February Archives - The Inspired Apple

Free Valentine’s Day Book Activity

February 13, 2017

This post originally appeared on Teachers Love Amazon! Be sure to check them out!

Children’s literature is one of my absolutely FAVORITE things to shop for because there’s so much value in a well-written, perfectly illustrated kid book that I always feel like I get my money’s worth! It, literally, took me a hot second to purchase Before You by Rebecca Doughty as soon as I came across it. #oneclickshopper And, of course, Amazon Prime had it on my doorstep and into the laps of my kiddos 48-hours later.

This book is the sweet story of what life was like before a special someone came along, and how life changed for the better once that special someone arrives. It’s GREAT read-aloud to add to the mix around Valentine’s Day, though it would be such a cute companion text to You’re Finally Here! by Melanie Watt to read during Back-to-School, too!

If you wanted to add this sweet read to your literacy block, for sure create a class chart like the one pictured below. Fill in a few responses with those from the book to model the format, and then have your kiddos generate their own “before” pairs. (I also purchased this amazing poster-sized set of Post-Its – they stick! – from Amazon!)

Want a fun and FREE Valentine writing activity? Then you must check out this companion activity to Before You by Rebecca Doughty, with an extension to use with Melanie Watt's You're Finally Here! These are perfect for your kindergarten, first grade, and second grade students.

Afterwards, have them think about someone special who came into their lives – a teacher, a friend, a brother or sister, another family member, etc. – and complete a little writing activity that mimics the text in the book.

And, if you wanted to extend this lesson further, you can (re)read You’re Finally Here! and do a little Venn diagram to compare and contrast the two texts.

Snag these activities by clicking HERE or the graphic below!

Thanks so much for reading along today, and for more fun teaching activities and ideas, you can stop over to The Inspired Apple blog, visit my Facebook Page, or follow along on Instagram!

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((This post includes affiliate links))

Dental Health Free Activity

January 28, 2017

If you need a quick FREE activity to do with your kiddos in February for Dental Health Month, check out this free printable!

Provide each student with a badge for them to write their dental health pledges. Then, they can cut out the badges and where as a necklace or pinned to their shirts. Fun and EASY!

Celebrate Dental Health month with your kindergarten, first grade, and second grade students with this fun free activity! Students cut out the badge, fill out the pledge, and then they can proudly display them around their necks on a piece of yarn, pinned to their shirts, or on a poster in your hallway! Easy, free, and FUN!

It works as a great follow-up to this whole class poster activity, too!

FREE PRINTABLE

Click >>> HERE <<< for poster templates.

ALSO, one of my BFFs is my kiddos’ dentist and I asked her what dental health resources are available to teachers. She said to simply call local dentists to see if they would be interested in visiting your classroom or donating supplies (like toothbrushes, floss, or toothpaste) for your class! That’s an easy peasy way to provide your kiddos with access to a basic need, all while involving the community. Love it!

If you’re local the the Cincinnati area, check out Hyde Park Pediatric Dentistry where Dr. Katie Blomer practices! Her office is SO kid-friendly, the staff is great, and she will take amazing care of your kids 🙂 Learn more HERE.

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Happy teaching!

Valentine’s Day Writing Activity

January 27, 2017

Joy is my One Little Word for the year, and I’ve recently begun reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. She talks about expressing gratitude every day to our amazing Maker, even over the smallest things to help find the joy in life that is so readily available to us if we’d only seek it. Some of my little joys for the day were playing with pool toys in Sam’s Club with my littles, a tasty and well-cooked pork tenderloin dinner, a loud and uncoordinated dance party before we sent everyone up for baths, and the chance to read aloud Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban with Becks by the fire. Especially today – with the monumental unrest across our globe – it’s hard to be intentional with our thanksgiving. Sometimes because we’re so busy worrying or fretting or concerning ourselves with things that are largely out of our control, we forget to just breathe and observe. I highly recommend this book. I’m just a few chapters in and it’s exactly what I needed to hear right now.

Well.

