1-2-3 Come Travel Around The World With Me!  

Woo Hoo!  Having spent over 200 hours researching & creating, plus a small fortune on graphics designing things, I’m so excited to post this jumbo “labor of love”, "Travels Around The World" packet, which features the awesome talents of 38 clip artists!

This super-fun packet is extremely versatile, as everything stands alone, so you can mix & match creating a unit that is tailored specifically for your class, or use pieces and parts with lessons you already have implemented. 

I think my students, favorite part of our Travels Around the World is making the cereal box suitcase, which can be done in class or for homework.  

The sky's the limit of how you want to design them. 

We add 2 file folders to make a drop down interactive "briefcase" of sorts, which includes a pocket for their passports, tickets and boarding passes.

The extra files are a great way to keep everything neat & organized and provide space for them to glue on a variety of activities that we do.

My kiddos absolutely LOVE collecting the "suitcase stamps/stickers" to decorate with. 

They get a few to start out, then receive more as we travel to the various countries.

Others I use as a motivational & behavior modification incentive, which is very successful.

Another huge hit is making a passport.

There are 4 options, including a passport specifically for "Christmas Around The World" traveling,  as well as a huge variety of passport stamps, which they also enjoy collecting. 

The train tickets and plane, bus, & boat boarding passes. are also a huge hit.

Via a letter, students are invited to come travel with the gingerbread man, who makes a speedy tour guide. 

"Gin" keeps them apprised of places they should visit by sending postcards.

I had an absolute blast designing these from real photographs & stamps from those countries. 

There are 3 from each country, as well as "color me" postcards, so that students can practice "point of view" writing in a fun way.

A set of gingerbread-themed posters announce where children will be traveling and how they will get there.

The 6 countries included in this packet are: USA, Mexico, Canada, Sweden, Italy & Germany.

I've included a variety of maps, which come in color to use as posters, plus black & white for students.

They come labeled & unlabeled, so you can use them as an assessment tool as well. 

My personal favorite activity, is the "Snap & Scrap" journal, with a Christmas-themed page, as well as a generic counterpart.

I've included several pages of interesting information about how each country celebrates Christmas, should you want to do the "Christmas Around the World" theme.

The "snap" part, is a camera craft featuring a lens "booklet", with pictures specific to that country.

You can opt to do just the camera(s), or hinge them with a piece of tape to the "scrap" page, so that it flips over to reveal the information underneath.  

Each country also comes with factual information, which is incorporated in the "Fan Of Fun Facts For _________" craftivity.

The title is a double play on words, for the craft opens like a fan, and students quickly become "fans" of these super-interesting facts. 

Later, check comprehension by playing "Name That Country?" by reading a fact and having students tell what country it came from. 

"I Spy A Country" is another game you can play to help reinforce map skills.

Teachers jot down 3-5 clues on the poster, then students write down their dated-answer on their worksheet. 

X number of correct answers and they receive a "super spy" stamp for their suitcase.  

I've also packed in a lot of travel-themed writing prompts, such as making an itinerary, which provides a vocabulary building opportunity. 

Students can also do a "Sightseeing Check It Out Then Check It Off" list, flag booklet, and travel journal. 

There are several options for the travel journals as well, from a "color me" text it page, to a cut & glue class-made book. 

They are different enough so that you can do them all, or pick & choose what's appropriate for your kiddos. 

The beauty of this jumbo packet is that it's very versatile, so you can mix & match things to do individually, as a whole group, with a partner, in small groups, or for homework.

The projects can also supplement other geography activities you already have implemented.

Besides social studies, many items practice a variety of other standards like graphing, weather, telling time, comparing & contrasting & research, with a bit of math tossed in for good measure. 

There are also a variety of ways to use the packet.  Teachers can give the information, or students can pick a country and research it independently.

The "Travel Bucks" are a fun way for students to give their presentations, as they become "travel agents", who share highlights about their country, in the hopes that their fellow classmates will use their travel cash to buy a trip from them. 

Top sales certificates & suitcase brag tags add to the fun, and are a wonderful incentive.

