by Elizabeth Cossick, M. Ed.

Write a little comment on this post and be entered to win a $20 School Box gift card! We’ll draw a winner shortly. 

Looking for a way to spruce up your classroom reproducibles? Here are some of our favorite free downloadable fonts that would look just dandy on your next parent letter or student activity sheet (or party invitation!). Happy Holidays from A Learning Experience!

Circus

This one looks just like good ol’ Barnum and Bailey’s. Super cute!

DOWNLOAD HERE.

Chalkduster

Looks like, well, you know.

DOWNLOAD HERE.

Elegant

Appropriately named, this font is elegant but not frufru.

DOWNLOAD HERE. 

Orange

Fun, whimsy, feminine.

DOWNLOAD HERE.

Earwig Factory

Gross name. Cute font.

DOWNLOAD HERE.

adapted from an article by Rachel Stepp, M. Ed. 

Comment on this post and be entered to win a $20 School Box gift card! Winners are drawn each month. 

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…and also the most distracted! Enter any classroom between now and the holiday break, and you’ll find students who are a little more fidgety and a little less interested in long division and the exploits of European explorers. But, have no fear, all you brave and determined educators out there. Here are a few easy activities you can incorporate into your December lesson plans to help channel (and burn) your students’ extra energy.

Get Crafty

Okay, this is an obvious one that you’re probably already doing, so we’ll just mention it quickly. Plan festive crafts that allow your students to engage their holiday excitement in a productive way. Here’s a site to check out if you’re searching for original ideas: crafts.kaboose.com. 

Curriculum Tie-In: Crafts build hand-eye-coordination, encourage creativity, and promote fine motor skills. Not to mention that they’re just plain fun.

Do a “Walk and Talk”

This activity allows your students to talk (probably one of their favorite activities), walk, and be outdoors. So, during regular school-day transitions (like between subjects or after lunch), bundle up and go get some fresh air. During a walk and talk, students go outside to a track or playground where they can walk while talking with their classmates or grade level. This allows them to socialize and get a little low-key exercise.

Writing Tie-In: This activity can easily be turned “academic” by calling it a “Winter Nature Walk.” Instruct students to notice their five senses during the walk: certain sounds? sights? smells? feelings? Then, come back inside and do a little creative sensory writing using their observations. The paragraphs can be posted on cut-out snowflakes and hung around the room.

Get Techy

Head to the computer lab! Something as simple as having “history” class in the lab and exploring relevant websites together will have your students saying, “Santa who?”–at least for the next 40 minutes.

Curriculum Tie-In: Come up with a list of websites for students to explore that relate to a topic at-hand (like those European explorers), or ask your school’s computer teacher to help you select games that align with your current curriculum. You may want to create an Internet scavenger hunt, where you give students a list of fill-in-the-blank sentences or questions that they complete by finding the answers on various websites you provide.

Or, if you have a little extra time on your hands (stop laughing), you could just give your students 20 minutes of free time in the lab. School computer programs offer many possibilities, but due to time restraints, students don’t always get to use their favorite programs. They’ll enjoy exploring their favorites during a little pre-holiday free time.

Read Around the Room

Allow your students to bring one thing to school that will make reading more enjoyable for them. These things could include a beach towel, a stuffed animal, or slippers. Allow your students to have time during one day to read around the classroom with their favorite thing. You can up the anticipation-ante by bringing in a special snack like popcorn to munch while reading.

Language Arts Tie-In: Use this idea during regular reading class, when students are reading novels or nonfiction. Or, go to the library as a class first, and allow students to check out any book that interests them. Pleasure reading is still educational, you know!

Create an Obstacle Course

If your class needs to get out some energy, ask your physical education teachers to set up an obstacle course on the playground or in the gym (or get their feedback on how to do it, and have your students help you set it up themselves). Allow your students to complete the course in teams. Running, jumping and competing will help them use energy that they have (hopefully) been controlling.

