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Just For Smiles

Can You Find Lucky the Leprechaun?

Part 1

Sometimes you just have to do things that are fun to make your own self enjoy your job. The stress of multiple meetings, testy parents, and paperwork can wear on you. To help myself enjoy work, I do something just for FUN that the kids will love because it makes me happy!

So this week I bought two leprechauns at Hobby Lobby, a fun hat, and some shamrock stickers. I cut out a bunch of shamrocks die cuts and a sign that says, “Where is Lucky the Leprechaun?”–all of which I stuck to the wall. I hid the little leprechaun statue outside in a small bush near my door. The students have been looking all over for it. They needed a little mystery and fun before spring break! Truth be told. So do I. After two days no one has found the leprechaun. We will see what tomorrow holds.

Part 2

Okay so I normally go overboard! This week is no exception. I brainstormed one morning while fixated on my leprechaun scavenger hunt idea. I made some clues for my classroom so the students could eventually be led to the leprechaun and his pot of gold. Here are my clues. Maybe you can use these and adapt them to your room to make your own classroom hunt. I taped each clue in succession onto different items to help students find the leprechaun.

  1. Dear Children, Is the leprechaun too old or is he just hiding his gold? Take some TIME to follow the clues he left behind. (hide near clock)
  2. Don’t give him an inch! He might be under the bench. (hide under bench)
  3. Where does a leprechaun live? Under a rainbow or does he share a house with a mouse? (side under a computer mouse)
  4. Sneaky little guy! Could he have left some of his stash near the trash? (hide near trash can)
  5. Is he able to hide under the table? (hide under table)
  6. Beware he might even be under a chair! (hide under chair)
  7. At night he likes to lie on a pillow and sometimes he can be found looking out the window. (hide near window))
  8. Oh no! Danger! He likes to climb on a cord that’s near the board. (hide near board)
  9. Ah! You caught him!!Leprechauns want you to show you care by taking time to share. (Share all of the gold with your class.)

I had two leprechaun searches going. One outside in a bush for anyone who walked by (with no written clues) and another in my room for my students. The clues in my room I taped to their respective spots. I used Rolos chocolate candies in a small plastic cup for the leprechauns pot of gold. In essence your really could do any search hunt with these clues. Have fun and enjoy!

Part 3–after the hunts…

The outdoor hunt, which was for anyone who walked by, needed some extra information for students to find the actual leprechaun. I hid him in too difficult a place. I didn’t think it would be that hard. I came outside the last hour of the day and gave the students oral clues to help them find him. I gave the other students looking at the same time some shamrock stickers–not quite a pot of gold but still fun for all. I did give the winner some “gold”. If the students actually searching outside had been my students, I would have put more thought into making up written clues.

The classroom hunt took about 10 minutes and we still had time to do my main lesson. I would do the indoor one again for which I posted the clues above.

Happy 2024!

I am personally looking forward to this year in many ways! Last year, I saw the idea somewhere to make something out of the numbers 2023. I decided to do something similar with some of my beginning of the year lessons this year. What can you create from the numbers 2024? This I great for children’s creative thinking. Try different fonts on your computer and see if it sparks different creative thinking ideas. What if students make a reflection from the numbers 2024? What if students make pictures of the 2024 together? What if they use the numbers individually? What if they turn 2024 sideways? What if they turn it upside down? Do they see different pictures? You will likely have a child say they they messed up. Sometimes those are the best opportunities for imagination!

Enjoy your year! 🙂

The Book that Needs to Be Heard in this Season…

Merry Christmas! This book is educational, funny, and may even make you shed a tear. It did me. The reason I say it needs to be heard is that some students don’t know the Christmas story. They have only seen and been exposed to the sanitized version allowed to be told in public schools…you know…Santa, elves, reindeer, Christmas trees, stockings, magical North Pole type stories. Did you know it was on video if you don’t have a paper copy available. The Best (worst) Christmas Pageant Ever.

