MOTHER'S DAY AUDIO TAPE

I used parent volunteers to help me with this project.  It is liked by Kindergarten and First Grade parents.

A MOTHER'S WORK IS NEVER DONE - POEM

This makes a great addition to a Mother's Day Program that you have in your classroom.  Divide the poem and assign each student two lines to learn and to bring in items to show what it means.  "Wipe the nosed, wash the faces" could have kleenix and wipes.  As the students recite their lines they would who their items they brought.  Try to make it cute.  If you have more than 14 student - who doesn't - then one could state the title, one could be a program announcer, some could serve the moms your prepared treats...Be creative.

www.techingheart.net/mompage.htm

This year I decided to make a classroom cookbook for my helpful and supportive moms. I began by asking each child to tell me something their mom makes that is one of their favorites. Some kids are great observers and will give me great detail of how their mom prepares their favorite meals. But most of the time, I had to practically drag the answers out of them by asking them questions like, "Where does she get ____? What does she do first? What does she do next? Describe how it tastes?"

Some additional sites for ideas:
http://www.allfreeprintables.com/mother/index.shtml

http://www.perpetualpreschool.com/mother_songs.html

http://www.thevirtualvine.com/MothersDay.html

I LOVE POETRY

This is a simple way to make sure your students are exposed to poetry even though you have a full curriculum and very busy days.   Gather some poetry books and them put on a shelf or in a crate.  I actually put the books in a picnic basket and then stored them that way when we were not using them.  Make sure you have all of the Shel Silverstein books.  Children love that poet.  Copy at least a weeks worth of the worksheet and put out near the poetry books or where you put papers for your students to access. Do one with the students to show what you expect of them.  I would always demonstrate with one of my favorite childhood poems by Robert Louis Stevenson: 'The Swing'.  Below is a sample with out the student drawing.  Expectations for students:  neat handwriting, detailed drawing, and neat coloring .  This could be worked into a great center area if you wished.  I assigned one a day during the month of April - National Poetry Month.  This gave my Third Graders extra penmanship practice with cursive handwriting.  You might end up with 20 completed for each child at the end of the month.  This makes a nice booklet to send home or even a nice Mother's Day Gift.

WHY GOD MADE MOMS...

This works best with the lower grades.  I left some of the answers that were given by another class.  Make into a class book and send home to each MOM for Mother's Day.

 

WHY GOD MADE MOMS

    

Answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions:

    

Why did God make mothers

 1.  She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.

 2.  Mostly to clean the house.

 3.    To help us out of there when we were getting born.

    How did God make mothers?

    1.  He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.

    2.  Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.

    3.  God made my mom just the same like he made me.  He just used bigger parts.

    What ingredients are mothers made of?

  1.  God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.

  2.  They had to get their start from men's bones.  Then they mostly use string, I think.

    

    Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?

   1.  We're related.

   2.  God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's mom's like me.

   

   What kind of a little girl was your mom?

    1.  My mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.

    2.  I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.

    3.  They say she used to be nice.

   

    What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?

    1.  His last name.

    2.  She had to know his background.  Like is he a crook?  Does he get drunk on beer?

    3.  Does he make at least $800 a year?  Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?

    

    Why did your mom marry your dad?

    1.  My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world.  And my mom eats a lot.

    2.  She got too old to do anything else with him.

    3.  My grandma says that mom didn't have her thinking cap on.

    

    Who's the boss at your house?

    1.  Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dad's such a goof ball.

    2.  Mom.  You can tell by room inspection.  She sees the stuff under the bed.

    3.  I guess mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad.

    

What's the difference between moms and dads?

    1.  Moms work at work and work at home and dads just go to work at work.

    2.  Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.

    3.  Dads are taller and stronger, but moms have all the real power cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friends.

   4.  Moms have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.

    

    What does your mom do in her spare time?

    1.  Mothers don't do spare time.

    2.  To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

   

    What would it take to make your mom perfect?

    1.  On the inside she's already perfect.  Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.

    2.  Diet.  You know, her hair.  I'd diet, maybe blue.

    If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?

    1.  She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean.  I'd get rid of that.

    2.  I'd make my mom smarter.  Then she would know it was my sister who did it, not me.

    3.  I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.

MY MOM IS SPECIAL BECAUSE

If you need an easy, quick project for Mother's Day this is very simple.  You can back with colored construction paper - MOM's favorite color!

MOTHER'S DAY HATS OFF TO MOM

Have students fill out hat and draw a detailed picture.  Color neatly and cut out the hat.  Do one a day so students don't get in a hurry to finish the project.  Make sure you encourage neatness and care.  Show students how to cut on the outside of the black cutting line.  Give a demonstration by cutting out 2 hats and showing how they fit nicely if care is taken with cutting.  Hold all hats until it is time to put the project together.  You can staple or use the holes shown to tie with yarn. 

Mother's Day Family Tree

~ Sponge paint paper for the frame. 
You can get a pre-cut frame to save
the work of cutting it out inside and out.
Set aside.
~ Print # of apples as people in the family.
Let dry~ Sponge paint the tree making sure to not
paint over the apples.  Let dry.
~ Sponge paint the trunk of the tree. Let dry.
~ When paint is dry, using a Sharpie pen,
write names of each person in the family
on an apple.  Below the leaves of the
tree write your Last Name and Family
Tree.  Then put the year.
~  Glue the frame on top of the piece of art.
Let dry.  Have students write a message
on the back of the picture.
It looks very nice laminated.

MOTHER'S DAY TEA

This project can be done with younger students by using the copy of the card that has the verse written for the child. All the child needs to do is sign his or her name beneath the verse. OR you can take up to the intermediate level and have the students copy the verse from the board, using best penmanship. I used this opportunity to have my 3rd graders practice their cursive writing.

No matter which level you choose to do this project all students need to draw a picture on the front of the card. I chose to use "guided drawing technique" and had the students follow my sketching as I did it on the board. We drew a tree on the left with flowers beneath, a sun at the right top with clouds beneath the sun, and a detailed picture of MOM with the student standing next to her.

HATS OFF TO MOTHER

               This project is written for 4th-5th graders.  I did it with 3rd graders successfully.  I believe 1st and 2nd could do it if the teacher read each direction and guided the students through each step.  Encourage neat coloring and cutting!

EARNING MONEY FOR GIFT GIVING

A lot of the gifts that students make are so special that they need to feel the gift is totally from them.  To achieve this, send this letter home.  Students do chores at home to earn the money needed for the gift. 

TOP 10 REASONS I LOVE MOM & DAD

Easy, quick, Mother's Day or Father's Day Card.  Cost is minimal - depending if you can get envelopes from the supply room or you can make envelopes from brown paper sacks.  Follow directions for ENVELOPE.  Encourage best coloring and handwriting.


ENVELOPE
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/cards/curvedenvelope/template.shtml
Carefully cut out the envelope (you could use a pinking shears instead of a regular scissors to give your envelope an unusual jagged finish)

Fold over the flaps, one at a time, on top of the central square. When you get to the last flap, gently push one edge of the flap under the first flap.

Address your envelope on the other side.
You now have an unusual envelope/letter with curved flaps. If you want to seal it, you can either tape the flaps down securely or put a pretty sticker where the four flaps meet.