A List of Nearly 50 Great and FREE Reward Ideas!

A List of Reward Ideas

Effort has been given to provide a combination of reward ideas suited for both primary and intermediate students. 1.        Sit at the teacher's desk. 2.        Take care of the class animals for the day. 3.        Have lunch with your favorite person. 4.        Have lunch with the principal. 5.        Join another class for indoor recess. 6.        Have the teacher phone parents to tell them what a great kid you are. 7.        Draw on the chalkboard. 8.        Be first in line. 9.        Do only half an assignment. 10.      Choose any class job for the week. 11.      Choose the music for lunch. Bring in a tape. 12.      Take a tape recorder home for the night. 13.      Use colored chalk. 14.      Do all the class jobs for the day. 15.      Invite a visitor from outside the school. 16.      Get a drink whenever you want. 17.      Use the pencil sharpener any time. 18.      No early morning work. 19.      Take a class pet home overnight. 20.      Be a helper in the room with younger children. 21.      Help the custodian. 22.      Help the secretary. 23.      Help the librarian. 24.      Stay in at recess to play a game with a friend. 25.      Use stamps and ink. 26.      Invite a friend from another class into the room for lunch. 27.      Use the teacher's chair. 28.      Work in the lunchroom. 29.      Take a class game home for the night. 30.      Choose a book for the teacher to read to the class. 31.      Move your desk to a chosen location. 32.      Keep an animal on your desk--stuffed or not stuffed. 33.      No homework pass. 34.      Lunch with the teacher. 35.      Operate the projector. 36.      Use the couch or beanbag chair for the day. 37.      Go to another class for lunch. 38.      Use the computer. 39.      Be the first to eat. 40.      Use the tape recorder and tape a story. 41.      Have a special sharing time to teach something to the class, set up a display etc. 42.      Be leader of a class game. 43.      Go to the centre or your choice during play centre time. 44.      Extra centre time or extra recess. 45.      Read to a younger child. 46.      Read to someone else. 47.      Get first pick of recess equipment. 48.      Get a fun worksheet. 49.      Choose a movie for the class to watch. 50.

What would you like to add for number 50?

(Found here at CanTeach.)

Quick and Easy Science Lesson - Which Ice Cube Will Melt First?

In four bowl I put an ice cube. One bowl had a plain one, one bowl had salt sprinkled on top, one was wrapped in foil, and the fourth was wrapped in the plain brown paper towel available at school.

We set up the experiment, then then I polled the class to see which one they believed would melt first. After about an hour, we checked the status of the ice cubes and made our conclusions. Then we discussed how and why some melted faster than others.

Wow! Neat Site for Songs!

Check out this neat sight of simple and easy piggyback songs you can use to help teach letter sounds and basic language arts/reading!

Mrs. Jones Room Singalong Songs

Happy Thanksgiving!

What Kindergarten Teachers Wish Parents Knew

Kindergarten is an exciting and critical time in your child’s development and growth. You can play an important role in this wonderful journey. Here’s what kindergarten teachers want parents to know:

1. Your job isn’t over when you drop your little one off at school; it has only just begun. Your child’s teacher wants to be your partner. Keep them informed about what goes on at home that might affect your child’s behavior or academic performance. Share with them how what they do at school affects your child at home.

2. This is not your grandfather’s kindergarten. Sadly, much of what happens in kindergarten is driven by high standards and preparation for standardized tests. The expectations of what children need to know when they enter kindergarten are closer to what used to be expected in 1st grade. To boost your child’s academic skills:

• Talk with her about what interests her.
• Encourage her to be curious and ask questions.
• Point out letters and numbers when you see them in books and around town.
• Support her in solving everyday problems.

3. The more self-control your child has, the more successful he will be in school. Children need practice in deciding how and when to express their feelings and needs, and when and if to act on impulses. Help him develop and practice these skills at home before he tests them at school, where the consequences are a loss of learning for him and for others.

4. Make yourself known. Come in. Look around. Peruse the textbooks and materials. Knowledge is power. When you know about the subjects your child is studying, you will be able to help her better and have a common understanding for discussion. Volunteering is a wonderful way to learn about what goes on at school and to show your child how much you care about what she is doing.

5. Your child needs lots of opportunities for play outside of school. Play is the way in which he learns about himself and the people and world around him. But more often than not, play has been squeezed out of the school day. Playing both alone and in small groups helps facilitate learning and allows your child to practice skills and concepts.

6. Reading to your child once a day is not enough. Try to read together at least three times a day. Books are the gateway to building vocabulary, learning about print, and developing listening and early literacy skills. When you read, talk about the book. Discuss the characters and setting, make predictions, and create new endings. Point out letters and words in the text, and encourage him to recognize rhyming sounds and words and to identify beginning and ending sounds.

7. Writing exploration at home is critical. Your child needs to have opportunities to use pencils, crayons, markers, colored pencils, and other writing instruments as she attempts to express herself in written form. She begins with scribbles and lines, moves on to letters and her name, and then to words and sentences.

8. Homework is an opportunity for talking, sharing, and listening. Teachers give homework to extend the learning of the classroom. It is a chance for you to find out what your child is studying and how well he is grasping the skills and concepts being taught at school. Talk with your child about his homework. It shows him that you care and value what he does at school.

9. Television and video games use up valuable playtime. Limit screen time. The hours spent with these electronic devices could otherwise be spent talking, reading, or actively learning through play.

10. First-hand experiences are another teacher for your child. Take her to museums, the zoo, the aquarium, the library, parks, arts performances, and geographic locations such as the mountains, beach, forests, and deserts. And do it often. She’ll grasp concepts and skills better if she has experiences with the real thing.

(Reposted from Scholastic)

New Recommended Site - LITTLE GIRAFFES TEACHING IDEAS

Little Giraffes Teaching Ideas

Formerly Mrs. Flanagan's Kindergarten - The Little Giraffes

Lots of great ideas here.

Our Reusable Easel

We don't have paper we can use for the easel, and this easel has a wooden backing. So I took a sheet of white bulletin board paper (the kind that comes in those big fat rolls), cut off two sheets, and laminated them. (One for each side of the easel. Now my kids can draw and color with markers or tempra paint. And when they're done, they use a wet paper towel to clean off and start over.

Reading Chart, Weeks 13 & 14 - "Will" and "Not"

Happy Veterans Day!

Q is for "Quilt"

Using old wallpaper books, each child made a "quilt square".
We'll "stitch" them together tomorrow to hang out in the hallway.

The 10 Bracelet and Number Sentences

Taking a cue from another teacher on Pinterest, I had each student make a bracelet out of pipe cleaners and 10 beads. In the past when we've worked on number sentences, we used manipulatives like unifix cubes or little bears, etc. But the children loved having their own bracelet they could keep in their cubbies and use for math time.

How to Make Flubber, Glurch, Crayons, Chalk, Water Colors, and Other Homemade Supplies

All you need to know is right here!

New Teacher Site! MAKE LEARNING FUN

Ideas, games, activities, and all categorized by holidays, topics, etc. There's Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies... I could go on and on, but you check it out here!

As always, if you lose track of the site, I've included it on my list of teacher sites here on the left.