Category: Teacher’s Pay Teachers

Let’s talk about community helpers! 

As a teacher, you have an amazing opportunity to help your students understand and appreciate the community they live in, and the people who work hard to make it a great place to live. 

By teaching your students about this topic, you can help them develop a sense of pride and respect for those who work to keep their community safe and thriving.

If you’re looking for fun community helpers activities for your elementary students, you’re in the right place! 

How do you teach kids about community helpers? 

There are lots of different things you can do! Here are some ideas to get you started. 

Invite community helpers as guest speakers

One fun way to teach your students about this is to invite them to visit your classroom! Reach out to your local police department, fire station, hospital, or library, and ask if someone can come speak to your students about their role in the community. Your students will love getting the chance to ask questions and learn firsthand from those who work in their community.

Take a field trip

Another great way to teach your students about community helpers is to take a field trip! You could visit a fire station, police station, hospital, or other public service facility. You could also take your students on a walking tour of the community to show them where these helpers work and how they serve the community. It’s a great way to help your students see how important these helpers are to the community.

Read about it and watch fun, educational videos. 

Books and videos can also be a great way to introduce your students to this subject. There are so many wonderful stories and videos out there that showcase helpers in action. You can find a wide variety of books and videos at your local library or online on YouTube. Reading stories about firefighters, doctors, police officers, and other community helpers can help your students understand the important work these individuals do.

Create a community helpers journal

Starting a journal all about the things that students learn about this topic can be an effective and fun way to help students retain what they learn and make it fun! Ideas for their journal are lists of helpers in the community, what they do for us, ways they can volunteer, and more! 

If you’re looking for the perfect resource to help with your community helpers lesson plan, I have you covered. 

These community helpers activities and worksheets are the perfect addition to your community helpers unit. 

It includes 9 weeks of lesson plans, worksheets, and activities for students to learn all about the helpers in our communities!

What is in this download?

Pg. 1 Cover
Pg. 2 Information on the Unit/Journal Set Up
Pg. 3 9 Weeks At A Glance
Pg. 4 Table of Contents
Pg. 5-13 Weekly Detailed Lesson Plans for 9 Weeks
Pg. 14 Home Connection Parent Letter
Pg. 15 Journal Cover
Pg. 16-17 Word Bank for the Journal
Pg. 18 KWL
Pg. 19- 53 (Printables to insert as a journal or use individually covering Community Helpers, Tools and Equipment, and Today & Long Ago)
Pg. 54 RUBRIC for Journal (Last Page of Journal)
Pg. 55- 63 Nine Interactive Notebook Pages (suggested to do once a week on Fridays)
Pg. 64-75 Posters
Pg. 76-78 Examples of how to put your Interactive Notebook Pages in a notebook.

➜EXTRAS:

Pg. 79 – 80 Poem/Songs
Pg. 81 Dial 911
Pg. 82 Cut and Label the Police Officer
Pg. 83 Cut and Label the Firefighter
Pg. 84 Community Helpers
Pg. 85 Volunteer Art Handprint Gift
Pg. 86 Sample of How to Make the Gift
Pg. 87 & 88 Police Office Hat/Headband
Pg. 89 Police Badges
Pg. 90 & 91 Firefighter Hat
Pg. 92 Credits

This is a 9 week unit on Community Helpers for primary aged students focused on K-1 skills. It is full of engaging activities keeping in mind the ages of the learners. It covers three areas: Community Jobs, Tools and Equipment for Jobs, and Today vs. Long Ago.

What is in this download?

• 9 WEEKS of Suggested Lesson Plans (45 Days of Instruction)
• Posters Posters
• Social Studies Journal with a Rubric (pg. 8-47)
• Home Connection (Invitation for Guest Speakers)

I hope this post gave you some inspiration for your lesson plans! What are your favorite activities for teaching about this subject? Let me know in the comments! If you’re looking for more social studies activities for elementary, check out my post here!

Can you believe Mother’s Day is just around the corner? This school year has absolutely flown by. As elementary school teachers, we have a golden opportunity to help our students show their love and appreciation for their amazing moms through fun and creative Mother’s Day crafts and Mother’s Day activities.

Are you planning to make some DIY Mother’s Day crafts with your students this year? If you are and aren’t sure what to make, I have you covered! 

What kind of activities can be done on Mother’s Day in school?

Here are a few ideas for some awesome DIY crafts and Mother’s Day gift ideas you can do with your students to celebrate all of the amazing mamas in their lives:

Homemade Cards

There’s nothing quite like a personalized card to show someone you care. Have your students create their own cards for their moms using all kinds of art supplies such as markers, stickers, glitter, and construction paper. You can check out my Mother’s Day card resource here! 

Flower Bouquets

Who doesn’t love flowers? Have your students create their own bouquets using tissue paper or construction paper. They can choose their mom’s favorite colors and types of flowers, and then arrange them in a vase or jar. Check out my flower card resource here! 

Photo Frames

Help your students create their own photo frames for their moms using materials such as popsicle sticks, cardboard, and paint. Encourage them to get creative with decorations and messages that express their love.

Coupon Books

Have your students get creative and fill it with things that they know their mom will love. Check out my coupon book resource here! 

Mother’s Day Tea Party

Who doesn’t love a good tea party? Host one in your classroom for moms and their children. Have your students prepare and serve tea and snacks, and create a warm and inviting atmosphere for this special occasion.

If you’re looking for the perfect resource to add to your tea party, you’ll love my Mother’s Day Tea Lapbook resource! 

