Teacher’s Brain

Tag: activities

Introducing Constitution Day to Kids

Teaching Tips

Constitution Day is here and this is an excellent time to teach our elementary students about what this holiday is and why it is important to our nation’s history. 

Why do we celebrate Constitution Day?

In September of 1787, our founding fathers signed the constitution which has become the most important and influential document in our country. To commemorate it, we now celebrate this day as a national holiday on September 17th. 

This is a new concept to most of our early elementary students, so this is an excellent time of year to introduce the topic in a way that is engaging and fun for them so that they remember why this document is so important. 

Constitution Day activities for elementary students

When teaching this subject, you want to start by explaining to students what this day means, why it’s so important, and who some of the founding fathers are that created and signed the constitution. This will give them the foundational knowledge they need to understand your Constitution Day lesson plans. 

After covering the basics, make it fun! You can pull out some craft supplies or Constitution Day worksheets that students can use to better grasp the concept. 

I created my interactive flip book to make it easy to incorporate learning about this important holiday in a way that students will enjoy. 

constitution day

These Constitution Day activities for kindergarten and first grade students include 15 printables, writing prompts, posters, a mini book, and more. 

constitution day activities

Here’s what’s included: 

Pg. 1 Cover

Pg. 2 Lesson Plan

Pg. 3 Poster

Pg. 4 Instructions with a visual

Pg. 5- 7 Flip Book Pages where the student writes the word on the side of the flipbook

Pg. 8 – 15 Writing Prompts (primary or intermediate lined with self-check at the bottom)

Pg. 16 Mini Book

Pg. 17 Credits

constitution day writing prompts

Check it out here! 

Students will love this engaging activity! If you want more social studies fun, make sure to check out my post here for tips on how to teach social studies to kindergarten and first grade students! 

Everything You Need To Know To Teach Community Helpers

Teacher's Pay Teachers, Teaching Tips

Let’s talk about community helpers! This is one of my favorite topics to teach because you can tell it just opens up a whole new world to little learners. They learn about all of these professions and sometimes they decide what they want to be when they grow up. If you are looking for some community helpers crafts and activities, you’re in the right place! 

Community Helpers worksheets

This is an important lesson because, among many other reasons, it helps students learn how a community works and the importance of working together. 

So what is the role of community helpers? 

Generally, this is anyone who helps our community function. They perform the day-to-day activities that we need in order to live our lives. They are incredibly important! 

What are some examples of community helpers? 

When making your community helpers list, think about professions like police officers, firefighters, teachers, doctors, nurses, grocery store clerks, and mailmen. 

Here are some lesson ideas, community helpers activities, and community helpers printables to get you started! 

  1. Bring in guest speakers. This is an easy and fun one! Reach out to parents to see if they are a community helper. If so, invite them into your classroom to talk to your students about what it’s like. If not, you can reach out to local police officers, or fire stations and see if anyone would be interested in talking to the class. 
  2. Keep a journal. As students are learning about the different types of helpers, encourage them to keep a journal. They can write down what they have learned, draw pictures, store any community helpers crafts, etc. 
  3. Find places that help the community. You can sit with your students and brainstorm places where these helpers might work and take a virtual field trip! Search online for a video tour of one of these places for students to explore. 
  4. Discuss long ago vs. today. This is a great opportunity to explain to students how things have evolved and changed in our community. 
  5. Read some books about helpers in the community. This can be any book about doctors, teachers, police, mailmen, etc. 

Don’t have time to plan? I have you covered. Check out my Community Helpers Worksheets resource! This download is nine weeks of lessons designed to easily create a journal for students to use, interactive notebook pages, posters, and so much more!

Community Helpers interactive notebook

Here’s everything included

  • Weekly Detailed Lesson Plans for 9 Weeks
  • Home connection parent letter
  • Journal cover
  • Word Bank for the Journal
  • KWL
  • Printables to insert as a journal or use individually covering different helpers, tools and equipment, and today & long ago
  • Rubric for the journal
  • Nine interactive notebook pages (suggested to do once a week on Fridays)
  • Classroom posters

➜EXTRAS:

  • Poem/songs
  • Dial 911
  • Cut and label the police officer
  • Cut and label the firefighter
  • Volunteer art handprint gift
  • Sample of how to make the gift
  • Police officer hat/headband craft
  • Police badges
  • Firefighter hat

activities and posters

My biggest tip for teaching community helpers for kindergarten or first grade is to have fun! Students love exploring and learning about these different professions. For more tips on teaching this unit, check out my post here! 

What are your favorite ways to teach this unit? Let me know in the comments!

