1-2-3 Come Make Some Number Puzzles With Me

Learning to count can be tedious and a bit overwhelming for little ones.  If that isn't a big enough job, learning to count backwards, as well as skip count are also standards.

With this in mind, I designed number "strip" puzzles.  I call them that because I cut the puzzles into strips.

Number puzzles provide a quick, easy and fun way to help students practice counting & sequencing numbers from 1-10, and counting backwards from 10 to 1, as well as skip counting by 2s & 10s, plus my Y5s absolutely LOVE them.  

I usually make the puzzles on a full sheet of paper.  Some are vertical, while other designs are horizontal. I decided to make an apple and pumpkin "shape" strip puzzle for those units.

Simply run the templates off on red and orange paper.
Choose the number puzzle that best fits your needs, or give students a choice.

For a cool mosaic effect, children trim and glue to another sheet of paper after they have traced the numbers. 

I chose black to make the puzzle pop. Remind students to leave a small gap in-between each puzzle strip. To make it more of a keepsake, have students make a green hand print leaf.

Completed projects make an interesting fall bulletin board.
Laminate an extra set of all 8 puzzles, to use for an independent math center or for "early finishers". 

Click on the link to zip on over to my TpT shop to have a look: Apple & Pumpkin Number Puzzles.

The featured FREEBIE today is a Halloween crayon resist watercolor activity.  There are 5 patterns to choose from, with directions how to set things up. 

Children pick a picture and color it.  Remind them to press hard, and really fill it in. Afterwards, they paint over the entire picture with watercolors.  The waxy build up creates an awesome effect. 

Well that's it for today.  Thanks for popping in.  I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed and creatively crazy at the moment, as October is filled with so many super-fun themes: fire safety, spiders, bats, scarecrows and Halloween. 

I have a zillion ideas buzzing in my head, and as many projects started or in the rough draft stage.  Hmmmm ... What shall I work on today?  Wishing you a happy and productive day doing things that you truly enjoy.  

"In crafting there are no mistakes, just unique creations." -Unknown

1-2-3 Come Sing and Learn With Me

Do you sing “5 Little Apples In an Apple Tree” during fall?  It’s one of my kiddos favorites, and a great way to practice all sorts of math skills! 

They especially enjoy the fingerplays I've added, and like it so much, we continue to sing 5 Little Apples through November, as we add other songs to our autumn repertoire.

I added an extra stanza to the end. I figured if a child ate 5 apples, especially green ones, they'd probably end up with a tummy ache; thus the line: "Did I eat 5 apples without a break? Uh oh! Tummy ache."

Besides singing the song, I wanted to do some follow up activities that would also reinforce a variety of standards, so I designed the 5 Little Apples Activities packet. 

I think you’ll really like the versatility, as it’s appropriate for PK-1st and especially helpful for ESL children.  Simply pick & choose what’s right for your group.

The packet includes :

* An emergent reader, which includes a full-color copy for teachers, as well as a black & white one for your students.

Children read the repetitive sentences, trace & write the number & number word, then draw that many apples on their tree. 

To make this a sweet keepsake, I have my kiddos press their index finger on their choice of a red, yellow or green stamp pad, to make their apples. 

If you like that idea too, you'll want to include the optional last page:

* I've also included a set of Pocket chart cards. As you read the poem-chant with your kiddos, you can take an apple away.

Continue reading by simply changing the 2 cards that have a number on them.

To reinforce subtraction with my kiddos, I have them hold up a "high five" hand. 

As apples fall we "fold" one of our fingers down. 

I say: "5 apples were on the tree.  One fell down; that left..." They say and show me 4.

* There's also a variety of Games:Memory Match, I Spy, Where's Wiggles? ( which practices ordinal numbers as well as spatial directions), plus I Have-Who Has?; Speed, Kaboom & an Apples on a Roll (dice game).

* Some posters, including photographs of real apples.
* Math-related worksheets with the 5 Little Apples theme. 

Pick the level that's appropriate for your kiddos.

