1-2-3 Come Do Some New Year Craftivities With Me

When my students returned from their Christmas break, I always had a few activities that revolved around the New Year.  Calendar concepts was something we worked on every day, so discussing the changes in the New Year date, fit right in.  If you too are looking for some quick crafts that help reinforce standards, you'll hopefully find something you can use in today's blog, or click on the link to pop on over to my entire collection of New Year-themed FREEBIES.

The Place Value “Happy New Year!” craftivity can be done as a whole-group or independent center. Students trace and write the numbers, cut them out, arrange them in correct order to form the New Year and then glue them under the appropriate place value “door.”

The last door helps children practice subtraction as they subtract the year they were born, from the current year to get their age.  It’s self correcting, because they know how old they are! 

This is my sample from last year, but you can use this activity for years to come, because I've included templates through the year 2034.

Before hand, explain the project using your own sample, as a review of how things are done.  Even if you're in your 20’s, don't be surprised if your kiddos think you're really "old".  Click on the link to view/download the Place Value New Year craftivity.

Some of my Y5s had not yet mastered counting backwards from 10 to 0, so I designed the New Year’s Glitter Ball Slider to help them practice in a fun way.   Even little ones seemed to be familiar with the New York, Times Square countdown ball, so this was a great segway.  

I’ve also included a strip to countdown from 20.   Students trim their ball, trace the numbers on their "slider" and then insert the strip through the slits.  I had my kiddo’s crouch on the floor as we counted down.  When we got to zero, they jumped up and yelled “Happy New Year!”  

When you're done, for that finishing touch, allow children to add some silver or gold glitter.  Set aside to dry and then have them practice at home.  Click on the link to view/download the Happy New Year Countdown Slider.

Another way for students to practice counting backwards is with these 5  New Year puzzles.  You can laminate and use them as an independent center or run off copies for each child to take one home for more practice. 

They also make an interesting piece of art when the pieces are glued to a sheet of construction paper with a little space between each piece. Click on the link for the New Year Countdown puzzles. 

I always had some quick and easy activity on my students' desks in the morning.  They got right down to business, so I was able to take attendance and accomplish a few things before we began our day together. 

The "How many words can you make using the letters in Happy New Year?" worksheet is perfect for that.  It's a fun way to build vocabulary and reinforce spelling.  I've included my list of 627 words that you can share with your students after they finish their list.

Set a timer for however long you want students to work on this.  You can give a New Year bookmark as a prize for the child who has the most words, or give everyone a bookmark for staying on task.  I've designed several for them to choose from.

Finally, if you follow my blog, you know that I like to end with a quotation.  No matter what grade I taught, I always put one on the board each day.  I often used quotes as a "Do you agree or disagree?" writing prompt or discussion with my students.  

If you like doing things with quotes too, click on the link for 6-pages of my favorite New Year quotes.  It includes the one from Ophra below.

Well that's it for today.  I'm off to get some major wrapping done.   I like to wait 'til all of my shopping is complete before I start that job, so I can easily sort and then just have a marathon.  

Wishing you a productive day filled with tasks you enjoy, with enough time and energy to get them accomplished.  

 "Cheers for a New Year and another chance to get it right!" -Oprah Winfrey 

 1-2-3 Come Make Some Thanksgiving Emergent Readers With Me

My Y5's loved when we made little booklets.  Even though they didn't really know how to read, via picture clues and repetition, they were able to remember simple words and actually "read" these booklets, by the time we were finished with them. 

This helped build their self-esteem and confidence and they were eager for more. Parents were excited and encouraging, when their little one would share what they had made in school that day, a total win-win. 

With that in mind, I decided to design a template that I could use to make all sorts of emergent readers, for the various months and themes. 

Thus, a "strip" booklet, as well as a "snip and flip" booklet, came about. They are being debuted here.  I'm excited to make some for December and winter themes as well; working my way through the year, as my days fly by. 

The first "snip and flip" booklet is a Thanksgiving Counting booklet, which packs in quite a few standards. 

I named these emergent readers "snip and flip" because students snip on the dashed lines and then flip the pages over, to reveal a page underneath.

Students trace and write the numbers and number words; they read the simple sentences and add end punctuation, then color the pictures in the group/set.

