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Fun in First

A Teaching Blog by Jodi Southard

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Fall

A Bat Cave Classroom Transformation

September 29, 2019 by Jodi Leave a Comment

If you’ve been around here for awhile, you’ve probably come across my Bat Cave Day Classroom Transformation.  It is one of my absolute favorite days in my classroom.  My first graders get so excited and talk about it for the rest of the school year.

One of the questions that I am usually asked is, “What all do you do during your Bat Cave Day?”  Well, I am a huge believer in making learning fun, but meaningful.  Even though it is a fun day, I still want to jam-pack it with learning.  This year, I wanted to add in even more reading, math, and writing based activities into our Bat Cave Day, so I created this Bat Cave Day activity packet.These bat-themed activities are perfect to use during a Bat Cave Day Classroom Transformation or anytime you are studying bats.  This packet includes reading, writing, math, and science activities that are geared towards 1st grade students.

During our Bat Cave Day, my students bring in flashlights from home, and we work in the dark all day.  They love this extra bit of excitement.  Throughout the day, they will be completing six bat-themed centers. (Batty Math, Spin & Add, Bat Writing, Batty Vowels, Roll to Color Short Vowels, and Fact or Fiction)

These bat-themed activities are perfect to use during a Bat Cave Day Classroom Transformation or anytime you are studying bats.  This packet includes reading, writing, math, and science activities that are geared towards 1st grade students.

I really based these centers around skills that my first graders are currently working on or need to review.  This allows us to continue our academic learning, even though we are adding some extra excitement to our day.

These bat-themed activities are perfect to use during a Bat Cave Day Classroom Transformation or anytime you are studying bats.  This packet includes reading, writing, math, and science activities that are geared towards 1st grade students.

My students will be rotating in groups of 3-4 students to complete each of these centers.  Afterwards, we will complete some of the other activities in this packet including ABC order, vocabulary practice, writing, and more.

These bat-themed activities are perfect to use during a Bat Cave Day Classroom Transformation or anytime you are studying bats.  This packet includes reading, writing, math, and science activities that are geared towards 1st grade students.

For the actual classroom transformation, I keep it pretty simple.  I purchase black tablecloths from Dollar Tree to place on our tables and in front of our classroom windows.  I also have some plastic bats that I purchased years ago from Dollar Tree that I use every year.  You can see everything that I use for my transformation in my Amazon store.  I promise you that you really do not need to spend a lot of money.  The ONLY thing I buy for this each year are the tablecloths, and honestly, if I just purchased cloth ones, I could actually reuse those every year as well.

If you’d like to check out the Bat Cave Day packet, click on the picture below.

These bat-themed activities are perfect to use during a Bat Cave Day Classroom Transformation or anytime you are studying bats.  This packet includes reading, writing, math, and science activities that are geared towards 1st grade students.

Read more about our Bat Cave Classroom Transformation here.

Remember to pin the image below to save for future reference.

These bat-themed activities are perfect to use during a Bat Cave Day Classroom Transformation or anytime you are studying bats.  This packet includes reading, writing, math, and science activities that are geared towards 1st grade students.

Filed Under: Fall, Science/Social Studies, Seasonal Tagged With: bat cave, bats, Classroom Transformation

What Should My Teacher Be For Halloween?

October 13, 2016 by Jodi 1 Comment

What should my teacher be for Halloween? Writing Activity from Fun in First

I wanted to share one of my favorite Halloween writing activities with you today.  My students absolutely LOVE doing this, and I am always blown away by their creativity.

What should my teacher be for Halloween? Writing Activity from Fun in FirstI give them this writing prompt with just my head copied on the page.  Then, the students have to decide what they think I should dress as for Halloween.  I loved the one above.  Obviously, I don’t hide my love for coffee.  Lol!

What should my teacher be for Halloween? Writing Activity from Fun in FirstWhat should my teacher be for Halloween? Writing Activity from Fun in FirstThey were all so unique!

I had these posted on my Instagram earlier today, and had some requests for this printable.  I went ahead and threw it together in a FREEBIE for you.  I also made it editable, so you can add your name and picture.

Click on the picture below to join my email family and get this printable for FREE.

What should my teacher be for Halloween? Writing Activity from Fun in First

Filed Under: Fall, Freebies, Writing

Morning Tubs – Round 3

October 10, 2016 by Jodi 7 Comments

Morning Tub Ideas from Fun in First

Last week, I changed out my Morning Tubs for the third time this year.  The 3 day rotation is still working out really well for my students.  I really think it is just the right amount of time for the kids to spend at their tubs.

Morning Tub Ideas from Fun in FirstIn the first tub, I placed my new Phonics Dice that I ordered a couple weeks ago.  We have been using these during small group reading instruction, so my students have had practice making real and nonsense words with these dice.  The students grab a dry erase board and marker to use at this tub.