* My personal favorite, is an apple slider craftivity, with two options: a simple slider with numbers from 1-5 for PK kiddos, as well as one that skip counts by 5s.

* The number puzzles are also suitable for different ages and levels.

I hope your kiddos enjoy this song-poem as much as mine do. As you can see, it’s a quick, easy and fun way to cover all sorts of standards. 

Click on the link to pop on over to my TpT shop to have a look see at this 57-pager that's chock full of fun, and only $3.50: 5 Little Apples Activities

The featured FREEBIE today, is a quick, easy and fun way to learn more about your students, as they practice their address, which I think is extremely important, and fits right in with our Fire Safety activities this month. 

Click on the link for the "My Home" writing prompt craftivity.  Completed projects make an adorable "Our Classroom Neighborhood" bulletin board too.  

Well that's it for today.  I'm anxious to start designing other fire safety stuff, plus pumpkin and scarecrow activities!

Be sure and pop back tomorrow to see what I got accomplished. For now, it's time for a computer break to decorate my house for fall, before Halloween has come and gone! Wishing you a weekend filled with super-fun autumn activities.

"Let your life lightly dance on the edges of time, like dew on the tip of a leaf." - Rabindranath Tagore

1-2-3 Come Do Some 4 Seasons-Apple Activities With Me

My apple studies spill into October because of our big Harvest Theme going on. 

With all of the rules, “getting to know” you activities, and assessing where my kiddos are at, I simply don’t have enough time in September, to get to all of the interesting apple science I have planned because we don't start school 'til after Labor Day. 

So my super-fun apple activities, simply flow into October, along with my other harvest themes: pumpkins and scarecrows.

October is also the perfect time to learn about the seasons because my students can definitely see lots of changes going on outside.

With that in mind, I designed the Seasons of my Apple Tree packet.

It’s chock full of all sorts of fun activities that reinforce a variety of standards.

I introduce these lessons by reading The Season’s of Arnold’s Apple Tree, by Gail Gibbons.

The packet includes:

* An emergent reader booklet, which includes 36 Dolch sight words!
* There’s 6-mini pages on a one-page template, for a “just the right size” Itty Bitty booklet, which saves on paper & printing.

* I’ve included an emergent reader in full-color for teachers, as well as black & white for your students.

* There’s an optional last page, so you can Segway into graphing a favorite season, as well as a favorite color apple.

* My personal favorite, is an adorable keepsake 4-seasons tree.

* You can either have children trace their hand and arm, to make the branches and trunk of the tree, or print off my pattern.

It's one of my kiddos' favorite counting-subtraction songs.  For that finishing touch, add a child's photo to the hollow of the trunk.

* The packet also includes posters, some of which are beautiful photographs of apple trees during the 4 seasons.

* I live in Michigan, which is a huge apple growing state, so there are plenty of places you can see orchards.

Use the pictures as posters, a bulletin board display, or simply share with your students before or after reading apple stories.

* I've also included worksheets, & pocket chart cards.

One of the worksheets gives your kiddos some scissor practice, as they cut and glue the appropriate items for each season to tree branches. 

You can keep it as a one-page worksheet, or get in some more scissor practice and have your kiddos cut the 4 pages, collate, and staple together to make another Itty Bitty booklet. 

There's also a matching set of game cards, so you can play Memory Match and "I Have; Who Has?" games.

Besides games, I also designed matching seasonal puzzles that reinforce counting from 1-10, counting backwards from 10-1, as well as skip counting by 2s and 10s.

* The puzzles come in full color, so you can use them for an independent math center, as well as black and white, so kiddos can color, cut and make their own puzzle. 

Click on the link to zip on over to my TpT shop to have a look see. The packet is a whopping 83-pages and just $3.95: Seasons Of My Apple Tree activity packet.

To be sure you get all of the FREEBIES, news of sales, Diane's Dollar Deals and new stuff, be sure and click the "Follow Me" button.  Thanks in advance! 

