1-2-3 Come Do Some Alphabet & Number Activities With Me

Make learning letters & numbers especially fun with this “something different” packet.

While waiting for “my turn” at the ophthalmology office, I was staring at a framed print of an old-fashioned eye chart, wondering how I could use that in my classroom. The result of that long wait, is this “ABC the letters & numbers” packet, with C (see) being a play-on-words.

It took some time to design the eye charts, so that they not only looked like the “real deal”, but included all of the uppercase letters, so they can be used as a unique teaching tool, plus help practice letter identification & recognition. Easy-peasy for you & fun for your students.

You can use the traditional “E at the top” chart, or the one that says “I Spy!”

Besides the eye charts, the packet also includes a variety of “Eye Spy” alphabet & number worksheets & games, plus 26, mini puzzle glasses, where students match the uppercase letter to the lowercase one, along with 21 matching numeric puzzles, which help practice numbers 0-20, sequencing, subitizing & simple addition.

I’ve also included an assessment mat & recording sheet for both upper & lowercase letters. 

A set of upper & lowercase "eyeball" cards, can be used in a variety of activities and games.  I've included a 3-page tip list of what you can do with them.  

There's also a set of "I Spy My Name" color-me worksheets, if your students are learning to write their names and identify those letters.

There are 4 boys & 4 girl options children can choose from, plus a colorful pattern you can use to quickly & easiy make a sample to share.

About the CHARTS:

My Y5s absolutely love pretending, and talking about what they want to be when they grow up, so “becoming” a real eye doctor is right up their alley.

Print and laminate the eye chart so it can become a part of your pretend play area. I keep a copy in our “doctor kit” tub.

If you don’t have an “imagination station” set up in your classroom as part of your daily routine, that’s fine too, as being able to “play eye doctor” will be even more exciting, as children don’t normally get to have this as a center activity.

Pair up a strong student with a struggler, so that they can each take turns being the patient, as well as the eye doctor. If you have older reading buddies that come in to help with your youngsters, this is also a fun activity for that time slot.

The “doctor” asks the “patient” to read the various lines. My kiddos use a “pencil pointer”, so they are specifically pointing to each letter. Having a pointer is also a “cool tool” and adds to the fun.

Besides the “Partner Pretend” practice game, you can also use the eye chart poster as an alternative assessment tool, where students point to each letter and say it.

The eye chart also works as a fun ”I spy!” worksheet game. Run them off, then choose a student to call out a letter. Children find it and circle it. You can see at a glance who is having difficulty.

Another idea for the eye chart is using it for a “whole group” activity. Using a dry erase marker, have a child come up and circle a letter that you ask for. You could also point to a letter and call on children to tell you what that letter is.

The numbered lines are also helpful, so you can reinforce number recognition as well. i.e. “Please read the letters on line 5” or point to a number and ask the name of it; or “Please show me the number 3”

The chart can also be used for ordinal number practice. “What is the third letter on line 2?”  I love it when I can use a visual for more than one thing, and thought you’d appreciate that too. 

Today's featured FREEBIE is a versatile "Fan Sailboat Craftivity" that's suitable for the end of the year: “Have fun sailing into summer. I hope it’s fantastic!”, as well as for back-to-school: “Have fun sailing into a new school year. I hope it’s fantastic!”

Inserting a pencil, pen, marker, glow stick or Pixie candy stick for a mast, is an inexpensive little gift you can give your new or departing students as well. 

That's it for today.  Thanks for stopping by. 

Time to go soak up some sunshine as I water my garden.

Wishing you a carefree day.

"Like a welcome summer rain, humor may suddenly cleanse and cool the earth, the air, and you." -Langston Hughes

1-2-3 Come Read With Me

Hooray for Dollar Deals from Diane.
Here’s another emergent reader “just the right size”alphabet booklet. 

I hope your kiddos are enjoying them as much as mine did. You know you've got a winner when your students ask for another one!

They're truly a quick, easy and fun way to reinforce a variety of standards.

Besides the 4-on-a-page template, I’ve also included an 8-on-a-page pattern, so that you can make an “Itty Bitty Alpha-bits” booklet if you want.

