Winter Writing Prompts

Are you looking for a way to boost creative writing juices during this cold, somewhat dreary time of year? Well we’re here to help you out. This list of prompts is meant to help your students create fun short stories. Assign these prompts in class or as a homework assignment, to give students more time to work on their stories.

1.      Tell the story of a person who lives in Antarctica. Are they alone? How do they survive in such a cold climate? Have they ever left Antarctica?

2.      Explain the life of a snowman. When were they born? What do they do every day? Do they have dreams, and can they fulfill these dreams?

3.      Describe a couple looking for their first igloo together. What are they looking for in their new home? Tell us all about their igloo and daily life inside it.

4.      A huge snowstorm arrived, dropping two feet of snow on the city. Describe the best snow day ever.

5.      Tell the story of the life of a penguin. What do they do every day? Do they like cold weather?

6.      Pretend a new ice age has arrived. It’s very cold and there’s tons of snow and ice everywhere. How do humans and animals adapt?

7.      You’ve just made a snowman, and it starts to move and talk! What does the snowman say? What adventures do the two of you have together?

8.      A huge, dangerous snowstorm has arrived, trapping you and your family inside for days. What do you do with your free time? Do you leave the house? Are there any problems due to the storm?

9.      You find a penguin outside your house that needs a good home. How do you take care of it? Do penguins make good pets?

10.   Imagine you live during the pioneer days, when there was no TV, computers, or working heat. What do you do to entertain yourself during the long, cold winters? What challenges do you face that modern society does not?

This collection of writing prompts is sure to help out in your classroom. Enjoy, and Happy New Year!

A Successful Food Drive

It’s the holiday season, which is the most common time of year for there to be food drives in the community. Is your school hosting one? Maybe just your classroom? We have some tips to help make your food drive go over better than you could have hoped.

·        Find out what food pantries actually need. Some food banks, for example, may have recently received many donations of canned vegetables and pasta, but be very low on canned protein. This way you can provide a list of items that are the most needed to your students.

·        Ask students to donate healthy food items. Food banks and food pantries are usually looking for non-perishable, nutritious foods that are low in sodium and sugar. While they will take a donation of chips or candy, it is not what people down on their luck really need.

·        Challenge your students to think like a person or family going to a food pantry. What if that person is homeless? What if their electricity is turned off? It is important to donate many types of food. A box of pasta can feed an entire family, but what about people who cannot cook? Make sure to ask for items that don’t require a stove such as peanut butter, instant oatmeal, and granola bars. Canned goods that have a pop top are great as well.

·        Consider collecting cash as well as food items. Food banks often have connections with wholesale establishments, enabling them to get food at a much cheaper price than us. Money goes a long way when it comes to food drives.

·        Set a goal. Your students will be more motivated if there’s a goal they’re supposed to reach. You may choose to reward them if they meet the goal, such as by giving a pizza party.

·        Worried about your students understanding the importance of a food drive? Work it into your lessons. Use a holiday themed story such as “A Christmas Carol” to show how important it is for us to help those in need.

·        Don’t rule out collecting other items that are needed besides food. You can collect toys for local toy drives, or toiletry items. Another great item to collect, especially for those of you living in colder climates, are items for cold weather (hats, mittens, scarves, coats, etc).

We hope these tips will help your food drive to be a huge success. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and don’t forget to take some time to help those who are not as fortunate as yourself. 

Halloween Writing Prompts

October is nearly over, which means Halloween is nearly here. This makes it the perfect time to give your students some Halloween themed writing prompts. We’ve put together this list of prompts that you can use in the classroom for students of all ages.

1.      The pumpkin grows up watching the other pumpkins around it get picked. Describe how the pumpkin feels.

2.      People have been telling stories about a haunted house in your neighborhood. Write about a kid who decides to investigate. What kinds of rooms do they find? Is the house really haunted?

3.      A kid wants to go trick-or-treating, but doesn’t have the money for a costume from the store. Write about how they create a costume from items they already have at home.

4.      Do you love Halloween? Do you dislike it? Write about the thing you like most about Halloween, and the thing you like least.

5.      The friendly ghost can’t understand why everyone seems to be so afraid of it. Write a short story about how the ghost makes friends.

