Learning sight words is an important part of learning to read.

Sight words are service words. They are not meant to be sounded out. Learning these words helps the reader to maintain reading fluency without getting caught up on meaning.

I like the Dolch Sight Word List, but there are many other lists available. I like to pop them onto cards about 12cm x 6cm.

Use these cards to have some fun with 30 FUN SIGHT WORD GAMES AND ACTIVITIES

1. Play Battleships with sight words on a grid with a partner or

as a class.

2. Play coin toss – words on floor – children take turns to

toss a coin onto a word and say that word.

3. Have a box of small blank mini cards or paper you can

purchase great sized post it notes these days (approx

10cm x 2 cm) on hand at all times so that children can

write down words from word walls, charts etc and then

take the card back to their writing. It is also handy to

write words on when doing writing conferences.

4. Play who am I? for example, I am yellow, I have 5 letters, and I

end in ___.

5. Make a letter twister chart with chalk on a concrete

floor, children place their feet and hands on the letters

to spell words.

6. Around the World Sight Words – flash a word – first player

to say word out of that pair moves on to the next person

to make a pair and another word is flashed, etc, etc.

7. Play Hangman using the word card words.

8. How quickly can you find a certain sight word in individual

reading books during small group reading.

9. Play dominoes using same end letter/ beginning letter.

10. Circle letters within words using white board marker on

laminated sight words cards.

11. Play Chinese Whispers – say a word – pass it around.

12. Circle smaller words within words using white board

marker on laminated word cards.

13. Children go outside and practice writing their words with

chalk on the concrete.

14. Practice handwriting by tracing over words using

white board marker on laminated sight word cards.

15. Place sight word cards in alphabetical order.

16. Flashlight words turn off lights flash a torch on

words on display for look and say.

17. Children make their own word wall/dictionary using

photocopied small sight words and scrapbooks labeled with a

letter of the alphabet on each page… can be added to

throughout the year.

18. Play tic tac toe, here I go, where I stop I do not know –

children say the word that you stop on.

19. Cloze – children find the missing word

within a sentence.

20. Play musical words – children pass words around in a

circle until music stops – that child says the word – can

be played with 1 or more words.

21. Go on a word walk / drive – find words around the environment –

signs etc.

22. Make words using play dough.

23. Make words using string gluing.

24. Make words using letter tiles –scrabble pieces.

25. Make words using stencils.

26. Make words using alphabet stamps.

27. Make words using magnetic letters.

28. Play stepping stones – place words on the floor and

children walk over them saying the word as they go to get

to the other side of the stream.

29. Beat the clock – how many times can a word be written

in 1 minute etc.

30. Children write their words in list form and then write

over the words 2 or more times using different colors

to create rainbow words.

There are so many way you can make teaching and learning sight words fun – I am sure you can think of more as well.

Look around you and you will likely find a lot of grownups who really love to pull out the Crayons and stay within the lines.  One of the greatest delights of childhood is one of the ones that starts very early for most kids – coloring.  There is just something magical about placing colorful pencil or crayons to a piece of paper and making magic with color.  I don’t think any of us ever truly outgrows the sensation of joy and admiration that coloring brings.  In fact, I am convinced that one major reason people resolve to have children is to have the opportunity to sit down and color again – without anyone looking at them sideways.  And coloring is always fun for Halloween.  One of the most popular themes for Halloween Coloring pages is Scooby Doo.

So, if you are in charge of some kids this year – whether they are your own youngsters, the friends of your children, or a schoolroom full of wee ones – you should not let the Halloween season pass by without giving them the opportunity to fill in some beautiful or scary or just plain fun Halloween colouring pages like Scooby Doo or Disney.

You can do the old fashioned thing if you like and lead out to the discount store and buy a few Halloween colouring books, but with technology what it is, you don’t truly even have to make that much effort to put the fun of coloring into your schoolroom or living room this Halloween.

All you really need to do is get on the internet and type in a search.  Just type in “Halloween coloring pages” and you will come up with 1000’s of different sites that are linked to Halloween, and there will be so many Halloween coloring pages to choose from.  Just go to a number of dissimilar sites and download or print whatever ones you like the best.