Morning Tub Ideas from Fun in FirstThe second tub is filled with Halloween erasers that I purchased from the Dollar Spot at Target two years ago.  These seasonal erasers are always a great find and can be used for so many things.  For the morning tub, I didn’t give the students a particular task for these.  I just like to let their creativity take over.  They have had so much fun making shapes, patterns, and pictures with these.

Morning Tub Ideas from Fun in FirstMorning Tub Ideas from Fun in FirstThe third tub contains letter tiles.  These tiles have all of the individual letters as well as common vowel pairs and word families.  The letter tiles came with small magnetic boards, but cookie sheets would also work really well with these.  I truly have no clue what brand these tiles are, but you could always just put regular magnetic letters in a tub.

Morning Tub Ideas from Fun in FirstMy fourth tub contains Base-10 Blocks.  The students always love building towers and houses with these blocks.

Morning Tub Ideas from Fun in FirstMorning Tub Ideas from Fun in FirstI was so excited when I ordered this Goobi Construction Set from Amazon a couple weeks ago.  I knew my students would love them, and they would be perfect for morning tubs.

Morning Tub Ideas from Fun in FirstMorning Tub Ideas from Fun in FirstThe sixth tub contains coloring pages.  I included some primary type coloring pages that I downloaded for free from Creative Clips, as well as some more difficult adult coloring pages that I found as free downloads online.

Morning Tub Ideas from Fun in FirstMorning Tub Ideas from Fun in FirstYou can read about my first two rounds of Morning Tubs by clicking on the links below.

Morning Tubs – Round 1

Morning Tubs – Round 2

Are you using Morning Tubs this year?  I’d love to hear the types of things you have placed in yours lately.

This post does contain some affiliate links for your shopping convenience.  I do receive a small commission when someone purchases an item after clicking on a link.  These commissions help with the cost of maintaining this blog and allow me to continue to bringing you valuable content, activities and ideas.

Filed Under: Classroom Management, Fall Tagged With: Morning Tubs

Columbus Day

October 9, 2016 by Jodi 4 Comments

Students take a Columbus Day Voyage throughout the school.

We are usually on Fall Break during Columbus Day, but this year Fall Break is pushed back a week.  So, tomorrow we will be learning about Christopher Columbus and taking our annual Columbus Voyage through the school.

Students take a Columbus Day Voyage throughout the school.I truly like to put the focus on learning new vocabulary during this voyage instead of focusing completely on Columbus.  I absolutely understand that Columbus Day is controversial in many ways, so for my first graders, I put the main focus on the idea of being an explorer.  We discuss the meaning of the words voyage, explore, discover, explorer, trade, etc.

We have done this a couple of different ways throughout the years.  We started off years ago by having the students in different classrooms be the Native Americans, and the first graders be the explorers to the “new world.”  Our first graders would trade their trinkets (gold, mirrors, beads, etc.) with the Natives.  One year, we had a LOT of 1st graders, so we decided to do all of the trading in the same room.  This year, we will be placing the items in different locations through the school, so we can “voyage” through the school and do our trading.

Students take a Columbus Day Voyage throughout the school.We start off by passing out our Columbus Voyage packets, their bag of trinkets to trade (beads, jewels, gold painted rocks, etc.) and their snack bags of dried meat, fish, and crackers (beef jerky sticks, Goldfish and saltine crackers) for the long voyage.  I explain to the students that the people on the ship had to ration their food and not eat it all at once.

Students take a Columbus Day Voyage throughout the school.Then, we start our voyage.  We read about our first trade item, and the students choose a trinket to trade.  Then, we travel to the first location on our map.  The students trade their trinket for the item from the Natives.

Students take a Columbus Day Voyage throughout the school.We trade for all types of items that the explorers traded for with the Native Americans (popcorn, spices, feathers, shells, etc.).

Students take a Columbus Day Voyage throughout the school.After we make each trade, we learn about the item in our booklets, and then write about our learning.

Students take a Columbus Day Voyage throughout the school.It’s a fun day, and the students love it.

Students take a Columbus Day Voyage throughout the school.At some point during the day, we also complete these Columbus Day Booklets to add to our learning.

Columbus Day Booklet from Fun in FirstColumbus Day Booklet from Fun in FirstI’m looking forward to another Columbus Voyage tomorrow.

Filed Under: Fall, Science/Social Studies Tagged With: Columbus Day

Monster Fun for Everyone

October 8, 2016 by Jodi 4 Comments

Monster Activities for the classroom from Fun in First

October is so great!  There are so many wonderful themes to cover, but this year, I just had to add a little bit of monster fun into our day.

Monster Activities for the classroom from Fun in FirstI am a little bit obsessed with cute monsters…not scary ones.  I even had a “monster themed” 1st birthday party for my little guy last year.  We started off by reading the book, I Need My Monster.  If you do not have this book, it is a must.  The students LOVED it!

Missing Monster Posters

After reading, I had the students pretend that they had monsters, but their monsters were missing.  So, we made missing posters.

