Grade School Archives - Page 5 of 27

Free Printable Bear Mask Template

July 18, 2020 By Deirdre

There are so many wonderful children’s books about bears. What fun it would be to decorate a bear mask to wear before hearing one! You could even have your children wear their mask while listening to a book. However, if you think that would be too distracting for them to wear a mask during the story they could decorate or wear it after the story.

Great Books About Bears

Below you will find some of my favorite bear books. There are a wide variety of books displayed. If you don’t find your favorite book below, please leave a comment under this post. I would love to hear what your favorite bear book is.

Links below are affiliate links.

Getting the Bear Mask Ready to Decorate

First, you will need to download a copy of the Bear Mask template. It was saved as a PDF. Before you can open it you will need to make sure you have a PDF reader. I really like Adobe Acrobat.
Next, you will need to print it out on heavy copy paper or card stock. It will make the mask a little studier.
Then you will need to decide if you want your children to decorate a mask that has been cut out or one that hasn’t. You can decide if you want to cut it out or they will when it is time.
Finally, you will need to gather decorating supplies. Below you will find a list of ways the masks could be decorated. We painted ours with acrylic paint and a fork.

Ways to Decorate the Bear Mask

Crayons
Magic Markers
Watercolor Paint and a Paint Brush
Tempra Paint and Cotton Balls
Acrylic Paint and a Plastic Fork
Bingo or Dot Markers

Ways to Wear the Mask

First, you can punch holes on either side of the mask. Then you can attach yarn to both of the holes. You can tie the two pieces of yarn in the back.
Second, you can attach a strip of cardstock to both sides of the mask. Your children can then slip the mask over their heads.
Third, you may have children that don’t want to wear the mask on their face. You can attach a wooden craft stick to the mask. Children can hold the mask over their faces.

If you like this bear activity, here are some more you will love:

Bear Dreamed About Colors Printable Book to Color

Color Games for Kids with a Bear Theme

Shape Activity for Preschooler with Bears

Counting on Bear Paws with Number Claws

Bear Hunt Sensory Tray from Mama.Papa.Bubba

Mouse Mask Based on If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

July 12, 2020 By Deirdre

This printable mouse mask is part of a series of mask templates based on children’s books. You will find some of the other masks displayed at the end of this post. While I was thinking of the book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie when I created the mask, you could pair it with any mouse-themed book. Your children will have fun decorating. Then they can read or listen to the book you select while wearing their mask.

Getting the If You Give a Mouse a Cookie Mouse Mask

If you have a PDF reader on your computer, you will be able to open the Mouse Mask Template . If you don’t have one, you will want to download one. I like Acrobat Reader.

Hint: The masks will be sturdier if they are printed out on cardstock.

Decorating the Mask

First, you could color the mask with crayons or markers.
Second, you could glue small squares of black and gray paper to the mask. It will look a little like a mosaic.
Third, the mask could be painted with cotton balls or a paintbrush.
Fourth, you could glue pieces of newspaper to the main face area and color in the heart-shaped mask.

Ways to Wear the Mask

There are a number of ways you can wear the mask.

First, you can punch holes on either side of the mask. Then you can attach yarn to both of the holes. You can tie the two pieces of yarn in the back.
Second, you can attach a strip of cardstock to both sides of the mask. Your children can then slip the mask over their heads.
Third, you may have children that don’t want to wear the mask on their face. You can attach a wooden craft stick to the mask. Children can hold the mask over their faces.

If after looking at this mask, you want to check out some more printable masks I have placed a few of them below.

Cute Shark Mask

There Was An Old Lady Printable Mask Template

Cow Mask Template

Cat Mask Template Based on Pete the Cat

July 12, 2020 By Deirdre

Pete the Cat is a favorite book character. He may be one of the top children’s books cats of all time. This cat mask template could be colored to look like him. The mask could be decorated to look like a number of other cats found in children’s literature. Therefore you can use this mask template over and over again as you read other cat books. However, it was created to resemble Pete.

Let’s Start with a Book

Below you will find a collection of children’s books that have a cat as the main character. Before you have your children decorate their masks, you will want to read one of the books below. You will notice that there is only one Pete the Cat book. The other books are old favorites of mine. Even if you decide to have the mask be Pete it would be great to read some of the others.