Curriculum Tie-In: Obstacle courses help promote social skills, build physical abilities, develop coordination, and enhance motor skills. All good things!

Schedule Some “Me Time”

Finally, let’s just be real for a minute. Students aren’t the only ones who have trouble focusing before the holidays. Don’t forget to treat yourself to some free time after a long day of herding cats…er, I mean educating precious angels.

Tips to Try: Don’t grade papers at your desk after school. Take the stack home, put a log on the fire and slippers on your feet, and curl up on the couch to do your grading. And indulge in little pick-me-ups, like bringing your favorite warm beverage into school with you in the morning. Or plan an after-school outing or shopping trip with some of your favorite teaching peers for a Friday afternoon. Recharging your batteries will ensure that you can go the extra mile with your students before the break.

by Elizabeth Cossick, M. Ed.

Comment on this post and be entered to win a $20 School Box gift card…just in time for Christmas! 

I recently sat down with my 4-year-old son to craft a Christmas wish list. Two hours and about 40 items later, we were done. And he’s only 4!! I didn’t even know he knew half those toys existed!

As his mom, I obviously have a more realistic idea of the toys he will actually play with beyond Christmas afternoon. My job is to sort through his list and pick the items that won’t be quick to become toy box fodder. To help me (and hopefully you) find toys whose impact and interest will last longer than the egg nog, I consulted with Chris Persson, mom of two, former teacher, and co-owner of The School Box along with her husband Dave.

“The best gifts,” says Chris,”are those that blend fun with learning. The toys we carry at The School Box are highly engaging, but allow kids to learn while they’re playing–often without even realizing it!” It’s like sneaking applesauce into the brownie mix: something good for your kids, incognito.

Here, Chris shares her top picks (and The School Box’s top sellers) for holiday gifts.  

1. Hands-On Science Kits, $14.99-$26.99

What child (or adult) wouldn’t want to build a robot out of an empty soda can? Or make their own slime laboratory? Or create a doorbell from electromagnets? As gifts, these kits are just plain cool.

What Kids Learn: “These kits bring science to life while reinforcing critical thinking skills,” says Chris.

 2. Games Galore, $10.99-$29.99

The School Box’s unmatched game selection is the perfect red herring for undercover learning. my new fave: Cartoon It!, a fast-paced memory game with an artistic twist. Younger kids will love Maze Madness, where they guide a ball through a twisty-turny maze. Game on!

What Kids Learn: “Games promote memory, strategy, fine motor skills, fair play and more. Plus, they’re fun!” Chris asserts.

 3. Froggy Ecosystem, Price: $19.99

This funky gift is an annual best-seller. It’s two little frogs in a plant-filled, self-sustaining ecosystem: no cleaning required. Much lower maintenance than a puppy on Christmas morning!

What Kids Learn: “They learn all about habitat and lifecycles,” says Chris, who notes that these fly off the shelves during the holidays.

These gifts have me thinking that The School Box may be as sly as those applesauce-laden brownies. Perhaps they should really call themselves The School and Toy Box: where your kids will learn without even knowing it. And, as for my son’s list, I think there may still be room to add a froggy or two.

 Need more gift ideas? Visit www.schoolbox.com to order online or find a location near you. Or stop by any School Box location for Super Saturdays, where kids make a (free) craft! Second and fourth Saturdays each month, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

This article was adapted from Little Black Dress|Little Red Wagon Magazine. 

by Elizabeth Cossick, M. Ed. 

Comment on this post and be entered to win a $20 gift card from The School Box! 

Don’t you just love this time of year? Cider brewing on the stove’s back burner, pies bubbling in the oven, stores festooned with twinkle lights, the Salvation Army volunteer merrily ringing at the store’s front door…it’s all just so cheery. And it’s also the perfect time of year–as we all know–to teach children about the blessing of giving to others. Here is a hands-on way to do just that, as gleaned from Primrose Schools, whose award-winning character education curriculum is all about encouraging little ones to help others.

