1-2-3 Come Do Some Spring Things With Me

During spring, it’s a good idea to once again assess things like colors, color words, and shapes. 

With that in mind, I designed the “Bunny Tails & Tales” packet as a super-fun way to practice, assess, or teach.

Add a bit of “crafty” to writing practice, and your students will be excited to show off their writing skills, with the “Bunny Tale” shape booklet.

The cover flips up to reveal their bunny tale. Add a cotton ball for that finishing touch.

I’ve included my silly story about the “Magic Carrot”, so that you can easily make an example to share with your students.

Review thirteen, 2D shapes with the “Shapely Bunny” game.

Students match the appropriate shaped tail to the matching bunny with that shape word.

I used glue dots to add a mini, white pom pom to each piece.
This not only makes manipulating the tails easier, but the pinching aspect, is a great way to strengthen finger muscles.

If you’re making this center for PK, simply trace the tail shape onto the bunny, so they can practice one-to-one correspondence.

The packet includes patterns for these 2D shapes: circle, oval, triangle, rectangle, square, hexagon, octagon, pentagon, rhombus, trapezoid, star, heart and crescent. Choose those appropriate for your group.

Besides writing and shapes, the packet also practices colors and color words.

I’ve included mini word cards for all of the basic colors, which are placed over the matching rectangle on that color bunny. Children then place the matching colored pom pom “tail” underneath.

There are word cards in matching ink colors for little ones, as well as cards with black ink, so you can use this as an assessment tool as well. 

I wanted to see if you could do the games with a 3-year-old, so I tested them out on my grandson Kaiden, and he absolutely loved playing them.

When he got done matching the color words and pom poms he proudly exclaimed, "I did it!" 

He also enjoyed the shape matching game, so you're good to go with a preschool group.

Finally, the packet includes a sweet “just the right size” Itty Bitty Shape booklet.

Children read the shape word, write it on the bunny’s head, then draw that shape for a tail.

There’s a booklet with the standard 2D shapes, as well as optional pages for the rest.

When children have completed their booklet, graph which shaped tail they liked the best. 

Continuing with the bunny theme, I designed a packet called "The Shape Of My Bunny's Nose", which is a center activity, game and Itty Bitty booklet, that reinforces thirteen, 2D shapes.       

The pattern comes in color on a full-page size, as well as a two-on-a-page size to use as a center activity.  I've also included shape word cards, so that older students can practice matching a shape to its shape word.

There's a smaller, 3-on-a-page size to use for games, where children pick a partner and play “Show me the shape.”  I’ve also included black & white patterns, so that children can make their own shape games.

* To play the game as a large group, attach a soft Velcro dot to the nose section of the bunny, as well as the word section, then scratchy Velcro dots to the pieces.
* Pass out the pieces and call for a shape.
* The child holding that shape, comes up and attaches it. Everyone says the shape as the child points to the nose, then repeats it by reading the shape word as they point to it.

There’s also a black and white “My Bunny’s Nose” booklet, with options for additional pages which feature other shapes.

Children read the word and draw that shape on the bunny’s face, then color, trim and collate their shape booklet.

I’ve also included a graphing extension to practice another standard. 

Finally, since April showers bring May flowers, and Mother's Day is just around the corner, I designed this 3D tulip writing prompt craftivity.

PK kiddos can simply make the craft, while older students can choose from 2 writing prompts.  Use the blank pattern to program whatever.

I've also done a "two lips" play-on-words, for a sweet Mother's Day card.

Cutting on a spiral to make the "stem", is wonderful fine motor practice. I've included a pattern for "lefties" as well.

Completed projects look wonderful suspended from the ceiling.  There's a "Spiraling Into Spring" poster for the center of your display. 

The FREEBIE today, also reinforces colors and color words.

Since the "mustache craze" continues, I thought it would be fun to make an "I 'mustache' you about colors" game, with two versions, one for PK kiddos, plus another for older students.  

Well that's it for today.  The snow has finally melted here in Michigan, and although the sun is shining, temperatures are still in the 40s, so I'm looking forward to when spring truly arrives.  

Wishing you a stress-free, happy day.

"In the spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours." -Mark Twain

123 Come Count With Me!

Since the 123 Count With Me Booklets have been so popular, I wanted to design some with May themes in mind.

I just finished 123 Count Flowers With Me,  123 Count Frogs With Me and 123 Count Insects With Me!

Click on the links to view/download any or all of the booklets.

These are easy readers that are perfect for an independent math center or Daily 5 activity.

Students really enjoy doing them, and feel empowered.  Their independence, frees the teacher up to work one-on-one with other students, or do assessing.

The booklets review a variety of math concepts and are a great plug-in for when students complete other work, super for a sub folder or to send home with a struggling student.

Children trace then write the number and number word and circle it in the sequence.

Using a bingo dauber they make dots in a ten-frame to equal the number.

Have students use 2 colors and make an ABAB pattern to reinforce yet another standard!

Finally, students cut and glue the matching numbered group/set of objects to the numbered box in their book.

The last page ties everything up and repeats the number 10.

