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Getting to the Core

Fall Venn Friends

1-2-3 Come Make a Venn Friend With Me

Venn diagrams are a quick, easy & fun way to introduce the concept of comparison-contrast writing.

fall bulletin board ideas, Apple activities, apple crafts, Venn diagrams, pumpkin activities, pumpkn crafts, turkey activities, turkey crafts, Pilgrim activities, Pilgrim crafts, Thanksgiving activities, native american activities, native american crafts, fall writing promptsYears ago, I came up with the concept of students choosing a partner to make a "Venn Friend" with, as an interesting way for students to get to know each other.

I designed the fall "Venn Friends" packet, which feature apples, pumpkins, leaves, turkeys, Pilgrims & Native Americans.

fall bulletin board ideas, Apple activities, apple crafts, Venn diagrams, pumpkin activities, pumpkn crafts, turkey activities, turkey crafts, Pilgrim activities, Pilgrim crafts, Thanksgiving activities, native american activities, native american crafts, fall writing promptsIntroduce the lesson with the "What's a Venn diagram?" poster.

To help them do a thorough job completing their Venn diagram and jump start the writing process, I've included a list of 40 questions that they can choose from to discuss with their partner.

fall bulletin board ideas, Apple activities, apple crafts, Venn diagrams, pumpkin activities, pumpkn crafts, turkey activities, turkey crafts, Pilgrim activities, Pilgrim crafts, Thanksgiving activities, native american activities, native american crafts, fall writing promptsEach student does their own "different" portion of the "circle", and then, once they glue their "circles" together, they take turns recording the similarities that they have with their Venn Friend, using the middle "same" section.

I used a "pumpkin seed" for the middle of the Pumpkin Venn Friends, and an acorn for the leaf ones. 

You can see little boy & girl "toppers" in the pumpkin photo. 

fall bulletin board ideas, Apple activities, apple crafts, Venn diagrams, pumpkin activities, pumpkn crafts, turkey activities, turkey crafts, Pilgrim activities, Pilgrim crafts, Thanksgiving activities, native american activities, native american crafts, fall writing promptsThese are black & white so kiddos can color them.  Use them on the pumpkins, leaves or apples. 

fall bulletin board ideas, Apple activities, apple crafts, Venn diagrams, pumpkin activities, pumpkn crafts, turkey activities, turkey crafts, Pilgrim activities, Pilgrim crafts, Thanksgiving activities, native american activities, native american crafts, fall writing promptsI encourage students to do a boy/girl Venn friend, not only so they have an extra "difference" but so they can see how much they truly have in common with eachother.

Doing a Name Venn with a classmate, is another option, and practices upper & lowercase letters, along with name recognition & counting. 

fall bulletin board ideas, Apple activities, apple crafts, Venn diagrams, pumpkin activities, pumpkn crafts, turkey activities, turkey crafts, Pilgrim activities, Pilgrim crafts, Thanksgiving activities, native american activities, native american crafts, fall writing promptsI also incorporate the concept of “greater & less than” with this activity, as students decide who has the most or least number of letters in their name.

I’ve made a sample using an apple, as I do this in September, for a “Getting to Know You” activity for “Back to School”.   There are 3 sets of letter tiles for your kiddos to choose from.

My Y5s enjoy this activity so much, I repeat it in October with pumpkins, and see quite a bit of improvement.

fall bulletin board ideas, Apple activities, apple crafts, Venn diagrams, pumpkin activities, pumpkn crafts, turkey activities, turkey crafts, Pilgrim activities, Pilgrim crafts, Thanksgiving activities, native american activities, native american crafts, fall writing promptsAs you can see by the photograph, colorful paper plates (smaller 8” size) provide a nice 3D effect.

I pre-cut these to expedite the activity. Besides yellow & red, I also buy lime green plates, giving my students an option. 

Besides using paper plates, I've also included a wormy apple pattern.

fall bulletin board ideas, Apple activities, apple crafts, Venn diagrams, pumpkin activities, pumpkn crafts, turkey activities, turkey crafts, Pilgrim activities, Pilgrim crafts, Thanksgiving activities, native american activities, native american crafts, fall writing promptsThere’s also more than one option for November. Students have 3 choices for their Venn friend topper: a turkey, a Pilgrim boy or girl, or a Native American boy or girl.