The links below are affiliate links.

Preparing the Mask

Before you download the Printable Cat Mask Template Based on Pete the Cat, please make sure you have a PDF reader on your computer. Acrobat Reader is the one that I use. Once you have downloaded the template, you can open it up with your PDF reader.

The mask will be sturdier if you print it out on bright white cardstock. If you buy “regular” white cardstock, it will look a little gray. (My masks were printed on white cardstock I had at home. They look a little gray.)

Finally, you will need to decide if you want to cut the mask out before or after it is colored. If you cut the mask out before it is colored, your children can wear them right away. Waiting to cut out the mask means it will have to be cut out before it can be worn.

Decorating the Mask

You can put out a variety of coloring tools for your children to use or choose just one. Below you will find a list of fun ways to color.

Magic Markers give the mask some texture. They also give you a brightly colored mask. The color doesn’t fade much.
Crayon also five a mask texture. They aren’t messy and are easy to color over if you make a mistake. They don’t create bright vividly colored masks.
Color pencils give a mask a soft and fuzzy look. They aren’t messy!
Watercolors give the mask a sheer layer of color. They are messy and colors can run from one area of the mask to another.

Wearing the Mask

There are a number of ways you can wear the mask.

First, you can punch holes on either side of the mask. Then you can attach yarn to both of the holes. You can tie the two pieces of yarn in the back.
Second, you can attach a strip of cardstock to both sides of the mask. Your children can then slip the mask over their heads.
Third, you may have children that don’t want to wear the mask on their face. You can attach a wooden craft stick to the mask. Children can hold the mask over their faces.

If you like this mask craft, here are some more masks you will love. They are all free to download.

Cute Shark Mask

There Was An Old Lady Printable Mask Template

Cow Mask Template

Free Koala Mask

Jump the Shark Math Games for Early Learners

July 10, 2020 By Deirdre

This printable set of math games for early learners has a shark theme. Each game board has a shark in the corner. When one of your children rolls a number that would land them on the shark, they get to jump the shark. It will be fun to see if they get to jump the shark when they get close to a corner.

Getting the Jump the Shark Math Games

The Jump the Shark Math Games for Early Learners set was saved as a PDF file. Therefore you will need to have Acrobat Reader or another PDF reader on your computer to open the file.

Once you have opened the games, you can decide which game you want to play. If you would like to create your own math game, there is an editable game board in the set.

While the game boards feature colored graphics, you can print them out in black and white or grayscale. You will notice the picture in this post shows the board in grayscale.

Game Supplies

The game board of your choice
One six-sided die
A game piece for each person. (A button, token, bottle cap, etc..)

Play the Jump the Shark Math Games

$Jump the Shark Math Games Addition Games$

The Addition Edition

Roll the die to find out how many spaces you get to move. Then add the number you land on to the number on the die.

$Jump the Shark Math Games Subtraction$

The Subtraction Edition

Roll the die to find out how many spaces you get to move. Then you will subtract the larger number (It could be the number on the die or space) from the smaller number.

$Jump the Shark Math Games Number Recognition$

The Number Recognition Edition

Roll the die to find out how many spaces you get to move. Then show the number you land on with small objects like a button, straw, or pom-pom.

The Before and After Edition

Roll the die to find out how many spaces you get to move. Then tell the number that comes right before and after the number on the square you land on.

Blank Editable Edition

You can type in any number with up to five digits into each editable text box. Number facts or number words with up to seven letters can be typed into the boxes if you prefer.

If you like this math game, here are some more you will love.

$Cool Math Games- Word Problem Fortune Teller$

Cootie Catcher Word Problems

$Math Fun- Solar System Facts$
Solar System Math Facts

This is part of the Shark Worksheets for Kids (Five Days Worth) event.

$Jump the Shark Math Games Square$

Binary Code for Kids- Spelling Shark Printables

July 9, 2020 By Deirdre

This set of binary code for kids spelling printables focuses on the words shark, tooth, and fin. These shark printables are a fun way to introduce your children to the binary code for alphabet letters. There is a binary code key at the bottom of each page. Children write the code for each letter beside it. Then they will color in the byte or group of circles beside the code. The ones in the code will be filled in. The zeros in the code will be left blank.

