box.”

Classroom Management – Class Countdown

Add some fun to your class schedule by using silly countdowns and timers! These timers are perfect for letting students know their time is almost up on a test or assignment. This will give them a little bit of a heads up too so that they know they need to start wrapping things up.

Timers and countdowns are also great for noise control! When things get a little too rowdy, just put up one of your timers. If the students aren’t quiet by the time it reaches one, you can give them a consequence. This gives them time to correct themselves before being reprimanded. Plus, they will be excited to see which timer you picked.

Check back with us here for more classroom management ideas!

Classroom Management – Quiet Critters

Looking for new ways to keep the volume in your classroom down? Check out these Quiet Critters! Quiet Critters only make an appearance when the room is quiet and the students are well behaved. If things get too loud or out of control, they get scared and need to return back home. You will want to have one for each student in the classroom. This way the students that are behaving can have one placed on their desk and the students who are not will change their act to earn their quiet critter too.

All you need to create your critters are heart shaped foam pieces, assorted wiggle eyes, and colorful pom poms. The foam heart acts as the base and looks like little feet. Simply glue the pom pom onto the heart and then add the eyes. We love that the critters pictured above have different eyes. It adds a little fun for the students when they see which one they earned. You can even have them create their own critters and ask them to pull them out when they are well behaved. Give this idea a try and let us know what you and your students think!

Fun Foods – Cafeteria Caterpillars

These little critters are the perfect healthy snack to make in your classroom or even to add to your student’s lunchbox. It only takes a few minutes to create each caterpillar and students can easily get in on the fun.

 

You will need: wooden skewers, grapes, vanilla frosting and mini chocolate chips.

Start by sliding the grapes onto the skewer one by one. When you have the skewer filled you can add a small dot of vanilla frosting on the end grape. This will act as “glue” for the eyes. Lastly, stick a mini chocolate chip on top of the glue.

Try adding the book The Very Hungry Caterpillar along with this idea. All you need is a purple grape or baby tomato for the head. That’s a lesson, a craft, and a snack all in one! 

Fun Foods – Butterfly Bags

This adorable butterfly is the perfect way to get your little ones excited about healthy eating this school year! This idea doubles as a craft time activity and is a breeze to create. All you need are clothes pins, wiggle eyes, chenille stems and glue. You can purchase colored clothes pins or have your students decorate them with markers or paint. You will want to make sure each student has 1 clothespin, 2 wiggle eyes and 2 chenille stems.

Start by spinning your chenille stems to give the antennas a colorful, new look. You can then take your glue and place the center of the stems in the grove on the pinching side of the clothes pin. Make sure you press the chenille stem in before closing the pin so that the two sides don’t stick together.

Next, take your wiggle eyes and glue them into place. We especially love the look of the larger ones like the eyes pictured above!

After letting the glue dry, fill up a snack size Ziploc bag with your students favorite healthy snack. You will want to leave enough room for the clothes pin to fit onto the bag without smushing the food. Place your clothespin in the center of your bag and you have a fun little butterfly that’s perfect for lunch time!

Fun Foods – Apple Cars

Looking for a way to encourage your little one to make healthier eating choices? This fun food idea is perfect for you! By adding a little fun to your healthy snack each day, your student will be excited for snack time and trying out the new foods they get to create things with.

This one is simple to create. All you need is an apple, grapes and toothpicks. Start by cutting your apple into slices and the grapes into halves. You will need two grapes per car to give you four tires for each one. Take two tooth picks and push them through the inner side of the apple on the top and bottom to act as the axels for your wheels. Lastly, add the grape wheels onto the toothpicks with the cut side facing outward. Now you have an adorable snack that is good for playing and eating.

Check back here for more back to school ideas and fun foods that are healthy for your little ones!

Back to School – Door Decor

The new school year is quickly approaching and teachers are putting the final touches on their classrooms. We wanted to give you some ideas on how to prepare your classroom to be as welcoming as possible for your new students. Here are a few of our favorite door decorations to spark your imagination!

Adding something fun to your door is a great way to let students know that there is a fun and welcoming environment inside. They are getting a first glimpse of that before even entering the classroom as it almost acts as a welcome mat. This is the perfect place to add all of the names of your students so they feel welcomed individually and can see who else to expect in the classroom when they go inside.

Summer Splash – Come Sail Away With Me

Sail away with us into some more water day fun with this summer craft! This craft is a breeze to create and only requires a few items in preparation.

Here are the items you will need to set sail: Sponges, Straws, Foam Craft Sheets and Scissors

Let’s go ahead and take care of all of our cutting duties first. Starting with the sponge, cut a slit on one end about an inch from the edge. Next, grab a piece of your foam sheets and cut out a triangle. Then you will want to cut two slits into the triangle, going horizontally, about the width of your straw. The slits should be parallel to one another.

