1-2-3 Come Do Some Shape Actiities With Me

“Shapin’ Up With Turkeys” provides a quick, easy and super-fun “print & go” craftivity, that will help review 2D shapes in some interesting & engaging ways.

The 2D shapes included are: circle, oval, square, rectangle, triangle, hexagon, pentagon, octagon, trapezoid, rhombus, heart & star.

The packet includes patterns for the above shapes, so that children can make a “Perky Turkey Pal” of their own.

There are a variety of turkeys to choose from; for example, the “keepsake” turkey’s head is traced from your students’ shoe, which makes a nice keepsake. 

"This turkey's head was made by tracing my shoe! My way to say Happy Thanksgiving to you." 

I wrote the poem to be placed on the turkey's tummy. I discovered, that unless a child told their parents that the head was their shoe print, many of them didn't realize this!

There are also 10 other head patterns to pick from. Choose your favorites, or give children a choice.

Shape templates come in a large, full-page size, as well as a smaller, two-on-a-page pattern, allowing you to make just a “shapely head”, or a “full body” turkey. 

I recommend making just the head with little ones, as it's the easiest craftivity.

Keep things extra simple by adding just a beak and wattle. However, I've also included two, one-piece feather patterns, which can be glued to the back of the head or body. 

Feathers add an opportunity for students to color, while practicing making a pattern: AB-AB, ABC-ABC etc.

Large wiggle eyes add extra pizzazz, but I've also included several pages of other eye patters, including eyeballs where the pupils match the shape of the turkeys head/body.

Check out the photographs to help you decide what’s most appropriate for your students

To add even more variety to your turkeys, there are also 3 wing patterns.

Create different looking turkeys by placing the wings rightside up or upside down. To make the wings "moveable", instead of gluing them down, attach with brass brads. 

Hat, shoe, leg & feather patterns also add variety.  Pick your favorite pieces, or give students a choice.

Accordion-folding the leg strips, is a fun way for students to strengthen their finger muscles, while adding to the cuteness factor of their turkey.

If your kiddos are like mine, they will enjoy the “boing-boing” effect.

Besides making a turkey with one of the more traditional heads, students can also match their turkey's head to its body shape. 

To help practice the “positional words” portion of the 2D shape standard, I’ve also included a “Corn Cob” whole group, assessment game.

Use the shape posters and pocket chart cards to introduce your lesson.

I’ve also included a “Shapely Turkeys” bookmark for your students.

Completed projects make an adorable display.

Dangle them from the ceiling as a border in your hallway.

I’ve included several posters to add extra pizzazz.

To add to the fun, encourage children to name their turkey, then fill out a "turkey tag", which can be glued to the middle of their turkey's tummy, or displayed next to their turkey on your display.

Older students can write down the attributes of the shape that they chose.

Today's featured FREEBIE is also about turkeys. 

"It's Turkey Time!" is a set of turkey-themed pocket chart cards, that will help your students practice analog and digital time to the hour and half hour. 

I've also included a whole group assessment worksheet, plus a black and white "turkey time" pattern, so that your students can make a telling time booklet as well.

Well that's it for today. Thanks for stopping by. 

I have to put my "Nana" hat on, as my daughter's dropping off my granddaughter for a few hours.  She's one of 10; so we are truly blessed.

Wishing you a love-filled and carefree afternoon.

Turkey Talk: "Hey turkey, what are you thankful for?" "Well, this month, I'm especially thankful for Vegans!"

1-2-3 Come Do A Thanksgiving Craftivity With Me

I’m always looking for a few things that are quick, easy & fun for my students to do, during that last day before our Thanksgiving break.

With that in mind, I designed these 2 simple and versatile crafts, which are nice “wind things down” activities, for that sometimes hectic time.

First up is a cute owl card. There are 2 pattern options.
One says, “Guess whooo’s wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving?”, while the other one is generic, for students who may not celebrate this holiday: “Guess whooo is wishing you an awesome autumn?”

Children color & cut out their owl, along with the extra hat.
When that top tab on the hat is folded and glued in place, the hat will flip up to reveal a child’s school photo and the answer to the above question: “Me! That’s whooo.”

