1-2-3 Come Have Some Fun With Chrysanthemum And Me

I thought I had finished up designing some quick, easy and fun activities to go with the story "Chrysanthemum", 'til I had a request from Erin in Idaho.

Her preschool has adopted the "Bucket Filling" program and she wondered if I could tie that concept in with the "Chrysanthemum" story. 

Great idea Erin, and easy-peasy to do, as the theme of "Chrysanthemum" is all about being kind, and careful with the things you say.  Thus "Bucket Filling With Chrysanthemum" was born. 

After reading the story, children transition to making a list of “bucket dipping” moments in the story, as well as “bucket filling” times on the 2 worksheets.

I’ve also included color copies so you can do this as a whole group activity as well.

The packet also includes several posters: “We are a bucket-filling classroom”, “Easily Fill A Bucket By . . .” plus a “Please Don’t Be A Dipper”.

The “Chrysanthemum’s ABCs of Bucket Filling” worksheets help build vocabulary while practicing letter sounds.

These can be done individually, or use the colorful ones with a whole group.

I’ve included answer keys with lots of alliterative options: “Aa: aid, applaud, ask, award, advise, affirm, acknowledge…”

Finally, students can use the little Chrysanthemum "bucket cards" to encourage each other.  There’s a set in color so that you can leave your students a compliment or note as well. 

I was now in the Chrysanthemum mode again, so I also designed some Chrysanthemum-Themed Alphabet Number Puzzles.

Because the story is all about this little mouse’s name, I like to transition my kiddos to some name writing activity afterwards.

These puzzles provide a super-fun way to do that, plus children get in some uppercase alphabet practice too.

They're a real “sanity saver” as children are happily engaged coloring, cutting, then putting their puzzle together.
While they work independently you are freed up. Woo hoo!

The puzzles mix math with literacy, as they help practice sequencing numbers from 1-10, working on those toughie teen numbers, as well as skip counting by 10s.

Simply choose which number concept is most appropriate for your students.

For a fun back to school bulletin board, have children mount their puzzle to a sheet of construction paper leaving a little gap between each strip, which will create an interesting mosaic effect.

I’ve included 2 “ABC 1-2-3 Look Who’s In The Class With Me!” posters to use for the center of your display. (Plus preschool, kindergarten and 1st grade as well).

There’s also a colorful Chrysanthemum puzzle (1-10, 11-20, & counting by 10s) to use as an independent math center, plus an additional name writing worksheet where children finish drawing Chrysanthemum.

Finally, while I was putzing with this, another name activity popped in my head, so I created a quick, easy & fun "color, cut & glue" name craft, which provides wonderful fine motor practice, plus assists children in learning how to spell their name as they begin to recognize those letters.

Completed projects make a sweet back to school bulletin board too.  Besides the name craft, the packet also includes:

* Separate upper & lowercase letter cards, as well as a set of cards with both the upper and lowercase letter on one card.

Use them for Memory Match and “I Have; Who Has?” games. 

I’ve also included a 4-page tip list of other ideas for the cards, including the “Kaboom!” game as well as . . .

* A variety of letter worksheets plus…
* Some simple letter games like "What Letter Did Chrysanthemum Hide Today?" and "What's Missing?", as well as several dice worksheet games.

Today's featured FREEBIE is a set of 10 Classroom Management Posters.  I hope you find them useful.

Well that's it for today. Thanks for stopping by. Time to move on to another theme. 

Hmmm... shall I start working on "Chicka Boom" or "If You Take A Mouse To School" stuff? Stay tuned.  I'll be doing both before August disappears.

 Wishing you a carefree, happily lazy kind of relaxing day.   

"Children must be taught how to think, not what to think."-Margaret Mead

 1-2-3 Come Tweet With Me

Often teachers are so busy teaching, that sometimes they can miss important things that are happening in their students' lives.

Putting up a tweet board on a door, wall or bulletin board, helps you stay informed and builds community.  A more caring classroom will also be created.  Another bonus, is that this idea is also a quick, easy, and interesting way to get students writing.

Practicing writing sentences, that have appropriate capitalization, spacing, word choice and punctuation, can be tedious at times.  Switch things up with a little creativity, and students will WANT to write. 

Composing and dashing off a tweet, is a simple way to do that.  Encourage students to write a tweet at least once a week about things that are happening in their lives.

You may want to include this as part of your Daily 5 writing activities.  Taking a moment to read the tweets also fits in nicely with Daily 5.

To make your tweet board eye-catching, I've included tweet notes for students to write on.  Run them off on a variety of different colors and keep them handy near your tweet board. 

Explain to students that there are two kinds of tweets: "sweet tweets" are positive happy highlights, things that they are proud of, or what they are excited about -- something they are doing or involved in.

"Tweet talk"  are notes about something that a student wants to share because they are feeling a bit down or blue, and would like some encouragement. 

Perhaps a grandparent or pet passed away, or they didn't make the team.  Maybe a friend is ill or they failed at something; parents are planning a move, or a divorce is pending, but no one made you aware of this. 

The Tweet Board is a quick and easy way for students to share those feelings.  Teachers need to know about the things that are affecting their students' moods, and having an impact on their ability to focus and learn.   Knowing, gives teachers an opportunity to praise and encourage, as well as sympathize and give that extra TLC a child needs when their world is in upheaval. 

With that in mind, I also included tiny tweets in the packet.  These are little notes that  you or students, can jot to someone and leave in their desk or locker. These fit in nicely if you're doing a  "Bucket Filling" program as well.

