Search Results for: read

ABC’s of How to Read Binary STEM Activity with Printable

July 6, 2017 By Deirdre

It is easy for your children at home or your students at school to learn how to read binary code. They just need to have the opportunity to have some hands-on learning. That is exactly what this How to Read Binary STEM activity will let them do.

Wait! What is binary? It is the code used by a computer to understand letters, number, symbols, and commands. The code uses groups of 8 numbers to represent each letter, number, symbol, and command. The only numbers that the computer can use to create the code are 0’s and 1’s.

How to Read Binary Activity

Getting Ready

The first thing you will need to do is download and print out the ABC’s of How to Read Binary printable. It focuses on building and coloring the binary code for the letters A, B, and C.

Then you will need to get bead box or bags of beads that contain two different colors. You will also need to have crayons available that match those colors. If you don’t want to give your children a choice of colors, you can just put out the colors you want them to use.

Beginning the Activity

Children will start by selecting the colors that they want to use for the 0 and the 1. They can record their colors in the Building Requirement area of the printable.

Next, they will need to place the correct color of beads on the 0’s and the 1’s in each letter’s code. Tactilely holding and placing each bead on the numbers will help children make learning how to read binary become part of their muscle memory.

Then children will color in the circles beside each binary number to match the beads that are on the numbers. Once they have done that, they can return the beads to you to use in another activity.

The final step of this how to read binary activity is to reflect on the challenges they had with the activity. If they can’t think of any challenges, they can record what they would have done differently or what they liked about the activity.

If you like this coding activity, here are some more on and offline activities you will love:

Amazing Programming Games and Activities Online

Gruffalo Coding Sheet

Coding for Kids- The Day It Rained Hearts

Brown Bear, Brown Bear Coding Printable

Super Hero Computer Coding

Help the Pirate Find His Treasure

Computer Coding Free Printable STEM Activity

Cup Stacking Algorithm Activity with Printable

Amazing Coding Games and Activities to Try Right Now

Cardboard Craft -Crafting a Campfire to Read By

February 14, 2017 By Deirdre

Crafting a Campfire to Read By- Painting the Fire Flames on Cardboard

Whether you are camping in the woods or camping in your backyard, it is nice to have a fire to sit down by. Recently my son and a friend help me craft a campfire to read by and enjoy in our backyard. Once this cardboard craft was finished, they brought out a favorite dinosaur book to explore.

The campfire is made of three pieces of cardboard cut out of a cardboard box. The pieces were cut out to resemble a log on the bottom and flames on the top. Slots were cut into the cardboard pieces so that they could be put together to make a three-dimensional fire.

Crafting a Campfire to Read By- Painting the Fire

Black, brown and red paint were set out for the boys to paint the cardboard with. They were also given sponge and bristle paintbrushes to paint with.

Crafting a Campfire to Read By- Painting the Fire Flames

I suggested that they use the sponge brushes for the log section and the bristle brushes for the flames, but they ended up using both for both sections. They loved getting to see the different types of strokes they could make with each brush. Layering the brown and black paint on the logs was also fun. The logs ended up looking close to the real thing.

Once the paint was dry, the boys made dabs of paint with a bingo marker onto the flame section of the cardboard pieces. Then we used the paintbrushes to smooth out the dabs of orange paint. We all liked the texture that the orange paint added to the flames.

Later when the paint was completely dry I slipped the cardboard pieces together. The boys and I decided it really looked like a campfire.

As I mentioned earlier campfires are great to read by. We also found this campfire was great to sing by and tell tall tales around. The best part about crafting a campfire it that you can take it apart and store it until the next time you want a campfire to read by.

Gingerbread Man Story – Printable Finger Puppets

December 5, 2016 By Deirdre

The story of the Gingerbread Man has been retold in a number of books. The Gingerbread Man retold by Jim Alyesworth is new to me. After seeing it on the Virtual Book Club list, I went to the library to check it out. What fun this version is! I love the storyline and the illustrations. I thought it would be fun to create finger puppets that could be used to retell or walk through the story.

Gingerbread Man Story Puppets that I made include the Gingerbread Man, the old women, the old man, and the fox. They appear is many of the other version that I have read. This set also includes the cow, the pig, and butcher mentioned in Jim Alyesworth’s version of the book. If you are exploring a different version of the story you can still use the first three or four puppets.

How You Can Use the Gingerbread Man Story Puppets

Before Reading the Gingerbread Man Story

You may want to share the puppets with your children before reading the book. Your children can share what they know about each of the characters. You can also have them predict what they will do in the story. It allows your kids to build a foundation for the story and share what they anticipate is going to happen.

