Fun Activities & Crafts for Grade School
Hands-on, engaged learning through activities and fun crafts is a staple of grade school classrooms everywhere. This age-appropriate collection of fun ideas, written and vetted by teachers and education professionals, spans the entire school year, including summer. You’ll find activities, games and crafts for kindergarten (and Pre-K) through fifth grade including seasonal and holiday-themed crafts, indoor and outdoor games and activities, classroom decorating ideas, gift ideas and more. In addition to being fun, these educational ideas are always focused on learning too, but don’t tell the kids, as they will be enjoying these creative teaching moments so much, they may not even notice!
Space Book and Games: Astro Girl by Ken Wilson-Max
Young children are amazed with outer space and astronauts. Ken Wilson-Max wrote a book about a little girl having a major discussion about being an astronaut with her father. Candlewick Press published Astro Girl in 2019. This book has a cute story and brightly colored illustrations. The last couple of pages gives educational information about space travel and astronauts.
Young Astrid was having fun acting out the things an astronaut does while she waited for her mother to come home.
Tooth Fairy Books and Activities for Kids
Losing baby teeth is a milestone of growing up, but to make this event fun for children, the tooth fairy is involved. This fantasy figure visits a sleeping child and removes the tucked tooth (under a pillow or on the bedside table) and leaves a reward in its place.
I had the opportunity to review fiction storybooks about tooth fairies. These books are entertaining and provide interesting facts that can be used in school or home.
Bear Theme Books and Activities to Entertain and Educate Young Children
I had the opportunity to review two recently published bear theme books. Both are fiction, but have information that educate as well. I thought the stories were entertaining and easy to add activities that will send each story across the curriculum.
The Best Kind of Bear by Greg Gormley A young bear named Bear met a little girl named Nellie. She asked Bear what kind of bear he was – and he just didn’t know.
Collage Making: Learning About This Art Technique
I recently had the opportunity to review a new book, Playing with Collage by Jeannie Baker (Candlewick Studio, October 2019). This book is the perfect resource to collage making and teaches the various techniques and the variety of materials you can use for this art.
The word “collage” originates from the French word “colle” that means glue or paste. Paper and other small materials are pasted onto another surface. The art is colorful and some have texture.
Spook-tacular Halloween Games for Parties With Children
As we near Halloween, playing games in the classroom is not only fun but also helps to foster important skills, both educational and social. Here are a few activities to engage your students during this fun holiday.
Halloween Team Spirit This Halloween game is perfect as an icebreaker and a way for the children to work together. Begin by cutting out five orange witch hats, five white ghosts, and five black cats.
International Peace Day: Activities for the Elementary Classroom
“No peace in the world without peace in the nation,
No peace in the nation without peace in the town,
No peace in the town without peace in the home/school,
No peace in the home without peace in the heart.”
Quote by – Tao Te Ching
The International Day of Peace (Peace Day) is observed nationwide on September 21st. Students can use this day as an opportunity to express their visions of peace in the world and among their peers in the classroom.
All About Magnets: A Theme Unit for Elementary School
Magnets are magnificent. Their force is invisible, but its effects are found all around us. Magnets are used to hold schoolwork on refrigerators, they can help us find our way on a walk, and we even use them in televisions, computers, and MRI scanning machines where doctors can see inside the human body. How amazing is that?
Magnetic Attraction Let’s “attract” excitement with this hands-on, all about magnets theme unit for your class.
Native American Crafts For Kids: Southeastern Nations
For years before the European explorers came upon American shores, the native nations prospered around the areas of the Southeastern areas known today as North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Louisiana. Discover traditional crafts of these tribes (Catawba, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Cherokee, Creek, and Seminole) –nations of people who lived in a region stretching from the Mississippi River and the mountains of Appalachia to the sandy coasts along the Atlantic.
Crayon Creations: Lessons With Crayons
Can you imagine days without crayons? Ever since these artistic tools were introduced in 1903, children have used them creatively. This versatile art material has become a staple on school supply lists and kids look forward to a new box each year. Teachers are finding new ways to create lessons with crayons across the curriculum. Here are a few ideas to try in your classroom.
Before I begin, teachers need to check out Crayola’s website, not only for products but for lesson plan ideas in their Education Section.
All About Clocks and Time Telling
Most young children have difficulty learning and understanding the concept of time. It’s the passage of time and the use of clocks that plague them. Once this concept is mastered, children experience a feeling of independence and competence. Here are some facts and activities that make time telling a fun adventure.
The History of Time Long before clocks were invented people used nature’s rhythms as signals and planned their daily activities according to the rising and setting of the Sun.
