Happy Friday! I hope that everyone is enjoying their summer! Some of you go back in just a week or two. Time sure is flying by!
This week's featured freebie is a new one. Write The Room Fruits Beginning Sounds is a fun literacy center that gets your students up and moving. When I taught Kindergarten, Write The Room was my students favorite center. There are eight pictures of fruit that you can hang up anywhere in the room and children search for the fruit and write the beginning sound or the whole word (your choice) on the recording sheet. Please show your kindness by leaving positive feedback and check out the 83 FREEBIES in my store! Be sure to follow me so you don't miss out on anything else great in my store.
Thanks for hoppin' by Hopkins' Hoppin' Happenings! Keep on smiling!
One of the most popular classic children's books is "Where The Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak. This great book helps spark children's imagination.
Did you know that this classic book is a song and now has a music video for it? That's right The Learning Station just released a video for their internationally hit song "Wild Things". This is a fun brain break song with incredible graphics. Children will love doing the fun movements that the wild thing makes. Children absolutely love Freeze Dance songs and this is a freeze dance song! The song is featured on the hit CD "Literacy In Motion" by The Learning Station. The hit CD also includes songs like "Five Little Monkeys", "I Know An Old Lady", "Green Eggs and Ham", and many more!
"Where The Wild Things Are" is also now a movie! It would be great to have children read the book, watch the movie, and listen to the song and then compare and contrast them!
There are affiliate links included for the movie and book. It doesn't cost you a penny more.
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Does your class love to sing? Songs can help children learn new information in a variety of subjects and can also provide a much needed brain break! My students always loved singing songs. These Thanksgiving songs by The Learning Station cover Math, Social Studies, and some are just plain fun that will allow them to get their wiggles out! They are perfect for leading up to Thanksgiving or for your party if you have one.
This first song, Turkey Dance incorporates fun movements and will have your students giggling as they get a good workout. They will love doing this brain break to help break up the day!
The second one is a collection of Thanksgiving songs from The Learning Station. It would be perfect to use for a classroom party as they are eating their food or for indoor recess.
Check out the linky party below where I have included the different Thanksgiving songs and some fall and autumn songs that The Learning Station has available.
Goodbye October, Hello November! I hope those who celebrate had a great Halloween. I was ready to hand out candy and not a single child stopped by my house. I usually only get one or two groups so it wasn't that big of a surprise. I miss seeing them all dressed up though!
As a teacher, I have always noticed as holidays approach children get a bit restless. I try my best to make learning fun to keep them engaged and one of the best ways to do so is through music! Here are my favorite Thanksgiving songs from The Learning Station.
My favorite has to be the song "A Turkey Dance". This fun song will have your children dancing and giggling!
"Albuquerque Turkey" is a fun song about a turkey that doesn't that doesn't want to be eaten on Thanksgiving dinner. Listen to the song to hear what the family ate for Thanksgiving instead of turkey. This song would also make for an excellent writing assignment where the children decide what they should eat for Thanksgiving dinner instead of turkey!
"Little Pilgrim" is the perfect song to tell the story of the first Thanksgiving Day.
Other favorites include:
"5 Little Turkeys", which is a great counting song using ordinal numbers.
"10 Little Turkeys", which works on the skill of counting backwards from 10.
"Thanksgiving Feast" is a great song about all the yummy food we eat for Thanksgiving!
Thanks for hoppin' by Hopkins' Hoppin' Happenings! Keep on smiling!
I was asked by the publishing company, Compass Publishing to review a new classroom management book from Jerry Evanski called "Master Classroom Management In Eight Weeks". I received a PDF of the book and they are going to give away a physical copy or a PDF to one lucky reader of my blog! Only US residents can win the physical copy, but if you are international they are happy to send you a PDF of the book. If you are not the winner you can click on the picture of the book or HERE to order it. By ordering on this link you will get both the PDF and the physical copy of the book. It is available on Amazon, but by ordering the physical copy you will not get a PDF of the book on there. Read on for the review and how to win a copy!
This is an easy to read book that is broken down into 8 weeks with different topics. The topics are: Getting Attention, Keeping Attention, Engaging Students, Teaching the Lesson, Getting Participation, Giving Directions, Communicating, and Transitioning. All are critical parts for a smooth running classroom. Jerry breaks each topic down into smaller topics and skills for each day of the week for each topic. By following his guide and implementing each part a day at a time you will have mastered classroom management.
I love that he incorporates many of the things that I believe in such as movement, gestures, collaborative groups, partners, encouragement, praise, role playing, and music to name a few.
