Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Leap on over for a HUGE LEAP DAY SALE!!!!

That's right...February 29th is a HUGE sale in my TpT store!  Absolutely EVERYTHING is on sale, and if you enter the promo code L2P9Y, you will receive an additional 10% off.  This will be the last big TpT sale until May, so now is the time to stock up! 

I have several new resources available, including a 7 Wonders of the Ancient World unit, a unit on Classroom Economics, and tons of other great classroom resources.  There are also family devotion freebies available there for you to download as well.  Have a very happy Leap Day!  Hope you make plans to "hop" on over and shop!  Shannon :-)
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Shannon-Bryants-Brain-Train

Monday, February 27, 2012

Gifted Gab and the Classroom Corner--Brand New 7 Wonders of the Ancient World Resource...

Hi!  I just completed a brand new resource that I am excited to tell you about at my TpT store--it is an interdisciplinary unit on the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World.  This unit resource contains 149 pages of math, literacy, creative thinking, science, and social studies activities for you and your students to enjoy.  The unit is based on these 7 Ancient Wonders:
  1. The Great Pyramid of Giza
  2. The Statue of Zeus at Olympia
  3. The Lighthouse of Alexandria
  4. The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
  5. The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus
  6. The Hanging Gardens
  7. The Colossus of Rhodes
It also contains an added bonus--an 8th Ancient Wonder, The Ishtar Gate. 

This resource is fabulous for students of all ages, and is great for fostering an interest in global studies, geography, art, architecture, and culture.  Join Cleo the Camel as he leads your students from Ancient Wonder to Ancient Wonder!  Hope you enjoy your trip from Greece to Egypt and back again!  Shannon :-)
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/7-Wonders-of-the-Ancient-World

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Ministry Minute and the Parenting Place--Bible Alphabet Letter M

Today in Children's Church our lesson was on the letter M.  Our scripture was from Joshua 24:15--"Me and my house, we will serve the Lord." 
Today Clunky Monkey, our classroom puppet, brought in some toys from his sister's dollhouse.  We talked about how Spunky Monkey has a hard time deciding whether to pretend the dollhouse is a castle for her princesses, a home for her doll family, or a fort for Clunky's army men.
Just like Clunky's sister had decisions to make about her dollhouse, we all have decisions to make about our own homes and our own hearts.  In today's Scripture, Joshua tells the other leaders of Israel that he and his household are making a choice--they will serve the Lord, the God of their fathers.  We too must decide whether or not to follow Him and His plans for our lives! :-)
Hope you have had a wonderful Sunday and a great weekend!  Shannon :-)

PS--Below are the links to the black and white coloring pictures and colored posters for the Bible verses mentioned here for those who are interested.  


Goodies Coming Soon...

Hi, everyone!  Working on a new project that I can't wait to share.  Tweaking my "grab" button, so that is the picture you see here.  More details will follow soon...Hope you are having a great weekend!  :-)

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Ministry Minute and the Parenting Place--Ash Wednesday Family Devotion Resources

As today marks Ash Wednesday, I wanted to share with you a FREE resource available for you and your family during the season of Lent.  The link is attached here for your reference.  The Easter season is absolutely one of my favorites, so I hope this devotion pack proves beneficial for you, your families, and the children in your ministry.  Shannon :-)
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Learning-about-Lent-Family-Devotions-and-Resources

Monday, February 20, 2012

Ministry Minute and the Parenting Place--Bible Alphabet Letter L

Perhaps befitting after Valentine's Day, this week's letter with my little ones at children's church was L.  Our scripture was, "Love is patient, love is kind."  After a fun time of singing, dancing, and prayer requests, it was time to get to our lesson.

This week I showed my kiddoes 2 plants--1 healthy and alive, one not so much...
 
Clunky Monkey, our puppet friend, stifled tears as he shared how sad he was that his plant had died.  Well, what had been the problem?  Clunky didn't like taking care of his plant everyday; waiting for it to grow was taking too long!   So to save time and effort and to help it grow in a hurry, Clunky had simply left it in the shower with the shower running for 1 whole day--surely that should have been enough water for his little plant.  
Of course, the kids all shouted, "No, Clunky!"  They went on to tell him that plants need the right amount of water everyday, not just a whole bunch one time.  And plants also need sunlight and plant food and good soil.  There is lots of love and care that goes into growing a healthy plant!

I connected this idea to our verse about love.  True love is patient and kind.  It shares, takes time and care, and is the kind of love God wants us to have for other people.
  At the conclusion of our lesson, my little ones moved like "raindrops" back to their tables where they colored their letter L Bible coloring page.  I LOVE my children's church kids and hope you LOVE these posts about our activities in our classroom together.  Have a great week!  Shannon :-)



Sunday, February 19, 2012

Gifted Gab and the Classroom Corner--President's Day Sale!!!!

Hi, everyone!  With President's Day tomorrow, I just thought I would share a few links to my President's Day resources in case you are interested!  These interdisciplinary enrichment resources spotlight George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Thomas Jefferson.  Have a wonderful President's Day with your little ones!  Shannon :-)
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Perfectly-Patriotic-Presidential-Resources-George-Washington

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Gifted Gab and the Classroom Corner--Why do humans need eyebrows?

