alphabet activities,

60 pages!

This packet is extremely versatile.  You can do these as a whole group activity, as an independent center, for a bulletin board, for a class-made book (each student contributes a letter) or have each child do all of the letter booklets and keep them in a "portfolio" file folder.

  1-2-3 Come Do Some Super-Fun Cat in the Hat Activities With Me

Since the Grinch Game in yesterday's blog, was such a huge hit, I decided to make one featuring Seuss's Cat in the Hat. "Feeding" cards to the Cat in the Hat, is a quick, easy and fun way to review all sorts of standards.  Simply print, laminate and trim the "food" cards. 

seuss activities, seuss games, seuss crafts, seuss alphbet cards, seuss number cards, contraction cards, contraction actiities, contraction games, shape activities, shape games, shape cards, 2D shapes, 3D shapes, alphabet activities, alphabet games, cat in the hat activities, cat in the hat games, math games, at family word cards, at word family gamesThese are mini cards that include upper and lowercase letters, numbers from 0-120, 11 number word cards, twelve 2D shape cards, twelve 3D shape cards, 35 contraction cards, 20 at family word cards, and 11 color word cards!

seuss activities, seuss games, seuss crafts, seuss alphbet cards, seuss number cards, contraction cards, contraction actiities, contraction games, shape activities, shape games, shape cards, 2D shapes, 3D shapes, alphabet activities, alphabet games, cat in the hat activities, cat in the hat games, math games, at family word cards, at word family gamesI chose bright neon-colors, for that extra touch of Seuss-pizzazz. There's also a set of blank tiles for you to fill in with whatever else you want to review or practice. 

I bought my red bucket from The Dollar Store, printed the cat off on card stock, then taped it to the inside. Easy Peasy. 

seuss activities, seuss games, seuss crafts, seuss alphbet cards, seuss number cards, contraction cards, contraction actiities, contraction games, shape activities, shape games, shape cards, 2D shapes, 3D shapes, alphabet activities, alphabet games, cat in the hat activities, cat in the hat games, math games, at family word cards, at word family gamesI've included 4 little signs that you can use to decorate your container with, or sprinkle on a bulletin board.

Keep each set of "food" cards in Snack Baggies and store them in your container.

seuss activities, seuss games, seuss crafts, seuss alphbet cards, seuss number cards, contraction cards, contraction actiities, contraction games, shape activities, shape games, shape cards, 2D shapes, 3D shapes, alphabet activities, alphabet games, cat in the hat activities, cat in the hat games, math games, at family word cards, at word family gamesTo play, simply pass out whatever cards you want to practice with, then call out a word, letter, number etc. 

The child holding that card comes up, reads and shows it, so everyone can repeat what they said. That student then "feeds" the hungry Cat in the Hat.

Grinch activities, grinch crafts, grinch games, how the grinch stole christmas, GR word blends, word blend activities, contractions, contraction cards, list of contractions, contraction games, Daily 5 word work for March, Daily 5 word work for Seuss, Seuss common core, common core seuss, alphabet games, alphabet cards, alphabet activities, number cards 0-120, shape activities, shape cards, 2d shapes, 3D shapes, shape cards, shape games, number words, color words, Besides "feeding" the Cat in the Hat, make extra sets of the cards to play all sorts of games.  I've included tip lists suggesting more activities, plus the "Kaboom!" game.

There's also a set of math symbols as well, so you can use the number cards for other math activities, like making up equations and solving them, plus showing greater & less than

Students can also sort the number cards into odd and even piles and sequence them. Play Memory Match or "I Have; Who Has?" games with the number word cards and their matching number cards.

The shape cards, as well as the color cards, work in the same way.  You can also play these games with the letter cards, matching an uppercase letter to a lowercase one.

seuss activities, seuss games, seuss crafts, seuss alphbet cards, seuss number cards, contraction cards, contraction actiities, contraction games, shape activities, shape games, shape cards, 2D shapes, 3D shapes, alphabet activities, alphabet games, cat in the hat activities, cat in the hat games, math games, at family word cards, at word family gamesI've included an at word family worksheet in the packet at well. 

seuss activities, seuss games, seuss crafts, seuss alphbet cards, seuss number cards, contraction cards, contraction actiities, contraction games, shape activities, shape games, shape cards, 2D shapes, 3D shapes, alphabet activities, alphabet games, cat in the hat activities, cat in the hat games, math games, at family word cards, at word family gamesAfter you're done playing, reward your kiddos with a Seuss bookmark

There are 14 different designs in the packet.  Eight of them feature favorite Seuss quotes.

seuss activities, seuss games, seuss crafts, seuss alphbet cards, seuss number cards, contraction cards, contraction actiities, contraction games, shape activities, shape games, shape cards, 2D shapes, 3D shapes, alphabet activities, alphabet games, cat in the hat activities, cat in the hat games, math games, at family word cards, at word family gamesFor more Cat in the Hat fun, click on the link for 14 sweet Seuss-themed puzzles

They will help your students sequence numbers, count forwards and backwards, plus skip count by 10s to 100. 

seuss activities, seuss games, seuss crafts, seuss alphbet cards, seuss number cards, contraction cards, contraction actiities, contraction games, shape activities, shape games, shape cards, 2D shapes, 3D shapes, alphabet activities, alphabet games, cat in the hat activities, cat in the hat games, math games, at family word cards, at word family gamesI also designed a set of larger Cat in the Hat number cards with numbers 0-120.

Use them for different games, or add them to your "Feed the Cat in the Hat" review game.

seuss activities, seuss games, seuss crafts, seuss alphbet cards, seuss number cards, contraction cards, contraction actiities, contraction games, shape activities, shape games, shape cards, 2D shapes, 3D shapes, alphabet activities, alphabet games, cat in the hat activities, cat in the hat games, math games, at family word cards, at word family gamesThere's a bigger set of alphabet cards as well.  There's a separate set for uppercase and lowercase letters, then a set where both the upper & lowercase letter appears on one card, making them "purr-fect" for all sorts of Memory Match or "I Have, Who Has?" games.  

seuss activities, seuss games, seuss crafts, seuss alphbet cards, seuss number cards, contraction cards, contraction actiities, contraction games, shape activities, shape games, shape cards, 2D shapes, 3D shapes, alphabet activities, alphabet games, cat in the hat activities, cat in the hat games, math games, at family word cards, at word family gamesIf you'd like to see more Dr. Seuss FREEBIES, click on the link to zip on over to that section of my site.  I also have a Pinterest pin board of more Seuss ideas and free activities. 

Thanks for visiting.   Since winter is bitterly clinging to February,  I wish everyone a safe and snuggly day. 

"Be who you are, and say what you feel, because those who mind, don't matter and those who matter, don't mind." -Dr. Seuss

 1-2-3 Come Do Some Super-Fun Grinch Activities With Me

There are so many activities out there for Seuss's Cat in the Hat, that I wanted to design some things with another popular character. 

