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Holidays and Seasonal

How to Celebrate Asian Heritage Month in Canada

by Brain Ninjas

How will you be acknowledging Asian Heritage Month in Canada? We pulled together resources that you can use in your upper elementary classroom to learn about the contributions of Asian-Canadians throughout history. Come read the whole post.

Every year in May we celebrate Asian Heritage Month. It started in the United States as Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month in the 1990s but eventually, it made its way to Canada. We recognize the history and value of Asian Canadians across the country. Asian Canadians strengthen Canadian society, whether they have been here for years or have newly arrived.

Explore Asian Heritage Month in Canada with us.

[Read more…] about How to Celebrate Asian Heritage Month in Canada

Filed Under: Engaging Lessons Tagged With: Asian Heritage Month, Asian History, Asian-Canadians, Canadian History, cultures, Holidays, Holidays and Seasonal, Teachers Pay Teachers

How to Learn French With French Canadian Celebrations

by Brain Ninjas

You can excite your elementary students to learn French by teaching them all about French Canadian celebrations. We put together lessons and activities that can help inspire your students about French culture while you teach the basics of the French language. These lessons are designed for teachers who are not native speakers so come learn more.

Every year, Francophone communities across Canada celebrate their traditions and culture. People from around the world celebrate these events, too. There’s no better way to teach French as a Second Language than to connect to French Canadian celebrations and cultural events.

A large part of teaching French as a Second Language (FSL) is connecting students to the culture. Maybe even the most important part! This is an opportunity to learn about the culture of just over 20% of Canadians. That’s one in five Canadians who identify as French Canadians!

[Read more…] about How to Learn French With French Canadian Celebrations

Filed Under: Engaging Lessons, Teaching Strategies Tagged With: cultures, French, French activities, French lessons, FSL, FSL Activities, FSL Classroom, FSL Lessons, Holidays and Seasonal, Professional Learning, Teachers Pay Teachers

How to Make Valentine’s Day Love Trees

by Brain Ninjas

Create these adorable watercolour love trees for Valentine's Day, World Kindness Day, Earth Day or Pink Shirt Day. They make a great bulletin board and our post features step by step instructions for your elementary classroom. Come read the whole post.

Do you need a Valentine’s Day art project or activity that you can use to teach students about colour while making something special? Do you dread having to find something to do for Valentine’s Day? Are you a Valentine’s Day fool? Or Scrooge? It sounds like you need to learn how to make Valentine’s Day love trees!

There are several variations to make this Valentine’s Day-themed project listed below, but basically, it’s a tree with heart-shaped leaves. Sounds great, right? Who doesn’t need a heart-shaped leaf? So cute and easy to make! They are perfect for World Kindness Day or Pink Shirt Day too!

[Read more…] about How to Make Valentine’s Day Love Trees

Filed Under: Engaging Lessons Tagged With: Acts of Kindness, Art, Art Lessons, Be Kind, Bulletin board ideas, Bulletin Boards, Collaborative Posters, Earth Day, Earth Day Activities, Holidays, Holidays and Seasonal, Kindness, Logic Puzzles, Seasonal, Valentine's Day, watercolour painting, World Kindness Day

Sweet and Simple Two-Colour Watercolour Candy Cane Paintings

by Brain Ninjas

We like to try teaching our students new watercolour techniques that will make their paintings more realistic. Being elememtary generalists means we're not experts but we've broken down this watercolour candy cane lesson so you can try it out with your students. It's a great Christmas art project, but more importantly you can teach students how to add light and shadow to their art projects to make them come alive.

We love to teach students new simple techniques for painting with watercolour. We created this Christmas art project that only uses two colours as a way to practice a technique where students remove paint from their page. This watercolour candy cane painting teaches students techniques like adding light and shadows.

[Read more…] about Sweet and Simple Two-Colour Watercolour Candy Cane Paintings

Filed Under: Engaging Lessons Tagged With: Art, Art Class, Art Lessons, Christmas, Christmas activities, christmas cards, Christmas Crafts, Holidays, Holidays and Seasonal, Painting, watercolour painting, Winter Art, Winter Art Lessons, Winter Art Projects

Five Easy Christmas Tree Projects for Leftover Bits and Pieces

by Brain Ninjas

Do you have lots of odds and ends leftover from various Christmas art porjects and crafts over the years? Here are five projects to help use them up. Come find the free art project instructions and get some new ideas for your upper elementary students. These make great gifts or decorations during the festive season.
Rolled Christmas Wrapping Paper

If you’re like us (and most teachers), you likely have lots of bits and pieces left over from previous projects. We often have to buy a class set of things and always have one or two left over. The good news is that we have some projects that can use some of that up and still create awesome Christmas tree projects for your art class. Have your students gift them to their families. Come check out these Christmas tree projects.

[Read more…] about Five Easy Christmas Tree Projects for Leftover Bits and Pieces

Filed Under: Classroom Tips Tagged With: Art, Art Class, Art Lessons, Christmas, Christmas activities, christmas cards, Christmas Crafts, Christmas Trees, Holidays, Holidays and Seasonal, recycled art lessons, Seasonal, Upcycled Art Lessons, Winter Art, Winter Art Lessons, Winter Art Projects

The Best Scary Halloween Books for Your Classroom Library

by Brain Ninjas

A skull looks over a pile of books. Are you looking for some scary Halloween books for your upper elementary classroom library? We've collected titles of great Halloween books from our students and update our list all the time. Come have a read!

Whether you’re creating a Halloween-themed classroom library or planning some eerie read-alouds, these titles deliver thrills, chills, and laughs. Many are proudly written or illustrated by Canadian talent. We love to share scary books all year. Our students ask for them. Many of them want to read a haunted story or something that is a little creepy. You don’t have to read scary Halloween books at Halloween, but that is part of the fun.

