Formany years it has been my pleasure to visit Pinellas County, Florida, to sharewith their teachers. Although thisis a large county, they have the “heart” of a small community and they’vealways been totally dedicated to children. They embrace change and technology, but balance it withcreative, engaging activities similar to these:
Funwith Phones (Janice Pires,Tarpon Springs Elementary)
Recycleused/non-working cell phones with this game. Write high frequency words or fluency phrases on jumbo craftsticks and place them in the box the cell phone came in. Children hold the phone, reach in thebox, and then say the word as if they are talking on the phone.
*Adaptfor letters, numerals, math facts, etc.
ChalkTalk (Cari Barnes)
Drawnames, shapes, numbers, or letters on sidewalks with chalk. Give children cups of water andpaintbrushes so they can paint over the chalk lines. The water evaporates so children can do it over and over.
Carialso suggested that when you make books from zip bag you can cover the stapledspine with duct tape to add a finished edge and protect little fingers fromstaples.
BottleLid Phonics (Lana Lillie)
Collectwater bottle lids (white ones). Write uppercase letters on one set with a permanent marker and lowercaseletters on another set. Childrensay the sounds as they put the lids in alphabetical order. They can match upper and lowercaseletters, make words, etc.
