April 2020: Week Five | Ideas for Every Day
(Updated 4.20.2023)
- Week One (March 29th - April 4th)
- Week Two (April 5th - April 11th)
- Week Three (April 12th - April 18th)
- Week Four (April 19th - April 25th)
If you're starting your May planning, here's the link to the May Idea for Every Day Calendar.
And now, for your planning pleasure, let's look through these ideas for every day from Sunday, April 26th to Saturday, May 2nd.
Sunday, April 26th - National Pretzel Day
Pretzels. Yum. I don't know if it's because it's right before lunch and my stomach is rumbling, or if it's because of this picture, but I could really go for a warm, soft pretzel right now. What's your pretzel preference? Do you prefer soft or hard pretzels?
Pretzels are very popular in the Wolfe Stew household - mostly the warm, soft variety. The Mr. prefers them dipped in cheese, our nephew likes them extra salty, and our brother and the Mrs. will eat them any way you hand them to us. We also like hard pretzels filled with peanut butter or covered in chocolate. Perhaps writing about pretzels right now was not the best idea: I really want one!
Perhaps I'll try this recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction. You likely have most ingredients on hand: water, yeast, salt, brown sugar, unsalted butter, all-purpose flour, coarse sea salt, and baking soda. If it's your first time making pretzels, Sally is ready for you! She provides detailed step-by-step pictures with written instructions (including a shaping guide) and a video! So, whether you prefer reading instructions or watching them, she has you covered. All you need to focus on is how you'll cover your pretzel: salt or cinnamon sugar. Yum! Either one for me. Maybe both...
Okay, I'm going to go eat lunch now.
If you do decide to try out this recipe, won't you come back and let us know! We'd love to compare notes.
Monday, April 27th - National Tell a Story Day
Now that I'm not thinking about pretzels anymore, I am now free to focus on Tell a Story Day. We have a child in our house who is a natural storyteller. Perhaps you have one too. Sometimes he weaves a story so detailed it's hard to tell where the truth ends, and the tale begins. Regardless, with any skill, refinement opportunities always exist. To refine the storytelling in your house (or class) visit Happy Hooligans, Khan Academy or Mensa for Kids. We'll describe each now so you can choose the one that's right for you and your learner.
With Happy Hooligans you'll craft story stones then learn the process of using the stones to tell stories. It works like popcorn stories, but you use the pictures on the story stones to guide you.
Khan Academy enlisted the help of Pixar animators to teach us how to be storytellers. Through a series of videos, starting with an introduction and ending with advice, your storytellers are sure to benefit from gurus who story-tell for a living.
A third option is to head over to Mensa for Kids where you'll learn the art of storytelling. These lessons prepare your learners to do more than just read words off a page. You'll practice reading with various emotions, as different people, and in diverse environments while moving to animate. Mensa will even have your learners mapping out their storytelling plans and gathering props to add to the event. Before they perform though, they'll need to practice (at least three times).
We're envisioning YouTube stories told by your learners in the near future and we cannot wait to see them! Please, drop us a link when they do!!
With Happy Hooligans you'll craft story stones then learn the process of using the stones to tell stories. It works like popcorn stories, but you use the pictures on the story stones to guide you.
Khan Academy enlisted the help of Pixar animators to teach us how to be storytellers. Through a series of videos, starting with an introduction and ending with advice, your storytellers are sure to benefit from gurus who story-tell for a living.
A third option is to head over to Mensa for Kids where you'll learn the art of storytelling. These lessons prepare your learners to do more than just read words off a page. You'll practice reading with various emotions, as different people, and in diverse environments while moving to animate. Mensa will even have your learners mapping out their storytelling plans and gathering props to add to the event. Before they perform though, they'll need to practice (at least three times).
We're envisioning YouTube stories told by your learners in the near future and we cannot wait to see them! Please, drop us a link when they do!!
Tuesday, April 28th - National Superhero Day
We already know you see your learners as superheroes - but do they? Today's the day to inspire them to see the superhero you already see inside.
