I'll Take a Physical Challenge

 My students have a science test next week so we played a review game on Friday.  I wanted to spice it up a bit so I took a hint from the old show Double Dare.  After dividing my students in two teams, we went outside to the playground.  We followed a typical review game format (I asked one person from a team a question from our study guide, if they got it right they get a point.  If they did not the question went to the other team).  Here was the twist, if the person I called on did not know the answer they could take a physical challenge.  If they took one, the whole team would have to run to the picnic benches, or do twenty jumping jacks, or do fifteen arm circles.  They kids loved it!! I did limit the number of physical challenges they could use so we did get in some science review.  It was a great way to use some of the energy that makes them wiggle so much in the afternoons!

Quick Science Idea

This week we are talking about living and nonliving things in science.  We have discussed the difference between the two, read about it, and today we did a quick activity I thought I would share with you.  I printed different pictures of backyards, gardens, forests, etc. from the Internet.  Then I broke students into small groups and they made a T chart on large construction paper.  One side was for living things and one was for nonliving things.  They examined their picture as a group and then recorded which things in the picture were living and nonliving on their charts.  I hung their charts with their pictures in the hall.  I forgot to take a picture but I will try to add one soon. 

Website for Whole Class Fun

I wanted to share a website I found in my first year of teaching that I have continued to use.  It is called Sheppard's Software (http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/web_games_menu.htm).  The math games are great and my kids love to play them in centers or as a whole class on our Promethean Board.  The math games are also sorted by concept so they are easy to find.  This website also has some great science items.  My students love the food chain demo (they think it is so cool when the cartoon animals eat each other) and the animal classification game is great for teaching the differences between herbivores, omnivores, and carnivores.  In addition to math and science, there are some language arts games and geography games.  Hope you find this site as enjoyable as my class does!