alphabet activities,

 1-2-3 Come Make A Multi-Purpose Scarecrow With Me

Since there are so many standards on our plates these days, there never seems to be enough time for everything, let alone a fun seasonal craft that we know our students would enjoy. That's why I spend so much time designing hands-on "craftivities" that revolve around all sorts of standards. 

scarecrow crafts, scarecrow activities, common core scarecrows, alphabet activities, blends, list of contractions, list of compound words, list of words that rhyme with scare, list of words that rhyme with crow, odd and even activities, vowel activities, scarecrow crafts, scarecrow shapes, common core scarecrows, shape crafts, shape games, alphabet games, odd and even activities, common core scarecrowsBecause it's so comprehensive, it took me several days to complete this Common Core scarecrow, and even more hours to make a sample of all 11 scarecrows, but it was time well spent, as they turned out so cute, are easy for your kiddos to make, and reinfore the following: 

Upper and lowercase letters, vowels, sc blend, beginning s sounds, matching words with pictures, numbers 0-30, odd and even, skip counting by 2s, 3s, 5s & 10s, shapes, telling time, colors, contractions, number words, color words, compound words, CVC words, and rhyming words.

Completed projects make a wonderful fall bulletin board, or look sweet hanging back-to-back from the ceiling.

To make this extra special, fold a sheet of white construction paper, have students trace their hand and then cut once, to get two hand prints for their scarecrow's "gloves".  I ran yellow construction paper through a shredder to make the "hair". 

Run off the scarecrow's body templates on a variety of colors of construction paper.  Students trim and glue together. 

For more fine motor practice, cut yellow rectangles with a paper cutter.  Have students snip the bottom portion and glue the "hay" to the back of the scarecrow's pant legs, then crumple.

scarecrow crafts, scarecrow activities, common core scarecrows, alphabet activities, blends, list of contractions, list of compound words, list of words that rhyme with scare, list of words that rhyme with crow, odd and even activities, vowel activities, scarecrow crafts, scarecrow shapes, common core scarecrows, shape crafts, shape games, alphabet games, odd and even activities, common core scarecrowsI purposely made these patterns super simple to cut out, but if you think this is too much for PK kiddos, have a room helper trace once and then cut 3-6 shirts and pants out at a time,  leaving just the head for preschoolers to cut out.  

There's a blank head so children can draw their own scarecrow face, as well as a completed template for little ones to color.

 scarecrow crafts, scarecrow activities, common core scarecrows, alphabet activities, blends, list of contractions, list of compound words, list of words that rhyme with scare, list of words that rhyme with crow, odd and even activities, vowel activities, scarecrow crafts, scarecrow shapes, common core scarecrows, shape crafts, shape games, alphabet games, odd and even activities, common core scarecrowsStudents make their scarecrow and then trim and glue on the appropriate patches.  The vowel scarecrow is especially versatile, as it not only covers vowels, but shapes and colors too.

For extra practice, when everyone is done, play an "I Spy" game and give students a piece of candy corn to use as a manipulative.  Choose a student to call out a "patch". 

scarecrow crafts, scarecrow activities, common core scarecrows, alphabet activities, blends, list of contractions, list of compound words, list of words that rhyme with scare, list of words that rhyme with crow, odd and even activities, vowel activities, scarecrow crafts, scarecrow shapes, common core scarecrows, shape crafts, shape games, alphabet games, odd and even activities, common core scarecrowsChildren locate that letter, number, shape or whatever, cover it with the candy corn, and then raise their hand. 

This is a fun way to practice and review standards, as well as a quick and easy way to whole group assess, as you can see at a glance who is having difficulty. 

I've also included blank patches for you to fill in with whatever, plus ideas and templates to use the number, letter and shape scarecrows for matching games.

i.e. match the lowercase patches to the uppercase letters; match the number word patches to the numbers; and/or match the shapes to the shape words.

For more scarecrow-themed letter fun, click on the link for a set of scarecrow alphabet cards.

The following scarecrows are wonderful for vocabulary building and Daily 5 word work: Carl is the Compound words scarecrow; (Click on the link for an alphabetical list of over 3,000 compound words.)

scarecrow crafts, scarecrow activities, common core scarecrows, alphabet activities, blends, list of contractions, list of compound words, list of words that rhyme with scare, list of words that rhyme with crow, odd and even activities, vowel activities, scarecrow crafts, scarecrow shapes, common core scarecrows, shape crafts, shape games, alphabet games, odd and even activities, common core scarecrowsConnie, is a contraction action scarecrow; (With an alphabetical list of 72 contractions)

scarecrow crafts, scarecrow activities, common core scarecrows, alphabet activities, blends, list of contractions, list of compound words, list of words that rhyme with scare, list of words that rhyme with crow, odd and even activities, vowel activities, scarecrow crafts, scarecrow shapes, common core scarecrows, shape crafts, shape games, alphabet games, odd and even activities, common core scarecrowsSam, is a scarecrow that loves 37, 3-letter words that begin with S; (CVC practice!)