Grinch activities, grinch crafts, grinch games, how the grinch stole christmas, GR word blends, word blend activities, contractions, contraction cards, list of contractions, contraction games, Daily 5 word work for March, Daily 5 word work for Seuss, Seuss common core, common core seuss, alphabet games, alphabet cards, alphabet activities, number cards 0-120, number words, color words, We usually think of the Grinch in December, because after all, he tried to steal Christmas, but I felt he was the perfect "creature" to "munch and crunch a variety of standards for lunch!" so I created the "Feed the Grinch Game".

Grinch activities, grinch crafts, rhyming activities, Seuss crafts, common core Seuss, Seuss writing prompts, grinch games, how the grinch stole christmas, GR word blends, word blend activities, contractions, contraction cards, list of contractions, contraction games, Daily 5 word work for March, Daily 5 word work for Seuss, Seuss common core, common core seuss, alphabet games, alphabet cards, alphabet activities, number cards 0-120, shape activities, shape cards, 2d shapes, 3D shapes, shape cards, shape games, number words, color words, "Feeding" cards to a Grinch-topped container, is a quick, easy and fun way to review all sorts of things.

Grinch activities, grinch crafts, rhyming activities, Seuss crafts, common core Seuss, Seuss writing prompts, grinch games, how the grinch stole christmas, GR word blends, word blend activities, contractions, contraction cards, list of contractions, contraction games, Daily 5 word work for March, Daily 5 word work for Seuss, Seuss common core, common core seuss, alphabet games, alphabet cards, alphabet activities, number cards 0-120, shape activities, shape cards, 2d shapes, 3D shapes, shape cards, shape games, number words, color words, Print, laminate and trim the "food" cards. 

These are mini cards that include upper and lowercase letters, numbers from 0-120, 11 number word cards, twelve 2D shape cards, twelve 3D shape cards, 35 contraction cards, 94 "GR is for GRinch" gr word blend cards, and 11 color word cards!

Grinch activities, grinch crafts, rhyming activities, Seuss crafts, common core Seuss, Seuss writing prompts, grinch games, how the grinch stole christmas, GR word blends, word blend activities, contractions, contraction cards, list of contractions, contraction games, Daily 5 word work for March, Daily 5 word work for Seuss, Seuss common core, common core seuss, alphabet games, alphabet cards, alphabet activities, number cards 0-120, shape activities, shape cards, 2d shapes, 3D shapes, shape cards, shape games, number words, color words, I chose bright neon-colors, for that extra touch of Seuss-pizzazz. There's also a set of blank tiles for you to fill in with whatever else you want to review or practice. 

Grinch activities, grinch crafts, grinch games, how the grinch stole christmas, GR word blends, word blend activities, contractions, contraction cards, list of contractions, contraction games, Daily 5 word work for March, Daily 5 word work for Seuss, Seuss common core, common core seuss, alphabet games, alphabet cards, alphabet activities, number cards 0-120, shape activities, shape cards, 2d shapes, 3D shapes, shape cards, shape games, number words, color words, Besides "feeding" the Grinch, make extra sets of the cards to play all sorts of games.  I've included tip lists suggesting more activities, plus the "Kaboom!" game.

Grinch activities, grinch crafts, rhyming activities, Seuss crafts, common core Seuss, Seuss writing prompts, grinch games, how the grinch stole christmas, GR word blends, word blend activities, contractions, contraction cards, list of contractions, contraction games, Daily 5 word work for March, Daily 5 word work for Seuss, Seuss common core, common core seuss, alphabet games, alphabet cards, alphabet activities, number cards 0-120, shape activities, shape cards, 2d shapes, 3D shapes, shape cards, shape games, number words, color words, There's also a set of math symbols as well, so you can use the number cards for other math activities, like making up equations and solving them, plus showing greater & less than

Students can also sort the number cards into odd and even piles and sequence them.

Play Memory Match or "I Have; Who Has?" games with the number word cards and their matching number cards.

The shape cards, as well as the color cards, work in the same way.  You can also play these games with the letter cards, matching an uppercase letter to a lowercase one. 

There are a number of options you can use for the container.  I bought a green bucket from The Dollar Store.  Currently, they have all sorts of pails and buckets for the Easter season.  

Grinch activities, grinch crafts, rhyming activities, Seuss crafts, common core Seuss, Seuss writing prompts, grinch games, how the grinch stole christmas, GR word blends, word blend activities, contractions, contraction cards, list of contractions, contraction games, Daily 5 word work for March, Daily 5 word work for Seuss, Seuss common core, common core seuss, alphabet games, alphabet cards, alphabet activities, number cards 0-120, shape activities, shape cards, 2d shapes, 3D shapes, shape cards, shape games, number words, color words, Print off the Grinch on green construction paper then cut around the edges.  If you want his eyes to pop, print another Grinch on yellow construction paper then cut out just the eyes and glue them on.

So that the Grinch’s face, easily fits over the top of the bucket, I glued it to half of a sturdy paper plate. Fold his “mouth” on the dotted line so that children can flip it up and drop the Grinch “food” cards inside the bucket.

Add a green "hair" feather at the top, for extra pizzazz, and hold the plate down with some glue dots.  The packet includes labels to decorate your container.  Store each set of “food” cards in their own Ziploc Baggie inside the bucket. 

To play, simply pass out whatever cards you want to practice with to your kiddos, then call out a word, letter, number etc.  The child holding that card comes up, reads and shows it, then "feeds" the hungry grumpy Grinch.

Grinch activities, grinch crafts, rhyming activities, Seuss crafts, common core Seuss, Seuss writing prompts, grinch games, how the grinch stole christmas, GR word blends, word blend activities, contractions, contraction cards, list of contractions, contraction games, Daily 5 word work for March, Daily 5 word work for Seuss, Seuss common core, common core seuss, alphabet games, alphabet cards, alphabet activities, number cards 0-120, shape activities, shape cards, 2d shapes, 3D shapes, shape cards, shape games, number words, color words, Besides using a bucket, you can also use a dishwashing-detergent, flip-top container, to make your hungry Grinch.   Only the front section lifts up, making the perfect “mouth” for “feeding”.

The container in the photo, is from a 10-pack of Mr. Clean erasers that I bought at Sam’s Club. Cascade, as well as other dishwashing detergents, also use this type of container.  (It's the detergent that comes packaged in little pillows.)

Grinch activities, grinch crafts, rhyming activities, Seuss crafts, common core Seuss, Seuss writing prompts, grinch games, how the grinch stole christmas, GR word blends, word blend activities, contractions, contraction cards, list of contractions, contraction games, Daily 5 word work for March, Daily 5 word work for Seuss, Seuss common core, common core seuss, alphabet games, alphabet cards, alphabet activities, number cards 0-120, shape activities, shape cards, 2d shapes, 3D shapes, shape cards, shape games, number words, color words, Finally, celebrate Seuss with these two Grinch "craftivities" that I just finished today. 

Both of them are in the  Rhyming & Writing Are a Cinch With the Grinch packet. 

Grinch activities, grinch crafts, rhyming activities, Seuss crafts, common core Seuss, Seuss writing prompts, grinch games, how the grinch stole christmas, GR word blends, word blend activities, contractions, contraction cards, list of contractions, contraction games, Daily 5 word work for March, Daily 5 word work for Seuss, Seuss common core, common core seuss, alphabet games, alphabet cards, alphabet activities, number cards 0-120, shape activities, shape cards, 2d shapes, 3D shapes, shape cards, shape games, number words, color words, One features two writing prompts.  Students think of things that make them grin like the Grinch. 