 

Speaking of FREEBIES, I have two for you today.  They both come from the packet.

The first one is a set of the 4 seasons of my apple tree poster, in color as well as black and white. 

I've also included a mini 5x7 poster to save on printing and paper. Click on the link to grab your FREEBIE today.

 

The other free item is the "Label the apple tree" poster, with a matching "cut & glue" worksheet. Click on the photo or link to zip on over to get it.

Well that's it for today.  My grandchildren are coming over and we're going to decorate the house for fall. 

I so enjoy doing that, especially with little ones to help energize me with their excitement.  

Wishing you a love-filled day.

 "Grandchildren are the dots that connect the lines from generation to generation." -Lois Wyse

I know I'm late in posting this, as September has gone by faster than its usual speed of light for me, but I wanted to finish up with apples, before I move on to other fall-themed units.

I figure apples fit well with my harvest theme for October, so I usually throw in a few extra apple activities that I didn't have time to cover earlier. It's also great to compare and contrast apples with pumpkins too. 

Any hoo, I had so much fun redesigning two of my all-time favorite life cycle of an apple crafts, and tossing in an emergent reader to round out the activities in my latest fall packet: Life Cycle of an Apple Activities.

I think you’ll love the versatility, as it’s appropriate for a variety of ages and levels, with lots of options.

The Life Cycle of an Apple emergent reader, is great non-fiction practice that reinforces plenty of sight words, as it includes 31 from the Dolch word lists!
Picture prompts help with the other words.

I’ve included a color copy for teachers, as well as a student copy in black & white.

Children trace and write the life cycle words, read the simple sentences, color the pictures, then cut & collate the pages into a “just the right size” booklet.

There’s a template with 6 on a page, as well as one with 12 mini-pages on a one-page template, so that you have the option to make Itty Bitty booklets, that are a real paper-saver.

To assist with reading, review the life cycle of an apple, with the 8 colorful pocket chart cards.

I also made a bookmark-size template for your students.

The 2 apple craftivities also reinforce the life cycle. Nothing like a hands-on artsy activity to get your kiddos excited.

I’ve included a simple 4-section life cycle, as well as a more detailed one, with 7 sections. I feature both options in the photographs.

Completed projects look awesome dangling from the ceiling, as there is a front & back for each project.

Choose either the apple with a sweet fingerprint poem, or the equally adorable apple pie.  Here's the poem:

"There's a star inside my apple!  It's a miracle indeed, that a sweet and yummy apple was once a little seed. This one is extra special.  It's made with TLC.  The seeds are from my fingerprints, as you can plainly see."

I made the leaf 3D by folding an extra one in half then gluing it to the flat one. For that finishing touch, have students glue their school photo on the leaf. 

The life cycle of an apple, on a small paper plate, covered with aluminum foil, also turned out really cute. I spritzed ours with apple-cinnamon air freshener! Our room smells fabulous! 

The back of the "pie" has the life cycle, and the front features the "Life Cycle of an Apple" title circle.  Since the apples end up in a pie, I thought I'd dangle a slice "Oh my! Apple pie." to complete the cycle. 

I hope your kiddos enjoy doing these activities as much as mine did. An added bonus, is the wonderful compliments you’ll get from appreciative parents, who’ll love this special keepsake!

Click on the link to pop on over to my little TpT shop to take a peek at this 33-pager: Life Cycle of an Apple Activities packet. 

While you're there, I'd so appreciate it if you'd click on the "Follow Me" button; then you'll know when I post Diane's Dollar Deals, new stuff, and FREEBIES too.

Speaking of FREEBIES, today's featured free item, is a fall-themed "Shapely Graphing" packet.  Reinforce graphing, shapes and colors all in one worksheet!  Can I get an Amen!?

The teacher's answer keys are in full color to save you a ton of time, while the student worksheets are in black and white.

It's the newest FREEBIE in my store; I thought it fit the blog today because it has an apple graph, then slides us into the rest of my fall themes: pumpkins, leaves and spiders. Click on the link above to grab it.

