Alphabet games

1-2-3 Come Do An Alphabet Craftivity With Me

Woo hoo for me; woo hoo for you!  As some of you know, I just opened a shop on TpT May 6th  We've reached our 1st "milestone" of 100 followers.  In celebration of that, here's a special little FREEBIE great for anytime, but especially nice for back-to-school.

alpha bird, alphabet crafts, alphabet games, alphabet activities, alphabet assessments,back to school activities, back to school games, back to school crafts, back to school bulletin boards So that I could get a handle on where my new kiddos were at, I always liked to do some fun assessing the first week of school. 

Testing and assessing students can be tedious and overwhelming for young children, as well as time consuming for teachers.  Keeping that in mind, I designed Alpha Bird.

Precut "Alfie's" body parts from a variety of colors of construction paper.  Students choose the pattern pieces that they want, and glue them to their paper plate bird body, which is simply a folded paper plate.

alpha bird, alphabet activities, alphabet assessments, alphabet games, bird crafts, bird activities, common core alphabet, common core state standards kindergarten, common core state standards first grade, bird crafts, alphabet crafts, alphabet assessmentsTo expedite things, I'd fold and staple them shut ahead of time, leaving the bottom middle open so that students can insert the birds "legs".  For extra pizzazz, I added several feathers for a tail.  You can buy a bag at The Dollar Store.

alpha bird, alphabet crafts, alphabet games, alphabet activities, alphabet assessments,back to school activities, back to school games, back to school crafts, back to school bulletin boards Students cut and glue the alphabet strips to make Alfie's legs. When everyone has completed their alpha bird, play "I Spy" by calling out a letter.  Because the legs are long, and to increase upper body strength, have children lie on their tummies.

Students find and trace both the upper and lowercase letters.  When they  have done so, children raise their hand, so that you know that everyone is done. 

alpha bird, alphabet crafts, alphabet games, alphabet activities, alphabet assessments,back to school activities, back to school games, back to school crafts, back to school bulletin boards With just a glance, you can see who is struggling, either trying to find a letter, tracing the wrong one, or peeking at others to see what they're doing.  

Jot yourself a note, so that you can work with these children later. Call on a child to choose the next letter.  Play 'til all of the letters have been traced.

Alfie offers a simple, quick and interesting way to whole group assess, while providing a nice review of upper and lowercase letters

The birds also make a stunning hallway wall border.  Simply tie a yarn loop at the top and suspend from the ceiling.  Caption: "We know our letters and that's something to TWEET about!"

If you don't want to do this craftivity with your students, but like the different assessment idea, simply make your own alpha bird, hang him on a wall, and use Alfie to individually assess, in a non-threatening fun way. alpha bird, alphabet crafts, alphabet games, alphabet activities, alphabet assessments,back to school activities, back to school games, back to school crafts, back to school bulletin boards Click on the link to grab a copy of this fun FREEBIE: Alfie the Alpha Bird.  

Well that's it for today.  Thanks for stopping by, and a very special thank you to all of my loyal followers!  Wishing you a warm and wonderful summer.

"If plan B doesn't work, don't give up; the alphabet has 25 more letters!"  -Unknown

1-2-3 Come Read and Write the Room With Me

read the room activities, read and write the room activities, roam the room, write the room, alphabet cards, free alphabet cards, alphabet games, alphabet activities, detective activities, detective games, alphabet detective games, This week has been especially busy, so I'm not quite done with a Very Hungry Caterpillar activity that I've been working on for days...so I wanted to check some of the most popular downloads and feature one on the blog today. 

I came up with my Read and Write the Room packet.  You can plug in this activity anytime of year, or make it part of your Daily 5 word work activities. There's nothing like passing out a clipboard and telling your kiddos that they should pretend to be ABC De-tectives, to grab their interest, and get them excited.

read the room activities, read and write the room activities, roam the room, write the room, alphabet cards, free alphabet cards, alphabet games, alphabet activities, detective activities, detective games, alphabet detective games, With that in mind, I designed some "Read and Write the Room" worksheets.   You can simply make copies of the template you like best and have students fill them out, sending them home when they finish, or you can have them glue them in a notebook.  (I stock up at the beginning of the year when all of the supply stores sell them as loss-leaders ranging from 10-15 cents!)

read the room activities, read and write the room activities, roam the room, write the room, alphabet cards, free alphabet cards, alphabet games, alphabet activities, detective activities, detective games, alphabet detective games, By having students glue the worksheets to a page in their Read and Write the Room Journal, you'll have an easy way to show student progress during parent teacher conferences, and a nice keepsake for the end of the year.

Since I'm blogging about this in April, use these activities as a wonderful review that helps reinforce what your kiddos have learned thus far.  I found that I constantly needed to do that to make sure they were retaining things as we moved along. 

I also needed to add some zip to their "word work" activities to keep that interesting for them.  This is great for that, as it's easy to implement, they can work on things independently and at their own pace, and they get the wiggles out, by roaming the room reading and writing!

read the room activities, read and write the room activities, roam the room, write the room, alphabet cards, free alphabet cards, alphabet games, alphabet activities, detective activities, detective games, alphabet detective games, The first photo is one journal option, if you like the idea of running off separate worksheets.  I have two kinds available.  One has a traceable letter box with an empty one for children to write the upper and lowercase letter in.

