Favorite Things: 5 Books I Love

I love picture books. I have to make myself get books from the library instead of purchase every book I like. (I have this problem with adult books, too.)

But picture books are so much fun and reading them with children is so enjoyable. I would say there's almost nothing like reading a book aloud to a group of kids and getting fun response and feedback. It was one of the things I really loved with second graders and first graders as well as my younger kids.

Here are just five of my favorites. (Choosing 5 was a challenge!)

Click, Clack Moo, Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin
Who doesn't love the idea of cows typing? Plus the art of negotiation and conflict resolution.

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
A boy enjoys a snowy day. This classic book is the standard for children's picture books.

Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes
A great book to use to talk about names. And to talk about differences and acceptance.

Fox in Socks by Dr. Seuss
My kids love this as a read aloud. The rhymes and the wordplay are such fun. Even if sometimes hard to read aloud.


The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig by Eugene Trivizas
A twist on the traditional story - the wolves build houses and the pig destroys them. (Even using dynamite at one point) But it all works out in the end.


What books do you love? I'm always on the lookout to add to my list.

More picture books (only a couple of duplicates!)

Dramatic Play Builds Literacy

"Why Play Pretend When We're Building Readers?"

"When children play pretend, they are making this same cerebral leap. A block can be a phone. A rag can be a baby. A rock can be a key fob.

And marks on a page can be a story."

Dramatic play builds foundations for understanding print - for reading and writing.

Let's pretend!

Check out my related post Not Literacy?.

Using Our Homemade Light Box Again

Do you have things that you have made or used and then, for some reason, don't bring back for a while? A few years ago I made a homemade light box. And since that time, it's just sat in my garage with my other clutter of supplies and resources. I haven't had a particular reason for not using it again. It just didn't come to mind or seem to be right at any particular time.

Maybe I was still waiting to refine it. Maybe I just forgot about it for a while. Well...whatever the reason, it's just not been used.

A couple of weeks ago, it came back to my mind as we were planning things to do. We pulled it out, washed it off, replaced the batteries in the camp light, and put it out again. I added our floral marbles and some foam letters.

I printed some words on cards, key words/names from the story. These were at the side, waiting for use if the children chose to use them. The children didn't choose to do that.

Instead they chose to experiment with the gems.

And make names. Their names.

This wasn't the most revolutionary activity. But it pulled in a group of girls to work together for a while.

It pulled in one boy to work and work and work. He spelled his name. His first name. And then his whole name.

This experience reminded me that a great activity does not need to be something new I buy or make. It may be something I already have. I'm going to go "shopping" among my resources more often. Remind myself what I have and what could be used again.

This light box may not be one of my favorite things yet. It may still need some reworking to make it just like I would like it. But I will definitely bring it back and try some different things on it.

And not wait years to use it again.

Favorite Things: White Boards Again

A while back (actually a long while back), I wrote that our small white boards are one of my favorite things to use in the classroom. In recent weeks, I've been reminded how great these tools are.

These boards have been the source of some of our recent literacy play. They allow children to explore and experiment without the "stress" of being permanent. Mistake? Erase and go at it again. The boards can be a great way to relieve stress - just scribble away for a few minutes.

I have enjoyed watching children use the white boards for their versatility. Here's one of my friends working recently. He stayed working at the table for 30-45 minutes. (He did little else that morning.)

He drew a picture of someone. He told me a brief story about this person. He colored in all the open areas. (Developing narrative skills.) Then he erased.

He began to print words. He printed some of his favorite words. (I know they are his favorites because he writes them frequently.) I was nearby, talking to another child and working with them.

"Mr. Scott," my friend said, "I don't know how to spell entertainment." We talked about that for a minute. I asked if he wanted me to write in on another white board and he could copy it. He agreed. I slid the word over to him.

"Hey," he said, "it has 3 Ts!" I replied, "And it has 3 Ns." He looked again. "And 3 Es," he continued. "And 1 R, 1 A...." He continued through the rest of the letters that we not mentioned. (More literacy play!)

He added the word to his board. He drew around the words for a while. He erased one word, then another, then another. (Developing more control over his fine motor skills.)

I had to move to other places in the room. I noticed my friend still sitting at the table working. His hand was moving back and forth, like he was scribbling. I walked over. He was coloring in his latest work.