Well that's it for today.  If March roars out like a lion or lamb, then September is bidding adieu like a beach ball. 

It's a beautiful sunny day in the 70's, and time to take my poodle pup, Chloe, for a much-needed trot around the block.  Wishing you a blessed week. 

"Designers want me to dress like spring, in billowing things.  I don't feel like spring.  I feel like a warm red autumn." -Marilyn Monroe

1-2-3 Come Teach The Parts Of An Apple With Me

Studying apples was one of my favorite themes for fall. My kiddos really enjoyed our first field trip to an apple orchard, where some of them tasted cider for the first time.

While there, the owner would explain the parts of an apple to us and how to appropriately pick them. 

I was always fascinated by the many different kinds they had growing in their orchard. Mrs. Cotant shared that the United States has over 7,500 varieties of apples! 

I have many favorite apple stories that I share with my students. It's the perfect time to give them a sampling of non-fiction material and plug in some science.

With that in mind, I designed the  Parts of an Apple emergent reader.

* This just the right size booklet, packs a big sight word punch, as I’ve included 58 words from the Dolch lists; picture clues help with the few that are not.

* There’s a full-color copy for teachers, as well as a black & white version for your kiddos.

Make an extra copy of the one in color to keep in your classroom library. 

The basket that was filled with our student-made emergent reader booklets, was always popular. My beginning readers enjoyed the feeling of success they had in reading the pages.

It really helped build their confidence & self-esteem.  I found that they were better "reading risk takers" later on, when they were sounding out and guessing new words in other books. 

* There are 2 size options to choose from. There's the 4-on-a-page size, or the 8-on-a-page pattern, so you can conserve paper by making Itty Bitty booklets.

* I’ve also included a set of 8 pocket chart cards. Use these to introduce the activity and remind students to use the picture clues while reading.  Make an extra set, cut them in half to make an independent puzzle center. 

The colorful anchor chart poster, that labels the parts of an apple is also helpful.

* To reinforce the parts of an apple further, I've included 3, black line worksheet options, for students to color and label.

PK kiddos can simply color theirs, older students can cut and glue the word labels to the appropriate sections, or write in the parts.

In celebration of fall, I've put the Parts of an Apple Emergent Reader Packet on sale for a limited time. It's just $2.95. Click on the link to pop on over to my TpT shop to have a look. 

The featured FREEBIE today is one of my favorite apple crafts.  It's quick, easy, super-fun and the results are truly lovely. Great fine motor practice too. Click on the link for the "Stained Glass" Tissue Paper Apple Craft.

Well that's it for today.  Thanks for stopping by.  All this talk of apples has made me hungry.  Time for a snack.  Wishing you a delicious day.

"Anyone can count the seeds in an apple, but only God can count the number of apples in a seed." -Robert H. Schuller

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

Yippie Skippie!  I just finished a brand new apple packet.  You will LOVE covering all sorts of standards, in one fell swoop of fun.

Make writing more interesting, by adding a bit of craftiness to students’ work, with one of 3 options to choose from. They both fit lots of levels & ages. 

One of my teacher friends is going to do 2; another is giving her kiddos a choice of all 3.

When you simply add a crafty aspect to writing, children are excited to get down to business, and give you better effort. Bonus: completed projects make an awesome easy-peasy bulletin board.

You can reinforce a variety of standards with these super-fun “apple sense” craftivities: practice descriptive writing, with the use of adjectives, while teaching the 5 senses, using an apple!

For more apple science, skip labeling an apple on a different worksheet. Instead, kiddos simply label their completed writing prompt!

Now that’s the time-saving I’m talking about; building vocabulary, reinforcing writing skills, & covering the 5 senses & apple science, all at the same time! Woo hoo!

The first "craftivity" features a top & bottom apple, with the core in the middle as the writing prompt.

For that finishing touch, add a school picture. For extra pizzazz, make the leaves 3D.