123 Count With Me booklets include traceable word and number cards, with matching covers, so that students can make Itty Bitty booklets, as well as a +1 more worksheet, a graphing extension and a certificate of praise.

Click on the link to view all of the 123 Count With Me books that are available.

Thanks for visiting today. I hope you can click on over tomorrow for more ideas.

Feel free to PIN anything from TeachWithMe.com that you think others might enjoy.

Scroll down for article #2 today: A helpful Kindergarten Readiness Checklist

Looking for some easy readers that reinforce number and color words while helping little ones count?

You’ve come to the right place.  I’ve been busy dreaming up some really cute ones for spring, or ones that would be generic enough to plug in any time.

I think these will amuse your students.  I even have one with a baseball theme to get those boys interested!

Students trace and write the color and number words, then circle the correct number in the sequence and color that many objects.

If there are any topics you’re in need of, simply shoot me an e-mail.  I’d enjoy hearing from you. diane@teachwithme.com

Click on the links for the following easy reader color and count booklets:  Pretty Petals, Let’s Go (Baseball Color and Count), My Sunglasses, and My Colorful Fruit. I’m working on booklets appropriate for every month so pop by often.

These make great Daily 5 activities.

Feel free to PIN anything you think other teachers might enjoy as well and pop on in tomorrow for some more ideas too.

Mother’s Day Bookmark:

• This is a fun center activity that students can put together quickly.  It makes a nice tuck-in for the cards you may be making.   To make it extra special have students glue their student photograph to the back message.  Laminate them and then tie a ribbon or yarn bow and staple it to the top for an extra-special touch.
• Simply print off the bookmarks. Using a paper cutter, trim them and have students glue them to strips of yellow, blue, green or red construction paper.  Run off the message memo and have them glue it to the back of the bookmark and then trace the words, sign it and add their photo.   Click on the link to view/print the Mother’s Day bookmark masters.

What’s the tallest flower in the garden?

• Demonstrate the comparative adjectives tall, taller and tallest by having students make 3 flowers using green-colored straws for stems.  You can pre-cut the two shorter straws to expedite things, or add a math extension by passing out rulers and telling students how long you want these two straw-stems to be and then have them measure and snip.
• If you have a Big Lots store in your community, they have huge pastel colored straws that make the “tallest” flower even more fun to make. 
  
• Use a flower punch to make fancy centers for your flowers or simply run off my flower pattern on a variety of colored construction paper and have students cut them out. 
  
• Punch holes in the centers with a hole punch and then carefully insert the blossom.
• Run off leaves on green construction paper.  Each student needs 2 leaves for the short flower, 4 for the medium, and the tallest one, unless you are using the giant straws and then 6 leaves look nicer.  This can be a lot of cutting for little ones, so you may want these pre-cut and simply make a template and cut 5 at a time. 
  
• Stick the leaves to the straws using glue dots.  I’ve also made labels if you want to have students affix those as well.  Click on the link to view/print the tall-taller-tallest flower activity sheets. 

Flower Power Math:

Students look at the number inside the flower and then color that many petals, and match the uppercase flower to the leafy lowercase stems on the bottom in these springy-skill sheets.  I’ve made a blank tulip page for you to make more letter combinations if you want.  Click on the link to view/print the flower skill sheets.

Small, medium and large frogs on a log:

• Students glue pre-cut brown construction paper to a toilet paper roll and then add log-like details with a brown or black marker.  The frogs will be poked into the log so they can be used as a subtraction manipulative.  Poking holes with a protractor can be time consuming so you may want this done ahead of time.
• To expedite things you can send t.p. rolls, construction paper, directions and a sample home with a child whose parent has volunteered to help assemble projects at home.  The parent can simply staple on the construction paper and then poke holes for you.
• All children have to do then, is add the details and cut out their frogs.  You can add wiggle eyes to one of the frogs for a bit more pizzazz.  If you don’t want to make this an interactive art project you don’t have to poke the holes.  Simply add tabs to the frogs and have them glue their frogs to the log, or for younger children have them cut out the frogs as ONE unit and use only one toothpick, to simplify things.
• I’ve made two styles for you to choose from.  Run them off on construction paper so they do not flop over.  I use scotch tape to stick a toothpick to the backs of the frogs so that students can poke them into their log.
• This manipulative is great to use with frog stories and songs that have frogs jumping into ponds.  As you read the story, or sing a song, a group of students can stand in front with their logs and take a frog away (subtract) as he jumps into the pond.  Count the remaining frogs left on the logs and then continue.  Many stories/songs involve 10 frogs so you could make your own teacher manipulative using a paper towel tube, so that you have room for 10 frogs.  Click on the link to view/print the frogs on a log masters.

Etc.

For more fun spring art and activities check my 98-page May Art book.  I also have a 78-page Frog Unit as well as an 83-page Flower Unit chock full of wonderful lessons to keep your students actively learning!

Why not become a gold subscriber and get all of these things at no additional charge and enjoy an entire year of fun with new things added each month.

 Whatever you’re up to, I hope you have a marvelous May doing it!