Using the pictures as a guide, children read the page, trace the letters, write the letters, then color the picture. 

Afterwards, they cut the pages into 1/4ths (grab that teachable moment to review fractions if you're studying them) collate the pages and then staple their booklet together.

When everyone has completed their booklet, read it together as a whole group to cover concepts of print, and reinforce the repetitive text.

Even though my Y5's were technically not really "reading", they "got it" because of the repetitious sentences and picture clues. 

I think one of the reasons they loved making these little booklets was because they could share them with their family.  They were really proud of themselves.

There’s also a "Color Me" alphabet poster, which comes on a full page, as well as 2-on-a-page, and is the featured FREEBIE today.  Click on the link to grab your copy.

Children can color their poster all at once, or keep the poster in their writing journals, and color only the letters that they have studied & mastered. 

This is a wonderful visual way for kiddos to see how much they are learning in a short amount of time--a real self-esteem builder.

You can also use the poster to play an “I Spy a Letter” game.
Give children an M&M or other manipulative.
Call out a letter; children cover it with their playing piece.

You can see at a glance who is having difficulty, which makes this a quick, easy & fun way to whole group assess.

Click on the link to pop on over to my TpT shop for this latest Emergent Reader Dollar Deal.  While you're over there, I would so appreciate it if you'd follow me; you'll know when I post more Dollar Deals & FREEBIES that way. Thanks in advance. 

Well that's it for today. I need to get going on apple stuff before it's pumpkin time!  So LOVE fall.  Wishing you a day filled with giggles.

"In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures. For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed." -Khalil Gibran

1-2-3 Come Practice the "Owl-phabet" With Me

I’m delighted to post anotherDollar Deal from Diane.
This “owl-phabet” craftivity is a super-fun way for students to practice upper & lowercase letters .

Look closely at Ollie the owl’s eyes.  You will see an uppercase letter in one, and a lowercase letter in the other.  Ollie is one of my "Turn & Learn” alphabet wheels.

Play "I Spy” a letter & have children turn the "eye wheels" 'til they've found both.

They hold their owl in the air, and you can see at a glance who is having difficulty.

You can also play “Whoooo has a clue?” Call on a child to choose a letter, then give 3 clues to the class. For example: “My letter is a vowel; it comes before P and after N. What’s the ”mystery letter?”

Children turn the owl’s “eyes” ’til they’ve found it. “Whoooo was the first? Is that person correct?”

I've also included a few owl-themed worksheets and a "color me" bookmark in the packet.

Besides playing games with Ollie, use it as a non-threatening way to assess.

Turn Ollie into an “Owl” miss you!” activity at the end of the year, so that students can review letters over the summer, lest they forget all you’ve crammed into their heads.

For a quick & easy way to make the letter “windows” in the eye, I used a circle paper punch. 

I set Ollie up as a center/station activity that children get to do after they have completed their morning table top work. 

All of the pieces and parts are on a table, with a variety of colors to choose from.  They pick out their parts & return to their desks to put Ollie together. 

You can also do this as a whole-group "monkey see-monkey do" activity, where you demonstrate the assembly step-by-step & children copy what you are doing. 

Click on the link to pop on over to my TpT shop to grab Ollie for just a dollar.  I hope your kiddos enjoy their owl-phabet pal as much as mine did. 

The featured FREEBIE for today is a set of owl alphabet cards.  Click on the link to get your set today.  There are 3 sets in the packet. Owls showing both the upper & lowercase letters, as well as separate sets of each, so that you can play Memory Match, Speed, and "I Have; Who Has?" games. 

Well that's it for now. Thanks for visiting.  It's still chilly out, so time to grab my jacket and take my poodle pup Chloe for a walk. 

Right now she's asleep under my desk.  Maybe she thinks it's a bit too nippy today too. 

"I  don't know what my path is yet.  I'm just walking on it." - Olivia Newton-John

1-2-3 Come Do Some Alphabet and Number Activities With Me

Amy, from Kentucky, asked if I was going to do a Kissing Hand -Themed activity packet for the alphabet, or one for counting & numbers that would match the trio that I posted this past week.   Like me, she likes to teach a variety of standards using a theme. 

