Penguin Freebie

This freebie includes three activities/lessons:
- Blubber Experiment: Using shortening, such as Crisco, the students will get to experience what it feels like to have blubber in icy cold water. They will compare their "blubber hand" to their "non-blubber hand." This includes pictures and a response sheet.

- A fiction emergent reader that reviews color word identification. 

- A nonfiction "flippy" minibook - perfect to use to help your students learn some facts about these adorable, flightless birds. No cutting and stapling required. Just fold it "hotdog way" then "hamburger way" (long way, then short way)

Click on the picture below for the Penguin Freebie!!

If you are interested in the full, 45-page penguin unit, click on the picture below.

25 Ridiculously Wonderful Books To Read WIth Kids in 2015

After finishing a "Clueless" Quiz on Buzzfeed, (haha… don't you just love their quizzes??) I came across "25 Ridiculously Wonderful Books To Read with Kids in 2015."

These look super cute!!  I can't wait to get them!  Many of them seem to have really nice messages, like Please, Mr. Panda.  Others just seem so sweet, like Oliver and Patch , A New Small Person & This is Sadie.

I'm really want to get, Zombie in Love 2+1.   Even the kids are catching the Zombie Craze… I rarely see "hot lava monster" on the playground anymore…. It's always some zombie game!  They will love this!

Has anyone heard or read any of these books?  What books do you plan to purchase in 2015?

Penguin Unit… So much fun!

We started our Penguin Unit this week!  I LOVE this unit and the kids do too!  This unit usually takes about 2 weeks for us.  For some fiction fun, we have been reading a different Tacky book a day.  The kids love this kind-hearted, odd bird!  We got to work on adjectives and supporting details during this mini-unit.  We also read some nonfiction books about penguins so we can add "new learning" to our penguin anchor chart.

The blubber experiment is always a hit!

I found some really great penguin videos on national geographic kids and youtube….

I learned to always preview!! We watched a national geographic kids video and a cute little, itty bitty penguin got bit by a seal!  I thought it was the video from last year, which didn't have a bitting leopard seal… The kids were so upset!  I know it's nature, but the kids were devastated! I quickly ended that one.  I thought one of the kids were going to cry!  So to cheer them up we put on this fun dance for a quick brain break.

Next week we will be focusing more on the nonfiction side of this unit from my Penguin Unit.  

I have my Penguin Unit posted and updated on TPT.   Go on over and check it out!