What is a Binary Code?

It is the code used by a computer to understand letters, numbers, symbols, and commands. The code uses groups of 8 numbers to represent each letter, number, symbol, and command you type in on a keyboard. The only numbers that the computer can use to create the code are 0’s and 1’s.

Binary code can be confusing. Therefore, you may want to visit Teach Kids Binary in One Simple Stepto to get more information on how to teach it to your kids.

Getting the Shark Printables

First, you will need to download Binary Code for Kids – Spelling Shark Words .

Second, you will need to open the worksheet set in Acrobat Reader. If you don’t have Acrobat Reader, you can use whatever PDF reader you have on your computer.

Third, you will need to print out one worksheet for each of your children. You will notice that the set includes answer keys.

Exploring Coding Before Starting the Activity

Below you will find some wonderful books that talk about coding for kids.

Working on Spelling Shark Words in Binary Code

First, you will want your children to search the binary alphabet chart at the bottom of the worksheet to find the numeric code for each letter. (You may want to let them know that the codes they are working with represent capital letters. Lowercase letters have a slightly different binary code.)

Once they placed each letter’s 0’s and 1’s on the lines, they are ready to move on to coloring the circles next to the code with a pencil. They will leave all the circles that represent 0’s empty. The circles that represent 1’s will be colored in.

After that, you will want them to double-check that they have filled the correct circles. It is easy to mix up which circles need to be filled in and which don’t. It is for that reason I suggested your children will them in with a pencil.

Why Fill in Eight Circles?

A computer uses a group of eight switches to send a binary code. The switches can be turned on or be left off. Each 0 in a binary code represents a switch left off. Each 1 represents a switch turned on. Your children will create a visual of the switches turned on or left off for each letter.

If you like this binary code activity, here are some more coding activities you will love.

Pool Noodle Ideas- Building Binary Codes

Gruffalo Coding Sheet

The Snowy Day Coding Printable

Magical Creatures STEM Coding and Drawing Page

This is part of the Shark Worksheets for Kids (Five Days Worth) event.

Decoding Shark Words Printables

July 8, 2020 By Deirdre

Whether you are celebrating Shark Week or exploring the ocean with your kids, the shark words will be fun to decode. Children will use the key at the top of the pages to decode shark words. One of the pages focuses on parts of a shark’s body. The second printable focuses on types of sharks. The graphics on the printable are large so children can easily see what they are. Therefore the words only contain a few letters.

After completing one or both of the printable, your children can try to come up with more shark words. Their words can have a lot more letters. They could even make their list on the back on the printable they just completed.

Getting Ready to Use the Decoding Shark Words Printables

Once you have downloaded the set of Decoding Shark Words, you will find that it is a PDF. Therefore you will need a PDF reader like Acrobat Reader to open it. When you have opened the set, you can decide which of the printables you want to use first.

Reading a Book About Sharks

Reading a book about sharks before starting the activity, will help your children activate the information they already know about sharks. Some of your children may not know a lot about sharks. Reading one of the books below will help them to start to build their knowledge about sharks. While most of the books below are non-fiction, you will find one of them is just a fun book about sharks.

Links below are affiliate links.

Exploring the Printables

Children can work on decoding the words on their own. It would be fun to work together to brainstorm words to put in the back on the paper. Children can write and spell the words on their own or you can have them copy them for a list you write out.

Here are some more shark-themed activities.

Shark Pool Noodle Launcher

How to Draw a Shark with an Algorithm

DIY Nerf Target for Shark Week

Montessori Inspired Shark Activities from Living Montessori Now

This is part of the Shark Worksheets for Kids (Five Days Worth) event.

Color By Binary Numbers Shark Coloring Pages

July 7, 2020 By Deirdre

Did you know your computer knows only two numbers? Those numbers are one and two. Those two numbers translate every letter, number, and symbol you click on the keyboard into an eight-digit number. That eight-digit number is called a byte. Each of the numbers or a bit in the byte is a one or a two. You can introduce your children to the binary numbers for the numbers 1,2,3 and 4 as the work on this set of shark coloring pages.