They jot these down on the left side.  On the right side, they list things that make them "Grinchly and grumpy".  

Grinch activities, grinch crafts, rhyming activities, Seuss crafts, common core Seuss, Seuss writing prompts, grinch games, how the grinch stole christmas, GR word blends, word blend activities, contractions, contraction cards, list of contractions, contraction games, Daily 5 word work for March, Daily 5 word work for Seuss, Seuss common core, common core seuss, alphabet games, alphabet cards, alphabet activities, number cards 0-120, shape activities, shape cards, 2d shapes, 3D shapes, shape cards, shape games, number words, color words, The other craft is a "doorknobber".  Children fold their paper in half and glue it together, cutting the slit and hole at the top.

Grinch activities, grinch crafts, rhyming activities, Seuss crafts, common core Seuss, Seuss writing prompts, grinch games, how the grinch stole christmas, GR word blends, word blend activities, contractions, contraction cards, list of contractions, contraction games, Daily 5 word work for March, Daily 5 word work for Seuss, Seuss common core, common core seuss, alphabet games, alphabet cards, alphabet activities, number cards 0-120, shape activities, shape cards, 2d shapes, 3D shapes, shape cards, shape games, number words, color words, On the front, students glue their photo face over the Grinch's, after they color it. 

On the back, they list all of the words that they can think of that rhyme with whatever word you assign.  I chose Grinch and Seuss

Samples of both are included, so you can easily show examples to your students, to help explain what you want them to do.

Grinch activities, grinch crafts, rhyming activities, Seuss crafts, common core Seuss, Seuss writing prompts, grinch games, how the grinch stole christmas, GR word blends, word blend activities, contractions, contraction cards, list of contractions, contraction games, Daily 5 word work for March, Daily 5 word work for Seuss, Seuss common core, common core seuss, alphabet games, alphabet cards, alphabet activities, number cards 0-120, shape activities, shape cards, 2d shapes, 3D shapes, shape cards, shape games, number words, color words, Well that's it for today.  It felt good to get a few more things checked off my too-long "To Do" list.  Feeling overwhelmed, definitely makes me feel "Grinchy". 

My feet have hit the floor running, as there's lots to do today.  Wishing you a "Seuss-tastic" day, filled with giggles galore.

 "So be sure when you step, step with care and great tack, and remember that life's a great balancing act!" -Dr. Seuss

1-2-3 Come "Build" A Snowman With Me

I was really on a creative roll the other day.  All one needs to do is spend a little time on Pinterest and if you're like me, the brain shoots into over drive!  So many ideas and not enough time in my life to do everything I'd like to.  Sound familiar?

winter games, winter centers, math centers, math games, alphabet activities, alphabet assessments, snowman crafts, snowflake activities, snowman activities, winter alphabet cards, winter number cards, snowflake games, snowflake centers, snowflake number cards, penguin activities, penguin number cards, penguin games, penguin alphabet cards, new years activities, new years writing prompts, new year games, how many words can you make out of happy new year, christmas tree activities, puzzles, number puzzles, alphabet puzzles, football activities, football bulletin boards, bulletin boards for january, igloo activities, igloo crafts, fact family activitiesWhile browsing, I found a wooden snowman used as a countdown to Christmas.  Versions of this idea were all over the Internet, from crafty moms to companies; I'm not sure who was the originator, so I can't link up or give appropriate credit.

All of them though, had just 25 numbers on them, because they were using the snowman as a countdown activity. 

I LOVE the idea of the moving carrot nose, so I thought I'd write "stuff" around the snowman's face that would make him perfect for the classroom, as an educational manipulative in December or January. Thus "Snowy" the ed-venturous educational snowman was born.

It was fun designing a paper snowman face that can review upper and lowercase letters and numbers to 31.  I've also included a face for skip counting by 2's, 3's, 5's or 10's.  Or... You can simply make one for your calendar center and countdown the days in January.  

snowflake activities, snowman activities, snowman crafts, penguin activities, new years activities, new year's activities, january bulletin boards, wriitng prompts for january, football activities, winter puzzles, winter games, winter centers, skip counting activities, These make a quick, easy and fun way to whole-group assess too. 

Call out a number/letter and have students move their snowman's nose to that position or... move your teacher sample to an uppercase letter, and have students find the matching lowercase letter on theirs. 

For added pizzazz, I ran the carrot noses through my crinkle machine.  My Y5's called this the "Cruncher Muncher." 

snowflake activities, snowman activities, snowman crafts, penguin activities, new years activities, new year's activities, january bulletin boards, wriitng prompts for january, football activities, winter puzzles, winter games, winter centers, skip counting activities, It provided great fine motor practice, as students turned the crank to get the paper through the rollers. 

Jam paper carries this awesome tool called a "corru-gator"  which easily crimps paper.  They have a "wave" pattern as well as a straight line one.  Once you roll your paper through, it comes out looking like corrugated cardboard, and really adds that finishing touch.

Poke a hole at the end of the carrot and use a brass brad to fasten the nose to the snowman.   Click on the link to view/download the Snowman's Nose packet.

snowflake activities, snowman activities, snowman crafts, penguin activities, new years activities, new year's activities, january bulletin boards, wriitng prompts for january, football activities, winter puzzles, winter games, winter centers, skip counting activities, An adorable book to read before or after this activity, is entitled: Where's Snowy's Nose? by Kelly Asbury. It was one of my Y5's favorites.

snowflake activities, snowman activities, snowman crafts, penguin activities, new years activities, new year's activities, january bulletin boards, wriitng prompts for january, football activities, winter puzzles, winter games, winter centers, skip counting activities, Thanks for visiting today.  I need to get going, as I have a few more things I need to run out and get for tomorrow's family gathering. 

Love having a full house, which means 14 adults, 5 grandchildren, 3 dogs and a partridge in a pear tree... Wishing you a glorious day filled with everything and everyone you enjoy the most.

 "Wisdom from a snowman: It's OK to be a little bottom heavy.  Don't get too much sun.  Everyone "nose" carrots are good for you.  Be a jolly happy soul.  It takes a few extra rolls to make a good midsection.  It's fun to hang out in your front yard.  Remember, we're all a bit flakey and that's what makes things interesting. Have a pure heart. White goes with everything.  We are all unique and special.  Accessorize, accessorize, accesorize." -Unknown

1-2-3 Come Countdown To Christmas With Me

One of the things that I realized rather quickly, during the 10 years that I taught Y5's, was that younger children don't have a real good grasp of time.  To help my kiddos with this, I did all sorts of calendar activities, so that they could visulalize the passage of time.

counting down to Christmas activities, gingerbread crafts, santa crafts, elf crafts, christmas worksheets, christmas countdown crafts, christmas crafts, skip counting by 2's activities, december math activities, counting activities for december, alphabet activities, alphabet games, alphabet books, class made alphabet books, christmas alphabet booklet, elf activities, christmas coloring pages, santas beard countdown, counting down to christmas coloring pages, Counting down the days of each month, was extremely helpful.  For holiday months, this was especially nice, because it dispensed with the "When is?" questions.  "When is vacation, the party, fieldtrip..." or other special activities that they were looking forward to.