I actually had one in the works, which includes both, and just finished it today!  Woo hoo. This ABC-123, raccoon-themed packet, matches the other 3 “Kissing Hand” inspired packets: Literacy,  Shapes &  Where’s the Raccoon?

The ABC-123 includes the following:

3 sets of letter cards: uppercase, lowercase, & both UC & LC on one card, so you can play all sorts of games like Memory Match, “I Have; Who Has?”, Kaboom & Speed. I’ve included a 4-page tip list of ideas & directions.

An accordion-fold out, “trace the letters” booklet.

0-10, number & number word pocket chart cards, with a matching poster.

9 number puzzles (color + black & white) to practice numbers 1-10, counting backwards from 10-1, as well as skip counting by 10s to 100.

Use for an independent center & games. Run off the black line ones for children to color, cut & make their own number puzzle.

Counting Kisses 0-10 poster, with a matching worksheet & game cards.
An accordion-fold out Counting Kisses booklet.

Large (8x10) Counting Kisses poster cards for numbers 0-10, with a matching set of 5x7 cards. Use as anchor chart posters & flash cards.
A matching booklet for students. They glue on the appropriate number of kiss “stickers”.

5 number worksheets.
2 roll & color games. You can also use these as “I Spy” game worksheets.

A letter poster showing the arrow directions to write letters, with a matching worksheet, along with 5 other alphabet worksheets.

2 “I Spy A Letter” game sheets for whole-group assessing upper & lowercase letters, with a recording sheet.

A raccoon “slider” craftivity for upper & lowercase letters, numbers 1-20, counting backwards from 10-0 & 20-0; plus slider strips for skip counting by 2s, 3s, 5s, & 10s. A quick, easy & fun way to whole group assess. Includes an assessment sheet.

Upper & lowercase assessment mats & recording sheets, along with a set of upper & lowercase Kissing Hand letter cards, and an alphabet matching game.

Click on the link to pop on over to my TpT shop to take a peek at my newest Kissing Hand packet: ABCs & 123s.

However, since many teachers offer a bundle to give you added savings, I combined this new ABC-123 packet, with the Shape & "Where's the Raccoon?" packets.

You'll save $3 by buying the bundle, as this 247-page whopper, is only $10.95.  Click on the link to pop on over to my TpT shop to check it out: Kissing Hand Bundle.

And now for today's featured FREEBIE: A "Dear Students..." poster.  Perfect for back to school. Click on the link to grab it.

Well that's it for today.  It's super-hot and muggy here in my little corner of the world. 

Yuk! Humidity really zaps my energy, so it's time to escape for a dip in the the pool.  Wishing you a refreshing day filled with Ahhhhh moments.

"The man who is swimming against the stream knows the strength of it." -Woodrow Wilson

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

Every year I had at least 3 or more kiddos that consistantly reversed the letters b and d.  Most of the other children, at one time or another, had also been a bit confused with these similar-looking letters; many had to pause and think about which was which, before they wrote.

Because of that, I taught b and d together when we worked on letter of the week.  All they needed was a little tip or trick that they could remember and the confusion ended.  With that in mind I designed a jumbo Taking the Confusion Out Of b & d packet. 

I'm beyond relieved that it's done, as it took a zillion hours of research and work. 

Like most of my projects, I started out designing a "few posters" and things morphed into so much more; a few hours turned into an entire week! 

I really hope you find it beneficial.  I know in my heart that your kiddos will enjoy the projects.

I truly believe the more you immerse children in a variety of engaging letter activities, the easier it is for them to learn, as well as differentiate.

The packet is chock full of  a huge variety of all sorts of different, interesting and fun activities: worksheets, games, posters, tips, craftivities, graphs, assessments, stories, songs, emergent readers, puzzles; and even a maze, Venn diagram, some graphic organizers and a nursery rhyme thrown in!

Select what’s appropriate for your kiddos to use for: table top lessons, homework, partner play, games, a sub folder, early finishers, assessing, or centers. 

Many completed activities make awesome bulletin board displays as well.  

