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

I had a request for a Candy Bones graph.  I’d never heard of them; (Where have I been?) so I Googled candy bones.  They are really quite popular, as there were lots of Ask.com questions of where to buy candy bones and what to do with them.
Many of the links were outdated and broken, so I went on my own quest.

Oriental Trading has the best deal Online for “Candy Bones.”  The bones in their pack include: the ever-popular sweet-tart skull, foot, hand, ribs and plain bones. They come in pastel colors.  There are approximately 28 pieces per pack and 19 packets per unit (13 oz.) They are “fat free” and were $8, now on sale for $5.99 as of 10/7/13  I have dealt with Oriental Trading for many years and never had a problem. Their customer service is wonderful.

Amazon.com also offers the same candy bones mini packages. They are sold by Zugar and fulfilled by Amazon.  They are $9.99 for the same quantity as Oriental Trading.  Some teachers have e-mailed me that they have also found the candy bones packages at their Dollar Tree Stores.  However, they were not in mine, here in Grand Rapids, MI

There is also another popular bone candy called: Skulls and Bones.  Unlike the above candy, these only have 2 shapes inside, but more colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, pink, white and a blackish purple. Unlike the other pastel candies, these are brightly colored.  They are offered by Candy Nation.  They sell bulk at $3.85 a pound.

O’Ryan’s Village, featuring old-fashioned candy, also sells a package of Skulls and Bones for $2.29.  There are 11 small packages inside.  So now you know where to get the candy.  Why would you want it?  For starters, they are perfect for graphing. The skull and bones lend themselves to a Halloween, pirate or a science skeleton/bone activity.  

A sweet treat makes math a whole lot more fun for your kiddo's too.  So they aren't eating too much candy, pass out a sample from your stash at the start of the lesson, with the promise of being able to eat one more at the end, and if they behave, they can take the rest home.  This always worked with my Y5's whenever I used edibles for lessons.

Students spill out their package and sort them on the sorting mats.  I have ones for both kinds of candy, as well as a sorting mat for colors.  Children practice counting, tally marks, and addition with the various graphs and candy bones worksheets. 

I've also included whole-group graphs so that you have an extra opportunity to review your students' results.  There are graphs for shapes, colors, favorites, and flavors.  Since I was on a roll, I decided to make guess-timation activities, as well as some worksheets for patterning.  You can cover quite a few standards in a short amount of time. 

Click on the link to view/download the Candy Bones Math Activities packet.  Another popular download is the candy shape poster packet.  Did you know that Halloween treats come in all of the standard shapes?  For a fun review, print off a set to use as anchor charts or large flashcards.

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"Learning should be a joy and full of excitement.  It is life's greatest adventure and should be an illustrated excursion into the minds of noble and learned men, not a conducted tour through a jail." -Taylor Caldwell

1-2-3 Come Study Shapes and Graphs With Me

Because I incorporated shapes into a themed picture, you are able to cover several standards, while students practice their graphing skills.  Besides the 4 seasonal graphs, there are answer keys included, so you have a sample to show students. Point to the various shapes on the sample, and have children identify them.

Use the discussion questions, to help kiddo's further understand data collection and analysis.  I tried to think of a variety of themed-shapes for fall, so there's an apple graph, a pumpkin graph, a leaf graph and a spider graph.

I design quite a bit from teacher requests, so if there's a theme you study in the fall, that you'd like a graph for, simply shoot me an e-mail and I'll see what I can whip together. diane@teachwithme.com

Click on the link to view/download the Shapely Fall Graphs packet.

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"The task of the modern educator, is not to cut down jungles, but to irrigate deserts." -C. S. Lewis

1-2-3 Come Study Johnny Appleseed With Me!

I've had several requests for some activities about Johnny Appleseed, so I designed this 10-page packet, which will help your students develop their writing skills. 

The Packet Includes:

• A fact sheet about Johnny Appleseed that the teacher reads.

• 2 Johnny Appleseed's Pot Hat "craftivities" to test comprehension.  Run off the template on card stock.  Students cover it with aluminum foil. They write in their answers on the "pot handle" strips, trim and staple to make a "flip for facts" booklet about Johnny Appleseed. 

