Pencil-free activities?

[kandb435]

Our county has proposed that we have one entire instructional day where pencils are never used. In fact, we are not allowed to use any writing utensils. I have a couple of ideas for educational activities, but know you guys are very creative! Does anyone have any ideas?

[JaimeMarie]

It sounds fun at first, than it just sounds stressful. They can at least write their names on what ever they do?

What are you studying?
You could do some sort of paper machia project: planets, or animals.

Do a reading time (like someone on here did the kids wear pjs and brought blankets). Than you could have them make clay sculptures of their favorite part or character in the book.

You could have a movie making day. Have them do a book report prier to that day. Than they can have some props and you can video tape them.

Have them write plays earlier than they can act them out? Or you could just do Reader's Theater.

[kandb435]

Thanks for the ideas! Thanks to my wonderfully unorganized principal, we were just told yesterday and the day is in two weeks! We have next week off and come back Jan. 2- the pencil free day is Jan. 4! Not much time to plan! We are studying flowers and their parts, Revolutionary War, multiplication, plural possessives... Thanks again! I will have to add your ideas to my plans!

[JaimeMarie]

You can play around the world with multiplication (is that allowed any more?).

Act out part of the war?

Have parents help and make a dinner that looked like they would have had during the war.

Do the flower activity where you put it in food coloring and water. Than watch it change color. I faguely remember doing this when I was in school.

I can't think of anything else.

[mrachelle87]

Have the kids make board games about the facts that need to be learned on bull. board paper. Then trade with another group and play it. You might make a template on what they need to cover in their games. You could have one group do a science game, one a social studies, and one an English game. You could have one make a memory math facts game.

They can build multiplication patterns on graph paper for the facts that they need to learn.

One year I called the florist and asked for old flowers to dissect and we drew the parts. We also used old carnations to paint with. They turned out cool. You could also use the flowers (depending on how they look) to make bouquets for the specialists.

[kandb435]

We do play around the world sometimes. Even though we are working on 2 digit X 2 digit, I might have to put that on hold for this day. I have to agree that is sounded great at first, but I quickly realized that it would be a tremendous amount of planning! I wish he would have given us a little (actually, A LOT) more notice!

Thank you so much for your help! I will share your ideas with the other 4th grade teacher!

[kandb435]

The games and flower ideas sound great! I bet the kiddos would love to paint with flowers! I would enjoy watching them disect the flowers. It might really help them understand the parts a little easier than looking at pictures in their books and the pictures I have shown on the overhead.

[heart4kids]

They could find possessive nouns in magazines and newspapers and cut them out. Then they could glue them to poster board in 2 categories--Singular Poss. /Plural Possessive.

[kandb435]

Ooh! I like that idea too! I knew I would get some creative responses from the teachers on this website!

[JaimeMarie]

I like a lot of these ideas too. I wish I was still teaching k-8. Than I could do some of them.