I think I’ve stuffed just about everything you’ll ever need, for helping students to differentiate between the lowercase letters b and d, with plenty left over to use for your individual letter of the day/week activities.

Whether it’s a “bat and ball”, “bunny and dog”, “drum and stick”, “dish and spoon”, “handy hands”, “bulldog”, “baby b & daddy D”, a “closed and open mouth”, “Here’s looking at you”, or a “doorknob and door”, one will click for your kiddos, and I’ve included all of them in this packet.  

To help further reinforce the memory tactic,  for every tip-trick, there’s a poster, as well as matching worksheets and activities.

So that you can reinforce more than one standard, math skills like counting, adding, subtracting, greater & less than, as well as graphing, shapes andtally marks, are all incorporated in some of the activities and worksheets.

Because the world is not made up entirely of “Times New Roman”, a variety of fun fonts are incorporated  as well.  

I have so many "favorites" in this packet, but one of the things I really enjoyed dreaming up, was the silly "b is for bubble gum" and "d is for Doofus the dog" stories. I hope they make you smile.

To conserve paper and ink, I also designed many of the worksheets with two, even 3 on a page.  Click on the link to pop on over to my TpT shop, and arm yourself with an arsenal of creative and fun ways, to end the confusion of b & d.  

Because the initial packet got so big, my husband thought I should divide it into two, not an easy task, but worth doing.  The best deal is to buy the "Bundle" which includes both packets and is a whopping 294 pages long!  You save $4 by doing this, as it's just $9.95.

As always, I have some FREEBIES for you too.  I selected my 7 original tip posters, for taking the confusion out of b & d and included those in a mini packet.  Click on the link to grab it.

I introduce "Pinch & Pokes" as well as "Rip & Tears", in the jumbo b & d packet as well.  They are a great way to strengthen finger and hand muscles, so important in pre-writing.  My Y5's and kinders absolutely LOVED doing them!

Completed R & T's make awesome bulletin board displays too.  Click on the link to get your FREE 34-page upper and lowercase letter packet and let the muscle building begin.  

That's it for today.  Thanks for stopping by.  I have a zillion "I want to make this" piles on my desk, so it's time to get down to business. 

However, the summer sunshine is calling me, via the beautiful breeze coming through my office window; so perhaps a walk with Chloe, my poodle pup, might come first.  Is summer going way too fast for anyone else out there?

1-2-3 Come Make An Alphabet Paperclip Pal With Me

One summer I was attaching an upper & lowercase letter bookmark to my open house packet. As I slipped the paperclip over the bookmark, I saw the possibilities of children sliding the paperclip across the bookmark to "frame" a particular set of letters.

Thus, 14 years ago, the Paperclip Alphabet Pal was born.  I have since updated "Willie the Worm", and designed 37 Paperclip Pals for my latest alphabet packet. 

I hope your kiddos have as much fun with their alpha-pal bookmarks, as I did designing the assortment. They are a super-fun way for your kiddos to practice recognizing upper and lowercase letters.

Choose a pal that fits your needs or theme.  Run it off on construction paper or card stock and trim. 

Students add some color with crayons or markers. For some of the pals they also cut and glue.

Pass out large paperclips. Students attach it to their "bookmark".

Play “I Spy" with them by calling out a letter.  Children manipulate the paperclip, sliding it over the letters ’til they find the appropriate one.  The upper and lowercase letters should be peeking through the “window” of the paperclip.

Paperclip Alphabet Pals are a quick, easy and interesting way to whole group assess as well.  After a letter is called and found, students raise their bookmark in the air.  You can see at a glance who is having difficulty.  

I’ve included a recording sheet for this, as well as an assessment.  Later, you can work one-on-one with struggling students to individually assess all of the letters, pinpointing specific problems.

Children can also partner up and play the I Spy game together. 

By having made notes with the whole group game, you can now put a stronger child together with a struggling one.

Use the Paperclip Pal for spelling too. Little ones can practice spelling their names, while older students can practice a spelling list with a partner.

Manipulating a paperclip by pinching and moving it, provides good practice to help strengthen finger muscles, which will improve coordination and dexterity so important for pre-writing.

