Story/Craft To Do with a 1St Grade Class?

Hi there.
go to orientaltrade.com and type in popsicle snowman. There is a really cute snowman the kids can make. I have made them in the past with my kids and they love it. if you don't have time to paint them in the class you can do it before hand and just let them assemble them.
Have a great time.
Nicole

Any Jan Brett book would be great (the Hat, The Mitten, The Gingerbread Baby,etc.) and she even has a website (janbrett.com) with tons of activities drawn right from her books. Have fun!

What a fun invitation! Most libraries carry a book called Story Stretchers (I can't remember who wrote it). The book will give you good stories to read (usually divided by theme) and an activity (crafts, songs, etc.) to go with it. At the very least, it might give you some great ideas to work with.

I have done book marks for 1st graders.
They are starting to read for themselves & also read longer books at that age.

You could stamp on them if you like, or stickers and glitter is always good.

I did a cool thing & got a camera that took mini polaroid pictures. We put the picture & their name on the top, had them decorate them & then laminated them (I took them to Kinkos). They came out amazing & I had time to learn all the names of the kids in the class.

Make a snowman out of socks(new white ones)
Use filler and buttons and tie yarn atound the middle in sections to create a stacking look. It's online somwhere. Have fun!!

you could read a story about snow (the snowy day by ezra jack keats... or any story with snow/snowmen)... then pass out black or blue paper and chalk... the kids can make their own snow scenes... very easy...

Hi "Super Mom"! I read your blurb "a little about me" and what strikes me is that you already love to do this stuff, so why not transfer it to the kid-o's? By that, I mean, if you scrapbook (like I do) chances are good that you also make cards. SO, design a very easy simple winter theme card...like a snowman one with little snowflakes they can put all over it. It will cost a very minimal amount and be something that everyone can do without a whole lot of difficult steps or instructions. Of course, some might read this suggestion and feel that it isn't "BIG" enough or different enough or...well, a whole host of reactions. And, generally I would be one of those people 'cause I tend to want to do things on a grand fashion. BUT I'm trying to simplify life. The truth is, the kids are going to LOVE anything you do because it is different from their normal schedule. They will embrace whatever you do with them. Your son will simply be amazed that you are standing there in his classroom with him. He'll love it! You could do something more complicated, but odds are you will be more stressed, need to prepare more, perhaps be frustrated with kids that are energetic and not able to follow some of your instructions, etc. The thing is, don't make it bigger then it needs to be. Enjoy the moment and the time with your child by choosing something that you are comfortable doing already, will allow the kids an opportunity to create something simple but individual and won't tax resources, time or patience. I'm sure whatever you decide will be wonderful. There are probably some amazing suggestions on here (I'm anxious to see them myself) but if there seem to be things that are a bit on the grand scale, save them to do with your kids on your own and make something that has very few steps or precise steps with the large school group. You'll be glad you did it.

Hi C.

I was a kindy-preschool teacher for a long time and a Children's librarian recently... I would do a puppet.... either a paperbag or a finger one. Then the kids get the extra educational bit of role playing and retelling the story through drama. enchantedlearning.com is great for this type of stuff. They do require a yearly sub of $20 for alot of their stuff. But you can get ideas off the website for free.

have fun
Mary-Clare

Does the craft have to go with the story? If not then I would do cotton ball snowman family and have the kids color in the arms, hats etc. That usually just calls for cotton balls, glue, a stiff paper (you could use the inside of a cereal box), and some crayons. Hope that helps. L.

I know you're talking about 1st graders but check out www.preschoolexpress.com by Jean Warren. its totally awesome. Look in the side bar for the theme station and pick the theme you want. They give song, books, crafts and snack ideas. The craft ideas are great for all ages. I use this for my daycare kids' curriculum and they love the projects.

There is a great book called Snowballs..not sure of the author right now but if you're interested let me know and I'll raid the kid's book shelf. It's a cute book showing all diffrent snow people that are in a family including the dog and cat. It's very short more about the illustrations than the actual story. All of the snow people are made with all sorts of things found around the house and in nature.
For the craft you could take a large piece of blue construction paper for each student and give them the three snowballs as a starter. Then have an assortment of things for them to glue onto the snowperson like in the book. I've done this before with kindergarteners and they love it and I imagine a first grade class would still be interested. If you think the book is too young for first grade you could substitute a differnt snowman book and use the same craft.
Hope this helps.

You've already received some great advice, so I'll keep mine short: keep it simple! Remember that there will be many kids of varying abilities, so be realistic about expectations. And, HAVE FUN!!

Sounds like a fun undertaking! One of the fun craft projects that we have used many times (with cub scouts and at home)are craft stick (like popsicle sticks) snow flakes. Using a glue gun, glue 6 craft sticks one on top of the other (fanned out) like a snowflake. If you do this step ahead of time, then the kids can paint them white and while the paint is still wet sprinkle glitter on them. It may also help to glue a loop for hanging or attach a magnet to the back of the snowflake prior to the kids painint it. Good luck!