I'm Thankful for Activities Like Learning Menus!

I don’t know about you, but this school year is flying by so quickly! I have been really bad about keeping up with my blog. I am still working on trying to balance work and new mommy guilt. I want to spend time with my sweet baby girl before she turns into a teenager and doesn't want to spend time with her mother. Needless to say, I am so very THANKFUL to join this linky party and get my blogging back on track! This week, Blog Hoppin' is having a Thanksgiving linky party! I missed the earlier posts, but I am linking up today for New Ideas. I can’t tell you how many hours I have spent searching Pinterest for creative new ideas for my classroom. Pinterest is a teaching gold mine! Throughout my hours of searching, I stumbled upon the idea of using activity menus or choice boards in the classroom.  I work at a project based learning school, and learning menus are perfect for incorporating projects into the classroom. Plus, students love having a choice when doing their work.  I found this idea last year and have been using activity menus regularly in my classroom ever since. They have been a huge success! My students love when our units have menus. When they work on their menu activities they are actively engaged and excited about their work! You really get to see their creativity come out. Let’s face it, anything is better than a boring worksheet! I have used many different types of menus with my students. In math, we have used café menus where the students pick an appetizer, main course, and dessert. 

This is the front page of my Place Value Cafe Menu.

In science, and spelling we have used Tic-Tac-Toe menus where the students have to pick three activities in a row. 

My Plant Tic-Tac-Toe Activity Menu.

During our guided reading groups, we use the pick three menu to practice our reading skills.

Our Cause and Effect Reading Skills Menu.

Menus give your students freedom in their learning, and the students they take pride in their work. If you haven’t tried using menus in your classroom, you should give it a try! I have many different menus on my TeachersPayTeachers store all ready for you to use. Stop by and take a look!