You don’t have to, but for some pizzazz & 3D pop, add wiggle eyes attached with glue dots. For that “finishing touch”, an extra beak and pair of wings (which also flip up), adds even more dimension.

If you do add the wings, students can write their greeting underneath.
If you decide to skip this step, I’ve provided a hexagon-shaped writing prompt, which is glued on the back.

There’s a blank hexagon, so you can have children complete a writing prompt, as well as a “Happy Thanksgiving” or “Happy fall”, where little ones trace the greeting, then sign their name.

I chose a hexagon shape because that’s one of our “toughies” to remember, so this provides a teachable moment to review it.

Next up is a "Welcome To My Home" activity. This project can also be used generically for fall, as well as Thanksgiving.

Use it as a card for younger children to make, or as a writing prompt craftivity for older students.

Ive discovered that anytime I toss a bit of craftiness into a writing lesson, my students are excited to get right down to business and more happily engaged.

Completed projects make a sweet bulletin board too.

I’ve included a list of 21 writing prompt options for them to choose from.

Besides the writing prompt choices, there are also several patterns for different “keepsake” cards you can make.

Personally, I designed this activity for Thanksgiving; ( “Welcome to my home for Thanksgiving” ) however, I realize some children don’t celebrate this holiday, so I’ve also included a generic “Welcome To My Home” pattern as well.

Choose which template is appropriate for your kiddos or give them a choice.
Templates come in black & white for students, as well as full color, so that you can quickly and easily make an example to share.

I purposely used the word “home” rather than “house” because home has a connotation of a place where you live, which could be an apartment or igloo, while a house is specific.

I’ve also included extra patterns with a bit of blank space on the door and doorstep, so that children can practice writing their address.

As you can see, both activities are an educational and quick,” little something”, you can plug into that often hectic last day before Thanksgiving break.
Easy-peasy for you; super-fun for your students.

Today's featured FREEBIE is a "Fall Leaves" packet, which will help your students practice their reading skills. The emergent reader booklet covers lots of Common Core and reinforces color words. 

Children read the simple sentences (packed with lots of Dolch and word wall words). 

They correct beginning capitalization, add end punctuation and then trace, write and color the color words with a matching color crayon or marker.

A graphing extension, color word matching worksheet and spinner game are also included. 

We'll that's it for today.  Thanks for stopping by.

Our church passed out shoe boxes to fill for needy children, so time to brave the chilly weather and go shopping.  

Wishing you a happy-go-jolly kind of day. 

"To get the true value of joy, you must have someone to divide it with." - Mark Twain

I-2-3-Come Make A Thankful Turkey Craft With Me

All I ever have to do to get my kiddos highly motivated and excited to write, is put a little bit of craftiness into the project.

With that in mind, I designed this "Thankful Turkey Wheel”, which does the trick in getting them happily engaged, and right down to business.

As a pre-writing activity, students make a list of 4-6 things that they are thankful for.

When they are content with their final draft, they choose one of 3 turkey-topped worksheets to write their list on.  So that you can quickly and easily make a sample to share,

I've included options in color as well as black and white. 

Once students have finished their final list, they assemble their wheel and illustrate those “things” on it.

Students can also use stickers, pictures cut out from magazines, digital clip art, or perhaps real photographs. For example if they are thankful for their family they could glue down a family photograph.

There are 3 wheels to choose from:
A simpler 3-piece wheel for younger children who’d skip the writing portion, as well as a 4 and 6-sectioned wheel for older students.

You can keep things simple with just the head and body of the turkey, or you can add some 3D pop by adding a wattle, beak and wings.

For more writing practice, have students label their pictures.

Completed wheels and prompts make a sweet bulletin board.

I’ve included a “Let our lives be full of Thanks and Giving” poster for the center of your display.

Be sure and make your own, to help explain what you want your students to do, as well as share with them, what you’re thankful for.

Pressed for time? For your convenience, I've included my completed, full-color samples of both the wheel and writing prompt. 

Little ones can simply make a list using a few words. 

Encourage older students to include some descriptive words and a bit more than one or two-word answers. 

