The Effect of Play
My students were waning as we were wrapping up the must-dos of the day. Everyone looked ready to be done and go home. So, with 30 minutes left in the day I announced "Free Choice!" and the countenance of each child immediately changed! There was an immediate switch from cognitive exhaustion to cognitive rigor. From yawning to exuberance in a millisecond, that is the power of play!
Play is freedom! It is the freedom to choose, the freedom to express, create, explore, and discover at ones own pace with joyful autonomy. Play is to children what the weekend is to adults. A chance to learn by doing with a relaxed state of mind. And when it comes to play, whether an adult or child, not only does the body benefit from the relaxation and freedom from stress, the brain also benefits from it’s effects. According to a researcher from the University of Lethbridge in Alberta Canada:
“The experience of play changes the connections of the neurons at the front end of your brain... and without play experience, those neurons aren’t changed.”
Dr Pellis goes on to explain that the development of the prefrontal cortex is crucial to the regulation of emotions, planning, problem solving, and complex thinking. This is not the only research that corroborates the positive effects of play, there is a wealth of findings that show that children learn best in this way, and that is why play-based learning is the core of my classroom teaching. It is through its powerful effect that I choose to deliver the bulk of my academic content.
Want to see how free choice time looks in my classroom? Check out this video:
If you are looking for some great play-based thematic fun, you might want to check out these cross-curricular thematic units.
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Product Description
This Spring Activities packet is filled with authentic active learning activities that will thrill your classroom or homeschool students as they learn important academic skills.
It's a Spring Thing is strategically linked to the common core standards, based on proven reading, math, and science research and best practices.
The activities are divided into areas of literature, music, art, literacy, math, science, creative writing, word wall, and guided reading. The activities are clearly written, differentiated, easy to use, and need limited amounts of preparation. When laminated and filed, these become Ready to Go for your teaching years ahead!
Contents Include:
Literacy Games
Lambs & Lions: Naming Letters Quickly
Lambs & Lions: Sight Word Fluency
Let’s Go Fly a Kite: Alphabet Fluency
Let’s Go Fly a Kite: Sight Word Fluency
The Bird’s Nest: Building Familiarity With Punctuation Marks
Abracadabra: Decoding CVC Words (Or Nonsense Words)
Hens and Chicks: Reading Reading CVC Words
Spring Words Worksheet: Distinguishing Between Similar Words
Math Games:
April Showers Bring May Flowers: Decomposing Numbers
Fly Away Birdie: Solving Subtraction Problems
Spring Fling: Solving Addition Problems
Runaway Chicks: Solving Mathematical Problems Using 5-Frames
Bountiful Bunnies: Decomposing Numbers
Who Is Ready For Spring?: Connecting Numbers 1-43
Hippity Hop: Connecting Numbers 1-47
Songs and Fingerplays
It is Springtime
Springtime
March Wind
Put Up Your Umbrella
Science Projects
Jello Mixing: Mixing Colors Tactilely
Color Mixing: Making Secondary Colors
Paint Mixing: Recording Data From an Experiment
Art Projects
Lamb & Lion: Portfolio Sample
Under the Umbrella: Portfolio Sample
Vase of Flowers: Artist Study
Easter Bunny Hat
Writing
What I Like About Spring
The Easter Bunny
Guided Reading Books
Mix It Up
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Pond Independent Writing Center Activities
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Product Description
Celebrate Earth Day, Arbor Day, or any day when it comes to saving our planet and celebrating Our Earth!
This Thematic Earth Unit is filled with active, age-appropriate learning activities that are strategically linked to the core standards.
Contents Include:
Shared Reading Activities:
Joseph Had a Overcoat: Recycling
Mud: Sorting Middle Sounds
Literacy Activities
Earth Day Dominos: Naming Sight Words
Recycle It: Writing CVC Words or Alphabet Letters
Earth Day Order: Alphabetizing Letters
Math Activities
Grow a Tree: Joining Numbers to Make 10
Earth Day Lotto: Subtracting Numbers
Spring Clean Up: Composing Teen Numbers
I Love Earth: Writing Sums
Sight Word Reader
Our Earth
Writing
Earth Day Word Wall
Writing Prompts: My Planet Earth
Art Projects
The Earth is in Our Hands
Songs/Fingerplays
Take Care of The Earth
I Love the Mountains
Mud
Earth Day
Earth Day: Ideas for the Day or Week
Pond Independent Writing Center Activities
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Product Description
This Thematic Unit Dinosaurs, is strategically linked to academic Core Standards. It is divided into areas of literature, music, art, literacy, math, worksheets, science, creative writing, word wall, and guided reading. The activities are clearly written, easy to use, and need limited amounts of preparation.