It is a good idea to pair the Halloween coloring pages with the age of the people who will be coloring them in.  The older the youngsters, the more complicated the pages can be.  If you have mostly toddlers, pre-schoolers, or kindergartners, you will want to stick with basic, simple coloring pages that have large expanses to color and simple things like pumpkins or witches or black cats.

If you desire to, it can be capital fun to hold a Halloween coloring competition.  If you own a local business, this is a capital way to add a little flair to the Halloween season in your front office or under your cash register.  Just print the Halloween colouring page and make lots of of replicates; then, let your tiniest clients color them and return them.  Judge the finest one a week or so ahead of Halloween and give out whatever award you want.

Halloween coloring pages are a neat way for teachers to embellish the classroom or hallways, too.  Kids love to find their work displayed for all to see, and the coloring pages can serve as decorations, too.  So, give your students some time to make Halloween magic with crayons and provide them some Halloween coloring pages to put their creativity aflame.

Each year teachers asks themselves how they can make school more fun. There is a reason teachers desperately want their students to have fun in school. Laughing and having a good time means that the brain is actively engaged. When the brain is working, sparking, and functioning, learning occurs. It doesn’t take a circus to create a fun atmosphere in school. Here are some simple ways to incorporate fun into the elementary school day.

Get Active

Children love to run and play. They like to move their bodies and put tons of energy into everything they do. When elementary students mention their favorite parts of the school day are recess and physical education, there is a reason. Typically, this is the only time of day in which they are allowed to move around and get active. Teachers can change this. You could incorporate movement into your lessons. Choose a CD with music from a studied time period and have the students dance. Play games that allow children to stand and answer questions. Movement doesn’t always have to be crazy. Simply standing can get the blood flowing.

Involve all Senses

Involving all 5 senses into your elementary school days can create a lot of fun. School can be made fun by fully immersing your students into the material. For example, if your students are learning about a certain country, let them taste the food and smell the unique aromas. Play music and let them dance. Let them feel material used in each culture. Not only will this improve the fun meter in your class, but it will also increase learning. Some students learn better by listening. Others learn better by watching. Yet some students learn by touching, feeling, and actively participating in lessons.

Change Routine

Some teachers begin to get into an instructing rut after they have been teaching for a certain number of years. The day begins with the previous day’s assignment, is followed by a lecture, and ends with a worksheet. This becomes extremely monotonous and not at all fun. Changing the school day routine can help greatly. Play learning games, watch videos, do group projects, or have guest speakers. A change in pace makes classes much more fun.

Clear Expectations

Fun is inhibited by many factors. A lack of fun might come from the lack of stimulating activity. It also comes, however, from an abundance of anxiety. Creating clear classroom and performance expectations can minimize school anxiety. If your students know what you will be doing the next day, they know what to expect. Let your class know what will happen if homework is incomplete, or if they are tardy. Simply being able to relax will improve the fun factor in school.

If children viewed school as a fun place to learn, there wouldn’t be quite so many drop-outs or bad grades. You don’t have to act like a fool to make school fun. Simply incorporate a few fun changes in the school day to improve elementary learning capacity.

Have you tracked your 10,000 steps today? Has anyone else tracked them?

Fitness trackers are big business, helping people get and stay fit, and helping them share their progress with friends – and sometimes with strangers.

Probably the most well-known of these devices (and apps) are the FitBit and apps paired with the Apple Watch, but also include the Moov Now, Samsung Gear Fit, Huawei Band, Tom Tom Spark, and about 350 others. The ability to map your movements is one of the more fun and attractive features about these devices.

FitBit data helps to catch a potential murderer.

Fitness trackers in less light-hearted circumstances can provide evidence in the most serious of cases. At the end of 2015, Richard Dabate told Connecticut law enforcement a tale of a break-in where the robber killed his wife while he was fighting the intruder off. The problem was that subpoenaed records of her FitBit showed her active an hour after the murder was said to have taken place, and that she walked ten times further then what would have taken her into the now-fictional perp’s view. Along with other computer, Facebook, and cellphone evidence, and the fact that Dabate had a pregnant girlfriend he was arrested for the crime. As of this writing, Mr. Dabate is still free on a million dollars bail.