Beyond the Canned Food Drive

Stashing some cans in the bin at the gym is all well and good. It meets a need. It fills a soup kitchen. It’s a good thing to do. But–what if you took a different approach and got your children (and yourself) more directly involved in giving?

To really drive home the impact of giving to others, Primrose Schools nationwide encourage their private pre-k and kindergarten students to earn money through doing chores at home throughout the month of November, during their Caring and Giving event. The money is brought in to school each day, counted, charted and saved for a class-wide field trip to a local grocery store. There, the children use their own hard-earned stash of cash to select nonperishables off the shelves themselves, which are then loaded into the schools’ buses and taken to local community food banks.

What an ingenious way to make giving relevant to children! And, how easy to adapt with children at home, as well. Here’s how:

Set it up. 

First, designate a special spot in your home to save the money that’s just for giving. A mason jar labeled “Giving” and decorated with a cute ribbon (or decorated by your child) will do nicely. Put the jar in an important place, like on the kitchen counter or your child’s bedside table. Here’s a cute pre-made jar set from Lil Light O’ Mine, pictured right, that could be used year-round: www.lillightomine.com/shop.

Earn it.

Then, brainstorm ideas with your child on how he or she could earn money to fill their jar. Explain that the money won’t be for them this time; it will be used to help families and children who don’t have as much food or as many nice toys as your child has.

Ideas might include unloading the dishwasher, vacuuming, picking up toys, clearing the table after dinner, setting the table for dinner, helping cook, raking leaves, taking out the trash, dusting their room, feeding the pets, making your bed or a sibling’s bed as a good deed…and whatever other helpful ideas your child mentions. List the ideas, and then post the list so your child can refer to it if they get “stuck” and need a prod or two.

Set parameters. 

Designate an amount of time (like two weeks), and an amount of money a chore will earn (like $0.25 or $1). You may also want to point out to your child that they won’t get paid for doing the things they’re already expected to do, like brushing their teeth or being nice to their siblings. Together, set parameters for earning that make sense for your family.

Then, sit down together and count the money your child has earned regularly. Not only will this reinforce math skills, but it will also build excitement and a positive sense of pride in your child at the good they’re going to do.

Spend It.

At the end of the set time period, take your child to the store and help them select nonperishable food items with their money. Talk about what they’d like to eat at Christmas or Thanksgiving, and help them make their choices. But, don’t control their choices. As an adult, you may want specific items to be purchased, but let your child do a little leading, as well. Teach them the joy of giving by making the process fun! When I did this with my 4-year-old son, for example, he insisted on adding in a couple cans of Sponge Bob chicken noodle soup. More power to him!

Donate It.

Then, either have your child put the goods in a collection box at the front of the store (if there is one), or find a shelter or food bank in your community and donate the goods there, with your child in tow. If you’re not sure where one is, do a quick Internet search. Key words to try: “food bank + (your city)” or “canned food drive + (your city).”

Some nonprofit resources for the Atlanta area: 

Hope for Christmas: collects new gifts, toys and nonperishable food. Volunteers also needed.

Atlanta Community Food Bank

MUST Ministries

It’s important for children to see the whole process– from earning, to saving, to spending, to giving. Thanks for the inspiration, Primrose Schools! We agree that thankfulness is best learned through giving, and giving is most enjoyed when experienced hands-on, from the heart. 

Elizabeth D. Cossick, M. Ed. has a bachelors in education from The University of Georgia and a masters in curriculum and instruction from Lesley University, Cambridge. In addition to being the editor of A Learning Experience, she publishes Little Black Dress | Little Red Wagon Magazine. She resides in Atlanta with her husband, two young children, and a frisky Westie named Munson.

Comment on this post to win a $20 School Box Gift Card! New winners are selected monthly.

by Elizabeth Cossick, M. Ed.