You can also do this as a whole group activity with preschoolers, asking what they're thankful for, then listing their answers on the colorful worksheet making a class composite of gratefulness.

Today's featured FREEBIE also has a Thanksgiving theme.

If you're students are as bananas over Pete the Cat as mine are, then I think they'll enjoy this "Color Me" dice game puzzle.

Well that's it for today.  Thanks for stopping by.

Mother Henderson's cupboard is bare, so time for some marathon grocery shopping.  Wishing you a peaceful and productive day.

"Forget the mistakes. Remember the lesson." - Unknown

1-2-3 Come Do Some Pete The Cat Thanksgiving Activities With Me  

Are your students a bit bananas over Pete the Cat?  Mine are; so I was excited to find the book "Pete the Cat and The First Thanksgiving", which allowed me to carry my students' "fur frenzy"- enthusiasm into November.

Because this story is a “lift the flap” book, I thought it would be fun to make a “Flip the Flap Thankful Craft” for an interesting transition activity after reading the tale.

On the last few pages, Pete’s family goes around their Thanksgiving table and tells what they are thankful for.

His mom is thankful for family, his brother Bob is thankful for his skateboard, and Pete is thankful for the Pilgrims. The author then asks the reader what they are thankful for.

The craft features these characters as well. When you lift the flap you see a picture of what they said they were thankful for.

The last flap has a variety of options:
* There’s a blank section so that students can draw a self portrait, or for a sweet keepsake, children glue their school photograph on. (See sample pictures in the PREVIEW.)

* I’ve also included 4 boy graphics, as well as 4 girl clips for students to choose from.

Children pick an option then color, cut and glue their “thankful for” answers under the flaps; completing the project by writing what they are thankful for and then illustrating it.

During Pete’s “The First Thanksgiving” play, children learn a variety of fun facts; so I’ve included a “color me” writing prompt worksheet, where they can list some of these.

There’s also a fill-in-the-blank worksheet, where students complete the 3 sentences with what that character was thankful for, as well as an “I’m thankful for . . .” writing prompt page, where students can write a lot more, then color the picture.

Finally, I’ve included 2, “Roll and Color” game sheets. One is for numbers 1-6 for younger kiddos, the other for numbers 1-12, where students roll 2 dice, then add them together to get numbers 7-12. 

This activity is no longer available in my TpT shop, so if you'd like a copy, please e-mail me for details. (Simply click the blue LINK.

Today's FREEBIE is a Thanksgiving-themed Pete the Cat number puzzle, which comes in black and white so students can make their own, as well as one in color to use as an independent math center.  The FREEBIE is one of the four 6-piece puzzles included in my big packet.

Students can simply color, cut and put their puzzle together, or they can pick a partner and take turns rolling a dice.

Whatever number they roll, they place that numbered piece on the matching numbered square on their puzzle grid. The first one to complete their puzzle is the winner. 

Besides the black and white patterns for your students, I’ve also included colorful templates that you can use for an independent math center.

My students absolutely love the puzzle games, so if you're looking for a "sanity saver" before the holiday break, these provide a quick, easy, and educationally fun activity, which can be used as a sweet Thanksgiving card for parents too.

To extend the activity, have students glue their pieces to the puzzle grid as they play the game, then when done, write about the things that they are thankful for, or a note to parents of why they are thankful for them on the back of their completed puzzle.

Well that's it for today. My feet have hit the floor running, as 2 of my grandchildren are coming over for the day. 

Wishing you a day filled with giggles galore and lots of snuggly hugs.

"Even when my grandchildren are not in my arms, on my lap, or in my home,they are in my heart and there they will stay forever." -Unknown

1-2-3 Come Do Some Cornucopia Craftiivities With Me

Just a few more days 'til Thanksgiving.  Woo hoo!  As you're anxiously counting down the days 'til  break, you might want to toss in a little craftiness for those last few days.

With all the testing, report cards and parent-teacher conferences that have taken place, I think everyone needs a bit of a brain break.

Here are some quick, easy and fun cornucopia-themed craftivities that take just a short amount of time, yet pack a big “Wow!” factor when completed.