I've added a larger teacher template, plus a completed sample, so that you can quickly & easily make an example to share with your students to help explain what you want them to do. 

The other writing prompt craftivity is a "flip the flap" apple.

The "skin" is the outside that's slit up the middle, so that the flaps, flip open to reveal the inside "flesh" of the apple, with the finished writing prompt on it. 

I've also included a completed teacher sample for this project too. 

Finally, to simplify things, you can skip the flaps & have students just complete the prompt, then color their apple.

Personally, I love the addition of the flaps & I think your kiddos will too.

The packet also includes:

* A “parts of an apple” poster.

* A 5 senses poster
* A 5 senses worksheet

* An apple cider opinion writing prompt worksheet

* A “Definition of an adjective” poster &
* An adjective graphic organizer worksheet

* As always, directions, photographs & completed samples, so you can quickly & easily make an example of your own.

This 30-page, packet of fun, is just $2.95.  Click on the link to zip on over to my TpT shop to take a peek: Apple Sense Science & Writing Craftivities.

While you're there, I'd so appreciate it, if you'd follow me; that way you'll always know when I post new things, Dollar Deals & FREEBIES too.  

The featured FREEBIE today, is also an apple activity. I hope you find it useful.

In celebration of 600 TpT followers, here's a set of 7 apple-themed number puzzles. They reinforce numbers 1-10, as well as skip counting by 10s to 100. 

Well that's it for today.  Blogging took much longer than expected, so I'm bookin' outta here to get a zillion and one other things accomplished, before the weekend's over!

Wishing you a stress-free and relaxing afternoon, filled with all that makes you happiest. 

"Education is the most powerful weapon that you can use to change the world." -Nelson Mandella

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

I've created so many apple activities over the years that it was time to up-date and revamp some of my favorite ideas and toss them into Diane's Dollar Deals in my TpT shop.  I'm featuring two today, plus a FREEBIE. 

First up is the Magic Math Apple. It's a quick, easy & fun way to practice recognizing some of those big numbers that kiddos often trip over when learning how to write and count numbers.

Seeing them in proper sequence helps them wrap their head around a variety of math patterns, and is especially helpful to visual learners.

By doing this as a whole group activity, you can quickly & easily assess students’ knowledge of numbers, colors, & spatial direction words, as well as their ability to listen & follow directions.

This activity also builds vocabulary. I purposely used words like left, right, top, bottom, diagonal etc. to reinforce spatial directions.  To assist kiddos with the new words, I've provided full-page posters that you can refer to.

Ordinal numbers are also practiced, as well as colors.  I feel even young children can gain number sense by doing this as a "monkey see-monkey do” activity.

On your large teacher copy, you color in the number 14 box brown. Show it to your kiddos & they copy you.

I've included a full-size teacher's template for this.  There are 2-on-a-page, as well as 4-on-a-page number grid options for students.

Completed projects make a nice bulletin board. “We’re taking a bite out of number sense.” “Apple-icious math work.” or whatever...  Click on the link to pop on over to my TpT shop to grab this super-fun Dollar Deal: Math Magic Mystery Picture.

Next up is Willie the Wormy Alphabet Apple game.   He was one of my kiddos' favorite apple centers.

So that I didn't have to reinvent the wheel each year, and my centers were easy-peasy to set up, I try and create independent center/station activites that I can use every year. 

Designing them to go along with a theme, keeps them relevant, interesting and fresh. 

Willie took me less than an hour to make, and was so worth the effort, as he's a super-fun way for kiddos to practice matching upper & lowercase letters.  

Finally,the Melted Crayon Apple craft is a personal favorite, and today's featured FREEBIE.  Even though this craftivity is quick, easy & fun, it definitely has the "Wow!" factor.

"Apples can be red, yellow and green. These are the prettiest apples I've ever seen." is the little poem that's in the middle of the apple. 

There are several pattern options in the packet (a large, full-page teacher pattern, plus 2-on- a page for students, with and without the poem.