FitBit data helps an innocent man go free

In May of 2016, Nicole Vander Heyder went out on the town in Green Bay, Wisconsin, but never came home. Her bloodied and naked body was found in a farm field nearby. Signs at first pointed to her boyfriend, Doug Detrie, who was arrested but nonetheless seemed shocked at the news and protested his innocence. Detrie was held on a million-dollar bond, but the apparent evidence (blood in the car, in the garage, and a suspicious spot on the sole of his shoe) didn’t hold up (blood in the car wasn’t the victim’s, blood in the garage wasn’t a human’s, and the suspicious spot wasn’t blood) so he was released. Data from Doug’s FitBit showed that he took only about a dozen steps during the time frame in which Nicole died.

DNA evidence from Nicole’s clothes pointed at another man altogether, George Burch. Burch’s Android phone had Google Dashboard data associated with his Gmail account that showed GPS location data leading right to Nicole’s house. Eventually, he was charged, found guilty of first degree murder, and sentenced to life in prison where he still insists he’s innocent.

FitBit data used to try to find a missing person

In July of 2018, Iowa student, Mollie Tibbett went for a jog and hasn’t been seen since. Police have received her FitBit data in an attempt to locate her but haven’t released what they found in that data to the public. It appears that the geolocation information therein wasn’t enough to find her. Additional data from her cell phone and social media accounts has been sifted for clues, but as of August 6, 2018, there are no reports of her being found, although there appear to be people of interest. Hopefully location data from her FitBit will eventually help lead investigators to her current location.

FitBit data banned by the military

You may have heard news stories of late that the Army has expressed concern about military movements and security being compromised by data from fitness trackers and devices like the Apple Watch. A military official was quoted as saying, “The moment a soldier puts on a device that can record high-definition audio and video, take photos, and process and transmit data, it’s very possible for him or her to be tracked or to reveal military secrets… The use of wearables with Internet access, location information, and voice-calling functions should be considered a violation of national security regulations when used by military personnel.” But did you know that this news was from May 2015? And did you know it was a Chinese military official in the Chinese Army newspaper, the Liberation Army Daily?

That’s right, some foreign governments have been banning such devices for years now.

FitBit geolocation data banned by the US Military

In 2013, the DOD distributed 2,500 FitBits to military personnel; in 2015 the Navy planned to run a pilot program to help the enlisted and their superiors keep track of fitness goals, and “allow Army leaders to track their Soldiers’ fitness in real time.”

Aside from military members, Fitbit has a user base of over 10 million people. The information is viewable online, on a mobile device, or through the desktop application. Fitbit logs movement and allows users to log other health information in the app. Fitbit then uses this information to display progress over time.

The manager of a companion app, called Strava, helps to map and display maps of subscribers’ movement using FitBit and other fitness tracking devices. In November 2017, Strava released their Global Heat Map of 3 trillion individual global GPS data points uploaded from the previous two years. Zooming in on the maps, as Australian security student Nathan Ruser did, revealed favored trails used in previously undisclosed bases by military fitness buffs. Heat map trails around and in Mogadishu could have provided potential targets of locations frequented by military personnel for Somalian dissidents.

As one might imagine, the Army on August 7, 2018 banned use of geolocation features in iPhones, Apple Watch, FitBit and other fitness trackers with the following directive: “Effectively immediately, Defense Department personnel are prohibited from using geolocation features and functionality on government and non-government-issued devices, applications, and services while in locations designated as operational areas.” It hasn’t banned the use or possession of the devices altogether.

The (FitBit) Law of Unintended Consequences

There are three types of unintended consequences (according to Wikipedia)

An Unexpected benefit: A positive unexpected benefit – such as an accused murderer going free and shown to be innocent of charges due to his FitBit. Rather than showing the accomplishment of an athletic endeavor it instead showed inaction when the crime would have required much movement, as with Doug Detrie and Nicole Vander Heyder.

An Unexpected drawback: An unexpected detriment occurring in addition to the desired effect of the policy, such as a FitBit showing a purported victim of a crime instead being the perpetrator as with Richard Dabate and his wife.

