Pass the Paper!

This math art collaboration project comes from Incredible Art! Kids show their knowledge of geometry terms by creating art! Each child is given a piece of paper. They are given an instruction (such as make 3 dots). Then, they pass their sheet of paper. Another instruction is given (ex: use a compass to create 3 circles from the 3 dots). Students draw on their peers' paper. Then, they pass the paper. Papers get passed around until they reach their "owner." The owner embellishes the line drawing to create a unique piece of art!

Wind Spelling

Practice spelling with the power of air! Kids are split up into teams. Teams are given a word. They figure out the spelling. They write each letter of the word on a separate square piece of paper (light weight works best). Then, they get in a line and have to pass each letter of the word (in the correct order) down the line using a straw! The team that creates their word the fastest get a point!

Check out Sophie's World (featured above) for instructions on how to "pass the paper!"

Water Wheels

Integrate math (measuring), science / engineering (simple machines, force/motion, renewable energy), art (design), and history by constructing a water wheel! 

Wired - Can you construct a water wheel that can lift a small load?
Science Buddies - "Put Your Water to Work," exploring Hydropower!
Meet the Greens - Kids go green (water wheel featured bottom right)
History - water wheel / Types - get kids inspired (design) / Physics - water wheel

Rubber Band Ball Geometry

This is a beginning to end of the year project! As a class, kids construct a rubber band ball and watch it grow! Kids bring in rubber bands throughout the year to contribute to the ball. As the ball grows, measurements are taken. Kids figure out the diameter, radius, circumference and area of the sphere. They chart the ball's growth, creating a graph. 

Click here for instructions on how to make a rubber band ball!

Word Family Dance Steps

Trace around your shoe to create a shoe shape. Next, write different words from various word families on the shoe shape. Then, mix them up and tape them to the floor to create a path (curved, straight - whatever you'd like!) of shoe prints. Kids move (dance / hop) to words that belong to the same family!

Donut Words

Kids practice creating three letter short vowel words with donuts! Write A, E, I, O, U on 5 paper plates. Then, give kids a box of paper donuts with two letters on the sides of the donuts. Kids place the donuts on the plates, so the vowel shows through the hole of the donut. You can find a list of short vowel words here!

Magnify It!

Integrate math (measuring) and science (light/optics) by experimenting with a magnifying glass from Science Buddies! First, kids create a ruler out of masking tape. They use the tape ruler to measure their magnified object (see image above). Kids hold the magnifying glass or prop it at different heights from the table using a standard ruler. They write down the height of their hand / the magnifying glass. For example, the magnifying glass was held 10 inches from the table. They place an object near their masking tape ruler and put the magnifying glass over it. Make sure you hold the magnifying glass at the height you recorded. Kids use their tape ruler to measure the object. Then, they write down the measurement of the object next to the height measurement. How does an object's size (appear to) change at different optical distances in comparison to its actual size?! Check out the full activity here!

Playground Prepositions

Take your students out on the playground to explore prepositions!

Outdoor Math + Checkers

Practice your math skills by playing checkers! Check out Relentlessly Fun, Deceptively Educational for a milk cap version (addition and subtraction).

Then, visit Crayola to see how to make an oversized checker board on the pavement! (featured above)

Add math equations to the blank boxes and you're ready to play! Kids move their checkers across the equations and try to solve them!

Sentence Scramble

This sentence collaboration game comes from ehow! 
materials: sentence strips and markers

Practice writing compound sentences and working with coordinating conjunctions by scrambling sentences! Kids are split up into teams (10 kids per team). They come up with a topic. Then, they each write one sentence that revolves around the topic they chose. 

Once they have their sentences complete, they use coordinating conjunctions to create compound sentences! Kids must problem solve and think how they can combine their sentences using the 7 coordinating conjunctions!

Examples:

I put my goggles on for swimming.

My swimsuit is striped and yellow.

I float on an inner tube, but I like to doggy paddle.

I blow bubbles or hold my breath underwater.

I dunk my brother in the pool, yet I like to get wet!

I like to dive off the diving board so I splash lots of water!

Neither my brother nor I like getting dunked!

Sentence Hunt (4 types)

Kids roll the sentence die and try to find the type of sentence it lands on! They can look through a book, magazine, newspaper - whatever they would like!

P.O.S. Musical Plates

materials: paper plates (3 for each child)
Write a noun, verb, or adjective on each paper plate. Lay the plates out in an open space outside. Play music and kids dance from plate to plate. When the music stops, the child picks up the plate and keeps it. The goal is to collect one noun, verb, and adjective plate. If the child lands on a noun when the music stops, and he already has a noun, he doesn't keep the plate. Once everyone has each part of speech, they use their creativity and imagination to create a unique sentence using the words they collected on their plates!

Venn Creature

Kids mash two creatures together to create a new animal! After they create (draw or photoshop) their creature, have them name it and describe its special characteristics. Where does the creature live? Have kids describe its habitat. What does it eat? What eats it?! How is it adapted to its environment? 

You could also have kids construct their creature using model magic, once they finalize their sketch on their Venn diagram.

If kids need a little inspiration, have them check out Build Your Wild Self (click here for an example)!

Biodiversity Scavenger Hunt

Kids hunt for abiotic and biotic factors in their backyard (or school yard). Then, based on their observations, they create a food chain or web to represent what they discovered in the ecosystem they explored! Click here for the printable

SCOOT - IPN

Practice irregular plural nouns by playing Scoot! Kids scoot from one chair to the next and write down what they think the plural is for each noun card!

Scoot Directions (good explanation)

IPN Cards (only cut around the rectangle and the center lines - example above) - 32 cards

Time Warp!

Lay out the time warp mats, give kids a sentence, and have them run to the correct verb tense mat! Once on the mat, they identify the verb within the sentence.

Example:
He ate an orange! (Child runs to the "past" mat and calls out "ate") 
He eats an orange everyday!
He will eat an orange!

HOT WAD

Practice vocabulary with a twist on hot potato! On scraps of paper write down different objectives for kids to conquer! Then, wad up the scraps to make a ball. Have kids sit in a circle and turn some music on. Kids pass the ball clockwise until the music stops. The one holding the ball has to unwrap a piece of the scrap paper from the ball. The teacher gives the child a word and the player answers. For example, what part of speech is it?! If the player answers correctly he stays in the game.

For younger kids, you can write their sight words on the scrap paper. Kids have to say the word they unwrap!

For more vocab. fun, check out word wheel and roll and...

Note: This game could also be used to practice simple multiplication facts. Write down equations on scrap paper. Kids figure out the product to stay in the game!