Brain Breaks for K & 1st

Well, it's almost June and if you aren't already on Summer Break, then I would bet your students just *might* be jumping off the walls. I think brain break are a necessity all year, but sometimes (like the last month of school) they seem to be of even more importance. I also think it's important to switch up the brain breaks to keep your students engaged.

So that's why I'm here today - to list some of my favourite brain break videos for kindergarten and first grade. As long as the end of the year craziness doesn't become more pronounced (though I'm sure it will), I hope to be back with some more videos for older students. I chose to break into up into age ranges because some of the videos might be too young for 5th grade and way to old for K.

1. Just Dance 3: Ubisoft meets Nintendo - Just Mario

I don't know about you, but every time I put this on for students, it brings back warm and fuzzy memories of playing Nintendo. Then I look around and remember that most of these kids have no idea what the original Nintendo was all about! It doesn't matter, they still love Mario!

2. Koo Koo Kanga Roo: Dinosaur Stomp

So fun and the kids will love pretending to be dinosaurs!

3. Just Dance Kids 2: The Gummy Bear Song

I have heard this one so many times I probably sing it in my sleep!

4. Just Dance Kids 2: Five Little Monkeys

This one is adorable and you'll find your students singing it during center time - just make sure they don't mimic the monkeys and fall to the floor!

5. Just Dance Kids 2: Heads, Shoulders, Knees & Toes

Fun & a classic.

6. Just Dance Kids 2: The Hokey Pokey

Love the western gear in this one.

7. Nickelodeon Dance: The Lion Sleeps Tonight

This one gets the kids singing too!

8. Just Dance Kids: Happy and Your Know It

Another classic!

9. Just Dance Disney: Under the Sea

Who can resist the Little Mermaid soundtrack? It's also great because students can choose to follow the movements of Ariel or Sebastian.

10. Just Dance Kids: Monkey Dance

Watching the students imitate all the animals is hilarious & so fun!

Just a quick word of advice: make sure to pull up videos from Youtube before you need them, or pull them up with the sound and SmartBoard off, because you really never know what ads will pop up!

What are your favourite brain breaks? Let me know, I'm always on the lookout for new ones!

Summer Vacation Mini Pack: Manic Monday Freebie

How was your weekend? Mine has been great . . . especially because it has been gorgeous out & it's a long weekend! No better weekend than a long one!



I'm popping in quick tonight to share an updated freebie for Manic Monday. I know I've already blogged about it, but who doesn't love a freebie, especially a newly updated one!

I always find that the end of the year can be rather crazy (I don't need to tell you that!) and there always seems to be downtime in between assemblies, field trips and activities. I created this printable pack to help fill that downtime. With a few writing prompts and a couple fun things thrown in, this pack should help keep your students busy when you've got 5 minutes to fill. Click the picture or {HERE} if you'd like to download. Hope you enjoy!

Head on over to Classroom Freebies to check out the other freebies this week.

Five for Friday!

Well it is Friday again, wahoo! Perfect time for linking up with Five for Friday over at Doodle Bugs Teaching.

Well first of all, I just have to say that it is not yet summer break here, and I cannot believe other schools are already off! Here's my countdown:

It will be still be a long couple of weeks!

Via Art Projects for Kids

We made these Kandinsky inspired trees this week. Although the instructions say they are "fall" trees, I thought they were so bright and cute they would be perfect for this spring/summer weather we have been having. Plus they brighten up a bulletin board amazingly! The instructions can be found over at Art Projects for Kids, if you haven't visited that website, you must. There are a million art ideas with full instructions for various grade levels.

Are your students jumping off the wall as the end of the year approaches? I don't know what it is, but the students just can't seem to sit still lately. Because of this, engaging brain breaks are a must to keep on hand, so today I'm going to share another of my favourites, Five Little Monkeys!

The kiddos will love it!  

I have been working hard to update some of my older products and this week I finished up with my Oliver Jeffers Author Study:

 I won't bother showing what it looked like before, because that might be painful!

If you've read this far, you definitely deserve a freebie. Last night, I updated my Summer Vacation Mini Pack freebie. This freebie pack contains a few fun printables to keep students busy during these last few weeks (or days for some of us!).