6.      Create a monster. How many eyes does it have? Does it have teeth? What color is it? Tell me all about what makes your monster unique.

7.      Halloween is not celebrated across the entire world. Write a letter describing what Halloween is, including Halloween traditions.

8.      The lonely vampire never wanted to have to attack humans. Write a story about the vampire keeps humans safe instead of hurting them.

9.      The zombies are attacking! Write about your daring escape to safety.

10.   The mayor has decided to cancel Halloween. Write a letter to the mayor explaining why they should reconsider their decision.

These creative writing prompts are great for many grade levels. Use some of them with your students to see what spooky tales they come up with!

Fall Bucket List

Fall may not be officially here yet, but it’s just around the corner. We’ve put together a Fall bucket list. These are great activities that celebrate the season that are perfect for families, classrooms, or field trips.

1.      Go apple picking. This allows students to get fresh produce and helps to show them where their food comes from.

2.      Go through a corn maze. This classic activity is a great way to build problem-solving skills.

3.      Hike through a forest. It’s a great way to teach about different types of trees and plants.

4.      Bake a traditional fall desert, such as pumpkin pie. This shows students the work that goes into a baked good.

5.      Head to a pumpkin patch to get a pumpkin. It’s much more personal than grabbing one from a grocery store, and there’s often other education activities.

6.      Get crafty with fall items such as fallen leaves, pinecones, sweater material, and more.

7.      Take a ghost tour. This may be a bit much for younger students, but it’s great for older ones. A ghost tour gives a lot of history about local buildings in your town!

8.      Go leaf peeping. It’s a great way to take in the beauty of fall, and teach about leaves at the same time.

9.      Decorate pumpkins with the class. To avoid the dangers of pumpkin carving, instead do pumpkin painting. It’s a great way to let your student’s creativity shine.

10.   Take students to a family farm. This may just be to visit, it may be to volunteer. It’s another way to teach students about where their food comes from and animals. At these farms students can often pet animals, get samples, and sometimes even help harvest.

This is only ten ideas of many. We focused on fun fall activities that also have some educational or creative benefit, making these things easy to tie into your lessons.

Happy Fall! 

Keep Kids Writing all Summer

We all know that writing is an incredibly important skill that is needed not just during school, but throughout our entire lives. That’s why it is important for you to encourage your kids to keep writing all summer to keep their skills from getting rusty. But this isn’t always easy. We’ve put together some writing ideas to keep kids writing all summer, and not only that, but to make them excited to write all summer.

One of the most basic ways to keep kids writing is to have them keep a journal. Writing a journal will not only keep kids writing, but it will give them something to look back on years later. It cements memories, and plenty of kids are already interested in keeping a journal. Make it fun. Take them out to pick up a nice notebook for their summer journaling. They may even choose to keep up the habit when school has started.

Another fun way to encourage writing over the summer is to have kids keep a nature journal. Not only will this keep them writing, it will force them to make observations and document data. Kids may keep track of flowers, record observations about a vegetable garden, track animal patterns, and more!

Have your kids write reviews for things they do over the summer. Reviewing allows children to express their opinion, which they can pass on to friends and family members. Almost anything can be reviewed; museums, movies, the zoo, restaurants, ice cream shops…let them go wild! Assemble all the reviews in a folder that can be referenced when making future plans!

If your kids don’t love the idea of putting pen to paper, what about fingers to keyboard? Have them set up a blog where they can write about whatever they want to the public. Kids will love seeing their writing online. This could be a personal daily journal or a blog focused on their interests. Maybe your kid loves geek culture and wants to write posts about that. Or maybe they like cooking and want to make a cooking blog. Put no restrictions and let them have fun!

Encourage your kids to take a stab at fiction by writing a book. Technically speaking, a novel is 50,000 words or more. Your child’s story doesn’t have to be that long, but it should be just that…a story with characters, setting, and a plot. Once your kid is done you can bind the pages together to turn it into a book format. This could really encourage young authors!

If a book seems like a bit too much, which requires original characters and settings, why not suggest fanfiction? Fanfiction is prose that is written based on characters and locations that already exist in the fiction world. Say for instance, that your child is a big fan of Harry Potter. Your kid can take their favorite character and make up a story about them. What does Hermione do during her summer vacation back in the muggle world? What is it like for Draco Malfoy back home? What happens to Harry Potter after the last book? This type of writing can be applied to just about anything; Disney, Avengers, Star Wars…the possibilities are endless. This allows your kids to write about something they are already passionate about.

