11 pages. A fun way to review some basic shapes as well as the 3-D cylinder shape. Santa's hand print beard makes this an adorable keepsake!

17 pages. 17 Candy Shape posters. 3D and flat shapes with a white or black background. What a sweet way to learn about shapes! Easier for your students to understand and more fun for them to study! This packet will be FREE for an entire year! Woo hoo.  After which time, it will totally be re-done, and included in my whopping 133-page "Trick or Treat!" Activities Packet, in my TpT shop. Click on the link to zip on over.

4 pages Help your students learn these 3-D shapes by displaying these posters. This packet has been updated & a variety of sizes have been added along with a bookmark. It's a special FREEBIE in my TpT shop.  Click on the link to grab the helpful 3D Shape Poster packet today.

A Picture Is Worth A 1000 Words

I continue to have a great time making word art with Tagxedo.

I had written an article about this wonderful site last month and I’m once again happily fooling around with it today, making anchor chart shape posters.

I figure if we expect students to learn the shapes, as well as recognize the words for them, why not make a word shape poster!

If they see the words written right in the shape, that should help right?

I made the time to do this so you wouldn’t have to! Woo hoo!

I chose different colors for the various shapes and included the star, crescent, diamond, heart  to the mix of standard flat shapes.

I’ve noticed on chat rings, that some poor teachers actually have to teach the hexagon as well as the pentagon shapes!

What rocket scientist decided a 5-year-old could wrap their head around those shapes?

Honestly, at least when they threw the octagon our way we could explain it with the stop sign! I’ve included them + the octagon, in case you need the help.

I’ve also made posters for the 3-D shapes, since  the same ivory tower fella’s felt those shapes would be age-appropriate for Y5’s and Kindergarten kiddo’s too.

What next the Einstein theory?  I think it’s time they asked some teachers to be part of the committees.  What say you?

Any hoo, hopefully this will help turn a few light bulbs on! 

Since the 3D shapes are a bit harder to distinguish in word art, I've also included a picture of a "real" 3D object on the poster.

I feel when you're teaching shapes it is easier for students to understand them if you can put them in real world context and have children spy the shapes they see around them.

i.e. This is a rectangle.  A door is a rectangle.

Besides using them as anchor charts to help students remember the shapes and associate that particular shape with that word, you can also use them as jumbo flashcards; or shrink them to make Concentration Memory Match games for students.

Another way to help children remember shapes is to show how they are different. Put 2 posters next to each other and have students compare and contrast them.

I like doing this with a Venn diagram and often use hula hoops to start.

Play what's the shape?  Each day put one of the shape posters face down on the board. 

Give clues about the shape and have the students guess which one is the mystery shape of the day that is "hiding". 

Make a shape bulletin board and display all of them there. Take one away and ask students which one is missing.

Pass the posters out to students and play I have; Who has? "I have the circle shape.  Who has the triangle shape?"

Play "I'm Thinking Of A Shape." Start giving clues and have students guess which shape you are describing. 

Finally, reveal which one it is by showing them the poster.

Click on the link to view/download Word Art Shape Posters

For those of you who are still in school, I hope things are really shaping up with your little ones, and that you are having a great end-of-the-year winding down time.

Feel free to PIN anything you think might be interesting or helpful to someone else.

Hope you can visit tomorrow for an adorable summer writing prompt to see how to make a quick and easy creative writing "craftivity"kid.

A Quick & Easy Christmas Craft With Math Extensions!

My grandson’s last day is Tuesday.  If you too are still in school and looking for a quick and easy project to plug in for a little fun, but still want some standards attached to it, then you may enjoy making these little Christmas trees.

The initial shape is a circle; students cut it in half and then fold it in 1/4^th’s, for a nice fraction review. Their circle now looks like a triangle.

When it’s glued together the completed project is no longer a flat shape, but takes the 3-D pyramid shape and looks like a mini Christmas tree.

They are such fun to make; you can also cover the concept of small, medium and large by doing different size circles.

To display the 3 sizes as a centerpiece, place them on a circle of aluminum foil with a large paper doily on top.

Students can count the ornaments they dot on their tree as another math extension, or give them the option to decorate their trees with glitter garland or snow.

Dabbing glue on with a Q-tip, is a no-mess hassle-free way to accomplish decorating the trees.  Remind students “A little dab will do ya.” as you don’t want the glue running when they stand to dry, after children sprinkle glitter on top.

If you are making these at home with your own children, they make adorable place cards for your table.

Simply write your family’s names in the middle of one section of the tree and then decorate around it.