With that in mind, I decided to design a bunch of countdown to Christmas activities. These are simple, quick and easy, so you can choose several.  They are fun independent activities that children can work on a few minutes each day, freeing you up to work one-on-one with students.  

counting down to Christmas activities, gingerbread crafts, santa crafts, elf crafts, christmas worksheets, christmas countdown crafts, christmas crafts, skip counting by 2's activities, december math activities, counting activities for december, alphabet activities, alphabet games, alphabet books, class made alphabet books, christmas alphabet booklet, elf activities, christmas coloring pages, santas beard countdown, counting down to christmas coloring pages, Each month I displayed a different countdown paper chain from the ceiling.  I chose 2 to 3 different colors (appropriate for that month) to make the links out of, so we could review colors as well as patterning

You can make the countdown to Christmas gingerbread paper chain craftivity for your class, or have students each make their own, to take home for more practice.  I used white puffy paint (for frosting) and a plaid ribbon bow for extra pizzazz. 

counting down to Christmas activities, gingerbread crafts, santa crafts, elf crafts, christmas worksheets, christmas countdown crafts, christmas crafts, skip counting by 2's activities, december math activities, counting activities for december, alphabet activities, alphabet games, alphabet books, class made alphabet books, christmas alphabet booklet, elf activities, christmas coloring pages, santas beard countdown, counting down to christmas coloring pages, "You Can Count On Santa" is another fun visual for your students. 

As with the gingerbread craft, you can simply make one for your classroom for calendar time, or run off copies for students to make one of their own. 

Using a glue dot, children add a cotton ball to fill in Santa's beard.  This is not my original idea, although I've been doing it long before the Internet.  I love drawing Santa, and hope you like my version. 

counting down to Christmas activities, gingerbread crafts, santa crafts, elf crafts, christmas worksheets, christmas countdown crafts, christmas crafts, skip counting by 2's activities, december math activities, counting activities for december, alphabet activities, alphabet games, alphabet books, class made alphabet books, christmas alphabet booklet, elf activities, christmas coloring pages, santas beard countdown, counting down to christmas coloring pages, Since the Elf On A Shelf story has become a super-fun classroom management tool, I decided to make an elf-themed countdown craftivity as well. 

As students countdown to Christmas, they trace and write the numbers and then color each section of the elf's stockings in an ABAB pattern.  I added flat-backed jewels and mini pom poms for that finishing touch. 

Since jewels are an especially "big deal" to little ones, you can use them as an incentive:  Stay focused and complete your work and earn a bit of dazzle for your countdown elf. 

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It's an alphabet booklet.  Students trace and write the letters, as well as the Christmas-themed words. 

They color the letter and picture, then write another word that also begins with that letter.  There are so many options for Christmas-related words, you can easily request that the extra words also need to be about Christmas.

counting down to Christmas activities, gingerbread crafts, santa crafts, elf crafts, christmas worksheets, christmas countdown crafts, christmas crafts, skip counting by 2's activities, december math activities, counting activities for december, alphabet activities, alphabet games, alphabet books, class made alphabet books, christmas alphabet booklet, elf activities, christmas coloring pages, santas beard countdown, counting down to christmas coloring pages, Starting December 1st, have students complete one letter.  Since there are only 25 days 'til Christmas, remind students to complete letters Y and Z on the last day.

counting down to Christmas activities, gingerbread crafts, santa crafts, elf crafts, christmas worksheets, christmas countdown crafts, christmas crafts, skip counting by 2's activities, december math activities, counting activities for december, alphabet activities, alphabet games, alphabet books, class made alphabet books, christmas alphabet booklet, elf activities, christmas coloring pages, santas beard countdown, counting down to christmas coloring pages, For more alphabet reinforcement, the packet also includes 10 worksheets, to help practice writing upper and lowercase letters, putting words in alphabetical order, skip counting the 24 days 'til Christmas by 2's, as well as practicing writing numbers to 31 (The number of days in the month.)

The worksheet in the photo, asks students "What Lowercase Letter Is Missing?"  There are also two "I Spy" game worksheets. 

Click on the link to view/download the Countdown to Christmas Alphabet packet.

counting down to Christmas activities, gingerbread crafts, santa crafts, elf crafts, christmas worksheets, christmas countdown crafts, christmas crafts, skip counting by 2's activities, december math activities, counting activities for december, alphabet activities, alphabet games, alphabet books, class made alphabet books, christmas alphabet booklet, elf activities, christmas coloring pages, santas beard countdown, counting down to christmas coloring pages, Since my Y5's needed lots of scissor practice, I designed two countdown activities, where students snip off the days 'til Christmas. 

The "Trim the Tree" scissor-snipping countdown craftivity, is my own idea, however, cutting off Santa's beard, was an idea I found dozens of versions of, on Pinterest. 

snipping santas beard, counting down to Christmas activities, gingerbread crafts, santa crafts, elf crafts, christmas worksheets, christmas countdown crafts, christmas crafts, skip counting by 2's activities, december math activities, counting activities for december, alphabet activities, alphabet games, alphabet books, class made alphabet books, christmas alphabet booklet, elf activities, christmas coloring pages, santas beard countdown, counting down to christmas coloring pages, I felt that Santa still needed a beard for his Christmas Eve adventures, so I revamped the concept, and designed a "Snipit Santa."  

Both the Christmas tree and Santa, when completely trimmed, make cute paper ornaments or gift tags.

Click on the link to view/download the Let's Trim the Tree & Santa's Beard Christmas countdown - scissor practice craftivities.

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I've included a cute gingerbread house cover, for a Christmas countdown file folder, so students can keep all of their countdown activities in one place.

I'd include one that they can color, one they use a bingo dauber on (dotting the days away), one they can earn stickers for, plus a scissor snipping option.  These worksheets only take a few minutes, and because kiddos can work independently, you are freed up to work one-on-one with students.

counting down to Christmas activities, gingerbread crafts, santa crafts, elf crafts, christmas worksheets, christmas countdown crafts, christmas crafts, skip counting by 2's activities, december math activities, counting activities for december, alphabet activities, alphabet games, alphabet books, class made alphabet books, christmas alphabet booklet, elf activities, christmas coloring pages, santas beard countdown, counting down to christmas coloring pages, That's it for today.  I hope you found something here that you can use to help your students understand the concept of time passing.

My grama Lydia used to say that the older she got the more quickly time passed.  Now that I'm enjoying my "golden years" I find that to be truer than true.  Wishing you a peaceful, savor-each-moment kind of day.

