Top 10 things to do with plastic containers

This innocent looking container holds a wealth of possibilities! Here are my top 11 favorite Kindergarten classroom uses for this free resource.

1.Transport container for fragile projects. (Keeps them nice and protected inside a backpack)

2.Holder of small manipulatives. (Especially if you want to give each child a specific number of manipulatives quickly, they make clean up a snap too!)

3. Container for games. (I like to use them for games that are sent home.)

4. Planters, plant containers. (We decorate them and add a plant for a nice mother's day gift.)

5.Building blocks. (Put the lids on and put a bunch in the block center.)

6.Matching game. (Have students match lids to containers. Only the specific brand's lid will fit it's matching container.)

7.Scissor caddy. (Cut some squares in the lid and add the scissors.)

8.Crayon and pencil box.

9.Letter Eater. (See reading ideas.)

10.No mess glitter station. (Put the item to be "glittered" inside, shake the glitter over it, and all excess glitter is caught in the container.)
11. Snow play!  Bring a selection of colored containers (avoid white or clear containers because they are easily lost in the snow and left behind) outside for recess fun of building snow castles, making snow dishes and carting snow from here to there.

Only have the lids? No problem. Here are some "lids only" ideas.

1. Snack plates.

2. Paint palettes. (The lip around the lid prevents paint spilling. This works well for glue too.)

3.Circle tracers. (Collect a variety of sizes and you have a nice snowman center)

4. Write a sight word in the center of the lid, add a magnet and create a word wall on your chalk board.

5. Number line. The same process as a word wall but with number instead.

Tips:

Wash the containers before using.

Make sure they are completely dry and put the lid on the container.

I like to collect a class supply in a bag. Then when I need them I bring them into school and passing them out is really easy.

Listening Center

Listening centers are wonderful for beginning readers and ELL students. However, keeping everything organized can be difficult. Try this tip. I use long planters intended for window boxes as a listening center.

Students put the tape player on one end of the planter and prop the books up on the other. When it is time to use the center, students get a pillow or a blanket to put on the floor and then they get started.

I don't like to mess around with headphones. I teach the students to keep the volume low. Now I have need and usable listening centers.

Quick Note: During Independent work time only one student is allowed in each center, but at free play time I allow 3 students in each center.

April showers bring May flowers

This is a simple and delightful April and May craft project. You will need paper plates, construction paper and brad fasteners. First, get enough paper plates for each person in your class. On the top of the plate write "bring May flowers" and at the bottom of the plate write "April showers"
Next you will need to create umbrellas. I drew a black line master of the umbrella and the handle and copied them on different colored construction paper. I cut the 2 pieces apart so that I had a stack of umbrella tops and a stack of handles. I instructed the students to chose a top and handle but make sure they were different colors. Then I had them assemble the umbrellas and fasten them to the plates with the brad fasteners.
I made sure the umbrella was placed so that the words "April showers" were visible. Then I had the students draw raindrops under the umbrella.

Then we flipped the umbrella over and it became a basket and the students drew flowers inside the basket.

The kids think it's magic!

Leprechaun

Here is the March toilet paper tube project. I love this one! You need 2 tubes glued together and painted green. Using white construction paper cut out a circle and draw the face. Also make some mitten like hands. With black construction paper make boots and a hat. This look fantastic hanging over the edge of a table or shelf.
Enjoy!

Lent

During lent our prayer table becomes a desert. I display a bare branch in a vase of stones. We also have a bowl of stones and we place one on the prayer table each day as we count the days of lent. I also like to use egg ornaments that display some holy symbols and use corresponding prayers.
Lent began Wednesday February 25th. I find Lent a bit spiritually difficult to teach because I want my classroom to be filled with all that is happy. But as a Catholic School teacher, it is important to teach Jesus' suffering and death and resurrection as a cornerstone of our faith. Here are a few resources that I've found helpful.

god-parenting.blogspot.com is a blog I stumbled across when I was home sick one day. Click on 2008 (March) and find the link for coloring pages to get a fantastic set of color able Stations of the Cross.

The Big Book of Ideas for Children's Faith Formation Edited by Beth Branigan McNamara with Gina Wright McKeever and Sue Robinson has the holy symbols and corresponding prayers that I use on the prayer table. Holy Bells and Wonderful Smells by Jeanne Hunt is another winner for year round liturgical celebrations.

Number Worms

This idea teacher number sense, numeral recognition and is basically free to make! Plus the extra bonus of recycling. These are number worms. The heads are made out of the tops of creamer containers (such as Coffeemate, seen here) The creamer container tops already make a cute face. I added eyes and wrote numbers for the noses. The students create the body segments by adding the correct number of caps from other beverage containers. You can also write a math problem on the worm faces for a more challenging game. This is great as a center or even a take home activity. It is important to wash all the tops in hot soapy water and be sure they dry thoughly before using.

100th Day of School

One of the reasons I love teaching Kindergarten is that we make up reasons to celebrate. I understand that the 100th day was "invented" in the 1980's by a Kindergarten teacher, and now it's a staple of the Kindergarten year. I love the book Miss Bindergarten Celebrates the 100th Day of Kindergarten by Joseph Slate and Ashley Wolf. Most of what I do on the 100th day comes from that book, but here are some Ms. D. originals. There are actually 100 star sticker on this 100 cut out. I hang it from my door so that the children can walk into the 100th day. They love it! Sometimes they frame thier faces with one of the zeros making a delightful foto op.

Hundred Hash: I used to buy ten different small food items and have each child count out 10 of each food item and put it in a paper bag to have for a snack. However, I found that this really didn't provide them with the concept of 100. Now I start creating the Hundred Hash about a week before the 100th day. As a group we count out 100 of whatever food item I have handy into a large bowl. We count a different food item everyday to add into the hash. If the food item is pretty small we may count by 5's or 10's. (Teachers can fudge this a little bit by adding handfuls of item and pretending they are in units of 5's or 10's). On the 100th day we add the last item and shake it all up and have it for snack. Using a clear bowl for the mixing adds an extra fun touch because the kids like to watch everything get mixed together. As a final math activity the students sort out the food items before they eat. (The sorting mat is in the picture) This snack is usually plentiful enought to provide snack for several days.

100 binoculars: This is the toilet paper tube project of the month. This one uses three tube per pair of binoculars. Before the project I glue the 3 tubes in the shape of 100. (2 tubes horizonal and 1 vertical) The students paint them and add number stickers. This is a fun way to see everything 100 style!

Happy 100th Day!