I used green printed scrapbook paper that was cardstock thick, but construction paper also works well.

You can top with 2 gold star stickers pressed back-to-back or cut some with a star punch for that finishing touch.

Lightly sprtiz with evergreen scent for that final Christmas bit of magic!

Click on the link to view/print the 3-D Christmas Tree pattern, OR click on the link to view/print the 3-D Christmas Tree pattern, pix and directions.

Here's Ho Ho Hoping you have a Jolly Holly-Day!

October SHAPES Up!

October is a wonderful month to review shapes! I have some fun activities to help you do just that.

Kids love candy and in case you haven’t noticed, candy comes in every shape you need, even the more difficult 3-dimensional ones, so why not take “sweet” advantage?

Here’s how:

Treat Bags:

Make a treat bag (I have several samples to choose from) and fill it with an example of each shape of candy. Click on the link to view/print the patterns. Treat bag samples.

Play a “Guess What Shape The Candy Is?” game with your students as you display the bag on your lap and pull out a piece of candy, showing it to your students as they sit on the floor in front of you.

As a treat, you could give each of them a triangular piece of candy corn, or make up a treat bag for everybody.

The Dollar Store has a nice selection of inexpensive paper ones, as well as Ziploc Snack Baggies that come in packs of 18-24.

If you do make up a bag for everyone, they can take it back to their desk and sort the candy on the shape sorting mats, or you can do a whole-group assessment and have children spill the candy out.

Teacher says: “Show me the triangle, show me the sphere, cube, etc.” ‘til you have reviewed each shape.

Tell the students that they may eat their M&M, Skittle or Smartie (one piece of candy that is not a big deal, but will satisfy them) and then put all of the rest back in their bag to take home so that they can share the lesson with their family.

Click on the link to view/print a shape sorting mat. 3-D shape sorting mat.  Regular shape sorting mats.

What's Missing Candy Game?

• You could also transition to having your students sit in a circle on the floor. 
• Arrange one piece of each of the 3-D - shaped examples of candy on the carpet in the middle.
• Have students close their eyes.  Hold a sheet of orange construction paper over the candy, and with your other hand, remove one of the pieces of candy.
• Tell your students to open their eyes.
• The first one to say the missing SHAPE wins a piece of candy corn.
  
• To make the game more difficult add another different kind of candy. 
  
• Remember to review the different names of the SHAPES in the circle as you add candy.
  
• You can also play a separate game with the regular-shaped candy, or for older students combine both 3-D and regular shaped candy!
  

Posters:

I have purchased candy and taken pictures with a white or black background for you to print off and laminate for your classroom.

Click on the link to view/print 17 black and white background 3-D and regular shape posters 

You can hold them up and use them as a review of the various shapes, a comparison of the 3-D shapes with the flat shapes, a memory match game, counting fun, discussions, writing prompts, or graphing extensions.

Click on the link to view/print shape graphs.

When you are done using them, hang them up in your room.  I truly believe that if a student “sees” a shape in real life, especially one that they can identify with, it helps them remember the name.

If you think of other ways to use them, I’d enjoy hearing from you so I can pass along the idea to help everyone! diane@teachwithme.com

October Shape Booklets:

I have a variety of cute shape booklets (over 50!) that my own students really enjoy making and parents have given lots of positive feedback about.

Here are some of our favorites for October:

There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Shapes (Complete with a head and manipulatives you can make and pass out to your students so they can "feed" her.) The Shapes of October, The Shape of my Kitty's Tongue (Perfect for a black cat mini-unit) + Shape booklets involving an Acorn,  Spider,  Bat,  Leaf,  Candy Corn and  Scarecrow!

Why not become a subscription member and be able to download all of this, at no additional charge for an entire year, + get our 60+ pages Apple Bytes newsletter packet as well!

Fun Shape Freebies:

Don't forget to check out this month's free booklet, A Flame On My Candle, which also involves shapes, as well as all the cute shape activities in our Book of the Month side-blog to go along with Go Away Big Green Monster.  Your students will especially enjoy the envelope monster that eats shapes.  

For some 3-D shape posters as well as regular shape posters click on the links to view/print them.

I also made up some shape word flashcards. You can put them up on your word wall, or make Memory Match games. 

My students enjoy tracing them and making them into Itty Bitty books.  Click on the link to view/print the shape word cards.

I think building a child’s self-esteem is extremely important.  One way I do this is via certificates of praise.  Click on the link to view/print a certificate for 3-D shapes or a certificate for regular shapes. 

I hope you found these ideas helpful and that things really shape up for you and yours