A Perverse result: A perverse effect contrary to what was originally intended, as when military personnel using a FitBit to keep track of their fitness progress reveal themselves as potential targets to an adversary.

With any luck, none of these occasions will fall into lives of any of my readers.

Keep fit, keep track, but be aware that you may be revealing more than you intend to.

Is it possible for everyone to enjoy your kids birthday party? Including you? The answer is yes. It just takes a few kids party games a little bit of planning and the following tips. You don’t need to pay a large amount of money to have a successful party. Say no to booking that clown, fairy or magician. Say no to booking that fancy restaurant or indoor play center. You can do it yourself, save money and most importantly enjoy the experience that much more. Your kids will love you for it.

A little preparation on your part will ensure the smooth running of the party. The point of this preparation is to maximize fun at the party. It will ensure you are not running around looking for bits and pieces of equipment for a particular game or trying to understand how a game is played. Fun is the name of the game and parents are entitled to have some fun too.

A checklist of the equipment you need and the order in which you intend to play the games you select is most helpful. This way you know that your party will run smoothly and be trouble free. Flowing from one game to the next will keep the kids so enthusiastic and excited you will be surprised how quickly the time flies.

Don’t worry about supplying enormous amounts of party food either. The kids will be so involved in the games, that the food will take a back seat to everything else. Some of the games you play will include food anyway, but in a much more interactive manner.

So come on parents, save yourself some money, give yourself a laugh and bring back the kid’s party that we all grew up with and loved.

If you’re a teacher who teaches dance lessons to very young children, it’s important to have a plan for each class. Otherwise, it’s very easy for the lesson to quickly become chaos as young dancers each do their own thing instead of listening to their instructor. Here are some games that are fun for pre-schoolers, yet can keep them dancing and learning at the same time.

Why Games During Dance Lessons?

Playing games during dance lessons is, first and foremost, fun! Young children who enjoy themselves during class are more likely to continue with their studies and become long-term pupils in your dance school. Children will develop a love of dancing, but these diversions can also help foster a sense of teamwork between your students. Additionally, they can help shy kids overcome any fears about dancing in front of a group, something that’s vitally important if you’re planning on having your dancers perform in a recital.

Simon Says

Simon Says is fun and easy for even very young children. If you don’t remember just how to play it, it’s simple. Stand at the front of the class and ask the kids to copy your movements whenever you say ‘Simon Says.’ Use simple dancing steps and ballet positions and make sure to tell the children what the moves are called as you perform them. They may not remember what the movements are called from week to week, but you’ll be reinforcing the movements and their names so eventually the children will know what they’re called during dance lessons.

Freeze!

Another fun game is Freeze! In this game, a teacher can play some fun, upbeat music and let the children wiggle and move however they’d like. Once the music stops, the kids freeze in whatever position that they are in. At this point, the teacher can go around to individual students and correct any form or point out students who have correct form and positioning.

Red Light, Green Light

Although this game is usually reserved for kids playing in a playground, it’s easy to tailor it for dance lessons. Call out moves for your students and change them up until a designated student calls out ‘red light.’ Once ‘red light’ has been called, instructors can walk around to students and make sure that they’re doing the moves correctly and then ‘green light’ can be called again. Students can take turns calling out ‘red light’ until everyone gets a chance.

Other Games To Play During Dance Lessons

There are plenty of other games that children can play during their classes. These fun games can include the Hokey Pokey, musical chairs, Follow the Leader and many others. However, don’t limit yourself to games that you already know. Consider making up your own and even asking your students what they’d like to play. You might be surprised at what they can come up with — and how much fun you can have while they’re learning!

Preschoolers love to imitate. As teachers and parents we want to be a good and godly example for them to follow. As Christians, we are to imitate Christ and follow His leading and directions for our lives. It’s never too early to teach our little ones to follow God and here is a fun Christian preschool activity based on James 1:22 which says: “Do not merely listen to the Word and so deceive yourselves, but do what it says.” I call this game “Follow My Directions, Please”.

Here’s what you do:

For this activity, you will need to prepare several sets of directions. I have given you 8 different ones down below that you might want to use or adapt for your situation. The other thing you will want to prepare is a nice Scripture board that showcases James 1:22. You are now ready to play this activity.

