Showing posts sorted by relevance for query classroom. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query classroom. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query classroom. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query classroom. Sort by date Show all posts

Classroom Snowman Craft for Door: Pin it Online Scavenger Hunt

Classroom Snowman Ideas for Preschool and Elementary


Updated with Styrofoam Cup Snowman Tutorial and more Snowmen from our Pinterest friends who tired it! So, you want to make a plastic cup snowman for your classroom door or bulletin board. It's so cool, but how do you do it? Check out this Styrofoam cup SNOWMAN entered in a teacher's door decorating contest. 


This post contains affiliate links.

Did you know you can pin posts from your blog or pictures of your classroom door on our Pinterest board for teachers. We also have a Pinterest board just for Snowmen Stuff, just send a message in Pinterest with a request to join.


Scroll down the page for our favorite classroom snowman decoration ideas and the how to make the door snowman from plastic cups. Enjoy!






Preschool Classroom door snowman from Styrofoam cups
Snowman Uploaded by Tiffany Cone Webb 
Click the pic to follow her on Pinterest.

Styrofoam Cup Snowman: This Classroom Door snowman was designed for a door decorating contest. Yes, he won! But, the question is...


How do you make a snowman for a classroom door from Styrofoam cups


The serious answer is very, very carefully with lots of patience. Plastic Cups are easier to staple than Styrofoam cups. They also have more give when assembling the snowman. Try using sticky Velcro strips to attach your snowman creation to the door, wall, or classroom bulletin board.



This one was created by Destinie S. and uploaded to Pinterest.
Click Plastic Cup Snowman with lights to see the video with flashing lights. Great job!

Good news! We found a video that shows how to make balls from plastic cups. In the video, you'll see that they make two halves and attach them to form a ball. So, you'll only need to make one half and then attach it to the wall. However, if you make the entire ball , you can make a stand alone cup snowman decoration. Check out this cute one, made to look like Olaf from Frozen!


How to Make a Plastic Cup Snowman Decoration for Door
Plastic Cup Snowman made to look like Olaf! We found this one at diycuteness blog.


Get LEGO OLAF on Amazon.


diycuteness also shared this plastic cup snowman for the classroom door.



How to Make a Snowman from Plastic or Styrofoam Cups:





Watch the video above to learn how to make a classroom door snowman from plastic cups. In the video, it shows how to make balls to make light decorations for parties. You can adapt this method to create the snowballs to build your snowman on a door.


Get short Styrofoam cups like the plastic cups in the picture.


FYI: We tried making the Styrofoam cup snowman several times. We finally made something resembling a circle, but never felt it was a good enough snowball to share. However, we tried it with tiny medicine cups which were difficult to staple. And then, we tried using glue to attach Styrofoam cups together. The method in the video with regular size plastic cups stapled together seems to work, but the circles are difficult to get perfectly round. 

Good luck, you're going to need it!


pre school snowmen snowman for classroom
The original source seems to be a teacher's album 

  • We found some great Snowman crafts at OrientalTrading and fun, free snowman worksheets at TeacherSherpa.com. Check out our post and follow along on Instagram to keep up with all of our crafty classroom activities! 




Winter Bulletin Board: Snowmen, Penguins, and Snowflakes on Amazon.








Recommended Reading:






Get Snowmen At Christmas Book

Plastic Cup Halloween Lights




Pineapple Valentine Day Craft Idea for Kids Classroom Box

Make this Easy, Valentine Day Classroom Craft Idea for Kids from a 2-Liter Plastic Bottle: Recycle!

For this, classroom Valentine Box, we transformed a 2-Liter plastic bottle. Use this Pineapple Under the Sea for a Spongebob Theme Party or Valentine's Day classroom craft. Enjoy!


Valentine Day Craft Idea for Kids: It's a Pineapple under the sea
2- Liter Plastic Bottle Pineapple Classroom Valentine.
 Valentine Day Craft Idea for Kids Classroom
 Valentine Day Craft Idea for Kids Classroom.

The requirements for his classroom Valentine mailbox called for a shoebox.  Mommy's idea of using a 2-Liter bottle was extremely unsettling for Jake, but he thought the end result was A-W-E-S-O-M-E!