For kids who are particularly resistant, suggest they create their own comic book. While this involves more drawing than writing, it still forces your kids to consider plots and characters, and write some dialogue!

There’s tons of writing options for kids, and it is likely you’ll be able to make at least one of these stick. Who knows, it may even be the start of a new passion for your child!

5 Ways to Encourage Summer Reading

Summer may be ending within a month, but that’s a valuable month your kids could be using to read during. If you’re a parent and you find you are having a hard time getting your child to read, you’re not alone. A recent report shows that the amount of children who are frequent readers has declined. A lot of this has to do with the digital world we now live in. Kids are surrounded by screens of all sorts, whether these are phones, video games, computers, or tablets. While there is nothing wrong with kids consuming social media and playing video games, these activities build fewer skills than reading does.

But how do you encourage your reluctant child to pick up a book during the summer? We have the answer!

1.      Introduce them to summer reading programs. They may be starting late, but they still have a whole month to participate. It is likely your local library has some sort of summer reading program going on. It could involve reading for prizes, different reading challenges, story events, and more. A summer reading program is a great way to get kids more interested in reading.

2.      Encourage kids to pick out what types of books they want to read. Don’t push them to stick to a summer reading list. Your kid is much more likely to read voluntarily if they are allowed to pick out the books they want. Take them to the library and let them go wild. Drive them to the bookstore and let them find a book or two they’d like to take home. Giving your kid the freedom to find their own reading materials will make reading feel less like an assignment.

3.      Keep reading materials around your house. This includes more than just novels. Have magazines accessible. Newspapers. Vacation guides. When we think or reading we think of books, but that’s not the only medium out there. Show your kids how much reading there is to be done just by having these materials around your home.

4.      Connect with your kids, and allow kids to connect with others, through books. One great way to do this is to read the same books your kid reads so you can talk about it, or simply let them tell you all about the story. There are book discussion groups just for kids as well. You can also encourage your kids to share their favorite books with friends to encourage connection. When kids have someone to talk about reading with, they are more likely to enjoy it.

5.      Be a positive role model by reading yourself. You can’t tell your kids to read if you never spend any time reading yourself. And no, don’t just read newspapers in the morning. Read novels after dinner. Take a book with you to the beach. Browse a magazine in your downtime. If kids see you reading, they are more likely to model your behavior. 

Stop Boredom in its Tracks

Summer has just begun, and a long summer of possibilities stretches in front of your kids. For now. Unfortunately, there will be days, sometimes even weeks, when kids grow bored during the summer months. While you likely have some time before that happens it’s better to be prepared now. We’re helping you out with this list of fun summer activities for your kids to do this summer!

~ Have a campfire with your kids. Cook hotdogs over the flames, make s’mores, and tell ghost stories. You don’t need to go camping to indulge in a bonfire!

~ Host a cookout for your children’s friends. Invite everyone over and cook some hamburgers, hotdogs, roasted corn, and whatever else your kids like. Pull out some yard games for a great party.

~ Take kids on a picnic. Do it up right; the basket, the blanket, and the classic picnic foods (sandwiches, chips, watermelon, pasta salad, lemonade, etc).

~ Go stargazing. You’ll want to get away from city lights for this one. For an extra treat, go during a meteor shower.

~ Go fishing. You may be surprised how much kids love it! If kids aren’t quite patient enough to simply sit and wait, have them invite friends to talk to or bring a book.

~ Take kids berry picking. It’s strawberry season right now, in fact. They can see where their food comes from and pick a delicious treat!

~ Spend a day on the water. Take a boat right or swim in the ocean. Summer is a great time for being around water.

~ Have a baking day. Bake cookies, pies, cakes…whatever you want. Encourage kids to challenge themselves to something difficult.

~ Go to a national park to explore the natural beauty of this planet. Take kids camping, or go for the day to hike.

~ Hold a rummage sale and encourage kids to choose items they want to sell. Let them keep the profit, which they can save or use on a fun treat.