There are 37 Paperclip Alphabet Pals to choose from.  You can run them off and give students a choice, or choose one that’s appropriate for a particular season or theme.

They come in full color as well as black and white.  I made colorful ones, so that you can give them as a little gift for the first day of school. These can be laminated then trimmed.

Later, pick something different, and have children make one of their own.

There’s also an assortment for Halloween and Valentine’s Day, so that you can pass them out as gifts or prizes to celebrate those holidays, plus an elf-themed one you can give as a special surprise, if you do Elf on a Shelf activities.   

I’ve also included a blank one so that children can design their own, or have them glue their school photo at the top to make a special keepsake.

For additional practice, students can make an extra one to keep at home .  I’ve included a note home explaining this, as well as a recording sheet, plus a classroom chart and certificate of praise.

Ten worksheets also provide additional practice. 

The tongue-twisting, Paperclip Alphabet Pal Packet, is a whopping 86-pages long and just $3.95 in my TpT shop.  Click on the link to pop on over. 

As always, I have a FREEBIE for you from the packet. Besides practicing letters with a Paperclip Bookmark Pal, I also designed two "Color me" alphabet mats.

You can use these as homework, anchor charts, student-made posters, table top worksheets, something for early finishers, or a tool for individually & whole group assessing.

Play an "I Spy" game with them and have students cover the called out letter with a paperclip; or run them off and tuck them in your sub folder. Click on the link to grab a copy.

That's it for now.  Thanks for stopping by.  It's really hot today (pushing 90) so I think I'll stay put and chill in the comfort of my air conditioned office, "playing" with my school supplies designing more fun stuff, as I listen to the relaxing sounds of the surf.

 "Summer has filled her veins with light and her heart is washed with noon." - C. Day Lewis

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

Woo hoo!  I just finished another alphabet-themed packet.  This one features alphabet wheels, and is chock full of activities, worksheets, assessments, games, goodies and fun!

It's a whopping 190 pages long!  I never set out to create anything more than 20-30 pages, but then I get on a roll, and one thing leads to another, 'til I finally have to say that's it, and endeavor to turn the creative juices off.

I'm relieved to get it done, as the "Turn While You Learn" picture wheels, nearly drove me insane.

Lots of tweaking to get the layout just right, so that the letter, as well as the matching picture would show up in the middle of the appropriate window.

I have 3 FREEBIES from the packet that I'm offering in this blog, as I tell you a bit about my latest labor of love. 

Alphabet wheels are that "something different" that will get your kiddos excited about learning to recognize letters.  The wheels have been around in some form since the 70's, when I made my first one in college for a methods class.

They are a super-fun way to whole group or individually assess a variety of alphabet standards. I've designed my alphabet wheels so that your kiddos can practice uppercase letters or lowercase letters by using an apple "pointer" that's attached to the center of the wheel. 

They can also match the lowercase letter to the uppercase letter using two wheels.  Finally, children can match a picture to a lower or uppercase letter, to practice letter sounds, as well as words that begin with that letter.

Make a "triple wheel" by combining all of the wheels, so you can practice all three alphabet skills.

There are 5 large picture wheels all with different pictures to better increase vocabulary and letter-to-word association.  (Color plus black & white).

I've included directions for whole group assessing with the alphabet wheels, an assessment recording sheet, plus a note home to parents, enlisting their help for a struggling child.

Besides these items, the packet also includes the following:

An Alphabet Poster Game, with 20-template options, including pictures (black & white + color), words, uppercase letters and lowercase letters.

• A large Uppercase Letter Wheel
• A large “Trace & Write” Uppercase Letter Wheel
• A large blank wheel, so students can write their own letters, and/or draw their own pictures, along with 7 lowercase wheels to choose from, including a lowercase one that is scrambled and not in alphabetical order, which is great for assessing. They all have matching “Trace & Write” worksheets.

There's an alphabet recording-sheet bookmark, 2 “Trace & Write” letter worksheets, and 4 “I Spy A Letter” game worksheets. (Great for whole-group assessing) Includes an assessment recording chart.