That was an awfully heavy lead-in to a Valentine activity, also about gratitude, but sometimes you just have to share your heart when your personal life coincides with your teaching life 🙂

As you well know, gratitude isn’t the easiest to come by in our profession. The days are long, the paperwork seems insurmountable, the standards endless, and you always somehow find your mind settling on the faces that shine up at you every day no matter if you’re at home, school, or (likely) Target. #teachertruth

I thought this would be the perfect time of year to get in a little letter-writing instruction while expressing gratitude to one of your class’ favorite staff members who could use the gift of appreciation this time of year. But, this isn’t just any letter. It’s a Valentine. A BIG Valentine made on poster board. The kind anyone under the age of ten would LOVE to make.

You can use the templates to help create your letter and then label the parts of the letter, too! This is a GREAT visual and engaging way for students to share in the letter writing process through shared-pen, especially if you’re teaching new writers.

Of course, you HAVE to deliver your Valentine to said staff member! I’d absolutely LOVE to see pictures of this! Tag me on Instagram @babblingabby, please!

To extend this lesson, pass out one of three Valentine templates and let them practice what they’ve learned by constructing a letter on their own.

Copy it double-sided with the envelope, fold it up, and your kiddos will have sweet little Valentine letters to bestow gratitude upon someone personally 🙂

You can find this activity individually or as part of my anchor charts packs linked below.

Teaching Letter Writing With Valentines

February Anchor Charts and Class Poster Templates

Anchor Charts and Class Poster Templates BUNDLE

Oh, and the book! Here’s my affiliate link:

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Happy teaching!

February Activities for Kindergarten, First Grade, and Second Grade

January 26, 2017

I know plans for February are well underway, so I wanted to pop in to share a few things you might find helpful as you prepare your units! I’ve elaborated on some of these in previous posts and have other posts scheduled about others, so this is simply a Cliff Notes version 😉

First up, is Groundhog Day! (Side note: Bill Murray in that movie – hilarious). Here’s a cute little groundhog craft to make with your kiddos!

This fun little Groundhog Day activity makes the perfect addition to your anchor chart or class posters about Punxsutawney Phil and his springtime predictions! Or, use the templates to let your kindergarten, first grade, or second grade students make a fun little groundhog craft peep-over to adorn their school work, your hallway, or classroom walls!

Then, of course, we have Valentine’s Day! This writing activity is SO GOOD for showing gratitude towards a special staff member and teaching letter writing.

Don’t forget Presidents’ Day on the 20th! This fact sort is a fun way to share little bits of presidential information with your little ones!

Check out this fun Presidents' Day activity perfect for kindergarten, first grade, and second grade students! Your kids will love to learn fun facts about George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump. Sort the facts as a whole class and complete the individual fact sort sheets. This is a great way to teach about the presidents in a fun and engaging way!

And, just because February isn’t thematically full enough, there’s Dental Health month after eating all the candy hearts and hoarding them in your desk drawer pre-party…or is that just me?

My word, February is going to keep us twelve kinds of busy!

Here’s where you can grab the featured activities:

Groundhog Craft

Valentine’s Day Letter Writing Activity

President’s Day Fact Sort

Dental Health Free Activity

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The Inspired Apple has some great activities to use this February! From Groundhog Day to Valentine's Day to Presidents' Day to Dental Health month, you'll be inspired to add some fun activities into your curriculum or thematic units. Crafts, anchor charts, posters, and a free activity, too! Be sure to check this post out if you teach preschool, kindergarten, first grade, or second grade!

Happy teaching!

Groundhog Craft

January 26, 2017

Omigoodness, I’m relying HEAVILY on Punxsutawney Phil to NOT see his shadow this year. I NEED SPRING! We’ve just endured an eternity of germ bugs at our house, and I am ALL THE OVER IT. I need fresh air and sunshine, wagon rides around the neighborhood, and the color restored to the outside baaaaaad.

So, I hope it’s the gloomiest of days on February 2nd and that chubby little rodent doesn’t forecast six more weeks of winter. Because this quarantine can’t last much longer! Rant over 😉

Some of my favorite read-alouds during the beginning of February center around this curious creature. Your kindergarten, first grade, or second grade students will LOVE to read these fiction and non-fiction selections! Here are some of my favorites (these are affiliate links):

And, while you’re learning about this shadowy little character (see what I did there?), you can record your students’ knowledge on this fun little anchor chart!

Or, provide your students with the templates and let them create their own groundhog craft to adorn their school work, the classroom, or your hallway! Fun and EASY!

You can grab this fun little Phil as part of February Anchor Charts and Class Poster templates or the Bundle. Click the covers below for more info!