Your classroom or homeschool students will love to learn more about Dinosaurs using this play-based cross-curricular ideas.
Songs/Fingerplays
Stegosaurus
A Paleontologist
ROAR
Five Enormous Dinosaurs
Art Projects
Dinosaur Mosaic: A Cooperative Activity
Paleontologist: Using Geometric Shapes
Dinosaur Hat
Dino Rider
Writing
Dinosaur Word Wall
Writing Prompts:About Dinosaurs, If I Were a Paleontologist
Writing Activities: List, How To, Label It
Science
Dinosaur Facts & Information
Stegosaurus Skeleton: Tactile Science
Dinosaur Dig
Guided Reading Books
When Dinosaurs Lived
Class Made Books
Our Dinosaurs
Math Lessons
Dino Diner: Composing Numbers 10-20
Dino Land: Identifying Numbers
Dinosaur Addition: Solving Addition Problems
Dinosaur Park: Counting Objects & Recording Numbers
Independent Activities
Dinosaur 10's
Dinosaur Hunter
Literacy Lessons
Dinosaur Desert: Fluently Naming Alphabet Letter Sounds
Dino Detour: Fluently Naming Letter Sounds (Or Sight Words)
Dinosaur Lunch: Reading Simple Sentences
Dinosaur Sounds: Writing Alphabet Representation of Sounds
Dinosaur Takeover: Decoding Words
Independent Activities
Dinosaur Eggs: Writing Simple Words
Dinosaur ABC: Alphabetical Order
Dino Blends: Identifying Graphophonemic Representation of Blends
Product Description
This Space unit is strategically linked to academic core standards. And will take your students on an adventure, Out in Space! This Space unit is divided into areas of literature, music, art, literacy, math, worksheets, science, creative writing, word wall, and guided reading. The activities are clearly written, easy to use, and need limited amounts of preparation.
Table of Contents
Literacy Lessons
Moon Walk: Blending and Segmenting Words
Moon Walk: Reading and Segmenting CVC Words
Zoom to the Moon: Alphabet Fluency (Or Sight Word Fluency)
Star Light Star Bright: Reading Sight Words (Or Identifying Alphabet Letters)
Asteroid Belt: Fluently Naming Alphabet Letter Sounds
Planet Race: Fluently Naming Alphabet Letters
The Milky Way: Blending Phonemes
Shared Reading Whole Group Activities:
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star: Sorting Words by Initial Sound
Independent Activities
A Trip to the Planets: Writing CVC Words
Math Lessons With Independent Options:
A Trip to the Stars: Adding to and Taking Away
Deep Space Ten: Counting by Tens
Blast Off: Addition
Energize: Solving Word Problems
Space Rocks: Matching Quantity to Number
Independent Activities
Planet Discovery: Writing Numbers
Space Addition
Star Math
Star Dot to Dot: Ordering Numbers 1-36
Guided Reading Books
To Space
Science
Creating a Space Science Center
Writing
Word Wall
My Rocket Ship
Out in Space
Art Projects
The Solar System: Construct Project
Tangram Rockets: Using Geometric Shapes
Make a Planet: Coffee Filter Art
Comet, Moon, & Sun: Mixing Paint
Songs/Fingerplays
I'm a Little Astronaut
The Planets
Blast off to Mars
Ten Astronauts
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Product Description
Strategically Linked to the common core, this best-selling Thematic plant unit is divided into areas of literature, media, music, art, literacy activities, math activities, worksheets, science activities, creative writing, word wall words, and guided reading for cross-curricular learning.
The activities are clearly written, easy to use, and need limited amounts of preparation. The lessons are fun and engaging and will leave your classroom or homeschool students begging for more.