"How did it get so late so soon? It's night before it's afternoon. December is here before it's June. My goodness how the time has flewn. How did it get so late so soon?" -Dr. Seuss

1-2-3 Come Do Some Leaf Activities With Me

There are so many themes that I incorporated into my October lessons, that it was sometimes difficult to get to them all.  I think one of my favorites though, was leaves.

leaf activities, leaf crafts, common core leaves, fall writing prompts, fall crafts for kids, ordinal number activities, leaf alphabet cards, fall alphabet games, fall writing prompts, fall centers, leaf graphing, shape activities, alphabet games, leaf science, fall math games, fall math activities, graphing activities, 2D shape activitiesProbably, because of all the fond childhood memories I have of raking up big piles of colorful leaves and then playing in them for hours.

A leaf theme is an easy way to toss in a little bit of science, and build vocabulary with words like chlorophyll and photosynthesis. Leaves also work well with math and language arts too.

Here are a few of my favorite leaf-themed activities:

leaf activities, leaf crafts, common core leaves, fall writing prompts, fall crafts for kids, ordinal number activities, leaf alphabet cards, fall alphabet games, fall writing prompts, fall centers, leaf graphing, shape activities, alphabet games, leaf science, fall math games, fall math activities, graphing activities, 2D shape activitiesTo help practice all sorts of math skills, (addition, subtraction, odd & even, greater than and less than) click on the link for the Leaf Counting Games.

Students can play the math games and do the center activities independently or with a partner. 

There are also leaf cards with number words on them, to help reinforce reading skills.  I've included a 3-page tip-list of ideas.

leaf activities, leaf crafts, common core leaves, fall writing prompts, fall crafts for kids, ordinal number activities, leaf alphabet cards, fall alphabet games, fall writing prompts, fall centers, leaf graphing, shape activities, alphabet games, leaf science, fall math games, fall math activities, graphing activities, 2D shape activitiesThe 10 frames leaf packet is also a fun way to practice a variety of math skills.

Are you working on ordinal numbers?

leaf activities, leaf crafts, common core leaves, fall writing prompts, fall crafts for kids, ordinal number activities, leaf alphabet cards, fall alphabet games, fall writing prompts, fall centers, leaf graphing, shape activities, alphabet games, leaf science, fall math games, fall math activities, graphing activities, 2D shape activitiesThe Ordinal number packet not only has a leaf worksheet (2 on a page for easy printing), but other fall themes as well.

leaf activities, leaf crafts, common core leaves, fall writing prompts, fall crafts for kids, ordinal number activities, leaf alphabet cards, fall alphabet games, fall writing prompts, fall centers, leaf graphing, shape activities, alphabet games, leaf science, fall math games, fall math activities, graphing activities, 2D shape activitiesLikewise, the Fall Graphing packet has similar themes, including one for leaves

Besides graphing, you can also reinforce the various 2D shapes.

I always tried to include some sort of hands-on "craftivity" with any theme that I taught. 

leaf activities, leaf crafts, common core leaves, fall writing prompts, fall crafts for kids, ordinal number activities, leaf alphabet cards, fall alphabet games, fall writing prompts, fall centers, leaf graphing, shape activities, alphabet games, leaf science, fall math games, fall math activities, graphing activities, 2D shape activitiesWith that in mind,  I designed the leaf dangler.  It's the newest addition to my leaf collection of activities,  and includes a little rhyme: "Red, orange, yellow and brown, autumn leaves flutter down."

Older students can complete the "Leaves are, can, have" writing prompt on the back of their leaves

leaf activities, leaf crafts, common core leaves, fall writing prompts, fall crafts for kids, ordinal number activities, leaf alphabet cards, fall alphabet games, fall writing prompts, fall centers, leaf graphing, shape activities, alphabet games, leaf science, fall math games, fall math activities, graphing activities, 2D shape activitiesI've included a worksheet for this as well.  Do it as a whole group, or have children fill in their own.  There's a completed sample to share as well. 

Do some of your kiddos still need practice identifying the letters of the alphabet

leaf activities, leaf crafts, common core leaves, fall writing prompts, fall crafts for kids, ordinal number activities, leaf alphabet cards, fall alphabet games, fall writing prompts, fall centers, leaf graphing, shape activities, alphabet games, leaf science, fall math games, fall math activities, graphing activities, 2D shape activitiesThese leaf-themed alphabet cards will help.  I've included separate upper and lowercase letter cards as well, which are perfect for all sorts of ABC games.  A tip-list of what to do with the cards is also included.

Finally, since the weather is so beautiful during the fall here in Michigan, I liked to take my Y5's for a mini nature walk. 

leaf activities, leaf crafts, common core leaves, fall writing prompts, fall crafts for kids, ordinal number activities, leaf alphabet cards, fall alphabet games, fall writing prompts, fall centers, leaf graphing, shape activities, alphabet games, leaf science, fall math games, fall math activities, graphing activities, 2D shape activitiesThis was just a walk around the block of our school to look for things on a nature list that we brainstormed before departure. 

I gave each child a paper bag to collect "nature stuff" in, then we'd go back, wash up and design a paper plate "leaf pal". 

leaf activities, leaf crafts, common core leaves, fall writing prompts, fall crafts for kids, ordinal number activities, leaf alphabet cards, fall alphabet games, fall writing prompts, fall centers, leaf graphing, shape activities, alphabet games, leaf science, fall math games, fall math activities, graphing activities, 2D shape activitiesAs you can see by the photographs, they turned out absolutely awesome. 

leaf activities, leaf crafts, common core leaves, fall writing prompts, fall crafts for kids, ordinal number activities, leaf alphabet cards, fall alphabet games, fall writing prompts, fall centers, leaf graphing, shape activities, alphabet games, leaf science, fall math games, the leaf man by ehlert, fall math activities, graphing activities, 2D shape activitiesClick on the link for the leaf man craft. After everyone was done, we'd read the Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert. 

Also in this packet is a quick and easy chlorophyll leaf craft.  Simply run off the leaf template on a variety of colors of fall construction paper. 

leaf activities, leaf crafts, common core leaves, fall writing prompts, fall crafts for kids, ordinal number activities, leaf alphabet cards, fall alphabet games, fall writing prompts, fall centers, leaf graphing, shape activities, alphabet games, leaf science, fall math games, fall math activities, graphing activities, 2D shape activitiesStudents trim, fold in half and glue only one side to their matching green leaf, so that the other side flips up to reveal the green leaf underneath. 

This was an easy way to show that leaves were green when they were filled with chlorophyll, but changed to their natural color once it was gone. 

By the end of the activity my little ones could tell you about chlorophyll, as well as photosynthesis.  (Their parents were duly impressed.)

leaf activities, leaf crafts, common core leaves, fall writing prompts, fall crafts for kids, ordinal number activities, leaf alphabet cards, fall alphabet games, fall writing prompts, fall centers, leaf graphing, shape activities, alphabet games, leaf science, fall math games, fall math activities, graphing activities, 2D shape activitiesWell that's it for today.  I hope you found something you could use to help your students fall into some learning fun. :-)

Time to go get dinner started.  We're having stuffed red peppers.  Yum!

"Everyone must row with the oars he has." -English Proverb

1-2-3 Come Do Some Haunted House Activities With Me

I love Halloween.  Some of my favorite childhood memories surround this holiday. Although I don't care for horror movies, some of the old classics like Abbott and Costello and the Haunted House are fun.  There's nothing like the idea of a haunted house to get students excited about writing.

haunted house activities, haunted house writing prompts, words that describe a haunted house, alphabet games, haunted house games, Halloween games, Daily 5 for October, adjective activities, haunted house writing prompts, writing prompts for octoberWith that in mind, I designed some interesting haunted house-themed activities.   I hope you find them spine tingling! 

