Embrace Your Uniqueness!

Embrace Your Uniqueness!  

Teaching young children the value of self-acceptance is a crucial lesson. In today’s world, there’s often too much focus on appearance and accomplishments, and even in pre-k, peer pressure can start to creep in. While it’s true that children who demonstrate positive behavior in the classroom can be wonderful role models, it’s essential to remind every child that they are special just as they are.

 

Celebrating each child’s individuality through engaging activities and meaningful discussions in the classroom is key. There are countless books and activities that can help with this, and one timeless favorite of mine is *Dandelion* by Don Freeman. This book is perfect for kicking off the new school year with a message of self-love and acceptance! Be sure to explore the fun activities you can do with your students! 

This Storybook Companion may be found here: 

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/thebeezyteacher?search=Dandelion

September 2024 Products

Prepare for a successful September! September can be filled with golden glorious days of summer and warmth. There are so many wonderful inspiring themes to choose from to inspire and ignite your students' desire to learn. Whether you are celebrating  Grandparents Day on the 8th of September, exploring activities centered around activities celebrating apples and community helpers, or celebrating National Wildlife Day, there is no shortage of topics to choose from.



Enjoy the outdoors as the season changes and open your students' eyes to how nature prepares for fall. Enjoy the subtle changes in light and leaves as you admire the colorful apples hanging on trees. 



Start the month by celebrating National Wildlife Day on September 4th. This day aims to enhance awareness of the wonderful diversity of species in our local area and the broader world. Young children have a desire to know and a remarkable ability to find the extraordinary in the everyday. Wildlife for a young child does not only exist in the forest, ocean or the outskirts of cities. Creatures that they see in the local park, in the schoolyard or sky above are filled with remarkable wildlife waiting to be discovered.

It is important to teach students how we impact the habitats that animals need to survive. The importance of being aware of the role of animals and plants in maintaining an ecological balance is highlighted during National Wildlife Day. Animals and plants face a wide range of problems that threaten their existence from habitat loss to climate change, and illegal activities such as poaching.



Being aware of the rate at which species are disappearing is an important topic to explore and the aim is to encourage actions that help conserve wildlife. This day was established in 2025 by Colleen Paige. She is an animal behaviorist and philanthropist, the day also honors the Australian wildlife conservationist Steve Irwin. 



Your students will enjoy exploring and learning this September! Have a wonderful month! 

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Land of the Rising Sun!

Fascinating traditions, delicious food, cherry blossoms, intricate crafts, stunning landscapes! Get ready for an unforgettable trip to Japan. 

Understanding and appreciating diverse cultures is a crucial part of development. Exploring other cultures allows students to find out about other people and also help them to explore their own place in the community. Students can gain valuable insights into the world in many new ways by learning about different cultural celebrations and traditions.

Start a project about Japan by finding Japan on a map. The distinct crescent shape of Japan is interesting so you can ask your students to use modeling clay to reproduce the shape. Draw a map of Japan, using the “How to Draw” resource. And learn about the color of the flag. Explore the meaning behind the red symbol (a stylized sun) using the Fact Booklet Japan. 

Read stories about Japan, there are several beautiful stories about cherry blossoms. Reading stories is a great way to ignite an interest in learning how to draw and paint cherry blossoms. Japan has several traditions that continue to hold significance in contemporary Japan. Make Japanese origami and explore the versatility of this traditional craft. Today, the old folding technology has been used to design new inventions from aerospace and the construction industry to medicine and robotics. 

Traditional Japanese cuisine consists of a blend of rice, fish, and vegetables. The food must be beautifully displayed as well as tasty. Rice is the primary dish and it is prepared in many different ways. Onigiri is popular for lunch and the rice is formed into balls, filled with fish, meat or a vegetable and then wrapped in dried seaweed (Nori). Traditionally onigiri is made in a triangular shape and wrapped with Nori but if you are making these in the classroom you can use children's rice molds. The rice molds come in a variety of whimsical shapes like cats and rabbits. 