I watched. He looked up. I said, "I have seen that before. Are you drawing something that you've seen before?" He said yes. I left him alone to work.

Later I was back at the table where he was still working. I noticed that he was writing numbers. He had started at 1 and was writing them in order. He noticed me and began saying the numbers as he wrote them. (Developing numeral and sequence skills)

He continued to write. Sometimes he said the number. Sometimes I said it. Then a I made a mistake. I said the wrong number. "No," he said. I corrected myself. We continued in this way for a while. Sometimes I would say the wrong number (out of sequence). He would giggle and I would correct myself. Sometimes I would say a nonsensical number (forty-eleven, seventy-J). He would giggle and tell me no. I would correct it.

At one point, the board was full. He flipped to the other side (also writable surface) and continued.

We reached 100. He continued. He wrote to 109. Stopped. Sat for a moment, thinking. He wrote 10 and thought. I said, "One hundred ten." He wrote a 1 in front of the 10. (Huge surprise for me. That's good thinking!) He continued to 113. The board was full. Both sides.

We showed Mrs. Cindy was he had accomplished. He erased the board. (Sorry, no pictures. I was too involved in what we were doing.)

"Now what will you do?" I asked casually.

He wrote 114 and continued on for a while. Then we had to clean up.

I love following a child's lead in what to do. That's not always feasible or possible. In many cases we must redirect or refocus.

But small white boards are magical. They allow children to do whatever they choose. They can draw. They can write words and stores. They can practice number skills. They can explore their own ideas.

Best. Tool. Ever.

Literacy Play...Again

I know I've been blogging a lot about literacy play recently. But I've been seeing a lot of it happening in my church kindergarten class. Maybe it's the nature of my class - different from their school classrooms. We are not focused on reading and writing and phonics and all that important literacy stuff. Maybe they just have more opportunities to play with words and follow what interests them instead of doing whatever lessons are the emphasis for the day.

This week we had out of white boards. I sat at the table while a boy was writing and drawing. He carefully printed his first and last names at the top of the board. I narrated, as usual. "You are writing your name. You wrote your first name and your last name. You printed the letters neatly...."

He drew and we talked about what he was doing. Then he began to write some letters at the bottom of the board. I watched carefully, trying to discern what he was writing. I've gotten pretty good at deciphering kindergarten spelling of unfamiliar words. But this had me stumped. (I'm pretty good but often have lapses!) I started at the seven letters. I had no clue what this word, phrase, or sentence could be.

"I wrote my name backwards," he said. I looked again. His name, the letters written in reverse order.

"You did," I said. "Your name is backwards."

Then he started writing again. This time he wrote his name in mirror image - letters in reverse order and all the letters flipped in reverse, too.

He began to erase letters from other words he had written. "What does it say now?" he asked. I would read the words--as best I could--with only the remaining letters. He would giggle and then erase something else.

After the board was clear, he wrote his name again. Then he erased the first letter and wrote a different initial letter. I read his "new" name. He giggled, erased, wrote another letter. This went on for a few minutes. He continued to play with letters and words before he moved to play with blocks.

I think my friend thinks about letters as he does the blocks. Let's put them together, see what we get, rearrange them, remove a few, replace others. He's learning how to build words in different ways and what happens when letters are shuffled.

And it was fun!

I wonder how more kindergartners, first graders, all kids could explore and play with language like this. Reading class...writing time...language instruction could be so different. Let's figure out how to do it.

"I'm Making My Own Map"

I love to incorporate different types of literacy play in the classroom. We often have opportunities to read and write in different ways. This week we had out the map pieces and highlighting markers.

I've written about this in the past. But this group of kids all sat at the table and worked on map piece after map piece. Highlighting markers are great because you can draw over lines and still see them.

Some drew on the lines on the map. Some just drew on the paper.

One boy drew lines across the paper. "I'm making my own map," he said.

Writing is more than creating letters and words. Kids are learning to make meaningful marks on paper. Creating their own map or following the lines or drawing specific pictures are all ways to make meaning

I know that paper maps are not in vogue anymore. But we still love to use them, even if it's for exploring writing. (And doing a little repurposing!)

Literacy Can Be Play, Too

I think that play is the best way for kids to explore, discover, and learn. Sometimes we forget that literacy can be play, too. Or that the best way to explore and build literacy skills is to add opportunities for reading, writing, and alphabet exploration to our play experiences.