Creative Kindergarten engages your learners in precisely this activity - naming their unique superpowers. To begin you'll showcase yourself as a superhero, next you'll work together to create one, and finally they will have the opportunity to portray themselves as a superhero showcasing their unique set of superpowers.
Creative Educator takes you a step farther with I.D. badge creation. I mean, come on, how else will your superhero get access to the secret superhero lair? Before they create their badge, they need to carefully consider superhero powers, weaknesses, physical descriptions, and hometown origin. They'll get peer feedback before their final copy and then are free to share their superhero with the world.
Perhaps your learner's superhero is ready for a book of its own. If so, then you need to walk down the halls of Doodle Academy. Doodle Academy walks you through the process of superhero image creation and comic book design while mindfully crafting a superhero backstory.
They're ready. You're ready. It's time your superhero soars!
Creative Kindergarten engages your learners in precisely this activity - naming their unique superpowers. To begin you'll showcase yourself as a superhero, next you'll work together to create one, and finally they will have the opportunity to portray themselves as a superhero showcasing their unique set of superpowers.
Creative Educator takes you a step farther with I.D. badge creation. I mean, come on, how else will your superhero get access to the secret superhero lair? Before they create their badge, they need to carefully consider superhero powers, weaknesses, physical descriptions, and hometown origin. They'll get peer feedback before their final copy and then are free to share their superhero with the world.
Perhaps your learner's superhero is ready for a book of its own. If so, then you need to walk down the halls of Doodle Academy. Doodle Academy walks you through the process of superhero image creation and comic book design while mindfully crafting a superhero backstory.
They're ready. You're ready. It's time your superhero soars!
Wednesday, April 29th - National Zipper Day
Zippers are fun! They are easier to learn to use than many other closures, create secure seals, and enhance the function of clothes, furniture, purses and more! On zipper day, seize the opportunity to develop fine motor skills by making a zipper board with Learning 4 Kids, engineer understanding of pushes, pulls, wedges, and inclines with Design Squad, and write creatively by explaining a zipper to an extraterrestrial life form. With these creative ideas, we're thinking this day is sure to just zip on by.
Thursday, April 30th - National Honesty Day
Honesty is a trait we're working on teaching to the learners in our lives. What about you? Is this a trait that comes easily to your learner(s), or one you need to spend more time intentionally teaching? If you could spend time teaching honesty, we've rounded up some promising activities for you.
First, head on over to Rockin' Resources for a robust list of honesty teaching ideas. There's a list of ideas on how to approach the topic of honesty, an "Examples of Honesty" printout, a mentor text list, songs, and activities. Find more information on each book, look at the sites linked below.
In Snakes and Ladders at Teacher Planet, students will design a set of 'integrity questions' to use in an honesty-driven version of the game. When players land on a 'snake' or 'ladder' square, they'll have to answer an integrity question. The answer to the question determines their next course of action in the game. Here is a printable version of snakes and ladders (from Printable Board Games) should you require it.
Here's to honestly hoping these activities promote more honesty.
First, head on over to Rockin' Resources for a robust list of honesty teaching ideas. There's a list of ideas on how to approach the topic of honesty, an "Examples of Honesty" printout, a mentor text list, songs, and activities. Find more information on each book, look at the sites linked below.
- The Empty Pot by Demi (YouTube read aloud by Story Time with Ms. Melange)
- Abe's Honest Words: The Life of Abraham Lincoln by Doreen Rappaport, illustrated by Kadir Nelson (links to GoodReads)
- The Boy Who Cried Wolf by B.G. Hennessy, illustrated by Boris Kulikov (links to GoodReads)
In Snakes and Ladders at Teacher Planet, students will design a set of 'integrity questions' to use in an honesty-driven version of the game. When players land on a 'snake' or 'ladder' square, they'll have to answer an integrity question. The answer to the question determines their next course of action in the game. Here is a printable version of snakes and ladders (from Printable Board Games) should you require it.
Here's to honestly hoping these activities promote more honesty.