Now you are ready to assemble all the pieces. Start by taking one end of your straw and threading it through the two slits in the foam triangle. It should go in on the first slit and back out on the second. This creates your sail.

Take your sail and stick the free end of the straw into the slit in your sponge. Now we are ready to set sail!

You will want to have a small kiddie pool or some sort of large bucket for the kids to try out their boats on. You could even hold a boat race to see which boat goes the fastest from one side to the next!

Summer Splash – Painting with Water

Looking for an easy activity that is perfect for all ages in your daycare, childcare center or school? Water Painting is the activity for you!

      

Water painting is an excellent choice for a hot summer day! All you need are a couple bowls of water and some paint brushes. You could use paint sponges as well. Take your group outside to an area where there is plenty of concrete or asphalt canvas. You may want to pick a shady spot if it’s a sunnier day. Let their imaginations go free as they paint up and down the sidewalks or onto the playground area.

What is the best part about using water? Water will dry so there is no harm done to clothing and no mess to clean up outside! If you are concerned about the artwork not being a lasting project, bring your camera out and snap a picture of each new creation with the student next to it. Now you have a lasting copy of each piece!

Summer Splash - Make Your Own Ice Cream!

With all this summer fun, we could all use a cool, refreshing treat to finish off the day. What better treat for a hot day is there than ice cream? This isn’t just any ice cream treat that we want to share with you though. We want to teach you how you can make your own ice cream with just a few ingredients.

Here’s what you will need (Measurements make up 1 Bag):

300 ml Cream or Milk, 2 tbsp Sugar, 1 tbsp Vanilla , 2 Trays Ice Cubes, 6 tbsp Rock Salt, 1 Medium Ziploc Bag and 1 Large Ziploc Bag

Step 1. Start by putting the cream/ milk, vanilla, and sugar into the small bag. Mix them up and then seal the bag shut.

Step 2. Place the ice into the large Ziploc bag. Then you will want to pour the rock salt in on top of the ice.

Step 3. Place the small bag inside of the big bag and seal it shut.

Step 4. Shake until the mix becomes an ice cream consistency. This should take about 5 to 10 minutes. You may want to have a small towel or oven mitt handy to cover the bag with. It is a little bit chilly for little ones to hold.

Step 5. Now you can take the small bag out and clean off the rock salt from the outside. Once clean, grab yourself a spoon and enjoy!

 

Try cutting a corner out of the bag and squeezing the ice cream into cones! You may want to have some fun toppings available as well!

Summer Splash – Water Balloon Games

Water balloons are the perfect addition to playtime on a hot, summer day. Not only are they fairly inexpensive to purchase, but they provide hours of refreshing fun! Here are a few ideas on games you can play using water balloons to beat the heat this summer.

Water Balloon Stomp – Fill the water balloons and scatter them across the ground. Have the children stomp away until all the balloons are gone!

Duck Duck Goose – Everyone knows how to play this kid favorite game! Now you can play it water balloon style! The “it” person will have a water balloon in hand. As they go around they will tap each student with the balloon on the top of the head. When they have selected their “goose”, instead of tapping them they will bust the balloon in their hands over that person’s head.

Water Balloon Toss – Have students spilt up into teams of two. Players will toss the balloon back and forth taking a step backwards with every successful catch. When your balloon pops your team is out. To add a fun spin on this one you can try adding different passes such as having your eyes closed when you throw, or tossing with your left hand. To make things a bit slippery you can have students lather their hands in dish soap or shaving cream causing them to have a silly case of the butterfingers!

Hot Potato – This is another classic with a fun water balloon spin. Instead of a ball you will use a water balloon. The catch is that the timer is a leaky balloon rather than music. You will need to poke a small hole into the balloon causing a little leak. The students will then pass around the leaking balloon trying not to be the one to have it when it is fully deflated.

Target Practice – Create a target on a tarp or even on the ground with some chalk. Then students can take turns trying to hit the targets. You can change up their positions or use different throws to spice this game up if needed.

Water Balloon Piñata – Tie some of the water balloons up with some string and let the students take a few swings. This one is fun for everyone as bystanders are sure to catch some of the spray after a good hit! Don’t forget to have a couple plastic bats ready for this!

Water Balloon Fight – It isn’t a true water balloon day until you finish it off with a water balloon fight! Make sure you have plenty of balloons left for this. Try creating different obstacles for players to hide behind or throw balloons over.

Water Balloon Clean Up – This game is a must have at the end of a long day of water balloon fun. Have students collect as many balloons as they can until the area is all cleaned up. The boy and the girl with the most balloons will then win a prize! The better the prize, the better and faster they will clean.

Summer Splash – Water Day

Beat the heat with a fun day that is all about staying cool, staying hydrated and having buckets full of water fun! Yunhap Kiddie Land in Georgia does this every year at the end of their summer camps and the kids can’t wait for it to finally come around. With blow up slides, kiddie pools, and sprinklers, this day of excitement is always guaranteed to make a splash!