During the Reading of the Gingerbread Man Story

You can pass out each of the puppets and have your children hold up their puppet when it appears in the book. If you’re reading the book to at a table, you can use the puppet speaking as pointed in the book.

After Reading the Gingerbread Man Story

You can have your children take turns use one of the puppets to retell the story. It might be fun to have your children retell the story based from the perspective of the puppet they have selected or have been given.

Here are several more Gingerbread Man activities:

More Wonderful Gingerbread Man-Themed Books

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We Love Awesome LEGO Creations with Bricks You Ready Have

November 4, 2016 By Deirdre

Some children dive right into a bucket of LEGO and start building. They just know what they want to build. Others love to build with LEGO, but don’t seem to know what they want to build. If you have kept the manual that came with your LEGO kits then your children may look through them for ideas. Another wonderful new source for building ideas is Awesome LEGO Creations with Bricks You Already Have by Sarah Dees.

Your children will love building the creations featured in Awesome LEGO Creations with the blocks you already have. They will love building things like vets office and a giant monkey.

One of the best things about Awesome LEGO Creations is that beyond being a building book it gets kids’ minds thinking about other things they can build. It will totally inspire your children to think of what they can build similar to the project in the book.

I love that the book has complete lists of what bricks you will need to create each object or scene. JDaniel has been given so many LEGO sets for this birthday and Christmas. We have buckets and bins overflowing with bricks. We will probably have most of the bricks listed for an building project in the book. I bet your children do too.

If you are looking for a wonderful birthday or holiday gift to give to your favorite LEGO builder, Awesome LEGO Creations with Bricks You Already Have. Awesome LEGO creations really should be at the top of your shopping list. The LEGO Classic Large Creative Brick Box would be great to give along with the book. It has close to 800 traditional and special bricks.

Here are some LEGO creations we have made at our house:

Ocean Life Creation and Ocean Building Mat

Groundhog Made with LEGO and Shadow Experiment

LEGO Snowflake Patterns

LEGO Rainbow Hexbug Track

Paper Bag Gingerbread House Craft

December 4, 2015 By Deirdre

We love to make and decorate a gingerbread house at my house every December. We had fun creating a whole bunch of gingerbread houses made from paper bags. The goal was to create enough gingerbread houses to make a small village.

The first thing that had to be done was to cut out colored construction paper in candy shapes. We stuck to colored circles and candy cane rectangles. You could easily come up with a wide variety of paper candies.

My son does a good job of cutting paper. If your children aren’t there yet, you can have the candies cut out in advance for them.

We decorated the front of paper bag by adding a roof, chimney, and door. Then paper candies were added to it. You may decide that you want to decorate both sides of your bags.

Hint: If you want your gingerbread house to have more 3-D effect, you can add the following objects.

cotton from cotton balls
glitter
buttons
felt for the door and windows
burlap
paint

Do you have to use your gingerbread house in a village?

You really don’t have to. After creating your gingerbread house there are a number of ways you can share or use your gingerbread house craft.

First, I think it would make a fun gift bag.
Second, it would be fun to hang on a door or bulletin board in a village or own its own.
Third, this craft could be used a prop in a child created story featuring a gingerbread house.
Finally, it could be held up when sharing this fun gingerbread house poem. I found on ProTeacher.

I made a house of gingerbread.
It was so sugary sweet.
It took me all day long to make.
But, it lasted just a week.
Monday I ate the ceiling.
Tuesday I ate the door.
Wednesday I ate the windows.
Thursday I ate the floor.
Friday I ate all four walls.
Saturday I ate the lawn.
Sunday I licked up all the crumbs.
My gingerbread house is gone!

No matter how you share your wonderful gingerbread house creation I know it will be enjoyed.

If you like the winter activity, here are some more you will love:

Building a Snowman with Household Items

A Snow Globe Craft for Kids

Handprint Christmas Trees

For more Christmas crafts please check out my Christmas Crafts board on Pinterest.

Before or After Gingerbread House Why Not Read a Book

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Christmas Printables- Gingerbread Cookie Numbers

December 2, 2015 By Deirdre

Earlier this week I shared with you a set of peppermint stick themed numbers that you could printout to use this your children. Today I want to share with you a set of gingerbread cookie themed numbers. This set comes with some color candy disks that you can use as counters.You might decide that you don’t want to use the printable counters. You may decide that buttons or pom-poms would be better. No matter what you decide to use I think you children will enjoy counting the numbers on these Christmas printables.

Children can used the numbers in a number of ways. You may decide to have them work on one number a day or have them use all of the numbers at once. It will probably depend on the learning level of your children.

