Looks Like Spring!

We love spring! Not only is this the time of year that you can find Cadbury Mini Eggs on store shelves, but it is also when you start seeing florals and pretty pastel colors popping up everywhere.  In fact, while perusing the aisles of Michael's craft store, we spotted these cute spring flowers that we thought would make fantastic magnets.  So, we picked up more .5 inch magnet buttons, a pack of sparkly flowers, and a pack of colorful clothespins and...voila! In our pastel-candy-coated-chocolate-egg-haze we created a set of spring magnets to spruce up our board.

The magnets, flowers, and clothespins were relatively inexpensive, plus we had a 40% off coupon.  If you have a Michael's nearby and don't receive Michael's coupons in the mail, there is an app with an assortment of coupons.  The app, Retail Me Not,  typically has a few coupons at a time to use within the store or online.   Grab your coupons and head on over to the scrapbooking section of your local Michael's or other craft store and pick-up some spring decor.  

Happy Spring!!

Exploring Ireland

In need of a last minute activity that promotes vocabulary and appeases those enjoying the fun of St. Patrick's Day?  How about learning about the Emerald Isle!   

Time for Kids has a great page with facts about Ireland which contains curriculum-relevant vocabulary such as population, capital, currency, climate, agriculture, and industries.  You can find the page here at http://www.timeforkids.com/destination/ireland.  This sheet would make for a great discussion regarding vocabulary and life on the Emerald Isle.  Additionally, you can have your students compare and contrast many of the items listed above with facts about the United States using a graphic organizer such as this.

For a little extra fun, introduce a few common Irish expressions.  Have the students match each expression to its meaning by using the context of the sentence.  

Enjoy!