You can have a turkey find a turkey partner, a boy Pilgrim find a girl Pilgrim, or a boy Native American find a boy Pilgrim, mixing and matching however you or your students wish.

fall bulletin board ideas, Apple activities, apple crafts, Venn diagrams, pumpkin activities, pumpkn crafts, turkey activities, turkey crafts, Pilgrim activities, Pilgrim crafts, Thanksgiving activities, native american activities, native american crafts, fall writing promptsI designed the Venn friends, specifically so students could get to know a classmate better, but you could certainly have students pretend to be "real" Pilgrims and Native American children, and then compare and contrast historical information as well.

Each seasonal Venn, comes with a graphing extension, so you can get some math practice in as well.

For that finishing touch, add a school photograph. Students could also make a green hand print "leaf" for their pumpkin.

Completed projects make awesome fall bulletin boards. Click on the link to zip on over to my TpT shop to check out the super-fun, 51 page, Fall Venn Friend packet. 

Halloween activities, halloween worksheets, halloween gamesSince Halloween is just a week away, I thought a "Halloween Boo Boos" worksheet would be a fun FREEBIE. Students make corrections to the sentences that have mistakes in them.

Click on the link to grab a copy.  It's certainly a little something fun, yet educational for party day.

Tfall bulletin board ideas, Apple activities, apple crafts, Venn diagrams, pumpkin activities, pumpkn crafts, turkey activities, turkey crafts, Pilgrim activities, Pilgrim crafts, Thanksgiving activities, native american activities, native american crafts, fall writing promptshat's it for today. Thanks for stopping by. 

The winds have knocked a lot of leaves off the trees, so this afternoon the hubby, pup & I are going for a relaxing drive to see what's left of the gorgeous fall colors, before they become  a distant memory, as barren trees dot the landscape.

I am so not ready for winter. Wishing you a pretty and peaceful day.

"How beautifully leaves grow old. How full of light and color are their last days." - John Burroughs

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Fire Safety Fun 1

1-2-3 Come Do Some Fire Safety Activities With Me

safety matches craft, fire safety crafts, fire safety writing prompts, fire safety games, fire safety puzzles, fire safety songs, common core fire safety, 911 activities, 911 crafts, , fire hat pattern, fire safety songs, fire safety emergent readerI know there's a lot a teacher has to cram in each month, but I can't stress enough, how important it is to make time to cover some fire safety with your kiddos, as life skills certainly far out way report card standards, should a crisis arise. 

safety matches craft, fire safety crafts, fire safety writing prompts, fire safety games, fire safety puzzles, fire safety songs, common core fire safety, 911 activities, 911 crafts, , fire hat pattern, fire safety songs, fire safety rules, list of reasons to call 911, fire safety emergent readerWith time as a factor, I designed these quick, easy & fun activities. 

There's nothing quite like adding a little bit of craftiness to a lesson or writing prompt, to get students excited and down to business. 

safety matches craft, fire safety crafts, fire safety writing prompts, fire safety games, fire safety puzzles, fire safety songs, common core fire safety, 911 activities, 911 crafts, , fire hat pattern, fire safety songs, fire safety rules, list of reasons to call 911, fire safety emergent readerYounger studetns can simply do the craft, while older students can complete writing prompts. 

I've up-dated & tweaked some of my favorites and tossed them into Diane's Dollar Deals in my TpT shop. 

safety matches craft, fire safety crafts, fire safety writing prompts, fire safety games, fire safety puzzles, fire safety songs, common core fire safety, 911 activities, 911 crafts, , fire hat pattern, fire safety songs, fire safety rules, list of reasons to call 911, fire safety emergent readerSimply click on the photograph that you're interested in, to zip on over to take a look. The "Safety Matches" are my personal favorite.

safety matches craft, fire safety crafts, fire safety writing prompts, fire safety games, fire safety puzzles, fire safety songs, common core fire safety, 911 activities, 911 crafts, , fire hat pattern, fire safety songs, fire safety rules, list of reasons to call 911, fire safety emergent readerThe "Put Out the Fire" craftivity, includes a sweet song. This project provides wonderful fine motor practice, as students cut the "hose" spiral. 

