Wacky Links: A Maker Space MUST!

I could not have been more excited to see this box on my front porch!!!

You guys, my students and I have gone WACKY for Wacky Links!  These DIY kits are the perfect addition to any maker-space, STEM bin, art extension, or for just plain play.

Wacky Links encourage kids to use their imagination and explore their creative side.  What parent and teacher doesn't want more of that in every child's life?!?!  The DIY kits provide open ended fun for every kiddo!

The kits are comprised of colorful tubes that you can cut, bend, and connect to an assortment of pronged charms.  The tubes are way more durable that I was expecting.  They are designed to create a bit of suction onto the prongs making it like a Chinese Finger Trap.  This is perfect so your kiddos don't have to worry about their creations falling apart.
My students loved diving into the kits and watching some of the Wacky Links YouTube videos for inspiration.

I let them play and explore and then gave them the task of creating a guitar with the Rock n' Roll Kit.  They definitely struggled at first, but that was the fun of it.   The conversations and problem solving that took place were a teacher's dream!

These have become a staple during our morning STEM bins, early finisher time, and Friday STEM builds.

You can find Wacky Links in specialty toy stores, on Amazon, and Walmart.com.  Lucky for you, I am gifting one of my readers two sets.  To enter, comment below with your answer to the following question, don't forget to include your email address:
Why is creative play important for ALL children?

**One random winner will be chosen on Saturday, January 28, 2017, at 12:00pm PST.  The winner will be notified by email and announced here.  CONGRATULATIONS, Sara!  I sent you an email with all the details.  If you didn't win, don't fret!  You can grab Wacky Links at the links I listed above. **

Have you tried Wacky Links?  I would love to hear from you; comment below.

Guided Reading Expert Groups

One of my favorite ways to utilize guided reading groups and reading conferences is to create expert groups.  By allowing students to read about a topic that they are interested in I have found that their want to read increases substantially.  This year, I used Hameray Publishing's Fables and The Real World Sets to build expertise with my students.

The nonfiction books were perfect for my reading groups.  Each group would read their text throughout the week.  We studied main ideas and details, as well as retells.  The next week, I mixed up my reading groups and students taught each other about the topics they read about.  

I can't wait to get my hands on more of Hameray's real world books.  

Do you like to switch up your reading groups?  How do you try to spark interests with your students?

Building Connections Within Readers

When teaching students the importance of understanding their reading, lessons on making connections must take place.  As an adult reader, we constantly connect what we are reading to real-life events and topics.  These connections are what allow our brains to store the newly read information for immediate and future use.  How do we get young readers to do they same thing?
First off, as parents and educators we need to make sure that these readers are exposed to rich text, meaningful stories, and all around interesting topics.  I have found that Hameray Publishing offers a wide range of books that cover these three needs.  My students and I love that their books contain real photographs and cover interesting topics.

Second, we need a variety of books to support the strategy of making connections.  By reading nonfiction text and comparing it to the author's message/moral of the story in fables, young readers are able to grow their reading minds.  The connections that they are able to make between nonfiction and fiction helps to build the bridge to successful comprehension.  I feel that too often young readers focus only on text-to-self connections and the text-to-world connections fall to the wayside.  It is these text-to-world connections that strengthen our language skills and understanding of the world. 

The Fables and Nonfiction sets, from Hameray Publishing, are an incredible resource to use when teaching students about text-to-world, as well as text-to-text connections.  My kiddos not only love the nonfiction component, but they thoroughly enjoy discussing the moral of each fable.

What is your favorite resource for teaching connections?

Flocabulary

I have found another great resource: Flocabulary!  This website houses songs and videos that cover all content areas.  My kiddos love the grammar songs.

I love that there are so many content areas and topics available.  Even more exciting than a site packed with great resources is a site that is easy to use.  The content areas are easy to access and topics are super easy to find once you pick your content area.

I love that I have been able to use Flocabulary to introduce new topics, but also use it to review with my kiddos.  

Grab this link to try Flocabulary out for a FREE 75 day trial.

Mom Life: Product Review

I very quickly realized after giving birth that I would no longer be the SUPER productive person I had always been.  For goodness sake, I couldn't even take a shower without assistance (someone watching little man).  I brainstormed every possible way to accomplish things with a child who wouldn't take decent naps.
The first tool that allowed me to get anything accomplished that the bouncy chair.  He would actually let me strap him in there long enough to take a shower.  This worked great for several months, until he was Mr. I am NEVER sitting still.
I started doing tons of research on alternatives.  I knew I needed something that would keep him in a space and entertained.  The thought of an exersaucer made my head spin.  I was afraid it would be too much stimuli for my little guy.  I also knew I wanted something that would grow with him.  I feel like all we do is buy things to use them for a month and that is it.
So after tons of research and countless trips to Babies R Us, we ended up with the FisherPrice Step n' Play Piano.  It has been an instant hit and the best part is, for now, I can get ready for work in the morning and know that little man is contained in a safe place.  I love that when he starts walking the seat can be removed and the table is a functioning music stand.

It was an instant hit!

It is nice to be able to slide it down the hallway and plop it outside the bathroom door.

I totally recommend this product to any parent searching for a way to contain an active child for a short period of time.  What product do use recommend for keeping your kiddos safe and entertained for a chunk of time?