Earth Day Book and Activity Packet and Spring Freebie

Hello! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! Today I want to share an Earth Day and spring freebie resource I created for Teachers Pay Teachers. I have used many resources off of TpT, but this is the first time I have uploaded a resource that I’ve created. In kindergarten I like to do a mini unit during Earth Day week to discuss reducing, reusing and recycling and the importance of taking care of the earth.

Science

On the first day of the week, I like to start with a science experiment for students to observe throughout the entire week. I use this lesson from Mystery Science where students compare plants that have sunlight and those that are in complete darkness. If you school does not subscribe to Mystery Science, they are offering a free trial on their website until June 2022. They also offer Earth Day mini lessons. You can easily do this day without the Mystery Science lesson, but it does add a fun aspect.

Activities:

  • Earth Day word search (in packet)
  • Earth Day write the room (in packet) I split the class in half and have half work on the word search and the other half do the write the room activity. Once students begin finishing the write the room activity, I will have them do the word search and send someone doing the word search to start the write the room. This keeps things a bit less chaotic.
  • The Lorax is a fun way to end the week. We normally do a special snack while we watch the video. It leads to good discussion about why trees are important and using your voice to make change.

Books:

  • Earth Day printable book– I use the book from the Earth Day resource on Teachers Pay Teachers to read with the class. Teaching kindergarten, I project the book and read it to the whole class. I also give each student a copy for their book bins to read during independent/partner reading.
  • The Earth Book by Todd Parr– This is a great book for younger learners. It is age appropriate and give practical ways that kids can take care of the earth such as turning lights off and recycling.
  • Recycle! by Gail Gibbon– This book has a lot of factual information about recycling. It has nice illustrations on each page as well.
  • Be a Friend to Trees by Patricia Lauber- This book about trees is informational and is easy to understand. It also has nice illustrations and diagrams. It discusses why trees are important and different ways people and animals depend on animals.
  • From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbon– This book is wonderful to cover the life cycle of a plant. There are nice diagrams that explain the process. For kindergarten, there is a lot of valuable, age appropriate information, but I do skip over a couple of pages that are a bit more complex. I think it would be perfect for first/second grade.

What activities do you like to do for Earth Day?

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links for Amazon.

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Amazon Must-Haves for Teachers in 2021

Hello! I am so excited to share my most used Amazon must-haves for teachers in 2021 that every teacher should have. I teach kindergarten, but I think that all of these items can be used for older grades as well. 

Amazon Must-Haves for Teachers in 2021

Amazon Basic Laminator

When looking for a laminator I debated between a Scotch laminator and the Amazon Basics one, but settled on this one after getting a great deal on Prime Day. I have had this machine for a couple of years and have laminated hundreds of sheets of paper I am very happy with this product. The lamination sheets are thicker and more durable than the large lamination machine a school.

Scotch Thermal Laminating Pouches

The Scotch Thermal Laminating Pouches are perfect for laminating activities for students because they are thick and durable. The best part is, you can laminate the whole sheet of paper, then cut out the activity. There is no need to cut out the activity before laminating because the pouches don’t easily peel. They sell the pouches in packs of 100 or 200 sheets (I normally purchase a 200 pack for the school year with my yearly school allowance)

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What Should My Child Know Before Kindergarten

It can be tough to know what your child should know before kindergarten. I remember when I was in kindergarten, I went to school for half day. We sang songs, listened to story time and played. Not only are many kindergarten programs whole day now, the day is filled with much more academics. Kindergarten has essentially transitioned into what first grade used to be.

These days, students are learning much more at a quicker pace. By the end of the school year, they are expected to know their letter names and sounds and to begin reading books. We learn to identify numbers in math and count. We quickly transition into basic addition, subtraction and comparing groups. In my experience, students who start kindergarten with some prior academic knowledge, have a much easier time learning the materials we cover. There are a few things I recommend students know before beginning kindergarten.

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10 Distance Learning Tips For Elementary Parents

Day to day life is busy. Adding distance learning and assignments to the mix can be overwhelming and stressful especially if you have multiple children you are caring for or working a full time job. The  district I work in  is starting with  virtual learning for  the  first 4 weeks of school, then the plan is to move to  a hybrid model with 2 days in person learning, and 3 days of virtual. Here are 10 distance learning tips for parents I have learned while teaching virtually. Elementary  school boy on tablet. Virtual learning, distance learning, online learning,

Stay organized with a calendar

Have a calendar or planner and write assignments and live lessons times down. This is especially if you have multiple children at home doing virtual learning. Writing down live lesson times and assignments helps keep your day organized.

Set a routine

Set time each day  to work on school assignments. Getting your child into a routine is helpful to prepare them for when they do go back to the classroom. It also provides children with consistency and they know exactly when they will need to do their school work.

Have a space for learning

Set up an area in your  home for students to  do their live  lessons. A quiet spot in the house is best, but if that isn’t  completely possible, headphones are a great option. If you are looking for a good pair of kid’s headphones, I recommend these.

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Homeschool Ideas for Early Elementary During Emergency School Closures

Hello all! As a Kindergarten teacher my heart breaks that we will not be starting our school year in the classroom. I know that this is the best decision to keep our students and families healthy and safe, but it is still not easy. As a teacher and a parent, I can understand how overwhelming it can be to know what to teach or how to teach. My best advice is to keep things simple. Spending time with your family and keeping them safe and healthy is most important and keeping things stress free is best. Please don’t feel like you need to spend hours a day teaching your child. Enjoy the extra time together and have fun playing games, making crafts, cooking together, playing outside etc. Here are a few simple ideas of ways you can teach your child during this time.

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