Summer Camp

Over the summer I worked at MapleWood Day Camp. This was my first year as a group leader. I had worked their in past summers but never as a group leader. I was assigned twenty five five and six year old boys. Camp was filled with all sorts of activities. There was incredible edibles where the kids got to create something and then eat it. There was rocket ship playground, arts and crafts, sports, mad science, drama, and much more. Then even had a carnival for the children. I loved working at the camp over the summer. It was an exciting and rewarding experience.

Vocabulary

assigned (verb)- given 

filled (verb)- full of

activities (noun)- things to do

carnival (noun)- games and rides 

rewarding ( adjective)- gives you a feeling of happiness

experience ( noun)- something you do 

Activity

Write your own definition of each vocabulary word.

1.) assigned

2.) filled

3.) activities

4.) carnival

5.) rewarding

6.) experience

Grammar Point:  How was your summer? Did you experience anything new? Write  and tell me what you did over the summer using two adjectives, two nouns, and two verbs. 

Christmas Time

December is right around the corner and that means so is Christmas! Christmas is one of my favorite holidays. I love putting up my tree and taking out the boxes of ornaments to decorate. This is one of my favorite Christmas traditions. I enjoy going shopping for all of my family and wrapping their presents one by one. As I wrap them I imagine the joy the gift will bring them. Most of all I love having Christmas dinner with all of my loved ones.  It is a wonderful time of year!

Vocabulary

Ornaments (noun)- decorations that hang on a tree

Decorate (verb)- to make something fancy

Shopping (verb)- to go out and buy items

wrapping (verb)- to cover a gift with decorative paper

Imagine (verb)- think of

Wonderful (adjective)- nice, lovely

Activity

Sort the vocabulary words into the correct column.

Nouns                Verbs                   Adjectives

Grammar Point: Verbs tell us what the subject of the sentence is doing or feeling. For example wrapping in my blog tell us that I love wrapping gifts for my family. The action verb is wrapping.

Think of something you love to do and write a sentence about it using an action verb. 

http://www.eslgamesworld.com/members/games/grammar/present%20tenses/action%20verbs%20catching2.html

My Dog Fluffy

When I was younger I had a toy poodle named Fluffy. I got Fluffy as a present when I was only 10 years old. He was so tiny, fragile, and white. He quickly became my best friend. We spent all of our free time together. I would walk him and feed him every day. Everyone in my family loved Fluffy. He was a special dog unlike any other dog I had ever met. He always greeted me when I would come home from school. He waited patiently to be walked and fed every day. He had his very own spot in our hearts and he could never be replaced.


Vocabulary
Present (noun)-something given to someone, usually on a special occasion
tiny (adjective)- small, not large in size
Fragile (adjective)- very delicate, feels like it can easily be broken.
Quickly (adverb)- fast, happened suddenly
Patiently (adverb)- waiting calmly
replaced (verb)- something else is in place of

Activity

Write a sentence for each vocabulary word.

1.) present

2.) tiny

3.) fragile

4.) quickly

5.) patiently

6.) replaced


Grammar Point: Adjectives are describing words. For example in my blog I used the adjectives tiny, fragile, and white to describe my dog. Think of three adjectives to describe something in your house.

http://www.turtlediary.com/kids-games/ela-topics/adjectives-games.html

I just made a new Voki. See it here:

I just made a new Voki. See it here:

Trick or Treat!

Halloween is a time for children to dress up in their favorite costume and go door to door looking for sweet treats! Ever since my nieces were born I have enjoyed going trick or treating again. I remember as I got older Halloween seem to become less exciting until my nieces arrived! I was able to dress them up and take part in their travels from door to door. Just seeing their excitement made me remember why I had once enjoyed this holiday so much.



Vocabulary

costume (noun)- an outfit that you dress up in
treats (noun) - something you enjoy eating
trick or treating ( noun)- a tradition of going door to door for candy
travels ( verb)- to go from one place to another
excitement (noun)- a feeling of joy and happiness
holiday ( noun)- a day that you celebrate


Activity
Fill in the missing letters to form a vocabulary word that matches the hint

H_ _ _ _ _ _ ( a day to enjoy yourself with family and friends)

_ x_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ( a happy feeling)

T_ _ _ _   o_   T_ _ _ _ _ _ _ ( a tradition of going house to house for candy)

_ _ _ v_ _ _ ( going from place to place)

_r_ _ _ _ ( yummy food)

_ _ _ t _ _ _ ( a decorative outfit worn on Halloween)

Grammar Point: Plurals are an important part of grammar. When something is plural it tells us that there is more then one. For example the plural of treat is treats there is more then one piece of candy.
Make the rest of the vocabulary words into plurals.

http://www.primarygames.com/see-n-spell/plurals/start.htm

Turkey Time!

Thanksgiving is right around the corner! I can smell the fresh cooked turkey, stuffing, potatoes, and green bean casserole. Thanksgiving is a time for the family to come together and spend quality time catching up. It is a time of year to reflect on all of the things you are thankful for. Seeing all of my family and sharing great conversation with them is always what I am most thankful for.


Vocabulary

1.) Thanksgiving (Noun) - A holiday to celebrate what you are most happy to have or what you are thankful for
2.) casserole (noun)- Large, deep dish of food
3.) quality (adjective)- valued
4.) reflect ( verb)- look back, think about
5.) thankful ( noun)- grateful, happy to have
6.) conversation (noun)- talking to others


Matching Activity

1.) Thanksgiving ______                                  a.) look back, think about

2.) conversation ______                                    b.) grateful, happy to have

3.) quality _________                                       c.) talking to others

4.) reflect _______                                            d.) large, deep dish of food

5.) thankful ________                                       e.) valued

6.) casserole _______                                        f.) a holiday to celebrate what you are most happy to                                                                                 have or what you are thankful for

Grammar point: Verbs show a state of being. The verb reflect means to look back or think about. Brainstorm five verbs on your own and use them in a sentence.

http://www.softschools.com/language_arts/grammar/verb/balloon_game/

The Fall Season

When the weather starts to turn colder and the leaves start falling from the trees, I know it is time for pumpkin picking! Every fall it is a tradition of mine to go buy pumpkins to carve in honor of the fall season. As a family, we go to pick pumpkins and apples and share ideas for jack-o-lanterns. It is by far one of my favorite things to do in the fall season. After we have selected the perfect pumpkins, the fun begins!


Vocabulary
Pumpkin ( Noun)- An orange vegetable that is usually symbolic of Halloween
Tradition (Noun)- Something that is passed down from generation to generation
Honor (Noun)- something that is of great importance
Season (Noun)- change of weather and time of year
Jack-o-lanterns (Noun)- a carved pumpkin that usually holds a candle or light in the middle
Selected (Verb)- to choose


Vocabulary Cloze Activity

1.) I have __________________ the largest pumpkin in all of the patch.
2.) In the summer __________________ I love to go to the beach.
3.) As a ________________ every year we cook turkey on Thanksgiving.
4.) We carved the pumpkin and placed the ______________ on the the stoop.
5.) A __________ is a large orange vegetable that you usually see near Halloween.
6.) In ______________ of Halloween I will dress in a costume.

Grammar Point:A noun is a person, place, or thing. In my story the noun pumpkin is a thing, it is a large, orange vegetable.

Think of four nouns on your own and label them a person, place, or thing.

noun games