An easy-peasy writing prompt for any age, is the "ginger-gram", where students fill in the blanks with a country they would like to live in, as well as one they would not. 

Older students can explain why.

Another simple writing activity is the "Travel Quilt" craft, which practices adjectives in a unique way. 

Even younger kiddos can do this, and completed projects make an awesome bulletin board.

The "Peace is in our hands" craft, is also quick & easy, with lovely results making a terrific hallway display.

This craftivity really helps children wrap their heads around the "big picture" of their "personal geography" and their cut out hand prints add that keepsake, finishing touch.

I've included a poster for the center of your display, as well as a suitcase sticker kiddos can earn upon completion.  

Because my kiddos are learning about seasons, weather and appropriate clothing to wear, I designed the "Pack It Up" suitcase craftivity; where they color, cut & glue various clothes suitable for a particular country, to a "suitcase" page; while older students simply list the items they want to take. 

The suitcase opens to reveal several pages of the different things they packed for the various countries that they visited.

Besides a “Christmas Around the World” theme, you can use this unit all year long, as I have matching generic counterparts.

Start whenever you want, then in December, board the “Holiday Express” & add the activities of how these countries celebrate Christmas.

Lessons are easily diversified for various classroom abilities & grade levels.  Simply pick what’s appropriate for your kiddos. 

"Travel Tweets" are also an interesting way to get students enthusiastic about writing, as is the "Welcome To Our House"  booklet, "Airport Adventures" and "Whooooo Do You Want To Travel With?" color-me worksheets.

Besides black & white versions for students, I’ve included colorful templates, so you can quickly make samples to share.

There are also graphs, Venn diagrams, posters, a song, and some worksheets, which can also be used as assessment tools.

As you can see there's a ton of fun for you to choose from including some puzzles.

These come in color for an independent center, as well as BW so kiddos can make their own, as they practice recognizing & sequencing numbers from 1-10, or skip counting by 10s to 100. 

Click on the link to zip on over to my TpT shop to take a look. Travels Around The World.

Today's featured FREEBIE comes from the packet and is a "Merry Christmas From Around The World" poster and coloring card, which includes an alphabetical list of how 28 countries say "Merry Christmas" , with 4 links to other websites with more countries. 

Well that's it for today. Thanks for stopping by.

My feet have hit the floor running, as there is much to do, and not enough time in the day to get it all done.

But I will endeavor to slow my pace and enjoy the journey, making sweet memories, as we decorate our blessed home for Christmas.  Wishing you and yours a special day.

"Maybe Christmas" he thought, "doesn't come from a store." "Maybe Christmas perhaps, means a little bit more!" -Dr. Seuss From "The Grinch"

1-2-3 Come Do Some Gingerbread-Themed Math Activities With Me

Since the last week of school before Christmas break, tends to be filled with a lot of shall we say, energy, I try to plug in some especially fun activities, that still practice a variety of standards. 

With that in mind, I designed the whopping 167-page Gingerbread Number Fun Packet. 

As a special Merry Christmas treat, I’ve decided to price it at $4.95 instead of the usual $9.95 price for packets over 100 pages long.

It’s chock full of worksheets, games, emergent readers, puzzles & activities that cover a variety of standards and skills for PK-1st, all involving numbers in some way.

Simply pick what’s appropriate for your kiddos to practice . . .

Counting to 130, counting backwards from 10 to 1, skip counting by 2s, 3s, 5s and 10s, sequencing, patterning, 2D shapes, ordinal numbers, colors, listening & following directions, data collection & analysis, small-medium-large, number words, groups/sets, addition, subtraction, non-standard units of measurement, odd & even, end punctuation, greater & less than, spatial directions, symmetry, +one more, 10 frames, and addresses.

I’ve offered 2-on-a-page patterns to save paper & ink, and included full-color teacher templates, so that you can quickly & easily make samples to share. 

Use these activities as worksheets, whole-group assessments, games, independent centers, or for homework, a sub folder and early finishers.  

A personal favorite of mine are the number puzzles. 