A good Mother’s Day craft needs two simple ingredients to melt Mom’s heart: a child’s hand print and their handmade touch. This idea has both!

How to Make a Garden Stepping Stone

What You’ll Need:

A parent volunteer or two (Dads are ideal to keep Moms out of the loop!)

Quick-Dry Concrete (available at home improvement stores)

Large bucket or wheelbarrow

Garden shovel (for mixing)

Garden spade (for spreading)

Disposable foil pie plates (1 per child)

Small colorful glass or acrylic gems and stones (available at The School Box)

What You’ll Do:

1. Schedule a couple dads to come help you with this class project. Take your class outside to a sidewalk area near the playground.
2. Put those dads to work reading the directions on the concrete, adding the right amount of water, and dishing concrete into pie plates. The consistency should be smooth but still thick.
3. Smooth the concrete into a pie plate. It’s easiest if you arrange for your class to play on the playground (supervised, of course) while you call 3-5 students at a time to make the project with your help on the adjacent sidewalk.
4. Have the students press their hand prints into the concrete and then press the decorative stones around the print. The stones can be used to make a pattern, word, name, etc. (Tip: Having a hose nearby is handy for rinsing dirty hands! Also, if the hand prints aren’t showing up, allow the concrete to set for a minute and then try again.)
5. Allow the concrete to set as long as possible before moving the pie plates. Then, move them to a newspaper-covered counter in your classroom to set overnight.
6. The next day, your students will love popping their creations out of the pie plate molds. Keep pie plates, to use to carry stepping stones home. Allow a solid 24-48 hours of dry time on the newspaper-covered counter before they go home to Mom.

A final word: This project isn’t an easy one, but the results are super impressive. Moms absolutely love this lovely, child-made addition to their gardens!

Photo from About.com.

by Rachel Stepp

Comment on this article for a chance to win a $20 gift card to The School Box. One lucky commenter wins each month!

Valentine’s Day is one of those wishy-washy holidays. You know, the kind that are sort of tough to justify academically but you’d be black-listed by your students if you completely ignored it. So, I’ve compiled some fun ways to recognize Valentine’s Day in your classroom while promoting literacy (check!), raising school funds (ca-ching!), and building classroom community (sweet!).

Val-Day Idea One: In Love with Literature

Read books to your students about the history or traditions of the holiday. For younger students, my favorite is Little Critter: Happy Valentine’s Day, Little Critter! by Mercer Mayer. For older grades, try Valentine’s Day (Holiday Histories) by Kathryn A. Imler. You can base classroom discussions around what people might do on Valentine’s Day and why we still celebrate the holiday in America.

Val-Day Idea Two: Will You Be My…Friend?

Of course, the traditional idea of having students exchange cards and sweets is ever popular with the kiddos. Remember to encourage students to bring a card for everyone if they are going to bring any (sending home a class list ahead of time helps with this goal). Depending on how involved you want the celebration to be, you can either have your students make shoebox mailboxes or decorate Valentine bags. For the shoebox mailboxes, students can bring in shoeboxes and decorate them with construction paper, stickers, paint, and more. For bags, the same can be done with brown or colored lunch bags (eliminates the need for students to bring in boxes). Allow students to place their boxes/bags on their desks and then invite students to walk around and deliver cards.

Val-Day Three: Cash for Carnations

If you want to celebrate Valentine’s Day on a larger scale, encourage your school to participate in a school-wide function. One of my favorite school-wide activities for Valentine’s Day is a carnation sale run by the PTA/PTO. A sale table is set up at the beginning of the week where students can order carnations in advance, which also helps the organization know how many to buy. On Valentine’s Day, carnations are delivered to classrooms with tags on them to say who they are for and who they are from. This allows students to buy carnations for others throughout their school. They can also buy them for their family members at home. Money raised can be used to support other school functions. (Hint: middle-schoolers LOVE this idea).