One strategy under review in week 4 (Friday) is called Ping-pong review. You use 25 ping pong balls with a number from 1 to 25 on each ball. Create a list of review topics, vocabulary words, etc. students are working on. Put the balls on the floor and have your students pick a certain number of balls and then they review that numbered topic or vocabulary word with a partner!
That's just one example of many wonderful ideas in this book.
This giveaway starts at midnight and ends in 5 days. I will check entries to be sure that you have done what you said you have done. You will have 48 hours to answer your e-mail after I have drawn a winner or a new winner will be selected.
The Learning Station has a brand new CD out called "Brain Breaks Action Songs: Let's Move"! Since I work for them, they let me review CD's and give one away to a lucky blog reader of mine! They were so kind they even dedicated this CD to me and a few other huge fans.
Now you have the chance to win this fun CD for your classroom or
home! Enter by doing as many things on the Rafflecopter form above that
you would like to do. Remember that sharing will give you 5 entries
and you can share every 24 hours for more entries. You will have to go
back to Rafflecopter each 24 hours. You will have 48 hours to claim
your prize if you are the winner or a new winner will be chosen! If you aren't the winner, you can purchase the CD by clicking on it below!
This CD has 16 highly engaging fun songs! They work perfectly for brain breaks and indoor recess when the weather is too cold or rainy. Research shows that children need brain breaks to be able to focus after long periods of sitting still.
The songs are:
1.Good Morning - a fun uptempo song with movements to start your class off each morning on a positive note.
2.Iggle Wiggle - a fun energetic song with movements and it will have your students laughing. This one will have your kids barking like a mutt, sing like Smurf, blow a kiss, etc.! haha It is one of my favorites on the CD!
3.Chili Chili - This one is a fun song that has kids doing the ballet, belly dance, Irish jig, pogo, etc. It also has them touching the ground, turning around, etc. This is great when they need to burn off a ton of energy! Check out the video below.
4.I am the Music Man - is a fun repeat after me song that will have your students pretending to play musical instruments!
5.Penguin Song - There are currently two great videos for the penguin song and both the live version and the animated version have the fun movements. Read about my post on this song and watch the videos by clicking HERE.
6.Monster Shuffle - This is a fun line dance song. It is perfect for Halloween, but also great for just a brain break as many children love monsters! Check out this fun video by clicking HERE.
7.A Turkey Dance - This is a fun original dance that is my absolute favorite turkey song I have ever heard. This is one of my very favorites on the CD. Many teachers do turkey activities during Thanksgiving, but it's also perfect for an animal/bird unit. Also, just for a fun brain break! Check out the video below, which is the best YouTube turkey dance video that I have ever seen!
8.There was a Crocodile - This is a fun animal song with animal sounds. This is perfect for any animal unit! Your students will have a blast making these animal sounds!
9.Happy Dance - This is a fun dance that will no doubt have your students smiling and feeling happy!
10.Sparkle - This is a slower paced original song that is about spreading kindness. This is a perfect song for Valentine's Day or any time when teaching the character trait kindness. There are also movements to go with this one!
11.Tarzan - This is an uptempo brain break! Tarzan is another fun repeat after me song. It will have students doing fun movements with Tarzan and Jane!
12.Brain Breaks Skip-a-Dee-Doo - This is a fun brain break song that will have your students following directions.
13.Princess Pat - is a slower paced song that is popular camp/scout song. It is a fun repeat after me song.
14.Zum Gali Gali - is a Hebrew song about friendship with very catchy lyrics that will have your kids clapping along! This is one of my favorites on the CD.
15.Ride that Pony - a fun brain break song that is perfect for any cowboy/cowgirl theme. This is sure to be popular for children who love horses!
16. Goodbye Song - This is a fun song about saying goodbye in silly ways such as see you soon raccoon, take care polar bear, be sweet parakeet, etc. It is a repeat after me song that will have your students doing some fun movements as well. Perfect song to end any day!
Now you have the chance to win this fun CD for your classroom or home! Enter by doing as many things on the Rafflecopter form above that you would like to do. Remember that sharing will give you 5 entries and you can share every 24 hours for more entries. You will have to go back to Rafflecopter each 24 hours. You will have 48 hours to claim your prize if you are the winner or a new winner will be chosen!
Thanks for hoppin' by Hopkins' Hoppin' Happenings. Keep on smiling!