I use them for a math center, but also allow my kiddos to choose one and make their own.  Kiddos can practice sequencing numbers from 1-10, or counting backwards from 10 to 1, plus skip counting by 2s, 3s, 5s, or 10s.

The "Measure measure as fast as you can.  I will help you. I'm the gingerbread man." measurement activities are especially fun too. 

My Y5s really enjoy scampering around the room finding "stuff" to measure with their 3 sizes of gingerbread cookies.

They use the small, medium and large gingerbread men, as a non-standard unit of measurement, to measure how many gingerbread cookies tall they are etc. 

Both the puzzles and measurement activities, are perfect for party day, as they are that creative, something different, that will grab their attention, and keep them happily engaged.

Here's hoping this packet gives you plenty of activities to plug into your day, that are easy-peasy for you, and fun for your kiddos. Gingerbread Number Fun

The featured FREEBIE for today is a super-fun wreath craftivity, perfect for the last week of school. 

This keepsake, fingerprint wreath is a nice decorative gift that students can make for their family, and demonstrates secondary colors: Yellow + Blue = Green. 

"I made this pretty wreath for you. I made it by mixing yellow and blue.
Yellow + Blue as you have seen, makes a lovely Christmas green.
The red berries, I’ll give you a hint, are made from someone’s fingerprint.
This wreath is a circle it has no end. It’s like my love, that I now send."

Yes, you can simplify things, and just have your kiddos use green paint, but I assure you, their squeals of delight, as 2 different colors blend together to make a new color, is priceless,  and well worth the mess.  It's almost magical. 

Well that's it for today.  Yesterday was "Christmas cookie-baking day" with 2 of my grandchildren, so today is "clean up the mess" day. 

I think we made more messes and memories than we did cookies, but the giggles, kisses and love were just as sweet. Wishing you a stress-free week, as you wind down to a much-deserved break.

"In the cookies of life, friends are the chocolate chips." -Unknown

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

Looking for some gingerbread-themed activities that practice a variety of standards?  You've come to the right place. Hopefully you'll find something useful in today's assortment.

No matter what grade I taught, my students LOVED making glyphs.
They are a quick, easy and fun way to practice listening and following directions.

They also provide a "hard copy" to use as proof that a child does or doesn't.
Completed projects make an adorable bulletin board, as each one will be different.

To practice data collection & analysis, as well as process of elimination, have students try and figure out who made some of the gingerbread glyphs. 

Click on the link to zip on over to Diane's Dollar Deals in my TpT shop to have a look:Gingerbread Glyph.

Another Dollar Deal is this 6-piece gingerbread man puzzle.  It's a quick, easy and fun way for your kiddos to practice numbers 1-6.

Print off the numbered, "color me" gingerbread pattern, along with the base.  Students color, cut him apart, then choose a partner to play the puzzle game.

Children take turns rolling a dice. Whatever number they roll, they glue that piece of their gingerbread man to their worksheet.

You can also skip the gluing part, so that students can continue to play the game at home, or make this a center activity that you can use every year and run off on brown construction paper, laminate & trim.

Are you studying digital and analog time to the hour and half hour? Then "It's Time For Gingerbread" might interest you.

Use the clock cards as flashcards, puzzles & games. 
There are also 3 options for an analog gingerbread clock to use as a spinner game, or for whole-group assessing.

If you're going to use the gingerbread man as a clock, have children attach a large and small paperclip with a brass brad.

Simply call out a time. Children manipulate the paperclips to show that time.
I've also included an assessment worksheet, a "Kaboom!" game, plus 2 cover options to make an Itty Bitty "My Telling Time" booklet. 

Finally, since 2D shapes is also a standard for us, I designed a gingerbread house craftivity, as well as a gingerbread cookie game and put them in a "Shaping Up With Gingerbread" packet. 

For that finishing touch, we sprinkled colorful confetti on the rooftop. 

Today's featured FREEBIE also has a gingerbread theme.  It's a set of number puzzles.  I hope you find them useful. 

Well that's it for today.  Thanks for stopping by. My grandchildren are due any minute, so it will be a day filled with crafts and giggles.

Wishing you lots of love-filled moments. 