Here are some examples in my church kindergarten class this week--

As we explore moving pompoms with chopsticks, we can look at a chart of words written in different languages. Or we can explore a book written in Chinese. Looking at words in other languages helps kids understand that writing and print is meaningful and that people communicate in different ways.

We were spelling words at the large magnet board. We had magnet sticks, too, to explore and discover. Some kids experimented with creating letters with the sticks. This encourages kids to think about letter shapes and communicating through writing.

I often add books and other reading material to different centers or activities. This week we were playing in the home center. The girls turned pages in the Bibles and wanted to find stories that we had read in the past. They were connecting the stories they had heard to written text, connecting themselves to words.

Other ways we add in a little literacy:

• Add pencils, paper, and clipboards to any activity.
• Post a sign with key words or a statement about what we are learning.
• Provide access to writing materials at all times. Kids can pull in writing when they choose.
• Lay books and other reference materials nearby. Or set up a reading nook where kids can always explore the written word.
• Offer a writing center each week. Our kids always have opportunities to draw and write.

Check out this post I did for Pre-K Pages that incorporates literacy play and eye doctor dramatic play.

Other recent posts about literacy play:

Writing with Bamboo Pens

Painting with Oil

Literacy by Choice

And a classic from several years ago: Not Literacy?

Work or Game?

A new first grade friend came out of his room to work with me, practicing his reading. He looked anything but excited. He looked downright sad (with maybe a little anger thrown in).

"We are going to practice reading," I said. "Do you like to read?"

He slowly shook his head no.

"Is it sometimes hard?" I asked. He nodded. "Well, we're going to practice together so it will be easier," I said.

His teacher told us to review reading sight words. We both looked at the stack of cards with words. All 120 sight words were stacked there. He looked back at me.

I took some off the top. I turned the stack over, face down. I told him to flip over one card at a time and read it. Those he read, he put in a stack to the side. Those he didn't, I read and put by me.

As we went through a few cards, I watched the smile bloom over his face. He read almost all of the cards. when we finished the small stack, he really smiled.

"Look how many words you read," I said. "Would you like to read more?" He nodded enthusiastically.

I pulled off more cards, flipped them over facedown, and we started. He read all of those words.

He wanted to read the entire stack. We had other reading practice, so I told him we would need to read those later. But we counted through the stack he read.

Again I said, "Look at all the words you read."

He went on to read a story and a nonfiction article (among other things).

Even now, as I think about it, I can remember the way the smile slowly grew on his face as we read those words.  Part of it, I think, was that reading the words became a game than a chore. A little challenge made the practice a little different from just reading a group of words.

Yes, we need to practice an work to develop skills. But everyone enjoys a little fun. It can feel like a game even when it is work. And reading sight words can cause a smile to bloom.

Decoding Delicious

My reading clinic friend reminded me of something recently. We were reading a book and he read through it really well, reading or figuring out almost all the words with little help from me.

Then we played a game with words from the book. He looked and looked at the word delicious but couldn't get it. I gave a few hints about the word but he still didn't get it. I picked up the book again.

"I can read it," he said.

"I know," I said. "I just going to find it in the book so you can see in there if you want."

I turned to the page, the page he had read a few minutes before with little, if any, pause. I held it close. He looked toward me.

I asked, "Would you like to see the word in the book?" He nodded.

I lay the book before him. He stared at it. We read the sentence together, skipping over the word. He read it again and said the word delicious.

We talked about the fact that he struggled with the word in isolation but could read it (figure it out) when he read the sentence. "You are using context," I said. "Looking at the words close to a tricky word helps you figure it out."

I pondered this later, thinking about how interesting it was that the word was so difficult when it was alone but easier to discover when looking at in with other relevant words. Context aids understanding.

The same is true about the kids we teach. We may see behavior in isolation. We see something and cannot decode the meaning. Why does he do that? What will help her do something different?

We must see the child in context. Is the behavior related to a trigger, another event or particular group of event? What about his family life or her sleep patterns? Sometimes when we see the child in a larger environment, we can understand what is really happen. Context aids understanding.

A little while back, I blogged about my friend and his library books. This week, he brought his new library books with him to the reading clinic. We don't need these books. I have other books that are planned for the tutoring time. When he wanted to bring his books with him, I could have forced him to leave them in his classroom. We have limited time and a plan for that time. Those books are not a part of that plan.