The packet includes:

* Background information about cornucopias.
* A variety of crafts suitable for various levels of ability.
* Writing prompts
* Worksheets
* Center activities
* Shape activities
* Word find
* Dice game
* Puzzles that reinforce numbers 1-10, counting backwards from 10-1, plus skip counting by 2s and 10s, in both color as well as black & white.  

Click on the link to zip on over to my TpT shop to have a look see: Cornucopia-themed craftivities.

Since the Dolch fairy tale that I posted yesterday was so popular, I decided to feature another Dolch word FREEBIE today.

When you're deciding what Dolch words your students will work on, you may want to take into consideration their frequency of use. 

I've included 2 Dolch word lists in this packet. One lists the order of frequency for each separate Dolch word list (pre primer-3rd grade). 

The other list, categorizes all of the words, from all of the lists, by order of frequency.   I hope you find it useful.

Well that's it for today.  Thanks for stopping by.  I have a busy day ahead, as the entire house had the carpets cleaned yesterday and things are in a stacked-up disaster everywhere. 

Right timing because we're having 20 for Thanksgiving, poor timing because now I have more to do.  I'm sure most everyone can relate.  Wishing you a productive day, filled with lots of energy.

"The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving." ~H.U. Westermayer

1-2-3 Come Learn About Pilgrim Children With Me

If you want your students to get excited and interested in learning about Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving, do it from a child’s perspective... today’s kiddos studying about children in the 17th century.

Believe me, you’ll certainly grab their attention. Shocker; no electricity and lots of work to do!

Thirty-one children actually sailed on the Mayflower, with two born along the way!

I spent a great deal of time researching children during this time period, to create this packet, which can be simplified for PK kiddos, and ramped up for older elementary students, who will really enjoy the writing prompts.

The packet includes:

* A dozen Venn diagrams, which are an excellent way to present a great deal of interesting background information, while children practice comparing and contrasting.

* Several graphic organizers, KWLs, graphing extensions and worksheets.

* A variety of writing prompts, including an assortment of letter writing craftivities.

* A dozen games that were played during that time period, so it can be supposed that Pilgrim children might also have played them. Surprisingly, a few your students may still play today!

* 2 super-fun measurement activities that will make sailing on the Mayflower and living in a tiny Pilgrim house more real to your students.

* A Pilgrim TP tube craftivity.

Older students can staple it to the side of one of the writing prompts, to add a bit of 3D pizzazz to your bulletin board display. 

and as always . .

* Photographs & completed samples so that you can quickly & easily make examples to share.

Click on the link to zip on over to have a look see at this 86-page packet chock full of interesting activities: Pilgrim Children.

Here's hoping that your students enjoy learning about Pilgrim children, as they practice a variety of standards.

Today's featured FREEBIE goes right along with this Thanksgiving packet.

Click on the various links for my photographs of the Mayflower II, Plimoth Plantation, Wampanoag Village, and Plymouth Rock that I took, on a recent vacation in Massachusetts.

Sharing these with your kiddos also brings the 17th century to life, helping make things more real, the activities more meaningful and the writing prompts more vivid and authentic.

Well that's it for today. Thanks for stopping by.  Time to get ready to go celebrate our oldest son's birthday. 

Where have 35 years flown off to?  One seems to go from potty training to driver's training in a heartbeat, then the rest even faster.  Wishing you a love-filled day.

"The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate." - Oprah Winfrey

1-2-3- Come Make A Thanksgiving Wreath With Me 

Here's a little fall-themed, leaf craftivity, with a variety of writing prompt options.

For November, students can write something that they are thankful for on each leaf. 

For more room, have them complete the writing prompt in the center circle. 

I've included a pattern for that, which you can run off on fall-colored paper. 

I've also included Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Thanksgiving" poem, as another option for the center, so you can fit the poetry genre into your reading block.

"Fall is . . ." is another writing prompt option.  Students can write various adjectives that describe fall on the leaves, and/or write what fall is to them, inside the circle.

Younger students can simply cut and glue leaves to make an autumn welcome wreath. I've included a "Welcome Fall" center circle as well. 

There are also plain and patterned leaves to choose from, as well as a bow option. 

I’ve included my completed samples to help you make a choice.