My kiddos are always amazed at the "way cool" results. I've included 2 spiral posters as well, so you can take advantage of that teachable moment to build vocabulary.

The Stop Drop & Roll writing prompt craftivity, also includes a song.

Besides fire safety "craftivities", I've also up-dated the fire safety number puzzles.

safety matches craft, fire safety crafts, fire safety writing prompts, fire safety games, fire safety puzzles, fire safety songs, common core fire safety, 911 activities, 911 crafts, , fire hat pattern, fire safety songs, fire safety rules, list of reasons to call 911, fire safety emergent readerThere's now a total of 52, featuring 20 different pictures. 

The puzzles come in color, so you can use them for an independent math center, as well as black & white, so your students can make their own. 

The number puzzles come in both horizontal & vertical patterns, and help students sequence numbers from 1-10, count backwards from 10 -1, as well as skip count by 2s & 10s.

safety matches craft, fire safety crafts, fire safety writing prompts, fire safety games, fire safety puzzles, fire safety songs, common core fire safety, 911 activities, 911 crafts, , fire hat pattern, fire safety songs, fire safety rules, list of reasons to call 911, fire safety emergent readerI have two FREEBIES for you today: a cute fire hat, as well as a fire truck-themed 10 frames packet.  I hope you find them useful. 

safety matches craft, fire safety crafts, fire safety writing prompts, fire safety games, fire safety puzzles, fire safety songs, common core fire safety, 911 activities, 911 crafts, , fire hat pattern, fire safety songs, fire safety rules, list of reasons to call 911, fire safety emergent readerSince I didn't want this blog to get too long, I'm posting two articles today, as I have one more big fire safety packet to share with you.

Simply scroll down, to check out all of the super-fun & creative activities, that will help teach your kiddos about the 911 emergency number.  

There's another FREEBIE there too. Thanks for stopping by. 

"The most tangible of all visible mysteries - fire."  ~Leigh Hunt

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Call 911 Fire Safety Activities

A big part of our fire safety studies includes learning about the emergency number 911.

Several years ago, one of my students was involved in a trailer fire. It was little Jose', just 6-years-old, who dialed 911. No need to convince me of the importance of making sure my kiddos know about fire safety and using their heads in a crisis.

lWith that incident in mind, it was a joy to put a lot of work into the 61-page, "Call 911 Fire Safety Packet", making sure you have a variety of simple & fun activities to keep students engaged, as they learn about this important emergency number.

Since my kiddos are just learning to recognize numbers, they often confuse 6s & 9s.

It makes no sense for them to recite “Call 911 in an emergency” if they haven’t practiced finding & pressing those numbers; so we practice on real, non-working cell phones, that parents have donated to our class.

Just as important as learning how to dial that number, is knowing when it’s appropriate to do so.

911 activities, 911 crafts, 911 songs, fire safety activities, fire safety crafts, fires safety songs, fire safety emergent readerKeeping these things in mind, I designed this 911 packet, with quick, easy & super-fun activities that will ensure your students know how, as well as when, to dial this life saving number.

The packet includes:

* An emergent reader: “Who Ya Gonna Call?” with 24 Dolch sight words.

I titled the booklet that because of the catchy Ghostbusters tune, and have the music playing softly in the background, when my kiddos work on this activity.

911 activities, 911 crafts, 911 songs, fire safety activities, fire safety crafts, fires safety songs, fire safety emergent readerWhen the refrain “Who ya gonna call?” is sung, my students yell out 911.

* Afterwards, we do the  “When Should I Call 911?” cell phone craftivity.

This not only reinforces the lesson, but tests comprehension. There are ...

911 activities, 911 crafts, 911 songs, fire safety activities, fire safety crafts, fires safety songs, fire safety emergent reader* 2 song posters; 9-1-1 to the tune of “Brother John”, as well as “Call 9-1-1” to the tune of “If You’re Happy & You Know It”.

* A matching “flip phone craftivity” that displays the song inside.