• If you'd like to make this extra special, take a head shot of each child and enlarge it to 8x10.  Students glue their cooking pot to the top of their head.  If you don't want to use a photo, have students draw a self-portrait. Instead of Johnny Appleseed on the hat, they write their name + Appleseed.

•  To further test comprehension, I've included a "Tell me 3 facts about Johnny Appleseed" writing prompt.
• A "Write 5 adjectives describing Johnny Appleseed"graphic organizer will also show what students have learned.
• A Johnny Appleseed graphing extension reinforces other standards and allows children to share their opinions, as well as get to know each other better.

Click on the link to view/download the Johnny Appleseed packet.  If you're looking for other Johnny Appleseed activities, I spent several hours searching for some interesting things for my readers.  

To help learn some basic facts, and include singing into your day, there's a Johnny Appleseed song on YouTube that's under 2 minutes. A while back, Disney came out with a Johnny Appleseed movie.  It's only 17 minutes long and can be viewed on YouTube. This would make a nice culminating activity to your Johnny Appleseed studies.

I use coloring pages to make worksheets with letters, numbers, shapes etc.  I also turn them into math sheets and connect the dots via skip counting. When my students are done with the task at hand, they can color the picture.  I'm always on the lookout for coloring pages that fit my theme.  A Johnny Appleseed coloring page can be found at this link.  Martin also has a Johnny Appleseed coloring page, as well as education world.

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"I keep six honest serving men; they taught me all I know; their names are What and Why and When and How and Where and Who." -Rudyard Kipling

1-2-3 Come Stack Apples With Me!

I like to combine a variety of skills and standards into one lesson, that way I'm covering quite a bit in a short amount of time.  The "Apples Up on Top" Name Activity involves math, reading, science and writing, plus completed projects make an adorable back-to-school bulletin board!

For example, if you run off the apple printable on yellow, red and green construction paper, students can learn the science fact, that apples can be 3 different colors. You can also teach students an ABCABC pattern. I've included a graphing extension to cover that concept as well.

Click on the link to view/download the Apples Up On Top Name Activity.

To further reinforce lessons, whenever I read a story, some sort of activity followed. Dr. Seuss' (Theo. LeSieg's) book, Apples Up On Top is a wonderful first week of school book, as we are in full swing studying apples. After reading the story, ask your students who the main animal characters are.  Run off the template that is appropriate for you, and have students choose one to color.

Print off the apples of your choice (plain red, numbered red, plain black & white, numbered black & white) for your students to (color), copy and glue "up on top" of their animal.  When everyone is done, count to 10 forwards as well as backwards. There's also a graphing extension to see how many students chose a specific animal.

The printable can also be used as a dice game for older students. They choose a partner and take turns rolling first one die, for numbers 1-6, and then add a second die, enabling them to roll numbers 7-10, when they add the 2 together. 

I've included numbered strips for this game.  The numbered strips are also good for preschoolers who are not able to sequence yet.  This is great 1-to-1 correspondence for them. 

Click on the link to view/download the Apples Up On Top With Animals Activity.

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"You give but little when you give of your possessions.  It is when you give of yourself that you truly give." -Kahlil Gibran

1-2-3 Come Make a Glyph With Me

Are you going to be studying insects?  Do you need a quick, easy and fun way to assess listening and following directions?

Then I think you'll enjoy this cute little bee glyph.  A glyph is a wonderful way to see if students are listening and following directions. Completed projects are proof of that ability.

They are also a fun way to collect and analyze data, which will help you with Common Core State Standards:1.MD.4, K.MD.3

The packet also includes 6 graphing extensions and a data collection sheet.

Have your students choose a partner to interview (questions included) and see how many they need to ask before they guess which is their classmate's glyph.

My Y5's enjoyed becoming glyph detectives and their completed glyphs made wonderful bulletin boards and hallway displays.  Click on the link to view/download the bee glyph.

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"Be the change you want to see in the world." -Mahatma Gandhi

1-2-3 Listen and Follow Directions, and Make a Shamrock Glyph With Me!