Adding a school photo as well as some glitter, adds extra pizzazz and that finishing touch. Completed projects make a lovely November, or fall bulletin board too. 

For more writing practice, I've included two, leafy, bookmark-size writing prompts as well, plus my 2 completed samples, so you can quickly make an example to share.

Besides the Ralph Waldo Emerson Poem, I’ve also included a page of his interesting quotes.

Give older students an additional writing assignment; have them choose a quote and explain it, then tell if they agree or disagree.

Click on the link to zip on over to my TpT shop to have a look.  Autumn Leaf Wreath.

Today's featured FREEBIE is some sweet turkey-themed one-to-one correspondence cards. 

I've included a full color set, a blank set to program with higher numbers, as well as a black & white set, so that students can draw, glue items, or press on X amount of stickers, as a worksheet activity.  

I use a tub of buttons and a dish of flat-backed rhinestones.  My little girls especially enjoy playing with the "jewels". 

Well that's it for today.  Time to get ready for my grandchildren.  They will certainly bring sunshine to this rainy, cold & dreary November day.  

Wishing you a day filled with lots of love and memorable moments.

"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead, where there is no path, and leave a trail." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

1-2-3 Come Do a Thanksgiving-Themed Writing Craftivity With Me

All I ever have to do to get my kiddos highly motivated and excited to write, is put a little bit of craftiness into the project.

With that in mind, I designed these "Thankful Wheels”, which do just the trick in getting them happily, right down to business.

Beforehand, gather children around your whiteboard.  Brainstorm a list of the things that they are thankful for.

We discuss synonyms like grateful and appreciative as well.

Write these on the board, so that students can refer to the list for correct spelling, as well as choose which ones are appropriate to them.

As a pre-writing activity, children make their list of 6 things that they are thankful for, when they are content with the final draft, they write this on the Pilgrim-topped paper, trim and assemble their wheels, then illustrate and color them.

In keeping with Thanksgiving, there are 4, wheel-top designs to choose from: A Pilgrim boy or girl, or a Native American boy or girl.

Younger kiddos do the simpler 3-piece wheel, where they only have to think of 3 things that they are thankful for.

For more writing practice, have students label their pictures.

So that my kiddos get practice speaking, I always have them share one thing about any of the projects that we do.  

This is also an interesting and fun way for them to continue to get to know their classmates.

As always, I've included my completed, full-color samples, so that you can quickly make an example to share, helping to explain what you want your students to do.

Click on the link to zip on over to my TpT shop to take a look at the “I’m Thankful For . . .” writing prompt wheels & toppers.

Today's featured FREEBIE is a set of Thanksgiving-themed 10 Frames.  I hope you find them useful.   

Well that’s it for today.  Thanks for stopping by.  I got up early to post this, so now it’s time to get ready for church.  

I’m extremely thankful to God for all of my many blessings.   Wishing you a peaceful day.

"Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings." - William Arthur Ward

1-2-3 Come Practice Place Value With Me

Today I'm featuring two quick, easy and interesting ways to practice math skills and standards.

The first is a super-fun way for your students to practice place value.

It's perfect for November, as I use a Pilgrim hat for the place value mat. 

The game is also a quick & easy way to whole-group assess.

Make a few Pilgrim hats for an independent math center, or make a class set, so that you can practice together.

If you're short on time, send the hats home with a parent volunteer to assemble, then laminate & trim, so that you can use every year.

Here's how to play:

* Students take turns calling out a number.

* Children count out the appropriate amount of number tiles and place them in the corresponding place value columns on the Pilgrim hat, raising their hand when they are done.

* You can see at a glance who is having difficulty.
* Jot yourself a note, so that you can work with struggling kiddos later.

Click on the link to zip on over to my TpT shop to have a look: Place Value Pilgrim Hat packet. 

The other math activity is "Turkey Battle".  I designed it after the ever-popular game of Battleship.

It's played in a similar way, and practices strategy, skip counting by 2s, 5s and 10s, as well as addition, ordered pairs, data collection & analysis.

However, the game can be simplified for PK kiddos as well, so they can practice all those life skills involved in playing a game.

