Your Green Pages
By Elizabeth Swartz

Primary Grades
1. Safety Posters
   Health/Art Discuss at-home as well as school fire safety. Talk about how to stay safe around strangers and when crossing streets. Ask the children to make pictures of activities that are unsafe and draw red diagonal lines across the pictures meaning "NO." Post them around the building for other students to see.
   
   

2. Name Animals
   Art/Science Have students write their names in the center of a large white piece of drawing paper. Then ask them to design an animal of which the outlined shape of their name reminds them. When they finish the drawing, have them do some research about their chosen animal. Do they have any similarities to the animal? Is it an animal they would consider one of their favorites? Why or why not?
3. Parent Activity
   Reading/MMath Practice the important skill of sequencing events on a timeline by helping your child make a timeline of their evening. What time do they get out of school? What time do they do homework, have dinner, take a bath, play, watch TV and go to bed? Younger children can make a timeline with pictures under the times that you write down. Older children can write in the details. Make a timeline for a typical Saturday or Sunday. Help your children develop the ability to tell about things in order.

Middle Grades


4. Construction Anywhere?
   Science/Writing Have students on the lookout for a local construction project. Call or visit someone involved with the construction, like the contractor or project manager. (Be sure the construction project will be completed within the school year.) Explain that you'd like to take some photographs and keep a log of what's happening so students can understand the process. Have your students take digital photos and keep journals of what they observe at the site. When the construction project is complete, put together a sequential article about it. Present a finished copy to your contact person as well as to the site's owners.
5. Extraordinary Eggs
   Reading/Science October 13 is World Egg Day. Many thousands of people rely on eggs as a source of food and protein. Egg facts, data and math activities are available on the "Kids and Family" section of the American Egg Board website at www.aeb.org Under the heading "Educators," you’ll find facts, contests and a curriculum for grades 4-6 that follow the journey of an egg from "hen to home." Information for making charts and graphs abounds as well as recipes and various craft ideas.

Intermediate Grades

6. Transformations
   Science Demonstrate to your students how blending or heating foods can transform their appearance, consistency, state and flavor. Compare white milk and milk with the additions of molasses, maple or chocolate syrup. Compare bread with toast. Compare cornbread mix from the box, after the ingredients have all been combined and then after it's been baked. Describe the changes that have taken place in each instance.
7. Read-Aloud Guests
   Reading Listening to someone read aloud is a wonderful way to hear a story and also a wonderful way to learn diction and inflection. Invite members of the community you know to be excellent readers to come into the class for a read-aloud session. You could contact a local librarian for suggestions, as well as grandparents, pastors or retired teachers. This is also a great way to show students that people of all ages enjoy books and love to share that enjoyment.

To see all the activities for this month visit www.teachingk-8.com.

ABOUT THE GREEN PAGES: Green Pages activities are for use in teaching grades PreK through 8. Activities are labeled according to basic skill areas.

This month's "Your Green Pages" contributions:
Marie Cecchini, West Dundee, IL, #1, #39; Bernice Regenstein, Rochester, NY, #6; Joan Macey, Binghamton, NY, #12; Helen Wubbenhorst, Mesa, AZ, #17, #20; Harry T. Roman East Orange, NJ, #48, #50.

"Your Green Pages" illustrations by H. Robert Loomis.