If you're looking for some Common Core lessons for Halloween, the Haunted House Activity Packet might be just the thing. 

It includes alphabet activities, adjective practice, vocabulary building, plus writing prompts, which are great for Daily 5.  

haunted house activities, haunted house writing prompts, words that describe a haunted house, alphabet games, haunted house games, Halloween games, Daily 5 for October, adjective activities, haunted house writing prompts, writing prompts for octoberYou can complete the Haunted Houses ARE and Haunted Houses HAVE worksheets as a whole group, or have students make up their own. 

haunted house activities, haunted house writing prompts, words that describe a haunted house, alphabet games, haunted house games, Halloween games, Daily 5 for October, adjective activities, haunted house writing prompts, writing prompts for octoberI've included finished samples for you to share.  For more practice, students can look up the words that they don't know, or alphabetize my list.

I've also included upper and lowercase trace & write worksheets, as well as assessments for both, plus a "Spooky Letters" alphabet game.

haunted house activities, haunted house writing prompts, words that describe a haunted house, alphabet games, haunted house games, Halloween games, Daily 5 for October, adjective activities, haunted house writing prompts, writing prompts for octoberUse the game as an independent center, or whole group game.  Pass out a lowercase letter pumpkin card to each student. 

haunted house activities, haunted house writing prompts, words that describe a haunted house, alphabet games, haunted house games, Halloween games, Daily 5 for October, adjective activities, haunted house writing prompts, writing prompts for octoberCall for a letter. The child holding that card comes up and opens the matching uppercase "window".  

You can also use this file folder game as a different and fun way to independently assess a student. 

I've included upper and lowercase assessment recording sheets for this.  

For more creative writing, I've also included the writing prompt: If I lived in a haunted house... Click on the link for the Haunted House Activity Packet.

haunted house activities, haunted house writing prompts, words that describe a haunted house, alphabet games, haunted house games, Halloween games, Daily 5 for October, adjective activities, haunted house writing prompts, writing prompts for octoberSince the apple and pumpkin senses writing craftivities were such popular downloads, I thought your students would enjoy doing one for a haunted house

This is a quick easy and fun way to review the 5 senses, as well as work on adjective usuage for more descriptive writing. I've included a completed sample for you to share, or make one up of your own. 

Students color their haunted house, trim, and cut the roof off, which they attach to the top of their writing prompt.  The base of the house goes on the bottom. 

For that finishing touch, have students put their school photo peeking out a window.

To add to the fun of writing about haunted houses and get students in the mood, dim the lights and play some Halloween music or a soundtrack from a thunderstorm. 

Completed projects look terrific as a border along a hallway wall, or hung back-to-back suspended from the ceiling.  Click on the link for the Haunted House Writing Craftivity.

haunted house activities, haunted house writing prompts, words that describe a haunted house, alphabet games, haunted house games, Halloween games, Daily 5 for October, adjective activities, haunted house writing prompts, writing prompts for octoberWell that's it.  I'm trying to keep my blogs shorter, so the other two Haunted House-themed activities will be in tomorrow's article.  Hope you can pop by to pick up those FREEBIES.

I'm off to pack for a little get-away time with my hubby.  Wishing you simple pleasures and heartwarming moments this weekend.

"Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved." -Thomas S. Monson

1-2-3 Come Sing A Fire Safety Song With Me

 fire safety activities, fire truck activities, fire truck books, fire safety alphabet cards, fire safety number cards, fire safety songs, fire safety games, shape activities, skip counting by 5's activities, number word activities, ordinal number activities, label the fire truck, fire safety KWL, cutting practice, graphing activitiesAlmost 15 years ago, my 1st graders enjoyed singing my version of The Wheels On The Bus Go 'Round and 'Round,  as I'd add all sorts of extra goofy things to the traditional favorite. 

When October rolled around, and we were studying fire safety, I thought it would be fun to substitute a fire truck for the bus.  My kiddos loved it. 

Well it's years later and I decided to build a Common Core packet around this silly little song.  While doing research, I even found a few people who had the same idea. ("Great minds think alike and all that..." )

Any woo, what started out to be just a few things, morphed into a whopping 69-page packet, and believe me, my brain is a bit fried. 

fire safety activities, fire truck activities, fire truck books, fire safety alphabet cards, fire safety number cards, fire safety songs, fire safety games, shape activities, skip counting by 5's activities, number word activities, ordinal number activities, label the fire truck, fire safety KWL, cutting practice, graphing activities0-1I had a few requests for some fire safety themed alphabet and number cards, so I threw them into the mix, and one thing led to another...

Take a peek, pick the items that suit your fancy, and let the fun begin. 

The Packet Includes:

  • The song that started it all: Wheels On The Truck Go 'Round And 'Round
  • Poster of the song.
  • fire safety activities, fire truck activities, fire truck books, fire safety alphabet cards, fire safety number cards, fire safety songs, fire safety games, shape activities, skip counting by 5's activities, number word activities, ordinal number activities, label the fire truck, fire safety KWL, cutting practice, graphing activities9 pocket chart cards to go with the song
  • Labeled fire truck poster
  • Fine motor Popsicle stick fire truck activity
  • if a fire truck could talk writing prompt, fire safety writing prompts, fire safety activities, fire truck activities, fire truck books, fire safety alphabet cards, fire safety number cards, fire safety songs, fire safety games, shape activities, skip counting by 5's activities, number word activities, ordinal number activities, label the fire truck, fire safety KWL, cutting practice, graphing activitiesWriting prompt graphic organizer page:  "If a fire truck could talk it might say . . ."
  • fire safety activities, fire truck activities, fire truck books, fire safety alphabet cards, fire safety number cards, fire safety songs, fire safety games, shape activities, skip counting by 5's activities, number word activities, ordinal number activities, label the fire truck, fire safety KWL, cutting practice, graphing activitiesA wheels on the fire truck upper and lowercase matching game, with answer key. 

Students place the uppercase letter circle on the first wheel and then match the lowercase letter circle to the back wheel.