The packet includes everything you need to play the game, with large, as well as small "battle boards" & pieces.

Make several games for a partnered math center, or a class set, so that everyone can play.

There are several ways to win the game. Children decide which rules they want to follow, then the teacher sets a timer for 5-10 minutes. 

Click on the link to zip on over to my TpT shop to take a look: Turkey Battle.

Today's FREEBIE is a sweet, turkey craftivity made from a family's hand prints.  I

t's sure to become a cherished keepsake. Click on the link to grab your copy: Turkey Prints

Well that's it for today.  I hope you and your little turkeys enjoy these activities. 

It's chilly this morning, so time to toss another log on the fire. 

Hopefully the colder weather has set the sandhill cranes in motion. 

We're going to the bird sanctuary to see literally 1,000s make a stop over, as they migrate south.  Wishing you a memory-making day. 

"Faith is the bird that feels the light when the dawn is still dark." - Rabindranath Tagore

1-2-3 Come Do Some More Math Core With Me

Yesterday, I published a huge 70-page Common Core Thanksgiving Math packet.  It met with rave reviews and became one of my top downloads this month.  If you want to read that article, simply scroll down to yesterday's blog post. 

As with most of my ideas, I have a zillion going on at the same time.  When a packet starts to get pretty big, I try to sort through items that can be used as a separate file, such as a particular craftivity, game or assessment. 

Such was the case with today's posting.  Initially, these activities were going to be part of the Common Core Thanksgiving Math packet, but didn't quite fit that worksheet and game format, so I pulled them to make the following separate activities that I hope you'll enjoy.

Mayflower Mayhem is a quick, easy and fun counting game.  The mayhem comes in, because in order to win the game, you need to use critical thinking skills and a bit of strategy, as there are several "routes" your Mayflower can take.  Some of them include shortcuts, so there's that to consider as well. 

Children pick a partner and take turns rolling the dice.  A roll of 1, 2, 3, or 4 moves your ship forward, where as a roll of 5, has you going backwards one space. A roll of 6, puts your sails in "irons" and your turn is skipped.

There's more fun to be had, if you land on the same square as your opponent; one of the perils of going in the same direction as your partner chose.

This simple and quiet game, is perfect for that crazy last day before Thanksgiving break.   Click on the link to view/download the Mayflower Mayhem Math game.

Fact Family Feather Fun, is a cute turkey craftivity that your students will enjoy making, while they practice fact families, writing them on the turkey's feathers. 

I added a "real" feather to the top of the turkey's head for that finishing touch. 

Turkey Talk, is a quick, easy and fun way, to whole-group assess: listening and following directions, numbers, number words, ordinal numbers and colors.

Because the teacher reads the directions, you can omit various steps for younger students, who may be at different levels.

Completed worksheets are really quite cute.   Click on the link to view/download the Turkey Talk Whole Group Assessment Tool.

Finally, I had a request for some Thanksgiving sliders.  Cindy, from Virginia, has used a few of my other seasonal ones, with her young kinders, and wanted to know if I had any with a Pilgrim or turkey.  (Didn't - - but do now.)

Sliders, are also a quick, easy and fun way to whole group assess a variety of standards. 

I call them "sliders" because children slide the paper strip up or down, to locate an answer in the "window" of their manipulative.

I've included a boy and girl Pilgrim, a boy and girl Native American, as well as a turkey slider pattern in the packet. 

I made black line ones so your kiddos can color them, but also included ones in color, so teachers can easily make samples to share. 

There are slider strips for upper & lowercase letters, counting to 30, counting backwards from 10 to 0 and 20 to 0; skip counting by 2's, 3's, 5's and 10's, plus one for shapes.

The packet also includes a 10 frames spinner game.  These completed projects, make a nice bookmark.

Click on the link to view/download the Thanksgiving Sliders & 10 Frames Game packet.

That's it for today.  Thanks for visiting.  Winter has hit Michigan earlier this year and everything is blanketed in the sparkly white stuff this morning. 

About 8 inches, so it's time to trudge outside to try and unbury my car.  Wishing you a snuggly, warm-fuzzy kind of day.

Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving. ~W.T. Purkiser