Friday, May 1st - May Day
As children on May Day, my brother and I would go around the neighborhood distributing dandelions to our neighbors' mailboxes. Never did the thought occur to us that our neighbors might negatively react to a weed in their mailbox; we thought we were spreading kindness. Reflecting on this memory as an adult, I think I would have just brushed the dandelions out and not given it a second thought. What might you do?
Perhaps you can teach your learner(s) more positive ways to celebrate May Day - like crafting a flower basket, for instance. DLTK provides step-by-step instructions for crafting a flower basket using a paper plate, handprints, your printer, crayons, scissors, glue, and paint. Gift completed projects to a neighbor or friend to pass along flowers this May Day.
If you'd like to dig deeper into May Day traditions than simply the passing along of flowers, we urge you to visit Thought Co. With the help of Janelle Cox at Thought Co, you and your learner might find yourselves dancing around a maypole while singing the traditional song. Or, maybe you'll play ding-dong-ditch at a friend's house, leaving in your wake a self-crafted May Basket full of candy and flowers. After which, you'll participate in a hula hoop decorating contest followed by testing out those hoops, of course. You'll wind down the day with a story and writing to reflect on all the festivities. Find Rainbow Tulip by Pat Mora at Open Library for precisely this occasion.
A final activity, for your consideration, is creating and playing a game of Nine Men Morris. According to How Stuff Works, Nine Men Morris is a May Day tradition. How Stuff Works walks you through both how to design your own game board and how to play it. Alternatively, you could print out this game board from Printable Paper.
Whichever option you choose, I'm positive any of them would result in a more positive response than a wilted dandelion in a mailbox.
Perhaps you can teach your learner(s) more positive ways to celebrate May Day - like crafting a flower basket, for instance. DLTK provides step-by-step instructions for crafting a flower basket using a paper plate, handprints, your printer, crayons, scissors, glue, and paint. Gift completed projects to a neighbor or friend to pass along flowers this May Day.
If you'd like to dig deeper into May Day traditions than simply the passing along of flowers, we urge you to visit Thought Co. With the help of Janelle Cox at Thought Co, you and your learner might find yourselves dancing around a maypole while singing the traditional song. Or, maybe you'll play ding-dong-ditch at a friend's house, leaving in your wake a self-crafted May Basket full of candy and flowers. After which, you'll participate in a hula hoop decorating contest followed by testing out those hoops, of course. You'll wind down the day with a story and writing to reflect on all the festivities. Find Rainbow Tulip by Pat Mora at Open Library for precisely this occasion.
A final activity, for your consideration, is creating and playing a game of Nine Men Morris. According to How Stuff Works, Nine Men Morris is a May Day tradition. How Stuff Works walks you through both how to design your own game board and how to play it. Alternatively, you could print out this game board from Printable Paper.
Whichever option you choose, I'm positive any of them would result in a more positive response than a wilted dandelion in a mailbox.
Saturday, May 2nd - National Truffle Day
Unintentionally, we begin and end this week with food. And, once again, I'm finding myself longing for a truffle. Whether you buy it or make it, a truffle is a trifle of enjoyment. Choose your truffle of preference: the traditional chocolate (King Arthur Flour) or a unique variation (The Spruce Eats). At least we're ending on a sweet note.
Before You Go
We'd love to know:
- Which of these days most intrigues you?
- What other activities would you pair with these days?
We'll be back next week, leaders, serving you up more activities for EVERY day.
At Your Service,
Interested in even more educational resources? Then stop by our Learning Lab. It's here where we store all the educational resources we've cooked up to date.
My favourite day out of these would be pretzel day! It wasn't until I visited Vienna that I had those big soft pretzels, I just can't seem to find them in my own country (only the hard pretzel sticks), and I fell totally in love with them. Thanks for the recipe, maybe if I find time I can try making them myself.
ReplyDeleteI also love this post and all the ideas for each day, so many fun ones. Thank you.
Oh how your comment warms my heart, Mehsi! While I'm sad that you can't find soft pretzels where you live, it encourages me that you might try your hand at making them. I'd love to hear how it went if you did. Thank you for stopping by and taking the time to leave your kind remarks. It means the world to us!
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