1-2-3 Come Do Some Writing Craftivities With Me

The key to getting children motivated to write, is simply giving them something exciting and fun to tease their imaginations and get the creative juices flowing.

Pumpkins in the News does that.  It's my latest, 29-page, writing prompt-emergent reader packet.  

I’ve included 2 class-made books: The Case of the Missing Pumpkins, as well as Our Class Pumpkins in the News.

To get the pumpkin rolling, there’s a “What can you do with a pumpkin?” poster, which includes two graphing extensions to cover more standards.

Children will readily share that you can eat and carve them, but are they aware that you can grow a record-breaking giant pumpkin, catapult them through the air, or turn them into a boat and sail them in a regatta?

All of these are popular contests and make headlines in the news.
I’ve included links to awesome videos to whet everyone’s writing appetites.

On the crazy creative side, how about the discovery of an alien pumpkin, or a pumpkin that could talk or grant 3 wishes?

Trust me, your kiddos will WANT to get right down to the business of writing! Woo hoo.

The crafty part of the project is a newsprint pumpkin.
Coloring newspaper with crayons or markers, creates a super-interesting and awesome look.

Completed projects look amazing swirling & twirling from the ceiling.  I've included several "header" cards to choose from, as a title for your display.

Little ones can search for all of the letter Pp’s and circle them.

I’ve also included several worksheets for more letter Pp practice.

Toss in a bit of shape review, with the pumpkin’s facial features, and practice spelling names via his smile. 

The emergent reader has 6, mini pages on a one-page template, to create a "just the right size" booklet, which comes in color for a teacher's edition, as well as black & white for your kiddos.

There's also a pattern with 12-on-a-page to make an Itty Bitty one.  It's packed with plenty of Dolch sight words.

I've included an optional 7th page that says "Happy Halloween".

If you don't include it with the emergent reader, you could give them to your kiddos on party day.

They are today's featured FREEBIE.  Click on the link to grab a copy in both black & white as well as color.

Well that's it for now. Thanks for stopping by. It's my sincere hope that your own little "punkins" enjoy these craftivities.  It's a gorgeous 70 degrees today; the leaves are finally starting to turn.

The fresh air floating in from my window is beckoning me to come play.  I shall succumb.  Wishing you a peaceful day.

"I would rather sit on a pumpkin, and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion." - Henry David Thoreau 

1-2-3 Come Make Some Scarecrow Craftivities With Me

I really believe that if you give students a simple and quick little craft to attach to their writing prompt, they will be a lot more excited to get down to business. 

With that in mind, I designed "Peeking Scarecrow".

As you can see by the pictures, there are 2 ways to display children's work.  Completed projects make an awesome bulletin board, or look sweet hanging back-to-back from the ceiling.

I've included 24 scarecrow-themed writing prompts for students to choose from. 

Run them off, trim and give students a choice, or toss them in a basket and have them pick one. 

If they are unspired, they have the option to choose another, or swap with a classmate.

Children glue the prompt to their scarecrow and record their final draft on a complimentary color of construction paper.

The packet also includes a sample, so that you can easily whip off an example to share with your kiddos.

For that extra touch of pizzazz, there's a blank border template that students can write inside. Encourage older students to type their final drafts.

Click on the link to view/download the scarecrow writing prompts.  

Thanks for stopping by today.  Happy TGIF.  I'm off to hit some garage sales with my daughter.  Wishing you love and laughter and a happy-ever-after. 

"What you allow, is what will continue." - Unknown

Fall Into Some Fun Common Core Writing For Fall!

I LOVE combining art with creative writing.  I call these activities “Craftivities” and when you can mix in a little science at the same time, that's a real win-win.

Craftivities also make simple and easy bulletin boards or hallway displays that are pretty outstanding.

These fall writing prompts will help you teach several Common Core State Standards. They are listed and explained below.

Draw an oak tree on brown bulletin board paper with bare branches so that you can hang the leaves and acorn writing prompts on it, and scatter the squirrels underneath.

The leaves say: I see... I hear... I smell... The acorns say: I taste... and the squirrels say: I feel... (Older students write the entire sentence; younger students trace the first few words.)

Display the tree on a wall in the hallway.  You can use the caption: Our 5-Senses Creative Writing Oak Tree OR Using Our 5-Sense In The Fall.

If you want this to appear a bit more 3-D, twist brown lunch bags into strands, and use duct tape to attach them to the branches and down the trunk.

Run the oak leaves off on a variety of colored construction paper, as this will look better than brown leaves, even though oak leaves turn brown when they lose their chlorophyll.  Mention this fact to your students.

Gather students in front of the whiteboard. Review what the 5 senses are.  Brainstorm with them about using their 5 senses to see, hear, smell, taste and feel different things typical of the fall season.

Review beginning capitalization of words, Common Core State Standard: L.K.2a, as well as ending punctuation. Common Core State Standard: L. K. 2b, and RF.1.1 as well as L.1.2b for 1^st grade.

Have students spell simple words phonetically, drawing on knowledge of sound-letter relationships, or write a list of words from your brainstorming session on the white board having students help you spell them as you write them. Common Core State Standard: L.K.2d for kindergarten and L.1.2d for 1^st grade where they use conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns and for frequently occurring irregular words.

Review what a noun, verb and adjective are, with older students.  Keep things simple for PK students and have them TRACE the beginning words and complete the sentence with 1 noun and a period.  K’s can add nouns and verbs; older students can add adjectives as well.

Make sure that you do an example yourself, explaining the parts of speech, grammar and punctuation as you go. RF.K.1a (Point out to students that they are reading words from left to right, top to bottom and page by page.) RF.K.1c (Point out that the words are separated by spaces and remind them to make sure they have a finger-space between their words too.)

Students can add color to their cut out pieces.  Remind them to include their names.  For a bit more pizzazz, you can also add glitter.  Use this as an incentive for students if they give their best effort and do their work correctly.

To give variety to your “wall board,” I have designed two squirrels.  You can run off both kinds and give children a choice.  Sprinkle the squirrels around the bottom of your oak tree.

If you don’t want to make a bulletin board, or hallway tree mural out of these writing prompts, you can collate the pages together to make a class book.  I’ve provided a cover for you if you want to do that.

You can also suspend the various similar pieces back-to-back from fish line and hang from the ceiling.   Click on the link to view/download 5-Senses Oak Tree Creative Writing packet.  Thanks for visiting today.  Feel free to PIN anything you think others may find helpful.

"It takes time to save time." -Joe Taylor