Here’s how to play:

After introducing your lesson and James 1:22, you will explain to the class that they are going to say the Bible verse. After saying James 1:22, you will pick a child who must follow the directions you give him. The child will then listen to the directions you give and perform them the best they can. You might want to have a treat of some kind to give the child for his success. After each set of directions, say the Bible verse together, then pick a new child to follow the new set of directions.

Possible Set of Directions:

Set #1:

1. Hop to the sink.

2. Wash your hands.

3. Clap your hands 3 times.

4. Sit down.

Set #2:

1. Touch your toes.

2. Spin around 2 times.

3. Skip to the window.

4. Sit down.

Set #3:

1. Skip around the table.

2. Hop to the table.

3. Clap your hands 2 times.

4. Sit down.

Set #4:

1. Shout your name 2 times.

2. Give teacher a high-five.

3. Pat the top of your head 2 times.

4. Sit down.

Set #5:

1. Roar like a lion.

2. Draw a circle in the air.

3. Hop to the door.

4. Sit down.

Set #6:

1. Spin around 2 times.

2. Clap your hands 2 times.

3. Give teacher a back rub.

4. Sit down.

Set #7:

1. Shout your name 2 times.

2. Touch your knees.

3. Skip to the window.

4. Sit down.

Set #8:

1. Chirp like a bird.

2. Count to 5 out loud.

3. Give teacher a hug.

4. Sit down.

Before playing this activity, you might want to introduce the lesson in the following way:

OK, boys and girls! Follow my directions, please. Touch your toes. (Wait for responses.) Clap your hands 2 times. (Wait for responses.) Spin around 2 times. (Wait for responses.) Very good. I’m so glad you followed my directions. God loves it when you allow His directions too. We can’t just listen to God. We also have to do what He says. That’s what our Bible verse says. James 1:22 says this: “Do not merely listen to the Word and so deceive yourselves, but do what it says.” (Point to your Scripture board as you say the verse. In fact, I always break my verses up into small sections and then have the children repeat after me.) Now let’s play a fun game to help us learn this Bible verse and learn to follow directions. Let’s play “Follow My Directions, Please.”

The purpose behind any Thomas train game is to make learning fun. Educational fun games are the easiest way to help a child develop in the while learning the basics. From the Thomas and Friends group come a multiple of games that accomplish this.

The list of Thomas the Train games include one that teaches numbers, another, the alphabet. These games are a fun way to learn the basics. To help with the memory there is the Thomas the Train Mix n Match Bingo Game. This one requires a child to recognize the different shapes and remember where they were. This is enjoyed by all and my children never got tired of playing it.

The Thomas the Train All Aboard Card game is really three games in one. There are 48 jumbo picture cards that are ideal for playing Go Fish, a memory game and SNAP. This is made for children 3 to 7 years of age and there are no reading involved just shapes and pictures.

The Birthday Surprise Card Game is great fun at a child’s party. This is where the first child that can safely and successfully find all the tickets and invitations for the party on the Island of Sodor and bring the train to its destination is the winner.

The Great Discovery Card Game is another wonderful card game that Stanley joins in on the fun. This is a fast paced card swapping game that keeps the children thinking. With 48 jumbo size cards, Go Fish, memory and Snap are also possible with these cards.

The DVD Bingo Game takes the fun of learning numbers, colors, and letters and throws in the excitement of having Thomas talking during the game. The DVD has Thomas and his friends in the show along with TV clips from the videos for hours of fun and learning.

Choosing a Thomas train game from the large selection is the hardest decision a child will have to make with these educational tools.

When a relationship is beginning, when you move from just dating as single people, to becoming a unit of some sort, there is usually a lot of laughter, a lot of fun, in the relationship. This is the romantic stage of a relationship where both of you are high on love and life, and it is a lot of fun just being with each other.

However, as the relationship grows, it tends to deepen and the whole feeling of being on drugs starts to wear off. This is the stage where the need to be individuals starts raising its head again, and the power struggles begin. This is the time in every relationship where the fun, the playfulness, and the laughter starts to take a back seat. The spur of the moment play, the spontaneous laughter erupting at odd times, become progressively less frequent. The extra element of safety that comes with a steady relationship acts as a damper on the human brain in the matter of playfulness.

