Dinosaurs always seem to capture our students hearts. The week, our story was about a herd of triceratops who formed a circle around their babies to protect them from the T-Rex. We had been acting out the story all week, using our fingers as action figures.
Today when we were reviewing before taking the selection test, and I remembered something Chris Biffle taught us at the WBT Conference in Phoenix: Sock-less Hand Puppets! It was perfect!!! Can you imagine a room full of 6 year olds using their hands as dinosaurs, talking back and forth, roaring and snorting? Now, in the story, the dinosaurs didn't talk, but in my students' imaginations, they had a lot to say! I overheard one student have her "Grandma dinosaur" tell the T-Rex, "You better not try to mess with my grandbaby!" I was laughing so hard, I thought I was going to lose it! It was DINOMITE! Disney and PIXAR, look out! We are nurturing young imagineers!

Deb Weigel
WBT Intern, Level 1

Deb this is great!
TO anyone else interested in the OH~ so~ spectacular "sockless handpuppets" check out the Braintoys in the Ebook.
Happy puppeting:P

Sorry, but what e-book are you referring to? I don't remember anything about that.

The best thing about Sockless hand Puppets is that the kids are thinking about the material and putting into their own words. This is that area when kids are synthesizing the material and putting it all together in their brain. Their right hand is one puppet and their left hand is the other. The puppets talk to each other...you don't talk to your neighbor, your puppets talk to each other.

Try it out and keep your eyes posted for more on the Illustrious Brain Toys.

Power to the Teacher!
Chris

What part of the E-book does it talk about Brain Toys? Just trying to make sure I am looking in the correct E-book:)

Liann

Liann and others...the Illustrious Brain Toys are a piece that we have been working on the past few months and we mention them at conferences, but we are sorry to say that they are not in any books.

What they do is get kids to review the material that we want them to review. This review of course is done in a fun way; a way to keep kids engaged. Here are a few...

Sockless Hand Puppets - you take your two hands and one talks to the other with funny voices or normal reviewing what the teacher just asked you to review.


Air Blackboard/whiteboard - you use this one when you want kids to explain a concept that may be laid out in a diagram form. You have them draw a rectangle in the air with their two index fingers, starting together in front of their face and then drawing the rectangle the size of their head to shoulders. While drawing this in the air, they make the sound of the board forming. This is tricky with no sound here but it goes...zzzt, zzzt, zzzt. Once the board is drawn, then the kids begin explaining the concept.

Two finger action figures in desk world - This one here uses the two fingers on both hands that you use to mimic walking, then of course desk world is right in front of them. They move their action figures around explaining whatever you want them to review.

After reading this we'll have some more Brain Toys listed, but try these out, there a blast!

Thanks Chris! These are fantastic!!!

I, along with two fellow teachers from my building, attended the WBT seminar in Mesa the first week of January. The Brain Toys were so much fun and have proven to be very effective with my students. Staci Glass and I actually shared this information at our building's PD day today. one of our fifth grade teachers was so excited about "sockless hand puppets". She said she couldn't wait until tomorrow to try them out. I love WBT!! Not only does it get the kids excited, but it gets the teachers excited too!

I had several teachers come up to me at our PD Day yesterday that are super excited about WBT! They all said that they are so ready to get into their classrooms and try it out today. Susan and I are really hoping that we can make our school a Whole Brain Teaching school! Everyone that talked to me said that they had fun learning about WBT yesterday, which made me super excited as well!