Scott, is the SC blend scarecrow, with a list of 50 words. The packet also includes an entire SC blend section, with lots more activities.

vSophie, is a scarecrow with 47-picture patches, for simple words starting with the letter S

scarecrow crafts, scarecrow activities, common core scarecrows, alphabet activities, blends, list of contractions, list of compound words, list of words that rhyme with scare, list of words that rhyme with crow, odd and even activities, vowel activities, scarecrow crafts, scarecrow shapes, common core scarecrows, shape crafts, shape games, alphabet games, odd and even activities, common core scarecrowsFor a quick review, I've also included 4, Ss word, picture posters.

scarecrow crafts, scarecrow activities, common core scarecrows, alphabet activities, blends, list of contractions, list of compound words, list of words that rhyme with scare, list of words that rhyme with crow, odd and even activities, vowel activities, scarecrow crafts, scarecrow shapes, common core scarecrows, shape crafts, shape games, alphabet games, odd and even activities, common core scarecrowsRodney, is the Rhyme Time scarecrow, with 56 words that rhyme with scare and a list of 274 words that rhyme with crow.

Write the words that rhyme with scare on the front of Rodney, and have children choose some words that rhyme with crow and write them on the back.

In the sample, I chose 24-scare rhyming words and wrote them on the shirt, and then wrote an equal amount of words that rhyme with crow, on the pants.  The alphabetical lists include rhyming words that start with every letter except U & X.  I chose one of each.

Finally, the number scarecrow, has several options and serves double duty.  There are number patches from 0-30, which  I traced in a variety of colors. 

scarecrow crafts, scarecrow activities, common core scarecrows, alphabet activities, blends, list of contractions, list of compound words, list of words that rhyme with scare, list of words that rhyme with crow, odd and even activities, vowel activities, scarecrow crafts, scarecrow shapes, common core scarecrows, shape crafts, shape games, alphabet games, odd and even activities, common core scarecrowsYou can make Odd Todd and Even Steven scarecrows (front and back) or put the odd numbers on the top and the even numbers on the bottom.  (See photo.)

For more math number practice, I've also included skip counting patches.  Children can skip count by 2's, 3's, 5's and 10's.  There are matching worksheets in the packet as well, along with number cards, plus number puzzles in color & black and white.  

For more odd and even scarecrow number fun, click on the link to practice numbers from 1-120, in the Scarecrow's Pumpkin Patch packet.

scarecrow crafts, scarecrow activities, common core scarecrows, alphabet activities, blends, list of contractions, list of compound words, list of words that rhyme with scare, list of words that rhyme with crow, odd and even activities, vowel activities, scarecrow crafts, scarecrow shapes, common core scarecrows, shape crafts, shape games, alphabet games, odd and even activities, common core scarecrowsIf your kiddos are familiar with that concept, but need to work on matching numbers to their number words, use the Norman & Nancy number scarecrow patterns, with numbers 0-10, along with their matching number word patches.

Glue the numbers on the shirt and the number words on the pants.  For more practice, have students write the words above their matching number patch.

Click on the link to view/download the "craftivity" portion of the Common Core Scarecrow Packet.

This section will be FREE for an entire year!  After that, you can pick up the whopping 184-page jumbo packet in my TpT shop for just $5.95.  Click on the link for Patches, The Standard Scarecrow Craftivities packet to pop on over.

scarecrow crafts, scarecrow activities, common core scarecrows, alphabet activities, blends, list of contractions, list of compound words, list of words that rhyme with scare, list of words that rhyme with crow, odd and even activities, vowel activities, scarecrow crafts, scarecrow shapes, common core scarecrows, shape crafts, shape games, alphabet games, odd and even activities, common core scarecrowsThanks for visiting today.  I need to unclutter my brain, so we're off to a nearby fall festival.  It's a beautiful autumn-weather day, if the rain just holds out for awhile. 