Review adding one more to complete the next grouping, as students count from 1 to 10. You can also practice counting backwards from 10 to 0 by reading the booklet in reverse.

Snipping the pages on the dashed lines, provides great fine motor skill practice.  When everyone is done, read the booklet as a whole group to review concepts of print. 

As you read the booklet, reinforce some of the Thanksgiving facts that your students have been learning: i.e. What was the name of the ship that brought the Pilgrims to America?  What was the name of the Wamapanoag brave that helped the Pilgrims? etc.

Click on the link to view/download the Thanksgiving Snip and Flip Counting booklet.

The next emergent reader, is a Thanksgiving "strip" booklet.  I named these easy readers that, because I can fit 5 pages or strips, on a one-page master, for easy printing. 

Students get one to two whole pages that they cut into strips, then collate and staple into a 5 to 10 page "just-the-right-size" booklet.

Students read the simple sentences that I've packed with Dolch words, as well as sight words, using the pictures as clues for unfamiliar words.  

They trace those words then rewrite the sentences, remembering proper capitalization, spacing and end punctuation.

Both these emergent readers, are perfect for your Daily 5 activities, or are wonderful to send home if your school requires homework or home-school connections.  Click on the link to view/download the My Thanksgiving Emergent Reader Strip booklet.

The 1-2-3 Count With Me booklets, can also be used as emergent readers.  They involve all sorts of simple math standards and are based on a 10 frame. 

That monthly set is complete, with over 20 booklets.  Click on the link for the 1-2-3 Count Pilgrims With Me or the 1-2-3 Count Turkeys With Me.

Thanks for visiting today.  It's time for me to organize my desk. 

I'm one of those people who can't work when things are in a mess and I have drawings, notes, and half completed piles of paper everywhere.  No more flitting!  Wishing you an energy-filled and productive day.

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 Make a Pumpkin Slider With Me!

Making a hands-on craftivity, is a fun way for students to learn about, and review the basic 2D shapes and the shape words associated with them.  I tried to do at least one shape activity a week with my Y5's. The more exposure they had to shapes, the better the chances of their light bulb going on, in an interesting and non-stressful way.

My "sliders" have always been extremely popular, so I wanted to make a pumpkin one with shapes.  They are called sliders, because students pull(slide) their strip through slits, to reveal whatever I want to teach.  Sliders are a quick and easy way to whole-group assess.  Simply call out a shape and have students find it on their slider and then hold it up.  You can also individually assess with a slider; the game-like activity, lessens a child's apprehension when being tested.

Here's how to make the Pumpkin Shape Slider:

• Run off the sliders on white construction paper and the pumpkin on orange.
• For younger kiddo's, you may want to pre-slit the lines on the pumpkins, where the sliders will be pulled through. I use an exacto knife.
• Students trace and color the eyes. Encourage them to use different colors, so you can also review that standard. For a bit more pizzazz, have students add some color to the stem, nose and mouth sections.
• Teacher asks students to make their pumpkin’s eyes triangles. Children pull their “slider” ‘til they have located the triangle eyes, and then pull the mouth strip ‘til it says the word triangles.  
• Everyone “reads” their pumpkin together as a whole group.
• There’s a teachable moment for fractions (cut and glue 1/2 the strip) as well as plurals: The pumpkin has 2 eyes so the shape word needs to have the letter s on the end.

Click on the link to view/download the Pumpkin Shape Slider. I also made a Pumpkin ABC-123 Slider that has different strips, so you can review: upper and lowercase letters, numbers from 0-30, skip counting by 2's, 3's, 5's and 10's, as well as counting backwards from 10 to 0 and 20 to 0. Run off whatever strips you want your students to work on.  Make a laminated one yourself to use as a demonstration, review, or assessment sample. 

So that the strip is easily managed, students can fold the ends up. Have children TRACE the letters/numbers with two different colored highlighters in an ABAB pattern. Click on the link to view/download the ABC-123 Pumpkin Slider. There are 3 pumpkin templates to choose from: students can draw on their own face, add wiggle eyes, or use the pumpkin that has a face on it. TIP: Decorate the pumpkin on both sides and glue 2 slider strips back-to-back for double duty.

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"The only place success comes before work, is in the dictionary!" -Vidal Sassoon