Why do humans need eyebrows?  This may seem like a funny question, but I think it might give you a window into why I love teaching my gifted elementary students so much!  Each morning we begin our day with a "Curiosity Question."  As you may have guessed, this week's question involved the purpose of eyebrows...

Every student must record at least one possible answer to the week's posed question.  Here is just a sampling of the creative answers I received this week:
  • Eyebrows help you stay balanced.
  • Eyebrows remind you what color your hair was in case you go bald.
  • Eyebrows give girls a place to put their make up.
  • Eyebrows keep your forehead warm.
Of course, the actual answer is that eyebrows protect the eyes from sweat and water.  Upon hearing this statement, one of my students replied, "Mrs. Bryant, then I need cheek brows, cause the rest of my face gets awfully sweaty too!"  I just love the creativity and eagerness to brainstorm that my students exhibit!  Try adding a curiosity question to your day!  Your kids will love it! 

Friday, February 10, 2012

Family News...Congrats to My Hubby! :-)

Just wanted to take a minute and share how proud I am of my husband, Kevin!  He completed his degree in Biblical Studies from Moody Bible Institute and received his diploma today.  I cannot wait to see what the Lord has in store for our family!  Praising Him for His grace and goodness to us over these last few years! We would definitely appreciate your prayers for the Lord's leading for our family in the days ahead!!!
 
 Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!!!  Shannon :-)

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Gifted Gab and the Classroom Corner--Classroom Economics!

My students began their economics unit today.  I brought in a black, plastic bag and did not disclose the contents to my children.  I told them that I had a surprise inside, but was not sure who to give the mystery contents to.  I needed student help in determining how to disperse the contents of the bag. 
Each table group was given a large piece of bulletin board paper and markers.  Students were given 5 minutes to brainstorm as many ways as possible to deal with our issue of scarcity, i.e. one black bag and 19 students.

Then I asked each table to share their 4 favorite ideas.  My students suggested we have a race, arm wrestle, pick a number between 1 and 100, take a timed math test, etc.  While they were working I went around the room and removed chairs from various tables.  When students returned to their home tables, they found that along with a scarcity of black bags, they also faced a scarcity of chairs.  At this point I told them that Allocation Mechanisms help us deal with issues of scarcity.  Payment is the most common way today that we acquire goods and services. 

At the end of our lesson I opened the black bag to reveal yet another bag full of Laffy Taffy which we shared.  I explained that scarcity would be just the first of many economics vocabulary terms we would learn in our upcoming unit on economics, entrepreneurship, and advertising. 

We closed out the lesson with a read aloud--The Doorbell Rang by Pat Hutchins.  Interested in more of my classroom economics plans?  You can check out my recently posted resource on TpT as shown below.  Happy Wednesday, everyone!!!  Shannon :-)




  http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Creating-a-Classroom-Economy-Economics-Adv-Entrepreneurship




Sunday, February 5, 2012

Ministry Minute and the Parenting Place-Bible Verse ABCs (Letter K)

Today was letter K with my precious kiddoes in Children's Church!  Our verse for this week is "Keep the Sabbath holy."~Exodus 20:8.  Our lessons always begin with prayer requests, prayer time, and then praise and worship.
Once we move to the story carpet, Clunky Monkey comes to see us with his usual monkey business.  ;-)  Today Clunky brought along a new friend--his puppy.  The only problem is that Clunky cannot get his puppy to obey.  He asked the children if any of them had a dog training book he could borrow to teach his puppy some rules!!!

Once Clunky and his puppy left, it was time to begin today's Bible lesson.  We discussed how just as Clunky wanted the puppy to follow the rules, God has special rules for us to follow.  Today we call these the "10 Commandments."  To highlight today's verse, we focused on what it means to honor God on the Sabbath.  We also discussed how during creation God worked for 6 days and rested on the 7th.  Hope you all have a great and restful week!!!  Shannon :-)

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Gods-Word-Bible-Verse-ABCs-Alphabet-Posters-and-Coloring-Sheets


Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Gifted Gab and the Classroom Corner--Goodies for Groundhog's Day!

Hi!  I don't know who is more excited about the coming of spring--me or the groundhog?  I love this time of year and just thought I would share a couple of enrichment activities I have used in my classroom this week as Groundhog's Day approaches.

To build critical thinking skills, my students used clues to helped Gabby the Gregarious Groundhog decode her mystery picture.  This activity, as well as many, many more brain-building favorites may be found at the link below.


As you probably predicted, our Gabby the Gregarious Groundhog adventure led to a lesson on the vocabulary word gregarious.  In my room we love learning "college" words, so below is a picture of how I introduced the word gregarious to my students by linking it to a memory picture of Greg, as well as a photo of what we do with our weekly college word.  This is a great way to improve student writing and reading comprehension!

Interested in adding more higher level vocabulary instruction into your classroom?  Below is a link to even more of my vocabulary resources.

Happy Groundhog's Day, everyone!!!!