But because I have some larger context (he can't take the books home), I know why he wants to bring those books. He wants to share these books that he chose from the library. Maybe he just wants to talk to someone about something.

So, if we have a little less time for word work or must write a shorter sentence about his reading, we will. I'll plan time for us to look at his books, for him to share them with me. We'll read a sentence or two from one of the books at some point. I'll listen to him talk about them. Because I know why.

Context aids understanding.

A Sad Thing I Heard

When I was in elementary school (right after dinosaurs stopped roaming the earth), I loved to go to the library. I loved searching through the books and finding the ones I wanted. I loved taking them home and reading them (usually as quickly as I could). I still love going to the library and reading books.

Last week I started a new year as a volunteer in a school's reading clinic. I met my new friend for the first time. He's truly a wonderful kid. When I picked him up from his classroom to go to the clinic, he grabbed his two library books. Now I already had a book chosen for our reading practice. But since he brought his two books with him, we looked at them and he showed me pictures of "real people and real sharks" in one of them.

As we talked about his books and got to know one another before starting our reading, I asked him about choosing his books. I asked him something about reading his books at home. "I can't take my library books home," he said. I was taken aback.

"You can't take the books home?" I asked. I thought surely I misunderstood what he was telling me.

"No," he said, "I might lose them and then we would have to pay for them."

I wondered about this policy. Then he clarified. "My mom says I can't bring them home. I lost a book when I was in kindergarten. We had to pay for it."

"So now you read your books in your classroom when you have time?" I asked. He nodded.

He happily continued to tell me about things and then we began reading together.

I thought about what he told me. It lurked in the back of my mind during his tutoring time. It crept forward in my brain as I walked him back to his classroom and headed for my car. It swirled around in my head as I drove back toward my house.

I decided it was one of the saddest things I had heard from a child in a while.

Now, before I write anything further, please know that I am not judging any parent's decision or position. I understand perfectly the desire and need not to spend money needlessly. I understand. I get it.

I just think this is sad that a child cannot take home books he has chosen and he wants to read. Time at school is limited. Practice at home is important. Reading self-selected books often provides better practice than books chosen by someone else (even if those books are more challenging to read).

I know that the only facts I have are the ones he shared. He did not seem unhappy at leaving his books at school. He just stated what he couldn't do.

Sometimes I think we adults get focused on things that are really not the important ones. Here's a reader that is excited to share, that wants to explore. Yet he's limited by other outside and maybe less important factors. (Yes, I know money is important, especially for families with limited funds.)

In the classroom, I can get focused on things that seem important to my agenda or my way of thinking. But I need to take a step back and look at what may be hindered by these important "musts" or "must nots." Sometimes I'm worried about the mess or the noise or the standard or the time...and we lose the experience or the discovery or the wonder or the insight from a child.

I hope my new friend will continue to be excited about books and continue to choose challenging ones from the library. If he brings them with him to tutoring, we will spend time reading a few words from them (even if my tutoring lesson misses a couple of steps). After all, if I can help a child be excited about reading and books, my time will be well spent.

Literacy by Choice

A few years ago I posted about a school that took out all the play kitchens because those things didn't support literacy. Something that happened recently in my church kindergarten class reminded me of that post and of the fallacy behind that thinking.

In our play kitchen, I put aprons and placemats and menus. I added a few signs on the walls about good food to eat (and I added a Diner sign). I placed a couple of notepads and pencils. My thoughts? Kids could play out restaurant if they chose. (Of course, they can push aside my ideas and do something else completely.)

Two girls were playing in the center, taking phone orders and cooking and hoping for customers. Then I noticed one girl standing near the wall; the other girl joined her to see what was happening.

I saw the girl writing on the notepad and talking to the other girl. I thought it was just part of the ongoing play in the center.

Later the girl brought me her pad and asked, "What does this say?"

I read the words to her. She had been carefully copying the letters and words she saw on one of the signs. (The other letters are part of another sign, too.)

No one said to write words or even notice them. No one pushed for writing letters or writing at all. The opportunity to write was there (notepads and pencils). Words were around (the signs). She chose to explore writing them.

And you'll note on that page that there are squiggly lines, too. Those are orders that she took down. I know, not readable text. But she is making the connection between writing, meaning, and real life. That's an important literacy concept, too.