Math Center Activities
Flowering Math: Joining Sets
Watermelon War: Comparing Numerals
Garden Party: Demonstrating Subtraction
Counting Seeds: Count out items to match a given number.
Planting Seeds: Making Combinations to 10
Adding Flowers
Garden Takeaway
Plant a Garden Ways to Make 8
Reading Center Activities:
Flower Garden: Reading Sight Word & CVC Word Sentences (or alphabet recognition).
Tip Toe Through the Tulips: Alphabet letter sound fluency (or sight word fluency)
Run Rabbit Run: Alphabet Letter Fluency
In the Garden: Naming Sight Words
Greenhouse Words: Reading Sight Words
Blooming Words: Isolating Phonemes & Writing CVC Words From Dictation
The Garden Show: Writing Color Words
Science Activities
Building a Science Center
A Seed Grows: Planting a seed in a bag
Kitchen Science: Edible Dirt
Plant Parts: Observation of Plants
The Thirsty Stem: Capillary Action In Plants
Seed Sorting: Using the Scientific Process
Art Projects
Plant Parts: Portfolio Sample
Artful Flowers
Mother's Day Flower
Fingerprint Flowers
Songs
Watermelon Pie
Inch by Inch (adapted) by David Mallet
Plant A Seed
Guided Reading
The Little Seed
Writing
Plant Word Wall Words
Prompts: All About Seeds,What I Know About Plants
I Can Writing: Label it, list it card it
Pond Independent Writing Center Activities
Spring Themed Intervention Games
Lamb and Lion Spring Themed Activities
Each activity is clearly written, easy to use, and needs limited preparation. The lessons are fun and engaging and will leave your students begging for more!
Also available at Teachers Pay Teachers!
Product Description
This thematic unit on Mexico is filled with active, fun learning that your classroom or homeschool students will certainly enjoy as they learn important academic skills along the way.
Celebrate Cinco de Mayo and the study of Mexico using this unit that is strategically linked to the academic Core Standards.
Contents Include:
Literacy Activities
Cinco de Mayo: Attending to Key Detail in Text
The Sombrero Circle: Identifying High Frequency Words
Fiesta: Decoding Words With Blends, Digraphs, Silent E
Mexican Hat Dance: Fluently Reading Sight Word and CVC Sentences
Fill The Piñata: Segmenting Words
de Colores: Using Spanish Color Words
Mi Amigos: Writing CVC Words
Math Activities
Number Match: Matching Number to Quantity With Spanish Words
Party of Ten: Making Combinations of Ten
Jumping Beans: Finding Answers to Equations
Maraca Equations : Writing Equations
Cinco de Mayo Math: Adding and Subtracting
Math Journal: Ten Amigos in All
Writing
Mexico Word Wall
Writing Prompts: Mexico
Guided Reading Books
Cinco de Mayo
Science
Mexican Jumping Beans
Dramatic Play
Fiesta Supply Store
Kitchen
dulce de leche
Art Projects
Tissue Paper Flowers
Flowing Head Dress
Mexican Vest
Mexican Hat
Paper Bag Maraca
Celebrate Cinco de Mayo and the study of Mexico using this unit that is strategically linked to the Common Core Standards.
Also available at Teachers Pay Teachers!
Product Description
Bring the Zoo into your classroom with this Developmentally Appropriate "At The Zoo" Thematic Unit. This unit is strategically linked to the Common Core Standards, and many of the lessons are scripted for easy delivery.
This Zoo unit is a collection of engaging play-based activities that make learning fun and appropriate.
The unit is divided into areas of literature, music, art, literacy, math, worksheets, science, creative writing, word wall, and guided reading. The activities are clearly written, easy to use, and need limited amounts of preparation.