I designed the "I Spy" worksheets so that you can reuse them 6 times!

As a different way to practice, which strengthens finger muscles and improves dexterity, I designed a Clothespin clip apple center/station activity/game. Click on the link for this FREEBIE.

Since my kinders studied letters through November, I've also included a clothespin clip pumpkin game as well. Click on the link for FREEBIE #2.

As promised, the 3rd FREEBIE is a set of apple alphabet cards. 

There are 3 full-color sets: uppercase, lowercase, & both (Aa), with a 4-page tip list of how to use the cards. Includes a blank (black and white) template, so students can make their own, as well as the "Kaboom" game.

There are 3 other games as well:

The “Spin & Win Wheel Fun” game, is an independent-worksheet, that uses a paperclip and a pencil to make a spinner.  It's a "no-prep" print and go activity.

“The Wheel Deal” Wagon wheel worksheet game, is played 4 times with various partners.

The “Wheeler Dealer What’s the Word?” game, is played in teams and reinforces letter recognition, beginning sounds, sight words and spelling. 

It includes 182-pocket chart word cards that match all of the pictures for all of the wheels.

Finally, there are bookmarks, certificates of praise, and award ribbons, to use as incentives or "paper prizes" for the games or whatever. Click on the link to pop on over to my TpT shop to take a look. 

That's it for today.  I hope you can pop by tomorrow for more goodies and another FREEBIE. It's a gorgeous sunshine-filled morning.

The birds are singing a serenade and the bulldozer next door is adding to the summer symphony.  Wishing you a beautiful day.

"Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time. " -John Lubbock

1-2-3 Come Do Some Animal-Themed Alphabet Activities With Me

Summer's a great time to visit the zoo.  It was also my favorite field trip with my first graders.  With fond memories of special animals and outings, I decided to design some animal-themed alphabet activities. 

Woo hoo! After an entire week of "playing", I just finished my  "Wild About the Alphabet" packet. Animals are a hot-button for children, so I think these will grab their attention and keep them focused.

Whether assessing to see where your kiddos are at for the beginning of the school year, or learning and practicing upper and lowercase letters throughout the year, I think you'll find some unique and useful activities here.

The packet includes the following:

An ABC Emergent Reader: “My Animal Alphabet Booklet” (Black & white plus color copies). Students read, write, trace & color.

ABC Cards: There are 5 different sets in various sizes for upper and lowercase letters; in color plus black and white, with blank templates to program with whatever.

Word Cards: Since part of learning the alphabet, is associating the letters with sounds and words, I've also included 26, mini-animal word cards, that match the emergent reader booklet, plus 26 more, with additional animals that include those on the Dolch noun list.

8 Games: "Mischievous Monkeys" a wall-display game; "Monkey Business" a hidden-letter game; "I Spy!" plus "Feed the Alpha-gator and Lion" game.

Along with a 4-page tip list to explain the card games: Memory Match, I Have; Who Has?, Kaboom, Speed and What's Missing. 

2 Center/Station Activities: Animal-print, strip puzzles for the uppercase letters, plus a Clothespin Clip game.

23 Worksheets for both upper and lowercase letters. "Monkey Mess", "Zooey Zoo", and "Bonkers Barnyard"  to name a few, which include colorful answer keys. 

I've included "trace & writes", "missing letters", matching, word finds, a Venn diagram, scrambled words, alphabetical order, a poem, Elkonin boxes, plus "cut & glue".

3 Craftivities: Gg Is For Giraffe Letter Slider, which can also be used as a fun way to whole-group assess.

Animal-Print Initials, (Make extra strips out of the animal-print paper:snake, leopard, zebra, giraffe, alligator & tiger used for the puzzle center.)

Children create their first initial to make a personal letter puzzle, or glue the strips down. 

For that finishing touch, add their school photo and make a "Wild About Kids, Learning & Letters" bulletin board.

"Feed the Animal" Kleenex-box craft.  I've included black and white templates for both the lion & alpha-gator.

As well as the B&W alphabet cards, (snack crackers), so that children can make their own "Hungry for the Alphabet" game, for a fun way to practice at home. 

