• Enrichment Resources for the Busy Teacher!

    Enrichment Resources for the Busy Teacher!

    🌟 “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” 🌟 William Butler Yeats 

    If you think back to your time in school, I will bet that the activities and lessons that stand out in your mind are special. Not the math worksheets and spelling tests, but those fun and engaging lessons that challenged you, harnessed your interest, and made real-world connections for you beyond the classroom.

    As a young student, you didn’t know it at the time, but your teachers were likely to use enrichment resources for those lessons. Now that you’re a teacher yourself, you know how hard it is to find just the right enrichment resources for our students. We want to be sure our activities are engaging and worthwhile and that they meet the individual interests and abilities. 🔍

    That’s where we come in! Planerium specializes in enrichment resources for Kindergarten and primary classrooms. We offer several solutions for the classroom without creating extra work for already overworked educators out there.

    Planerium’s enrichment activities connect to prior knowledge, expand the depth of current topics, and promote soft skills like teamwork, independence, and cooperation. The goal is to foster intrinsic curiosity and a love for lifelong learning.

    Before we dive into specifics, let’s define what we mean by “enrichment.” In education, it typically refers to anything that occurs beyond the standards framework. Planerium’s enrichment resources are designed for advanced students as well as for the struggling ones.

    We help challenge advanced students who complete their work quickly and get bored easily.
    We also help support the learning of our struggling students with activities that are so fun, they will feel empowered and capable in their academics.🎓❤️
    No matter their level, students will be so busy with our creative resources that they won’t have time to get disruptive or off-task!✨

    Here are some of our favorite ways to add enrichment activities into your daily and weekly lessons:

    • 🎃 Give students some extra puzzles to help them recognize colors, like this Pumpkin matching game.
    • 🕎 Complete activity pages to learn about holidays around the world, like these Hanukkah Worksheets.
    • 🎨Engage in a craft activity like the craft activity Know me Chain to motivate and inspire students to share about themselves uniquely.

     

    All of our activities are designed around engaging themes for this age group and can be used to complement your school curriculum. Our resources give students new and interesting ways to develop their language and skills. They also widen students’ perspectives about learning and the world around them in motivating and enjoyable ways. 📚✏️

    Planerium resources include themes surrounding:

    Holidays 🎉🎁🕎🎄🕯️🎊

    Christian, Jewish. Our holiday activities are designed to teach students about important cultural holidays. We have resources in English and Hebrew. In addition to Christian and Jewish holiday activities, we also have several themed products for Halloween and Valentine’s Day.

    Seasons 🌸🍂❄️☀️

    Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer. Keep classroom decorations fresh, updated, and interesting with our seasonal products. You’ll find several activities, games, and decorations to use in your classroom. Learn more about decorating your classroom for success. Check them here.

    Motivation 💪🏼🙌🏼👏🏼👍🏼

    Growth mindset, greetings/get-to-know-you, awards & certificates. We offer several high-quality products designed to boost motivation and student confidence in the classroom. Our products help you create a positive learning environment for your students, from award certificates to birthday crafts to growth mindset activities. Read more about boosting motivation in the classroom: 4 Tips to Boost study Motivation in the Classroom.

    Games 🎲🧩🤔🔍🧠

    Puzzles, memory games, activity pages. Students love playing games in the classroom! When you have the right games and puzzles, these can be wonderful and highly effective additions to your curriculum. When motivation is high, learning takes off! Read more about how and why to use games and puzzles in the classroom:  12 reasons to use Games in Classroomand The Surprising Benefits of Using Puzzles in Classroom.

    Educational crafts 🎨✂️🖌️🖍️

    Activities, coloring sheets, booklets, class decoration. These products are designed to promote creativity and self-expression. They are packed with high-quality learning activities and are especially great for visual learners. Read more about our booklets Here.