Sure, there was a little crying and a lot of pouting as he made his point. Apparently, the teacher's flyer had made it clear the project was to be no smaller than a shoebox.  And, "Mommy a shoebox is the perfect size; you just cut a slot in the top and glue on some hearts!" (Said in deplorable frustration.)  



Got a stickler for the rules? You might like Jake's Journey in Art.

Mommy did not have a shoebox to spare nor the extra cash to buy a new pair of shoes just for the coveted box. The cereal box, briefcase-looking mailboxes on Pinterest were tantalizing, but I wanted something different.


"Why can't we cut a slot out of a bottle and glue hearts on it or make it a rocket or something?" 


Stomp. Stomp. Stomp. Do you hear that? It is the sound of Jake jumping up and down on the kitchen floor in desperate refusal. "We'll talk about it later, Jake." And with that, we were off to purchase Classroom Valentines.


One box of Spongebob exchange cards later, and Jake decided said detested bottle would make an awesome Pineapple. Genius.



How to Make a Pineapple Valentine Box

We cut a slit in the middle of the bottle to represent a window, cut wavy, one-inch strips from brown paper lunch sacks, and covered it with glitter. Then, Jake took a toilet tube, cut green leaves from construction paper, glued them to the tube, and stuck it on top of the bottle. Foamy stickers spell his name just above the window and a construction paper heart glued to the end of a straw decorates Spongebob's house for the Valentine holiday.



Recommended Reading:

Easy Classy Valentine 


SpongeBob's Secret Valentine *


Pig Valentine Idea











ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products.

*We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)


9 Owl Back to School Decorations Thematic Unit

Back to School Owl Theme Lesson and Decor 


Whether you homeschool, teach in a brick and mortar school, or operate an after school or day care program, you should decorate the environment to make it inviting and soothing for your students. Back to school decorations are abundant. What fall classroom theme you choose likely depends on the age of your students. We've found nine fun owl ideas and themes to decorate your classroom like a pro. Enjoy!



9 Owl Back to School Decorations Thematic Unit




This post contains affiliate links.




A popular fall theme for school is always the wise old owl. If you are planning an owl themed classroom to welcome the kids back to school, here are some great options to decorate your learning spaces and then start learning with owl curriculum.


Owl Classroom Decorations and Themes


  • Owl Theme Classroom Decor from Oriental Trading. This "Owl About Me" poster makes a nice icebreaker for those early getting to know you days at the beginning of the school year. At 20" x 17," it is poster size and is great for back to school night display for parents or a fun writing lesson for homeschoolers.






  • Another way to decorate with an owl theme, is to create your own owl classroom banner. Have each child make a cute paper owl in several color combinations and then string them up on the walls! Get details here: How to Make Owl Garland Banner.



Paper Owl Banner Craft  for Classroom.


  • Birthdays at school can be fun, be sure to let everyone know who's birthday is coming up next with this owl theme birthday bulletin board set from Amazon.







  • Pair it with these 6" X 7.88" Owl cut outs buddies from Target.


  • While you're at it, you can open with owl them curriculum. Below, we found owl coloring pages, owl unit studies, and more from TeacherSherpa. Check it out!



Owl Coloring Page from Raising Our Kids found at TeacherSherpa.



  • This unit about Owls tells about the two owl families and various species of owls. Learn about common features, where they live, and their habitats. Mentioned owls are; elf, great gray, screech, great horned, burrowing, and snowy. Activity worksheets include; word find, word unscramble, criss-cross, spelling. Ideal for second through fifth grade science.



Owl Thematic Unit from SchoolExpress found on TeacherSherpa.






  • If you run an after school program or daycare or just want to do something extra fun with the class, try some edible art with an owl theme. This edible owl craft is easy to make and the biscuits are cute and yummy too!







  • One of our all time most popular posts is this torn paper owl craft for preschoolers and early elementary. Do it with older school age kids as an owl art mosaic lesson. Older kids will enjoy this cupcake liner owl craft.




Watch the paper owl art video.



