ADD SOME SILLY TO YOUR WRITING BLOCK

As I sat down to finalize the rest of the themes for the year, I realized that April Fools Day falls during our Spring Break (((insert super sad face))).  Over the years I have come to L-O-V-E this "holiday" in the classroom.  You must think I am nuts after reading that line.  Let me explain.  In the beginning, April 1st simply signified a day filled with countless jokes that lacked a punchline and/or lame tricks that would earn the best phony giggle I could muster :)  

Well, after a few years I decided to leverage the power of all this "SILLY" and incorporate it into our writing block. Since making this shift, my joke angle works like a charm every year and keeps the kids beggin' for more writing time. With all this said, I just couldn't miss out on this week of jokes and other shenanigans. SO, I am pluggin' this mighty theme into the mix in early March. I see this aligning oh so well with all of the Dr. Seuss fun :)  Now, if you are lucky enough to have already had your Spring Break . . . hit 'em with this during April Fools.  It's classic.  Or, I see this theme would also work well during the dog days of the year -- anytime during that long stretch from the final vacation window until the last day together.   

On that note, here are a few easy ideas to help you and your babes embrace the "silly" this spring. Leverage it for all the WRITING AND READING work it's worth, folks!

KNOCK KNOCK JOKES
These are the easiest jokes for kids to deliver and they NEVER seem to get old for our kiddies.  With this said, stock a center with knock knock jokes - you can snag countless ditties via a simple Google search.  Your students will be reading and recording for days.  You can even have them pick their favorite joke to "house" in a cute little knock knock display . . . did ya catch the sly pun I slid in there on ya?? 

With this out on the table, why stop here?  You can even have your students draft their own Knock Knock jokes.  Most of them won't really make all that much sense or will be a rip off of another old version. However, this station is worth its weight in gold as your students will write and write . . . and write some more. I suggest that you host a quick brainstorm session to get the juices flowing and some subject matter out on the table. Then, provide a simple little template and model the process.  Finally, let 'em fly.  I guarantee that the giggles that erupt from this station will be absolutely contagious.

A LITTLE STAND UP
As a little home to school connection, I have the kids turn in a joke that they research with their parents at home.  My only rule is that they must be school appropriate -- yes I put this in the note home (no blood/guts or toilet humor PLEASE).  A few days later, we practice our jokes and host a little Comedy Stand Up Session. Oh, and to add a little extra spice, we invite the neighbor Kinder class to watch the performance. (NOTE: Younger students always seem to be a better audience choice as they laugh at EVERYTHING.)  Three kids are placed in the "hot seat" and each one is called to deliver their joke to the crew. I may or may not break out the karaoke microphone unit for this event ;)  A few kids also add some side acts to the shindig via some crazy improv and a fully-stocked prop box . . . the photo below says it all. (No, I did not ask for those teeth back after his "sesh" . . . call it a little gift for being brave.)

CRAZY ANIMAL JOKES
These are kinda dippy, but the kids get OH SO creative when writing animal jokes.  This one requires very little prep too!  Fill a center table with non-fiction animal books.  Introduce the kids to the simple animal joke template (see below) and model a few critter sillies of your own.  

A _____ can __________.
A _____ can __________.
A _____ can __________.
But, a ______ cannot _____________!

As you can see, the outline is simple.  The kids come up with three true facts and one false fact in connection with an animal they select.  Now, an "in the box" false fact will do . . . But, a elephant cannot run faster than a cheetah. However, I strongly urge my kids to get a little WILD and very detailed . . . But, an elephant cannot swing from a long green vine while eating 100 rotten bananas. These make for the BEST author's chair session and I always hang these in the window.  You'll be dishin' out countless smiles to all who stop to take a little look-see :)

GROUCHO-STYLE 
Take any read the room or word hunt activity that you may be doing for the week and add a little "Groucho" flavor.  Snag the mustache/glasses disguises at any Dollar Store (I just so happened to stumble across some that light up a few years back) and stock a center with 'em.  You would think that this extra silliness would jack them all up.  However, it actually produces the exact opposite. The kiddos WANT to wear the glasses, so they work to keep things in check. A little front-loading and you're golden with this one.  

Alright, so there you have it.  A few ideas on ways to host a joke week into your writing/reading block.  These are all ideas that you can easily implement with your crew.  However, if you are looking for a handy dandy collection that is ready to go, check out my No Foolin' Packet >>> HERE.  It has all the above and more!

Have a wonderful week my friends.  I'll be back to see you again soon :)