Chickens in the Classroom: Craft + Reading

THE CHICKEN AND THE EGG! Which came first?

End-of-year author-illustrator school visit celebrations are my favorites! Everyone has had plenty of time to prepare for my arrival and all of the classes are eagerly looking forward to our fun together. I always look forward to the WELCOME I receive!

If it is EOY, then you can bet there have been chickens incubating in classrooms and lots of chicken projects are going to be on display in the hallways. You've got to adore this first 'EGGciting' bulletin board with 3D chickens scruntched together from brown paper bags! These chickens were on display in Indiana. There kinder chicken studies were filled with rigor and excitement.

I knew that you would want a close-up of this fun project! 

Here ya go! 

Paper bags. Paper plates. 

Take your pick. 

These classic ingredients give everyone a sense of success. 

I absolutely ADORE this POEM! 

I think that it was actually written about me. 

I usually feel like I'm pecking around and attempting to figure out the next step, usually somewhat in the dark and mystified by the outcome. 

What a clever anchor chart version to bring the sentiment to life! 

Next up are some paper plate chickens from Tennessee. 

Another variation on the theme. 

Anything with a hand print involved makes for instant engagement. 

While I'm downloading these recent spring chickens I'll include a couple of other glimpses from my day's visit in Indiana. Seems like everyone has had plenty of spring rain. This is a great way to incorporate the names of all the students in the class within the pocket chart reading experience. 

I need to add this image into the earlier RoundUP of 

"The Bridge to Reading is through a Child's Name." 

UBBER Cute Bulletin Board Title. 

So appropo for spring. 

My #4 article of all time is a collection of Bulletin Boards. 

I went through and pulled some of my "old" chickens out of moth balls. 

These next images are reruns from earlier springs. 

While I was getting oriented to the building and getting settled in, 

I got to overhear the kinder teacher 'discover' the delightful Mother's Day bookmark 

was still tucked in the kinder-boy's back pack. 

Which gave me a chance to catch a quick pic for you. 

I was in this exact building two years earlier. 

The teachers have 'upgraded' this bookmark project by inserting the student's photo 

as the centerpiece of the flower! 

Sorry this is outta focus, but I think you get the idea! 

LUV how ideas evolve over time! 

Here's the shot I captured a couple of years back. 

Here we are in one of the THREE different buildings of the day! 

Yes. This was a first. 

The public library's friends organization underwrote me to make presentations in 3 different schools! 

COLLABORATION! 

Why. Yes. I am starting to make plans now ~~ 

for NEXT year! 

Click Pic to go to my nearly 30K PINS! 

I have two different songs PERFECT for End-of-Year Performances! {Click picture}