Maker Monday: Kinder Halloween Makerspaces

When I started the makerspace at my school last year, I started it with 2nd-5th grades (you can read about that here). Thinking there was no way that I could run the makerspace the same way for kinders and 1st graders (if you read this blog consistently, you'll know about my panic attacks before each and every kinder class - haha) I decided I would see how it went the first year and try to figure out a way to give them opportunities the second year.

Well, in May last year, I decided to experiment and see if my kinder teachers wanted to come as a class to the makerspace to try a challenge.   You can read "5 Things I Learned From Kinder Makerspace" here.  I really liked this format so that is how I wanted to continue this year with them.

I found some Halloween STEM challenges on pinterest that I liked and couldn't narrow down which one I wanted to try so I decided to do 4, one each week in October (I know, I get crazier and crazier). I got the ideas from this blog and this one.  

Week 1: Build the tallest tower to hold a pumpkin.

Week 2: Make a monster bookmark (the bookmark folding was direct teach, but then they could decorate however they wanted)

  

Week 3: Make a Paper Bat Fly

Week 4: Design a Candy Tosser

The teachers and I had so many "Wow" moments watching the students these 4 weeks.  Like this student who was using pipe cleaners to hold 4-5 empty boxes together to make his tower for the pumpkin.

And I wish I had video of the last student in the bat video above when he asked me if he could tape a pencil to his bat.  When I said yes, his face was priceless.  Totally did not believe me and said, "I mean this pencil... can I tape it to my bat?" I said yes again and he still stood there.  Hilarious!

While kinders exhaust me, I am always amazed at what they can do, think about, design, invent and make and I am always glad that I give them the opportunity to do those things. 

Technology Tuesday: Halloween Magnetic Poetry

Yesterday got away from me, so this is Technology Tuesday on Wednesday.

I stumbled upon a tweet this week and knew immediately I had to try it.  

How fun is that? And on Google Drawing! What brilliant mind thought of that? Kasey Bell @ShakeUpLearning is the mastermind behind it. 

I took a 2nd grade class to the lab and let them go at it! Some decided to just try to make sentences while others wanted to write a story.  

The teacher loved it because they had just been talking about adjectives and so as she walked around, she read out loud any time she saw an adjective.

The hardest part was getting them logged into their google drive which they had never done before.  

Here is Kasey's original blog post about it http://www.shakeuplearning.com/blog/halloween-magnetic-poetry-with-google-drawings.  I am already thinking about a Thanksgiving one. 

Friday "Wrap Up"

On Monday I started my makerspace.  You can read about that here .

I am really pleased with how it went this week.  It was fascinating to see the kids thought processes as they tried to build.  I pleasantly surprised to see that each day, girl teams were the ones that were able to make the tallest tower out of pipe cleaners.  

More things that happened...

- 3 Second Grade lessons about how the everybody section is organized

- 4 First Grade lessons about objects in the sky using PebbleGo and Popplet

- 5 Kinder Little Elliot, Big City story times

And my nails... GLOW IN THE DARK!! How cool is that.  At our Jamberry Summit last weekend, they announced the glow in the dark wraps and gave us each a sheet.  I couldn't wait to get home and try them.  On that same day, my Tru Shine Gel Kit came so of course I had to try that to. So here is my Glowing Ghouls Wraps with a Black Cherry Gel accent nail (don't judge the painting of the nail, just look at the pretty color and smooth, shiny finish ;)) 

And here are my wraps at night.  They totally freaked me out the first night I had them on because I forgot about them.  I turned off my bedside light and went to scratch my nose and almost had a heart attack.  

Jamberry Fall Fun

Have you seen the new Fall Holiday Wraps from the new catalog?  They are so amazing!  Check these out.

 

and look how fun they are actually ON fingers and toes.  

Pumpkin Spice

Webs and Monster Juniors

Mummified and Candy Corn

Webtastic

Fright Night and Black Bats

I am so excited about these wraps that I just want to give them away!

That is in ADDITION to all the awesome hostess rewards you already earn!  Don't pass this up!

Schedule your Facebook or Instagram party here 

Not ready to book a party?  Place a Buy 3 Get 1 Free order by the end of September and get a FREE Pedi-Pack

See the rest of the catalog here 

3 for Thursday: Halloween Pumpkins

We had over 80 pumpkins "planted" in our literacy pumpkin patch this year. Even though it says "book character" on the flyer, we still got minions, mine-craft and Pokemon. I justify it by saying somewhere out there Chick-fil-a or Burger King has made a promotional book for the kids meals and so technically they are characters in a book, right. Here is our full pumpkin patch and then my 3 for Thursday.

Hallo-Wiener

I found this Hallo-wiener idea on The Teacher Geek and adapted it for my first graders who were studying character feelings.  We first read the book The Hallo-wiener by Dav Pilkey

 and I told the kids to watch and listen for how Oscar feels during the story.  After we read, we made a list of the feelings Oscar had and when he felt that way in the story.  Then I sent them to work.  

They each got a piece of manila paper for a bun, brown paper for Oscar and a few tracing dogs for the table (I do round the corners of the bun and cut the brown paper ahead of time).

They trace the dog, cut him out and glue him to the inside of the bun.  I love how some decided to put on ketchup and mustard and give Oscar a face and ears  J  Then they choose one of the feeling words to write on Oscar’s belly and write the text evidence on the inside of the bun.  They turned out really cute.

Some of Mrs. Brown’s first graders showing off their Wiener Dogs.