How's that for an owl classroom thematic unit? You're all set for a  back to school theme and lesson on owls. Hope you have a great year!




Recommended:

Decorate Door with Adorable Owl Wreath Craft




Have you seen the owl cough medicine for kids?



Pin it!


fun owl ideas and themes to decorate your classroom











What are the Pros and Cons of Using iPads in the Classroom Today?

It's not always easy to motivate and engage children in a large classroom setting. Large spatial environments can distract some students and overwhelm others. Children can lose focus staring at other kids or at random objects in the classroom. All students learn curriculum at a different pace and academic level. Keeping instruction at the same level for every student can cause lower-performing students to get lost in the shuffle. On the other hand, the more academically advanced students can get held back by the rest of the class and become bored with the lessons, decreasing their motivation. Today, technology serves as one of the best ways to engage children at their personal skill level. A new trend in classrooms is teaching academic subjects using iPads. So, what are the Pros and Cons of Using iPads in the Classroom Today?



This post contains Amazon affiliate links.


What are the Pros and Cons of Using iPads in the Classroom Today?


iPads can make learning more simple than working on a laptop or desktop, but not everyone agrees that using iPads provide the best education for kids--and fulfill the needs of learning the curriculum and the content standards. We're sharing some pros and cons of using iPads in the classroom so you can decide for yourself.


Pros of Using iPads


Students Love Working on iPads

It's no secret that kids love technology. iPads in the classroom can engage even the most bored and distracted students.

Students Possess the Ability to Interact With Many Apps

The iPad interacts with a variety of apps. Software developers seem to have an app for everything from learning math to learning the weather.

Apps give students more choices for learning. New apps are readily available and improving with technology.

Tablets Can Work as a Second Computer Monitor

Today, students use their iPads as a second computer monitor through the functions of programs like Sidecar. Learn how to use Sidecar in this informative article.

Ebooks Serve the Same Value as Textbooks

Some people believe ebooks can replace textbooks You can always download ebooks if it's easier for your style of learning.

Students don't have to worry about bringing their textbooks from their lockers to class because all their ebooks can be stored in one place. This also solves the issue of kids forgetting to bring their textbooks. It also saves trees.

Great Learning Tool For Students With Disabilities 

The iPad has several handicap accessible applications to help struggling learners and disabled students, including apps created for students with cognitive and learning disabilities. 

iPads are Easier to Read Than Textbooks

Textbooks used year after year can become difficult to read. Students put marks in texts, underline, and highlight chapter sections. They often write notes in the margins that cover important text. This often makes the text unreadable. eBooks keep their original format.

Another advantage of using iPads is that students with visual problems can use accessibility tools such as bolding and enlarging the text.

iPads are Lightweight

In middle school and high school, students often need to carry heavy textbooks from class to class. The iPad is portabie and weighs much less than a textbook.

Other than textbooks, students need to carry binders, notebooks, calculators, and other educational tools in their backpacks. There's no need for students to cram all those educational materials into their book bags and break their backs when they could just carry an iPad.

Students are able to have all their learning materials on their iPads. This helps them stay organized and makes life easier on parents and guardians, too.




Cons of Using iPads


Typing on iPads Can Be Frustrating for Kids

Typing on a computer keyboard is much easier and faster than typing on an iPad. It can be especially frustrating when kids need to create large documents. Even though some iPads have keyboards on them, using a computer keyboard is easier and faster.

One exception is that you can sync your iPad to an Apple wireless keyboard. This is a good idea if you plan to do much typing. However, not all schools have access to Apple wireless keyboards. The student may need to provide their own.

iPads Don't Support Adobe Flash and Javascript

The top criticism of Apple products, including the iPad, is its inability to be compatible with Adobe Flash Player and Javascript.

Many educational websites use Flash. This can limit students to access these tools. However, some people believe some of the newer apps provide ways around Adobe Flash files and Javascript.

iPads Need to Be Charged

Just like a cellphone, iPads need to be charged. A desktop computer in a classroom can be plugged into an outlet. It doesn't require charging.

When power isn't up, learning goes down. Kids can forget to charge their iPads and busy teachers may not have time to check that every single iPad has a full charge to last the entire class period.

