Constitution Day Activities

Did you remember that September 17^th was Constitution Day? The delegates for the Constitutional Convention met for the last time on September 17, 1787 to sign the document they had created.  We celebrate this special day every year to commemorate the signing of the document and all of the freedoms it provides. 

Teaching this to young children isn’t always the easiest, so when you come across something that works, why not share it?  

 We watched an adorable video called, The Constitution Day and Constitution Day: A Beginner’s Guide, for an easy explanation of what the constitution is and why it’s important.  It also gives a kid friendly explanation for the 3 branches of government.  You can watch it here or you can watch it on United Streaming.  

I also loved Jessica Travis’s Constitution Day Freebie.  My kids enjoyed it as well.  It was perfect to help young children understand and learn about this special day. Thanks for sharing your talents Jessica! You can grab it here  at her store. Here are some pictures:

Scholastic also has some fun games to play with older kids. Check them out here or for more information about the day, click here.

Enjoy your day!

Bus Safety Activities

It’s September and it’s so important to teach young kids about Bus Safety.  In New York, AAA provides a fabulous Bus Safety Assembly (it’s FREE!) for your school.  It involves Bob the Puppet and at our school the presenter was Karen Blackburn-who is fabulous! You can learn more about the bus program and getting it for your kids here.  AAA also does Halloween Safety, Bike Safety and more! They fill up quickly, so plan in advance!

Karen teaches the kids all about safely riding on the bus, getting off the bus, and the danger zones through song and involving the kids.  Everyone loves her and looks forward to her (and Bob's) visit each year.  Try your local AAA to see if they have a similar program.  As a follow up, I have my kids complete this bus sheet.  Grab it FREE here.  Enjoy!

September Ideas Pick 3 Linky

I'm linking up with Pawsitively Teaching and the Inspired Owl! for this month’s Pinterest Pick 3 to give us some fresh ideas for back to school.  I love finding all of these ideas and have definitely incorporated them into my class. Enjoy!

I love this All About Me Silhouette.  It’s such a creative way to allow kids to tell more about themselves and create a dialogue.  It would also be fun to try to guess each other’s artwork.

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So I realize this isn't a pin for the classroom, but it'll help you get there on time and I couldn't help but share. Picture it: It’s 7 am and you take one look in your closet and it’s going to be one of those days when you just can’t figure out what to wear.  This idea is fabulous and I’m sure even better for getting your kids off to school as well.  Pick out the outfits for the week without thinking- no coffee needed!  A totally doable DIY idea.  You could also apply this to organizing your teaching materials weekly as well! 

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In September, it’s all about establishing routines, procedures and rules.  I like the idea of having a class promise. It’s like rules with a positive twist. Here are some different ideas.

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Follow up from August…. I was inspired by last month’s linky ideas to create a fresh look in my classroom and paint some of my furniture. It was slightly obsessive, so after several trips to home depot, I gave a fresh look to a lot of furniture in my room and pretty much anything else I could get my hands on.  Here are some pics to share:

The bookshelf had seen better days.

A little polka dot flair:

      Magazine Rack...There's no before picture, but think 1970's wood color.

Perfect for holding our class books!

           Book Rack- I think it looks "beachy" now =)

An InLinkz Link-up

Dr. Seuss Activities, Ideas, and Crafts

Dr. Seuss

Everybody loves Dr. Seuss and his books.  Here are some fun facts about the infamous author, Theodor Seuss Geisel.

*He was born in Springfield, Massachusetts.

*He wrote and illustrated more than 44 children’s books.

*There were more than 27 publishers that rejected Dr. Seuss's books for being too silly. (I bet they regret that decision now!) However, it’s a great lesson for kids to learn about never giving up!

*Technically, he was not a Doctor -- although he held honorary degrees from several schools including Dartmouth College and Princeton University.

*Dr. Seuss had a secret closet with a stash of hats that he loved to show off at dinner parties.  See some of those hats here.  His parties must have been a hoot! 

*Read Across America is celebrated on March 2^nd which is Dr. Seuss’s Birthday.

*His family actually pronounced their Bavarian last name like Zoice (rhymes with voice), not Soose.

*Here's his famous signature!

On to the fun… here are some fun crafts, activities, and ideas I compiled for you.  Click on the picture to go to the original source. 

Grab your FREE Read Banner for your classroom library here.

Just print and hang or use a ribbon like below!

I was inspired by these colors to create a Whimsical Decor Huge Editable Decor Bundle .  If you're a fan of this color scheme you'll love these… and it's EDITABLE!  If you don’t need the whole bundle, you can get them individually (links are at the end)

Here are the shape cards: 

Number Cards:

Clock Numbers:

Labels for book bins etc.:

(they are blank so you can create your own categories)

I always laminate a few extra blank ones just in case I have to add a bin and you don't want to whip out the laminator again.

Lorax Craft

Lorax Cupcake Craft       

                      

Such a cute idea for a clothespin craft.  Check it out here.

Here are some great bulletin board ideas.  Check out their site for more fun ideas by clicking here.

This is from a party event, but it would work great as a class reward for positive behavior. Check it out here.

We are always creating lots of snacks in our class, check out some Dr. Seuss snacks here!

We always make this snack in March to celebrate his birthday!

We've done it with Oreos...

and Nilla Cookies.  

Sometimes the red gummy savers were too hard to find so we got creative with our hats. 

Whatever the colors, the Oreo cookie bottoms were the favorite!

Love these green eggs and the fact that they are the perfect combo of salty sweet is a BONUS!

These are great for posting some of his favorite quotes. 

Grab these freebies here. 

Want to create some of your own amazing posters, you are in luck, grab these free fonts here and start creating!

Here are some fabulous coloring pages with quotes you can get for your kiddies and they're FREE.  Check this one out here.

Grab some more here!

Do your kiddies like to color the character, grab some coloring sheets here! 

Have fun! Enjoy some more creative ideas here!

Have fun! 

For the individual packs, click on the links below:

EDITABLE LABELS

NUMBER POSTERS

EDITABLE CLASS JOBS

SHAPE POSTERS

BANNERS   *just added to my store*