Where do I even begin??? February is prime time for theme teaching. There are never are enough days in the month to squeeze everything in, but it such a fun time in the lower elementary grades. The things they learn this month will go with them throughout the rest of their lives. I still remember those important themes because of my first grade teacher and how much fun we had learning about them. I've gathered some of my favorite activities and want to share with you. Some are free and some are paid. I'm pretty frugal so nothing extravagant!
Ground Hogs Day - who doesn't remember the excitement? Help your students find the excitement with this fun activity:
Classroom Freebies Groundhog Freebie
Valentines Day - Oh My Goodness!!! Valentines Day Parties are HARD on teachers but children sure do get excited about them. I know with Covid this year Valentines Day will look different. Let's try to bring some separated excitement with a pancake breakfast in the classroom. Bring in your griddle, some pancake mix, and syrup. Cook some heart shaped pancakes for your sweet babies. They can eat them socially distanced with a smile. They will love it! If you are virtual, spread a little love by having them wear their Valentine finest to their virtual class and teach them how to cut out hearts from construction paper to decorate their room at home. You may need to have parents drop by school earlier in the week for construction paper.
Presidents Day - For a few years in our district Presidents Day was not a holiday, so we made it a day of first grade fun with rotating stations. We had 3 first grade classrooms and rotated all first grade students through stations in all the classrooms and hallway. With Covid this year we can't work together in person on projects but they can absolutely work through individual activities. Make it a full day of learning about our presidents, past and present. Some ideas: presidential writing, presidential math, Lincoln and Washington, and presidential reading (gather as many books as you can find about the presidents and designate a time for some quiet reading) Several ideas can be printed from the freebie below.
Bethany Gardner's Freebie President's Day Printables
Teeth - What first grader doesn't LOVE to learn about teeth?? They are all about the tooth fairy! My all time favorite author Robert Munsch has a great tooth book, Andrew's Loose Tooth. I loved to read this book and then let my firsties write their own story about the tooth fairy. I would conference one on one with each student to help develop and edit the stories. Once the stories are complete students can share with a buddy and those that want can share with the class. They'll have a blast and be completely engaged in writing! Perfect for virtual or face to face teaching.
Black History Month - There is so much to share about black history that I taught it throughout the year. However, I made sure to make it the spotlight of our month with books, projects, videos, and discussions. First graders understand more than we give them credit for and have amazing discussions around the events in our history. Three of my favorite black history activities are below:
George Washington Carver
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