Teacher’s Brain

Tag: escape room

Black Friday Starts TODAY for Pre-K – 3rd Grade TEACHERS

education

Starting TODAY until November 29, 2021, you can make plans this winter easier and increase student engagement with these DEEPLY DISCOUNTED Black Friday Resources!
We listened to what you wanted to help you take your weekends back!

SAVE 50% and MORE on these LIMITED TIME Black Friday Special Bundles!

BLACK FRIDAY SPECIALS:

Escape Room Bundle for First Grade
According to our survey, a lot of you have never tried escape rooms in your class.  I would love to see that change this year! The students get so excited while learning! I think you will love them if you give them a try. Once you do one, the others follow the same pattern and become easy for you to set up and students to participate. There are 9 escape rooms for in-person teaching in this bundle.  All of them can be used in first grade.
Reg $47 ONLY $19.99

Winter Activities Bundle K-3rd Grade
This bundle was the most requested from you. It includes: 
Winter Would You Rather
Winter Directed Drawing with Writing
Winter Sports Interactive Notebook
A Melted Snowman Craft and Bulletin Board Set
3 Weeks of Winter Creative Writing with Animation
Holidays Around the World In-Person Escape Room
Winter Snow Literacy Center Activities
PLUS a BONUS! Editable Thank You Cards, Bookmarks, and Writing Paper

Digital Escape Room Bundle K-2nd
If you like digital lessons because of the low prep and no printing, this bundle is great for you!
It includes 10 Digital Escapes created using Google Sites.  You don’t have to have Google Classroom, but you will need to make sure your IT has your computer and your student computers cleared for each site.  This is easy by practicing on my TEST SITE  using the link provided in the description.

ALPHABET Centers Bundle for Pre-K & Kindergarten
Regularly $78 ONLY $19.99
It covers every letter of the alphabet with crafts and worksheets! Over 450 Pages!

Kindergarten Curriculum ALL YEAR, EVERY SUBJECT
(Guided Reading, Math Centers, Writing, Science and Social Studies) You will find lots of bonus material in this bundle.
This price is the lowest its ever been priced.
OVER 3000 PAGES You will never scramble for another resource.  This gets updated often too.

Kindergarten Google Slides and Escape Room Freebies!

Distance Learning, Free Teaching Resources, kindergarten survival

When working with kindergarten students, it’s important to use interactive activities that get students involved and excited. Young students need the chance to work with subject matter rather than just receiving direct instruction. On the other hand, it can be difficult to have the time and materials to make every lesson hands-on. 

Luckily, technology can help in this area.

With distance learning being practiced widely around the world now, there are many digital activity options available to use in your classroom. Google Slides are a perfect way to help students interact with material in the classroom or during distance learning. They can be used in all subject areas, and are easily added to Google Classroom so students can learn from any location.

Google Slides are very user friendly, and kindergarten students can quickly learn how to manipulate the materials on their screens. Just be sure to teach your students how to use the “Undo” button and how to hold the mouse button to drag items. 

I love digital resources because with just a little practice your kiddos will be able to complete tasks independently while having fun. Digital activities completed in Google Slides (or Docs and Sheets) are easy to add to Seesaw portfolios. You’ll be ready to show your students’ growth in no time! 

Ready to try out some Kindergarten Google Slides activities?

Check out my completely free Google Slides Name Activity resource here.

Using this Google Slides activity, students will practice their names, colors, and shapes. They will have a great time personalizing their names, and will get important practice manipulating images with their mouse. Using this activity will add even more Google Slides activities to your plans. 

kindergarten google slides

Digital Escape Rooms

Another one of my favorite activities for kindergarten students are digital escape rooms. These exciting tasks are guaranteed to get students 100% engaged in learning, and are easy for you to implement! The best escape rooms for kindergarten students are those that don’t have real locks- so these are a perfect fit. 

Escape rooms help students learn problem solving skills, cooperation, and perseverance. They can work as individuals or as teams to solve the rooms. Digital escape rooms can be used during distance learning, letting students participate in fun challenges even while at home. For more info on why escape rooms are so great for elementary, check out my post here. 

You can download and try out a mini escape room activity for FREE by clicking here!

kindergarten Google slides

kindergarten google slides

 

Are you using digital activities in your kindergarten classroom? Let me know in the comments!

 

Thanksgiving Escape Rooms For Kids

education, Thanksgiving in Kindergarten

As we approach the holiday season, your students might be growing weary of the usual classroom activities. Are you detecting a little bit of restlessness when you assign a reading comprehension passage? Don’t worry, I have the perfect activity to inject some life into your reading practice- escape rooms!

 Students will have a blast using their reading skills to solve the puzzles and escape the room. Trust me, it will be one of the most memorable activities of the year! 

There is even a Thanksgiving Escape Room perfect for the fall- The Thanksgiving Mystery. 

To successfully complete this activity, students have to “break the box” to “escape the room”. As they try to solve the mystery, they will practice their reading skills as well as using teamwork and critical thinking skills. 

thanksgiving escape room

 

Your students will be having so much fun trying to escape, they might not even notice that they are developing higher level comprehension skills. Application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation are all necessary to open the box. Rather than using simple worksheets, you will be letting your students develop their higher order thinking skills while having fun! 

Thanksgiving Escape Room

This Thanksgiving Mystery video will introduce the activity to your students and hook them in.

The Thanksgiving Escape the Room resource includes all the steps you need to engage your students in the Thanksgiving Mystery. After a little bit of preparation following the easy checklist, you’ll be ready to guide your students through their adventure. 

The escape room can be used if your children are in the classroom, or easily adapted for at home learners. Your kids are going to have a blast exploring the different steps including a corn maze!

For more Thanksgiving fun, check out my Thanksgiving Turkey Run Digital Escape Room.

This activity would be perfect for the days leading up to Thanksgiving break. Have you used escape rooms in your classroom yet? Tell me in the comments! 

thanksgiving escape room

 

 

Facts About Bats For Kids

Distance Learning, education, Science

There are so many things to love about fall besides the pumpkin spice and fall scented candles, it is also so fun to bring fall and Halloween themes into the classroom. Integrating seasons and holidays gets your students excited to learn, and what teacher doesn’t love that? 

One topic that my students love to learn about is bats! They only come out at night, they’re spooky, and might just share some qualities with vampires. They make a great science topic for fall or Halloween! Teaching facts about bats to your kiddos is exciting and will help increase engagement and retention. 

Here are some bat facts to include in your lessons:

  • Bats are flying mammals
  • There are over 1000 different species of bat
  • They are nocturnal or active at night
  • They feed on insects, fruit, fish, and some even on blood

To help you take your bats unit up to the next level, I created a special Bat Facts Escape Room! This game is so fun, your students will be learning without even realizing it. 

Check out my Bats Escape Room Video Tutorial here

This escape room requires no prep and is super easy to use. It is great for in person learning or distance learning. 

During the escape, students will be tasked with solving 4 lock clues in order to escape the bizarre bats buzzing around their building. There is a pdf included in this download with directions, the link to the site, an answer key and an optional note taking worksheet for students. This activity takes about 20 to 30 minutes to complete.

Students will:

  • Listen to short audio directions and a YouTube video
  • Solve 5 Comprehension Questions
  • Solve a Jigsaw Puzzle
  • Count BATS
  • Work on problem solving as a group or individually
  • Learn about echolocation, colonies, different types of bats, vampire bats, and nocturnal animals

Do you have any tips for teaching students about these nocturnal animals? Let me know in the comments!

bats

 

Want more Halloween fun? Check out my Halloween Escape Room here!