Quick & easy red ribbon week activity & “Owl” stay drug free craft
It’s red ribbon week! This week is a big deal at our school with dress up days and a school wide red ribbon week activity and an assembly that our sweet counselor plans for each day. It would be easy to just let that be in for drug free week with my first graders.
But I love integrating drug-free learning into our classroom writing time too. And this owl craft is quick, easy, and the perfect fall bulletin board display. Plus, it is a meaningful red ribbon week activity, too!
Keeping the Human Body Drug Free
This year, our drug free week coordinated perfectly with our study on the human body in our First Grade Animal Groups Science Unit. We were able to make some really good connections when learning about drugs to the human body organs and muscles when had been studying. We watched this video on drug education. It’s short and to the point and has plenty of info for first graders to understand!
We paused the video after they talked about each category of drug: tobacco, alcohol, illegal drugs. Then, we charted the information from the video on to our shared research anchor chart. This was another great way to tie in shared research with a non-fiction video instead of a text. Our first graders are learning quickly that there is a variety of non-fiction resources.
Every year, I’m amazed at how engaged kids are when it comes to talking about drugs. Even at 6 and 7 years old. And the knowledge they have about alcohol and even illegal drugs is unbelievable. Scary, actually. This year was no different. Again, this year brought great conversation, concern for parents who smoke, and that one sweet firstie who brags about how much the parents drink and how many times the dad or mom has been to jail for drinking.
I know I’m a naive person. But, again, I say how blessed I was to grow up in a home where there was no fear of dad or mom going to jail for any reason. There was no need to think that alcohol was “cool” at the young age of 6, because I didn’t even know it existed. Yes, again, I say,
Thank you, Lord, for blessing my childhood with innocence and purity.
Moving on…
Drug Free Opinion Writing
After we charted our shared research on drugs, my firsties wrote their opinion on staying drug free. Of course, all of our opinions were to be drug free. Our First Grade Animal Groups unit writing focus is informative, but we continue to work on opinion writing here and there throughout the year. But if you wanted to keep with informative writing, you could write about how to stay drug free as well.
As they finished their writing, they brought it to me to check and edit or revise with them. Once they had my “OK,” they made this “wise owl” red ribbon week activity to display with their writing.
Red Ribbon Week Activity – Owl Craft
My first graders cut the ears, body, and owl wings from these printed craft templates. I punched out one and a half inch white dots and half inch black dots for the kids to come grab and glue on for the eyes. They also cut out their writing paper and their own beak from orange paper scraps!
This red ribbon week activity is quick and so easy for little hands to do independently!
I love that this cutie wrote “slur speed”….errr….slur speech. I love first grade writing!
You can find this drug free opinion writing and red ribbon week activity and owl craft in my First Grade Animal Groups Science Unit or by itself! Happy drug free week, friends!
