1-2-3 Come Do A Back To School Rainbow Craftivity With Me

Back to school can be a bit scary for students. "I don't know anyone!" is a common cry for many.

With that in mind, I like to build a classroom community, where my students feel safe and have an opportunity to get to know each other.

I truly believe you have less discipline problems, if children have made friends and feel cared about.

Thus, I do a "getting to know you activity" each day for the first week of school, and continue with at least one additional activity each week for the rest of the month. This is truly time well spent!

When students feel part of a team, they are happier and achieve more. There's also accountability, which goes hand-in-hand with behaving.

I'm a firm believer of the quote: "There's no "I" in TEAM!" So let's build that commUNITY! Your students will love you for it, and have a ton of fun getting to know eachother.

I just finished  a quick, easy & super-fun “getting to know you” (print & go) craft for this very purpose. I call it "Color Me Happy!"

The craftivity has a variety of options, so you can easily diversify the activity for different abilities & grade levels.

There are two rainbow options, the one "spilling from a cloud" can be cut out or snipped into a rectangle, for easy cutting.

The 2nd one is a rainbow arc pattern. It comes in both a full-page size, as well as a smaller, two-on-a-page pattern.

There are also add-on patterns for clouds & a heart.

You can offer your students a choice, or simply pick which one you think is most appropriate for your students.

After coloring their rainbow, children think of something that they really like, that matches that colorful stripe on their rainbow, then they write that word down.

For example, a favorite red thing of mine is strawberries.

Older students can attach the larger rainbow to the top of a writing prompt worksheet, where they can write more than one example.

If your kiddos are like mine, they absolutely LOVE sharing things about themselves & will find it difficult to limit their "favorites" to just 3 per color.

I’ve also included a “directions poster” for this option.  If you do this, be sure & include the poster on your bulletin board.

Completed projects make a wonderful BTS bulletin board or hallway display, and also look terrific suspended back-to-back, swirling & twirling from the ceiling.

As a fun way to get to know each other, before hanging, have everyone share one or two of their favorite colorful things.

I’ve included 6 posters to enhance your display & add extra pizzazz.

These can also be used for conversation starters, an interesting discussion or additional writing prompts.

For added fun while students are working, play “These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things” from the Sound of Music, followed up by (Judy Garland) "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" or... (IZ) “Somewhere Over The Rainbow”.

Today's FREEBIE is also a really fun back to school activity. You can actually use it throughout the year too.  I call it "Chalk Talk".

The packet includes:

* A “Chalk” behavior modification, positive reinforcement activity, that will help promote working as a team to achieve a desired goal, building self-esteem at the same time.

* Black & White “color me” headers, for a sidewalk chalk treat Baggie, as well as patterns in full color for preschool, kindergarten, & first grade, with a blank template for you to fill in with any other grade.

* I’ve also included a generic one to give at anytime of the year.

* A “Chalk Talk” bear poster you can write a daily message on.

* A “Chalk Talk” kitten poster wishing children a “purrr-fect” day.

* 2 “Chalk Talk” (I had a nice time at school today. These are a few of the things that I did:) writing prompt worksheets.

Well that's it for today. 

Blessings to you & yours for a stress-free & joy-filled time, as you get ready for back to school. May it be the best year yet!

For more Back To School activities, click on the link.

Come join the fun on Facebook for my exclusive FREEBIES & Monthly Giveaways.

Check out my educational Pinterest boards.

"Count your rainbows, not your thunderstorms!" -Allyssa Knight

1-2-3 Come Do Some Very Hungry Caterpillar Activities and Crafts With Me

My life seems to be flying by!  Can anyone else out there relate?  I had planned to get these cute little caterpillars done the first week of April, but the past few days filled up with so many other responsibilities, that the caterpillars had to stay in their "chrysalis state" 'til now. 

I hope you can still use them, or as the life of a pack-rat teacher goes, tuck these ideas away for next year.  Since so many people read The Very Hungry Caterpillar, I wanted to use Eric Carle's cute litter critter as a spring board to studying a variety of other things. 

I created the caterpillar template and made a list of all sorts of ways I could use it, then set about to design the details.   You can choose which one you want your students to do, or give them a choice.  A friend of mine liked them so much, that she plans to make 3 (a different one each week).

In The Very Hungry Caterpillar Eats the Alphabet, students trace and write upper and lowercase letters.  I've also included a set where a bit of the butterfly's life cycle is also included with the letters. 

For example, for the Zz letter, I added:  Zzzzzz sleeping in a chrysalis, and then included a butterfly pattern with the letters all over her wings to be cut and glued on the last section.  

I glued just the thorax portion to the last "body" circle and bent the wings up so that the butterfly looks like she's flying.

Older students could also make a list of a food the caterpillar could eat that begins with that letter.  You may want to read Lois Ehlert's book Eating the Alphabet (Fruits and Vegetables from A to Z) to give students some ideas.  Click on the link to view/download The Very Hungry Caterpillar Eats the Alphabet packet. 

If you'd like to review just the life cycle of a butterfly, you'll want to take a look at The Life Cycle Of The Very Hungry Caterpillar packet.  Students trace and write the words, then color, cut and glue the pictures. 