The other is an "I spy" version and has students draw something that they see that begins with that letter.  You can pick the style you like best or mix things up to add more interest and variety.

read the room activities, read and write the room activities, roam the room, write the room, alphabet cards, free alphabet cards, alphabet games, alphabet activities, detective activities, detective games, alphabet detective games, Another option is seen in the second photo. Here you conserve paper and the time it takes to run things off. Run off the "Read and Write the Room!" template, trim and glue to the inside cover.

Students use the “master” to write their own page for a new letter each week, or each day, depending on how long you want to stretch this activity out for.

read the room activities, read and write the room activities, roam the room, write the room, alphabet cards, free alphabet cards, alphabet games, alphabet activities, detective activities, detective games, alphabet detective games, After students have completed the alphabet, you can still continue this activity by using the "roam the room" alphabet cards.

Toss them in a container and have students pick one.  That will be the letter they "roam the room" looking for.  You can use the blank template as a worksheet for them to fill in whatever.

read the room activities, read and write the room activities, roam the room, write the room, alphabet cards, free alphabet cards, alphabet games, alphabet activities, detective activities, detective games, alphabet detective games, As with all of my other alphabet cards, you can use them for games, flashcards, sequencing etc.  A tip list is included to give you some ideas and includes the "Kaboom!" game.

read the room activities, read and write the room activities, roam the room, write the room, alphabet cards, free alphabet cards, alphabet games, alphabet activities, detective activities, detective games, alphabet detective games, I've also included a simple ABC De-tective alphabet worksheet, where students roam the room, trying to find something that begins with each letter of the alphabet.

This is a wonderful activity for your early finishers, or something quick and easy when you need a fun time-filler.

There are also several choices for the cover of the notebook journals.  Choose one, run off, trim and glue to the cover of your notebooks.  You could also have students design their own cover. 

read the room activities, read and write the room activities, roam the room, write the room, alphabet cards, free alphabet cards, alphabet games, alphabet activities, detective activities, detective games, alphabet detective games, Click on the link to view/download the Read and Write the Room Packet.  Thanks for visiting today.  

read the room activities, read and write the room activities, roam the room, write the room, alphabet cards, free alphabet cards, alphabet games, alphabet activities, detective activities, detective games, alphabet detective games, I'm so excited that spring has finally (sort of) arrived here in Michigan.  The birds are chirping, and the rain has managed to wash away all of that dirty lingering snow.

I'm headed out the door to rejuvenate my spirit with some fresh air and sunshine. Wishing you a blissful day.

"Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush." -Doug Larson

1-2-3 Come Practice, Review and Assess With a Bunny and Me

Spring has sprung and it's time to review some of those Common Core Standards you've been teaching all year. 

Sigh.... as we all know, just because our little ones passed an assessment months ago, if we didn't continue to practice it throughout the year, sadly, a few of them did not retain that information.

bunny crafts, bunny activities, bunny games, Popsicle stick crafts, Posicle stick activities, craft sticks activities, Easter games, Easter crafts, Easter activities, spring assessments, assessment games, common core review, common core assessments, common core games, contraction activities, contraction games, antonym activities, synonym activities, color words, number words, shape games, shape activities, 2D shapes, 3D shape activities, 3D shape gamesWith that in mind, I designed the very versatile  "I'm All Ears" game packet that will make reviewing a variety of standards quick, easy and fun. 

I don't know about your kiddos, but I've found that if I make a game for anything, I've grabbed my Y5's attention and can easily have them focused for a nice chunk of time.

Use the large and small bunny for a center activity, assessment, or game.  Run off the large and small bunny heads on ivory construction paper; laminate and trim.

Program large and small craft sticks with whatever you'd like to reinforce.  Keep each set in their own Baggie. 

bunny crafts, bunny activities, bunny games, Popsicle stick crafts, Posicle stick activities, craft sticks activities, Easter games, Easter crafts, Easter activities, spring assessments, assessment games, common core review, common core assessments, common core games, contraction activities, contraction games, antonym activities, synonym activities, color words, number words, shape games, shape activities, 2D shapes, 3D shape activities, 3D shape gamesI've included a list of synonyms/antonyms and a list of contractions so you can easily program the bunny ears with words that fit your age group.  

Here are some ideas:

  • uppercase-lowercase letters
  • number-number word
  • number-group/set
  • contraction-words that make up the contraction
  • synonyms and antonyms
  • equation-answer
  • color-color word
  • shape-shape word
  • 2 words-compound word
  • singular-plural
  • long or short vowel sound to a matching word example

As you can see the possibilities are endless!  I hope this makes those end of the year reviews a bit more fun and less tedious.  Click on the link for the "I'm All Ears" For Common Core Bunny Game Packet

bunny crafts, bunny activities, bunny games, Popsicle stick crafts, Posicle stick activities, craft sticks activities, Easter games, Easter crafts, Easter activities, spring assessments, assessment games, common core review, common core assessments, common core games, contraction activities, contraction games, antonym activities, synonym activities, color words, number words, shape games, shape activities, 2D shapes, 3D shape activities, 3D shape gamesThanks for visiting.  It's hard to believe that the school year is almost at an end.  Aprill and May months always seemed to simply fly, as there was so much to cram into the limited time I had left. 

My timer's ringing, so I'd better check the "No Peek Chicken".  It's one of my favorite recipes and smells delicious.  Wishing you a carefree day.

"Sweet April showers do spring May flowers!" -Thomas Tusser

 

  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. 

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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.

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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 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

69 pages.

Cover all sorts of Common Core Standards with this fire truck-themed fire safety packet. 

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

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