While they don’t explain how the bytes for each number is created, it does let them see how a computer sees that number. The hope is by exposing them to binary numbers they will start to build a foundation of what they are.

Why Sharks?

I am working on a series of Shark themed coding activities that could be used during Shark Week. This is one of the sets in the series. You will find other shark-themed coding pages on the Shark Week kick off-page.

Getting Ready to Explore the Binary Number Coloring Pages

After you download the Color By Binary Numbers 1,2,3,and 4 Shark Pages, you will need to open them up with a PDF reader. Acrobat Reader is a good one to use. Then you can decide if you want to print out one or both of the coloring pages.

Introducing The Binary Numbers Worksheet to Your Children

The worksheet can be explored in a number of different ways. You can come up with your own steps or follow the steps I have below.

First, you will want to tell the that a computer only knows the numbers one and two.

Second, you will want to tell them that what they type into a computer is understood by the computer as a byte. A byte is made up of a combination of eight 0’s and 1’s.

Third, the binary codes for the numbers 1,2,3 and 4 are displayed at the top of the coloring page.

Fourth, a color is been assigned to each binary number.

Fifth, everywhere your children see that binary number in the picture they will color its space with the assigned color.

Sixth, the spaces without numbers will be left blank.

Reading About Sharks

Before you start the coloring pages or after your children have completed them, you may want to have them read about sharks. Below you will find some fun books about sharks.

The links below are affiliate links.

More Binary Activities

These binary activities are a fun way to introduce your children to how binary code works. Not all of the binary activities are found on this blog. If they are from another blog, you will find the name of the blog after the activity.

The first activity is binary countdown rockets.

Spelling 4th of July Words in Binary is the second activity.

The third activity is Pool Noodle Ideas – Building Letters in Binary Code.

Finally, Valentine’s Day Coding STEM Activity from Little Bins for Little Hands is a great activity to try.

This is part of the Shark Worksheets for Kids (Five Days Worth) event.

Offline Coding Academy -Printable Shark Algorithm Game Boards

July 6, 2020 By Deirdre

Printable shark algorithm game boards are a great way to introduce your children to coding. Coding is simply creating a series of steps that will help complete a task. These game boards invite children to connect the beginning of the game board to the end. Arrows children place in the squares connecting the beginning to the end will create the algorithm.

Shark pictures have been placed in some of the blocks. The arrows will need to point in the direction needed to leave the box and move to the next box that doesn’t contain a shark. While there is more than one way to complete each gameboard, some routes are more direct than others. When a coder is creating an algorithm, they try to use the fewest steps possible. Some children may try to find the shortest route with the fewest twists and turns. Some children will try to come up with the most creative route. It will be fun to see what your children choose to do.

Before Building an Algorithm Read a Book

Your children may not have a lot of experience with coding and how it is used. Before you have them start any of the algorithm game boards, you may want to read them a book about coding. You will find several children’s books about coding below.

Links below are affiliate links.

Getting the Algorithm Game Boards Ready

The Shark Algorithm Game Boards are available to download in a PDF format. You will need to have a program like Acrobat Reader available to open them up. While the game board feature color graphics. You can print them out in black and white. (You will notice that is what we have done.)

Hint: If you plan on using them over and over again, you will want to print them out on card stock and laminate them. They will last longer that way.

There are two ways for your children to build algorithms on the game boards. The first is drawing arrows in the boxes. The second is using the arrows that come with the game board set. If you choose to use the printable arrows, you will want to print them on card stock and laminate them.

Working on the Algorithm Game Boards

There are a number of ways your children can work on building algorithms. The first thing they will need to do is figure out what path they will use to connect the word Start to the word Finish.
Before you have them work on their own, you will want to walk them through creating the first few steps.
They will need to decide which way to go to leave the Start box. Then they will draw or place an arrow pointing the direction they will need to go to leave the box. Next, they will decide what direction they will need to go to move from that box to the next. They will continue to build their path with arrows until they reach the word End.
Some children may need to build a full algorithm path with you or a partner before they work on their own.
When they have completed their algorithm, please have them tell you what it is. You may also want them to tell you why they chose the path they did.