Most people think that fun, intimacy, and laughter are natural, so they should be left to the natural circumstances of our lives. This, however, hardly ever works. As daily stresses pile on, as we get more and more involved in work, in our other pursuits, we tend to take our relationship, and our partner, more and more for granted. We drift further and further apart from our old, playful selves. So, it is imperative that couples give it time and attention. They need to address this issue with their conscious mind, and make a conscious choice to create time for fun, and play. Schedule fun. This may seem like a strange concept, but it works. Most of us are so busy that we really have no time for fun on a day-to-day basis. And if we can schedule time to be with friends, kids, and for work, why not for fun?

Laughter and play are important for the mental health of anyone, at any age. People who laugh more and have more fun are demonstrably better off where mental, as well as physical, health is concerned. Set goals to fit in at least five minutes of laughter, rolling on the floor, out loud guffaws, every day. Find some way to induce a good dose of laughter and play into your daily life, as a couple. In addition, try some fun recreational activity or do something playful with your partner at least once a week. Get out, do something uncomplicated and fun, go on a date. Try to spend at least half of your total leisure time on couple activities, things that you can do together. Playing together, and having fun together, is important for your individual mental health as well as the health of your relationship.

Laughter releases endorphins, your body’s natural pain killers, and it gives you a high. It is also a great way for you to connect to your partner on another level. Take a few days off every once in a while and go have a fun vacation. Do whatever it is that makes you feel connected and brings in fun and laughter to your equation. Find something that you both enjoy, but haven’t had the time for in a while.

Laugh at yourself. Whenever you find yourself taking yourself too seriously, give yourself a mental shake. Look at the two of you, and the situation, as an outsider, and find the humor in the situation. Choose to laugh instead of getting upset.

If you’re looking for family fun this summer, you need not look any further than the nearest body of water. Kayaking has taken the country by storm and opened doors to outdoor fun that have never been open before. Kayaking is a safe, fun, outdoor activity the entire family can participate in with little risk or investment. And, best of all, anyone can kayak.

There are many types and styles of kayaks and kayaking, so the first logical step is to call a kayak outfitter and tell them what you’re interested in doing. You can ask questions and gather any information you are seeking; but it’s the questions the outfitter will ask you that are most important. Where are you planning on kayaking? What kind of experience do you have? What are the ages and/or sizes of the youngest and oldest paddlers in the group? And the list goes on, depending on the part of the country you are in.

With no previous kayaking experience, your options will initially be limited to recreational kayaking or taking lessons from an instructor if you wish to jump into the more intense forms of kayaking – whitewater, surf and sea kayaking. While recreational kayaking isn’t much riskier than a day at the beach, whitewater and sea kayaking involve bigger water, swifter currents and other hazards which will likely require instruction before you can safely negotiating them on your own. But even the more adventurous forms of kayaking are only a few lessons away from the average person in relatively decent health.

For a great family outing, find an outfitter that does flat water kayaking and sign-up for a guided kayak tour. A guided kayak tour on flat water is an excellent introduction to kayaking. The trip should start with just enough instruction to get you started and make kayaking an easy and fun experience for any beginner. Along the way, you’re likely to learn much more about kayaking and your guide should be happy to answer your questions and offer additional instruction to anyone who seems interested. This kind of introduction to kayaking gives you a guaranteed great experience and enough instruction to get you started on your own.

After taking an entry-level kayak trip (which should cost between $45.00 and $85.00 per person depending on the location and length of the trip), you are well on your way to becoming a kayaker. The experience you gain the first time out will give you all the confidence you need to do it again and again whenever the opportunity arises. Additionally, what you learn on that first trip will probably be enough to get you by should you have an opportunity to rent, borrow or even purchase an entry-level recreational kayak and head out on your own.

You’ll be surprised by how easy it is to get in a kayak and start paddling. The cost of entry makes kayaking one of the more affordable ways to get out on the water and do something exciting with a friend, with the family or even a very large group. The fun begins immediately and it will never stop as long as you keep kayaking. Regardless of where you live, how old you are or how much time and money you have, kayaking has something to offer you – and the entire family.