   

You can take your Water day to the next level by adding big items like slides, kiddie pools, slip & slides and more! If you are going to go big on the water excitement, be sure to go big on volunteer recruitment too. You will need all the help you can get!

If you want to keep it a bit on the softer side, plan out some water games for your students to enjoy. This way they can still beat the heat but no one is being fully immersed in water in the process. This may be the better option if you don’t have as many volunteers to help you.  Just a few fun games, like a water balloon toss and maybe a water gun or two, can make this day easy and fun!

Don’t forget to have students bring an extra set of clothes, a towel, and any sun protection they prefer (sunscreen, hats, sunglasses, etc.).

Need some ideas to incorporate into your games for water day or even for a bit of summer fun? Check back in with us here! We will be sharing all of our Summer Splash favorites throughout the month of July!

Fun Field Trip Ideas

Planning field trips for your little ones can get a little stressful. In this post we want to help you get rid of that stress and prepare a fun field trip for you and your students!

Where should you go?

Park/ Nature Hike – Head on over to your favorite local park and give students a day of fun and games. You can incorporate different sports or even have a few water games! Try taking the kids around a nature trail while you’re there. You can plan a nature scavenger hunt along the way.

Zoo/ Aquarium – The zoo or aquarium is a fun experience for all ages! Students will love seeing the different animals you can find at each of these locations.

Police Station/ Fire Station – Little ones love investigating the station and equipment of their local heroes! These trips are perfect for talking about safety with your students as well.

Local Theatre Production – Have a local theatre that puts on kid shows? This is also a fun one for all age groups. They will love watching the characters come to life before their eyes. If you don’t have a local theatre, check the high schools nearby for their productions of children’s plays.

Museum – There are all kinds of museums to check out these days! Check out the options you have nearest to you. There are always fun sights to see and fun facts to learn in a museum.

What do you need?

1) First off you will want to make sure you have plenty of volunteers or other teachers to help you keep an eye on your students. Depending on the age group, you can determine how many volunteers you need. We suggest taking one extra in case of emergencies.

2) Make sure you have the day fully planned ahead of time. This is key to keeping things running smoothly. You can even create a schedule on paper to give to all of your helpers so everyone is on the same page.

3) Don’t forget those permission slips! No signed permission slip means no field trip for that student. All emergency information, inhalers, medicine etc should be on board with you wherever you go.

4) An easy way to keep up with all of your students is to put them in matching colors. Matching school t-shirts are perfect for this kind of event if you have them. If not, just have them wear the same color. You can add this onto the permission slip when you send it out to be signed.

Looking for fun t-shirts for your school? Check out PureFUN! Apparel by dialing 1 (877) 922-7635. John Simon would love to assist you in picking out the perfect shirts for your school, childcare or daycare center!

5) Last but not least, don’t forget to bring your camera to capture all the fun and memories in the making!

Indoor Games – Balloons

In our last post we looked into different games you could play inside simply using masking tape. To keep things inexpensive and simple for your indoor games this summer, we have created a new indoor games post featuring balloons. Here are a few of our balloon game favorites that your students are guaranteed to enjoy!

VolleyBalloon – Set up your own volleyball game right in your classroom! Start by setting up your net if you have one. If not, just take a piece of string and tie each end onto a chair. Spread the chairs out to stretch the line and you have your very own volleyballoon net ready to go! For this game you can use a variety of balloon sizes. The bigger ones are usually a bit easier for the younger kids to play with. Make the balloon smaller if you need to make the game more challenging for your older students. 

Balloon Stomp – Blow up your balloons and attach a piece of string to the tied end of each balloon. You will need one balloon per student. Next you will tie the other end of the string around the student’s ankle. The goal of the game is to pop everyone else’s balloon while protecting your own. The last one left without a popped balloon wins! You may want to create some boundaries in the room so no one finds a hiding spot.

Balloon Pop – This game is all about surprises! Before inflating your balloons, add a little surprise inside. You will want the prize to be something small and flat such as a sheet of stickers, or even a dollar bill! Items that are not flat may pop the balloon before it is time to be popped or injure little feet that are trying to stomp the balloons. If you can’t find anything flat, write the prizes down on small pieces of paper and put the papers inside the balloon instead. Give each student a certain amount of balloons that they can pop and let the fun begin. They will love finding out which prizes are in each balloon!

Balloon Relay – Create a balloon relay by splitting your students into teams. Next give them different tasks to do for the entire team. For example, pass the balloon over and then under all the way though your team. This means player one passes the balloon over their head to player two. Then player two passes the balloon through their legs to player three. Players will continue to alternate over and under on down the line. The last player to get the balloon sits on it until it pops to complete the round. The first team to make it all the way through and pop their balloon wins! Create your own fun relays and let us know what rules you come up with by commenting below.