 "If stars can shine with darkness, so can you." -Unknown

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

Lorraine, over in Texas, has 3 cats.  Her love for them spills over into her preschool classroom, as she has a cat theme going on.  Pete the Cat stories are some of her favorites.  She also collects the seasonal alphabet cards I design, using them in her ABC center. Mrs. K wondered if I had time to make some alphabet cards with cats

pete the cat activities, alphabet activities, alphabet games, alphabet assessments, alphabet worksheets, CCSS alphabet, common core alphabetSince I was already putzing with the "Cool Cat"  packets, it was perfect timing! Do you decorate your room with a cat-theme?  Do your kiddos enjoy Pete the Cat stories?  If so, I think you'll like this alpha cat packet.

The packet includes separate upper and lowercase letters that are purr-fect for Memory Match and "I Have; Who Has?" games. 

There's also a set of cards with both the upper and lowercase letter on them.  Cut them up to make puzzles, or run off a set for each student.  They color, trim, collate and add a cover to make an Itty Bitty ABC booklet.

pete the cat activities, alphabet activities, alphabet games, alphabet assessments, alphabet worksheets, CCSS alphabet, common core alphabetThe packet also includes an upper and lowercase letter assessment mat, recording sheets, plus matching upper to lowercase letter worksheets. 

For easy printing, there are 2 different worksheets on a page.  Simply cut them in half to use for table top lessons, morning work, something for your sub folder, or for "early finishers" to work on.  Send them home with struggling students for extra practice, or as homework if your district requires that.

pete the cat activities, alphabet activities, alphabet games, alphabet assessments, alphabet worksheets, CCSS alphabet, common core alphabetI've also included 2 trace and write the letter worksheets. (One for uppercase letters, the other for lowercase.)  There's a 3-page tip list of ideas for using the cards, plus a Kaboom game as well.

Click on the link to view/download the Alpha Cat packet.  Thanks for visiting today. 

pete the cat activities, alphabet activities, alphabet games, alphabet assessments, alphabet worksheets, CCSS alphabet, common core alphabetI'm off to a huge "It's all about kids" consignment sale.  With 4 wonderful grandsons and a baby girl on the way, I'll be in search of "pinkalicious" stuff, toys, books and whatever else I just have to have...  Hope your day is as exciting. 

"Think less. Do more." -Unknown

 

1-2-3 Come Make Some Sliders With Me

I enjoy designing "sliders."  They are a quick, easy and fun way to whole group assess all sorts of standards.  I gave them the name "sliders" because students trace the numbers or letters on the strip of paper. 

The teacher chooses students to call out a letter/number and then everyone slides their strip of paper 'til that letter/number shows in the "window" of their slider.   Since this is like an "I Spy" game, students really enjoy sliders, and teachers can see at a glance who is having difficulty.

pete the cat activities, alphabet activities, number recognition, cat crafts, skip counting activities, shape activities, alphabet games, number games, shape games, alphabet assessments, alhabet games, I spy games, slidersBecause I've been making some activities to go with Pete the Cat, I decided to create a cat slider.  One turned into 4 and there went my day... 

You can choose the cat for your students, or give them a choice.  Run the cat patterns off on blue construction paper (for a Pete the Cat one) and have students trim, or run them off on white construction paper and have students color their cat

pete the cat activities, alphabet activities, number recognition, cat crafts, skip counting activities, shape activities, alphabet games, number games, shape games, alphabet assessments, alhabet games, I spy games, slidersTo add a bit more pizzazz to the blue construction paper cats, I've included patterns for little tennis shoes. Run them off on white paper. Students trim and glue to the appropriate cat.  

pete the cat activities, alphabet activities, number recognition, cat crafts, skip counting activities, shape activities, alphabet games, number games, shape games, alphabet assessments, alhabet games, I spy games, slidersCutting out the cats, can be a bit tricky, so I would not do this option for really little ones. Instead, use the smaller cat patterns, with the dashed lines, and run off on white paper. 

pete the cat activities, alphabet activities, number recognition, cat crafts, skip counting activities, shape activities, alphabet games, number games, shape games, alphabet assessments, alhabet games, I spy games, sliders Younger kiddos can easily follow the lines and get some cutting practice in, but are not overwhelmed with twisting and turning their scissors.

Since the blue ones turned out especially cute, you may want to make a set of your own and laminate them.  After students have found the letter/shape/number that is called out for the "I Spy" game, and everyone's hand is raised, you can hold up your cat and ask: "Is this letter/shape/number showing on your cat?"