Needs Wi-Fi to Operate

Using iPads in the classroom relies solely on maintaining a good Wi-Fi connection. When Wi-Fi has a poor connection or the internet is down, learning stagnates.

All of those devices on the school network can slow it down and eat up all the bandwidth. This can also slow down learning in the classroom or even compromise the lesson.

It's much easier to store educational materials that can be accessed later on a computer than it is on an iPad.

Students Can Get Distracted by Social Media

Tablets are a great learning tool, but they're also a distraction for students who would rather play on social media. It's easy for them to get off task and quickly log into a game, instant messenger, or Snapchat when they should be working.


The Final Word on Using iPads in Today's Classrooms

Compare these pros and cons to decide for yourself if you believe iPads are effective in today's school classrooms and homeschooling environments.

Looking for more educational tips? Explore the blog.



Recommended:


Family Movie Night Ideas


What are CLEP Exams?


Early Childhood Certificate Online










Early Childhood Teacher Study Online

10 Things ECE Teachers are Studying Today



What are early childhood teachers studying today? Curriculum for ECE teachers is constantly evolving to keep up with the latest topical trends and innovations. Young children live in a world where computers, tablets, smartphones, music players and gaming devices are readily available, including in their classrooms. Anyone studying to become an ECE Teacher needs to keep up with these trends in technology. The best way to do that is to get your ECE training online and we highly recommend getting your professional development training at ChildCare Education Institute (CCEI.)


Early Childhood Teacher Study Online


This post contains Affiliate Links.



ChildCare Education Institute (CCEI,) the industry leader for online professional development, offers courses that cover the latest in everything from technology and STEAM to bullying, attention disorders and more. Every early childhood teacher and their staff can benefit from the online ECE training at CCEI. Here at Kids Creative Chaos, we've taken several courses and enjoyed each one of them, including CCEI122: Active Learning in Early Childhood course! Check out our review, here. We’ve also reviewed CCEI's online professional development for early childhood teachers in these past articles: Professional Development for Preschool Teachers and ECE Continuing ED Online. No matter how long you've been teaching, you'll discover something new and have an “a-ha” moment during CCEI’s course training.

Personally, I’ve taken many courses online and offline receiving certificates and credits toward my ECE (Early Childhood Education Certification) and CCEI is the best! ChildCare Education Institute offers certificate programs and coursework that meets the requirement for national credentials including the CDA. CCEI also has online certification programs for Director and Early Childhood Credentials. CCEI, a Council for Professional Recognition CDA Gold Standard™ comprehensive training provider, is nationally accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC) and is accredited as an Authorized Provider by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET.)



 online professional development for ECE Teachers Early Childhood Preschool


Below, is a list of the most popular things ECE teachers are studying. What are you most interested in studying? After you’ve taken a look at the list, let us know your thoughts in the comments below the post.



Technology and Digital Media in Early Childhood Preschool



10 Things ECE Teachers Should Study


Here’s a list of TOP 10 trending topics that ECE teachers are studying today (that teachers wouldn’t have studied 10 years ago), according to CCEI:





  • Trauma Informed Care: ECE providers work with diverse groups of students from all walks of life. Statistics show that 26% of children living in America will experience some sort of trauma in their life prior to the age of four. CCEI offers SOC108: Establishing Trauma Informed Practices in Early Learning Environments which focuses on ways to incorporate trauma informed practices into the environment and interactions with children. 

  • Mindfulness: Mindfulness practices can prevent instances of undesired behavior, increase focus and engagement and promote a feeling of ownership and empowerment for children. As an additional benefit, classroom communities tend to be more empathetic and kind. CCEI offers SOC106: The Value of Mindfulness in Early Childhood which explores calming and reflective approaches when working with young children.

  • Spirituality: CCEI’s CHD109: Supporting Spiritual Development in Early Learning Environments is based upon the work of Deborah Schein, author of the book titled Inspiring Wonder, Awe and Empathy – Spiritual Development in Young Children. The course explores what spiritual development is and why it is important to overall development. Participants will also learn how to create moments within their learning environments that promote spiritual development in young children.