Table of Contents
Literacy Activities
Monkey Food: Decoding Words
Zoo Zap: Reading Sight Words
Around The Zoo: Reading Sentences
Cat Families: Using Word Families to Extend Reading Skills
Cat Family Writing: Word Family Writing
Boo At The Zoo: Writing oo Words
Math Activities
The Zoo Shop: Counting With One to One Correspondence
The Zebra Exhibit: Identifying Numbers
The Zoo Take Away: Subtracting Numbers Within Five
Hiss: Identifying Two and Three Dimensional Shapes
Zero Zebras: Comparing Numbers
Monkey Math: Subtraction Problems
The Zoo Keeper: Comparing Numbers
Math Journal Prompt Labels
Science
Animal Comparisons: Observing & Describing Characteristics
Monkey Bread: Combining Ingredients
Guided Reading Books
Going To The Zoo
Class Made Books
A Trip To The Zoo
Writing
Zoo Word Wall
The Animals at the Zoo
What Does a Zookeeper Do?
Art Projects
Paint a Zoo: Painting a Zoo Scene
Paper Bag Monkey: Making a Primate Friend
Crocodile: Constructing a Crocodile Pet
The Zoo: Portfolio Page
Songs/Fingerplays
Jumbo Elephant
Over at the Zoo
Way Down Yonder
Boa Constrictor
Sally The Camel
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Product Description
Alien Thematic Unit is filled with out of space fun. Who doesn't love the fun of Aliens and reading such books as "Aliens Wear Underpants.
Alien Planet, is strategically linked to the academic Core Standards. It is divided into areas of literature, music, art, literacy, math, worksheets, science, creative writing, word wall, and guided reading. The activities are clearly written, easy to use, and need limited amounts of preparation.
Table of Contents:
Literacy Activities
Speak Alien Please: Segmenting Words
Alien Hop and Swat: Decoding and Segmenting CVC Words
Alien Zinger: Reading Sight Words (or Alphabet Letters) Fluently
Sentence Scramble: Reading and Constructing Sight Word Sentences
Alien Attack: Fluently Naming Alphabet Letters
Math Activities
Blast Off Bingo: Numbers 11-30
Teen Time Disco: Identifying and Matching Teen Numbers
Astro Park: Collecting and Recording Data
Aliens Away: Subtracting Objects
Guided Reading Books
The Little Alien
Class Made Books
All About Aliens
Science
Alien Goo: Mixing Substances
Writing
Alien Word Wall
The UFO
All About Aliens
Art Projects
Alien Headbands
Construct an Alien
UFO
Songs/Fingerplays
Five Little Aliens
The Alien
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Product Description
Enjoy learning about animals and insects that live in a pond as your use this engaging "Developmentally Appropriate Thematic Unit" about Pond Animals.
Life in a Pond is filled with authentic play-based learning activities that your students in your classroom and/or homeschool setting will love. All activities are strategically linked to Common Core Standards.
Contents include:
Songs/Fingerplays
Five Little Ducks
Oh I Want to Be a Frog
The Little White Duck
Art Projects
Handprint Duck
Fingerpaint Ducks Portfolio Sample
Frog Construct
Science
A Frog’s Life: Sequencing Map
A Duck Grows Up: A Science Booklet: Duck’s Life Cycle
Kitchen
Frog in a Pond
Frogs on a Log
Guided Reading Books
The Pond
A Frog Grows
Writing
Pond Word Wall
Writing Prompts: The Frog, Ducks
Writing Center Activities:
How To, Write It, Label It
Math Activities
Hopping Frogs: Solving Equations
Where’s My Mommy: Matching Equations to Decompositions
Frog Subtraction: Subtracting Objects
Turtle Race: Adding and Subtracting Fluently
Teen Duck Lotto: Matching Teen Numbers to Quantity
Literacy Activities
Frogger: Decoding CVC Words
Pond Phrases: Reading & Matching Phrases
Turtle Snap: Decoding Nonsense Words
Punctuation Pond: Choosing End Punctuation Marks
Pond Hunt: Write the Room Sight Words
At the Pond: Writing 3 and 4 Sound Words
Pond Sort: Word Family Picture Sort
Also available at Teachers Pay Teachers!
Product Description
Thematic Unit to bring Jungle Activities Into Your Classroom!
This Cross-Curricular Developmentally Appropriate Thematic Unit, "It's a Jungle in Here," will fill your classroom with fun-filled academic learning. This unit is strategically linked to the Common Core Standards, and many of the lessons are scripted for easy delivery.