~ Visit county fairs and local festivals. Admission itself is often free, and there’s tons of great activities for kids. Games, rides, food, music…festivals really have it all!

~ Take kids to a farm. They’ll get to see where food comes from, meet the animals, and maybe will even be allowed to help out.

~ Start a garden. It can be large or small. Ask your kids what they want to grow. It may be flowers or vegetables that you can eat come harvest time!

There’s so much you and your kids can do during the summer months. This list doesn’t even account for a fraction of the things you can do over the summer. Give this list a try, and if you finish it a Google search will give you hundreds if not thousands of additional ideas. 

Quick and Easy Memorial Day Ideas

The end of the school year is approaching, which means students are getting anxious and you’re very busy. If you’re looking for some quick and easy Memorial Day lessons, we’ve got you covered. Read on for some quick tips to educate your students with little preparation needed.

While Memorial Day is about honoring those who died while in service, you can also choose to have students honor soldiers that are still living. It is important to teach your students about the sacrifices soldiers have made. This will help your students understand the risks are soldiers are currently facing.

·        Have students write letters to soldiers overseas. Letters can also be mailed to veterans. These letters should thank them for their service and offer encouragement. It’s a great way to get students thinking about the military and the sacrifices soldiers have made.

·        Give a lesson on veterans that served in your local community. This can give students a more personal tie to Memorial Day. You may also ask if any of your students know of anyone who have served or are currently serving in the military.

·        It’s a bit last minute, but it may be possible for you to bring in a speaker. Veterans are often willing to discuss their time abroad. This will be made easier if you know a veteran yourself.

·        If you can’t get a speaker, provide soldier’s stories in another way. You can do this by reading them to your students, showing clips and art, and more. Hearing a story of war from a soldier is the perfect way to make it more real.

·        Provide students with a list of local activities happening over the weekend. This may include flag ceremonies, local community celebrations, and special events at local museums.

·        Give a quick lesson on memorials around the country that honor our soldiers. This not only encourages students to think about soldier’s sacrifices, but it also may inspire them to travel and see these places themselves.

·        Create charts or graphs showing the casualties of different wars. This really puts things into perspective for your students.

These are just a few quick ideas that will hopefully help you out in the classroom. Many students just see Memorial Day as a long weekend right before summer vacation starts. It’s important to make sure they know what the holiday is really about.

An Educational Summer

The school year is coming to an end soon, meaning your students will have much more free time on their hands. All of us remember the joys and freedom of summer vacation, but one of the pitfalls is that it allows students to be lazy and disengage their mind.

As an educator, there is nothing you can do about this. What you can do is offer up some potential activities your students may engage in over their summer vacations that will keep them thinking. You may even choose to send this list on to your students for next year. You could offer an incentive for students that choose to participate.

1.      Get your students reading over the summer. While many students may dislike reading while in

school, summer opens up tons of new opportunities. First off, they will be able to choose any book they want, versus books they are assigned. They have entire libraries and book stores to explore at their leisure. Speaking of leisure, they have plenty of time over the summer to read at their own pace. Take some time to explain different genres of books and graphic novels to students and they may be encouraged to branch out and get reading.

2.      Encourage students to volunteer. The earlier a child starts volunteering, the more likely they are to give back to their community in the future. Volunteers must meet specific requirements, but there are tons of opportunities for them. Some examples include: planting flowers in parks, visiting a nursing home, sorting food at food pantries, and helping out at an animal shelter.

3.      Tell students about some of your hobbies, and encourage them to pick up a new one themselves. A new hobby will require students to use their brains to learn, follow instructions, and more. Some hobbies that are great for kids include cooking, learning a musical instrument, drawing, and crafting.

4.      Speaking of hobbies, encourage student writing. This can be a journal, a short story…anything that gets students writing. Put together a list of writing prompts that students can take home with them at the end of the year.

    5.      Give students some options for summer fun that are in your local area. Promote museums, which are a family favorite activity and educational. Maybe try talking up the zoo, instructing students to actually take some time to read about the animals. There’s tons of fun activities students can partake in that are also educational.

    6.      Make a calendar of educational events happening in the community to give to students. These can include day camps, events at parks, exhibits, concerts, and more. It’s an easy, visual way to catch student’s and parent’s attention.

