Flashlight Day was Fun! 
At the beginning of the week a note was sent home asking for any kind of flashlight, with their name on it, on Friday for a special activity. It didn't matter if it worked or not. I brought in a few from home and I asked the homeroom parents to send in an extra one. We wrote names on masking tape to put on the ones without names.
Mrs. Jones' created a book for us to make about our flashlight. In Mrs. Jones' group we drew it then measured the length with unifix cubes. Mrs. King's group measured the circumference at both ends and used a balance scale to see how many spoons or toy cars it would take to balance it.
Mrs. Jones' created a book for us to make about our flashlight. In Mrs. Jones' group we drew it then measured the length with unifix cubes. Mrs. King's group measured the circumference at both ends and used a balance scale to see how many spoons or toy cars it would take to balance it.
The Morning Class
The Afternoon Class
Flashlight Activities
We took turns naming at least 3 properties of our flashlight such as, color, heavy/light, big/little, smooth or bumpy, strap/handle/none, or writing/pictures/nothing on it.
Then we had a longer/shorter competition! Mrs. Jones pulled 2 name sticks and those children compared their flashlights. The "longest" one stood on one side of a desk and the "shortest" stood on the other. One at a time, as name sticks were pulled, each child compared their flashlight to the two standing. If his/her flashlight was longer than the "longest" one standing then he/she took the place of that person. Same with the shortest. The last ones standing were declared the longest and shortest winners in the whole class. Nathan had the longest and Brittany had the shortest in the AM Class. In the PM Class Brianna had the longest flashlight and Hunter had the shortest.
We played "I Spy." We shut off our classroom lights and closed the blinds, then Mrs. Jones named something and we searched for it. We shined our flashlight on it when we found it!
We played a rhyming game. Mrs. Jones said 2 words and if they rhymed we turned on our flashlight; if they didn't, we turned it off.
One of our favorite events was going in the dark bathroom with Mrs. Jones with just our flashlights on. We counted to 3 and shut off our flashlights to see how dark it was in the bathroom. Then we counted to 3 again and turned them back on. Whew! We each got a chance to stand near the toilet and shine our flashlight on the wall to see how weak or strong the beam was. Then we all got to "flashwrite" our names on the ceiling and walls!
More Ideas for Flashlight Day
Here are some ideas I collected since our first one in 05-06.
In 06-07 we're having it on Groundhog Day, Feb 2.
If you would like to share an idea to post on this webpage,
please send an EMail to Mrs. Jones.
Word Wall Game
"Flashlight, flashlight, oh so bright.
Shine on the word I want to learn by sight!"
Then you shine it on a word and the students read it.
*****
Tie in Flashlight Day with Groundhog Day and talk about shadows and how to make them.
*****
Sing The Shadow Song
Divide the class in half and form two parallel lines. The back line shines their flashlights on the front line so the front line's shadows appear on the wall. Everyone sings the song and the front line acts out the song. (front line sets down their flashlight) Then switch places and do the same thing.
*****
Divide kids into groups of 4. Two shine their flashlights on the other 2 who try to make as many alphabet letters (or whatever) on the wall as they can with the help of their partner. Reinforce likeskills, too.
*****
Read Guess Whose Shadow? by Stephen R. Swinburne
From Kirkus Reviews:
Swinburne sets out to teach young children about how shadows are created, describing night as a shadow on the earth, and giving children tangible reasons for why shadows vary in size, shape, and location. The latter half of the book invites readers to guess the origins of the shadows in vivid full-color photographs; subsequent pages provide the answers to the mysteries. A foreword contains information regarding the scientific reasons for shadows, which can be explained to small children, but it is the array of photographs that truly invites youngsters to take a closer look and analyze the world around them with an eye for the details. (Picture book/nonfiction. 3-5). -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
*****
Read I Love My Shadow by Hans Wilhelm
Synopsis: A little dog has fun playing with his shadow at the beach.
*****
I inherited some material squares and during "flashlight playtime" the children can experiment with shining their light through the different thicknesses.
*****
I found some transparent color paddles in the basic colors at a retiring teacher's yard sale. The children can shine their light through each color then experiment with mixing the color paddles. Display a color mixing poster.
Then we had a longer/shorter competition! Mrs. Jones pulled 2 name sticks and those children compared their flashlights. The "longest" one stood on one side of a desk and the "shortest" stood on the other. One at a time, as name sticks were pulled, each child compared their flashlight to the two standing. If his/her flashlight was longer than the "longest" one standing then he/she took the place of that person. Same with the shortest. The last ones standing were declared the longest and shortest winners in the whole class. Nathan had the longest and Brittany had the shortest in the AM Class. In the PM Class Brianna had the longest flashlight and Hunter had the shortest.
We played "I Spy." We shut off our classroom lights and closed the blinds, then Mrs. Jones named something and we searched for it. We shined our flashlight on it when we found it!
We played a rhyming game. Mrs. Jones said 2 words and if they rhymed we turned on our flashlight; if they didn't, we turned it off.
One of our favorite events was going in the dark bathroom with Mrs. Jones with just our flashlights on. We counted to 3 and shut off our flashlights to see how dark it was in the bathroom. Then we counted to 3 again and turned them back on. Whew! We each got a chance to stand near the toilet and shine our flashlight on the wall to see how weak or strong the beam was. Then we all got to "flashwrite" our names on the ceiling and walls!
More Ideas for Flashlight Day Here are some ideas I collected since our first one in 05-06.
In 06-07 we're having it on Groundhog Day, Feb 2.
If you would like to share an idea to post on this webpage,
please send an EMail to Mrs. Jones.
Word Wall Game
"Flashlight, flashlight, oh so bright.
Shine on the word I want to learn by sight!"
Then you shine it on a word and the students read it.
*****
Tie in Flashlight Day with Groundhog Day and talk about shadows and how to make them.
*****
Sing The Shadow Song
Divide the class in half and form two parallel lines. The back line shines their flashlights on the front line so the front line's shadows appear on the wall. Everyone sings the song and the front line acts out the song. (front line sets down their flashlight) Then switch places and do the same thing.
*****
Divide kids into groups of 4. Two shine their flashlights on the other 2 who try to make as many alphabet letters (or whatever) on the wall as they can with the help of their partner. Reinforce likeskills, too.
*****
Read Guess Whose Shadow? by Stephen R. Swinburne
From Kirkus Reviews:
Swinburne sets out to teach young children about how shadows are created, describing night as a shadow on the earth, and giving children tangible reasons for why shadows vary in size, shape, and location. The latter half of the book invites readers to guess the origins of the shadows in vivid full-color photographs; subsequent pages provide the answers to the mysteries. A foreword contains information regarding the scientific reasons for shadows, which can be explained to small children, but it is the array of photographs that truly invites youngsters to take a closer look and analyze the world around them with an eye for the details. (Picture book/nonfiction. 3-5). -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
*****
Read I Love My Shadow by Hans Wilhelm
Synopsis: A little dog has fun playing with his shadow at the beach.
*****
I inherited some material squares and during "flashlight playtime" the children can experiment with shining their light through the different thicknesses.
*****
I found some transparent color paddles in the basic colors at a retiring teacher's yard sale. The children can shine their light through each color then experiment with mixing the color paddles. Display a color mixing poster.
