Primary Birds of a Feather!

This is a simple project I do with both Kindergarten and 1st grade.  I'll admit that I got this lesson from my mentor teacher from when I did my student-teaching.  The kids love it, and it packs a lot of different Art concepts into one lesson so it's been a real win-win situation for me!  I begin by teaching students about the primary colors, and we discuss different shapes too.  I let the kids come up and draw different shapes on the board.  Then they get to make 3 different birds from construction paper.  So, in one lesson we cover our cutting skills, our primary colors, math-related shapes, and collage.  They then paint or color in the background.  I love the results!

I'll be posting more updates soon...Just taking some of the downtime from my Technology In-Service to catch up on all the projects I've done this year.  This lesson is great for winter time because you can incorporate science and talk about wintertime birds- (listen to sound clips, discuss physical characteristics-color, migration patterns, food, etc)  that is, if you want to get more involved in the lesson. I didn't do all of that...but those are my off the cuff ideas at the moment!  Have fun, and, I'll be posting more soon!

End of School Whirlwind!

Well, well, well...Hello everyone!   It seems that with the whirlwind of the last half of the school year, I've disappeared entirely from the blogging world!  The school year sure flies by after Spring break, doesn't it??

What has the end of the year looked like for your classroom?  How have you dealt with the rush of special programs, school assemblies, field trips, and trying to keep some sort of order in the class?  Some sort of consistency  Is it even possible????

Between the transformation of students from quiet, and well-behaved, to wild zoo animals that can barely contain the summertime excitement...it's a miracle to be able to get through 1 lesson!  I've discovered that sometimes it takes shorter, shorter, shorter lessons, with higher success levels and high expectations, but less time consuming activities.  it quickly becomes a juggling act of balance, entertainment, and engagement.  What are some of your activities?  Some of your solutions?  Come one, come all...share your stories!!