Themes for May Classroom Activities

Themes for May Classroom Activities Here is a list of May themes, events, and holidays with correlating activities to go with them. Use these ideas for inspiration to create your own lesson plans and activities, or use the ideas provided. Get Caught Reading Month   The Association of American Publishers nationally launched Get Caught Reading Month to remind people how much fun it is to read. Celebrate this month by having students see how many books they can read in the month of May. The winner of the contest can receive a free book! National Physical Fitness and Sports Month Celebrate by getting active, learning about nutrition, and creating sports crafts. American Bike Month Celebrate American Bike month by having students ride their bikes to school on May 8th and learning the rules of the road and how to be safe. Childrens Book Week   Childrens Book Week often occurs at the beginning of May, but youll need to check the dates each year. Since 1919, National Childrens Book Week has been dedicated to  encouraging  young readers to enjoy books. Celebrate this day by providing  activities  that will encourage your students to love reading. Teacher Appreciation Week Teacher Appreciate Week occurs in May, but the dates can vary. During this week, schools across the nation celebrate the hard work and dedication of teachers. Try a few of  these teacher appreciation activities  with your students. National Postcard Week   During the first full week of May, celebrate National Postcard Week by creating postcards and sending them to other students across the country. National Pet Week During the first full week of May, celebrate Pet Week by having students bring in a photograph of their pet to share with the class. National Police Week   National police week occurs the calendar week during which May 15th falls. Invite a local policeman to your school, or plan a field trip to your local police station to honor this week-long celebration. National Transportation Week National Transportation Week usually occurs during the third week of May. Celebrate the community of transportation professionals by having students explore possible jobs in the transportation field. Have students research and fill out an application for a job opening in the field of their choice. Mothers Day Mothers  day  is observed on the second Sunday of May every year. Celebrate with  Mothers Day activities, or try these last-minute lesson plans. You can also use this word list to help you create a Mothers Day poem. Memorial Day Memorial Day is celebrated on the last Monday of May each year. This is a time to celebrate and honor the soldiers that sacrificed their lives for our freedom. Honor this day by providing students with a few  fun activities, and teach students the value of honoring the memory of those who came before us with a  Memorial Day lesson plan. May 1: May Day   Celebrate May Day with crafts and activities. May 1:  Mother Goose Day Explore the truth about Mother Goose by reading the Real Mother Goose. May 1: Hawaiian Lei Day In 1927 Don Blanding came up with having a Hawaiian holiday that everyone can celebrate. Honor his wishes by partaking in Hawaiian traditions and learning about the culture. May 2: Holocaust Remembrance Day   Learn about the history of the Holocaust, and read age-appropriate stories such as The Diary of Anne Frank and One Candle by Eve Bunting. May 3: Space Day   The ultimate goal of Space Day is to promote math, science, and technology, and inspire children about the wonders of the universe. Celebrate this day by having your students partake in a few fun space-related activities to help nurture their curiosity of the universe. May 4: Star Wars Day   This is a day to celebrate the Star Wars culture and honor the films. A fun way to celebrate this day is by having students bring in their action figures. You can use these figures as inspiration to create a writing piece. May 5: Cinco De Mayo   Celebrate this Mexican holiday by having a party, making a pinata, and making a sombrero. May 6: No Homework Day   Your students work hard each day, celebrate this day by giving your students a No Homework Pass for the day. May 7: National Teachers Day   Finally, a day to honor and celebrate all of the hard work teachers do! Show your appreciation for our fellow teachers by having students write a letter of appreciation to each of their teachers (art, music, physical education, etc). May 8: National School Nurses Day   Honor your school nurse by having students create a special gift of appreciation. May 8: No Socks Day To celebrate this wacky and fun day have students create crafts out of socks, learn the history, and wear fun colored socks to school for the day. May 9: Peter Pan Day On May 9, 1960, James Barrie (the creator of Peter Pan) was born. Celebrate this day by learning about the creator James Barrie, watching the movie, reading the story, and learning the quotes. After reading his quotes have students try and come up with their own. May 14: The Start of the Lewis and Clark Expedition   This is a great day to teach your students about Thomas Jefferson and his role in the Lewis and Clark expedition. Learn the history of the expedition, and read students the book Who Was Thomas Jefferson by Dennis Brindell Fradin and Nancy Harrison, and visit the Monticello website for photos and additional resources. May 15: National Chocolate Chip Day Whats a better way to celebrate National Chocolate Chip Day than to bake some cookies with your students! For some added fun, try this chocolate bar math lesson. May 16: Wear Purple for Peace Day   Help make the world a better place by having all students wear purple for peace day. May 18: Armed Forces Day   Pay tribute to the men and women who serve the United States armed forces by having students write a thank you letter to someone in your local armed forces. May 20: Weights and Measures Day On May 20, 1875, an International treaty was signed to establish an international branch of weights and measures. Celebrate this day with your students by measuring objects, learning about volume, and exploring  non-standard measures. May 23: Lucky Penny Day   Lucky Penny Day is celebrated to reinforce the theory that if you find a penny and pick it up, you will have good luck. Celebrate this fun day with your students by creating a penny craft, counting and sorting pennies, or using pennies to graph Another fun idea is to give students the writing prompt, Once I found a lucky penny and when I picked it up... May 24: Morse Code Day   On May 24, 1844, the first Morse code message was sent. Celebrate this day by teaching your students Morse Code. The students will love the secretiveness of it all. May 29: Paper Clip Day   In 1899 Johan Vaaler, a Norwegian inventor invented the paper clip. Honor this amazing little wire by having students come up with a new way to use it. May 29: John F. Kennedys Birthday   John F. Kennedy was one of the most beloved United States Presidents of our time. Honor this remarkable man and all of his accomplishments by having students create a KWL Chart, then read your students his biography, called Who Was John F. Kennedy? by Yona Zeldis McDonough. May 31:  World No Tobacco Day   World No Tobacco Day is a day to reinforce and highlight the health risks associated with tobacco use. Take time out on this day to stress the importance of why students should not smoke.