"Grandmas are moms with lots of frosting." -Unknown

1-2-3 Come Do Some Gingerbread Man Story Elements With Me

If you read the story The Gingerbread Man to your kiddos, then I think you’re going to enjoy the oodles of easy-peasy, “print & go” activities in my latest literacy packet, which practices a variety of skills and standards, in quick, interesting and fun ways.

There are 3 class-made books, with writing prompts that are sure to motivate your kiddos to want to get down to the business of writing: Gingerbread On the Run, You’re the Man, & Taking a Bite Out of Literacy.

The packet also includes:

* A keepsake “gingerhead” craftivity.

* Worksheets: “Gingerbread can-are-have”, “Describe your gingerbread adjective practice, gingerbread 5 senses, noun-verb-adjective worksheet, plus a beginning-middle-end graphic organizer.

* A “We’re Goin' On A Gingerbread Hunt” activity, with 18 ”fix the sentence” cards, which practice end punctuation & capitalization.

* Gingerbread story slider craftivity, which practices sequencing & retelling a story. Includes color, plus black and white slider strips.

* 6, “Elements of a Story” pocket chart cards, plus a different, black and white version for students. They can fill in and turn into a “flip strip booklet”.

* 2 sets of sequencing cards. Use them to play games with.
Students can also color, trim and sequence them into an Itty Bitty booklet.

* 40 traceable word cards from the story.

* 3 graphing extensions

* 4 Venn Diagrams. A quick, easy & fun way to practice comparison & contrast

* “How to catch a gingerbread man”, and “How to make a gingerbread man” writing prompt worksheets.

* A retell the story, “color me” bookmark, plus 4 other colorful ones.

* Comprehension discussion questions, or use as a worksheet.

* Science experiment, with matching writing prompt.
"Why didn’t the gingerbread man jump in the river and swim?"
"What do you think would happen to a cookie in water?" Let’s see…

* -an word family gingerbread man slider craft, with 13 traceable word cards and a matching worksheet.

* Rhyme Time: How many words can you think of that rhyme with gingerbread? Includes an answer key with 50 words, and finally . . .

* A “Riddle Me” gingerbread note, plus a certificate of praise. 

Click on the link to zip on over to my TpT shop to take a look at this whopping 95-page packet of fun.

Don't need all that, but are looking for a "sequencing" The Gingerbread Man activity?

Then you'll like The Gingerbread Man Story Wheel.

It comes in a full color version, so you can use it as a center activity, as well as black and white, so students can make their own. 

I've also included a puzzle version, for another center activity.  Both the wheel and puzzle have the two different ending options. 

One where the fox eats the gingerbread man, the other where he escapes and continues to run. 

The featured FREEBIE today is a sweet, keepsake ornament.

The snowmen were made from a child's fingerprints.  I've included a poem-note as well:

"If you look a little closer you will see,
that these are very special snowmen made with TLC.
Their bodies are my fingerprints, so that you can recall
Christmas ______ when my hand was very small."

Well that's it for today.  Thanks for stopping by. 

With a big family to buy for, I'm out the door for the rest of the day, shopping 'til I indeed drop.  Wishing you a happy day.

 "I'm not a shopaholic. I'm simply supporting the economy." -Unknown

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

DJ Inkers is one of my favorite clip artists.  Her gingerbread house is so cute, that I went on a designing frenzy, creating all sorts of gingerbread-themed activities. 

I like to have a lot of matching items in my classroom and centers, so if we think alike, perhaps you too will enoy adding some of these items to your gingerbread activities this month. 

First up is a gingerbread house "flip open" writing prompt card. When you flip the house open, it reveals a completed writing prompt, where students write what it’s like to be a gingerbread cookie, or what it’s like to live in a gingerbread house.

Another option is to send the worksheet note home, for the entire family to take part in. 

They glue a family photo to the square and everyone signs their name. The caption reads: “Merry Christmas from our house to yours.”

For that finishing touch, have them write the number portion of their address on the gingerbread house. Completed projects make an adorable winter bulletin board.  