A glyph is a quick and easy way to whole group assess listening and following directions. 

The photo shows a completed glyph by a girl.

Glyphs are also a fun way for students to collect and analyze data.

When everyone has completed their shamrock glyph, hang them up on a bulletin board, or hallway wall.

Using the data collection sheet, students choose a partner and interview them.

They ask as many questions as they need to figure out their partner's glyph. 

To make the game more exciting, encourage students to use as few questions as possible, to see who can solve the mystery with the fewest questions.

The packet includes 6 graphing extensions + a data collection sheet.

Click on the link to view/download the Shamrock Glyph packet.

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"The man who does not read good books, has no advantage over a man who can not read good books." -Mark Twain

1-2-3 Come Do All Sorts Of Fun Activities With Elmer, Horton and Me!

I am so excited to share this 42-page Horton and Elmer activity packet with you.  I've been working on it all week, and it's finally done! Woo Hoo!

I've tried to design things around quite a few Common Core State Standards so you'll be able to review all sorts of things.

Since students have to compare and contrast, explain data etc.  I thought it would be fun for students to compare 2 of my favorite elephants: Horton and Elmer.

The packet includes:

• Horton 3 character, setting, event cards
• A Horton begginning, middle, and end graphic organizer or anchor chart
• Horton retell the story bookmarks
• Horton who, what, why, when, where, how anchor chart
• Horton who, what, why, when, where writing prompt craftivity
• 15 "Fix the sentence" (with capitalization and end punctuation) Horton cards.
• Label the Horton bookcover anchor chart activity.
• 2 Venn diagrams. 1 compares Horton Hears a Who with Elmer.  The other compares the character of Horton with that of Elmer.
• 2 Hexagon adjective practice activities.
• An Elmer Color Spin Game
• Black & White, and Color Spinners
• 4 graphing extensions
• An elephant mask craftivity
• A find the letters elephant craftivity
• Tally mark activity
• 30 elephant color cards + a cover so that you can make an Itty Bitty booklet. Great for playing all sorts of games.
• Rhyming-alphabetical order worksheets with 47 words that rhyme with who and
• A Horton-Elmer Lollipop certificate of praise.

Click on the link to view/download the Horton and Elmer Activity Packet.

Thanks for visiting today.  Feel free to PIN away.  For more Horton FREEBIES scroll down to check out a sweet Horton writing prompt "craftivity."

"A person's a person no matter how small!" -Horton, from Dr. Seuss's book Horton Hears A Who

1-2-3 Eat Green Eggs and Ham With Me!

Get your kiddo's "obseussed" with Dr. Seuss by reading a variety of stories besides Cat in the Hat.  Green Eggs and Ham, is sure to be a favorite.

I always tried to design activities to go with favorite stories, so that after story time, my Y5's could transition to some sort of activity that would reinforce Standards.

With that in mind, I decided to make several activity packets with a Green Eggs and Ham theme, so that you would have a variety of fun things to choose from.

The Green Eggs and Ham packet is a walloping 65-pages long and covers all sorts of reading and math Common Core State Standards:L.K.2a, L.K.2b, RF.K.2a, RF.K.1d, L.K.1a, L.1.1a, K.CC.1, K.CC.3, K.CC.2, K.OA.5, K.CC.6, 1.NBT.1
There's a little bit of everything for a Seuss-filled day.

My personal favorite, is the 3D writing prompt craftivity pictured.  Students' completed projects make a dynamic bulletin board for March is Reading Month.

Children choose either the writing prompt where they LIKE green eggs and ham, or the one where they do NOT like them, and then complete the sentences.

They also illustrate 1/2 a paper plate with 2 things that they like, as well as a combo that is disgusting and that they wouldn't want to eat.

By folding up the edge of the plate, and inserting it through a slit in a sheet of brightly colored construction paper, the plate will appear like a ledge, once it is stapled in place.

The traced hand of the child, is holding up the plate, just like the iconic illustration in Dr. Seuss's Green Eggs and Ham book.  Add a photograph of the student for that finishing touch.  Click on the link to view/download the Green Eggs and Ham Activities Packet.