6 steps on the path to finding your purpose

6 steps on the path to finding your purpose In his commencement speech to the graduating class at Harvard University this past May, Facebook Founder Mark Zuckerberg spoke about the need for purpose. He told graduating seniors, â€Å"Purpose is that sense that we are part of something bigger than ourselves, that we are needed, that we have something better ahead to work for. Purpose is what creates true happiness†¦But it’s not enough to have purpose yourself. You have to create a sense of purpose for others.† Then he went on to describe how his purpose, creating the site that would become Facebook, wasn’t just a way for him to connect to other students- it was a way to connect the entire world. To find your purpose and find meaning in your career, it’s not enough to do stuff that you like or that is important to you. The deeper meaning of purpose, the thing that makes it all worthwhile, is more than just helping yourself thrive and succeed. The most successful and fulfilled people make life easi er or better- for everyone. Bottom line: personal success doesn’t matter that much.If you’re having trouble identifying your purpose, try some of these useful tips.1. Don’t overthink it- just take action.The less you dither and weigh your options and the more you just take big leaps out into the world, the better off you’ll be. Start actually taking steps toward your goals, rather than just daydreaming about doing so. You’ll get out of your own way and come to find out faster what is and isn’t working, and what does and doesn’t matter to you in your life’s pursuit. Action and experience = results.2. Listen to your heart.You know that pesky voice deep within that keeps shouting â€Å"This is what I want to do when I grow up!†? Listen to it. Your heart is both your conscience and your best barometer for what you really want. Let it motivate you to push yourself and explore your opportunities and options.3. Let go of  "The One.†Just like you might fall in love with more than one person over the course of your life, realize that you might fall in love with more than one job, or industry, or career. Be open to things changing and evolving. Focus on doing meaningful things that get you closer to your goals, but be flexible enough to realize when old goals no longer serve who you are and who you want to be.4. Make a vision board.Create something visible that you can refer to when your inspiration needs a boost. Put up aspirational images- ideals of where you want to land in the next few years. What does your life look like when you surround yourself with images that are most attractive to you? Let yourself be free to chose what you are drawn to, then look at it periodically for patterns. You’ll be amazed when themes begin to make themselves clear.5. Study yourself like a subject.What are your hobbies? What can’t you wait to get through your daily tasks to do in your free time? Wha t do you post most about on social media? Observe yourself from an outside perspective and see what you can discern.6. Research what you love.Finding your purpose is more than just figuring out what you are drawn to. You have to learn everything you can about those things. Become an expert. Make sure you know the ins and outs well enough to know whether you could be truly happy spending so many hours of your life and precious energy devoted to that path.The sooner you understand what drives you, the sooner you can orchestrate your life to work toward it. Then, when you pour your energy into that one thing you were made to do, you can use it to help and inspire everyone around you.