Ideas For Indoor Play With Students

The below zero days in Minnesota means the kids are inside rather than outside most days!  Yikes you know what that means, rambunctious kids. Here are a couple of things I do to get the wiggles out.

1. Blow up some balloons and go in a large open area  and have the kiddos in small groups, keep the balloons in the air.  The each have to have turns tapping it in the air.  It doesn't take long for those little bodies to start sweating.

2. Often times our noon also means no outside time we play the Smart board game "Give the Dog a Bone".   The kiddos are also in teams, mine are the tables they sit at.   Four chairs are lined up at the side of the smart board, as soon as the timer begins the kiddo in the first chair goes up and located the number space, then it the next child and that continues until one minute is up.  I keep track of the total numbers found.   We play 5 rounds.  This may take a couple of days, but the kids sure love it.
Table 1=____ _____ _____ _____ _____
Table 2=____ _____ _____ _____ _____
Table 3=____ _____ _____ _____ _____

At the end of the 5 rounds the kiddos have their names put on an award in the hallway.

Neat Table or Neat Desk Award

Don't you hate when the classroom looks like a disaster because the kids have their desk a disaster!?!  It seems like the day goes by so fast that it is hard to keep track of each kid keeping their desk in order.  Here is the solution I have come up with and now have the cleanest desks in the school.  On top of that it is easier for the kids to find their stuff and we don't lose time in the mess!
Each month I have a desk or table check for neatness.  I put a small award on the table or desk to let the kids know the Neatness Fairy has come to check.

Example of Award that Goes on the Table

 Rules for the Neat table or desk award are:

 1.  There is no crayon or pencil marking on the surface.

 2.  Name tag or table mats are not torn or ripped

 3.  The inside of the desk clean

 4.  Chairs placed neatly

 5.  The area around the seating area is picked up.

Award  For Keeping Desk Together

The kids love this award because we eat lunch together in a special area and their picture is displayed in the hallway.

Example of picture that goes out in the hallway for the winning desk.

Every month set up a new seating arrangement so there is a new month to work with others to get this award.  The kiddos love the change and look forward to working and meeting new friends.

I just keep a quick tally during the month to decide the winner.

DIY Tent For The Classroom

Who doesn't love a tent?  Making tents is a pastime of all different kiddos.  So why not incorporate one into the classroom?  A tent can be versatile in the classroom.  I think of the tent as a nice little reading nook in the classroom or as a place that the kiddos can go just to calm down.  It is a great way to block out all the "excess" going on in the classroom for some kids that need that.  This tent found on Pink Oatmeal is an easy tutorial on how to make a simple tent for very little money!  If you have an old twin sheet laying around this will easily be under $8 to create this tent that would be a great addition to any classroom.

Pink Oatmeal has easy step by step directions on how to assemble this tent.  No nailing, screws, or hammers.  It is nice that the pieces just fit together.  

Artist of the Month

Artist of the Month started in my classroom because I wanted the kids to take time and do the best job they could on the projects and activities we were doing in  class.  One of the requirements I started early was to have 5 different colors in the illustration.  Later it was for 5 different details and 5 different colors.  Finally, were the details in the right setting and did it make sense.  I could  have many artists of the month and sometimes I chose one or 2 a week. On the Artist of the Month award sheet I would put a picture of the artist and  I would usually attach the award winning project to the  artist of the month sheet.  I displayed it in the hall outside my classroom door so whoever passed by could see the artists.  I also put a gold medal sticker award on the project.  The kids were so proud.  Often times parents would come in and take a picture of their kiddo and their award.  I did keep track, and made sure everyone in the class was artist of the month.  There is always the kids who did great all the time, but I explained I always wanted to see improvement and effort. This award certainly encouraged pride and encouraged nice work in the classroom.

Here is what the artist of the month pictures look like

You can get a whole set for free (a sheet for each month of the year) at my Teachers Pay Teachers store.  Please be sure to check out some of our other products while you are visiting.  Share this with your friends!

Glue Solution

Glue is such an irritating necessity in the classroom. If I don’t check or wipe off every bottle after it is used, it is clogged!  Then out comes the paper clips to unclog them.   I think I have tried everything.  Glue sticks are great for small projects, but too expensive if used for big projects.  Tap-N-glue tips also get clogged.  The other problem is the kiddos can't regulate the amount of glue to use.  It sometimes takes 2 days to dry!