To round out your day, play the It's Time For Green Eggs and Ham spinner game.  Students can choose to play with clocks to the hour, or time to the half hour.   Click on the link to view/download the Green Eggs and Ham Telling Time packet. 

Review colors and color words in a fun way, with the Green Eggs and Ham Color packet.

Children spin the colored egg spinner.  Whatever color they land on, they color the matching color word egg that color.  There's also a recording sheet with no words, so really little kiddo's can also easily play the game. 

I've also included colored eggs with matching, traceable-color word cards. 

These are great for more games or to make an Itty Bitty booklet.  Click on the link to view/download the Green Eggs and Ham Color Packet.

Finally, we can't leave shapes out. Where Have My Green Eggs Gone? Is an easy reader shape mystery.

Students read the sentences, circle the capital letters and add end punctuation.  They also trace the shape word, write it, trace and draw the shape and then color the shaped egg yolk green.

This booklet reviews the circle, oval, triangle, rectangle, square, hexagon, pentagon and octagon shapes. Click on the link to view/download the Green Eggs Shape Booklet.

If you'd like to see a few more activities you can do with Green Eggs and Ham, simply scroll down for more Dr. Seuss FREEBIES.

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"Never grow a wishbone, where a backbone ought to be." -Unknown

This Little Piggy Went To Market, and This Little Piggy Went To School For 100-Day!

What started out to be a few simple piggy bank worksheets, to help students count coins to 100, turned into a  whopping 50-page 100-Day Piggy Packet.

You don't have to use it just for 100-Day, reviewing these "hog wild" counting skills, throughout the year, is important no matter what the day, and it's nice to have a variety of tricks in your bag of how to do that in an interesting way. 

After all, counting to 100 can get quite boring for some little ones, and extremely frustrating for those kiddo's whose light bulbs haven't lit up yet. With that in mind, I designed the Q-tip mud craftivity to the right.  Students dab brown paint on the 10 groups of 10 dots on the dirty piggy.  For less mess, children could use a brown crayon to color in the dots.

This unique packet will help you with Common Core State Standards: K.CC.1, K.CC.3, K.CC.4a, K.CC.4b, K.CC.4c, K.CC.5, K.OA.1, K.CC.6, 1.NBT.1  The packet is chock full of all kinds of goodies to help you celebrate 100-Day, or simply use as math centers.

The packet includes:

• 8 Piggy bank pages for pennies, nickels, dimes & quarters.  Students can color and count the filled banks, or color, cut and glue the coins inside an empty bank. 
• Coin to coin word matching worksheet
  
• 1 letter words, to more than 5 letter-words skill sheet
  
• Game sheet: "Race your pig to 100."
  
• Game sheet:  "Spin To Win!" coin counting to 100 + 2 coin spinners.
  
• Tally Ho tally mark worksheet.
• Graphing extension
• More than less than calculations worksheet
  
• How much money? Addition worksheet
  
• 2 Measurement activity worksheets
  
• Counting pigs by 5's to 100 worksheet
  
• Counting pigs by 10's to 100 worksheet
  
• Name Your Pig 100-Grid worksheet
• Round up the pigs by 10's worksheet.
• Pig slider "craftivity" counting by 10's & counting by 5's
  
• Piggy Popsicles "craftivity" counting by 10's.  +
• A blank sheet of pigs for you to program with whatever you want.  Use them for name tags, other numbers, letters etc.
  
• "Craftivity" counting Q-Tip mud spatters to 100 by 1's, 5's and 10's
  
• 3 counting worksheets. Counting by 1's to 100 & 120 and skip counting by 5's and 10's
  
• 2 connect-the-dot worksheets.  Counting by 5's and by 10's to 100.
• 2 Q-Tip Pig in the Mud "Craftivities."
• 2 Happy 100 Day posters. 1 in color, 1 in black and white so children can color.
• 3 different certificates of praise for "Hog Wild" counting + a
• Happy 100-Day bookmark

Click on the link to view/download the 100-Day Piggy Packet.

I hope your students have as much fun doing the lessons, as I had creating them.

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"I do the very best I know how, the very best I can, and I mean to keep on doing so until the end." -Abraham Lincoln