Here are some more algorithm activities:

Offline Coding Academy- Printable Games with Penguins

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish Algorithm Page

Offline Coding Academy -Muffin Tin Algorithm

Coding Games for Kids from Little Bins for Little Hands

This is part of the Shark Worksheets for Kids (Five Days Worth) event.

Shark Worksheets for Kids (Five Days Worth)

July 5, 2020 By Deirdre

For the next five days, a new set of shark worksheets will become available. They will not just be appearing right here on JDaniel4’s Mom. Once a day for the next five days shark worksheets will be appearing on 3 Dinosaurs too. While my worksheets will focus on binary numbers, coding, and math games, 3 Dinosaurs will be sharing math and language activities. (We both may share a few other worksheets and printables that focus on other concepts!)

Starting on Monday I will add the link to shark-themed printables shared on both blogs. While you stop by and check out each day’s offerings from my blog on the left-hand side of my blog, you can also stop by this post and see what new posts have been shared by both of us.

Our hope is that these worksheets will be part of your children’s summer learning, ocean units, and/or Shark Week celebrations. The topics they explore are ones that many of you have asked for through social media. We are so excited about sharing them with you!

Daily Shark Worksheets

Monday

Offline Coding Academy- Printable Shark Algorithm Game Boards has four game boards in its wet. Children will connect the word Start to the word End with arrows to create an algorithm.

Shark Shape Matching Puzzles has 12 fun shape puzzles that kids can learn with. They have fun shark fins as part of the matching.

Tuesday

Color By Binary Numbers is a set of two coloring pages. Both pages explore the numbers one to four in binary numbers and have shark-theme.

Shark Fin CVC Words Break the Code printables feature a picture spot and the opportunity to spell out the word that is pictured.

Wednesday

Decoding Shark Words Printables invite your children to use shark-themed pictures to decode types of shark and parts of sharks.

The Hands-On Shark ABC Matching Printable set invites children to match upper and lowercase letters to graphics that begin with that letter of the alphabet.

Thursday

Shark Themed R-Controlled AR Easy Reader Book is super cute! What a great way to work on r-controlled words.

Binary Code for Kids- Spelling Shark set includes two additional binary spelling pages. They all focus on shark-themed words!

Friday

$Jump the Shark Math Games Square$

This Jump the Shark Math Games for Early Learners set of printables features five game boards. They look at addition, subtraction, the number before and after, and number recognition. The fifth game board in the set is editable. You can type in your own numbers or number facts in the spaces.

Hands-On Learning with Shark Ten Frames 1 to 10 is a great way to work on counting and number recognition.

While you are waiting, here are some of the shark-themed activities I have shared in the past.

Printable Shark Mask Template

Shark Pool Noodle Launcher

STEM Experiment-How to Do Sharks Float?

How to Make a Pool Noodle Shark

How to Draw a Shark with an Algorithm Worksheets

The Kissing Hand Raccoon Mask Template

June 29, 2020 By Deirdre

The Kissing Hand is a favorite Back to School book. This raccoon mask template would be great to have children decorate after reading the book to them. The mask doesn’t have to be a part of a Kissing Hand unit or even a Back to School unit. It could be part of a unit on forests, nocturnal animals, or even a Halloween unit (Since a raccoon wears a mask.)

Getting the Kissing Hand Raccoon Mask

The first thing you will need to do is make sure that you have a PDF reader. The one I use is Acrobat Reader. The Kissing Hand Raccoon Mask Template will be sturdier if it is printed out onto cardstock or heavy copy paper.

Decorating and Wearing the Mask

There are a number of ways you can decorate the mask. You will notice that we used crayons to color the mask. The face is gray and the mask is black. You could leave the area under the mask white if you want it to look more like the raccoon in the book.

Here are some other decorating ideas:

First, you could color the mask with crayons or markers.
Second, you could glue small squares of black and gray paper to the mask. It will look a little like a mosaic.
Third, the mask could be painted with cotton balls or a paintbrush.
Fourth, you could glue pieces of newspaper to the main face area and color in the heart-shaped mask.

There are a number of ways that you can wear the mask. You will find them listed on the Cute Shark Mask post.

If you are looking for some more Back to School ideas, I think you will like the ones listed below.