Summer vacation is a great time for your students to relax after a long school year. But it is also a time for them to continue to use their minds and develop. Do what you can to encourage this before they leave your classroom!

Teaching Students Weather Safety

Some students are terrified of severe weather, while some know almost nothing about it. As an educator, you can create a healthy balance between the two by giving your students informed information about severe weather, how it forms, and what to do if it happens. There are several severe weather situations you should cover in class; tornados, severe thunderstorms, flooding, and hurricanes.

Tornados

When people talk about severe weather, tornados are often what come to people’s minds. Tornados are fairly difficult to predict and very dangerous. It is likely your school holds tornado drills already, but students should be informed about what to do during a tornado if they are not in school. A good way to start is by giving students some basic information about what a tornado is and how it forms. Emphasize signs that students should watch out for, such as dark skies, strong thunderstorms, funnel clouds, and more. An explanation of how to receive weather updates could also help them prepare. Weather alerts can be found on TV and online, but something you should emphasize is the importance of a weather radio.

Give examples of where students should seek shelter. If they are home, they should go to a basement or interior room. If outside they should find the nearest building, and if there isn’t one they must find somewhere low to the ground like a ditch. It’s also important to explain what to do after a tornado. Instruct students not to approach power lines or enter damaged buildings. Above all, teach them to remain calm and remember what they have been taught so they can stay safe.

Severe Thunderstorms

Thunderstorms are already dangerous, and severe thunderstorms are worse. As with tornados, give some basic information about thunderstorms and what students should watch for. Gathering clouds are the biggest indication of an incoming threat. Remind students if they can hear thunder, then they are in danger from lightning. If there is any indication of a storm they should immediately seek shelter. Remind students that lightning can reach them even indoors unless they are careful. Provide a list of things to avoid doing during a thunderstorm. Here are some examples: Taking a bath or shower, washing dishes, using electronics that are plugged in, and watching lightning from the porch. If students are stuck outside teach them to keep away from tall buildings and crouch low to the ground.

Lightning is not the only danger during severe thunderstorms. Damaging winds and hail are common with storms as well. Encourage students to keep away from windows during storms. They may be tempted to watch, but stress that wind and hail can break windows and cause serious injury. If students are outside during hail and cannot get inside, it is imperative they protect their head. Like with lightning they should avoid trees, as strong winds can cause tree branches and the trees themselves to fall.

Flooding

The type of flooding your students are most likely to encounter is flash flooding. Flash flooding

happens quickly and sometimes with little warning. One of the most important things you can encourage your students to do is to find out if their home is in a flood risk area. Once they know this, encourage students to have an escape plan prepared. These are two important steps to getting to safety in an emergency. Even if students don’t live in a flood zone, remind them to keep an eye out for rising water, both away from their home and while at it. If a flood warning occurs students must get to higher ground immediately. This may mean evacuating an area, moving to an upper floor, or even the roof of a home. If possible it is ideal for them to bring an emergency kit containing clean water, food, clothes, and medical supplies. If students are in a car make sure they know that no one should drive through flood waters. It is extremely unsafe.

Staying safe after a flood is just as important as staying safe during it. Make students aware that traveling through any flood water is not safe. This water is likely contaminated and could even have live wires hidden underneath it. If students need assistance they should call for help before traveling. Electronics should only be used if they are battery operated. Even if students didn’t bring water with them they must not drink the flood water, as it could make them extremely ill.

Hurricanes

Hurricanes are a large scale event that is usually predicted in advanced. In the event that students do not evacuate for a hurricane, they must take the proper precautions to remain safe until the storm has passed. Staying safe during a hurricane requires students to practice the same safety tips that apply to thunderstorms, flooding, and even tornados. Before a hurricane begins each family should have a disaster plan in place. This includes knowing where to go, what to do, and creating an emergency kit with plenty of food, water, medical supplies, and more. During a hurricane, students should be instructed to remain inside. The sustained winds of a hurricane are extremely dangerous. Instruct students to stay away from windows and doors.

Remind students not to go outside after rain and wind stops. This may be the eye of the storm. Weather radios should be monitored constantly to know when the danger has passed. Students should make no attempt to leave their shelter until an all clear is given. They should keep a distance from standing water, power lines, and debris. Tap water should not be used unless an all clear is given as it could be contaminated from the storm.