Valentine’s Day is a day to remember the ones you love…and the job you love! Make the day something that you and your students will enjoy.

For more Valentine-themed goodies for your home and classroom, check out The School Box’s good ideas!

Rachel Stepp is a graduate student at The University of Georgia who is a constant resource of great ideas!

Okay, so you just have to know about this event: This Saturday, January 29, is the biggest sale at The School Box all year. Did you hear that? ALL YEAR, ladies and gents. I am more than a little excited.

But, wait, don’t tune out if you’re not a teacher. The School Box is also the PERFECT place to get craft supplies, kiddie room decor and furniture, the best book titles for all ages, tutoring & extra practice materials for home…and (my personal fave) birthday and baby shower gifts. Have you seen their awesome toy and game aisles? Quality stuff sans the lead paint (like Melissa & Doug). And now it’ll all be ON SALE!!! “Stock up” is the golden rule for a balanced birthday budget.

The Details:

Date: January 29, 2011

Where: At *every* School Box location. To find one near you, check out www.schoolbox.com.

Discounts: Available for parents, teachers, home-schoolers, aunts, uncles, grandparents, third cousins twice removed…everyone! Draw an apple at checkout, and the apple will determine the discount on your total purchase (10%, 20%, 30%, 40%).

Oh Goody Goody: The first 40 customers will receive special goody bags.  Drawings will also be done for $50 prizes, and one lucky duck will win a $250 Gift Certificate!!!

This is one of the best (and most fun!) sales for quality children’s games, supplies and the like. Just thought you should know about it!

by Kelli Lewis

Post a comment to win a $20 School Box Gift Card! One winner is chosen each week.

So, the kids are out for winter break, but the Big Guy isn’t slated to come for a few more days. Since Santa is all that’s really on their minds (let’s be real), here’s a fun craft to make with your little ones at home!

What you’ll need:

• red construction paper, cut into star-shaped pieces (about the size of a small paper plate)
• cotton balls
• markers or crayons
• scissors
• hole punch
• ribbon
• glue stick

What to do:

1. After creating stars out of the red construction paper, lay the star flat on a table in front of you. Be sure that one of the star’s points is at the top.
2. Create Santa’s face on the top point of the star, leaving the very top of the point for his “hat.” Pull some cotton from the cotton balls for his beard and brim of his hat. Use the markers or crayons to draw eyes, a nose and a mouth for his face.
3. The middle of the star will serve as his body. Use markers or crayons to draw buttons for his suit. You can also use more cotton for the bottom lining of his suit.
4. The other 4 points will serve as Santa’s arms (the two points pointing to the left and right) and legs (the two points pointing down). Arms: Add cotton to the end of his sleeves on his suit. Be sure to leave small triangles for the very tip to serve as his hands. Legs: Use markers or crayons to draw black boots for his shoes. This will be done by creating small triangles at the very end tip of the two points that are the legs.
5. Punch a hole in the top of the star (Santa’s head/hat).
6. Tie ribbon through the hole to create a way to hang your ornament! Or, to make a magnet, add a magnetic strip to the back.

Congratulations! You’ve just gotten yourself 30 minutes closer to Santa’s arrival.

Kelli Lewis is a current education graduate student at The University of Georgia and a regular contributor to A Learning Experience.

by Rachel Stepp

Comment on this post to win a $20 School Box Gift Card! One winner is picked every week!

As an adult, I can still go “home” to my parents’ house around Christmas time and see little “treasures” that I made in elementary school on the Christmas tree. This holiday season, you might want to make something with your students (or with your own children–maybe for their grandparents!) that will be treasured forever. There are many crafts to do, but you want to do something that parents and grandparents are going to want to hold onto and look at for years to come.