* A “Rip & Tear” craftivity that helps strengthen finger muscles.

* A “100s chart, mystery number worksheet”, along with quite a few worksheets to practice the numbers 911.

911 activities, 911 crafts, 911 songs, fire safety activities, fire safety crafts, fires safety songs, fire safety emergent reader* Five, colorful 911 number puzzles that practice sequencing numbers from 1-10, counting backwards from 10-1, plus skip counting by 2s & 10s.

I’ve included a black & white pattern as well, so that students can make their own puzzle. And finally . . .

* 911 “slap bracelets”, a bookmark and certificate of praise.

Click on the link to zip on over to my TpT shop, to take a look at this whopping 61-page 911 Activities packet , chock full of hands-on fire safety fun. 

911 songs. 911 crafts, 911 activitiesToday's FREEBIE also has a 911 theme.  Students sing this 9-1-1 song to the tune of "This Old Man". I've included 3 poster optons.  

911 songs, 911 crafts, 911 activities, fire safety crafts, fire safety activities, Well that's it for today. It's balmy out, despite the drizzle; the perfect kind of day to open the windows, air out the house and snuggle up with a good book and hot cup of cider.  Wishing you a relaxing day.

"Each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor."  ~Edgar Allan Poe

 

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Fire Safety Activities

1-2-3 Come Do Some Fire Safety Activities With Me

Since Fire Safety Month is in October I wanted to use that theme for my word work activities.  Because we do that daily, I try to keep things fresh by practicing our skills using a seasonal theme.

fire safety activities, fires safety crafts, fires safety words, fire safety writing prompts, fire safety bulletin boardsMy newesst fire safety activity, is F is for Fire.  It's packed with quick, easy & fun activities to engage your kiddos with.

The packet includes:

fire safety activities, fires safety crafts, fires safety words, fire safety writing prompts, fire safety bulletin boards* An “F is for Fire” rip & tear craftivity,which helps strengthen those weak finger muscles. 

Completed projects make a colorful bulletin board. Older students can glue their alphabetical word work on it. 

fire safety activities, fires safety crafts, fires safety words, fire safety writing prompts, fire safety bulletin boards* I've included a list of 42 words that contain the word fire.

Choose which ones are appropriate for your kiddos, and have them write the words in alphabetical order on the black and white ladder, or stationery or worksheet.

There are color copies of each to make a teacher's sample.

The list can be glued to the “F is for Fire” rip & tear craft.

fire safety activities, fires safety crafts, fires safety words, fire safety writing prompts, fire safety bulletin boards* There’s also a “Please alphabetize these words:” poster.

Use it on your whiteboard as a "header" then list the words you want your students to work on, underneath.

fire safety activities, fires safety crafts, fires safety words, fire safety writing prompts, fire safety bulletin boards* The 16 pocket chart picture word cards, come in full color, along with matching bookmarks.

* A Trace, Write & Color “F is for Fire” flip booklet, matches the pocket chart cards. There are 2 covers & 3 size options.

fire safety activities, fires safety crafts, fires safety words, fire safety writing prompts, fire safety bulletin boards* There's also a word find
* A “My Fire Safety Words” booklet and . . .
* A “How many words can you make using the letters in the word firefighters?” worksheet.
I’ve included an answer key with 188 words!

Click on the link to zip on over to my TpT shop to have a look-see at this 40-page packet of fun: F is For Fire.

fire safety activities, fires safety crafts, fires safety words, fire safety writing prompts, fire safety bulletin boardsToday's featured FREEBIE also has a fire safety theme.  "Keep Your Hands Off Fire" is a quick, easy and fun writing prompt craftivity, which includes an "I Promise to Keep My Hands Off Fire" poster, as well as a "Never Ever Play With Fire" song. 

The hand print "fire" at the top will get your students excited to complete the writing prompt. Finished projects make an awesome bulletin board too.

Click on the link to get a copy of "Keep Your Hands Off Fire"   and let the fun and safety begin. 

fire safety activities, fires safety crafts, fires safety words, fire safety writing prompts, fire safety bulletin boardsWell that's it for today.  The wind is howling at my office window sending the lovely leaves swirling. 