Older students can draw their family, or glue a photo to the front, then do the writing prompt on the back. 

Next up is a gingerbread place value game packet, which is a quick, easy and fun way to practice, as well as whole-group assess.

Print off a class set of the colorful place value mats, laminate & trim.
Call out a number and have children break it down using a dry erase marker. 

I've included manipulatives, in 3 different sizes, so that you can "show" the number in a more visual way too. 

Another fun way to practice and whole group assess, is with the gingerbread house "sliders".

Call out a number; students pull on the "sliders" 'til the appropriate numbers appear in the windows.

You can see at a glance who is having difficulty.

Staying with math, students can also practice fact families with the Gingerbread House Fact Family Fun packet, which includes games, centers and worksheets.

Finally, to cover reading, I designed the Gingerbread House Emergent Reader packet,Gingerbread House Emergent Reader packet, which practices spatial directions, a Common Core Standard.

Students read the simple sentences, add end punctuation, trace and write the spatial direction words (above, under, beside, left, right, between) and then color, cut and glue the gingerbread cookie to the appropriate place.

The cookies are in 2D shapes.
When everyone is done, read as a whole group to cover concepts of print.

I've also included a "Where's the Gingerbread Man?" game to further reinforce spatial directions. 

The featured FREEBIE today, also features a gingerbread house. 

It's an upper and lowercase letter slider craft, which is a quick, easy and fun way to whole-group assess. 

For that finishing touch, we sprinkled colorful confetti on the rooftop, which looked like little bits of candy. I bought a bag at a party store for just $1.50. 

To review and practice patterning, I had my kiddos trace the letters on the "slider strips" in an ABAB (red & green) color pattern.

Well that's it for today. Thanks for stopping by. It's time for me to switch gears and do some painting. 

I'm making 3 animal pictures for a zoo-themed nursery, for grandchild #7.  Wishing you a marvelous day, filled with memorable moments.

 "And I had but one penny in the world. Thou should’st have it to buy gingerbread." –-William Shakespeare, Love’s Labours Lost

1-2-3 Come Do Some Gingerbread Reading & Writing Activities With Me

Here’s a super-fun activity that you can do with your kiddos, after reading the story The Gingerbread Man.

I LOVED designing "Gingerbread on the Run" a writing- activity packet, and hope you have oodles of fun with your kiddo's doing these interesting things.

Beforehand, put up the wanted posters in your room.

Run off the masters and put the notes, signs and clues in a variety of places in your school: cafeteria, library, office, gym, whatever...

Get your principal, secretary, cafeteria staff, librarian... in on your adventure and give them a clue card.

After reading the story, tell your students that you are going on an “ed-venture” looking for the gingerbread man and to be on the lookout for clues of his where abouts.

As you arrive at the various destinations have adults say something like: "Oh no! You just missed him, but he left this clue!”

After you make the rounds, return to your classroom to find a note on your door that the gingerbread man left.

While you are gone, have a helper set up gingerbread or cookie treats for your kiddo's snack, and read the note(s) that the gingerbread man left.

I've also included 2 different class-made books. For one, students write a page of their adventure, and on the other one, they tell where they’d run to if they were a gingerbread cookie and why they’d go there.

There are templates for students to do this separately or in groups. They can draw pictures or take a photograph.

There's also a graphic organizer, where students name their gingerbread man, draw a picture of him, then use adjectives to describe him.

Sweet Colors is a wonderful way to review colors and color words, and is a nice addition to your other gingerbread activities.

I've included an emergent reader booklet, with two cover options, where students read the simple sentences, trace and write the color words, then color the gingerbread cookies, as well as the open-letter words that matching color.

There’s also a "Spin to Win" bookmark - coloring game, plus a“Match the color to the word” worksheet.  Click on the link to zip on over to my TpT shop to have a look at Gingerbread Colors.

Today's FREEBIE features a pair of gingerbread "sliders".  They are a quick, easy and fun way to practice and whole-group assess, a variety of standards. 

Such as: sequencing numbers from 1-10, counting backwards, skip counting by 2s, 3s, 5s and 10s, upper and lowercase letters, as well as 2D shapes.