10 Posters: Color, plus black & white. Use the B&W ones, as worksheets.

There are also 26-large, uppercase, animal-print letter posters, to use in your puzzle center for little ones to lay the strips on.  These also make fun flashcards or anchor charts as well.

6 Assessments with recording sheets, so you can assess: uppercase, lowercase, sounds, &letter formation.

I've also included a quick & easy "note home to parents", with assessment results, which identifies letter difficulties, and enlists their assistance.

3 Bookmarks: Color, plus black & white. Use as a reference, reward or mini assessment tool.

2 Certificates of Praise: Black & white, plus color for upper & lowercase letters.

As always, there are also directions, samples and photographs.

You can see, I've packed in a little bit of everything you need to help make learning the alphabet less tedious and more fun. 

This big boy is a whopping 200-pages long and just $7.95 in my TpT store.  I truly enjoyed every minute of the zillion hours of work that went into it. Click on the link to pop on over. 

I haven't forgotten the FREEBIES either. You can get a color copy of the Animal Alphabet emergent reader, plus the matching poster, by clicking on the link.  

Can't visit a zoo? I've also put together another FREEBIE: A  Virtual Zoo Field Trip packet, click on the link to grab a copy and let the "ed-ventures" begin.

Well that's it for today.  Doing the happy dance that I finally finished this whopper, and can concentrate on knocking off some much smaller back-to-school projects.  Wishing you a carefree day.

 "Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened." -Anatole France

1-2-3 Come Do Some Alphabet Activities With Me!

Woo hoo!  I just finished my latest creation.  As usual, it took way more time than I expected (2 weeks worth of work)!   

Whether assessing to see where your kiddos are at for the beginning of the school year, or helping children learn and practice upper and lowercase letters of the alphabet throughout the year, you'll find this a fun-filled packet, with some unique alphabet activities your students are sure to enjoy. 

I'm featuring some FREEBIES from the packet in today's blog, and hope you find them useful.

My kiddos LOVE making "Itty Bitty" booklets that are just the right size for little ones.  I've added a new "twist" to these mini "flip booklets" by having students cut the "covers" on the dashed line, so that the booklet is like a puzzle.  This feature allows you to do a variety of things with them.  I've also included full color templates, as well as a set in black and white for even more options.

Here are some ideas for the colored patterns: Laminate, trim and collate into a teacher’s copy of the alphabet booklet. For an independent center activity, make an extra set to use as puzzles. 

Print off two more sets using white copy paper, as well as beige to make two sets of a Memory Match game.  I find that it’s less frustrating, and takes less time, if the uppercase letters are on a different color than the lowercase ones.  Children then flip over one of each color.

For a whole-group game, pass out all of the cards.  Children sit in a circle on the floor. Play “I Have; Who Has?”  For example, the child with the uppercase letter A starts the game.  “I have uppercase letter A.  Who has the matching lowercase letter?”  This is a quick, easy and fun way to practice and review.

Ideas for the black and white set of cards:  Do as separate mini puzzle booklets, or have students save each one that they complete to later make one big ABC booklet: Print off the 1st page. (Aa-Ee) picture cards, as well as the matching trace and write page.   Give a copy to each child. Students work on one letter each day/week, however you teach the alphabet. 

When you are on the letter Zz, pass out the cover page as well.  Students cut and collate their flip booklets, cutting the picture pages on the dashed lines so that their booklets “flip open” from the center, to reveal the writing underneath.  

Besides having each child make their own alphabet flip booklet, later in the year, assign one page to each student, collect, and collate for an additional, student-made copy of the booklet for your classroom library.

Games are also an interesting and fun way to get children excited about practicing letters.  There are  three ways to play the full-color “Cover Me Quilt” game: cover the uppercase letters on the quilt with the lowercase tiles, or use the picture tiles, or the word tiles.  I store everything in a Ziploc Baggie and set this up as an independent center.

I've also included a "Cover Me" game in black & white, so that each of your students can make a matching game of their own.  This is a great home-school connection that provides more practice, and is especially beneficial for kiddos who are struggling. 