Students make adjustments, so you are reinforcing the correct answer, without having to take the time to individually correct a struggling student, or embarrass them. 

pete the cat activities, alphabet activities, number recognition, cat crafts, skip counting activities, shape activities, alphabet games, number games, shape games, alphabet assessments, alhabet games, I spy games, slidersThere are "sliders" for upper and lowercase letters, numbers, counting backwards from 10-0, shapes and skip counting by 2's, 3's, 5's, and 10's. 

Pick the slider for the standard that you want to practice, run them off and trim on a paper cutter. You could also reuse the sliders and review another standard, with a different slider on another day.  

For more teachable moments, review patterns or odd and even numbers, by having students choose 2 or 3 colors of crayons or markers and trace the letters/numbers in an ABAB or ABC pattern. (I did this in my samples, so be sure and look at the photographs closely. )

pete the cat activities, alphabet activities, number recognition, cat crafts, skip counting activities, shape activities, alphabet games, number games, shape games, alphabet assessments, alhabet games, I spy games, slidersTo review shapes, I'd suggest using the cat head pattern.  Children color the shapes on their slider, which will then become the "nose" of the cat when they slide the strip into that position.  I think they turned out pretty cute if I do say so for myself.

pete the cat activities, alphabet activities, number recognition, cat crafts, skip counting activities, shape activities, alphabet games, number games, shape games, alphabet assessments, alhabet games, I spy games, slidersClick on the link to view/download the Cat Slider packet.  I hope it's simply "purr-fect" for Pete the Cat or any other cat-themed activities you have going on. 

pete the cat activities, alphabet activities, number recognition, cat crafts, skip counting activities, shape activities, alphabet games, number games, shape games, alphabet assessments, alhabet games, I spy games, slidersThanks for visiting.  The chill is in the air today and really feels like fall.  Time for a brisk walk with my pup Chloe, to help get energized.

"Your current safe boundaries, were once unknown frontiers." -Anonymous

 1-2-3 Come Make Two Apple Games With Me

Do your students do centers or stations?  Are you looking for some easy-peasy ones to whip off? LaVonne from New York, and Kathy from Wisconsin, were. 

They e-mailed me and asked if I had any independent centers with an apple theme.  LaVonne was looking for an alphabet one, and Kathy needed one for number words.  It was fun designing their requests.  I hope you enjoy them too.

apple activities, apple games, apple crafts, alphabet games, alphabet assessment, alphabet activities, alphabet crafts, CCSS for K, CCSS for 1stHere's a quick, easy and fun ABC game that you can make for an independent alphabet center, which will help reinforce upper and lowercase letter recognition.

apple activities, apple games, apple crafts, alphabet games, alphabet assessment, alphabet activities, alphabet crafts, CCSS for K, CCSS for 1stSimply run off the uppercase letter apple templates on red, yellow and light green construction paper; add a bit of color, laminate and trim. 

I used these three colors, because my Y5's are learning that apples come in 3 colors.  Students can also sequence the apple cards and see the ABC color pattern.

So that students can insert the matching lowercase worms, use an Exacto knife to cut a slit to the right of each letter.

apple activities, apple games, apple crafts, alphabet games, alphabet assessment, alphabet activities, alphabet crafts, CCSS for K, CCSS for 1stAs with the apples, run the lowercase letter worms off on (green) construction paper; add a bit of color, laminate and trim.

Students insert the lowercase worm into its matching uppercase apple. 

Keep the apples and worms separate, in small Ziplock Baggies, and then put both Baggies in one larger one.  Place in your alphabet center. 

To make this self-correcting, write the lowercase letter on the back of the apple, or the uppercase letter on the back of the worm. 

apple activities, number word matching, number games, apple games, apple crafts, alphabet games, alphabet assessment, alphabet activities, alphabet crafts, CCSS for K, CCSS for 1stI've included a certificate of praise that you can give to students when they have successfully completed the center.  They can color and take it home to share with their family.

Make a few extra copies of the game to send home with struggling children, to be returned when they have mastered the standard. 

alphabet activities, alphabet games, alphabet centersIf you have the time, you can also use this activity as an interesting option when assessing a child. 

This Wormy Apple Alphabet Matching Game will be FREE for an entire year, after which time it will be up-dated and put in Diane's Dollar Deals in my TpT shop. 

apple activities, number word matching, number games, apple games, apple crafts, alphabet games, alphabet assessment, alphabet activities, alphabet crafts, CCSS for K, CCSS for 1stFinally, the other center game I made reinforces numbers 0-10 and their matching number words. 