    Resources for teachers 👩‍🏫👨‍🏫

    In addition to the learning resources for students, we also have several products designed specifically to make your life easier! When creating your own classroom materials, you can save tons of time using templates, editable PowerPoints, and clipart. Learn how we use templates in the classroom to quickly and easily modify lessons or create new ones without reinventing the wheel.📚✏️

    Our mission at Planerium is to help busy teachers like you add meaningful and creative teaching materials to their classrooms without adding more time, stress, or frustration. We keep our materials affordable, packed with value, and easy to use. Plus, our materials have already passed the most important test of all: the student test! These tried and true resources have been used in hundreds of classrooms before yours, so you can rest assured that your students will find these materials to be fun and engaging.🌈

     

    Ready to enhance your classroom experience? Join the Planerium family! 🤗

    Check out our Store today, and let us know what you think!

    After you finish shopping, come back to tell us what caught your eye and how you plan to use it. We always enjoy hearing from our teachers – your feedback helps us create the best products we can for you and your students.

  • Top 5 Benefits of Incorporating Coloring Pages in the Classroom

    Top 5 Benefits of Incorporating Coloring Pages in the Classroom

    Finding new and engaging ways to teach can be difficult as a teacher. Coloring pages can be a great teaching tool for both preschool and elementary students. Coloring pages are not only enjoyable for children, but it can also aid in their learning and development in a variety of ways.

    First benefit: coloring pages can help improve fine motor skills. Coloring helps children improve their hand-eye coordination and dexterity, which are important for tasks like writing and cutting. Coloring within the lines of a coloring page, for example, can help children practice their control and precision.

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    The second benefit is that coloring pages can help with language development. Coloring pages with words or sentences can help children learn new vocabulary while also improving their reading and writing skills. A coloring page with a simple sentence, for example, can help children practice reading and identifying individual words.

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    Third benefit: Coloring pages can help with math learning. Shape and pattern coloring pages can help children recognize and comprehend geometric concepts. A coloring page with a repeating pattern, for example, can help children practice identifying and continuing the pattern.

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    Fourth benefit: Coloring pages can improve creativity and imagination. Coloring allows children to express themselves and let their imaginations run wild. A coloring page with a blank house, for example, can be a great prompt for kids to design and color their own unique version of a house.

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    Fifth benefit: Coloring pages are a fun and low-stress learning activity. Coloring can provide a break from traditional classroom activities, allowing children to relax and have fun while learning. Coloring pages, for example, can be a fun transition activity during a busy day or a fun homework assignment.

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    In conclusion, incorporating coloring pages into the classroom can provide numerous benefits for children, including improved fine motor skills, language development, math learning support, increased creativity, and imagination, and being a low-stress and engaging learning activity.

    To take advantage of all these benefits, be sure to register on our website to gain access to a wide variety of coloring pages and printables. Sign up now to experience the transformative power of coloring in the classroom!

  • Best Printables For Back to School

    Best Printables For Back to School

    It’s that time of year again: back to school! The start of a new academic year represents a new beginning and a clean slate. There is a mixture of happiness and melancholy in the air due to the fact that summer is coming to an end. Some students experience anxiety on the first day of school because they are confronted with a number of new experiences, including new teachers, new classmates, and possibly even a new school. 

    As a teacher, you are thrilled and interested in getting to know your new students, and you want to get off to a good start with the new school year. You have a plan to get to know your students better in the first few weeks of the new school year, including their learning abilities, skills, and level. In addition to this, you want them to have a positive attitude while they are in your class and to feel at ease there.

    Prepare yourself with a variety of engaging and fun activities that will give you more flexibility and less stress in the classroom so that you can be at your best during the first few weeks of school. This will allow you to perform at your highest level. 

    Our collection contains coloring pages, worksheets, games, templates, certificates, and crafts that can be printed for free or for a small fee. These printables are meant to make getting started as simple and fun as possible.

    Share your thoughts with us and let us know how you used the resources we provided.