  • Upper and lowercase letter cards, with a 4-page tip list of what to do with them.
  • A Kaboom game to make playing a variety of the other games like Memory Match and "I Have; Who Has?" even more fun.
  • Number cards from 0-120, with a 2-page tip list of what to do with them. (I tried to keep the ABC and number cards small, to conserve ink and paper.)
  • fire safety activities, fire truck activities, fire truck books, fire safety alphabet cards, fire safety number cards, fire safety songs, fire safety games, shape activities, skip counting by 5's activities, number word activities, ordinal number activities, label the fire truck, fire safety KWL, cutting practice, graphing activities11 number cards with numbers and their matching number words. (0-10).
  • Ordinal number cards (1-10).
  • Odd and Even Sorting Mat +
  • 20 worksheets, which include the following:
  1. Can-Are-Have
  2. Label the truck
  3. KWLfire safety activities, fire truck activities, fire truck books, fire safety alphabet cards, fire safety number cards, fire safety songs, fire safety games, shape activities, skip counting by 5's activities, number word activities, ordinal number activities, label the fire truck, fire safety KWL, cutting practice, graphing activities
  4. Match the pictures to the words
  5. Unscramble the words.
  6. Graphing shapes.
  7. Trace and write the words in alphabetical order.fire safety activities, fire truck activities, fire truck books, fire safety alphabet cards, fire safety number cards, fire safety songs, fire safety games, shape activities, skip counting by 5's activities, number word activities, ordinal number activities, label the fire truck, fire safety KWL, cutting practice, graphing activities
  8. Re telling a story: Beginning-Middle-End
  9. Describing fire trucks (Adjective activity).
  10. How Many Words Can You Make? (Use the letters in fire truck.) I've included my list of 56 that I came up with. Great for vocabulary building.
  11. Two cutting skill sheets.  One difficult with zig zag lines, the other simple with straight lines.
  12. Two dot-to-dot worksheets.  One with all the letters of the alphabet, the other with numbers 1-30.
  13. Two trace the numbers to to the fire. (Skip counting by 5's, the other #s 1-20).
  14. Two trace the letters to the hydrant. (Uppercase and lowercase).
  15. Match the number to the number word and finally,
  16. Fire Trucks On A Roll a dice game to practice numbers, counting and addition. Whew!

  fire safety activities, fire truck activities, fire truck books, fire safety alphabet cards, fire safety number cards, fire safety songs, fire safety games, shape activities, skip counting by 5's activities, number word activities, ordinal number activities, label the fire truck, fire safety KWL, cutting practice, graphing activitiesClick on the link to view/download the Common Core Wheels On The Truck Packet.

 fire safety activities, fire truck activities, fire truck books, fire safety alphabet cards, fire safety number cards, fire safety songs, fire safety games, shape activities, skip counting by 5's activities, number word activities, ordinal number activities, label the fire truck, fire safety KWL, cutting practice, graphing activitiesWhile looking for fire truck ideas, I came across a super-simple fire truck Make a Vehicle game over at Enchanted Learning

I always liked to give my Y5's some computer time, and this would make a quick, easy and fun independent activity to practice keyboarding skills etc.

 fire safety activities, fire truck activities, fire truck books, fire safety alphabet cards, fire safety number cards, fire safety songs, fire safety games, shape activities, skip counting by 5's activities, number word activities, ordinal number activities, label the fire truck, fire safety KWL, cutting practice, graphing activitiesI also found an excellent video on YouTube featuring real fire trucks.  It's only 2:44 minutes long.  My grandson was revited, but then he's only 2 and everything is pretty exciting.

 fire safety activities, fire truck activities, fire truck books, fire safety alphabet cards, fire safety number cards, fire safety songs, fire safety games, shape activities, skip counting by 5's activities, number word activities, ordinal number activities, label the fire truck, fire safety KWL, cutting practice, graphing activitiesIf you're teaching numbers 1-10, Monster Fire Trucks is also a rather short video (4:18) that's kind of cute.  Certainly attention grabbing.

fire safety activities, fire truck activities, fire truck books, fire safety alphabet cards, fire safety number cards, fire safety songs, fire safety games, shape activities, skip counting by 5's activities, number word activities, ordinal number activities, label the fire truck, fire safety KWL, cutting practice, graphing activitiesWell that's it for today. (Where has it gone?) I hope your kiddos enjoy learning, as their own wheels start turning.  I'm off for a romp outside to unclutter my mind.  Wishing you a fabulous fall!

"The road to success is dotted with many tempting parking places." -Author Unknown

1-2-3 Come Do Some Common Core Activities With Me and Spot the Fire Safety Dog

Since the Common Core Scarecrow packet was such a popular download, I thought it would be fun to design a fire-safety themed one. Thus Spot the Common Core Fire Dog was born. 

fire safety activities, fire safety games, fire safety crafts, dalmatian activities, dalmatian coloring page, dalmatian sock puppet, contraction activities, alphabet games, alphabet activities, common core fire safety, color games, color activities, shape games, shape activities, 2D shape crafts, list of 72 contractions, who let the dogs out activtiesThe packet includes patterns to make 4 Dalmatian matching games for: (upper & lowercase letters, numbers, shapes and colors). Students put a fireman's hat on the Dalmatian, then find the matching bone to put in his mouth. 

fire safety activities, fire safety games, fire safety crafts, dalmatian activities, dalmatian coloring page, dalmatian sock puppet, contraction activities, alphabet games, alphabet activities, common core fire safety, color games, color activities, shape games, shape activities, 2D shape crafts, list of 72 contractions, who let the dogs out activtiesFor example, Sparky, the shape Dalmatian has a 2D shape on his fire hat. 

Students find the matching bone with the shape word on it, and slide it under the slit of Sparky's mouth.  For another matching game, and to cover more standards, write the shape's attributes on the back of the bones. 

To complete the CCSS shape standard, and review spatial directions, have students place the dog bone above, behind, under, beside etc. 

I've also included a spotless dog for you to program for other things, as well as a black and white spotted puppy so students can color it. (Use as a topper for writing prompts etc.)

There are also blank fire hats and blank bones for you to program with whatever.  Use them for other games, name tags, or write a fire safety rule on each bone.

i spy worksheets, fire safety activities, fire safety games, fire safety crafts, dalmatian activities, dalmatian coloring page, dalmatian sock puppet, contraction activities, alphabet games, alphabet activities, common core fire safety, color games, color activities, shape games, shape activities, 2D shape crafts, list of 72 contractions, who let the dogs out activtiesFor even more practice, there are 16 "I Spy" worksheets.

Use them as a fun way to quickly and easily whole group assess: upper and lowercase letters, numbers, number words, colors, color words, shapes, and shape words.

I've also included 5 trace and write worksheets to practice writing upper and lowercase letters, plus numbers from 1-100.

fire safety activities, fire safety games, fire safety crafts, dalmatian activities, dalmatian coloring page, dalmatian sock puppet, contraction activities, alphabet games, alphabet activities, common core fire safety, color games, color activities, shape games, shape activities, 2D shape crafts, list of 72 contractions, who let the dogs out activtiesSince so many fire safety rules begin with a contraction like "Don't play with matches."  I've included these Dalmatian-themed contraction action activities: an alphabetical list of 72 contractions, 24 pocket cards with fire-safety sentences using contractions, plus 3 contraction worksheets.

To grab some fun, click on the link to view/download the fall FREEBIE: Common Core Fire-Safety Themed Puppy Packet.

If you'd like to make a Dalmatian sock puppet to use with these activities, or when you read some fire-safety books that feature a Dalmatian fire dog, click on the link. A little square of cardboard inside the toe of the sock, makes the "talking mouth".

Dalmatian sock puppet, fire safety activities, fire safety games, fire safety crafts, dalmatian activities, dalmatian coloring page, dalmatian sock puppet, contraction activities, alphabet games, alphabet activities, common core fire safety, color games, color activities, shape games, shape activities, 2D shape crafts, list of 72 contractions, who let the dogs out activtiesI made these each year with my students.  We used them to show spatial directions and share a fire-safety fact.  My kiddos also had fun showing how to stop-drop and roll using their puppy puppet.  