Well that's it for today.  Thanks for stopping by.  Time to switch gears and get ready for a baby shower. 

This will make our 7th grandchild!  Feeling very blessed.  Wishing you a love-filled day.

"Having a baby is a life-changer.  It gives you a whole other perspective on why you wake up every day." -Tayor Hanson

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

“Gingerheads” are a quick, easy and fun craftivity with a variety of game options, that will help reinforce 2D shapes. 

If you look closely at the photographs, you will see that the eyes and noses of the gingerbread "cookies", match the 2D head shape.

Make a set for an independent math center, so students can practice 2D shapes; cut another set in half, and use as puzzles--this is an interesting way to review symmetry too.

The bows, with the shape word in the center, are matched to the appropriate gingerhead.
Place a bow on the top to make a girl, use them as a bow tie for a boy.

Play 4-Corner FREEZE! Which helps practice a variety of life skills, like listening and following directions, as well as the 2D shape vocabulary, plus recognition, and counting backwards from 10 to 0.

My kiddos absolutely LOVE this game.
Easy-peasy for me, and only takes a few minutes, so it’s perfect for the end of the day.

You can also use the gingerheads as big flashcards. Hold one up. Children call out what shape it is, along with its attributes, like number of vertices.

Play “Who’s Missing?” Display the smaller set on a wall. After children leave, take one away. In the morning, children guess which one is missing.

Besides the 5 games, I’ve also included a 2-on-a-one-page template, so children can pick their favorite and create their own gingerhead. There’s a graphing extension as well, plus directions for the games.

I used white puffy paint for the trim.
It looks so real, and adds that finishing touch.

Children name their gingerhead, write what shape it is, along with its attributes on the back. 

Click on the link to zip on over to my TpT shop to take a look: Gingerheads, A Gingerbread 2D Shape Craft.

The featured FREEBIE today, is a sweet set of gingerbread-themed alphabet cards.  I hope you find them useful. 

Well that's it for today.  Thanks for stopping by.  Hopefully we can get our tree up, which is a big enough job for one day. 

We'll save decorating for the next.  Wishing you a delightful day.

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

Because my Y5s study the alphabet all year long, I like to plug in some themed, letter activites each month.  The single-letter alphabet wheels are perfect for this. 

In the falll I feature the Aa is for apple,  Ll is for leaf,  Pp is for pumpkin  and Tt is for Thanksgiving turkey wheels. (Click on each title to have a look).

For December, I created the Ee is for elf, and Gg is for gingerbread ones.

The Dollar Deal Alphabet Wheels, are a quick, easy & fun way to practice letters, and build the vocabulary needed to give an example of a word, with that beginning sound.

They feature 6 nouns that begin with that letter, and come in black and white, as well as full-color, so that you can use them as an independent center or individual word work activity.

Vowels, have word examples for both long and short vowel sounds.

I've also included a worksheet where students trace & write the words in alphabetical order.  

Besides the individual letter alphabet wheels, I also have a collection of 20 seasonal alphabet wheels, which cover all of the upper and lowercase letters. 

As you can see from the photo, there's a gingerbread man and a mitten alphabet wheel for winter. 

Besides the alphabet wheels, another fun way to practice letters is with my elf slider.

There’s nothing quite like a quick and easy little craftivity, to make practicing a variety of standards fun.

The paper elf can be used as a “slider” or turned into a "belly booklet”.

I’ve also included an easy-peasy “color me” option, where you can skip the craft, or simply do both.

Your kiddos will also enjoy making the little mini, belly booklets.
There are 3 options:

* Upper & lowercase letters that students trace & write, with enough room for older kiddos to write a word at the top and bottom;

* Numbers 1-12, where students also trace & write (play the Twelve Days of Christmas carol, while they’re working).

* There’s also a shape booklet. Here students trace, draw & color the 2D shapes, then trace & write the shape word.

Each booklet is on a one-page pattern, so students could make all of them, over a period of a few days, for a really big belly book!

* The “sliders” are a quick, easy and super-fun way to whole group assess a variety of standards as well.

