Rhyming and fingering verses for early years

Fun rhyming/finger verses for kinder and 1st

Free rendering 2nd grade Saints

For the last day of the Saints language block I had the children do a free rendering of any saint they had learned about this year.  The free rendering was to cut/rip up tissue paper and use it to create a stain glass like mosaic on transparent paper.  I used diluted mod podge and paint brushes.  The children LOVED doing this and many wanted to do another.  The transparent paper I used was Vellum and didn't work so well-rippled.  Next time I would try shrinky dink paper or something else. 

Don't remember which saint this was.  It was a female that is covered in fire, she walked through fire.

 

St. George and the dragon.

Saint Elizabeth - and the Roses.

Saint Clare - before becoming a Nun.

Another version of walking through fire.

 Saint Martin 

Knitting, gnome hat

The Noro yarn we have been using for our 2nd project of a hat in 5th grade has been discontinued so I bought another yarn called Gina and wanted to knit it up to make sure it worked.  Somehow I managed to get them on a size 7 needle instead of an 8 and the hat was coming out quite small. SOOO, instead of taking it out I decided I wanted to use the whole skein and did several rows in between my decreases and made it more of a gnome hat with a pom-pom.  Love the colors and I have several littles I can give this too. 

 

Santa Lucia main lesson book drawing - leading children through drawing on chalkboard.

The children learned the Santa Lucia song, heard the story and made Lucia buns.  We then sang and brought the buns to the 1st grade.  This is not a festival at our school - yet!  The recipe I used for the buns turned out great and I didn't end up having to use the super expensive saffron (that's a lot of saffron if you make it for the whole school).  This is the recipe I used.  
I made the dough ahead of time because I have to teach my handwork classes all day and we just don't have enough time to make it all in the morning.  I gave each child a piece and they loved rolling and shaping them.  It worked great.

SOURCES

Felting needles at Peace Fleece - best price I've found

Main lesson book of Saint Christopher led on chalkboard

In class we were working on naming words, doing words and describing/color words.  I do a main lesson book page and then make it proportionally the same size on the chalkboard and lead them through a drawing.  Christopher was in the middle of the block. 

Saint Francis, Chalkboard drawing, 2nd grade

 

My chalkboard drawing for this Saints/language block.  I'm in love with Saint Francis.  Great movie free on youtube about him with music from Donovan (a favorite of mine) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVG2r7TgMMw

We are singing the song "If you want your dream to be" every morning with a few changes.  Excited to do it in a round in 3rd grade.  We are also singing the canticle.  I started my board drawing with just the tree, Francis and a few birds and I've been slowly adding in birds, flowers and the wolf.  The children are SO excited everyday there is something new. 

My mentor said his arms were too skinny and his hands were too tiny and feet wouldn't hold him up, so I had to thicken them and enlarge them.