Using a crayon sharpener & broken, peeled crayons, have students "shave" separate piles of red, yellow & green shavings.  

They pinch a bit and then sprinkle the 3 colors on top of their apple cut out. Both of these activities, provide super, fine-motor skill practice, that helps strengthen those finger muscles.

Cover with a sheet of wax paper, press with a warm iron for a few seconds, then gently peel off the paper.

My kiddos often squealed with delight at how awesome their apple turned out.

Each one is different & completed projects make a lovely fall bulletin board. 

That's it for today.  Thanks for visiting.  I hope you can pop back tomorrow for a few more apple activities, then it's time to move on to scarecrows & pumpkins! 

I love all of the seasons, but I think fall is my favorite.  Wishing you a refreshing day.

 "The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

1-2-3 Come Do Some Crimping With Me

Crimping? What's crimping? It's a wonderful way to add that finishing touch to your students' crafts. Alicia, over at Jam Paper, contacted me and asked if I would be willing to design some sort of craft activity using their paper.   Of course! (They have "every color and every size!" including brown which is rather unusual and perfect for fall.)

I checked out their site and found that they also carried an awesome tool called a "corru-gator"  which crimps paper!  Well the creative juices kicked in and my brain went into over drive, with all of the fun things I could do with one. The more I pondered, the more excited I got.  I hope you will too. 

I chose the "wave" pattern for it's versatility. (One with straight lines, that crimps like corrugated cardboard, is also available.)  I'm sure scrapbookers are well aware of these fun gadgets, but I wanted to figure out ways a teacher could use one in the classroom. 

One of the reasons that this is great for school, is that it has a width of 8 1/2 inches, so it will fit a regular sheet of paper, (smaller sizes too) as well as card stock thickness, so you can add texture to just about any project.

The corru-gator is a safe and easy-to-use-tool even for little ones.  Inserting a sheet of paper and cranking the roller, is wonderful fine motor practice that is a super-fun way to strengthen finger muscles, which is so important for pre-writing skills and scissor cutting capability.

A child's excitement at seeing their finished project being cranked out, with a cool texured look, is priceless.  "Wow! Look what I made."  

Because students will want to add that "finishing touch" to whatever you deem appropriate, use the tool as an incentive to keep students focussed, by allowing them to use the crimper after they have completed their project. 

What kinds of projects? Oh the possibilities... Here are just a few that I thought of:

Students can crimp a file folder (portfolio) or pocket folder to keep their work in.  The "Flip For Facts" file folder activities that I've posted also look more interesting after they're crimped too.  Make sure you use plenty of glue on projects to be crimped and that they are completely dry.

Crimp shapes, letters and numbers to add a bit of pizzazz. Use Elison die cut letters and have students glue them together to make a name plate then crimp it, or simply have them write and color their names and then add the texture. 

When students make a special card for Christmas, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, or Father's Day, allow them to crimp it to add that "wow" factor or have them crimp the envelope for something different.

Crimp your plain colored bulletin board borders to add some 3D pop.  Have students design a bookmark and then crimp it. 

Crimp a writing prompt topper, or even the written page.  I crimped the entire haunted house 5 senses craftivity to add an extra touch of creepy. As I've discussed before, tossing in a bit of hands-on art to go along with a writing prompt, simply gets students more motivated. 

Completed projects make awesome displays, which help build self-esteem. 

Crimping only takes a minute and the unusual results will surely get all sorts of comments.  Everyone wanted to know how we made these cool tri-colored apples.

A myriad of themed craft activities are also perfect for crimping.  Here are just a few:

For Fall: crimp apples, pumpkins, scarecrows, bats, spiders, candy corn, skeletons, & monsters.

Studying fire safety? As you can see by the photograph, flames look awesome crinkled and definitely add that finishing touch!

Are you studying leaves?  Paper leaves look wonderful crimped.

I designed this fall dangler then added the texture for an interesting 3D effect.

Trees are also the perfect craft to crinkle.  