  • Caring for Allergies: Child food allergies are on the rise in the United States and continue to be a public health concern. CCEI’s CCEI119: Food Allergies in the Early Care Setting online course provides an overview of food allergies and basic safety principles to employ in the early care setting. Upon completion of this course, teachers will be able to provide a safe environment for children and staff who suffer from food allergies, identify the eight major food allergens, list the theories associated with the rise in food allergies and identify the importance of food labeling and packaging.

  • Dual-Language Learning: In some areas, non-native English speakers may make up the majority of a classroom. It is important for all early childhood educators to be prepared to meet the challenges of guiding a child toward English fluency while maintaining fluency in (and respect for) their home languages and cultures. CCEI offers CHD102: Dual Language Learning in the Early Childhood Environment to provide early childhood professionals with strategies and tools for helping young children develop language and literacy skills in English.

  • Attention Disorders: CCEI offers courses like SPN102: Attention Deficit Disorders to help child care providers understand the symptoms, subtypes and common treatment strategies associated with attention disorders.

  • Diversity and Inclusion: CCEI’s CCEI640: Creating a Multicultural Environment online training course helps teachers define the goals of multiculturalism, plan and implement an anti-biased classroom, incorporate multiculturalism into learning centers and other classroom activities and promote cooperative social skills in diverse classrooms.

  • Bullying in the Classroom: Although bullying has been around for years, today’s teachers are more proactive about reducing bullying. CCEI’s GUI100: Bullying in the Preschool Environment online course helps teachers bring empathy and compassion to the classroom as a way of reducing bullying behaviors.


Bullying in Preschool Classroom ECE Teacher Tips


As you can see, CCEI’s course offerings are full of valuable information that keeps up with the latest trends in early childhood teacher study online. Whether you run a daycare from your home, homeschool preschool, or teach in a public early childhood classroom, CCEI has courses for you.



Early Childhood Teacher Study Online




CCEI has over 35+ certificate programs offered in both English and Spanish! They’ve graduated over 15,000 early childhood professionals from its CDA and other certificate programs -- with over 5 million online coursework completed. Its web-based coursework is available 24/7/365. You can see a full list of certificate programs on their website here, but below are just a few of them:

● NAC (NECPA National Administrator Credential® Certificate)




Early Childhood Teacher Study Online




Becoming a preschool teacher or caregiver is a rewarding experience, but it takes patience and perseverance. Not everyone is cut out for such an important career choice. When this is your calling in life, you want to be the best teacher possible for your students. Keeping up on educational trends is key to providing your preschool class a positive experience that will pave the way for their future educational endeavors. It's important to find a balance between fun activities and the solid building blocks of education. We always try to make learning fun.

If you're in need of continuing education for your early childhood program or for a new career in early childhood education, start here with our review of ChildCare Education Institute. CCEI offers many amazing continuing education courses for professional development in early childhood education. Their extensive course list is full of lessons that are relevant and current for today’s ever changing ECE programming. 

I encourage everyone involved with childcare and early childhood education, whether you work in a brick and mortar environment or a virtual environment, to sign up for a course or two. And for new CCEI users, you can take a trial course a NO COST!  To stay current, be sure to follow the recommendations on the top 10 things ECE Teachers are studying today. I love that they offer so many course options and each course is informative and easily applicable to your lesson plans and teaching technique. Check out CCEI today!


For more preschool and early childhood activities, follow us on Pinterest.


To read more about our experiences with CCEI's online professional development for early childhood teachers read these articles: Professional Development for Preschool Teachers and ECE Continuing ED Online.

Becoming a preschool teacher or caregiver is a rewarding experience, but it takes patience and perseverance. Not everyone is cut out for such an important career choice. When this is your calling in life, you want to be the best teacher possible for your students. Keeping up on educational trends is key to providing your preschool class a positive experience that will pave the way for their future educational endeavors. It's important to find a balance between fun activities and the solid building blocks of education. We always try to make learning fun.


fun preschool activities blog




Recommended:

Preschool Activities from Kids Creative Chaos



39 Easy Games for Circle Time for Kids Creative Chaos