Wishing you a warm and snuggly day filled with smiles.

"I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination." - Jimmy Dean

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Studying 2D Shapes With A Scarecrow

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

Are you studying 2D shapes?  If so, I think your kiddos will really enjoy learning & practicing with these super-fun, hands-on activities, featured in my newest packet: Scarecrow Shapes.

scarecrow crafts, scarecrow activities, shape activities, shape crafts, shape assessments, fall centers, owl activities, emergent reader booklets, owl activities, owl crafts, shape games, shape assessmentsThe packet is stuffed with a variety of hands-on fun for learning 2D shapes.

Here’s what you’ll get:

* An emergent reader, “The Scarecrow’s Nose”, which practices a variety of standards, and packs a lot of sight word clout, as I’ve included 33 Dolch words.

scarecrow crafts, scarecrow activities, shape activities, shape crafts, shape assessments, fall centers, owl activities, emergent reader booklets, owl activities, owl crafts, shape games, shape assessmentsChildren read the sentence, add end punctuation: (period, question mark & exclamation point).

They trace and write the shape & color word, trace and draw the shape, then color the picture.

There is a pattern with 2-on-a-one-page template, as well as 4-on-a-page to make an Itty Bitty booklet.

scarecrow crafts, scarecrow activities, shape activities, shape crafts, shape assessments, fall centers, owl activities, emergent reader booklets, owl activities, owl crafts, shape games, shape assessmentsOn the last page, children draw a scarecrow. The nose is their favorite shape and color.

* There’s a whole-group graphing activity to graph the results.

scarecrow crafts, scarecrow activities, shape activities, shape crafts, shape assessments, fall centers, owl activities, emergent reader booklets, owl activities, owl crafts, shape games, shape assessments* I've also included a really cute “My Scarecrow’s Nose” slider craftivity. 

"Socrates" is not only super-fun, but a quick, easy, and interesting way to whole group assess 2D shapes.

scarecrow crafts, scarecrow activities, shape activities, shape crafts, shape assessments, fall centers, owl activities, emergent reader booklets, owl activities, owl crafts, shape games, shape assessmentsI’ve included a full-page size, as well as a smaller, 2-on-a-page pattern.

* There's also 7 shape worksheets that practice a variety of standards, as well as ...

* 6 colorful pocket chart cards, plus a matching black and white set, so students can make a Shape Flip Booklet, plus ...

scarecrow crafts, scarecrow activities, shape activities, shape crafts, shape assessments, fall centers, owl activities, emergent reader booklets, owl activities, owl crafts, shape games, shape assessments* 5 shape games along with ...

scarecrow crafts, scarecrow activities, shape activities, shape crafts, shape assessments, fall centers, owl activities, emergent reader booklets, owl activities, owl crafts, shape games, shape assessments* 4 assessments using just one worksheet!  And finally,

* A bookmark-size, “color me” certificate of praise. 

This packet is a whopping 63 pages long. 

Click on the link to zip on over to my TpT shop to have a look: Scarecrow Shapes: Emergent Reader, Games, Worksheets & Craftivities and let the learning fun begin.

scarecrow crafts, scarecrow activities, shape activities, shape crafts, shape assessments, fall centers, owl activities, emergent reader booklets, owl activities, owl crafts, shape games, shape assessmentsI hope your kiddos enjoy learning with "Socrates" as much as mine did. 

Today's featured FREEBIE is also another fun way to practice shapes.

Back in 2009, I designed Silly Shaped Penguins. 

Because it's one of my most popular downloads, throughout the years I've added to the menagerie. 

Since it's fall, I thought the Silly Shaped Owls were perfect for a fall FREEBIE.  Hope you enjoy them.  

scarecrow crafts, scarecrow activities, shape activities, shape crafts, shape assessments, fall centers, owl activities, emergent reader booklets, owl activities, owl crafts, shape games, shape assessmentsWell that's it for today.  I have so many projects "in process" and scattered all over my desk , that I'm not sure where to begin. 

October is flying by way too fast! Wishing you an awesome autumn. 

"I craft so hard, I sweat glitter!" -Unknown

 

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