Clogged Glue Bottle

My solution in the last couple years has been small paper plates in the middle of the table with glue to share with others at the table and my table captain gets it ready. Now I just have one bottle to take care of.  I do run into the problem of someone hogging the glue plate.

My best solution is I use milk bottle caps.  Each student brings in a couple of bottle caps and I used them as individual glue containers.  My row captain or table captain also fills them and at the end of the project washes them out.  The kiddo uses his or her finger to apply the glue.  At first the kids want to wash their hands right after applying the glue, but soon get over it.   Now I have no more pools of glue on projects and I do not have clogged bottles.

Sensory Bottles

This weekend my occupational therapist friend and I got together to make our boys sensory bottles.  Yes we realize this is dorky but what do you expect from a pediatric physical and occupational therapist  :).  We had two different types of bottles that we tried to make them with.  The first was the Voss Water bottles and the second Fred Water bottles.  We choose the Voss due to their ability to roll, sturdy plastic that was most importantly BPA free.  We went with the Fred's due to their flask like shape which we thought would be easier for smaller hands to grip.  The problem that we ran into with the Fred bottles is that they did not have a sticker with their name on them, the name Fred was printed directly onto the bottle.  We made a variety of bottles.  Here are some pics below.

Voss Water Bottles

Fred Water Bottles

We made bottles several different ways.  The bottles with water or oil were hot glued shut.  The bottles that had dry items were not yet glued shut so they can be interchanged with other items.  As Cade gets older I may have to hot glue them shut for safety but at this point he can't open them so I'm not worried.  

These are nice options for use with kids in the school setting!  They are easy to make and store.  Students can easily grab them and use them at most anytime during the day.
To see instructions on how to make each bottle visit: http://pinkoatmeal.blogspot.com.

Sensory Shapes

These lovely sensory rectangles and circles are some of the first "learning" toys that I made for Cade.  He is just 5 months old so a lot of his toys mostly go into his mouth.  However I do try to spend time with him each day doing some kind of "educational" play.  I can see that Cade is starting to seek out different sensory sensations as he scratches and reaches for all different objects. These sensory circles and rectangles were super easy to make and are easy for Cade to access.   Right now I have them just in a sensory box but have BIG plans on getting them up on a wall for a later date when he is sitting with greater stability and pulling to stand.  What I really like about the sensory shapes is that they are easily portable and I can have them upstairs, downstairs, or even bring them with us. 

These sensory shapes are great to be used in a classroom, put on a board, used in a sensory box.  They work wonderful in special education and early childhood as well!

DIY Sensory Shapes

All you need is very basic items.

1. Different sensory surfaces

 First I would just look around the house to see if you can find items with different tactile inputs such as soft, furry, slippery etc.  You probably will easily find things and won't have to go out shopping for anything.  Different items I used in my sensory shapes included aluminum foil, parchment paper, freezer bags, scrap material (flannel, cotton, fleece) and burlap.  I didn't have to go out and buy any of it.  

2.  Embroidery Hoops

For my circles I used embroidery hoops.  First I bought a few at Michaels but quickly wised up when I was out shopping at a thrift store and saw they had plenty there for the picking and will now only buy embroidery hoops second hand.

3.  Picture Frames (Cheap)

For my rectangles or you could even do squares I used cheap picture frames that I got on sale at Target for around a dollar.  I actually had those on hand as I didn't use them in his room project

4.  A scissors - to cut the material

All you need to do is roughly cut out the shape of the sensory material you are using to match the shape of your frame or embroidery hoop.  Place the sensory material in the frame or embroidery hoop and trim the excess off.  That's all it takes!

Right now I am always with Cade when we do the sensory shapes.  I'm careful with the screw on the embroidery hoop (I'm planning that won't be an issue once he is older and I get them all up on the walls for him).  When he feels them I will use the words to describe what he is feeling.  For example I will say "Isn't that soft"  as he is touching the fleece sensory shape.  I also try to incorporate the shape.  "Let's touch the slippery circle" is the language I may use with him.

Here are a few pictures of Cade doing his "educational" play.  He is really into rolling right now.  So he rolls to a shape and we feel one.  If he rolls the other direction I may put a different sensory shape there.  

Enjoy this cheap, easy, sensory project for your kiddos!  

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