There's an alphabet poster that can double as a game as well.  Hang up the full-color ABC poster as an anchor chart, make another copy to use for a center.

Students can match the word cards to the poster.  These also work for Memory Match and "I Have; Who Has?" games.  Use the black and white patterns as worksheets.  Students can also design their own alphabet poster using the blank template. 

Need some "table top" or "morning work"? The packet has a nice variety of 14 worksheets to help practice both upper and lowercase letters.

To help build vocabulary, at the same time teaching alphabetical order, I have my kiddos make a dictionary of words. 

There are 10 cover options in the packet, along with pages for each letter. (Two on a page for quick printing.)

The packet also has a variety of unique ways to assess your kiddos that are simple for you and fun for them. "I Spy a Letter" is one of my Y5's favorites, and perfect for whole-group assessing. 

They also enjoy making ABC "sliders" which serve as an interesting way to assess at a glance. Besides the assessments, I've also included recording sheets for assessing uppercase letters, lowercase letters, letter sounds, word examples, as well as assessments for letter formation.

After children have passed an assessment, reward them with a certificate of praise or ABC bookmark. As you can see, I've included a little bit of everything.  

This Alphabet Activities packet is a whopping 121 pages long and just $5.95 in my TpT shop.  Click on the link to pop on over. As promised, there are FREEBIES! Today, I have two for you that are from this packet.

Do you need some letter tiles, so that your kiddos can cut and glue them to make words or play games with? The packet includes both upper and lowercase ones in 4 different sizes.  From one set on a page to 8 sets.

Simply print, laminate and trim to use for Daily 5 or other word work activities or to use in centers and for games. This  Letter Tile freebie, includes a 4-page tip list, filled with ideas and games to use the letter tiles for.  Click on the link to grab your copy.  

The other FREEBIE revolves around a set of posters. Use these alphabet anchor charts to help students remember and recognize  lowercase letters, by pointing out their differences, as the letters are grouped into 3 catergories.  

For more practice, I've included two worksheets, along with a Venn diagram. Have students choose 2 letters from 2 of the categories and graphically compare and contrast them using the Venn diagram. Click on the link to view/download these freebies.

That's it for today; time to play.  The lovely, 70 degree sunshine-filled afternoon, is calling me.  Wishing you and yours a wonderful weekend.

 "Dictionary - opinion expressed as truth in alphabetical order." -John Ralston Saul

1-2-3 Come Practice, Review and Assess With a Bunny and Me

Spring has sprung and it's time to review some of those Common Core Standards you've been teaching all year. 

Sigh.... as we all know, just because our little ones passed an assessment months ago, if we didn't continue to practice it throughout the year, sadly, a few of them did not retain that information.

With that in mind, I designed the very versatile  "I'm All Ears" game packet that will make reviewing a variety of standards quick, easy and fun. 

I don't know about your kiddos, but I've found that if I make a game for anything, I've grabbed my Y5's attention and can easily have them focused for a nice chunk of time.

Use the large and small bunny for a center activity, assessment, or game.  Run off the large and small bunny heads on ivory construction paper; laminate and trim.

Program large and small craft sticks with whatever you'd like to reinforce.  Keep each set in their own Baggie. 

I've included a list of synonyms/antonyms and a list of contractions so you can easily program the bunny ears with words that fit your age group.  

Here are some ideas:

• uppercase-lowercase letters
• number-number word
• number-group/set
• contraction-words that make up the contraction
• synonyms and antonyms
• equation-answer
• color-color word
• shape-shape word
• 2 words-compound word
• singular-plural
• long or short vowel sound to a matching word example

As you can see the possibilities are endless!  I hope this makes those end of the year reviews a bit more fun and less tedious.  Click on the link for the "I'm All Ears" For Common Core Bunny Game Packet

Thanks for visiting.  It's hard to believe that the school year is almost at an end.  Aprill and May months always seemed to simply fly, as there was so much to cram into the limited time I had left. 

My timer's ringing, so I'd better check the "No Peek Chicken".  It's one of my favorite recipes and smells delicious.  Wishing you a carefree day.

"Sweet April showers do spring May flowers!" -Thomas Tusser