It is so important that children not just learn how to decode words through phonics, but also learn those tricky words that just can't be sounded, which are sight words. It also helps their reading fluency. I have found that it is best to find high engaging activities to help children learn their sight words. Some of the ways I teach sight words include: Music -
Movement - Sight Word Cheers and Chants
Highlighting the Sight Words in printable books using a highlighter or in a regular book with highlighter tape.
Playing sight word learning games! You can grab this one free until November 5th on my Facebook page by clicking the pictures and then liking my page. Next click on Fan Freebies under more. It is editable so you can edit the sight words to what you want them to be! I used the first 48 Fry words.
How do you teaching sight words to make them fun for your students? Share in the comments below! Thanks for hoppin' by Hopkins' Hoppin' Happenings. Keep on smiling!
I am lucky enough to receive a copy of The Learning Stations great new CD Action! Fun! Dance! For Kids to review and giveaway a copy to one of you! If you can't wait, click the picture to order your copy today!
This is fun CD filled with fun movements and many of the songs come from different cultures from around the world! Children need brain breaks to keep them focused and this CD is perfect for that.
1. A-Root-Chy-Cha is a fun upbeat song that will have your students clapping, putting their knees together, elbows together, bottoms out, tongues out, etc.
2. Zumba Dance is a fun song from Africa. This one will have your students dancing, jogging in different ways, wiggling shoulders, feet, etc. The twist is all of a sudden they have to STOP just like the song "The Freeze" by Greg and Steve. Kids love that!!!
3. Icky Sticky Bubble Gum - This has to be my favorite song on the CD and I did have time to try it out with one group of Kindergarten students when we had a little extra time in Music. They loved it. They pretend like they have bubble gum and the song tells where it gets stuck: nose, ears, knees, etc. They try to pull it off themselves! I can't wait until their is a video of this one!
4. Jamaican Dance - Here's a fun song from Jamaica that will get your students moving! This song will have your students moving their hands and arms and pretending to shake maracas.
5. Funky Nursery Rhymes - Pre-K and Kindergarten students are bound to love these fun Nursery Rhymes. This song also incorporates body movement making it even more fun!
6. Boogaloo Song - This is another fun action song that ends with your students putting themselves to sleep. haha You must watch the video to watch Don at the end. haha Check out the video on a previous post of mine about music in the classroom by clicking HERE.
7. Shabooya - This one will have your students dancing, tapping their feet, hopping like a bunny, swimming, chicken dancing, etc.
8. Ballin' the Jack - This movement song will have your students moving their feet, knees, and arms.
9. Funga Alafia - This is a repeating song that I learned in college when becoming a teacher. The booklet includes the movements for the song. Perfect song to open your school day as it is about welcoming each other.
10. Doctor Knickerbocker - This song incorporates counting to 9 and keeping a rhythm with your hands, feet, hips, and head.
11. Herman the Worm - What kiddo doesn't like worms? haha Herman keeps eating different fruits (in different numbers from 1 to 5) and gets bigger and bigger. What will happen to herman when he eats the 5th fruit? You'll have to hear the song to find out. Fun way to incorporate fruits, numbers, and you could even add it to a measurement lesson!
12. The More We Get Together - This is a sweet song about caring for each other and being there for each other. It's a great song to teach the importance of being friends and being nice to each other. It even has some skip counting in the song!
13. A Ram Sam Sam - This fun song has your students reaching for the sky and singing faster and faster. The booklet includes the fun movements and you can see it in action in the fun video!
14. Fooba Wooba John - The final song will have your students twisting to the beat. The song has snails, frogs, dogs, and other fun animals.
Fill out the Rafflecopter Form to enter the giveaway. You must be a blog follower to enter. There are other ways to earn more chances. Good luck to everyone!
I'm a big fan of using music in the classroom. How about you? I didn't use it as much as I would have loved to at one school I taught at because it was an open school meaning the walls went halfway up kind of like cubicles. I did use it a bunch at another school I taught at. Here are some ideas on using music in the classroom.
Work Time
Many teachers use classical music as a way to calm students during work time.
Sometimes it's fun to pick fun songs or popular songs that the children like from One Direction, Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, etc. If they stop working and are only singing then the natural consequence is the music is off.
Games
Music is fun for games like musical chairs for parties.
It also works well for selecting partners for articles. They have to find a partner when the music stops. After they do the brief activity the music starts again and they keep walking until the music stops and pick a new partner.
Brain Breaks
Children need to get out of their seat sometimes and move their body. I love using music from The Learning Station, Greg and Steve, and Jack Hartmann. Check out a couple of my favorite videos below!
Signals
Music works well as a signal for when clean up time. Everything must be put away and students in their seats by the time the music stops.