* There’s a slider for: numbers 1-10, 1-30, counting backwards from 10-0 & 20-0, as well as skip counting by 2s, 3s, 5s, and 10s; plus one for upper case letters, another for lowercase, and finally one for the 2D shapes.

* Choose which one you want to work on. I have my kiddos trace the letter & number strips in a red and green, ABAB color pattern, and color each shape a different color.

To whole group assess, simply call out a letter, number or shape. Students “slide” to it, and hold up their elf. 

You can see at a glance, who is having difficulty. Click on the link to zip on over to my TpT shop and have a look: Elf Slider & Belly Booklets

Today's featured FREEBIE is a gingerbread-themed 10 frames packet.  I hope you find it useful.

Well that's it for today.  Thanks for stopping by. TpT's 20% off Cyber Sale continues through midnight tonight.  Type in the code SMILE for an extra 10% off. 

As for me, I'm dashing through the snow today, to get some more shopping done. Wishing you a delightful day.

"He who doesn't have Christmas in their heart, will never find it under a tree." - Roy L. Smith

1-2-3 Come Do Some Gingerbread Puzzle Craftivities With Me

First up, is a sweet gingerbread puzzle game.  It's a quick, easy and fun way for your kiddos to practice numbers 1-6.
Print off the numbered, "color me" gingerbread pattern, along with the base.

Students color their gingerbread man, cut him apart, then choose a partner to play the puzzle game.

Children take turns rolling a dice. Whatever number they roll, they glue that piece of their gingerbread man to their worksheet.

If they've already rolled that number, it becomes their partner's turn.
The first one to assemble their gingerbread man is the winner.

You can also skip the gluing part, so that students can continue to play the game at home.

Another option, is to run a class set off on brown construction paper; color and laminate.
Before I cut the pieces apart, I add white puffy paint trimming.

It really looks like frosting!
So that I can reuse them every year, I keep each puzzle in its own Snack Baggie, and the laminated worksheet bases in a file folder.

This Dollar Deal has a full-page pattern, as well as a smaller, two-on-a-page gingerbread puzzle. 

1-2-3 Come Do Some Gingerbread-Themed Writing With Me

Writing is a lot more fun for your students if you incorporate it with a theme that you're doing.  Since gingerbread seems to be really popular, I decided to design a few writing activities involving this sweet December treat.

My students really enjoyed making class books.  They are a quick, easy and fun writing prompt for them.  Completed projects, were favorite books during free reading time. 

For the Gingerbread On The Run class book, students complete the writing prompt and illustrate their page.  Collect, collate and add the cover to make a sweet class book.  There are 2 options for the student writing page. 

This class book, is also an interesting and fun way to review action verbs as well as nouns.  I've included a completed sample that you can use to help explain the lesson to your kiddos.  Click on the link to view/download the Gingerbread on the Run class-made book.

While I was working on this activity, I thought it would be helpful to make some gingerbread-themed parts of speech anchor charts. 

The posters include one for nouns, verbs, adjectives, pronouns and adverbs.

For more writing practice, I made up several simple descriptive writing worksheets, which basically help review the use of adjectives in a fun way. 

I've included completed samples to share with your students, such as the one pictured, which asks them to use their 5 senses to write sentences about a gingerbread man. 

Click on the link to view/download the Gingerbread Descriptive Writing Worksheets.

Finally, you can use the adorable gingerbread house craftivity, as a writing prompt (If I were a gingerbread cookie...) , or send it home, as a home-school connection for the entire family to take part in.  

 A note home is included in the packet, along with a "Merry Christmas From Our House To Yours"  template.  Children glue a family photo inside and have all of their family members sign it. 

Completed projects make a sweet December bulletin board. Little ones, especially enjoy seeing a family photograph while they're at school. 

Click on the link to view/download the Gingerbread House Writing Prompt Craftivity.

Thanks for visiting.  The sun is shining and it's not too cold out, so it's time to take my poodle pup, Chloe, for a brisk walk.  Wishing you a fun-filled day. 

 "Enthusiasm is contagious, so start an epidemic." -Unknown