If you look closely, you'll see that I glued down just the thorax with this butterfly too, so it looks 3 dimensional, like the larger one above.  Click on the link to view/download it. 

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Eats a Rainbow, reinforces colors as well as the days of the week.  Before hand, brainstorm what kinds of things the caterpillar could eat that are the various colors.  Write these words on the board to help children with spelling.

Students trace and write the color words and complete the sentence with something the caterpillar ate that was that color.  Adding end punctuation reviews another standard.  

Children then draw and color a picture.  I've included my sample so that you can quickly make one to share with your students. Click on the link to view/download The Very Hungry Caterpillar Eats a Rainbow packet.

You may also want to read one of the following books for some great examples of rainbow-colorful food: I Eat A Rainbow, by Bobbie Kalman;  Can You Eat a Rainbow? by Anastasia Suen;  and/or  I Can Eat A Rainbow, by Annabel Karmel.   

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Eats Some Numbers includes counting from zero to ten, where students trace and write the numbers as well as the number words.  I've  included a butterfly pattern to glue to the last section if you want.

There are also caterpillar "body" circles for skip counting by 2's 3's, 5's, and 10's. 

In all of the packets there are patterns for the caterpillar's head if you want it to be made out of construction paper, as well as a pattern that students can color, like the "Skip count by 10's" caterpillar in the photo.

Click on the link to view/download The Very Hungry Caterpillar Eats Some Numbers.

Since I have many requests for shape craftivities, particulary 3D shapes, I thought I'd make The Very Hungry Caterpillar Eats Some Shapes. 

This is the largest packet, as I've included a caterpillar that reviews 2D shapes, as well as the days of the week.  For this caterpillar, students trace and write the shape words, as well as draw the shapes. 

I've included a butterfly pattern with the various shapes sprinkled on the wings, if you'd like to include that on the last "body" section.  For a cool 3D effect, fold the wings up and glue only the thorax portion down.

Another caterpillar, is a cut and glue the 2D shapes on the "body" circles.  Besides the standard 2D shapes, you can also choose to include the hexagon, pentagon, & octagon, and/or the pattern block shapes: rhombus and trapezoid. 

There's also a separate caterpillar that simply eats all of the 3D shapes. As with the above activity, students cut and glue the 3D shapes to the "body" circles.  Click on the link to view/download The Very Hungry Caterpillar Eats Some Shapes.

Finally, rather than make a caterpillar that covered story elements using this pattern, I made a graphic organizer - worksheet, to change things up a bit. 

To save you time, I included a template with the answers, so that you can make a quick sample to share with your students. Click on the link to view/download the graphic organizer for The Very Hungry Caterpillar's story elements. 

Thanks for visiting today.  As always, feel free to PIN away.   

 "Everyone is like a [caterpillar].  They start out ugly and awkward, and then morph into beautiful and graceful butterflies that everyone loves." -Drew Barrymore

1-2-3 Come Color A Rainbow With Me!

Are you looking for a fun way to review ordinal numbers or the colors of the rainbow? 

If so, I think you'll enjoy the easy reader,  "Let's Color A Rainbow."

Because of St. Patty's Day and the folklore surrounding leprechauns and their pots of gold at the end of the rainbow, I introduced rainbows in March, and then revisited them in April, when the spring showers started here in Michigan.

My Y5's loved crouching on the floor and singing the Let's Make A Rainbow song, and then jumping up and arching their arms, as they finished the song, which is included at the end of the booklet.

Students trace and then write ordinal numbers as well as color words and then cut and glue the matching picture to their page.

Children also think of something else that is that color and write it down in the space provided. 

When everyone has completed their booklet, read it aloud to reinforce the words and review concepts of print.

I think your little ones will enjoy taking it home and sharing it with their families. 

I encourage this, so that students once again review what they've learned.

Click on the link to view/download Lets Color A Rainbow.

If you're looking for more ordinal number or rainbow activities, click on the 2 links.

Thanks for visiting today.  Feel free to PIN anything you think others may find useful.

"Children have a special way, of coloring your day in a happy way."  -Unknown

1-2-3- Have Fun Writing About Goals With Me

Pot of Goals is a fun "craftivity" March writing prompt, that reinforces Common Core State Standards: L.K.2a, L.K.2b, RF.K.3d,  RF.K.1c, RF.1.1a, L.1.2b

Simply run off the templates on construction paper. 

Students complete the "goal" coin sentences and add their reasons why.

Remind students to use appropriate capitalization, end punctuation and spacing, when they write their goals on the coins.

Lay out a selection of large construction paper, in the colors of the rainbow.  Only have enough paper so that all of it will be chosen, and you'll have a sampling of every color.

Students cut out their pot and coins, and glue them to the construction paper.

Hang the completed pots, in rainbow color order, on a large wall.  Your title can be: A Rainbow Of Wonderful Writing.

For a bit more pizzazz, have students write their names in rainbow colors, add a school photo + gold and silver glitter.

Click on the link to view/download the March writing prompt: St. Patrick's Day Pot of Goals.

Thanks for visiting today.  Feel free to PIN anything that you think others may find helpful.

"Learning is not a spectator sport, so let's play!" -Unknown