I've included a copy of our Puppey Pokey song, which was a great way to get the wiggles out! There's also a puppy adoption certificate.  My Y5's enjoyed naming their puppies and then introducing them to the class. 

who let the dogs out fire safety activities, fire safety games, fire safety crafts, dalmatian activities, dalmatian coloring page, dalmatian sock puppet, contraction activities, alphabet games, alphabet activities, common core fire safety, color games, color activities, shape games, shape activities, 2D shape crafts, list of 72 contractions, who let the dogs out activtiesWe really enjoy the song: Who Let The Dog's Out, so we'd finish up our fire-safety day rocking out to that tune.  Click on the link for a You Tube listen.  LOVE the variety of dogs that they use in their animation. :-)

who let the dogs out, fire safety activities, fire safety games, fire safety crafts, dalmatian activities, dalmatian coloring page, dalmatian sock puppet, contraction activities, alphabet games, alphabet activities, common core fire safety, color games, color activities, shape games, shape activities, 2D shape crafts, list of 72 contractions, who let the dogs out activtiesI hope you found something that your kiddos will enjoy.  Thanks for visiting.  Time for a little fresh air. 

I love the crunching sound as I tromp through fallen leaves.  The colors are looking pretty spectacular and there's a crisp coolness to the air this morning.  Wishing you a sunshine-filled day.

"When the world says, "Give up," Hope whispers, "Try it one more time." -Author Unknown

 1-2-3 Come Make An Alpha Tree With Me

leaf activities, alphabet activities, alphabet games, alphabet crafts, shape activities, 2D shapes, fall crafts, fall games, common core leavesAre you a fan of Pinterest?  It's the first place I go now, if I'm looking for some inspiration.  While popping around looking for autumn ideas, I came across this darling letter tree by Brooke over at Blissful Roots, which she made for her son's room, using scrapbook paper and die cuts.

leaf activities, alphabet activities, alphabet games, alphabet crafts, shape activities, 2D shapes, fall crafts, fall games, common core leavesleaf activities, alphabet activities, alphabet games, alphabet crafts, shape activities, 2D shapes, fall crafts, fall games, common core leavesIt was my inspiration for creating two classroom alpha trees.  You can easily make them to use as a center or game, to help reinforce upper and lowercase letters.  There are several ways to make and use the alpha trees.

leaf activities, alphabet activities, alphabet games, alphabet crafts, shape activities, 2D shapes, fall crafts, fall games, common core leaves#1. Run off the bare trees on white construction paper.  (There are 7 to choose from.) Give students a choice. 

Using fall-colored stamp pads, have students make 26 “leaves” with their fingerprints.  Set aside to dry. 

Using a black marker, children write either the upper or lowercase letters on each one of their fingerprints.

For a review game, give students a piece of candy corn to use as a manipulative, and then play “I Spy!” Choose a student to call out a letter.  Children place their piece of candy corn over that letter “leaf” then raise their hand.  This is a quick and easy way to whole group assess, as you can see at a glance who is having difficulty.

#2. Instead of making fingerprint leaves, use sticker dots.  You or your students can write the letters on the dots.

leaf activities, alphabet activities, alphabet games, alphabet crafts, shape activities, 2D shapes, fall crafts, fall games, common core leaves#3. Besides sticker dots, you could also run off the blank squares template, on a variety of fall colors of construction paper.  Give students a strip of each color and have them write letters on the construction paper squares.  They snip and glue to their alpha tree. Or...

#4.  Use the colorful letter "leaf" tiles that I’ve provided and run off the uppercase letters.  Students trim, sort into color piles, then arrange the letter tiles on their tree.  When they are satisfied with the look, they glue the letter "leaves" down.  Also give each child a set of lowercase letter tiles to trim. 

They use these as manipulatives to cover the matching uppercase letter leaves on their tree. This can be set up as an independent center, or whole group activity. If you do this as a whole group, children can take their letter leaves home in a Snack Baggie to continue to play at home. 

#5. So that you can play the game two different ways, assemble and laminate several sets of uppercase trees, with lowercase tiles, and lowercase trees with uppercase tiles.  Use these as independent centers for center time, early finishers, or to send home with a struggling child, to be returned later.  

#6.  I’ve also included a set of blank color tiles, as another option.  Use this template if you want your kiddos to have more writing practice.  Students write the letters inside the colored "leaf" squares, trim, and then glue to their tree.

#7.  If you’d like to turn this into a cute keepsake craftivity, have students pick a partner, so they can trace each other’s hand and arm on a sheet of brown construction paper.   Remind them to spread their fingers (these will be the branches of their “tree”) and keep their arm straight, as this becomes the tree trunk.  Children trim and glue to a large sheet of blue construction paper.  

#8. If you don’t have time to make your own alpha trees, I’ve included completed ones.  Simply print, glue to a sheet of fall-colored construction paper, laminate and trim. 

#9. Children can also play "Speed".  Have students pick a partner and see who can match their letter tiles the fastest.

#10. Another thing you can do is to print, laminate and trim extra sets of both upper and lowercase letter leaf tiles. Keep each set in their own separate Snack Baggie.  Children sequence the tiles putting them in alphabetical order. 

leaf activities, alphabet activities, alphabet games, alphabet crafts, shape activities, 2D shapes, fall crafts, fall games, common core leavesClick on the link to view/download the alpha tree packet.

This packet will be FREE for an entire year, after which time it will be up-dated and placed in Diane's Dollar Deals in my TpT shop.

leaf activities, alphabet activities, alphabet games, alphabet crafts, shape activities, 2D shapes, fall crafts, fall games, common core leavesIn keeping with my latest endeavor to post an oldie, but goodie for TBT (Throw Back Thursday) click on the link for the leaf alphabet cards

I've also included separate upper and lowercase letter cards, so that you can use them as a fall border, or for games like Memory Match and "I Have; Who Has?"  There's a tip list of suggestions. 

leaf activities, alphabet activities, alphabet games, alphabet crafts, shape activities, 2D shapes, fall crafts, fall games, common core leavesBesides letters, you can review shapes with the easy reader booklet, The Shapes On My Tree.  Students trace and write the shape words, then draw that shape on their tree. 

Finally, I used the same tree template (I like when things match) for the Counting Leaves packet, which helps reinforce a variety of standards. 

leaf activities, alphabet activities, alphabet games, alphabet crafts, shape activities, 2D shapes, fall crafts, fall games, common core leavesAs with the shape booklet, you can fun off copies for each student, or print, laminate and use for a math center. 

Students trace and write the numbers as well as the number words, then place/glue that many leaves on the tree. I've included 4 different leaf tiles for you to choose from.

leaf activities, alphabet activities, alphabet games, alphabet crafts, shape activities, 2D shapes, fall crafts, fall games, common core leavesThanks for visiting.  Time to rush off to my next project, on a way too long list of things to accomplish today.  Wishing you a stress-free day.

"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal." -Henry Ford

 

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