    Table Of Contents

    1. Back to School Coloring Pages
    2. Back to School Worksheets
    3. Back to School Games
    4. Back to School Templates
    5. Related Posts

    Back to School Coloring Pages

    Welcome to our charming collection of “Back to School Coloring Pages”! These engaging sheets include vivid images of familiar school accessories, teachers, and a colorful array of letters for our budding alphabeteers in lower grades in elementary school.

    These aren’t just ordinary coloring pages; they’re a fun-filled stepping stone into the new academic year. They help improve fine motor skills, foster creativity, and serve as a calming activity for those pre-school butterflies. For teachers, these pages provide a delightful teaching tool, encouraging children to explore, learn, and familiarize themselves with school-related concepts in a creative way. So, let’s grab those crayons and embark on a vibrant learning journey!

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    Back to school craft & coloring set For Grades 1-2

    A delightful pack of coloring and craft activities designed to celebrate the first day or week of school for students in grades 1-2. This set is perfect to create a vibrant and interactive learning atmosphere, where students get to showcase their creativity and express their excitement about the new school year.

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    Back to School Worksheets

    Welcome to our comprehensive collection of “Back to School Worksheets”! This assortment features a diverse range of activities, all designed to jump-start the educational journey of your elementary school students in a fun and engaging way.

    Our worksheets span from intriguing school accessory patterns that help kids identify and understand repetitive sequences, to thrilling school scrambles that challenge them to unscramble words, enhancing their language skills. With engaging writing activities, we encourage the young minds to express their thoughts and ideas while developing their penmanship.

    We also understand the importance of personal identity and self-awareness in these formative years, which is why our ‘All About Me’ worksheets are a highlight. These sheets encourage children to explore and share their unique qualities, fostering self-esteem and camaraderie in the classroom.

    Teachers, consider these worksheets as your secret weapon for creating a dynamic, interactive learning environment. Not only do they cover important academic concepts, but they also promote critical thinking, creativity, and self-expression among students. So, let’s dive in and kickstart this exciting new school year together with our “Back to School Worksheets”!

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    Back to School Games

    Say hello to our exciting collection of “Back to School Games”! These games are perfect for kindergarteners and elementary school students, offering a range of activities that are not just fun but educationally enriching as well.

    This collection includes captivating word search puzzles that will help kids improve their spelling and vocabulary while they hunt for school-related words. We’ve got connect-the-dots games that not only entertain but also enhance fine motor skills and number recognition. For the logic-lovers, we offer sudoku puzzles, tailored to suit young minds, which challenge them to use their reasoning and problem-solving skills.

    And let’s not forget our memory games! These are a hit with kids, helping to boost their cognitive abilities while they match pairs of colorful school accessories.

    Teachers, these games make excellent tools for stimulating a love of learning. They can be used as ice-breakers, team-building activities, or as rewards for good behavior. With our “Back to School Games”, you can create an environment that encourages active engagement, develops essential skills, and most importantly, lets children learn while having a blast. Let the games begin!

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    Back to School Templates

    Introducing our vibrant collection of “Back to School Templates”! Specifically designed for kindergarteners and elementary school students, these templates serve as the perfect canvas for arts and crafts activities and to spruce up your classroom.

    Our collection features a variety of themes that kids will adore, from fluffy clouds to adventurous hot air balloons, from colorful butterflies to playful depictions of boys and girls. Plus, we’ve included staples of school life like creatively designed pencil templates.

    These templates encourage your students to let their imagination run wild while improving their fine motor skills, learning about shapes, colors, and patterns, and expressing their artistic flair. They can color, cut, and design each template to create unique art pieces for classroom decoration, giving them a sense of belonging and pride in their learning environment.

    Teachers, these templates can also be used as effective teaching aids. They provide a hands-on, interactive approach to learning that not only stimulates creativity but also promotes active engagement. Let’s kick off this new school year with some artistic fun with our “Back to School Templates”! Let the crafting begin!