Get Student Attention with These!

I wore these today. As I walked down the hallway, I had multiple kindergarteners tell me they liked my glasses. Looking at them makes me smile, too! I got the glasses from Amazon and the eyelashes from the Dollar Tree. These work great for a lesson on being original!

Happy Labor Day!

Happy Independence Day!

Step Up your Summer Bubble Experience!

This was students’ favorite experience with bubbles this summer. We used the Camp Invention curriculum called Invention Celebration. One of the lessons had students make bubbles on a piece of paper. The bubbles lasted longer than normal bubbles and had a more dense consistency. This allowed them to pop in a perfect circle on their paper making an imprint.

The bubble solution had a unique consistency. We used an entire small bottle of Dawn dish soap in a bucket that holds about 1.5 gallons. Then we put two small bottles of glycerin in the bucket and filled the water the rest of the way up. We let the solution sit over night. Next, we. put three separate pint containers on the table with some of the solution. In each solution, we put a spoonful of acrylic paint and stirred. This colored the bubble solution. Then students enjoyed blowing bubbles with their bubble wands!

Never Let Them See…

The fifth graders had their graduation this past week. I’ve had these students in my ‘pull-out’ class for three years, and I was kind of sad they were leaving. I wanted to do something special for them because they have been such a great group of students!

I had a running joke with them about their brain sweating and made a label one day for this deodorant. I put the words “brain deodorant” over the label. Any time I would give the students something difficult, I would ask them if they needed some brain deodorant to help. We would leave the lid on of course and at times the students would rub their head with the brain deodorant.

For their graduation, I gave all of the students their very own brain deodorant. I got some deodorants at the Dollar Tree and tore the label off. Then I applied the label I made. Some students had a slight smirk on their face when they saw this! This will definitely be memorable to them!

A Worm Named Oreo

Leaving school one day I hear a discussion among kids on the playground. “What did you name your worm? I named mine Oreo.” The girl says she named hers Oreo because it looked like an Oreo with all the dirt on it. Paper plates seemed to work well for containing the worms for observation. You have to be careful though because the worms can wander off if you don’t watch them. I found one trying to crawl off of a student desk. I lost another one, but the custodian found it on the floor. Hey, I added excitement to his day! LOL!

This discussion came as a result of me teaching them about worms and them looking closely at the body parts of a worm. To add an element of creativity, I had students name their worm. We did this after watching the Diary of a Worm on video. I love this book for it’s imagination into the creative world.

Students are studying ecosystems, so I plan to build a worm farm of sorts in their classroom. For now, I am just holding onto the worms until we learn a little more. To build a worm farm, you need a container, dirt, old newspaper, and some vegetable scraps. Of course, you need worms. I purchased mine at Wal-mart in the sporting goods section. Until we learn more I am storing them in the refrigerator on a not too cold setting in some dirt. I have given them an old banana peel in case they need a snack. This website has some good information on worm farming. You will need a container, dirt, old newspaper, and some vegetable scraps. Until we learn more I am storing them in the refrigerator on a not too cold setting in some dirt. I have given them an old banana peel in case they need a snack. This website has some good information on worm farming if you want to build one.

The great thing about showing students worms is that I got some work out of some students who don’t normally produce work just so they got to look at a worm. I will give you more information soon about our worm farm adventures.

Is Your Brain Sweating? You need this.

I had listened to Ian Byrd over at byrdseed.com wh’llenging to do. I have borrowed his idea when I give my students difficult puzzles etc. I tell the students they are going to need brain deodorant because I am going to make their brain sweat so bad. Well this year, for humor’s sake I actually brought in a tube of brain deodorant. This is actually a tube of deodorant that I don’t use. I just added a label that says brain deodorant. The students actually rub their head with it (haha!) when I ask them to do something hard. I kind of love this. :). When I am not so teacher busy, I will make a better label for it, but you get the idea.

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