There are several ways to play the game, as well as some worksheets to further reinforce number to word recognition. Click on the link to view/download the Apple Number Word Fun packet.

apple activities, apple games, apple crafts, alphabet games, alphabet assessment, alphabet activities, alphabet crafts, CCSS for K, CCSS for 1stThanks for visiting today.  It's rather hot and muggy outside so I'm enjoying the air conditioning.  Time to work up a sweat doing a bit of housework and laundry, or not...

I'm wishing you a refreshing day.

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams." -Unknown

1-2-3 Come Do Some Apple Alphabet Activities With Me

If you've been following the various blog articles for "apple week" you know that I've covered apple art, apple science, and apple math.  (Simply scroll down to grab all of those FREEBIES in the articles that follow.) It seemed only fitting to design some Apple Alphabet Activities... Wow! Try to say that alliterative tongue twister three times.  Any hoo, you've come to the right place if you're looking for some apple-themed activities that help students practice their alphabet skills.  

apple games, alphabet games, alphabet worksheets, alphabet cards, apple activities, alphabet cards, You've probably seen all the wonderful clothespin matching games all over Pinterest.  They were my inspiration for this upper and lowercase letter apple game

Whenever I design something, I make samples, so that I not only have a photo of what a completed project looks like, but as a way to jot down specific steps, so you can easily follow my directions.  Making something, also irons out any kinks I may run across that I can share, so things run smoothly for you. 

The big one here is to clip your clothespins onto the apple BEFORE you  write the letters on the tips.  I learned that the hard way.  Because my Y5's are just learning letters, they are easily confused when the thing they are matching doesn't look exactly like the mate. 

By clipping the clothespins first, you are able to write the letters in the proper direction.  As you can see by the photo, sometimes the letter needs to be written vertically on the clothespin, other times horizontally  You also won't have any letters appearing upside down when a child clips them. 

Here's another TIP: When I got the uppercase set done, I thought it would be a good idea to write the lowercase letters on the back, so that there were several ways to play the alphabet apple game (uppercase to lowercase, as well as lowercase to lowercase etc.)  So that children aren't confused, write the uppercase letters using a different color permanent marker, than the lowercase letters. 

This will be easy for students to sort, and see which side they should be using for whatever game you want them to practice.  Click on the link to view/download the wonderful fine motor skill game: apple alphabet clothespins.

apple games, alphabet games, alphabet worksheets, alphabet cards, apple activities, alphabet cards, While I was making the numbered apples from 1-100, in yesterday's article, it was easy to use that same template to make apple alphabet cards.  (I really like when things match!) There's a set that shows the upper and lowercase letters on each apple, as well as a set with just the uppercase letters, and another for the lowercase letters

Use them as a border, flashcards, and for a variety of games.  I've included a tip list of ideas.  Click on the link to view/download the apple alphabet cards.

apple games, alphabet games, alphabet worksheets, alphabet cards, apple activities, alphabet cards, I've had quite a few requests for simple alphabet worksheets.  Some teachers need them for an option for early finishers, or their sub folder, while lots of visitors need them for "homework!"  It amazes me that some schools make homework mandatory for such a young age.   The caramel apple coloring worksheet has been very popular as a fun home-school connection. 

To reinforce the 3 colors of apples, students color the uppercase letter A's red, the lowercase a's yellow and the rest of the apples green.   Click on the link to view/download a copy of the caramel apple coloring activity.

apple games, alphabet games, alphabet worksheets, alphabet cards, apple activities, alphabet cards, The "I spy" an apple letter on the apple tree, is a quick and easy way to whole group assess upper or lowercase letters in a fun way.  Teacher starts the game by calling out a letter. Children search for that "apple" on their paper, and then trace it.  When they are done they raise their hand. 

You can see at a glance who is having difficulty.  Play continues 'til all of the letters have been traced.  Students can play this game again at home, by coloring the "spied" letters.  They can play it a 3rd time, by X-ing out the letters. Click on the link to view/download the Apple Tree I Spy game.

apple games, alphabet games, alphabet worksheets, alphabet cards, apple activities, alphabet cards, Finally, for a variety of other apple-themed activities and games, including ones involving the alphabet, click on the link for a 33-page Apple Activities packet.

Thanks for visiting today.  I hope you found something useful here, to help get your kiddos excited about learning.  Just a reminder, if you're looking for an activity that I don't have, feel free to e-mail me at diane@teachwithme.com  Some of the things I design are special requests, and I'm glad to help out.

apple games, alphabet games, alphabet worksheets, alphabet cards, apple activities, alphabet cards, I'm off to meet a friend for lunch.  Will be nice to catch up and share our excitement over teaching.  I hope you have a lovely day too.