Even if you can’t do a tea party, this craft makes a great DIY Mother’s Day craft for kids to give to their mothers. 

Here’s what’s included: 

Pg. 1 Cover

Pg. 2 Table of Contents

Pg. 3 Directions

Pg. 4 Mom with Hair

Pg. 5 Mom Without Hair (add yarn to personalize)

Pg. 6 Tea Pot for Front Cover of Lapbook

Pg. 7 Arms and Title for Lapbook

Pg. 8 Coupon Book

Pg. 9 Cup of Tea (add a tea bag)

Pg. 10 Notes to add to Lapbook

Pg. 11 – 12 Mother’s Day Flap Book

Pg. 13 Pocket full of REASONS (with phones)

Pg. 14 Adjectives to describe MOM (This is an extra sheet I did not use in the Lapbook example. I added it in case you might want to be creative and change things around.)

Pg. 15 Photo of Lapbook Cover

Pg. 16 Photo of Lapbook Inside

Pg. 17 Photo of Extra Flower Adjective Activity

​​Pg. 18 Credits

These are just a few ideas to get you started. Remember, the key is to encourage creativity and heartfelt expressions of love and appreciation. Let’s help our students celebrate their moms in a fun and meaningful way this Mother’s Day! 

For more fun activities for the classroom during the month of May, check out my post about Star Wars Day here!

What are your favorite Mother’s Day activities for school? Let me know in the comments!

May the 4th be with you!

Does that sound familiar? This is a phrase you might hear while out and about on May 4th, and for a good reason! If you are a Star Wars fan, (and honestly, who isn’t?) you probably know the phrase “May the force be with you”. It is something commonly said in the movies as a way for people to wish each other well when they part ways or when they are preparing to partake in something heroic or even dangerous. 

Thanks to this date sounding so much like the popular phrase, it has become dubbed Star Wars Day! How fun is that? If you are looking for some Star Wars activities that you can do with your elementary-age students, don’t worry. I have you covered! This is a day that students usually love and get very engaged with because it’s just fun- plain and simple! 

How do you celebrate Star Wars Day at school? 

If you’re ready to become the most memorable teacher of your students’ lives this year by celebrating Star Wars Day in 2023, I have the perfect ideas for you so that you can have a full day of fun with a Star Wars-themed day at school that your students will remember forever. 

1. Dress up as your favorite Star Wars characters. These movies have become so popular that the characters and costumes are recognizable even to people who haven’t seen them. Tell your students that they can dress like their favorite character or even wear a Star Wars t-shirt or hairstyle. 
2. Make DIY Lightsabers. Pull out those craft supplies and let students get creative by making their own lightsabers! 
3. Watch Star Wars clips or read Star Wars books. If you’re looking for an on-theme brain break for your students, consider watching some popular clips from the movies (not too scary, preferably) or reading a Star Wars book together as a class. 
4. Make some Star Wars-themed treats. Create some easy-to-make galactic treats for your classroom for extra fun. Everyone loves snacks! 
5. Learn about planets and stars. What better opportunity to teach students about stars, moons, planets, and galaxies? 
6. Teach about force and motion. Star Wars is all about using the force so this is a great chance to pull out some force and motion activities! You can check out my force and motion resource here. 

If you’re looking for more guidance on how you can create an epic day for your students, check out my Star Wars Theme Day resource!

This download is full of everything you need to have a great May the 4th Be With YOU-themed celebration! It’s packed with tons of resources that will make this day not only fun but easy and low-stress for you. 

Here’s what’s included: 

What is in this download? 

Cover

Table of Contents

A Note To Teachers

Lesson Plans Introduction 

Standards Met 

Home Connections Project Letter for Parents

Donations Please Page for Parents

Create a Space Creature

Glue your creature together

Give your space creature a personality

Sweet Fighter Treats (EASY to Make)

Venn Diagram Earth (VS any other Planet you Choose)

A Venn Diagram EARTH vs STAR

Venn Diagram ANSWER KEY to Earth vs Star

I SPY Planets (Circle and X planets and stars, count and Tally)

ODA SODA (Ingredients and Directions to make PUNCH)

Galactic Water Labels for water bottles

Fight Training Code of Conduct Poster

Training Laser Directions (with pictures)

Training Academy Certificate

PUSH, PULL, FORCE, MOTION Posters

Looking for digital resources to make this day excellent? Check out this Star Wars-themed Digital Escape Room! 

This is a great way for your students to review planets, and problem-solving. Digital Escapes™ is a fun way to get students to learn without even realizing it. NO Printing and No Prep needed for this digital escape! Star Wars-inspired challenges students will love!

During the escape, students will be tasked with solving 4 lock clues in order to escape the room. There is a pdf included in this download with directions, the link to the site, an answer key, and an optional note-taking worksheet for students. This activity takes about 30 to 40 minutes to complete.

Students will:

• Listen to short audio directions 
• Watch a Video with a Problem (1st clue) 
• Click to reveal 3 tasks for students to solve.
• Solve a Riddle to Discover What Planet they crash-landed on. 
• Answer Space Questions to rebuild their ship and to get FUEL
• Work on problem-solving as a group or individually
• Answer comprehension questions about the video to get the Life-Saving Sword.
• Meet some life form on Mars.
• End with a treat of your choice, a Party, a Wookie Cookie, some Oda Soda, or recess after they Escape

Check out the video preview!

Are you celebrating Star Wars Day with your elementary students? Let me know in the comments!