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    Motivational and Encouragement
    Student Sticker Labels

    Motivational Encouragement Sticker Labels Printable. Uplift and inspire your students with these Motivational Encouragement Sticker Labels. Designed to help teachers foster positive relationships with students, these labels are perfect for recognizing good behavior, academic achievement, or simply for saying thank you at the end of a lesson or week. They are also a great way to show your students and their parents that you care, despite the busy classroom schedule.

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    About Me Chain Craft: A Personalized Back-to-School Activity for Grades 3-5

    Kickstart the new school year with our “About Me” Chain Craft Activity – a wonderful way for students to introduce themselves to their new teachers and classmates. This personalized activity encourages self-expression and creativity, as students in grades 3-5 create a vertical chain filled with facts about their identities and personalities.

    The students are provided with basic black-and-white templates to sketch, color, and design their individual chains as per their personal preferences. With the option to choose from a variety of templates or even create their own, this activity is a testament to flexibility and imagination.

    To get started, all that’s required are scissors, glue, pencil, and colors. Once completed, these uniquely expressive chains make for great classroom decor, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

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    Back to School Premium Resources

    Our premium teaching resources for back to school period are original. They consist of various teaching activities for students in kindergarten and elementary grades. You can find printable memory games, Sudoku, patterns, activity pages, clipart, and posters for class decoration.

  • The Surprising Benefits to Using Puzzles in Classroom

    The Surprising Benefits to Using Puzzles in Classroom

    Using Puzzles in the Classroom

    When is the last time you sat down to complete a jigsaw puzzle? Has it been a while, or are you a puzzle pro? Have you ever used puzzles in the classroom?

    Many people think of puzzles as just a fun way to fill time, but they actually help children build important skills. That’s why they are great for lower primary students, although children of all ages can benefit from using puzzles in the classroom.

    post-puzzles-surprising-benefits-skills

    What skills does the puzzle teach?

    • Physical Skills
      Both gross and fine motor skills are required to make pieces fit, and important connections are being made about spatial relationships. Puzzles are one of the best activities to promote excellent hand-eye coordination.
    • Cognitive skills
      Children develop important problem-solving and reasoning skills as they work to solve a puzzle. They are also developing memory skills as they remember which pieces go where.
    • Emotional skills
      Children learn patience and perseverance as they work to complete the puzzle. They feel a great sense of accomplishment and self-esteem from achieving the end result of a fully completed puzzle.
    • Social skills
      When children work on a puzzle with an adult or another child, they are honing necessary social skills. They negotiate about which piece goes where, they communicate with one another, and they learn to take turns appropriately.

    If you’re a teacher like me, that list above probably has your head spinning – in a good way! Each and every one of the skills mentioned above is important to classroom teachers, and we are always striving for new and interesting ways to help our children develop those skills.

    Classroom Benefits of Jigsaw Puzzles

    There are so many benefits, which is why puzzles are popular for all age groups, from young toddlers through adulthood. Whether you use the puzzles to assemble a beautiful picture or to teach shapes, letters, or concepts, I guarantee there’s a place for puzzles in your classroom. Not sure where to start your puzzle library? Planerium has a lot of options to get you started! We also have several engaging educational games to add to your collection. Read more about why games make a great learning tool here.

      freebie-pumpkin-shape-puzzles-title1

    These are my 7 favorite reasons to use jigsaw puzzles in the classroom

    1. When students work together on puzzles, they learn teamwork, cooperation, and sharing.
    2. Puzzles help with memory and recall. They are excellent for teaching new concepts and facts.
    3. Assembling puzzles is a low-stress and fun way to familiarize kids with concepts they need to memorize.
    4. Jigsaw puzzles are a constructive way to keep kids quiet and focused.
    5. Children feel a sense of satisfaction when they fit the pieces together, giving a much-needed boost to their confidence.
    6. Puzzles don’t require instructions or rules. Students can sit down and work on them for a few minutes at a time, any time.
    7. Puzzles are a productive and meaningful way to fill up free time. Students can tackle puzzles for a few minutes at the beginning or end of class. Those who finish their work early can spend a few minutes fitting pieces together while others catch up.