These safety tips could save your student’s lives, so make sure you present the information in a serious way. The goal is not to scare your students, just to prepare them. Knowing these tips and information about storms may even give students peace of mind, as they will know what to do in an emergency. 

Last-Minute Valentine’s Day Ideas

Looking for some last-minute ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day in your classroom? We’ve got you covered. Valentine’s Day is a fun holiday to celebrate with students. It’s a great time to teach about friendship and encourage students to show their appreciation for loved ones. Planning lessons can get overwhelming though, so if you are still in need of some quick and easy ideas for your class, read on.

<3 Have students create their own Valentine’s Day card. All this activity requires is some construction paper (and ideally markers, crayons, or colored pencils). Students can choose to make a card for a friend, family member, or teacher.

<3 Valentine’s Day talks a lot about the heart, so take this time to teach students about their own hearts! Having a healthy heart is incredibly important. Encourage your students to exercise and limit unhealthy snacks. This is a great easy lesson that you can give that will give students the knowledge they need to be healthier.

<3 There’s plenty of Valentine’s Day themed books and stories out there. Take some time from your day to read a few. Pick up a couple books from the library for an easy lesson.

<3 Provide students with a themed creative writing prompt. This will allow students to be creative and practice their writing. Here’s a couple ideas. Students can use these as a thought exercise, or to write short stories.

               ~ What would the world be like if there was no love?
               ~ Describe a time you felt loved.
               ~ Write a letter to a friend or family member about why you love them.
               ~ Who are two of your favorite fictional characters? Write a love story about them.

<3 Valentine’s Day is over the weekend this year, so playing a movie about love at the end of the day Friday is a simple, appropriate way to celebrate. Here’s some options: Lady and the Tramp, Shrek, Enchanted, Be my Valentine, Charlie Brown, and The Princess Bride.

These are only a few easy ideas you can use if you’ve run out of time to plan. Remember, students don’t respond to the most elaborate and expensive ideas, they respond to the ideas that are the most fun! With the right energy and just a couple ideas, you can make your last-minute Valentine’s Day party one your students will remember. 

Indoor and Outdoor Winter Activities

The temperatures are dropping all across the country. In some places it is downright frigid, and it is much too cold to go inside. In other parts of the country it is merely chilly out. Whether you have snow on the ground or not, we’ve come up with a great list of winter activities you can do with students.

Outdoors:

~ Build snow sculptures outside. Remind children that they can build beyond the simple snowman. Build a snow family. Try your hand at a snow animal. The possibilities are endless.

~ Make snow ice cream with freshly fallen snow. There’s tons of recipes out there on the internet, and you and your children will both be surprised by how tasty this frozen treat is.

~ Reinvent your favorite outdoor summer games for winter! Play dodge ball with snow balls, try a round of snow capture the flag, or play football in the snow like some sport teams have to and see what it’s like!

~ Take children out to experience winter sports. These include sledding, skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, and ice skating.

~ Take students out to track animals. Where you are located will play a big part in what type of animal tracks you may see, but common ones include squirrels, birds, rabbits, foxes, dogs, and deer.

Indoors:

~ Make winter themed crafts. There’s tons of crafts our there centered around winter, including snow, penguins, and so much more. A simple Google search will bring up tons of options for you.

~ Create an indoor obstacle course. This will keep kids active even during the cold months. Here’s some examples of tasks you can have them do: crawl under a row of chairs, do a somersault, do jumping jacks, climb under the table, and much more!

~ Go “fireplace camping.” If you have a fireplace in your home grab sleeping bags, pillows, blankets, and set up in front of the fireplace. Bring games, books, and music with you. And of course, don’t forget about the smores.

~ Have a board game night. As fun as video games are, they aren’t always a very social activity. There are tons of options when it comes to board games, and the industry has actually been on the rise lately!

~ Create an obstacle course made from yarn. This “laser maze” is sure to delight kids!

Many people become discouraged during winter because of the temperature. Don’t let this happen to you! There’s plenty to do outdoors in winter if you use your time carefully, and being trapped inside can lead to many fun activities!