My students partnered up and traced their arm and hand with fingers spread to make an apple tree and then ran it through the corru-gator.  

The pumpkin sliders gained extra pizzazz by being "munched and crunched". (My Y5's have named this cool tool "The Muncher Cruncher".)

Our pumpkin Venn Friends turned out especially cool with a little crimping.

I LOVE that the size of this tool accommodates an entire project. 

The scarecrow's face and hat, look extra special when crimped, which gave it more of a burlap look. I also ran yellow paper through a shredder to make the hair.

Thinking ahead to WINTER: Crimp Christmas trees, ornaments, snowmen, snow scenes, and mittens.

Do you celebrate 100 Day?  Have students draw a self portrait of how they think they'll look if they get to be 100-years-old, then crimp for instant wrinkles, or simply crimp a real photo of them.

For Groundhog Day, crimp children's groundhog craftivities to give those animals some "fur".  Are you studying shadows? Using a light source, trace your students' profile, trim and crimp. 

For Valentine's Day add texture to paper hearts.  If you study Abraham Lincoln, crimp a log cabin.

Moving on to Spring: Crimp rain, the water cycle, a Seuss hat, butterflies, caterpillars, shamrocks, flowers, grass, eggs, baskets, bunnies, lions, and lambs.

As you can see I'm pretty excited about the educational potential of this fun gadget, and at $24.50 it's certainly an affordable tool to add to your teaching bag of tricks. 

To take a look at the corru-gators over at Jam Paper, click on the link.  They also have a large variety of paper choices, as well as other office supplies. 

If you're going to do the Frankenstein envelope activity with your kiddos that I posted a few days ago, they also sell the green envelopes. Your kiddos could also crimp their completed envelope monsters too.

Speaking of envelopes, if you do a Chinese New Year Theme in February, and want to get some red coin envelopes to do a few of my Chinese New Year activities with, they sell the perfect 3 x 5.5 size.

Well that's it for today.  I'm going to play around a bit more with this fun gadget to see what else I can come up with. 

If you've thought of another way to use the tool, or an activity you plan to do with your kiddos, I'd enjoy hearing from you: diane@teachwithme.com  or feel free to leave a comment below.

"There is a great distance between said and done." - Puerto Rican proverb 


 1-2-3 Come Make Two Apple Games With Me

Do your students do centers or stations?  Are you looking for some easy-peasy ones to whip off? LaVonne from New York, and Kathy from Wisconsin, were. 

They e-mailed me and asked if I had any independent centers with an apple theme.  LaVonne was looking for an alphabet one, and Kathy needed one for number words.  It was fun designing their requests.  I hope you enjoy them too.

Here's a quick, easy and fun ABC game that you can make for an independent alphabet center, which will help reinforce upper and lowercase letter recognition.

Simply run off the uppercase letter apple templates on red, yellow and light green construction paper; add a bit of color, laminate and trim. 

I used these three colors, because my Y5's are learning that apples come in 3 colors.  Students can also sequence the apple cards and see the ABC color pattern.

So that students can insert the matching lowercase worms, use an Exacto knife to cut a slit to the right of each letter.

As with the apples, run the lowercase letter worms off on (green) construction paper; add a bit of color, laminate and trim.

Students insert the lowercase worm into its matching uppercase apple. 

Keep the apples and worms separate, in small Ziplock Baggies, and then put both Baggies in one larger one.  Place in your alphabet center. 

To make this self-correcting, write the lowercase letter on the back of the apple, or the uppercase letter on the back of the worm. 

I've included a certificate of praise that you can give to students when they have successfully completed the center.  They can color and take it home to share with their family.

Make a few extra copies of the game to send home with struggling children, to be returned when they have mastered the standard. 

If you have the time, you can also use this activity as an interesting option when assessing a child. 

This Wormy Apple Alphabet Matching Game will be FREE for an entire year, after which time it will be up-dated and put in Diane's Dollar Deals in my TpT shop. 

Finally, the other center game I made reinforces numbers 0-10 and their matching number words. 