For more writing practice, that is private and personal, have students keep a Tweet Journal.  I've included 2 cover options for this.  Students choose one, add some color and glue it to a notebook.  (I always take advantage of the back to school doorbusters, when notebooks are as inexpensive as 15 cents.)

Implementing this idea is easy-peasy.  Simply choose a tweet poster to showcase your tweet board. (There are 3 options.) 

Run off copies of the sweet tweet notes, keep them in a basket or envelope by your tweet board (I've included labels for these) explain the board to your students, and then let the tweeting begin!

As part of your going-home or morning routine, you could ask students if anyone wants to share one of their tweets.  At the end of the month, clear the board and start again. 

Click on the link to grab your FREEBIE: Sweet Tweet Talk

Thanks for visiting today.  It's a rainy day with lots of thunder.  (I find the rumblings and sound of the rain splattering on my office window very soothing.)  The perfect kind of day to read, color, cut, paste and play...  Here's hoping you can make some time to relax too.

"Your attitude decides your altitude.  Soar!" -Unknown

1 2 3 Come Make Tacos With Me!

I'm not sure about you, but my "teacher hat" never really comes off.  I'm forever putzing with design ideas, crafts, research and reading. Whenever I'm out and about junking or stopping at a garage sale, my mantra has always been: "What educational thing can I do with this?"

I'm also an avid people watcher and while at the grocery story noticed a young person wearing a T-shirt that said: "Let's Taco 'Bout It."  written on a colorful taco shell with a smilie face on it. 

I LOVED the play on words.  Right a way my brain was going 90-miles-an-hour of how I could incorporate that idea into some sort of "craftivity."  Thus Taco Talk was born!

I hope you have as much fun making these with your kiddos as I did designing templates and making samples.  Taco Talk is very versatile.  

I made patterns for the end of the year, (there are several options here, including one where this year's kiddos, make a taco note for your in-coming students in the fall) as well as "tacos" for back-to-school.  Since the bucket fillers that I recently posted, have been so popular, I also made a compliment taco too.

Here's how to make a compliment one:

These "tacos" work well for the beginning or the end of the year, and are especially appropriate if you do the "Fill a bucket" program, as they are a wonderful way to build a child's self-esteem and reinforce the concept of being kind. 

Run off the “taco shell” on light brown construction paper.  Students cut it out, fold it in half and write their name in the blank.  For extra pizzazz add some dots with a brown crayon or marker.

To make the “lettuce”  I put a few sheets of green construction paper (one at a time) into my shredder. 

Have students rub some glue on the top and bottom of the inside of their “taco shell” and glue on some “lettuce”.

Cut strips of red, yellow, and orange construction paper.  Have students make an ABCABC pattern by gluing the strips INSIDE their “taco shell.”  Open up the shell, so that you can see the front and rip the ends of the strips at various lengths, so just a bit of the "taco stuffing" is peeking out around the edge.

Put students in groups of 8.  Children exchange their taco with someone in their group, who writes a compliment inside their taco on one of the colored strips.  They continue to pass the tacos around ’til everyone in the group has signed everybody’s taco.  Seven strips will have been signed. The 8th strip is for the teacher to write something on. 

Give students a few minutes to read their taco and then collect them.  Scatter them on a bulletin board, with bright yellow background, and a colorful fiesta or chili pepper border, or place each one on a variety of hot-colored paper plates and then scatter those, or use them as a border with the caption: “Taco Talk” in the middle.  

So that you can spell Taco Talk, I’ve included large 8x10 letters in the packet.  Run them off on a variety of colors of construction paper, trim and then arrange them to spell Taco Talk! 

For that finishing touch, hang a piñata from the ceiling, on the side of the board.  There's also a "Taco Talk" poster if you'd rather use that instead, plus a poster that says "Ola!" so that you can welcome your students with a friendly hello in Spanish.

The end of the school year or summer writing prompt taco is a little different than the compliment taco.  Give students a pile of "lettuce" and a strip of red, yellow and orange construction paper.

Students rub glue around the top edge of the inside of their taco, then rip and tear the colored strips into various lengths. 

They fold their taco back up and flip it over, gluing  the paper pieces in an ABCABC pattern around the TOP of the shell, so that a bit of “taco stuffing” is peeking out.

Use the circle pattern to make a template for the inside "taco".  Trace once and then cut 3-6 circles at a time.  Students glue the blank circle inside their taco shell, so that it covers the ragged edges of the “lettuce”.   This is where they write about their excellent year in school, or about their fabulous summer.  

After students have shared their taco with the class, make the bulletin board.  That's it.  Easy breezy, and a fun way to start or finish the year.

Don't feel crafty?  I've also included 3 "color me" writing prompt worksheets. No prep, just print & go. 

There's a generic "Taco 'bout".... prompt where you are the students decide what you want them to "talk about" as well as a "Here's a red-hot list of things I'd love to do, if price were no object and I could do anything!"  so that you could also do this simple activity for Daily 5 or during your writing block.   

For another easy-peasy writing prompt option, I've included 4 black and white bookmarks for students to color, then complete the prompt on the back. 

There are also 2 full-color ones for teachers to give their kiddos for back-to-school and at the end of the year.  That's it.  A nice variety-filled packet with lots of options.

You can find the 30-page "Taco'bout" writing prompt packet in my TpT shop for just $2.00.  Click on the link to pop on over.  

There are 3 FREEBIES from the packet: a writing prompt worksheet, bookmark and the "Ola!" poster to use as the center of your bulletin board display.  Click on the link to grab these 3 "Taco 'bout" FREEBIES today. 

Thanks for stopping by.  Wherever you are, and whatever you're doing, I hope it's absolutely "el terrifico!"

                                     "What we learn becomes a part of who we are." -Unknown