We have used the numbers all together while sitting at the kitchen table and on our deck outdoors. You may decide to use them in a center, with a small group or one on one. There really isn’t a wrong way to use them. I have shared a number of math games you could play in the post on peppermint stick numbers. A few more number games in a post called Fun Math Games with Turkey Numbers.

If your children really enjoy doing math activities with a gingerbread theme, here are a few more activities to try. Some of them are Christmas printables and some are not.

Online Gingerbread Math Games

Roll and Graph Printable from Teaching Heart

Gingerbread House and Fruit Loop Graph from Pre-Kinders

Bake Up Array from Top Teaching

Gingerbread Christmas Printables from 123 Homeschool for Me

If you use these with your children, please take a picture of your version of the activity you play. Then share it with me on Facebook. I would love to see activities you do with them.

DIY Christmas Decorations – Threaded Star Tree

November 17, 2015 By Deirdre

You know you have come up with fun DIY Christmas decorations craft when you child looks at your sample and asks when he can make one. JDaniel did just that last week when he saw the green tree ornament. I had another red popsicle tree sitting out on the table and announced it was his. I think it might have been the sparkly pipe cleaner that could his attention.

Creating the DIY Christmas Decorations

Making the Trees

If you make the trees ahead of time for your children, they will just need to thread the beads on the pipe cleaners. The tree is made with four colored popsicle sticks. I made triangle with three of the sticks. Then I added a stick that would go down the center of the tree. It gave the tree a trunk. It also gave us an area we could weave under or over if we chose to.

Pipe Cleaner Work

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Mystar beads were added to the glittery pipecleaners in an AB pattern. I used a small bead and then large bead. Then I repeated the pattern. They holes in these beads was wide enough to get they threaded easily.

JDaniel added beads to his pipe cleaners randomly. He just looked through the beads and picked out ones that he liked.

Once the beads are in place, they will need to wrap the ends around the frame of the tree.

Craft Variation

We tried to attach our pipe cleaners horizontally. You may decide that you want to attach them vertically. You could also weave the pipe cleaners over and under each other to make a web like effect.

Here are some other DIY Christmas Decorations you may want to make:

The Last Ornament by Judith Vicary Swisher (2010-04-01)

A Christmas Spider’s Miracle

Raising a Rock-Star Reader- Tips You Will Love

October 20, 2015 By Deirdre

Raising A Rock-Star Reader

When I think of rock-stars, I think of people that are at the top of their fields. They are people who have worked at mastering their skills. They have practiced the finer points over and over again. Yet they make what they do seem effortless. I truly believe that if you use the tips in the new book Raising a Rock-Star Reader by Amy Mascott and Allison McDonald your children will be rock-stars at reading.

Why? This book shares 75 tips that you can use with your children at home or at school. Wait! This isn’t just a look listing tips. Each tip includes ways that you can make that tip come alive.

It shares:

Practical ways that you can have your children hone their reading skills.
Simple things you can do to make your child’s learning environment reader friendly.
Fun routines you can add to bedtime, car trips, table time and other times too that are literacy related.

After reading Raising a Rock-Star Reader several times to try and pick my favorite activity to share with you, I finally made a decision. It is something I can do right now with my seven year old. (Yes, this book includes great tips for young children and school age children too.) It is tip #20 Use An At Home Word Board. It is like a word wall you may have seen at your children’s school. We chose to have our words focus on October. JDaniel had come home with a fall word list with hard r words from school. They were are starting place for our cloud of words. We then brainstormed other great words that described October. Ideally we would have added to the list during the month. I wanted you to see what it looks like right now. After brainstorming, I typed them up and made the sign below.

Amy and Allison suggest making a word board for seasonal words, color words and weather words. I think we will do that too. It will be fun to hunt in books and our brains for words that fit each theme.

Honestly I could have picked anyone of the 75 tips to share with you. They are all that good. What I would love for you to do is joining me in adding a copy of this fantastic book to your parenting library! Raising a Rock-Star Reader: 75 Quick Tips for Helping Your Child Develop a Lifelong Love for Readingreally need to be in it. I also think it would be an awesome baby gift. I am sending a copy of Raising a Rock-Star to my niece to celebrate the arrival of her twins in November. She will be able to guide them from the beginning of their lives using tips from this book.

Oh! Once you get this book and love it. You will want to check out their blogs if you haven’t already. Amy’s blog is Teach Mama and Allison McDonald’s is No Time for Flashcards . They are awesome too.