There are several ways to play the game, as well as some worksheets to further reinforce number to word recognition. Click on the link to view/download the Apple Number Word Fun packet.

Thanks for visiting today.  It's rather hot and muggy outside so I'm enjoying the air conditioning.  Time to work up a sweat doing a bit of housework and laundry, or not...

I'm wishing you a refreshing day.

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams." -Unknown

1-2-3 Come Do A Few More Apple Activities With Me...

I know that I said I was done designing apples for awhile, but I found a few more notes while cleaning off my desk, and one thing led to another, 'til 4 mini apple packets were knocked off.  I hope you enjoy them.  The desk is cleared and just waiting to be filled with all sorts of other fall fun . . . where to begin?

I always get a few requests for some worksheets that connect-the-dots for a variety of things.  Raesha, from Arizona, wondered if I had any connect the dots with skip counted numbers. 

She's reviewing skip counting by 5's and 10's with her firsties and thought these would be fun. 

I chose an apple theme for my template and included numbers from 0-10, as well as numbers from 0-30, plus apples for skip counting by 5's and then 10's. 

Since I had the template designed, I also made a connect the dots for uppercase letters and another for the lowercase letters.  Click on the link to view/download the Apple Connect The Dots packet.

Another request came from Rachel, over in Wisconsin.  She wanted a quick and easy way to whole-group assess a variety of standards, to see where her kinders are at. 

My favorite way to whole-group assess is with an "I Spy!" game.  I designed these with an apple theme.  Students spy uppercase letters, lowercase letters, shapes, and numbers. 

They trace the letter/shape/number called, and then raise their hand.  You can see at a glance who is having difficulty. 

Students enjoy this form of assessment, and you know where the majority of your students are, without a whole lot of time invested testing. 

Another plus for these worksheet-games, is that students can take them home and use them several more times, as they play with their parents, continuing to reinforce standards in a fun way.  

Click on the link to view/download the Apple-Themed "I Spy" packet.

I continued to reinforce name recognition with my Y5's through October, and tried to think of a variety of ways for them to practice finding and writing their names.  With a big apple unit in September, it seemed only fitting to do something with apples.

Print a copy of the apple name game template and then write your students' names on the inside. 

I also include my own name, so that I had a sample to share and show, as I explained what I wanted my kiddos to do. 

Every year some of my little ones were amazed that I had a first name (Diane). They simply thought of me as their teacher Mrs. Henderson. 

I guess it was sort of like asking the question: "What's your mom's name?"  To which most of them would reply: "Mommy." :-)

Students find and circle their name, write it on the bottom and then, because I was teaching them that apples came in three colors, I'd have them trace their apples with those 3 color markers or crayons.  Completed projects make a cute bulletin board. ("The Apples Of Mrs. Henderson's Eyes!" )

I've also included an apple card template for you to use as name tags and/or games. Print a few copies of the apple card master; write your students's names on one set and then run off on yellow construction paper. 

Print another set on white card stock and trim.  Each child colors their own apple and then glues their photo in the middle.  Collect, laminate and trim.  Use the photo apple cards with the name apple cards, to play Memory Match or "I Have; Who Has?" games. 

You could also put both sets of apple cards on a split ring and use them as flashcards, to help your students learn the names of their classmates, as well as how to read their names.   Click on the link to view/download the Apple Name Game packet.

Finally, I made some apple puzzles, that make an easy and inexpensive little gift for the 1st week of school, or whenever. 

I've included 3 different header cards for your treat Baggies, as well as a black and white template, so that your students can color their own puzzle. 

When they are done, have them cut out their puzzle, mix up the pieces and challenge them to be the first one to complete their apple puzzle. 

I've also included a blank template to help young students easily put their puzzle together.  Click on the link to view/download the apple puzzle packet.

Thanks for visiting today.  The sunshine is calling and I'm happily answering.  See you later apple-gator.

"We can teach from experience, but we cannot teach experience."  -Sasha Azevedo