Monster themed activities for the classroom from Fun in FirstMonster themed activities for the classroom from Fun in FirstThey were so creative with these!  I loved reading what their monsters liked to eat.  First graders are hilarious!  You can find these Missing Monster Posters in my Monster Fun for Everyone packet.

Monster Bulletin Board

Monster Themed activities from Fun in FirstThen, the students made their own symmetrical monsters from construction paper.  I precut white and black circles for eyes and let the students decide how many eyes they wanted for their monster.  This made a great bulletin board display outside of my classroom.

Monster Fun for Everyone

I put the Missing Monster Posters, as well as some other reading, writing, and math activities into a Monster Fun for Everyone packet.

Monster Fun for Everyone activities from Fun in First

You can click HERE, or on the picture above to check out this monster fun mini-unit.

Monster Themed Read Alouds

We have continued to read monster themed books this week included the sequel, Hey, That’s My Monster!

Here are some more great monster themed books. (All of the Amazon affiliate links are located under the picture.)

Monster themed books for kidsThe Monster Who Lost His Mean

Goodnight, Little Monster

Nighty Night, Little Green Monster

My Teacher is a Monster

My Monster Mama Loves Me So

The Monstore

I Need My Monster

The Monster at the End of this Book

Hey!  That’s My Monster!

Monster Craft Ideas

I also found these adorable monster themed crafts on Pinterest.  The links to each blog is located under the picture.

Monster Crafts for KidsPaper Bag Monsters

Blow Paint Monsters

Monster Sun Catchers

Watercolor Monsters

Monster Splat Pictures

Paper Plate Monsters

Coffee Filter Monsters

Craft Stick Monsters (I thought this would make amazing pointers for reading!)

Online Book Reading

You also MUST, MUST, MUST check out Storyline Online.  The reading of I Need My Monster is AMAZING!!!!

I really hope she reads Hey!  That’s My Monster in the future because my reading does not do it justice after hearing her.

Filed Under: Classroom Decor, Fall, Reading

Parent Teacher Conference Forms

October 3, 2016 by Jodi 2 Comments

FREE Parent Teacher Conference Forms from Fun in First

I cannot believe that it’s already time to start thinking about Parent-Teacher Conferences.  We will start scheduling ours tomorrow, and then we will meet with parents in two weeks.  The beginning of the school year has just flown by!  Last year, I shared some FREE Parent-Teacher Conference forms and wanted to remind you of those if you wanted to use them again.

FREE Parent Teacher Conference Forms from Fun in FirstThese are great for students to fill out prior to conferences.  It really gives you an insight into how they see their school year.

FREE Parent Teacher Conference Forms from Fun in FirstIt’s so interesting because I have actually found that some of my best students are the hardest on themselves when it comes to self-evaluations.

FREE Parent Teacher Conference Forms from Fun in FirstThe parents always enjoy seeing which subjects interest their child as well.

FREE Parent Teacher Conference Forms from Fun in FirstYou will also find conference reminder forms in this FREE download.

FREE Parent Teacher Conference Forms from Fun in FirstThese are editable, so you can add your student’s name, date, and time of the conference.

You can download all of these for FREE in my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

Filed Under: Classroom Management, Fall, Freebies Tagged With: Parent Conferences

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funinfirstblog

Definitely not my favorite of his costumes, but he Definitely not my favorite of his costumes, but he loves it, so that’s all that matters 🦴🎃
We will be completing our Halloween Challenge on F We will be completing our Halloween Challenge on Friday. It’s such a great way to make learning fun while working cooperatively.🎃
Check it out by following the link in my profile.
Thank you, Halloween!!🎃👻 Thank you, Halloween!!🎃👻
🌟Easy small group activity🌟 Give each studen 🌟Easy small group activity🌟
Give each student the vowels using foam or magnetic letters. Say a CVC word.  The students hold up the vowel to show the middle sound that they hear.
Super easy and effective💙
I could not be happier that Halloween falls on a S I could not be happier that Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, but that definitely does not mean that the kids will be calm this coming week🤪
If you can’t beat them, join them, right? We will be working on reading fluency using my Halloween Reading on the Move.
Check it out by following the link in my profile.🎃
I’ve definitely need some coffee to get through I’ve definitely need some coffee to get through this past week that I swear was actually 15 days long 😂 But, I’m officially done with my parent-teacher conferences✔️👏👏
We normally do a student pumpkin decorating contes We normally do a student pumpkin decorating contest at school, and the pumpkins are always AMAZING. Due to Covid, we had to cancel it this year, but each classroom created a pumpkin.
We finished ours today, and I actually think it turned out pretty cute🦁
At this point in the year, I am definitely feeling At this point in the year, I am definitely feeling like my soup of the day should be coffee.
I’m *almost* done with Parent-Teacher Conferences. Only 2 more left👏👏
How are you holding up? Do you need some coffee soup along with me?
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