Idea #1: Fingerprint Snowman Ornaments

1. To do this activity, you will need enough glass ornaments for all of your students. Any color will work, but clear and frosted blue are especially pretty. You can usually find these at seasonal stores or craft stores around the holiday season. Each child will get one.
2. Paint the children’s fingers white and stamp them onto an ornament. Let them dry completely (probably over night).
3. Then draw (or have the students draw) carrot noses, eyes and mouths made of coal, and snowmen hats with permanent markers or paint pens.
4. Write each child’s name and the year on the back of the ornament. Tie a festive bow around the top of the ornament.
5. Be sure to wrap the ornaments in tissue paper and in a paper bag before you send them home with the students because you don’t want them to break. Let your students know that they need to be careful with them.

Idea #2: Puzzle Piece Wreaths

1. You can also make puzzle piece wreaths that can be either ornaments or pins.
2. Find some puzzles with small pieces that you don’t want to have around anymore.
3. Children should flip the puzzle pieces over to their brown side and paint them green. Each child should have enough puzzles pieces to lay them out in the shape of a wreath with pieces overlapping.
4. You (or an adult volunteer) will need to do this next step: After the pieces have dried, use a hot glue gun to glue all of the pieces into the shape of a wreath.
5. Then, children should take a picture of themselves and cut it out so that their face fits into the middle of the wreath. Glue the picture showing through the wreath from the back.
6. You can add string in a loop at the top to make an ornament or buy pins with self adhesive backs to make it into pins. These are great because they are personable and it is fun to look at them year after year on your Christmas tree.

(For additional puzzle-piece wreath ideas, including the cute button look featured in the photo, visit http://crafts.kaboose.com/puzzle-wreath-ornament.html.)

If you’re not feeling crafty this year, don’t panic! There are many small craft kits available at school supply and craft stores (like picture frame ornaments and foam stickers) that you could use to make something special. It is always fun to use students’ pictures so that they feel proud of what they make. It’s even possible that your yearbook staff (if your school has one) can give you a page of all of your children’s pictures so that you don’t have to print them yourself!

Merry Christmas…and happy crafting!

Rachel Stepp is a graduate student at The University of Georgia with creative ideas aplenty!

Comment on this post to win a $20 School Box Gift Card! One winner is picked every week!

Want to get your students (or your own children!) in the true holiday spirit? Try bonding together by creating something unique and special! Here’s an idea to get children thinking of others by using their art and math skills to make an ornament.

You can use the below recipe for air-dry clay. Children have lots of fun helping measure (math tie-in!) and mix. But here’s the catch to this project: the ornament they make is not for them to keep. They must give it away! If you do this activity with a class or group of children, they can have an ornament exchange afterward (by drawing each others’ names out of bowl). If you do this at home, challenge your children to think of someone (a friend, neighbor, sibling) that they would like to give their ornament to.

Here’s a simple recipe for making air-dry clay ornaments that was found at www.dltk-kids.com.

• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. powdered alum
• 1 1/2 tsp. vegetable oil
• boiling water (amount varies depending on your humidity)
• food colouring

1. Combine flour, salt, and alum in a mixing bowl
2. Add vegetable oil.
3. Slowly add boiling water, stirring the entire time.  Dough should not be sticky.
4. Break dough into separate portions if desired.
5. Add food coloring and knead until it is incorporated (your hands may get a bit messy here).Children can form clay into wreaths, stockings, or any other holiday or wintry shape. Cookie cutters work well, too! Flatter shapes are ideal because they will dry well. Make sure that at least part of the shape is open, as well, to allow for a ribbon to be looped through for hanging once it’s dry.
6. Let dry 48 hours in a warm, breezy location.
7. OPTIONAL:  Paint with clear nail polish or varnish once dry to better preserve the ornament.
8. Store for up to a month in an airtight container.

Once the ornaments are dry, children can make a card or wrap them, and then they can enjoy the delight on the recipient’s face when they give their ornament away!

Kelli Lewis is a graduate student at The University of Georgia who is chock-full of great ideas and insights. We’re so glad she shares them with us at A Learning Experience!