Week of May 25-30

Hey there, kids! This week is all about word games! 

Have you ever created a Word Cloud? This is a super fun activity where you can type in a bunch of words of your choice, and then press a button to get a printable version of your word cloud to hang on your fridge or give to a loved one. Need some ideas for word cloud themes? Here are some that I've done before:

Family names

Friend names

Places I've traveled

Science vocabulary words

Flower names

Once you've created your Word Cloud, you can change the shape, font, color, and more. You may also print it by clicking on the Menu button, then Print.

Try it Here!

If you want to try more word games, there are TONS from which to choose at Abcya.com! Have fun, kiddos!

Week of May 18-22

It's time for some Math!

BK-Kindergarten Friends, let's try out a couple of counting games this week. 

First up is Count to 100! Try it HERE! Ms. Cain loves this game, because popping the bubbles is so much fun! You have to align the bubble just right to make it fall into the treasure chest, so you might need a little help as you first get started. Don't give up! You can do it! If you love that one, you might also try the Number Bubble Skip Counting game as well. Try it HERE!

1st-2nd Grade Friends, you might have fun with the bubble games above, but also be sure to give these a try...

First up for you is Balloon Pop Subtraction! Try it HERE! This game will test your smarts AND show you a great, Springy time! If you get through that one and still want to try some more, I challenge you to one of my favorites, Drop Sum. Try it HERE! This game requires some seriously fast thinking, as you arrange the blocks into sets of your target number to make room for more. They fall fast! Be ready!

Want a fun game to play, just because you can? Parents, you might quickly become addicted to this one too! It's called Salazar the Alchemist, and it defintiely ranks up there in Ms. Cain's TOP 5 favorite games on Abcya.com. Find it HERE...but don't say I didn't tell you it's ADDICTING! Enjoy!

Missing you all more than you can imagine! Don't forget to send me a note if you have something you'd like to share with me!

So Much Love,

Ms. Cain

Week of May 11-15

It's all about safety when we go online, kids! This week, check out the Cyber-Five video on Abcya.com. You can find it HERE. You will learn 5 basic rules for staying safe when you're online at home, at school, or anywhere!

Once you've finished the video, be sure to take the quiz. You might need a parent to help you, but that's great, because you can teach them as you go along. It's important for EVERYONE to know these rules!

Week of May 4-8

It's time for a....

We may not be able to visit in person right now, but we have the world at our fingertips when we take online field trips! We have TWO amazing places to visit this week!

San Diego Zoo for Kids is always a favorite. Watch live cameras or pre-recorded videos, play games, read stories, and more HERE. First and Second graders, show your parents around the site. You've been here before! BK and Kindergarteners will need some help getting started, but there is plenty they can do on their own here as well. The Live cameras are so cool to watch!

If you loved the live cams at San Diego Zoo, check out the MANY live cams at Monterey Bay Aquarium! Soooo cool! Click HERE to watch.

I hope you have fun! Let me know if you learn something new along your way!

Much Love,
Ms. Cain

Week of April 27-May 1

Hey there, kiddos!

Can you believe it's almost May? And now it's Week 2 of our online Technology activities together.
This is so different than being in the classroom! I sure do miss  walking around the room and talking with you throughout our Technology class time together. I hope you are all doing great and getting into new routines at home. We will have SO MUCH to talk about when we get back together next school year!

For this week, I'd love to hear that you're following along with some keyboarding fun. Even our older grades are working on this skill this week, so you KNOW it's important!

Here are a few tips that we would normally practice together in class:

*Try to keep your pointer fingers find a rest on the F and the J.
*Try to keep your thumbs find a rest of the space bar.
*Remember that your other fingers line up on the middle row, starting with the letter A.
*Remember that the G and the H are empty, but your pointer fingers can reach out to tap them when needed.

Try these for practice:

Keyboarding Cup Stacking

Keyboard Zoo

Keyboard Zoo 2

Typing Rocket Junior

Typing Rocket (2nd Grade)

Keyboard Invasion (2nd Grade)

Have fun, and let me know how you did!

Week of April 20-24

Hello, Kindergarten through 2nd grade friends! I have been missing you SO MUCH! I hope you are all doing well, loving on your families, and getting outside to play often. You know that I love Technology, but our beautiful world outside is blooming and growing so much this month, so OUTSIDE is where much of my time is being spent. I sure hope you're out there enjoying it every chance you get!

I know that you all have school work to complete from your classroom teachers, so I am going to use this blog to share some fun "extra" activities that you can do on the days that aren't quite as warm and sunny as we'd like. You might also hop on your computer for a while in the evening, after that beautiful sun has gone to sleep. But please...remember to SOAK UP THAT SUN when you can! 🌻

Now, how fitting is it that our first week of online learning together is the week in which Earth Day is? Have you heard of Earth Day? We can celebrate this special day in lots of different ways. We can pick up litter, plant a tree, or simply enjoy nature. Here are a few of my Earth Day challenges to you. Pick one, two, or even all of them. Just be sure to have fun doing them!

Challenge #1: Lie down outside and look at the grass and earth. Watch what happens. What do you notice? What do you hear? What do you smell? What do you see? What do you feel? I love doing this! I almost always spot an ant or other tiny bug working away. It's so cool to watch!

Challenge #2: Go to one of our favorites, Starfall, and enjoy the Earth Day activity (Here).

Challenge #3: Go for a walk with your family. When you get home, talk about what you noticed on your walk. What was your favorite part?

Challenge #4: Use StoryMaker on Abcya.com (it's free on a computer or browser, but it costs money to download the app) to draw a picture and write a sentence, telling about your favorite Earth Day activity. 1st and 2nd graders, be sure to remember to use the Shift key for uppercase letters where they belong (beginning of names and sentences) and the period key at the end of each sentence. Also, just ONE space between each word and after a period. Kindergarten students have not yet learned this, but parents, you can show them! Parents, if you have a working printer, these make really nice printable papers for the fridge or a scrapbook.

I love and miss you all, and I hope these activities bring big smiles to your faces! I cannot WAIT to see you all again!

Much Love,
Ms. Cain