"What we want is to see the child in pursuit of knowledge, and not knowledge in pursuit of the child." - George Bernard Shaw

1-2-3 Come Do Some Kissing Hand Activities With Me

Since all of The Kissing Hand Activities have been such popular downloads, I decided to make a few more activities to review all sorts of Common Core State Standards

The first packet has to do with the alphabet.  I've included large 5x7 upper and lowercase letter cards that you can use as flashcards or for Memory Match or "I Have; Who Has?" games. 

Make an extra set; cut them apart, and use them for an ABC puzzle center.  I've included a tip list of all sorts of other things you can do with the cards, including a "Kaboom" game.  

alphabet games, alphabet activities, alphabet cards, alphabet assessments, number cards, skip counting activities, counting booklet, shape activities, shape games, raccoon craftsThere are also mini cards.  Run them off and have students arrange them in alphabetical order, or don't cut them apart, and make the lowercase worksheet into an "I Spy" game board. Students color their uppercase heart-tiles and cut them apart. 

alphabet games, alphabet activities, alphabet cards, alphabet assessments, number cards, skip counting activities, counting booklet, shape activities, shape games, raccoon craftsChoose a student to call out a letter.  Students find the uppercase letter heart-tile and place it over the lowercase letter hand on their game board.  You can also have them glue them down. 

I've also included several assessments, a recording sheet, plus 2 trace and write worksheets

alphabet games, alphabet activities, alphabet cards, alphabet assessments, number cards, skip counting activities, counting booklet, shape activities, shape games, raccoon craftsClick on the link to view/download The Kissing Hand Alphabet Game packet. 

The next packet is all about numbers.  There's a counting booklet for numbers 0-10, with a blank sheet to program with larger numbers. 

alphabet games, alphabet activities, alphabet cards, alphabet assessments, number cards, skip counting activities, counting booklet, shape activities, shape games, raccoon craftsHave students show "how many" with stickers, or X's (kisses) to show the group/set for each number. 

Students trace the numbers and number words.   If you want to extend the activity, have them practice writing the numbers and words on the back of the pages. 

I've included large and small "lipstick-ers" for your students to cut and glue the appropriate amount to the hands.

alphabet games, alphabet activities, alphabet cards, alphabet assessments, number cards, skip counting activities, counting booklet, shape activities, shape games, raccoon craftsThere are also large 8x10 number posters that you can use as flashcards or for games.  There's a blank hand for this activity as well, so that you or your students can make cards for those teen numbers and beyond.

alphabet games, alphabet activities, alphabet cards, alphabet assessments, number cards, skip counting activities, counting booklet, shape activities, shape games, raccoon craftsAs with the alphabet packet, this one also includes several trace and write worksheets. Click on the link to view/download The Kissing Hand Number Packet.

kissing hand alphabet slider, alphabet games, alphabet activities, alphabet cards, alphabet assessments, number cards, skip counting activities, counting booklet, shape activities, shape games, raccoon craftsFinally, I wanted to toss in a "craftivity," so I designed some number, shape and letter sliders

kissing hand shape slider, kissing hand alphabet slider, alphabet games, alphabet activities, alphabet cards, alphabet assessments, number cards, skip counting activities, counting booklet, shape activities, shape games, raccoon craftsThere are two different "Chester" raccoons to choose from, as well as upper & lowercase letter strips, plus a shape strip.

If you want to reinforce numbers, choose a slider with numbers to 20, or practice skip counting with strips to count by 2's, 3's, 5's, and 10's. 

kissing hand alphabet slider, alphabet games, alphabet activities, alphabet cards, alphabet assessments, number cards, skip counting activities, counting booklet, shape activities, shape games, raccoon craftsClick on the link to view/download The Kissing Hand Slider packet.  Do you have a Kissing Hand activity that you could share with us?  Would love to hear from you: diane@teachwithme.com or leave a comment below.

Thanks for visiting.  I hope you found something here that you can use to help make learning even more fun. As always, feel free to PIN away.

kissing hand alphabet slider, alphabet games, alphabet activities, alphabet cards, alphabet assessments, number cards, skip counting activities, counting booklet, shape activities, shape games, raccoon craftsIt's steamy outside, as the gentle rain splashed all over the hot asphalt.  Time to pretend to be two again, as I go puddle jumping with my little grandson.  Hope you have a refreshing day!

"Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky." -Rabindranath Tagore

1-2-3 Come Do Some Back To School Activities With Me

assessing kids the first week of school, back to school activities, alphabet activities, assessments, games, As children head back to school, it's helpful if you can do some early assessing with your kinders and firsties to see where everyone's at, yet that can be time consuming and really not all that fun for your kiddos the first week of school, when they're already antsy sitting through rules, regulations and procedure talks. 

assessing kids the first week of school, back to school activities, alphabet activities, assessments, games, With that in mind I designed the puppy packet using the adorable clip art of DJ Inkers

It's a wonderful back to school packet that you can use for a variety of activities. 

Fill in your students' names on the "Look who's been spotted" worksheet.  I've included templates for preschool, kindergarten and 1st grade, plus a blank one to write in whatever you're teaching. 

assessing kids the first week of school, back to school activities, alphabet activities, name activities, assessments, games, Students find their name and color the circle their favorite color.  Be sure and include your name on the heart. 

Having simple worksheets like this gives your students something to do, and allows you a few minutes to work one-on-one with them.

assessing kids the first week of school, back to school activities, alphabet activities, name activities, assessments, games, To quickly and easily whole group assess where your students are at, play the "I spy" games for numbers, shapes, plus upper and lowercase letters. They'll have fun and you can see at a glance who's having difficulty.

assessing kids the first week of school, back to school activities, alphabet activities, name activities, assessments, games, The packet also includes 2 writing prompt activities.  I've designed these as extra large bookmarks, with 2 on a page. Students can choose one, color it and complete the prompt.

assessing kids the first week of school, back to school activities, alphabet activities, name activities, assessments, games, It's a quick home-school connection that lets parents know what their child did that day. 

I've included completed samples for you to share as well.

assessing kids the first week of school, back to school activities, alphabet activities, name activities, assessments, games, Another writing activity is D is for dogStudents can roam the room and spot items and words that start with the letter Dd

If you do Daily 5 this is a nice option.

assessing kids the first week of school, back to school activities, alphabet activities, name activities, assessments, games, The packet also includes a Whose Name Is On The Bone? activity.  Because my Y5's were learning how to recognize their name, I filled a dog dish (I bought mine at The Dollar Store) with paper bones that I had written their names on. 

For a few minutes each day, I'd hold up a bone and the child who recognized their name would bark.  I know it sounds silly, but they absolutely LOVED this.  As time permitted, we'd do 3-6.  To help get the "wiggles" out, after they had sat through whatever else I had planned for carpet time, I'd play the song Who Left The Dogs Out?  

They'd pretend to be puppies and crawl around on all fours singing and barking 'til the song ended.  I'd reign them in and we'd transition to our next activity. (Too cute and rather hilarious!)

Click on the link for a nice YouTube video featuring the song and cute dog animation.  Who Let The Dogs Out?  For a shorter version, sung by kids and showing some nice dance moves for them to imitate, click on this link: Who Let The Dogs Out?

assessing kids the first week of school, back to school activities, alphabet activities, name activities, assessments, games, As another simple fill-in, I've also included 4 dog-themed bookmarks in color as well as black and white, plus one you can give for good behavior.

assessing kids the first week of school, back to school activities, alphabet activities, name activities, assessments, games, Click on the link to view/download the Back To School Puppy Packet. Thanks for visiting today.  Feel free to PIN away.  

assessing kids the first week of school, back to school activities, alphabet activities, name activities, assessments, games, Work's done for today, so I'm off to play.  As always, summer is flying way too fast!!!

"Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep." -Scott Adams

 

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, Reading and writing the room was always a fun activity for my students.  I think making them ABC De-tectives and allowing them to roam the room with their worksheet on a clipboard, helped encourage an enthusiastic effort.

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 take advantage of all of the back to school super sales going on and pick up notebooks for as little as .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.

If you start the journals in October and have students “write the room” once a week,  (using a new letter) you’ll complete them in April, and have a wonderful end-of-the-year keepsake for them to haul home.

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 the letter of the week.  If you assign a new letter each week, it will take you 6 months (+2 weeks) to complete the journals. 

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, If you want to continue afterwards, you can run off my "roam the room" alphabet cards.  (Laminate them so you can use them each year.)

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, or one of the other options.

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. 

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, 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.  Feel free to PIN away.

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 off to try and find the bottom of my desk.  So many design ideas, so little time!  I need to prioritize and organize!  Can you relate?

The difference between school and life?  In school, you're taught a lesson and then given a test.  In life, you're given a test that teaches you a lesson." -Tom Bodett  

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

So that I could get a handle on the ability of my  new students, I always liked to do some fun assessing of my first graders the first week of school.  