Because of the nature of our church class, I don't do heavy duty literacy instruction. But books and pencils and paper and words are always around. We write our names often on artwork or other materials we are using. We draw and print and explore different writing materials. Pads or clipboards of paper or dry erase boards are added to centers.

Literacy opportunities are all around. Allowing kids to explore and choose can be a valuable way to reinforce other instruction. I worry about those classrooms (and the kids in them) that take out kitchens or blocks or open-ended exploration materials. They are missing important ways to teach all kinds of concepts, literacy and otherwise. (And not just for little kids. Bigger kids, too.)

He Wrote What?

I love dry erase boards and markers. I've used them with different ages and for different purposes.

In my church kindergarten class, we often have them out for kids to use as they choose. They will write and draw. And experiment.

They will explore ideas that friends try. Here all were drawing hearts.

Sometimes they experiment with drawing with two or three or five markers at the same time!

This past week the kids were working on these ideas. I was talking to different kids about their ideas and other things.

I looked over at one board. There were letters and numbers. Then I realized that there were words on his board. I went over to take a look.

He read the words to me and added the final word.

I called Cindy over to take a look. We were both surprised at his message, especially since he was writing from memory and all on his own.

I moved from that table and around the room. I went back a few minutes later. The board had additional marks on it.

"These are lights," he said to me. (Just like the logo has on movies and such.)

I love using open-ended materials. Kids can explore, experiment, and express their own ideas.

And occasionally I get rewarded with great things like this. I love kindergarten!

(Don't have dry erase boards? Try these alternatives.)

Ten Favorite Picture Books

Today I'm participating in Picture Book 10 for 10. This is a list of 10 of my favorite picture books. I chose these particular 10 books because I love the illustrations for them. And illustrations make a picture book so much fun! And most of these books invite response from the kids as you read, another great feature for picture books.

Mr Wuffles! by David Weisner

I love David Weisner's books. Usually these books have little or no text. Mr. Wuffles is the same way. Mr. Wuffles is a cat that refuses to play with the toys his owner gives him. Then he discovers a new "toy" that is actually a small spaceship that has landed in his house. His playfulness with the ship causes damage and the small aliens must find allies and repair their ship. The illustrations are great and kids can create their own descriptions of the plot. 

Something from Nothing by Phoebe Gilman

Joseph's grandfather makes his a wonderful blanket when he is born. But as Joseph grows older, so does the blanket. Mother says to throw it out but Joseph takes it to his grandfather. The grandfather makes a wonderful coat. Then the coat gets worn and Grandfather makes something new from it. I love the predictable, repetitive text. Kids love to guess what grandfather will make next. And if you look along the bottom of the pages, an entirely different story is happening with the mice that live in Grandfather's house.

This Is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen

A small fish takes the hat of a larger (sleeping) fish. He runs to hide so the bigger fish cannot find him. The bigger fish wakes and begins to search for his hat. These illustrations are great and contribute to the story. Kids can talk about the actions of the fish and can even try to decide what really happens at the climax of the story.

No, David by David Shannon

Kindergartners love this book. They can read it easily. Second graders love this book. They can identify with David in many ways. David seems to get into all kinds of difficulty, with his mother continuing to say, "No David." Kids must "read" the pictures to understand what David is doing. The minimal words make this book a great one for conversation. (We also like David Goes to School.)

Polar Opposites by Erik Brooks

Alex and Zina are polar opposites. They live on opposite poles. He is big and she is small. He is messy and she is tidy. But they are friends. They make plans to meet in the middle to see each other. This book is great for thinking about opposites. It is also great for talking about friendship. The illustrations add so much depth to the minimal text.

Three Little Pigs: An Architectural Tale by Steven Guarnaccia

We did a study reading different versions of the three little pigs tale. This one was a unique take. The houses of the pigs are based on famous architects. The illustrations contain references to all kinds of designers and architects. The wolf is a "beat poet" wolf. Kids can examine the illustrations to look at all the different types of art and architecture.

No Fits, Nilson by Zachariah OHora

Amelia takes her friend Nilson every where with her. They enjoy lots of different things together. But, if things don't go right, Nilson will begin to throw a tantrum. Amelia reminds him that there are no fits and helps him cope with his frustration and anger. The illustrations in this book are fun and the "lesson" in it can help kids think about what to do when they feel like a "fit."