This Jungle Unit is divided into areas of literature, music, art, literacy, math, worksheets, science, creative writing, vocabulary word wall, and guided reading. The activities are clearly written, easy to use, and need limited amounts of preparation.
The game-based activities will thrill your classroom or homeschool students as they learn academic skills in a jungle setting.
Table of Contents:
Songs/Fingerplays
The Elephant
Jungle Lane
The Lion
Art Projects
King of the Jungle
Elephant Construct
Zebra Painting
Jungle Masks
Writing
Word Wall
Writing Prompts: Jungle Animals & What I Know About the Rainforest
Writing Center Activities: I Can, How To, Label It, Write It, My List
Science
Safari & Other Animal Facts
Literacy Games
Snap: Matching Upper and Lowercase Letters
Rumble Through The Jungle: Reading Sight Words & Recording Data
Safari Sights: Naming Sight Words
Safari Sights: Alphabet Letter Fluency
Safari Stop: Identifying End Punctuation Marks
Independent Literacy Activities
Word Match
Write the Room Rainforest: Writing CVC Words
Math Games
Gorilla Dance: Naming Numerals 0-40
Safari Subtraction: Solving Story Problems
Safari Rest Camp: Subtraction
Dueling Dominos: Comparing Sums While Fluently Adding within 5
Independent Activities
Safari Take-Away
Math Journal Stickers: Zebras at The Pond
Sneaky Snakes: Writing Plus 1 Numbers
Guided Reading Books
The Rainforest
Class Made Books
A Trip to The Jungle
Related Products:
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Product Description
Strategically teach academic core standards and have a lot of fun as well, using this Fairy Tale thematic unit.
Fairy Tale Activities include:
Shared Reading Activities:
Retelling a Story: Sequencing a Familiar Story
Once Upon a Time: Identifying Story Elements
Literacy Lessons:
My Kingdom: Distinguishing Between Similarly Spelled Words.
Kiss a Frog: Sight Words
Race to the Rose: Decoding Words
Spinning Gold: Counting Syllables
Story Boxes: Retelling Familiar Stories
Digraph Pairs: Identifying Digraphs
Grandma’s House: Writing Simple Words
Math Lessons
Knight School: Making Sums of 10
Climb the Beanstalk: Identifying Missing Numbers
Cinderella’s Shoes: Adding Fluently
Follow the Yellow Brick Road: Comparing and Writing Numbers
Dance All Night: Telling Time
Rapunzel’s Tower: Comparing Measurements
Writing
Fairy Tale Word Wall
Writing Prompts: Fairy Tales, Dragons
Writing Center Activities:
How To, Label It, Make a List
Guided Reading Books
Jack & The Beanstalk
Science
Magic Bean Seeds
Art Projects
Draw a Castle
Castle Construction
Frog Prince Construct
King or Queen Construct
Songs/Fingerplays
Poof! I’m a Giant
Cinderella
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Product Description
At the Beach thematic unit, is strategically linked to Core Academic Standards.
This Beach Unit is divided into areas of literature, music, art, literacy, math, worksheets, science, creative writing, word wall, and guided reading. The activities are clearly written, easy to use, and need limited amounts of preparation.
Table of Contents:
Literacy Lessons
Beach Blanket Bingo: Naming Alphabet Letters
Sight Word Suds: Writing Sight Words
Seaside Fun: Sound Substitution
Beach Bears: Decoding CVC and CVCe Words
Independent Activities
Sorting Shells: Identifying Digraphs
Math Lessons
Beach Ball Bonanza: Decomposing Teen Numbers
Castles In the Sand: Addition
Up The Boardwalk: Graphing Sums
Flip Flop Fun: Plus One
Independent Activities
Beach Ball Counting: Matching Number and Quantity
The Beach Shop: Counting Pennies
Guided Reading Books
To The Beach
Class Made Books
At The Beach
Science
Make a Beach: Water Erosion
Float The Boat: Buoyancy
Writing
Beach Word Wall
At The Beach
Water Sports
Art Projects
Paint a Shell
Design a Beach Towel
Shapley Sandcastle: Using Geometric Shapes
Songs/Fingerplays
At The Beach
The Castle
Going Over the Sea
Ocean Independent Writing Activities