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The Best Poetry Books for Children to Read

June 15, 2015 By Deirdre

Poetry gives children the opportunity to explore words and the pictures they paint. Whether they read all the poems in a book straight through or just two or three at a time, they will truly enjoy them. Another great thing about poems is that children will memorize them and remember them later on. What fun it is to share a poem you have learned with a friend or parent!

This post is part of a series called Reading Everything Under the Sun. The purpose of the series is for children to read a wide variety of books in all different genres. The previous post shared in this series are fables, science fiction, and myths.

Poetry Books

Where the Sidewalk Ends: Poems and Drawings

My mom gave me this book when I was in elementary school. I quickly fell in love with the wonderful drawing and fun poem it contained. Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take the Garbage Out was one of my favorites The humor and whimsy of these poems will make kids laugh and think.

When We Were Very Young (Winnie-the-Pooh)

This is another book I was given when I was in elementary by my maternal grandmother. (It is written by the author of Winnie the Pooh! ) The poem Teddy Bear and all the other poems in this book will be such fun to read aloud to your children or have them read to you. If they have a favorite bear, the bear will love having these poems read to them.

Forest Has a Song: Poems
This book contains wonderful poems about all things found in the forest. The girl on the cover of the book appears in some of the poems, but so do spiders, moss and so much more. This is a great book to curl up with and read together or take on a hike to read during a rest break.

The Bill Martin Jr Big Book of Poetry

This is a collection of poems selected by Bill Martin Jr. It contains work from Steven Kellogg, Eric Carle, Dan Vacarrino, and many others. This collection of 200 poems is grouped by theme. I bet your children will find at least one poem on a topic that interests them in this book.

Won Ton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku

This wonderful poetry book tells the story of the adoption of Won Ton the cat. It is told completely in haiku. What a wonderful way to introduce kids to this form of poetry. If your children love cats like my son does they will really love this book.

Follow Follow: A Book of Reverso Poems
The poems in this book are meant to be read top to bottom and then bottom to top. The meaning of the poems changes when read backward. It is like getting two poems in one. Each of the poems in this book is based on a fairy tale that kids will be familiar with.

insectlopedia

If you have children that are interested in bugs, I bet they would be interested in reading poems about bugs too. This book’s rhymes and buggy poems would be great to share while teaching a unit on bugs.

Hailstones and Halibut Bones: Adventures in Poetry and Color
This amazing book has 12 poems about colors. It paints vivid pictures of each of the colors. This would be a fun book to read to children without letting them see the pictures before they read it on their own. It will be fun for them to compare the picture they painted in their mind with the ones in the book.

Pocket Poems

This is a collection of poems for children. It features 50 short poems written by authors children will recognize. Some rhyme, some flow easily off your tongue, and all will be fun to read.

Doodle Dandies: Poems That Take Shape

Summer: An Alphabet Acrostic

The various aspects of summer are shared in 26 poems. That is one for each letter of the alphabet. Each poem is arranged so the first letter of each line creates a vertical word. Children will love these poems and see their subjects built by letters going down the page.

You can go to Introducing a Fun Way To Encourage Summer Reading to get a copy of this reading punch card.

What is your favorite poem? Share it with me in a comment below.

Introducing A Fun Way to Encourage Summer Reading

May 19, 2015 By Deirdre

The summer is a perfect time of the year to explore different genres or types of books. I have created a summer reading punch card for you to give your children. It lists all different kinds of books. The card doesn’t ask children to read one of each type of book. It asks them to read some of them. I want kids to have the freedom to make a few book genre choices.

I have notice during my years as a teacher that some children tend to read the same types of books over and over again. While I rejoice that they are reading, I have tended to encourage them to read lots of types of books. They may gravitate back to their favorite type of books, but this gives them an opportunity to see what else is out there.

Why Summer Reading Should Include a Variety of Types of Books?

According to Read to Succeed – “Different types of genre books are associated with different amounts and types of language and each will encourage a different dialog or conversation with children.”
According to the Huffington Post’s article How Kids Benefit from Reading a Variety Books– “More book variety grows their entire world. Your child’s vocabulary will improve. It fosters skill development and a lifelong love of reading for generations to come.”

The punch card mentions that there will be a prize when children have received all their hole punches. This prize could be something small like a bookmark or a big the book of their choice at your local bookstore.

Hint:

If you have reluctant reader, you could read through each book together or listen to them on CD. The whole idea is to open the door for new types of books to enter your children’s lives.

During the summer I will be sharing book lists that feature each of these different genres. I hope you will stop by to check them out.

If you try decide to take on this summer reading challenge , please leave me a comment below telling me about how it is going or stop by my Facebook page share a book you have read that you loved.