The Story of Fish and Snail by Deborah Freedman

Fish goes to find stories in other books. Snail waits until Fish comes back and listens to the stories that Fish finds. Fish wants to take Snail to see the most recent story but Snail wants to stay in their book. The friends argue and Fish leaves. The friends do make up and go on an adventure. A fun book with interesting illustrations that support the text well. Kids can think about friendship and facing fears.

Click, Clack, Moo, Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin 

One of my all time favorites. The cows want electric blankets because the barn is cold. They use an old typewriter to send requests to the farmer. He refuses and they strike, bringing in the chickens with them. The illustrations are fun. Kids can think about what to do when you have a disagreement with someone. Plus cows typing is just fun!

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

This is an older book but one that is beautiful and fun to read. Peter goes on an adventure when snow blankets the city. Many pages have little or no text, leading kids to look at the illustrations and think about what is happening. I love this book.

What picture books are your favorites? What new ones have you discovered? I'm always on the lookout for new books.

Check Twitter for #pb10for10 for more posts about picture books today.

Quick Tip: Logos in the Block Center

One way to add literacy to the blocks center and to encourage different kinds of play is to add logos to the blocks center.

For this particular activity, we found logos of (familiar) grocery stores and restaurants online. We printed the logos and glued them to index cards. Then we taped the cards to blocks. Kids could use these as signs on buildings and so forth.

Cut logos from bags, boxes, or packages. If you use food labels, kids can create billboards along their block roads.

This idea is a great way to bring in environmental print for kids - use print that they will recognize and can "read."

And, as you can see from the photo, just stacking the logos is fun, too!

Office Supply Teaching Resources

One of my favorite places to find materials (and repurpose them) is the office supply store or office supply area of a discount store. I love visiting those places, especially at this time of year (when they put out all those school supplies!).

Here are some ideas for using office supplies in your classroom--

Use binder clips to make game pieces for a gameboard. Clip something in the binder clip. Use postcards or small pictures. Use your kids' photographs. Draw pictures or print names on heavy paper and cut out to use in the clips. Or attach different colored stickers to the binder clips (so you can tell them apart).  Check out other ideas for binder clips at Pre-K and K Sharing blog.

Scour the sticker aisle. We use stars, circle and rectangle stickers, and hole reinforcements as part of our sticker collection. My kids love to use lots of stickers. I get more stickers at a better price from the office supply store. And these stickers are simple and can be combined to create other types of designs.

Clipboards are great for portable writing. We use them when we add writing to the blocks center. We use them when we use the tools or the doctor kit. They can be used when playing games with numbered cubes on the floor. Or clip pictures, photos, or artwork to them and hang them on the wall.

Highlighter markers give a different type of drawing experience. When we draw with them, we can still see through them. We draw on maps or forms or pages of words. Sometimes we draw with them on plain paper. But they are a great addition to our writing materials.

Other office supplies we like to use:

• Staplers
• Gel pens (or any kind of pens)
• Dry erase markers
• Rubber bands (especially with our geoboards)
• Lined notepads
• Sticky notes

What kinds of office supplies do you use for teaching?

Masking Tape Three Ways

I've blogged before about how much we love colored masking tape and how we use it for all kinds of things. Recently my class has used tape in three different ways.

First, we made letters. Well, the kids didn't use tape for this one; I did. I made letters on the floor. They used lids and blocks to outline the letters.

However, I could have given tape to the kids and they could have created the letters first. Hmm. May need to do that next time.


Next, we used tape to create a poster. I had printed a featured word on paper. They decorated around, on, and over it.

My kids love to use scissors, so this activity was a bonus. We used tape AND scissors. I enjoyed seeing how each child would approach the task and use the materials in his own way...with his own ideas.


Then, we did our all-time favorite use of tape - we made roads for our cars. This time the road system went from the carpet to the tiled area of our room. We even had water and lava created, dangerous roads certainly.

A discussion broke out when one boy was using the tape to create the sides of the road ("Drive between the tape") and another one was using the tape for the roads ("Drive on the tape"). The difference was worked out and cars traveled around safely.

We love tape. It's one of our favorite things. We use it all the time. Sometimes we pull it out and use it in unplanned ways.

Here are some other ways tape has been used in my classroom---

• Paint Over Tape
• Tape and Scrap Paper
• More Tape Roads
• More Building Letters

Do you have new ideas for us?