Use it to get students in line if you have a class who dawdles on the way to the line. They must be in line when the music stops.
Sing songs in line before getting them out the door.
Sing a chorus of a song or an entire song during a transition from one activity to another and students must be ready by the time is done. A lot of behavior problems seem to arise during these transitions and this is a good way to put an end to that!
Learning Songs
There are also many songs out there to teach multiplication, addition, phonics, the alphabet, numbers, songs about the weather, seasons, states, etc. Many children learn best when learning is put to music!
I often share youtube videos I find on my facebook page. So be sure to join me there!
Be sure to tell us in the comments how you use music in the classroom. Did I leave a great way to use music out? Also what are your favorite songs and children's groups or singers that you use in the classroom?
Thanks for hoppin' by Hopkins' Hoppin' Happenings. Keep on smiling!
Why not make sight word learning fun for your students? I have created some wonderful cards that will help get your students moving! Some of the cards are for sitting and others are for standing up. Some can be used for either. There are even a few cards that students will need a partner! These can also be used to learn spelling words so the cards will work for all Elementary grade levels!
How about some fun examples:
- My second graders I previously taught absolutely loved Movie Star Kisses. The students start with their hand at their mouth and blow kisses for each letter like a movie star winning an award!
- Volcano: Students start out at a whisper and get louder with each letter. Then explode when you say the word at the end.
- Hand Jive: Pair your students up. Children clap hands together for consonants and lap clap for vowels. They put their hands in the air at the end as you say the word.
- Motorcycle: Hang on to the pretend handle bars and do wheelies for each letter.
- Back Tracer - Students stand up and form a circle. Trace the letter of the back of the person in front of you.
You can find many more fun chants and cheers including Batter Up, Hula, Surfin' and Spellin', Frog Jumps, Yo-Yo, Chicken, and Ketchup.
Click on the pictures to check them out in my store. Download the preview for some free cards!
I would love to hear any ideas that you have for using sight words and spelling words that allow your students to move! Share below in the comments!
Thanks for hoppin' by Hopkins' Hoppin' Happenings. Keep on smiling!
Today, I am thrilled to get the chance to review Tony Chesnut & Fun Time Action Songs by The Learning Station! All opinions are strictly my own! I am not being paid for the review. At the end of the review you will have the opportunity to win a CD if you are a United States resident!
The CD includes song lyrics and activities you can use with the songs!!! I love the movements!
1. Tony Chesnut - One of the most popular children's songs of all time. Everyone loves Tony, children and adults alike! This song is so much fun because there are action moves that will easily get all the wiggles out of the children! Check out a couple of videos from The Learning Station!
Here's a second video:
2. Five Little Monkeys - Everyone knows Five Little Monkeys! I've been left the book to read to children while subbing and they just love the story and love to sing the song too. The Learning Station's version of the song is so much fun!
3. Way Down Younder - A fun song that will have your class making silly animal sounds! I can see this song leading to a great writing assignment. Why not have your class write their own imaginative story on what happens Way Down Younder!
4. One, Two, Buckle My Shoe - This is a great classic children's song. It builds up speed as the song goes and is terrific for practicing numbers to ten!
5. How Much Is That Doggie? - This one is one of my favorite songs from childhood. You could easily turn this song into a class book. Let your children pick different animals that they wish they could buy and put it into a book!
6. Mr. Mirror - Fun song to get the kids moving their lips, eyes, ears, nose, etc.
7. I Like Friends - Great song to talk about the importance of friendship! Great to learn student names and help them each other's names.
8. Rattlesnake - A fun song where children stand in a line holding hands and circle around like a rattlesnake! Too cute!
9. Swimming Song - Many of your students have been swimming all summer and/or watched the Olympics! This is a fun song where your students can practice swimming!
10. Shiny Clean Dance - A fun movement song to act like students are cleaning things!
11. Imagination, Communication - A great song for your kids to use their imagination making animal sounds!
12. Pump, Pump, Shuffle - This is a fun follow directions song!
13. Twister Time -Another fun follow directions song. I especially love the lyrics that say "Got a heart, got a mind, I know I'm smart and kind." Besides Tony Chesnut this is probably my favorite songs for the awesome lyrics and fun movement!
14. The Spirit Song - A fun movement song to get your students snapping, swaying, clapping, dancing, jumping, etc.
If you would like to not wait for the giveaway to end and pick up your own copy, click the CD to go to the Learning Station store!
Enter the giveaway using the simple Rafflecopter form! Be sure to visit The Learning Station on FB and thank them for the great giveaway!
