starrynight

Fantastic Lessons and Where to Find Them

Morning all,

One thing I find I struggle with is picking the right lessons to get the little ones motivated. Boring power points and simple worksheets aren't doing the trick- so today I wanted to share a trick I have had some success with in the classroom:

When covering boring topics, or ones students struggle with, look for lessons that present them in a fun and engaging manner. Look for what your students are interested in and find lessons curated around those topics.

I have a group unicorn obsessed girls struggling with counting - so the solution? a unicorn and rainbow maths lesson focusing on counting skills or a unicorn addition I spy activity.

Its basically Trojan horsing a maths lesson with fun topics that you know students would enjoy : )

Δωρεάν βιβλία!

I finally got the new iPad I have been wanting (decided to go with the lite version to save a bit of money) and I have been thinking about ways I can implement it into one of the lessons. So something I came up with this week was to explore E-Books, as we have exhausted the collection of books we have in our small library. Here are some of my top picks for * free * E-Books that I have found so far this week.

1. The Wiener Dog Market
2. There's a Lion on the Loose
3. The Three Little Pigs 
4. Epic Kids Book - (This one is an App I found)
5. We Are All Different 
6. The Magic Mirror

Looking for more fun things to do with the Ipad as well : ) any suggestions please feel free to let me know.

στρες

In my time off I have been doing a lot of lesson planning - and with everything going on in the world its not for certain we will be returning to the classroom: / so you could say I have been a bit stressed lately. This post I just wanted to talk about some of the methods and ways I have used to combat my stressful thoughts and overall anxiety.

1) Make yourself a nice cup of tea - one of the small things that can instantly elevate or calm your mood. I just ordered some green tea and have been having a lot of chamomille.

2) Get out into nature - take a walk around your local park, remember to breathe and take in and appreciate the nature around you.

3) Meditate - another new one for me, I just downloaded a few guided meditation apps and have been trying them out. Its hard to keep my mind from wandering sometimes but this is one I definitely want to keep trying.

4) Clean - its amazing how much a clean home can almost declutter the mind:)

5) Treat yo self - Don't be afraid to have that one big cheat meal a week, eat the ice cream, have the cake, and don't let yourself stress about it!

Ώρα παιχνιδιού!

I wanted to continue my last post and keep on exploring the topic of disguising educational resources as fun, which leads me to my next discovery: Games.

I like to end the day with an interactive game for students to play, usually when I know we there is going to be a particularly intense day ahead for them. I think its important to have the fun reward of a game at the end of the day to help aid in their concentration. There are a few games that seem to be the most popular.

Cookie Monsters foodie truck game  has proven to be class favorite. A lot of the kids, like us, have grown up on Sesame Street so its easy to see why. One I always insist on them playing this  interactive game  that teaches them about recycling, one of the most important topics to start covering in my opinion. Finally its a trip to space to learn some  phonics ! Please feel free to share any other educational games with me you have found 🙂