    Planerium Puzzles

  • 12 Reasons why to use games in your classroom

    12 Reasons why to use games in your classroom

    Games in the Classroom

    Schools today look very different than they used to. Gone are the days of boring “sit and get” classrooms where kids just listened to lectures and scribbled notes. Today’s educators are constantly innovating, looking for new and engaging ideas, and adding more and more technology to the classroom.

    One of the best ways to foster an interactive and fun learning environment in your classroom is to incorporate games into your curriculum. Here at Planerium, we believe that every student benefits from high quality, academically focused games. That’s why we have lots of educational games to offer our customers!

    Top Benefits to Playing Games in the Classroom

    • Students are highly motivated by playing games – a healthy dose of competitiveness is a good thing!
    • Classroom behavior improves. Students look forward to playing games at the end of their lesson.
    • Games are excellent rewards for their effort and attention!
    • Gameplay activates different learning styles: visual, tactile, and auditory learners all benefit from playing games.
    • Gameplay in the classroom promotes cooperation among students and helps teach social skills.
    • Students feel ownership and personal responsibility for their own learning while playing games.
    • Games give kids immediate reinforcement – they can easily correct errors or gaps in understanding as they carry on their play.
    • Many games (especially ours at Planerium) are easy to transport, set up, and use.
    • Students feel successful and get a confidence boost from playing with their peers.
    • Games are a fun way to review and reinforce concepts that have already been taught.
    • They are especially great for practicing new vocabulary in a foreign language or a language arts class.
    • Many games can be played with little to no supervision from the teacher. They are great to use at work stations as students complete independent or small group activities.

    Games are a highly effective way to differentiate and break up the routine of a long school day.

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    How Planerium helps you add Engaging, interactive games to your classroom

    We are big believers that the best learning happens when students are engaged in new, interactive, and varied experiences. This is why I combined my classroom and museum design experience to create attractive, interactive, and unique games that can be used by teachers all around the world. Here are some of our favorites:

    How do you use games in the classroom?

    Leave us a comment with your favorite tips and tricks to using games in the classroom. How often do you play games with students? And be sure to stop by our shop for even more interactive classroom resources!

  • Back to School Craft Activity- Know me chain

    Back to School Craft Activity- Know me chain

    Back to School Craft Activity to connect with your students after the long Summer break

    Getting back to your students after the long Summer break, and especially when you have a new class, might be challenging. Therefore, I decided to create an “all about me” activity for the higher grades (4-6) in Primary school.

    My idea was to create a unique and different way to connect with your students and getting to know them better. This is not another worksheet, but rather a more creative, interactive, personal activity for the students.

    In this Creativity, students will create a personal “all about me” vertical chain. The activity includes basic black-and-white templates that students can choose from and create their own unique “about me” chain. This allows them to express themselves more freely and use their personal style, taste, and creativity.

    I recommend displaying the students’ final creations on the classroom walls.

    know-me-chain-simulation-preparation
    Know me chain black & white templates
    know-me-chain-simulation-preparation-assembled
    Know me chain assembling templates to vertical chain

    Here are some of the most important benefits of Know Me Chain Craftivity:

    • A Colorful, Unique, Decorative element in your classroom all year round.
    • A great way for the teacher to know the students better.
    • A great display for parent meetings.
    • A different way for students to proudly present themselves.
    • A great way for your students to get to know more about each other, what is common or unique about each other…

    Colored Version

    know-me-chain-simulation-preparation-painted
    Know me chain simulation preparation painted

    The activity includes basic templates in black and white that are flexible and modular. Students can choose from a variety of options. They will write, color and design the chain according to their personal taste and style.

    Pin for later…

    know-me-chain-pin

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