I teach second grade and used this activity for a review of initial consonant sounds at the beginning of the year:
Tell the children that they are all going to change their names for the day and become "alphabet people". Give each child a 15" circle of paper and assign each child a consonant. Have the child cut out one-quarter of the circle (I tell them to separate the "pie" into four pieces and cut out one piece.) Then, have the child write their new "name" (the consonant) below the "v" that was cut out of the circle so that it will appear on the front of the hat when rolled up like a cone. The children then decorate the hats with pictures of things that start with the sound of their new name. For example, Mr. or Ms. B would draw things like bumble bee, bus, box, etc. After the children are through drawing, roll the circles up like a cone and staple or tape together. Punch a hole and insert a pipe cleaner in each side as chin straps to hold the hats on.
All day long, refer to the children by their letter names. When they've grown accustomed to this, call on them by saying words that begin with their letter. For example, when you call on "brown", Mr. or Ms. B would answer. You can also read a simple story and have the children stand up and then sit back down when they hear their names. It's lots of fun!
games to play...
songs to sing...
Balloon Battle
balloons
string
inflated balloons
Designate a certain color for each team. If you have a LOT of children you can have more teams or you don't have to have teams at all. Tie a balloon to each players ankle. Each team tries to burst the other's balloon first. The team with the last balloons wins. As your balloon is burst, you withdraw from the game.
waxed paper
styrofoam ball
glue
yellow tissue paper
pipe cleaners
beads
glitter
Place a piece of waxed paper down to protect your surface. Mix 2 parts glue to 1 part water. Tear tissue paper into small 1 - 2 inch pieces. Coat a section of foam ball with glue mixture, cover with pieces of torn tissue paper. Coat over the tissue with glue to smooth down. Repeat this until ball is completely covered. While ball is still wet, give it a sprinkle of glitter. Let ball dry completely. Cut the pipe cleaners in half and stick them into the foam ball in a row. Continue this till a row of rays are around the ball. Now you can either leave the pipe cleaners straight or you can get creative and make them bent or spiraled. Add a pony bead to the end of each pipe cleaner and twist to secure. Attach string and hang.
A fun small plastic dish or bowl
1 Whole Graham Cracker
1 tablespoon cream cheese
1 tablespoon strawberry preserves
This is a dump recipe. Get a large bowl and dump all ingredients into it. Mix well with clean hands. Store in individual sized snack bags that kids can grab and take along.
This month we are giving away some wonderful prizes geared toward kids! Three baseball themed coloring books and a fun exploration book for kids/ 