Cute Kindergarten blogs to check out

Hi everyone I wanted to post about some cute, colorful, and of course informative kindergarten blogs that I found on  my travels today. 

• Kindergarten center blog - created by Amy who is a teacher. She posts about many different topics related to kindergarten and pre-k. Amy also posts some freebies and giveaways for teachers. If you are looking for some sweet kindergarten ideas check out this site!

• Mrs. Minder's Kindgarten Monkey Business- created by Mrs. Miner. Mrs. Miner posts some good ideas and resources to use everyday objects (like a digital photo frame) in your class. Mrs. Miner also stocks her site with some fun freebies and printables to add to your teacher toolbox. 

• Tickled to teach  - developed by Shannon. She posts some creative and crafty ideas and resources to use in your classroom. She even posts example pictures! If you are looking for a fun and crafty site be sure to visit Shannon's blog!

Fantastic flag day activities

Below are some fantastic flag day activities to do with your kids!

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• Flag coloring pages- An interactive flag day coloring pages.

• Flag day webquest - What does our flag mean to you? How do you feel when you see our American flag displayed? 

• Flag day puzzle 1 - Flag day six piece puzzle.

• Find The Flags is an excellent multimedia interactive from the National Center For Family Literacy. Found on Larry Feralazzo's website

• Flag day puzzle 2 - Flag day puzzle.

• Flag day scrambler puzzle - Flag day scrambler puzzle.

More fantastic flag day resources can be found on Wednesdays with Sam - Flag day

Summer sites

Below are six super summer sites to use with your kids during the long break

• Wednesdays with Sam
• E-Learning for kids
• Curious George
• PBS Kids
• Brainpop Jr. 
• Nickelodeon games

What are your summer site staples? Add them the comments sections and lets see how long our list can get! 

Google Apps for the classroom

    This morning I attended a webinar about Google apps in the classroom. This webinar was presented by Alan Klein from Penn State. This webinar was all about how to use different Google apps in the classroom. There are many different Google apps to utilize, Google Apps are a collection of web-based programs. The first step in using Google apps is to have a Google account.  If you don't have one it is very easy to set up. 

After you have an account you have access to many, many cool apps from Google such as: 

• Docs – just like Microsoft office includes docs, spreadsheets, presentations, forms, and drawings.
• Gmail – email
• Calendar – online calendar where you can mark events and make plans, also able to share your calendar. You can even have appointment slots!
• Groups -  Create discussion groups that supports threaded discussions. Great way to keep in contact with colleagues, students, and more! 
• Sites – web site creator, I created by Wednesdays with Sam site with google sites - very easy to do!

 Google Apps Classroom Applications:

•     Docs 
•     Easily share documents with students
•     Have students write notes using Google Docs to share with each other in and out of class
•     Forms - create a fun and interactive test or quiz with mulitiple choice, true/false, check list questions
•      Drawing - create a collaborative drawing or concept map in groups
•     Email
•     Keep in contact with parents and students 
•     Calendar
•     Share a class calendar with parents to highlight events in school or parent/teacher conferences
•    Sites
•     Create a class site to show what is going on in the classroom
•     The site can house all websites and resources used during class 
•     Wednesdays with Sam example

Advantages for Google Apps:

•     Any time and any where access to your materials and resources 
•      Convenient 
•     Save time, energy, frustration, and money!
•     Storage
•     Familiar and consistent interface

Disadvantage for using Google Apps:

•     If you dont have access to the net  - no access to your materials and resources
•     Materials and resources are stored on a 3rd party server
•     Security