 

Earth Day Activities For Elementary Students

Science, Teaching Tips

A very special and important holiday is quickly approaching- Earth Day! 

Earth Day 2022 is coming up on April 22nd, and it is the perfect time to teach students about our planet and the importance of conservation efforts. We need our planet and it is more important than ever to take whatever steps we can to improve our environment. 

So what can students do for Earth Day?

Earth day activities for kids pin image

To celebrate Earth Day in your classroom, it’s important that we start by explaining why this holiday is so important. When I was in the classroom, I would begin by teaching students about our planet and what it needs from us. I explained to them that no matter how small their actions are, they are making a difference. It’s a great way to inspire students to be an Earth hero!  

Here are some lessons and Earth Day activities for kids to learn about protecting our environment

  • Take a walk around the school or playground and pick up any trash. Take this as an opportunity to teach students how this harms our environment. 
  • Teach students why it is so important to always turn off water when you aren’t using it and making sure it is completely off
  • We need trees in order to have oxygen! Teach your students how they can care for the environment by planting a tree. This is a hands-on activity that has a big impact. 
  • Read books about protecting our planet and caring for the environment or watch movies and have a discussion about it after about how students can be more eco-friendly in their own lives.  
  • Teach students about the importance of recycling. Explain landfills and how recycling reusable materials can help our planet. Don’t forget to tell them about what materials can be recycled and how they can do it. You can help them practice by going around the school and identifying recyclable materials. 

Looking for virtual Earth Day activities? Take your recycling lesson to the next level with a virtual field trip!

earth day activities for kindergarten preview

This fun and engaging digital resource lets your students “visit” a recycling center! 

Use these interactive, editable Google Slides to easily have students copy and paste movable parts, learn about Earth Day, recycling, what to bring on a trip and so much more! This is perfect if you’re looking to do Earth Day activities at home while distance learning or in the classroom. 

earth day activities for kids resource preview

Here’s what’s included: 

  • KWL Chart
  • Packing A Suitcase for the Trip
  • 1 Minute Take OFF Flight Video
  • 7 minute Field Trip Video (Earth Day, Car Ride to different Recycling Centers, Train Ride)
  • Sequencing Events, 2 Writing Prompts, Counting Objects (under 10), Labeling Parts, Recycling Song, and Comprehension Questions
  • One extra slide for you to add anything you would like to the lesson. (videos or an assignment)
  • Home Connection Optional Assignment for students to build something with recycled materials. 
  • Black and white ink-saving Writing Pages and Home Connection Page for in-person teaching.

Easily share through Google Classroom to collect information or share from your computer to Zoom or Meets. Students move images, add text, and moving parts to get plenty of writing and computer practice!

Earth day activities for students resource preview

What are your favorite Earth Day activities for elementary? Let me know in the comments!

 

 

Valentine’s Day Escape Room Students Will Love

education, Winter

One of the latest trends making waves in the education world (and in the outside world too), is escape rooms. If you don’t already know, escape rooms are a game where people (or in our case students) work together to solve clues, puzzles, or complete designated tasks in order to “escape the room” in a set amount of time. Sounds fun, right?!

These games are so exciting because they are very immersive. The interactive aspect really makes you feel like you are living the story of the escape room! 

In the classroom, escape rooms can include puzzles or tasks related to the skills you are working on in your lessons. This makes it an educational activity for students that feels like fun, not work! 

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, I wanted an escape room that had a fun and festive Valentine’s Day theme while still being an engaging way to work on skills in the classroom. 

So, I created this Valentine’s Day Escape Room! 

Valentine's Day escape room activity

This Valentine’s Day mystery requires little prep and includes detailed directions, 3 clues to solve, a video hook, and set-up photos to help you put it all together. The set-up checklist will help you ensure that everything runs smoothly for the activity. 

To start, students will watch the video hook or introduction to learn about their mission. Then they will be tasked with solving 3 clues using comprehension skills. If you find that any of the activities are too easy for your students, there are additional activities included to differentiate. Students will practice teamwork skills while solving clues to help learn about holiday vocabulary and number patterns. 

Valentine's Day escape room activity

The clues will help them unlock the box and claim their prize. For prizes, you can use candy, homework passes, or bookmarks. Whatever you choose! 

The supplies needed are simple. You’ll need a box , some surprises to put inside the box (homework passes and bookmarks are provided), pencils, 6 large file folders (or regular folders), candy hearts (paper ones are provided if you don’t want to use real candy) and magnifying glasses (2 or more). 

Valentine's Day escape room

This activity is so engaging! It’s so fun to see how excited students get to put their detective skills to work so they can solve the clues. 

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

Valentine's Day escape room