[Read more…] about The Best Scary Halloween Books for Your Classroom Library

Filed Under: Classroom Tips Tagged With: Book Clubs, Book Recommendations, books, Fall Holidays, Halloween, halloween activities, halloween celebrations, Holidays, Holidays and Seasonal, picture books, Seasonal

Easy Ways to Show Appreciation to Your School Support Staff

by Brain Ninjas

There are so many people in schools that work hard to make it a special place. Find ways to thank volunteers, bus drivers, support staff, custodians, educational assistants or anyone else who makes your school a special place in this blog post chock full of of easy and inexpesive ways to show your appreciation.

Hey, fellow teachers! We all know our schools wouldn’t run nearly as smoothly without the incredible support staff who keep everything ticking. Educational assistants, custodians, office staff, librarians, volunteers – they’re the unsung heroes who make our jobs easier and our schools brighter. Let’s show them some love! Meaningful appreciation doesn’t have to break the bank or eat up all your prep time. Come check out some of the ways we’re saying thank you to the people who help make our jobs easier.

[Read more…] about Easy Ways to Show Appreciation to Your School Support Staff

Filed Under: Classroom Tips Tagged With: Appreciation, Bulletin board ideas, Collaborative Posters, Custodian Appreciation, Educational Assistants, Holidays, Holidays and Seasonal, School Community, Volunteer Appreciation

Simple Meet the Teacher Ideas

by Brain Ninjas

Are you looking for ideas to your school's Meet the Teacher Night? The last thing you need is more things added to your to-do list, so we've taken care of it for you. Come find these easy to prep and quick ways to get your classroom ready without much extra effort.

Meet the Teacher Night is a valuable opportunity for teachers and school staff to connect with students and families, establish rapport, and set the tone for a successful school year. Traditionally, our Meet the Teacher Nights are held after about two weeks of school. This usually means students have settled into the classroom a bit. Come learn some of the easy ways we organize our night where families meet the teacher.

[Read more…] about Simple Meet the Teacher Ideas

Filed Under: Classroom Tips Tagged With: Classroom Community, communicating with parents, communication with parents, Holidays and Seasonal, Meet the Teacher, parent-teacher communication, parents, Professional Learning, school events

10 Quick Ways to Celebrate World Kindness Day

by Brain Ninjas

World Kindness Day is a way to remind each other to be kind, but we focus on being kind all year in our classroom. Come learn some of the ways we celebrate kindness in our upper elementary and especially for World Kindness Day.

World Kindness Day is observed on November 13th. It’s a great opportunity to promote kindness, empathy, and compassion in your classroom, school, and community. One of the most important lessons about kindness is that it is possible for everyone to be kind. It doesn’t have to cost money or take a lot of time. Here are some of the ways we celebrate World Kindness Day in our school.

[Read more…] about 10 Quick Ways to Celebrate World Kindness Day

Filed Under: Classroom Tips Tagged With: Acts of Kindness, Collaborative Posters, Holidays, Holidays and Seasonal, Kindness, Kindness Books, Kindness Matters, Teachers Pay Teachers, World Kindness Day, Writing Prompts

Inspiring Ways to Celebrate the Festival du Voyageur

by Brain Ninjas

If you are looking for ways to celebrate the Festival du voyageur at your school, check out this list of ideas. It's a great way to teach French culture in your French, FSL or Core French classes.

Each year, we organize a Festival du Voyageur for students learning French in our school. Over the years, we’ve learned some tips to make the planning easier because there’s already enough to do in February. Come check out these activities and see which ones the French learners in your school might enjoy.

[Read more…] about Inspiring Ways to Celebrate the Festival du Voyageur

Filed Under: Classroom Tips, Engaging Lessons Tagged With: Festival du Voyageur, francophone lessons, French, French activities, french as a second language, French Culture, Holidays, Holidays and Seasonal, School-Wide Events, Teachers Pay Teachers, theme days, vocabulary

How to Host a Carnaval de Québec in Your School

by Brain Ninjas

We have gathered up a list of some of our students' favourite activities during our Carnval de Quebec so you can use them to host your own. It's perfect for teaching about Francophone celebrations in Canada or French culture in Canada. Come read the list.

Each year, we host a simple event to celebrate the Carnaval de Québec with the students who are learning French in our school. It doesn’t have to be complicated or elaborate to celebrate, but over the years, we’ve learned some tips to make the day go smoother. Come check out some of the events you can do to make your day special.

[Read more…] about How to Host a Carnaval de Québec in Your School

Filed Under: Classroom Tips Tagged With: Classroom Community, francophone lessons, French, French activities, french as a second language, French lessons, Holidays, Holidays and Seasonal, school fun, Teachers Pay Teachers, Winter, Winter Activities

Five Ways to Use a Collaborative Poster

by Brain Ninjas

Collaborative posters are much more than simply colouring. You can use them to teach, communicate, work together and have fun. Come learn different ways to use collaborative posters and justify the learning that can happen during the process.

We love creating collaborative posters. They are so much fun to make, but our students also love to create them. Of course, we have made over one hundred different designs and nobody is going to have the time to use them all. But, there’s more than one way to use a collaborative poster. Come learn some of the different ways you can use them (and spoiler alert–they aren’t more complicated and still don’t require much prep).

[Read more…] about Five Ways to Use a Collaborative Poster

Filed Under: Classroom Tips Tagged With: Art, Art Lessons, Classroom Community, Collaboration, Collaborative Posters, Collaborative tasks, Holidays, Holidays and Seasonal, Teachers Pay Teachers

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