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 assessmentsTesting and assessing students can be tedious and overwhelming for young children, as well as time consuming for you.  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. 

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 the paper plates and staple them shut ahead of time, leaving the bottom middle open so that students can insert their alpha-bird legs.  

For extra pizzazz I added several feathers for a tail.  You can buy a bag full at The Dollar Store.

alphabet gameStudents 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. 

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. 

With just a glance, you can see who is struggling.  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!"

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 assessmentsClick on the link to grab a copy of this fun FREEBIE: Alfie the Alpha Bird. 

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

1-2-3 Come Play Some Alphabet Games With Me

I designed these cards to go along with the FREE ABC Zoo Booklet that I posted yesterday. (Scroll down to the next blog article to have a look or click on the link for the item.) Whenever I did a theme with my Y5's I really tried to find or make matching things.  I'm not sure if that's the perfectionist or artist in me. 

alphabet activities, alphabet games, alphabet worksheets, common core state standards for kindergarten and first grade, animal activities, animal games, animal lessons, zoo activitiesAny hoo, I thought you might like a few matching things to supplement your lessons too, so I once again used the adorable clip art of djinkers.  She's one of my favorite artists and I simply fell in love with her cute critters.

alphabet activities, alphabet games, alphabet worksheets, common core state standards for kindergarten and first grade, animal activities, animal games, animal lessons, zoo activitiesThese alphabet cards, can be found in my whopping 200-page Wild About the Alphabet packet in my TpT shop.  For a limited time, the cards will be FREE (all this week), simply click on the word FREE.

Use the cards as a border or for flashcards. They are also great for games like Memory Match or "I Have; Who Has?"   Students can match uppercase cards to lowercase ones or they can match the word card with the picture card.  Have them find all three to complete a puzzle. 

One of my favorite games that I played with my Y5's was "What's Missing?"  I'd gather my kiddos in a circle and lay 4 small seasonal items in the center, then point to each one and we'd say the name together.  They then closed their eyes and I'd take one away.  To make sure there was no "peeking cheating" I held a paper plate or some sort of cover over the items, then reached under and took one.

"Open your eyes!"  I'd whisper and they'd try to figure out what I took away. To strengthen their memories, I'd continue to add up to 7 items for them to look at.  To reinforce standards, you could do this with shapes, numbers or these ABC cards.

alphabet activities, alphabet games, alphabet worksheets, common core state standards for kindergarten and first grade, animal activities, animal games, animal lessons, zoo activitiesMake things a bit more interesting, by giving the missing card to the person who calls out the correct answer first, then add another card and continue to play 'til you've used all of the letters.  For more ideas, and games, such as "Kaboom" , take a look at the 4-page list of tips that are also included in the packet.

alphabet activities, alphabet games, alphabet worksheets, common core state standards for kindergarten and first grade, animal activities, animal games, animal lessons, zoo activitiesI've also included a black and white set of cards, so your kiddos can make an Itty Bitty alphabet booklet to color, cut and collate, then take home and share with their family. (Great  home-school connection and fun way to reinforce lessons.)

alphabet activities, alphabet games, alphabet worksheets, common core state standards for kindergarten and first grade, animal activities, animal games, animal lessons, zoo activitiesMix up the word cards and have students put them in alphabetical order, then post them on a mini-word wall, or pass them out and then flash an uppercase letter card. 

Whomever is holding the matching word card holds it up and reads it.  Afterwards, as a writing extension, have students use their word card in a sentence.  There's a "No Lion About It" worksheet for that in the packet as well.

 alphabet activities, alphabet games, alphabet worksheets, common core state standards for kindergarten and first grade, animal activities, animal games, animal lessons, zoo activitiesFor letter-writing practice, there are plenty of upper, as well as lowercase "trace and write" worksheets, along with 20+ other fun worksheets to reinforce letter recognition, formation, as well as word sounds. I hope you like the packet as much as I enjoyed designing it. Wild About the Alphabet

alphabet activities, alphabet games, alphabet worksheets, common core state standards for kindergarten and first grade, animal activities, animal games, animal lessons, zoo activitiesThanks for visiting today.  As always, feel free to PIN away.  Do you have an alphabet game you could share with us?  I'd really enjoy hearing from you.  You can contact me at dianehen@teachwithme.com  or leave a comment below. 

It gets rather lonely on this side of the computer screen.  I often wonder what people think when they read my blogs, and if what I design truly helps make someone's life easier and more fun.  Blessings to you and yours.

"I love acting, but it's much more fun to take the kids to the zoo." -Nicole Kidman

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