Click the picture to check it out!

What did you do this week? Head on over to Doodle Bugs to link up!

Who Loves Shopping?

Who loves shopping? Who loves online shopping? I know I sure do. If you're also anything like me, you cannot resist adorable fonts, graphics & teacher products. Well, lucky for you, the Teachers Pay Teachers Teacher Appreciation Sale is right around the corner.

My store will be on sale for 20% for the duration of the sale, May 6-7th, and if you use the code TPTXO, you'll get an additional 10% off!

I've decided to join up with linky going on over at Flying into First Grade and First Grade Nest, so make sure to check that out if you're interested in some of the amazing stores that will be on sale.

Here are some of my products that will be on sale:

Click on the pictures or {HERE} to check out my store!


It's also time for Manic Monday at Classroom Freebies and since it's almost Mother's Day, I've got an (old) Mother's Day freebie for you:

Click the picture or {HERE} to check out this free Sunflower Card Craft and be sure to head over to Classroom Freebies for more awesome freebies!

Have a great week!

Five for Friday Link-Up

I'm linking up for the first time with Five for Friday over at Doodle Bugs Teaching. I'm late to the game on everything, so why not this link-up too?

So, my five things are going to be totally random, and only a little bit teacher-y - I'm guess I'm already in a summertime mood!

Let's start off with something that has nothing to do with the classroom - smoothies!

Via Mom On Timeout

I recently pinned a bunch of smoothie recipes and it inspired me. I love smoothies and wanted a way to get more fruits and vegetables (because I'm sure I'm not getting enough). I haven't tried any of the fancy ones, I've stuck to the (almost) same recipe all week and I still LOVE it. The best part is that I tried to make it more green than the regular fruit smoothie I'm used to, by throwing in a bunch of spinach. The great thing about spinach in a smoothie is that you (or at least I) can't taste it.

 I love using Youtube for a quick brain break in the classroom and I just discovered Koo Koo Kanga Roo (I told you, I'm late to the game for everything). I'm sure I read a blogpost about these brain breaks months ago, but just started using them in the classroom. My favourite is Dinosaur Stomp! Let me know about some others I should check out.

Via Amazon

 Have you read this book? No, me neither - but I bought it. When I first saw it at a Scholastic book fair (probably at the beginning of the school year) I knew I had to get it. So of course, rather than buy it then and there, I went home, added it to my Amazon cart, waited a few months, then finally purchased it. I haven't started it yet, but I've added it to my ever-growing reading list.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I changed around my blog design. For now, I love it, but I'm sure I'll have to tweak it a bit. Oh well, the life of a picky person.

I was slightly productive this week, probably because I was dreaming of summer! I finished up my Daily Language Summer Take-Home Booklet for First Grade.

I've also got some Daily Math Summer Take-Home Booklets, which can be found {HERE}.

Each booklet contains 40 days of summer-themed questions that review the common core and keep students thinking over the summer.

Alright, this week down, only 8 more to go until summer (that sure seems like a lot)!

Putting Out Fires and Saving the Earth

I cannot believe it is almost Friday . . . and the weather hit the mid-20's today (~80 degrees F for any interested Americans)! It was so gorgeous, until the kids all came in sweating and complaining after recess. Oh well, I enjoyed the weather!

Anyway, I'm just stopping in today to talk about a few videos I found recently. The first is for the kindies (or anyone studying community). Another teacher mentioned that Youtube has quite a few episodes of Richard Scarry's Busytown, including some about firefighters. If you are studying community and have a few minutes to spare, you might want to show your kiddos The Busiest Firefighters Ever. I liked it, because it shows that firefighters help in other ways in addition to putting out fires.

This next video is kind of late (it would have been perfect for Earth Day), but I love reading this book year round, so the video could work at any time too. This original version of The Lorax is about 25 minutes long and has a look that is similar to the original How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

I found this was the perfect length to show the kids one day while they ate recess and lunch, so as not to use up class time.

Now I think I better go soak up some sun, before the weather turns back into the rainy drizzle I'm accustomed to!