A fun activity is to write a collaborative poem. Haiku is an ideal poetic style for young kids due to its short form. Each poem consists of three lines, usually about nature, the seasons, and animals. Show your students some easy Haiku examples and then either let them try writing their own or make a collaborative poem. Decorate your classroom with Haiku poems, and drawings from the “How to Draw Japan”, a lovely way to infuse your learning space with Japanese culture and craft. 

Both resources can be found in my store.

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August 2024 Products

August means it’s time to go Back to School! You might have had a couple of weeks off to do all of those summer things, so now it is time to start planning and making the most of the month ahead. Let August be a month of exploration, discovery, and cultural enrichment. 

Travel to Europe and Switzerland with the students to mark the onset of August. Switzerland is a mountainous country located in the heart of Europe, famous for its watchmaking, delicious chocolates and stunning landscape. Use my “How to Draw” booklet to teach your students about iconic landmarks, architecture and wildlife. Since 1891, the Swiss have celebrated Swiss National Day on the 1st of August. The celebration marks the signing of the Federal Charter of 1291. Large celebrations are held at famous spots such as Rhine Falls, the most powerful waterfall in Europe. Cities, towns or even villages have special traditions for this day.  

Dinosaurs are amazing creatures and so popular that they are celebrated several times yearly. While International Dinosaur Day is celebrated on June 1st and Fossil Day on October 13th, August 2nd is Dinosaur Day. A project using a Fact Booklet about Dinosaurs will inspire your students to learn and explore even on warm summer’s day. There is a wide selection of stunning fiction and nonfiction books about dinosaurs, providing an enriching opportunity to dive deeper into the world of these ancient creatures. 

August Math and Literacy Centers with a cool watermelon theme are the perfect way to add some revision activities. Watermelons are a delicious fruit with roots traced back to  Ancient Egypt. Celebrate this fruit's historical significance and sweetness on National Watermelon Day on August 3rd.



Capture your students' imagination by exploring all the delicious things you can make from potatoes. Mark National Potato Day,  August 19th, with a discussion about the versatility of this little tuber, from hash browns, baked potatoes, mashed potatoes and potato chips. You can also make bread using potatoes and pancakes. Your students will love reading the fact booklet about how this vegetable even traveled to space. Is it not amazing that this tube not only has spread all over the globe but also was the first vegetable to be grown in space?



Wishing you a memorable end to your summer classroom adventures as you prepare for an exciting new year ahead.

All products can be found in my store. 

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Bird Watching

Children dream of flying! Adding the graceful flutter of wings, the beautiful singing and stunning feathers into a project about this diverse group of animals is sure to capture the imagination and curiosity of your students. From eagles and macaws to ostriches, flamingos and peacocks, all birds share some fascinating features. While not all birds can fly, they all have wings and feathers. Penguins are great swimmers, using their paddle-like wings to swim through the water. However, the tiny wings are useless for flying. Ostriches are famous for their remarkable speed on land, yet, they cannot fly with their small wings and weak chests.



Whether it is pigeons in the cities or penguins in Antarctica - birds have adapted to a wide range of different environments from arid deserts and lush rainforests to bustling and noisy cities. Adaptations to various environments are a great topic to explore using a fact booklet. Birds can often be found in local parks and gardens so it is a great opportunity for kids to study and learn more about these creatures. Looking for local birds and using an identification sheet to see which birds they have spotted is a fun activity, especially on warm summer days. 



An interesting project is to compare different bird species, exploring birds’ diverse characteristics such as size, beak and body shape. Make a poster ranking birds by size:  birds vary greatly in size from the smallest bee hummingbird to the largest bird the ostrich. A poster with beautiful birds makes a great classroom display. Feather colors are also a fascinating topic, the perfect inspiration for an art project. 

Do you have any dinosaur enthusiasts in your classroom? Birds have a fascinating history being descendants of theropod dinosaurs. These dinosaurs had feathers and early birds, Archaeopteryx, had teeth. There may be discussions about exactly how birds evolved from dinosaurs. However, several fossils have now been found that demonstrate that non-flying dinosaurs and birds are related. A great topic to explore. 



Happy Summer and Happy Bird Spotting!

All resources are found in my store.

 https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Thebeezyteacher